The Emperor's Domineering Favor, the Evil Consort's Unparalleled Reign

"Who...who are you?!" Chu Lianyi shrank back two steps, looking into the young man's dashing eyes, her heart pounded faster and faster, and she had no choice but to back away.

Upon hearing Chu Lianyi's words, the boy's eyes suddenly dimmed. He stared at Chu Lianyi with a helpless expression, making her feel uneasy.

"Did Master Li scare you?!" the boy asked. Chu Lianyi knew what was going on, and blurted out, "You were also captured?! That fierce old man is your master?!"

The boy didn't answer. He remained kneeling, his left hand hanging at his side and his right hand resting on his knee. He stared intently at Chu Lianyi, his brows slightly furrowed, as if pondering what Chu Lianyi had said.

"I've heard that some strange old men like to capture young boys and girls to be their disciples. Is Master Li one of those people?! When ordinary reclusive masters can't find suitable disciples, they often resort to last-minute efforts when they're on their deathbed, finding some young boys and girls with a little talent to teach them kung fu and pass on their mantle. Could it be that we were captured like that?! But I really don't have any talent, except for being able to read some books."

Chu Lianyi asked with some annoyance. Sometimes she wished she had been captured like that, to prove she was truly a talented prodigy. But now that she was seventeen, having half-heartedly studied and half-neglected her studies, she was still a mediocre student. What kind of reclusive master would recognize her talent?!

It's probably mostly because of Ying Li that he was arrested and questioned.

"My name is Xuan Ye." The boy suddenly blurted out this sentence, and there was a kind of scar in his eyes that she couldn't see through. But this was far less shocking than when Chu Lianyi heard the other party's name. Chu Lianyi stared at him, stunned. Xuan Ye?! What a good name, Chu Lianyi exclaimed.

"Lianyi, Chu Lianyi." After Chu Lianyi finished speaking, the boy looked thoughtful. After a while, the boy looked at her and suddenly smiled happily. The smile seemed to melt the ice and snow all over the mountain, making Chu Lianyi feel like she was in a dream.

She rescued the boy and got him out of there. Such a good boy shouldn't be stuck in a dark and gloomy cave.

"Xuan Ye!!! What are you doing here?!" Just as Chu Lianyi secretly made up her mind to rescue Xuan Ye, Master Li's howl suddenly came from the cave entrance, as if Chu Lianyi had taken away something she valued highly. Master Li rushed over in three steps, pushed Chu Lianyi to the ground, pulled Xuan Ye up, looked him up and down, and his eyes were full of pity.

Chu Lianyi fell heavily to the ground again, her arm slamming against the ground. She groaned and, as she got up, felt a burning pain in her palms. She spread her hands and saw that the skin on her palms had peeled off, and bright red blood was gushing out.

Chu Lianyi gasped, shouting at Master Li, "You strange old man! You're the one who kidnapped me here!! And now you're lying to me into working for you!!! I only ran into Xuan Ye, how could you be so cruel?! Is there no justice in this world?!?"

Xuan Ye glanced coldly at the beads of blood seeping from Chu Lianyi's palm, then glared at Master Li. Master Li, somewhat guiltily, flinched, but still shielded Xuan Ye behind him, saying to Chu Lianyi, "Who told you to touch him?! Xuan Ye isn't well. If you harm him, I'll show you what I'm capable of!!!"

"You!" Chu Lianyi said. Master Li glared coldly at Chu Lianyi, and with a wave of his right hand, a thick spiritual energy barrier appeared in front of Chu Lianyi. Chu Lianyi stood up and pounded on the barrier with all her might. Blood from her palms stained the barrier. Xuan Ye frowned slightly. However, Master Li ignored him and pulled Xuan Ye out, no longer paying attention to Chu Lianyi.

Chu Lianyi was inexplicably arrested, then inexplicably deceived, and now inexplicably beaten; it was truly a terrible injustice. Thinking of Xuan Ye, she felt a tightness in her chest, a sense of unease.

She didn't know how much time had passed when Chu Lianyi slumped to the ground, leaning against the mountain wall, and fell asleep. Suddenly, a burning pain shot through her palm. In her sleep, she frowned and swung her right hand forward with a swift motion!

"Slap!" A loud slap jolted Chu Lianyi awake from her sleep! Xuan Ye was kneeling in front of her, holding her left hand and pouring white wound medicine onto it. His eyes were filled with shock, and his cheek was swollen and red, with some bloodstains.

Chu Lianyi looked at her right hand, lowered her head in embarrassment, and dared not look at Xuan Ye. She said in a voice so soft that she could barely hear herself, "I'm sorry, I..."

"Does your hand hurt?"

"Huh?!" Chu Lianyi looked up. Xuan Ye was bandaging her wounds while asking, his serious eyes making Chu Lianyi a little dazed. "No...it doesn't hurt."

Chu Lianyi stammered as Xuan Ye carefully bandaged her right hand. A burning pain shot through her palm, and Chu Lianyi grimaced and tried to dodge, but Xuan Ye's hand held her firmly, leaving her nowhere to escape.

"It'll be over soon, just bear with it."

“Xuan Ye, Master Li really kidnapped us to be his apprentices?! Please tell me! I only know you. It’s so dark and scary here. I don’t want to stay here any longer. I still have friends. Ali is waiting for me. I promised Ali that I would help her find her family.” Chu Lianyi said, and she clearly saw Xuan Ye’s eyes darting away.

He must know something, Chu Lianyi thought.

"Alright." After saying that, Xuan Ye stood up, packed his things, and prepared to leave.

Chu Lianyi panicked and grabbed the other person's sleeve. Because of the force, she aggravated her wound. The pain in her palm almost made her faint, but she endured it. She pulled on Xuan Ye as if she were grasping at a lifeline.

"Xuan Ye, please tell me, please tell me how to get out of here!" Chu Lianyi looked at Xuan Ye with pleading eyes. Xuan Ye's eyes seemed to move. Just when Chu Lianyi thought Xuan Ye was about to help her, Xuan Ye shook off Chu Lianyi's hand that was holding his sleeve and walked out of the cave. The moment he left, the spiritual energy barrier behind him instantly rose up.

Chu Lianyi's face fell, and she slumped back to the ground, her face filled with sorrow. It seemed that she had really encountered something very unlucky.

For three consecutive days, Xuan Ye came to see Chu Lianyi, but Chu Lianyi just stared at Xuan Ye without saying a word. She stared at Xuan Ye with some hatred in her eyes.

"Get out!!! You're in cahoots with that person, get out!!!" Chu Lianyi screamed hysterically, but Xuan Ye didn't even blink. He put down the water he had brought for Chu Lianyi and walked out without looking back.

Master Li had also come once and saw Chu Lianyi squatting on the ground as if she had resigned herself to her fate, looking utterly hopeless, with a hint of worry in her eyes.

"Hey, you brat, you can't die! As long as you admit your mistake and stop bothering Xuan Ye, I'll let you out. Then I'll tell you where the exit is, okay?!"

Chu Lianyi didn't speak, but merely glanced at him, snorted coldly, grabbed a pebble beside her, and hurled it fiercely at Master Li's face!

"Bang bang bang!!!" The thrown stones hit the spiritual energy barrier one after another, most of them bouncing back and hitting Chu Lianyi's face, head, and arms. She didn't dodge at all. After the stones left marks on her body and rolled away, she stared coldly at Master Li, her eyes filled with endless hatred.

"Hey! You little brat, are you an idiot?! You're just degrading yourself like this!!! Hey! Did you hear me? You can't die!!!" Even speaking couldn't cheer Chu Lianyi up; she must be really angry.

"Get out!!! Get out!!!" Chu Lianyi screamed hysterically, her hands gripping her skirt tightly, desperately trying to hold back her tears!

Knowing he was making a fool of himself, Master Li left, not forgetting to taunt Chu Lianyi before he went, "Don't you dare steal my Xuan Ye away, that child is much more precious than you."

A long time passed, and then a long time still passed. Chu Lianyi stared coldly at the cave entrance, and Xuan Ye indeed appeared. He was dressed in black robes, his hair was blown by the breeze, his eyes were dashing, and his features were like a painting.

"Xuan Ye, do you consider me a friend?! Otherwise, you wouldn't have sneaked in to see me. If you do consider me a friend, can you tell me where the exit is?! I know that person is a bad guy, I know you were also captured, right?! Tell me where the exit is, and we'll go together, we'll escape together without that old geezer's knowledge, okay?!" Chu Lianyi pleaded. She wanted to leave, she wanted to get away from this terrifying place.

“I’m not leaving, you go. He’s my friend, I won’t leave.” After Xuan Ye finished speaking, he handed Chu Lianyi a white porcelain bottle. “There’s a guiding butterfly in here. Take this with you and walk from here. You’ll find the exit.”

Chu Lianyi took the white porcelain bottle and said, "Aren't you coming with me?!"

Xuan Ye was about to say something when his expression suddenly changed. A moment later, the old man suddenly appeared in front of Chu Lianyi and Xuan Ye, his face filled with fear. He said anxiously, "A woman named Ying Li has arrived. She's going to fight her way from the foot of the mountain to the top! Xuan Ye, you're not feeling well, you can't stand noise. Leave here quickly!"

"An alien?!" Xuan Ye asked. Chu Lianyi's expression changed. She stopped Xuan Ye and Master Li, saying, "What do you mean? What do you mean by fighting from the foot of the mountain to the top? What are you going to do to Ali?!"

"Master, Eldest Brother! Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened! A fight is about to break out!!!" Several young boys suddenly appeared, their faces filled with panic upon seeing Master Li.

"Get out of my way! I need to go find Ali! Let me out!!!" Chu Lianyi shouted.

"How dare you! You think you can insult the Great Sage Jueling just because you want to?!" one of the children said fiercely to Chu Lianyi.

Chu Lianyi froze, staring at the wrinkled, ferocious-looking Master Li before her, and repeated, "You are the Great Sage Jue Ling?! You are... the Great Sage Jue Ling?!"