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

The snow fell for two days and two nights. Ying Li wore a thick, plain white robe, with a pale blue starry pendant hanging from her forehead, which looked particularly elegant under the bright white sky. The withered bone ring on her right hand emitted a dark, shiny light, and the alluring man slept listlessly within it, seemingly not enjoying this tranquil life.

Yi Bicheng handed over a plain white cloak, with a dense red plum blossom embroidered on the left sleeve. The cloak was elegant, but when worn by Ying Li, it carried an added meaning.

He hadn't spoken for two days and two nights. Ever since Ying Li agreed to accompany him to see Wei Lingyun, he had remained silent, traveling tirelessly during the day and locking himself in his room at night. Despite this coldness, he still took good care of Ying Li.

Ying Li looked at Yi Bicheng, who was walking ahead and wearing only a thin blue robe, and shook her head slightly.

This continued until the sixth day, when the snow in Ling'an Kingdom finally stopped.

Yi Bicheng frowned as he looked at a tall mountain peak a dozen miles away. The chill around him suddenly condensed into ice due to the condensation of his spiritual power.

"Are we almost there?" Ying Li asked, looking up. Yi Bicheng was more than a head taller than her. At this moment, the other party's face was filled with fear and panic. When he heard Ying Li's question, he rubbed his hands together tightly, tucked the Northern Red Plum Fan into his waistband, and nodded heavily after a long while.

“That mountain ahead is the ancestral burial ground of the Wei clan. Lingyun is buried there. The coffins there are all made of crystal, and the bodies are incorruptible. I think we should be able to see her.” Yi Bicheng’s face was deathly pale, without a trace of blood. He said in a daze, as if all the strength in his body had been drained away in an instant.

The uncertainty in his tone startled Ying Li. Although they hadn't known each other for long, Yi Bicheng was definitely not someone who acted without certainty; if he was going to do something, he would succeed. Every moment of panic he felt seemed to be related to one person, and that person was currently lying peacefully in the cold crystal coffin.

“Let’s go.” Ying Li paused, then managed a smile. “She’s waiting for you.”

Yi Bicheng's expression changed, her lips moved, her eyes darted into the distance, then she lowered her gaze, "I hope so."

After saying this, Ying Li suddenly felt a chill on her cheek. She looked up at the sky and saw snowflakes swaying and drifting down again.

Could it be that the woman also knew they were coming?

The mountain not far away is Guliang Mountain, which is said to be the final resting place of the Wei clan, just like Ying Li's family, whose final resting place is Yefeng Mountain in Yeling City. The Wei clan also has its own ancestral blessings, so it can be imagined that the power of the Wei clan should be almost the same as that of Ying Li's family.

Lonely Mountain was much larger than Ying Li had imagined. The outer perimeter was covered in thick snow, densely covered with the footprints of various small animals. Lone wolves and foxes coexisted there. One patch of snow was filthy and stained with blood, indicating a fierce battle had taken place there not long ago. Sure enough, as Ying Li followed Yi Bicheng deeper into Lonely Mountain, a mother wolf lay on her back, her lower abdomen ripped open, inside which a cub, half-lying out and already frozen to death, was crammed together.

The mother wolf was still breathing warm air. When she saw Ying Li and the others arrive, her eyes rolled almost imperceptibly, and finally she let out a soft whimper, turned her neck outward, and breathed her last.

Ying Li stared in astonishment at the scene. With a "crunch," the snow bent the branches and bounced to the ground, striking the mother wolf in the face. The wind blew by, and upon closer inspection, the mother wolf's body was already mostly buried in snow.

"How did you meet her?" Ying Li turned her gaze away from the mother wolf completely covered in snow and looked at Yi Bicheng's lonely and desolate figure.

“She called me a fool…” Yi Bicheng suddenly stopped, turned around and said to Ying Li, “When I was fourteen, I had just received the Northern Red Plum Fan from my father. I loved to play with it and couldn’t resist showing it off. When I left Tianfu and came to Guliang City in Ling’an Kingdom, it was a snowy day. I was playing with the Red Plum Fan in the inn when she stared at me for a long time. Finally, she came over and ridiculed me before leaving.”

Thinking of this, Yi Bicheng couldn't help but chuckle. "She was a spoiled and willful girl who thought her family had some power, so she bullied people everywhere. At least that's what I thought at the time. Later, also on this desolate mountain, when her mother was being lowered into the coffin, I happened to be there. She stood motionless in front of the crystal coffin, her eyes expressionless. After a long time, when all the clansmen had left, she cried for a long time in front of the coffin. When she turned around and saw me, she suddenly smiled and said, 'I remember you. You're the boy who almost got beaten to death because of the Northern Red Plum.' Then she turned around and slowly walked away, without ever crying again."

"I was a little stunned at the time. Thinking back to our first meeting, her expressions and actions suddenly became very clear. Every word she said, every phrase she uttered, and then I suddenly understood that everything she did was to rescue me. How could a fourteen-year-old child carrying a rare and precious Northern Red Plum Fan leave Ling'an Kingdom safely? The Wei family is a prominent family in Guliang City. With her speaking to me, naturally no one dared to touch her. However, at that time, I was more shocked and angry than rational, and I said a lot of hurtful things. It was probably because of that time that she has never liked me."

As Yi Bicheng spoke, his hands clenched tightly as he watched the desolate mountain draw ever closer. If memories could kill, he would have committed suicide a thousand times over.

Ying Li stared at the black brocade at her waist. When she saw Yi Bicheng's sorrowful eyes, she suddenly felt a pang of sadness in her heart and her throat tightened. She swallowed, walked over, patted his shoulder, and comforted him, "If Sister Wei knew how heartbroken and in pain you were, she would definitely be worried. Brother Yi, please take good care of yourself."

After saying this, she and Yi Bicheng stiffened simultaneously, their gazes towards Guliang Mountain filled with murderous intent. There was an uninvited guest here, whose spiritual power was definitely superior to theirs. The guest was aggressive and didn't hesitate to unleash his spiritual power; a massive net of spiritual energy began to spread outwards. In less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the entire Guliang Mountain was enveloped in a spiritual energy barrier, even the snowflakes falling on it made a soft "plop" sound.

Suddenly, a cacophony of sounds filled the air, like a downpour. Yi Bicheng's face turned particularly grim. "It's him."

"Who?!" Ying Li looked at Yi Bicheng's angry expression and had already guessed what was going on. It must be Wei Lingyun's cousin, the man she had loved all her life.

Yi Bicheng snorted coldly, his spiritual power exploded, and he shot towards Guliang Mountain. The wind carried the white snow. Ying Li saw a light-colored figure shooting towards the depths of Guliang Mountain, and she couldn't help but shiver. Then, she gathered her spiritual power and also rushed towards Guliang Mountain.

They had both prepared to defend themselves after touching the spiritual energy barrier, expecting to be bounced back. However, to their surprise, they both passed through the barrier without any obstacles, only making two muffled sounds as they passed through, with no other sounds.

There was no time for surprise. Ying Li followed closely behind Yi Bicheng, passing through various narrow valleys in the Lonely Liang Mountain, crossing frozen lakes, and finally stopping under a curtain of icefalls where the water met the sky.

There stood a man dressed in black, his back to Ying Li and the other man. He was tall and slender, and an extremely cold aura emanated from him, making the two men feel a chill run through their bodies. Behind the enormous icefall, which was about fifty feet wide, were rows of small, long crystal coffins. Countless figures lay in the crystal coffins, looking as tiny as black ants.

Yi Bicheng stared intently at the person, or more precisely, at the small coffin that the person's body was blocking. Looking up, she saw a blurry image of a woman in a thin pink shirt lying there, her face ashen, her body emaciated, and her mouth slightly crooked.

This is Wei Lingyun? The Wei Lingyun that Yi Bicheng longed for for three years and was willing to die for? Ying Li looked at that blurry face, and a word came to mind—gentle and wise, a quiet and peaceful woman.

"You killed Ling Yun, and now you still have the nerve to come see her?! Today I will end your life for Ling Yun!" Yi Bicheng became more and more agitated as he spoke, and with a backhand flick of his Northern Red Plum Fan, all his spiritual power surged up from the ground. Yi Bicheng, filled with murderous intent, looked as cold-blooded as a monster. He launched a violent attack on the man, his hands constantly swirling with attacks, each move using all his strength!

"Brother Yi, be careful!" Ying Li didn't have time to stop him. There was a loud "bang!" Before Yi Bicheng could even get close to the man, a powerful wave of spiritual energy from the man's body lashed out at Yi Bicheng. Yi Bicheng was completely hit and his body was thrown backward for more than ten meters. Countless ice shards flowed down Yi Bicheng's neck to his chest and back. He was covered in cold sweat and was panting heavily, his face filled with hatred.

"So strong!" Ying Li gasped, staring at the retreating figure. The opponent hadn't even used their full strength. To crush Yi Bicheng with this level of skill was like crushing an ant. It was unimaginable what the consequences would be if the opponent had used their full power.

"Girl, quickly find a moment to take this kid away. That person has no intention of killing him, but if he continues to cause trouble, that person might beat you up too. In that case, not only will you not be able to see Wei Lingyun, but you two will also lose your lives here!" The alluring man reminded Ying Li at the right time. As soon as he finished speaking, he seemed to suddenly realize something and fell into deep thought as he looked at the spiritual energy fluctuations around the man in black.

What is this?! Impossible!

Ying Li's expression changed, and she hurriedly ran to Yi Bicheng to help him up. Just as she was about to do something, the man in black turned around, his head held high, looking down at them with a blank expression on his face.

Cold, murderous, indifferent, his eyes were as deep as the sea, seemingly devoid of substance, yet capable of drawing one into an abyss with a single glance. Ying Li looked at him, her hand supporting Yi Bicheng suddenly falling limp. "Yin... Brother Yin Huan..." she murmured, her whole body trembling.

However, the man in black looked at Ying Li coldly, and finally a trace of expression appeared on his face, a contemptuous malice that ran deep in his bones.

"Crunch," the snow bent the branches, it was extremely cold here, and a lone bird flew over from the mountains.