Floating life reflects two lotuses

Xiao Jinlian stared at the second rune fragment in her hand. The light on the rune flowed like ripples on water, faint yet not to be ignored.

She gently traced the ancient engravings with her fingertips, as if tracing their origins.

Li Heng stood to the side, silently watching her, his eyes filled with unspeakable worry.

“These runes tell the story of a spirit offering ritual,” Xiao Jinlian said softly, her voice tinged with shock.

She held up the shards, pointing them at the flickering candlelight, trying to see them more clearly.

"A spirit offering ritual?" Li Heng frowned slightly. "What exactly is that?"

“This is an extreme sealing technique.” Xiao Jinlian looked up at him, her expression solemn. “According to the rune records, the spirit offering ritual in the Luoyuan Contract can quell the power of the curse, but its price is—” She paused, seemingly reluctant to say it, “—the caster must sacrifice their own soul in exchange for a temporary cessation of the curse.”

Upon hearing this, Li Heng frowned deeply and said in a low voice, "So, this sacrificial ritual is not the use of power as we thought, but rather a sacrifice of oneself to protect all living beings?"

Xiao Jinlian nodded, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes: "That's right. The true meaning of this Spirit Offering Land is sealing, not utilizing the power of runes."

Silan listened quietly from the side, and finally couldn't help but interject: "Then this place... isn't it a forbidden ground for burying heroes? Its existence is not for creation, but to prevent greater destruction?"

Xiao Jinlian did not answer, her eyes deep and sorrowful.

She knew that she was now at the heart of this conflict, and that both sealing and breaking the seal would inevitably come at a heavy price.

Meanwhile, Consort Yan sat in her bedchamber, gently holding a jade cup, her eyes coldly fixed on the confidant who had come to report.

"Are you sure Xiao Jinlian has obtained the second rune fragment?" Yan Fei's voice was low and dangerous, and the tea in her cup rippled, reflecting her ruthless expression.

The confidant knelt and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty. She and Li Heng have been studying runes in a secret chamber and seem to have discovered some secrets about the spirit offering ritual."

"Hmph," Yan Fei sneered, a glint of calculation flashing in her eyes, "She thought she could unravel the truth of the curse, but little did she know that she had already become a pawn in the game."

"Your Majesty, what's next..." the confidant asked cautiously.

"Send someone to impersonate a high-ranking official in the palace and deliver a secret report to the Emperor." Consort Yan gently set down her jade cup, her gaze icy. "Tell the Emperor that Xiao Jinlian's unusual actions have threatened the safety of the royal family. As for the fragments in her possession... I will naturally retrieve them myself."

The following day, in the imperial court.

An official walked hurriedly into the main hall, carrying a sealed memorial in his hands.

He loudly proclaimed, "Your Majesty, the princess has been acting suspiciously lately, frequently entering and leaving secret chambers, and she is also carrying strange fragments of runes. I am concerned that this is an attempt to harm the royal family."

The entire court erupted in an uproar. The emperor frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd in the hall.

He turned to Consort Yan, who was standing to the side, but found her looking down obediently, seemingly unaware of the matter.

"This matter is of utmost importance," the emperor said in a low voice, his gaze gradually darkening.

He waved to signal the end of the court session, but a seed of doubt had already been planted in his heart.

Xiao Jinlian was unaware of what was happening in the court. She was continuing to analyze the rune fragments with Li Heng and Si Lan, hoping to find a way to stop the curse.

“Princess,” Silan said cautiously, “do these runes mention the key to breaking the curse? If we can only quell it by sacrificing souls, the price is far too high.”

Xiao Jinlian pondered for a moment, her fingertips tracing the engravings on the fragments: "The runes mention that if all the fragments can be collected, the spirit offering ritual might be rewritten. The cost is unavoidable, but the sacrifice might be reduced."

“All the fragments?” Li Heng’s voice was deep and powerful. “This means… we must find the other scattered rune fragments.”

“That’s right.” Xiao Jinlian nodded, looking up at him. “And time is of the essence.”

If the curse continues to spread, the entire royal family, and even the entire Chu Kingdom, may be plunged into crisis.

Li Heng stared at her intently, then suddenly asked, "Lian'er, you've carried too much on this journey."

"If someone truly needs to perform the offering ritual..." He paused, his voice growing increasingly firm, "...I will do it."

"Nonsense!" Xiao Jinlian blurted out, her eyes filled with anger and anxiety. "You think you can solve the problem with your own life? This is not a moment of heroism, but a life-or-death decision."

Li Heng did not answer, but gazed at her intently, his eyes revealing a silent tenderness.

He understood that the resilient woman before him bore more responsibility and pain than he did.

Seeing this, Silan quickly changed the subject: "Princess, now that we know the truth about the sacrificial ritual, what should we do next?"

Xiao Jinlian took a deep breath and gently put down the fragment in her hand: "We must find the remaining rune fragments. Before that, I need to report to my father and seek his support."

She looked up into the distance, her gaze filled with determination and resolve. No matter how many obstacles lay ahead, she would not back down.

However, she was unaware that Consort Yan's conspiracy was closing in step by step, and that her every step was being closely watched.