This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

The Fourth Prince of the Seventh Floor and Wu Xie and his group had already begun arranging a fight, and Zhan Wuqing's arrogance surprised everyone. Ruoxue only thought for a moment before getting up and leaving.

"I'll change my clothes, wait for me."

"it is good."

Xiao Xingchen knew that her words had worked. Ruoxue was clearly in charge of the intelligence agency for the Virtuous Consort, and it was impossible for her not to be interested in such matters.

That's good too. If Ruoxue gets into trouble while I'm with her, someone will share the burden.

He gazed at the Fourth Prince again. Although part of their motivation was for him, now wasn't the right time for him to rush in. He'd wait until things were settled, then go and thoroughly humiliate Wu Xie—that would be the most satisfying feeling.

As for the reason, his coveting of Daji is enough. Perfect, let them make a scene. The bigger the scene, the more satisfying it will be for him to slap them in the face.

As they moved through the night, Xiao Xingchen noticed that Ruoxue was dressed entirely in black, and her movements were incredibly skillful. Each step she took was completely silent, making it seem as if she were a ghost following behind him.

However, his control over his strength wasn't very precise, and each landing made a sound. Although Ruoxue didn't say anything, he saw the disdain in her eyes.

"Your way of using your power is very unfamiliar, as if you have been taught by someone. I am very curious about how you stepped into the first level of heaven."

"I figured it out myself,"

Xiao Xingchen knew perfectly well that Daji had only guided his divine embryo to take shape, and then ignored him completely. As a result, he now possessed immense power but could not unleash it to its full potential. He had asked her about it, but Daji only replied with three words: "Find it yourself." She even claimed that what he found himself was the most suitable for him.

Ruoxue scoffed, gaining a new understanding of his shamelessness. In this world, without a master to guide you through the door, the gates to the Nine Heavens will never be opened.

She had been observing him the whole way and was absolutely certain that Xiao Xingchen's kung fu was very rough, which was enough to show that the boy in front of her had no one to teach him. But could someone really enter the gate of sword immortality without any teacher?

She shook her head, casting those thoughts aside. There was plenty of time; she could learn about it gradually later. But for now, she still gave them some instructions.

"Although the ancestral temple is not heavily guarded, it is not a place that just anyone can enter. At this time, the only way to get in is during the shift change at the ancestral temple."

"Can't we just sneak in? I'm a sword immortal, and you're an even greater master. How could those guards possibly detect us?"

Ruoxue shook her head and slowly explained.

“You don’t understand. The ancestral temple is, after all, the place of worship for the royal family. For a hundred years, due to its flourishing incense offerings, the royal family has created a grand incense array. This array only covers the area around the ancestral temple. I heard it’s used for experiments to verify a theory. It seems that Emperor Wu is researching a grand array that can cover the entire Yong’an, and this place is the prototype of that array.”

"Although we don't know the power of this great formation, we must be on guard,"

"Is there still such a thing?"

Xiao Xingchen was glad he had brought Ruoxue out; otherwise, he might not have been able to cause any trouble on his own. His biggest weakness was his lack of knowledge about the world. He secretly decided that he would definitely get a comprehensive understanding of the world when he had the chance.

"We've arrived. The ancestral temple is just ahead."

Ruoxue paused, as they landed on the rooftop of a restaurant, with a cluster of buildings visible in the distance.

Looking from afar, the ancestral temple resembles a heavenly palace, with numerous halls and incense smoke filling the air. Even though it is late at night, one can still see red candles flickering inside.

The ancestral temple is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only the main gate as an entrance. Even at night, soldiers patrol this route.

"Although the ancestral temple is not an important place, it is an important place for worshipping heaven and praying for blessings. Therefore, incense is offered there all year round. A master used the incense energy to create an incense array. However, it has never been triggered over the years, so its power is unknown."

Ruoxue continued to explain.

"Do you understand what I mean? There's nothing of value here, so who would bother coming here to cause trouble? That's why I remain skeptical of your guess."

“I understand. It doesn’t matter if it’s a little longer. It’s already past 1 AM, which is when people are most tired. 1 AM is the shift change time. Let’s wait and see. If there’s nothing unusual after 1 AM, then I was wrong.”

Hearing Xiao Xingchen say that, Ruoxue was too lazy to continue arguing. It just so happened that this place was located at a high point, where she could take in all the situation outside the temple. With the starlight twinkling, the scenery was quite nice.

Ruoxue thought to herself, "I'll just treat this as a chance to clear my head."

Unlike Ruoxue, Xiao Xingchen was constantly watching his surroundings. Upon seeing the ancestral temple, his divine embryo stirred, making him take this place even more seriously. At the same time, he was certain that Wu Xie and Zhan Wuqing's commotion earlier that day was all about this place; there was something in the ancestral temple, but the world was unaware of it.

But he still needed to see what it was.

"Don't be nervous. I'll know if there's any movement around us."

Ruoxue turned her head and glanced at Xiaoxingchen, who was looking around, and couldn't help but mention it.

Hearing this, Xiao Xingchen finally felt relieved. He was afraid that someone might have escaped his notice and forgotten that there was a master beside him. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, he grew bolder and tentatively asked,

"Ruoxue, you don't look very old. What level of strength do you possess?"

Ruoxue smiled and teased,

"What? Testing me? Who told you I'm not old? Maybe I'm over a hundred years old!"

"No, I trust my eyes. Every stage of a girl's life has its own unique charm, and biological age doesn't lie. You look like you're only in your early twenties."

Xiao Xingchen didn't think much of it. Women are very sensitive to changes in age, and the woman in front of him was clearly a young girl. That youthful aura couldn't be faked by an older woman. Therefore, he thought Ruoxue was just joking.

But Ruoxue's next words made him frown.

"You're really naive. Let me tell you, the eyes are the most unreliable thing in the world. Sometimes, what you see is not what you think. If you want to uncover the truth, the first step is not to trust your eyes."

"No, I trust my eyes," Xiao Xingchen stubbornly replied.

"Innocent,"

Ruoxue shook her head, seemingly disdainful of Xiaoxingchen's childishness. Then, as if remembering something, she sighed helplessly and couldn't help but add,

"Only by looking at the world with your heart can you see its truth."

"See the world with your heart? It's easier said than done, but I don't know how."

Xiao Xingchen always scoffed at such esoteric talk, thinking it pretentious and profound. He suggested she try being more straightforward.

The two chatted idly, with Xiao Xingchen constantly probing about everything concerning Consort Xian, but Ruoxue remained tight-lipped, giving him no chance whatsoever. After a long chat, it was all just nonsense.

This left Xiao Xingchen somewhat perplexed, but as time passed, the hour of Yin (3-5 AM) arrived.

"Look, the guards are about to change shifts!"

Xiao Xingchen noticed that the guards here also went off duty on time. The patrolling soldiers at the gate would stop working immediately after the night watchman's gong sounded at dawn, without anyone handing them over.

"So, those people in the Flower Language Building right now are the ones who are about to change shifts?"

Ruoxue's heart skipped a beat; things seemed to be getting interesting. This ancestral temple was usually an unnoticed place, almost irrelevant to those on duty. It seemed that the Flower Language Pavilion was currently bustling with activity, so the guards had chosen to slack off.

"It's about time. I reckon now is the best time. If anyone's coming, they should be here by now."

As soon as Xiao Xingchen finished speaking, he saw dark shadows flashing in the night sky. A slight smile appeared on his lips.

"See? Speak of the devil, and he appears."