A colossal spiritual boat, spanning several dozen meters, swiftly soared northward through the sky.
Ye Yu learned from Yun Roumu that their destination was the Great Qian Dynasty.
His face changed instantly, and he hurriedly asked, "Who is the emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty?"
Yun Roumu smiled and said, "The Empress of the Great Qian Dynasty is Li Ruowang, reputed to be an extraordinarily beautiful woman."
"Three years ago, she crushed all the princes with absolute power and seized the throne. She is a woman of considerable means."
Upon hearing this, Ye Yu felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
In an instant, the familiar face of Li Ruowang from his dream appeared in his mind.
It was undeniable that Li Ruowang's beauty was unmatched in the world.
But at the same time, she was a woman with an almost pathological possessiveness.
She gave Ye Yu fifty years to develop freely, only to completely imprison him within the palace afterward.
If that were all, it might be tolerable.
The key issue was that in those fifty years, countless women fell in love with Ye Yu. Just listing their names could fill a book. And Li Ruowang brutally killed all those women.
Who wouldn't fear such iron-fisted methods?
Now, whenever Ye Yu thought of the imperial palace of the Great Qian Dynasty, he felt very uneasy.
It was one thing to be trapped in a dream, but being trapped in reality was something Ye Yu could not accept.
He had to leave, no matter what!
Yun Roumu slightly furrowed her brows and softly asked, "Junior Brother Ye, what's wrong? Why do you look so distressed?"
"Nothing, nothing!" Ye Yu shook his head slightly.
Upon reflection, he realized there was no need to panic.
What happened in the dream had nothing to do with reality.
Since Yun Roumu existed in reality, it was not impossible for Li Ruowang to be the Empress of the Great Qian Dynasty.
Based on his calculations, the people in the dream truly existed, but they should not retain the memories from the dream.
Otherwise, Yun Roumu would have recognized Ye Yu's identity and killed him again long ago. Why wait until now?
With this thought, Ye Yu's heart calmed down a bit.
But for safety's sake, after thinking for a moment, Ye Yu still softly asked, "Senior Sister, I'm feeling a bit unwell. Can I return to the sect first?"
Yun Roumu did not agree to this request.
As the leader of this expedition, she was responsible for the safety of all the disciples.
If Ye Yu felt unwell, he could be treated with medicinal pills. Returning was definitely not an option.
The spirit boat was flying at an extremely fast speed, and they were currently only half an hour away from the Great Qian Dynasty.
If Ye Yu were to return to the sect on his own, it would take at least two days.
The journey back to the Azure Cloud Sect was long, and if anything happened along the way, Yun Roumu would be filled with endless guilt.
Thus, having Ye Yu follow the main group was the safest choice.
Seeing that he was "on the pirate ship" and couldn't get off, Ye Yu's mind raced.
He pretended to be in a difficult situation and said, "Senior Sister, to be honest, I used to be part of the Great Qian Dynasty, but I got into trouble with a high-ranking official, so I went to the Azure Cloud Sect to cultivate. Now that I'm returning, I'm afraid she will recognize me, which would be troublesome."
Yun Roumu's expression turned serious, and she said earnestly, "Junior Brother, don't panic. The Azure Cloud Sect has had good relations with the Great Qian Dynasty for many years. If that official dares to bully you, I will personally go to Empress Li Ruowang to negotiate. I can definitely ensure your safety."
"No, please don't!" Ye Yu shook his head frantically.
The last person he wanted to see right now was Empress Li Ruowang.
Negotiating with her? That would be walking right into the lion's den.
"Senior Sister, let me handle my own affairs. Please don't trouble the Empress. And please, keep this a secret."
Hearing this, Yun Roumu stared at Ye Yu for a long time, then finally agreed.
She looked around and, seeing no one else, whispered, "Junior Brother, there's something I've always wanted to ask you. That day in the Forest of Creation, who exactly saved us? Can you draw his appearance for me?"
Ye Yu raised an eyebrow slightly. She hadn't forgotten about this?
Was it really something to be so fixated on?
If someone saved you, shouldn't you just settle for being secretly grateful? Why insist on seeing them?
Seeing Ye Yu remain silent, Yun Roumu said very embarrassedly, "Actually, when I went to Wuzhi Peak to deliver the spiritual medicine last time, I wanted to ask you."
"But at that time, Junior Sister Xie was always around, so I didn't ask. Now that I finally have the chance to ask you alone, please help me."
Ye Yu suddenly understood everything.
So Yun Roumu's previous friendliness was also because she wanted to know who saved her?
In that case, what's the harm in fulfilling her wish?
"Senior Sister, I don't actually know that person. As for the portrait, I only remember a rough outline. I'll draw it for you now!"
Afterward, Ye Yu drew an extremely abstract portrait for Yun Roumu. When she received it, her expression turned odd.
A bald head, a pointed nose, a gourd-shaped face, short limbs, dressed in a black robe. The person was as ugly as could be.
Was this the person who saved them that day?
Why did it feel so strange?
Half an hour later.
The spiritual boat arrived at the ferry port of the Great Qian Dynasty.
Dozens of officials from the Great Qian Dynasty were already waiting there, with a thousand armored soldiers lined up to welcome them.
For the Azure Cloud Sect, one of the Five Sacred Lands, the Great Qian Dynasty had shown ample courtesy.
There were a total of thirty-five Azure Cloud Sect disciples coming to celebrate the birthday, including Ye Yu and Yun Roumu.
Once the spirit boat landed steadily, Yun Roumu led the Azure Cloud Sect disciples down from the sky.
Ye Liangyan, the minister in charge of reception, immediately stepped forward and cupped his hands, "Welcome, esteemed immortals."
"You're too kind," Yun Roumu smiled slightly, then noticed the edge of Ye Liangyan's eye was bruised.
She asked in puzzlement, "What happened to your eye, sir?"
Ye Liangyan's face instantly turned awkward.
Previously, Li Ruowang had interrogated him, asking if he had a son named Ye Yu.
Ye Liangyan had flatly denied it, only to be strung up and beaten. But the truth was, he didn't have a son named Ye Yu.
Eventually, Li Ruowang let him go and began sending people across the entire Central Continent to search for Ye Yu.
However, they had found nothing.
As the birthday celebration approached, Ye Liangyan, a first-rank minister, advised Li Ruowang not to focus all her energy on the search but to prepare for the birthday celebration and maintain good relations with the immortal sects, which would be more beneficial for the Great Qian Dynasty's development.
Upon hearing this, Li Ruowang personally beat Ye Liangyan, even threatening that if he didn't share the same surname, she would have buried him alive.
Although Ye Liangyan sought treatment from a medical cultivator afterward, some traces remained.
Now that Yun Roumu had noticed, Ye Liangyan felt deeply embarrassed.
To avoid Yun Roumu dwelling on the matter, he quickly changed the subject, "I accidentally fell while walking. It's nothing serious."
"By the way, why is there someone wearing a mask among the Azure Cloud Sect disciples this time?"