Ye Yu, standing among the Azure Cloud Sect disciples, felt extremely flustered.
When he saw Ye Liangyan pointing at him, he became even more at a loss.
Originally, Ye Yu wanted an artifact to conceal his face or a human-skin mask, but there were none on the spirit boat.
He could only find a white mask with an eight-bamboo design. Helpless, he had to use it to cover his face.
Yun Roumu glanced back at Ye Yu, recalling their previous conversation.
She then said, "This disciple was stung by spirit bees on the way here. His face is severely swollen, so he has to use a mask to cover it. Please don't mind, sir."
Ye Liangyan laughed and said, "Such is life. It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. Saintess, let me take you to your resting place first. Tomorrow, at the start of the birthday celebration, you can meet the Empress."
Yun Roumu agreed gladly.
Then, under Ye Liangyan's guidance, the Azure Cloud Sect disciples began moving toward the designated direction of the Great Qian Dynasty.
Seeing this, Ye Yu couldn't help but slowly let out a sigh of relief.
He had managed to muddle through.
He couldn't help but wonder if he was overreacting. Perhaps Li Ruowang had no memory of the dream.
Ye Yu shook his head slightly.
After thinking it over, he decided not to remove his mask.
...
Meanwhile, in the imperial palace of the Great Qian Dynasty, ten Blood Guard soldiers knelt in a row.
Empress Li Ruowang's face was icy cold.
"Trash, you're all a bunch of useless fools. I sent you to find Ye Yu, and after all this time, you haven't found a single clue. What's the point of keeping you?"
"Please calm down, Empress. The Central Continent is vast. Finding one person is naturally fraught with difficulties. If you grant a bit more time, I am sure we can bring you good news."
Wu Kun, the leader of the Blood Guard, felt extremely bitter.
Ye Yu, Ye Yu. This name was now giving him a headache.
He wanted nothing more than to find this person quickly.
But Ye Yu was an obscure nobody. Who knew where he might be?
Yet Empress Li Ruowang was obsessively determined to find him and had given them a very short deadline, making Wu Kun's life extremely difficult.
Seated on the throne, Li Ruowang slowly rose. "I'll give you two more days. If you still can't find Ye Yu, consider your role as the leader of the Blood Guard over."
With that, Li Ruowang waved her sleeve dismissively and walked straight out of the hall.
These past few days, Li Ruowang had been increasingly irritable.
In the palace of her dreams, having Ye Yu by her side was her happiest time.
But now, in the empty palace, there was only her and Ye Nian. This made Li Ruowang very displeased.
At the same time, she was utterly convinced that Ye Yu existed. Otherwise, where did Ye Nian come from?
Li Ruowang's gaze grew colder.
Ye Yu, just wait a little longer. I will definitely find you.
A family is meant to be together, isn't it?
...
Night fell.
Outside the Great Qian Imperial Palace.
In Haolin Villa, all the disciples from the dozen or so immortal sects who came to celebrate Li Ruowang's birthday were staying there.
Ye Yu did not sleep but wore his mask and looked towards the palace.
Although that place held many unpleasant memories from his dreams, there were also a few moments of happiness.
At least there, he had his first daughter from the dream, Ye Nian, the adorably cute girl he missed so much.
He wondered where Ye Nian was now and how she was doing.
If he had the chance to enter the palace tomorrow for the birthday celebration, he would definitely look for her.
If that didn't work, he would ask around.
Ye Yu was truly worried that Ye Nian might not be doing well. After all, she was very dear to him.
As Ye Yu pondered, a soft voice came from beside him.
"Your mask looks really strange."
Ye Yu turned his head and saw a little girl in a dress standing on the steps, her eyes full of curiosity.
Ye Yu's eyes widened in shock.
This little girl was none other than the Ye Nian from his dreams.
Seeing her again, Ye Yu was extremely excited and reached out to take her hand.
But Ye Nian stepped back cautiously and asked, "What are you trying to do? Not just anyone can hold this princess's hand!"
Ye Yu was very surprised. "You're a princess?"
"Of course, I am Princess Ye Nian, daughter of Empress Li Ruowang of the Great Qian Dynasty. Hmm, your voice sounds like my daddy's."
Ye Nian's words made Ye Yu feel like he had fallen into an ice cave.
Ye Nian, the daughter of Li Ruowang, calling him 'daddy'?
Damn. The dream had come true!
Ye Yu's body trembled slightly, and he couldn't help but take a step back.
Seeing Ye Yu's reaction, Ye Nian stepped forward again. "Daddy, is it you?"
Although Ye Yu longed for a father-daughter reunion, the timing was obviously inappropriate now.
He could now confirm that everything from the dream had likely become reality. Otherwise, how could Ye Nian exist?
This also meant that Li Ruowang's obsessive possessiveness was real. If this woman knew he was in the Great Qian Dynasty, it would be disastrous.
His future would be exactly like in the dream, confined forever within the palace.
That was not the life Ye Yu wanted. He shook his head repeatedly and said in a muffled voice, "Nonsense. I am Zhao Wuji, a disciple of Azure Cloud Sect. How could I be your father?"
Ye Nian looked doubtful. This voice didn't sound right at all, though it had seemed very similar just now.
Just as Ye Nian was about to speak again, a figure suddenly appeared.
It was a tall, cold-faced female official. She knelt on one knee and said in a deep voice, "Princess, please do not wander off. Return to the palace with me. It is not safe outside."
As she spoke, the female official glanced at Ye Yu, making him very uncomfortable.
What did she mean by 'not safe'? I am the child's biological father!
In fact, it was no wonder that the female official Qingzhu was nervous.
She had been accompanying Ye Nian while she played in the palace, but had lost track of her for a moment, and Ye Nian had disappeared.
This terrified Qingzhu, as she knew the methods of Empress Li Ruowang well. If anything happened to Ye Nian, it wouldn't just be her life at stake, but her entire family's as well.
In this situation, Qingzhu was understandably hostile towards anyone approaching Ye Nian.
Ye Nian shook her head and said, "Sister Qingzhu, I just want to ask him a few more questions before I leave. Can I?"
Qingzhu frowned slightly but took a step back without saying a word.
She allowed this but kept her eyes fixed on Ye Yu. Any suspicious movement from him, and she would act immediately.
Ye Yu didn't say anything about it. Having such a diligent and responsible official guarding Ye Nian was a good thing.
However, the urgent matter now was to ensure Ye Nian did not recognize his identity. Otherwise, if she told Li Ruowang, everything would be over.
Thinking of this, Ye Yu slowly squatted down and said in a muffled voice, "Princess, I know what you want to ask. My name is Zhao Wuji. I am a disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect."
"On the way here, my face was stung by spirit bees, so I can't take off my mask. Besides, I already have a Dao companion and a five-year-old child. I cannot be your father. You have mistaken me for someone else."