Yun Jiuge watched Empress Xi as she entered the sleeping chambers.
“Are you not going to settle things with her?” Zi Shang asked. His handsome face was in the shadows, his grey eyes were focused on Yun Jiuge.
“It would be pointless to settle things or do anything with her. It’s not as if she was the only one who wanted to bring Yun Mansion down,” Yun Jiuge replied. A sad, melancholic expression washed over her face.
Even if she got rid of Empress Xì, so long as she was not there to watch over Yun Mansion, the next emperor would still do the same thing.
Human greed was not something she could change.
“If so, isn’t it better to dispose of Yun Mansion and give your people a better place to live?” Zi Shang suggested softly.
Yun Jiuge could then travel even further away, without having to worry about them. She wouldn’t have to hold herself back.
Yun Jiuge was stunned for a while.
Ye Yuxuan tortured Qing mama, old Huo, and the others during the time that they served her mother.
And now that they serve her, they are tortured by Empress Xi. These people had suffered for most of their life as they followed the Yun Family.
“You are right. I will settle Qing Mama and the rest safely. Then they will be free to do whatever they want!” said Yun Jiuge. She had already taken most items of value to the Yun family. Only the old house and some stores remained.
Those things that remained were of no value to her. It would be fine to leave those behind with the Yun Family branch.
“It’s not for you to handle this matter. Wouldn’t it be better to find Ye Yu anyway? Don’t you have to send Ye Yunzhi to him?” Zi Shang asked, trying his best to reason with her.
Yun Jiuge nodded. “You are right, we should just go.”
After Yun Jiuge and Zi Shang left the palace, they traveled throughout the night to the Ye Family’s Home of the Shadows.
As the day broke, the skies starting turning bright and golden sunlight scattered across the mountain. Silence filled the empty valley in front of them as they continued their way to the Ye’s home.
As they approached their destination, they saw rows of tombstones that were erected on some small, desolate pile of yellow soil.
The tombstones at the highest row were those of the ancestors of the Ye Family.
A new cenotaph, commemorating the unaccounted members of the Ye family was erected at the bottom.
The Home of the Shadows was hidden just below the tombstone of the ancestors.
Yun Jiuge remembered the clues that Ye Yu had given her and walked towards the tallest tombstone erected in the middle.
“Please excuse me,” Yun Jiuge said as she put her hands together and solemnly prayed. She then turned the tombstone to the left three times, followed by another three times to the right.
She heard a soft humming sound, but she didn’t get a chance to figure it out! The ground had opened up, and she was already falling in.
Zi Shang calmly jumped in at the same time. He wrapped his arms around Yun Jiuge’s waist as they fell into an empty cave.
Beautiful rays of light were reflected by the stalactites which had formed on the ceiling of the crypt.
Up ahead was a pitch-black hole that looked like a gaping monster’s mouth. A light, cold breeze was coming out of it.
“This place is interesting,” Zi Shang said. He was looking at the cave intently as he grabbed Yun Jiuge’s hand. “Follow me closely,” he said.
“Why are you so uptight?” asked Jiuge. She was just going to see her partner, Ye Yu. It was not as if she was headed for someplace dangerous.
“It is just better to be cautious,” Zi Shang blurted, gripping her hand even tighter.
“Fine!” Yun Jiuge exclaimed as she followed Zi Shang into the pitch-dark cave.
Although she had taken only a step into the cave, Yun Jiuge felt herself drowning in darkness.
Never-ending darkness and total silence were all around. It was as if their sense of sight and smell were taken away. If not for the warmth of Zi Shang’s hand, Yun Jiuge would have lost all her bearings.
“Home of the Shadows is so secluded, why didn’t the Ye clan hide out here when they were under attack?” Yun Jiuge asked Zi Shang, only to realize that her voice was swallowed by the darkness. No sound can be heard.
She squeezed Zi Shang’s hand vigorously, trying to connect with him telepathically. Her senses were disappearing, communicating telepathically was not possible.
This was just absurd!
Yun Jiuge stopped and reached out for the Magical Bottomless Bag. She wanted to retrieve the bone spur for protection. But she had lost her connection to the Magical Bottomless Bag!
She felt as if she had turned into a ghost, one who was unable to touch, feel, or see anything. She shivered involuntarily.
Yun Jiuge was a little flustered, pulling on Zi Shang’s hand hard. She wanted him to take them away from this cursed place.
Suddenly Zi Shang let go of her hand. She then heard the faint, indistinct sound of fighting in the darkness.
“Zi Shang, where are you?” Yun Jiuge shouted, as she frantically waved her hands about. She wanted to help, but she couldn’t see anything at all in the dark.
Thankfully, Zi Shang held onto her hand once again, and they headed towards the way out.
Yun Jiuge almost cried as the radiant rays of lights from the stalactites shone into her eyes.
“What exactly is this damned place called ‘Home of Shadows’?” Yun Jiuge asked as she turned back to look at Zi Shang. He was carrying a man over his shoulder!
The man’s hair was messy, and his clothes were worn-out. His body was so thin, a gust of wind would have easily blown him away.
Yun Jiuge stepped forward to look at him. As she pushed the man’s messy hair aside, she saw that his face was pale and bloodless-like.
Although his cheeks were hollowed out, his facial features were still very beautiful. The most conspicuous feature was the red mole between his eyebrows; he was Ye Yu!
“How did he become like this?” Yun Jiuge cried in disbelief.
“He had stayed in there for too long. His body has grown extremely weak. Let’s warm him up first,” Zi Shang said as he lowered Ye Yu to the ground.
“Please be gentle!” pleaded Yun Jiuge. She feared that Ye Yu might break and fall apart. She squatted down quickly to check on him.
Ye Yu had cultivated to the Spiritual Master level and was at the foundation stage.
But now he was in very bad shape. Not only was he severely dehydrated, but he also showed obvious signs of malnutrition.
Although one could fast at the foundation stage, long-term fasting could also seriously damage the body.
From the Magic Bottomless Bag, Yun Jiuge took out several medicinal pills which restored Qi and blood. She quickly put them into Ye Yu’s mouth.
Ye Yu swallowed them all, but he showed no signs of waking up.
“His body seems fine now, but why isn’t he waking up?” Yun Jiuge wondered as she checked Ye Yu’s pulse. After getting the nourishment from the medicinal pills, his body seemed to have recovered, and so, by right, he should be waking up soon.
“His consciousness had been sealed shut. The only way to wake him up is to call out to him,” said Zi Shang.
“What do I need to do?” Yun Jiuge asked as she recalled the shut down of all her senses in the pitch-black darkness. That damned place could certainly make one lose their mind.
Zi Shang’s answer was concise. “Use the family bloodline to rouse him up.”
“But Ye Yunzhi has become a living corpse,” Yun Jiuge countered. She was not convinced. Could the family bloodline be used to revive someone already dead?
“Yes, it’ll work. Ye Yunzhi’s biggest obsession is to protect her younger brother. Just take her out, she will naturally know what to do,” replied Zi Shang.
“Alright then,” murmured Yun Jiuge. It had come to this, so she might as well give it a try.
Yun Jiuge proceeded to release Ye Yunzhi from the Cultivating Corpse Bag.
Ye Yunzhi ‘s face was ugly, and her hair was white. She stood quietly in front of them.
“Whether Ye Yu wakes up or not, it all depends on you now!” urged Yun Jiuge.
Ye Yunzhi carried a blank expression, showing no sign of a response.
Yun Jiuge then reached out to place Ye Yunzhi’s right hand on Ye Yu’s forehead.
As Ye Yunzhi’s arm seal was unlocked, a dark gray spiritual Qi slowly flowed into Ye Yu’s forehead from her fingers.
Ye Yu, who was still unconscious, was somehow grimacing. The blue veins on his temples stood out. It was as if he was in a lot of pain.
Yun Jiuge asked Zi Shang anxiously, “Will something bad happen to him?”
“Why are you fretting so?” responded Zi Shang. He was unperturbed, which set Yun Jiuge more at ease.
A moment later, a soft lullaby emerged from within Ye Yunzhi’s abdomen. The singing was pleasantly melodious, like a mother’s gentle whispers.
