Qiao Qiao was still missing, and Xiao Ce tirelessly searched for her in secret. He gathered intelligence on Jianghu spies, underworld operatives, and their connections to the Afterlife campers. He even sent spies to monitor Zhan Ziyu's activities, receiving occasional updates.
Xiao Ce was determined to piece together the aftermath of the icy lake tragedy while keeping a close watch on Yue Qi, Yuwen Yue's bodyguard, who was hiding out in his secret mansion in Kong Sang Mountain. After Yue Qi had been temporarily killed, Xiao Ce's men brought him to the Black Palanquin.
Xiao Ce knew he needed a healer to revive Yue Qi. The only one capable of such a feat was a spiritual healer his father had imprisoned, but Xiao Ce had set him free to become a spy and run a shop selling weapons and antiques. This healer hailed from the Chu Jing Kingdom.
When Xiao Ce summoned the healer and presented Yue Qi's lifeless body, the healer initially refused to help. However, when Xiao Ce recounted the heroic story of Yue Qi's attempts to save Yuwen Yue and Chu Qiao, the healer's resolve began to waver.
Upon hearing the names of Chu Qiao and Yuwen Yue, the healer recalled meeting them during their time in the cave and ultimately agreed to help.
Yue Qi lay on a platform while the spiritual healer prepared a cup of water and a cup of tea. He began chanting and placed his hands over Yue Qi's lifeless body. Although the royal doctors had stabilized him, Yue Qi couldn't withstand the pain and took his last breath.
The spiritual healer urgently called out to Yue Qi's spirit, asking him not to disintegrate since he still had unfinished business. In that moment, Yue Qi saw Chu Qiao and heard his master, Yuwen Yue, calling her name: "Xinger, Xinger, Xinger."
As Chu Qiao reached out to touch him, he was surrounded by light and vanished from her sight. At the third call of his name, Yue Qi felt himself being drawn back.
The spiritual healer's chants guided Yue Qi's spirit to a forgotten river, where he prepared to cross to the other side. However, the healer instructed him to focus on the Higanbana flowers and not to smell them.
Yue Qi looked at the flowers, saw Chu Qiao walking, and suddenly remembered everything. The spiritual healer then brought Yue Qi back to consciousness, and he slowly opened his eyes.
Zao Baocung, the shopkeeper, should have died when an enemy slit his throat for refusing to reveal the heir of Luo He, the leader of the Wind and Cloud Decree. Miraculously, he survived, and no one, not even the clever Liang Prince Xiao Ce, knows how.
Zao's pet hamsters came to his aid in his moment of need, though the details are a mystery. He has a wealth of knowledge, including his past as the most powerful spiritual healer in the Chu Jing Kingdom, but now he hides behind the simple life of a shopkeeper.
Xiao Ce sees Zao as a potential key to uncovering the secrets of the lost Chu Jing Kingdom. However, getting information from Zao is difficult. Xiao Ce remains patient, brushing Zao off for now while planning to keep him close for when he's needed, all while keeping Zao's true abilities under wraps.
"Yue Qi, how are you?" the Liang Prince asked as he entered, dressed in a purple robe with autumn floral accents. He smiled warmly, showing no signs of the sleepless nights he'd endured over the past year while caring for Yuwen Yue's bodyguard.
Yue Qi had aged, now wearing fine clothes that resembled a eunuch's outfit to disguise himself. This was all a ruse to hide their identities until Yuwen Yue returned.
Yue Qi bowed and cheerfully said, "What brings Prince Xiao Ce to visit a humble servant?"
"I came for a chat and a cup of tea," Xiao Ce replied, gesturing to the Liang servants preparing the tea ceremony behind him.
"This way, Prince," Yue Qi said, leading him to a seating area.
They sat together in a beautiful gazebo tea garden, gazing into each other's eyes. After a few moments of silence, Xiao Ce broke the silence with a deep breath.
"Yue Qi, do you remember the first time you met your master, Yuwen Yue?"
Yue Qi, puzzled, replied, "I remember vividly," as he sipped his tea.
With a glint in his eyes, Xiao Ce asked, "Would you believe it if someone said he finally walked into the afterlife?"
Yue Qi's emotions swelled, and he stood, turning his back to Xiao Ce. After a moment of deep inhalation, he faced the prince again.
"If I'm alive, then my master is alive too. I believe he's out there, looking for us just like we have for the past year."
"Do you really believe that?" Xiao Ce asked, gauging Yue Qi's conviction.
"I not only believe it; I have faith in him. My master may be cold, but his heart is strong and warm. He can't be defeated so easily," Yue Qi said firmly.
Xiao Ce exhaled, wrapping up their conversation. "If you believe that, then I will too." He took a sip of his tea and stood up, giving Yue Qi a knowing smile.
Yue Qi bowed and replied, "I'll be waiting for the moment we reunite, just like he and Xinger did here."
Xiao Ce felt the weight of proof that Yuwen Yue must be alive. "Indeed, with a little time and patience, it will happen."
Yue Qi nodded, holding Xiao Ce's gaze until the prince turned and left.
Xiao Ce, along with his bodyguard in disguise, strolled through the Xianyang business district to meet Zao Baocung. He removed his woven rattan hat and locked eyes with Zao, who, adopting a humble posture, bowed to the prince.
The Liang Prince nodded and said, "People will notice what you're doing and might suspect me. Get up on your knees!"
"My Prince, long time no see! Is there someone dead again, and are you here to bring them back to life?" Zao Baocung joked.
Xiao Ce laughed. "Not this time, but I need you for a specific purpose."
"Oh, I thought you heard the news and wanted to revive another dead body?" Zao continued, making funny faces at the prince.
"Haha," the prince chuckled for a moment before his expression turned serious. He leaned in closer and whispered, "You know Yuwen Yue well, and I need your help to find him."
Zao Baocung feigned reluctance, saying, "Oh, my prince, have pity on this old man. Can't you see I'm retired?"
Xiao Ce laughed again yet became serious: he replied, "I mean it. You will help me find him. I need all the information you have about Yuwen Yue—everything, even trivial things like the story of the Poe Yue Jian sword, his typhoid fever, his real family, his Xinger—everything."
Zao Baocung teased, "Prince, I'm afraid you have the wrong person. I'm not a sage; I just sell and profit, that's it."
Xiao Ce's patience was wearing thin as he revealed a map to Zao.
Zao straightened his back and asked, "What can I do for you, Liang's Crown Prince, son of King Tang?"
Xiao Ce smiled, "Now we're buddies. I like you even more."
The map was an old one of the Chu Jing palace. Zao asked, "Where did you get this?"
"I have my ways. When I want something, I get it," Xiao Ce replied.
Zao smirked, "Even the dead are alive, so it's not a surprise."
Xiao Ce proposed, "We have a deal then? Not for a dead person this time, but for a living one."
"At your service," Zao Baocung said, tapping his chest.
Xiao Ce put his hat back on, and they slipped away into the crowd unnoticed.
As Zao walked away, he thought, "Chu Qiao, I hope you're doing well and have regained your powers. The time I cured your Chibi was just a temporary fix. I can't let them disturb you again like Yuwen Yue did; I promised your father."
He hid the map in a secret place underground in the cave.
"Now this will take a lifetime to find," Zao Baocung muttered to himself as his pets watched him hide the map.
Back at the palace, Xiao Ce informed his father that he planned to visit the Woolong Mountains for a vacation to pray and refresh himself. It had been a while since his last visit, and he sought guidance from the temple masters. His father was not pleased, stating it was too risky.
Xiao Ce assured him he wouldn't expose his disguise, but his father warned, "Son, it's not safe. The Eyes of God are shut off."
"I received a report yesterday from Xiao Yu's spies that the Wei state civil government is in turmoil. Do you know what that means?"
"Tell me, Father," Xiao Ce said eagerly.
"It means chaos," his father replied flatly.
"There must be a reason for this," Xiao Ce said.
King Tang continued, "Your sister, Princess Xiao Yu, is set to marry Yan Xun in nine months."
"That's not surprising," Xiao Ce replied.
"You knew this?" his father asked, surprised.
"I was there when Yan Xun quelled a rebellion on what was supposed to be his wedding day to Wei's Princess Chuner. I thank him every day for that; it saved me from the Wei Emperor's recall. Now, Yan Xun's only option is my wicked sister. They belong together."
King Tang narrowed his eyes. "I am very upset with the Wei Emperor. I should have a grandson by now."
"Father, when I marry, I hope it will be for love. I don't need another concubine or more girls added to Liang's harem."
King Tang looked at him. "Since when did you start hating beautiful girls?"
"Since I met the punch girl," Xiao Ce said, gazing off into the distance, lost in thought.
King Tang waved his hand in front of Xiao Ce's eyes. "You're in a dry spell; you should water your garden. Who is this punch girl? Is she a princess too?"
Xiao Ce remained absorbed in his memories, ignoring his father's questions. "Did you know, Father, that I became a punch prince when I met her? I think I left my heart back then."
King Tang burst into laughter. "A punch prince met the punch girl? That's insane!"
Irritated by his father's teasing, Xiao Ce replied, "Have you thought about the consequences of agreeing to Yan Xun and Xiao Yu's marriage?" Concern flashed in his eyes as he sensed a shift in fate.
"If the Wei Emperor won't ally with Liang, then I'll align with Yanbei," King Tang said, looking distant and unhappy.
Xiao Ce was indifferent about Xiao Yu; as long as his frenemy was far away, he felt safe. However, considering his sister's strategic move to expand her influence, he realized that he might be overpowered by his future brother-in-law, especially if his half-sister became the Queen of Yanbei.
He needed to keep up with them if the wedding was going to happen.
Xiao Ce's mood shifted from sunny to formal as he realized his father was disappointed with his decision not to marry the Princess of Wei. Meanwhile, Xiao Yu was positioning herself to benefit from the marriage to Prince Yanbei.
Yan Xun had been expanding his power, conquering more towns along the Wei state borders, including Chang'an. With Yuwen Yue absent, the Eyes of God were compromised, and Yuwen Huai's status remained uncertain after the destruction of the Green Hills Courtyard's secret repository.
Xiao Ce found himself unable to go to the Woolong mountains, as the Liang royal family prepared for the upcoming marriage of his half-sister Xiao Yu to the Prince of Yanbei. Although the wedding was still nine months away, the family was already planning a grand banquet, celebrating not only the royal union but also the alliance between Liang and Yanbei.
Confined by his responsibilities, Xiao Ce could not search for Yuwen Yue personally. He knew Yuwen Yue was unique—he had the strength and will to turn things around, despite being disowned and having his name banned. Xiao Ce wanted Yuwen Yue as an ally to rebuild his reputation and score a significant victory for his father.
Xiao Ce concluded, "This is going to be grand. I hope Zao Baocung finds Yuwen Yue before the grand banquet celebration."