"Hmm?" Wu You looked up. Thinking back to Sun Wudao, who she had seen at the Tian Wu Hall, she felt a glimmer of realization that the person was a little familiar.
"Heavenly Immortal Sun Wudao has already killed a snake demon upon entering Capital Wu. It cannot be so coincidental that the snake demon arrived on the same day and infiltrated Capital Wu. Most likely, the snake demon had always been concealed in Capital Wu but had not been found and slain before now. There have been many disappearances in Capital Wu these days. They must have been eaten by the snake demon. This means... it's very likely that Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian had been rearing a snake demon to eat people!"
Wu You was very gaunt, but thinking thus, she violently slapped the study table, giving her maidservant a fright. Her eyes were shining.
"How could this be? Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian is the Immortal Protector. How could he be harboring demons...." the maidservant said quaveringly.
But Wu You was not listening to her. She stood up loudly, her eyes sharp. She said, "More than a year ago, Wu Yu was assigned border duty but was ambushed by a snake demon on the way. This is something that the few soldiers who escaped said. It cannot be wrong. There cannot be two snake demons who are involved in Capital Wu's affairs. Clearly, Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian dispatched that snake demon to kill Wu Yu!"
Her logic was clear, and she had reached the heart of the matter readily.
"Ahh!" The maidservant was completely lost, and was so frightened her face was pale. To her, Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian was a god. Why would gods plot against mortals....
"This means that the matters which happened the night before Wu Yu ascended to the throne must have been the combined plotting of Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian and Imperial Concubine Xi."
Finally, she understood.
From beginning to end, she had always believed in Wu Yu.
"My God!" The maidservant's features had lost all color.
"Yu...."
No matter how much hatred Wu You bore in her heart, she could only slump on the chair in despair. Beads of tears rolled down as her frail body shook against the study table.
"Who would have thought that you were actually ensnared in such a terrifying plot? To be conspired against by an immortal and killed. Only now do I know everything, but I am helpless. Yu, Elder Sister has let you down...."
She was crying very pitifully.
In his memory, Wu You had not cried as hard as this before.
"Princess, Princess...."
The maidservant was also crying, unsure of what to do. The Princess Wu You she knew had always been a strong and resolute person.
"They are too strong. My brother and I are completely outmatched. His already dead, his name sullied for millenia. And I am about to be brought to the East God Nation...."
In the desolate Carefree Palace, Wu You cast her gaze about wildly. To her, the dead was already dead. Knowing these truths only exacerbated the pain.
"No matter how much conviction is in my heart to help you take revenge and clear your name, I am but a mortal woman. What can I do...."
Helplessness, hatred, and anger battered at her.
Her opponent was an immortal. Her hands did not even have the strength to wring a chicken. How could she duke it out with a god....
"Besides, my own time is not far now."
Wu You could not help but laugh bitterly.
"A mortal's lifespan is so fragile. An immortal is an immortal, and I am but a weed."
All she had come to know today had been what Wu Yu had realized himself the night before his ascension.
"Mi Chang." After a while, Wu You had lapsed into silence. She faced the maidservant and said firmly, "You are the closest I have to a sister. Now they are using my matriarchal line to threaten me with a distant marriage to the East God Nation. In truth, I do not have long to live. While there is time, take what valuables you can, and I will send people to escort you to my tribe's territory. There, you can have some peace in your days."
The maidservant Mi Chang fell to her knees upon hearing this, sobbing. "Princess, I.... I will follow you to East God Nation, and even unto death. This life of mine is yours. If you die, I, Mi Chang, will not live on ignobly!"
"Mi Chang, there is no need for that.... Your life is your own. You still have parents, and you cannot act irresponsibly." Wu You shook her head, her eyes full of tears.
"My parents.... But...." Mi Chang was seized by an intense personal struggle. On one hand were her parents. On the other was her princess. In the end, she made her decision. She said, "Princess, I've thought it through. The valuables that you would give me, give them to my parents. My younger brother can take care of them. My life is yours. I will not let you go to the nest of thieves that is the East God Nation alone. Don't warn me off. I won't listen."
"Mi Chang, you would ignore my orders!?" Wu You gave her a fierce look.
"In this life, I will only disobey this once." Mi Chang looked up with resolution.
"Why would you...." Wu You did not know how to carry on now. She and Mi Chang embraced each other like true sisters, as close as flesh and blood.
Before too long, Mi Chang fell asleep in her arms.
Wu You helped Mi Chang up and left her sleeping on the bed in the study. She returned to the desk, only to see a tall, young man standing there with his back facing her. When he looked back, Wu You immediately recognized that unique Demon Ape Mask.
The new Immortal Protector.
Wu Yu had been at the window all the while, listening to their dialogue.
Wu You was as clever as ever. From the news of the snake demon, she had already grasped the gist of the affair.
Wu Yu also understood that Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian was actually using the safety of Wu You's motherly tribe to blackmail her into a marriage to the East God Nation. No wonder she could not resist.
He and Wu You were of the same father but a different mother. Wu You's mother was highborn, and closely related to the aristocracy of the Dong Yue Wu Kingdom. Although Wu You's mother had passed, the tribe was still around, and many of the elders and siblings were on good terms with Wu You. Otherwise, Imperial Concubine Xi could not have used them to threaten Wu You.
On this night, her pain and helplessness had also cut Wu Yu as deeply as a knife.
Therefore, he had made a decision. No matter what, Wu You could be trusted. She would not let the cat out of the bag so easily. Therefore, why not reveal himself to her and let her know that he still lived?
That would save her more pain.
The best way to proceed was as brother and sister, seeking vengeance together, and driving these people out of Capital Wu. This was their Capital Wu, which belonged to them.
That was why he had come here.
"Heavenly Immortal Sun Wudao, why are you here...." Wu You's face was not yet dry, and she hurried to wipe her tears away.
The emotional turmoil in Wu Yu's heart remained unseen to her. Under the mask, his own eyes were wet with tears.
He advanced a few steps to stand before Wu You, then stretched out both hands to gently hold Wu You close to him. Although his movements were slow, Wu You did not struggle. She had been staring into Wu You's eyes, her own expression trembling. Just as Wu Yu moved to embrace her, her eyes widened, and then she whispered two words with uncertainty. "Wu... Yu...."
That's right. Even without Wu Yu saying a word, she had recognized him.
That was the depth of their relationship that spanned their growing up together over more than a decade. Blood was thicker than water.
His breath, the look in his eyes, and even the way he walked. Wu You could recognize it in her bones. Even just exchanging a look at Tian Wu Hall had been enough for Wu You to sense the familiarity.
And in contrast, Imperial Concubine Xi and the rest could not identify him no matter how many times they looked.
Actually, Wu Yu had deliberately altered his voice back in Tian Wu Hall; otherwise, Wu You would have recognized him on the spot.
Hugging the trembling woman in his arms, Wu Yu's voice was husky with emotion. "Sister, I am back."
This familiar voice was like a dream for Wu You. She reached out with trembling hands to gently touch Wu Yu's Demon Ape Mask. Although it was icy cold, it still made her cry with joy.
"Little Brother."
Wu You reached out to hug him. She was so afraid that this was a dream and he might suddenly vanish. It was already deep in the night, or she might really think that this was a dream.
"How... How...." In her dream, she had been repeating these three words over and over.
However, that familiar body warmth told her that he was Wu Yu. But he had grown taller. A year ago, he was about the same height as Wu You, but now he was taller than her by a head.
Wu Yu's state of mind had stabilized a little. After all, the shock must have been monumental for Wu You. She thought Wu Yu had been devoured by the snake demon, and she had not harbored hopes that he was alive at all.
"Let me look at you." She looked up.
Wu Yu took off his mask and looked at her. He could not help a smile. At that moment, Wu You truly confirmed that he had returned.
This was not a dream.
"Sister, time is of the essence. We have to calm down, and let me tell you all that has transpired." While they were overjoyed now, there were still many obstacles ahead of them that needed to be overcome.
"Right, right." Wu You also dearly wanted to know what had happened.
Only now did Wu Yu say, "Back then, I was set up. I sat in the prison cart and was transported to the border...."
To his kin sister, he held nothing back. All his troubles of the past year, including Sun Wudao and the Ruyi Jingu Bang, were told to Wu You. And then his own struggle to attain the title of Immortal Kingdom Supervisor, and then his return to Capital Wu.
"Who would have thought that these hardships would actually bring such a transformation to you. However, you have a good heart and can tell good from bad. All that you have is nothing less than you deserve." Hearing all this, although Wu You found it quite difficult to imagine, she accepted it as truth.
"Who would have thought that my little brother would actually become an immortal…." Wu You felt disoriented.
"You are wrong. We are only martial cultivators, not immortals. Besides some stronger skills, the ones you know as immortals are not much different from mortals. The level of immortals are basically humans."
"That means Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian is only a human too." Wu You caught on quickly.
After the pair sorted things out, they began to speak of the East God Nation.
"For now, I am not the match of Jiang Junlin and Hao Tian. It's very difficult to stop them. We must have a plan." Wu Yu frowned.
"I understand.... A plan...."
Wu You also thought hard.
They had already reached an understanding that they would take revenge together.
After a while, Wu You said, "Perhaps we can try this: you can act as though you have fallen in love with me at first sight. Pursue me incessantly, until even the people know. At the same time, I will also denounce the evil of the East God Nation. Together, we will create the illusion of a romance. This way, you can fight the Immortal Protector of the East God Nation in order to chase me. If you can defeat him, then the East God Nation will be driven away. Although it's a mess, there are precedents. You are the disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect, and as long as you do not reveal your identity, they cannot kill you. You will also have a reason to protect me."
"That's a plan!" Wu Yu was enthused.
This was awesome.
He would not have been able to think of a plan of this caliber.
"The crucial thing is, I have to have the ability to defeat the Immortal Protector of the East God Nation."