Chapter 37: A Race Against Time and Lingering Suspicions

“Oh!!!”

Seeing the path home right before her eyes, Liu Xingluo grew excited.

She knew that once she entered this passage, she would finally be able to return home.

Yet, before making her way back, there remained one crucial task.

“Lain,” she asked, “is there any way to destroy this door? Or perhaps lock it from the inside so it can never be opened again?”

Simply returning to the human world herself was not enough; she needed to find a way to either destroy this entrance or employ some other method to prevent the Sixth Princess from reaching the human world.

Even if the door were destroyed, her opponent could still use randomly appearing rifts or grand teleportation arrays, but every moment gained was a moment worth fighting for.

“No,” Lain replied, “this door is protected by divine power. It’s beyond our capabilities to destroy it, and as for locking it from the inside, such a method simply doesn’t exist.”

It seemed she had no means of stopping the Sixth Princess from reaching the human world.

In that case, her only recourse was to arrive there ahead of her, report the impending events to the official organizations, and allow them to swiftly prepare for the princess’s arrival.

“Then there’s nothing more we can do,” Liu Xingluo conceded. “Lain, will you come with me to the human world, or do you intend to stay here?”

If Lain could accompany her to the human world, it would undoubtedly be for the best, as his presence would offer immense assistance.

However, if he chose to remain, she had no right to force him to follow her.

“Of course, I shall accompany Your Royal Highness,” Lain affirmed. “As I have stated before, I am your guard, and protecting your safety is always my foremost duty. No matter where you choose to go, I will forever be by your side.”

“Alright, alright, it’s good that you’re willing to come along,” Liu Xingluo said, a hint of relief in her voice. “Then let’s go. We’re off to the human world.”

Once assured that Lain would follow her to the human world, Liu Xingluo plunged into the passage.

Lain, who would need to close the door after entering, would be slightly slower than her, but given his ability to instantly teleport into her shadow, this posed no real issue.

****

Meanwhile, upon arriving at the tea party, Yinlang immediately shared the news of seeing the Seventh Princess with her other sisters.

“I just saw our youngest sister,” Yinlang recounted, “and we chatted for a bit. She mentioned she missed this meeting because she was out fulfilling a secret mission Father entrusted to her.”

“Oh? Is that so?” Jidi exclaimed, a touch of exasperation in her tone. “Our youngest sister really is something. Even if she’s on a mission, she could at least tell us! After all, we three youngest sisters have the closest bond.”

Hearing Yinlang’s news, Jidi couldn’t help but feel a flicker of discontent.

They usually shared such a close relationship, yet she hadn’t mentioned something so significant.

Jidi felt a pang of slight betrayal, considering how much she and Yinlang usually doted on their youngest sister.

Elsewhere, upon hearing this news, Huangren’s hand, holding her teacup, trembled almost imperceptibly—a tremor so slight it would have been difficult to notice even with deliberate observation.

Yet, even this minute detail did not escape Jiqiao’s keen eye.

“Well, since it’s a secret mission from Father, it’s quite normal for her not to tell us,” Yinlang reasoned.

“Oh, and I also told her about your farewell tea party. I originally intended to just bring her along, but she was wearing some rather shabby clothes I didn’t recognize, so I told her to go back to her room and change first. She said she’d come over once she’s changed.”

“But speaking of which, our youngest sister seemed a bit strange today.”

“Strange? What struck you as odd?” Jidi inquired, her curiosity piqued.

Jidi was equally curious, as their youngest sister usually spent the most time with the two of them, meaning they would be the first to notice any peculiarities.

“She seemed as if her memory had been wiped clean,” Yinlang mused, “speaking hesitantly and lacking her usual natural ease.”

“What’s more, she didn’t even know how to get back to her own room. She said she was going to change, but then walked in the opposite direction.”

“If it weren’t for one of Father’s retainers being by her side, I would have suspected she was an impostor.”

Recalling all the anomalies in her behavior at that time, Yinlang now felt an increasing sense of unease.

Her demeanor was utterly unlike the youngest sister she knew.

However, given the presence of one of Father’s retainers beside her, Yinlang found herself unable to continue harboring suspicions.

“Hmm? Is that so?” Jidi pondered. “Well, when our youngest sister arrives later, we can ask her what exactly happened.”

“Hm? Eldest Sister, are you leaving?”

Huangren, having set down her teacup, rose to her feet, appearing as though she were preparing to depart.

“Yes,” Huangren confirmed. “I’ll step away for a moment to check on our youngest sister. As the eldest, it’s only right to show concern for my sibling. Perhaps she was injured while carrying out that secret mission.”

Hastening her steps, Huangren pushed open the door and, under the pretext of [checking on their youngest sister], departed from the tea party.

“I’ll also go check on our youngest sister,” Jiqiao announced.

After Huangren had been gone for a while, Jiqiao likewise set down her teacup, preparing to go see their youngest sister.

“Oh, Second Sister, you’re going too?” Jidi asked.

“Excellent! In that case, let’s all go together to check on our youngest sister, and then bring her back to the tea party. She’ll surely be delighted!”

Seeing that Jiqiao was also about to leave, Jidi simply offered this suggestion.

Everyone could go see their youngest sister and personally escort her to the tea party.

This way, it would not only demonstrate their collective concern for their youngest sister but also avoid wasting their time together.

“No,” Jiqiao interjected, “Eldest Sister and I going is quite enough. You all stay here; rest assured, Eldest Sister and I will return shortly.”

Jiqiao wasn’t truly going to visit their youngest sister; she merely intended to observe what Huangren had truly left to do.

Moreover, she understood perfectly well that Huangren’s departure earlier was certainly not for the purpose of visiting their youngest sister.

It was best not to involve their other sisters in such matters.

‘How could this be? I clearly pierced her heart, inflicting such severe wounds; there’s no way she could still be alive.’

Huangren hastened her steps towards their youngest sister’s room.

She absolutely had to confirm the youngest sister’s condition, and if necessary, she would take her to the human world once more and eliminate her again.

She could not permit the only sister who posed a threat to her position to remain alive.

As for why she wouldn’t simply dispose of her directly in the room?

Doing so would necessitate troublesome post-mortem procedures, and there was a risk of other sisters discovering it.

Although Jiqiao had already caught on, she wasn’t one to act foolishly and would keep her secret.

Therefore, taking her to the human world was the optimal solution: no messy aftermath, and no concerns about other sisters finding out.

“Youngest sister, are you there? Eldest Sister has come to take you to the tea party.”

She quickly reached the youngest sister’s room, announcing her intention as she knocked on the door.

However, no response came from within the room, leaving her uncertain whether the youngest sister hadn’t yet returned or if she was inside, too frightened to make a sound.