Chapter 53

Sweat beaded on the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review's forehead. The prison was so silent that not a single sound could be heard—only the breathing of the crowd.

"Your Majesty... this..." The Chief Justice's mind raced, trying to come up with an explanation that wouldn't implicate himself. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him.

"Your Majesty, the Prince Dai's consort not only murdered the prince by practicing evil heretical arts, but now, to save her own life, she has used sorcery again to escape the prison! I humbly beg Your Majesty to order a thorough investigation into this matter!"

The Chief Justice was a white-haired old man in his fifties, clad in a crimson official robe with a tall hat, speaking with utter conviction. "This sorceress is truly brazen, daring to break out of prison in broad daylight! Who knows what villainy she'll get up to now that she's on the loose!"

Fu Ming turned around, the ornate ornaments on his crown swaying with the motion. His thin lips parted slightly, his tone flat and impossible to read—whether he believed it or not, all he said was, "Is that so?"

Sensing Fu Ming's gaze settle on him, the Chief Justice began to tremble violently. He lowered his head even further, nearly pressing his face to the ground.

Shifting all the blame onto Zhou Yuan was the wisest course for self-preservation. Whether or not she'd done anything, with so many incidents piling up and Zhou Yuan vanished without a trace—alive or dead—the Chief Justice had no choice but to gamble.

He bet that Zhou Yuan was dead.

Dead people made the perfect scapegoats. All he needed now was for the Emperor's anger to subside and let him off, and he'd have plenty of time to find Zhou Yuan's corpse.

The Chief Justice steeled himself. His back straightened slightly, and he rasped, "It's the truth, Your Majesty! Give me a chance, and I'll capture that sorceress even if it costs me my life!"

"Is that so?" A light footfall entered the prison, accompanied by a woman's voice.

Out of the corner of his eye, the Chief Justice caught a glimpse of a gray-white hem. He didn't dare turn his head to see who it was, only registering a clear, calm female voice. He strained his eyes, trying to catch sight of the woman, but his field of vision was too limited—he could see nothing.

Lin Yu made no pause, walking straight to Fu Ming's side. Fu Ming gently stepped aside for her, and Lin Yu naturally took the position he'd just vacated.

The Chief Justice knelt motionless before Lin Yu, noticing the exquisite patterns on the tips of her shoes. The hem of her skirt was stained with a bit of dust, suggesting she'd come in a hurry. Frowning, he pondered who this woman before him might be.

Suddenly, the woman spoke: "Raise your head."

The Chief Justice didn't dare delay a single moment, but when he looked up and saw Lin Yu's face, his heart sank to ice.

"The... Divine Maiden." He kowtowed to her again, his forehead pressing against the cold ground as he stayed motionless.

The Chief Justice knew that Lin Yu had come to see Zhou Yuan last night, and the two must have had some acquaintance. Moreover, she was the Divine Maiden. To slander Zhou Yuan as a heretic, a sorceress practicing dark arts, right in front of the Divine Maiden herself—it was like telling a lie right in front of the very person who'd know the truth.

The Chief Justice hardly dared to breathe, until he heard Lin Yu say, "Rise."

"Thank you, Divine Maiden." The Chief Justice cautiously studied Lin Yu's expression and Fu Ming beside her. Fu Ming now stood idly watching Lin Yu, and Lin Yu appeared not to be angered. The Chief Justice let out a relieved breath, and the tension that had gripped him for so long finally eased somewhat.

"All of you, rise as well," Lin Yu said to the several prison officers and guards behind him.

"When was the last time you saw Zhou Yuan?"

For a moment, no one answered, and the silence returned. After a long pause, one of the prison officers stepped forward and said, "About... an hour ago."

"Any unusual activity?"

At this, the Chief Justice's eyes flickered, and he was about to interject when Lin Yu shot him a glance. He quickly shut his mouth.

Lin Yu addressed the prison officer again: "Any unusual activity?"

The officer's gaze drifted around the prison as if recalling, and finally he spoke hesitantly, "There was..."

The Chief Justice hurried to cut him off. "What do you mean, 'there was'? Divine Maiden, don't listen to his nonsense. He's always been a bit unhinged, loves spreading all sorts of wild stories..."

Fu Ming's gaze never left Lin Yu as he spoke: "Guards, escort the Chief Justice out."

The Chief Justice's legs nearly gave way from under him, almost sending him to his knees again. He immediately realized he'd spoken too hastily, and in a panic cried out, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty, forgive me! This humble official..."

Before he could finish, two Imperial Guards seized him from either side and dragged him away, his pleas growing fainter and fainter until they faded entirely.

Lin Yu said, "All unrelated persons, leave as well."

A few of the prison officers exchanged glances, and another batch filed out on their own. Only five officers remained in the prison, and with the crowd gone, the space returned to its usual emptiness.

Lin Yu turned back to the officer who'd first answered. "Tell me, what unusual activity was there?"

The officer frowned, thinking for a moment, then replied, "It was a nursery rhyme... I can barely recall it... it went something like..."

Lin Yu's heart gave a start. A nursery rhyme again!

The officer thought hard, then began to hum softly, mimicking the tune of the rhyme: "To seek eternal life, tread the Yellow Spring and live forever..."

At the same moment, a childish voice joined in: "Foolish hearts, seeking immortality, tread the Yellow Spring and live forever!"

The young officer's voice and the childish voice blended together, carrying an inexplicable eeriness. A sudden thought struck Lin Yu, and she quickly rummaged through her sleeve, pulling something out.

A jade-green fruit lay in Lin Yu's palm, its surface bearing a chubby baby face split in a wide grin—it was the Longevity Fruit the Earth Immortal had given her!

As Lin Yu drew it from her sleeve and exposed it to the outside world, its eyeballs suddenly rolled!

The baby face laughed and moved, as if coming alive, letting out a crisp "giggle." "Hehe, you can't find her. She's gone to the Yellow Spring, and she'll never come back!"

Lin Yu stared into the doll's eyes, entranced. Then, abruptly, the smiling face vanished, replaced by the doll's expression of bawling grief.

The doll's voice was mournful and weeping, a chorus of voices—as if beneath that baby face lay countless crying infants, all straining desperately to shout: "Save me, save us, we're all on the Yellow Spring Road, save us..."

The Longevity Fruit sprouted little hands and feet, climbing up from Lin Yu's palm. Its emerald-green limbs dug tightly into her flesh, clinging to her wrist as if refusing to let go, as if it would merge with her entirely.

"Save us..."

A flash of shock passed through Lin Yu's eyes. Suddenly, a heavy pat landed on her shoulder, snapping her out of it. When she looked up again, she found Fu Ming had walked up to her without her noticing, watching her with concern.

His long, slender fingers still rested on her shoulder, not yet withdrawn. He asked softly, "What's wrong?"

Lin Yu didn't answer. She exchanged a brief glance with Fu Ming, then looked away to the prison officers. None of them wore any particular expression, as if nothing had just happened—as if they'd heard nothing at all.

Only then did Lin Yu speak hesitantly, "Did you all... hear any sounds?"

Everyone shook their heads. Fu Ming sensed something amiss and asked, "What did you hear?"

Lin Yu said, "Zhou Yuan... she's entered the Yellow Spring Road."

...

"The Yellow Spring Road? That's rather troublesome."

By the Observation Immortal Platform, High Priestess Yun Chi said with a worried expression, "A mortal entering the Yellow Spring before their lifespan is spent—I fear the odds are one in ten thousand. A consort whose crime hasn't even been proven—how could she have strayed onto the Yellow Spring Road?"

Yun Chi added, "If what you say is true, then she must already be dead beyond saving."

Lin Yu still held the jade-green Longevity Fruit in her hand. Back at the Earth Immortal Temple, the Earth Immortal had personally crushed the living souls within this fruit.

The Book of Life and Death should have been the King of Hell's possession. How had it come to be under the Earth Immortal's control? He was but a local land deity—for all his power, he had nothing to do with mortal lifespans. There had to be more to this.

Lin Yu gazed into the distance. She knew the Yellow Spring Road held all the answers: the infant souls refined into Longevity Fruits, Fu Zheng's heavenly punishment for believing in evil arts, Zhou Yuan being swept into the Yellow Spring, and that eerie Earth Immortal.

Even hearing Yun Chi's words, Lin Yu didn't give up. She asked again, "Then how can a living person enter the Yellow Spring Road?"

Yun Chi thought for a moment, trying to recall what she'd read in ancient texts. "For the living to enter the Yellow Spring, one must cross the peak of the Divine Mountain at midnight and journey down the Buzhou River. But the price is no small matter."

Lin Yu asked, "What price?"

Yun Chi shook her head. "Only the Xianzun knows that. I've been a priestess here for several years and I've never seen a living person dragged into the Yellow Spring Road. Surely no one in the tower knows the price either. You needn't ask—that consort is beyond saving."

Lin Yu mulled it over. Asking the Xianzun was naturally out of the question—he wanted to make Zhou Yuan into a bone sacrifice, so why would he ever let Lin Yu descend to the Yellow Spring to find her? That path was a dead end.

Lin Yu simply steeled her resolve. Since she knew the method to enter the Yellow Spring, there was no need to worry about whatever price it demanded. Whatever the cost, Lin Yu would go.

The Tower of Heaven's Mandate was built on the Divine Mountain. They stood now at its midslope, the summit within easy reach. The Buzhou River, too, was not far off—cross it, and one would enter the Yellow Spring Road.

Lin Yu glanced at the sky, then thanked Yun Chi: "Then I thank the High Priestess for telling me how to enter the Yellow Spring Road. The hour of Zi is near, so I'll be on my way."

Only then did Yun Chi realize what Lin Yu meant. Her face went pale with shock. She'd thought Lin Yu was merely asking out of curiosity because the consort had stumbled into the Yellow Spring Road—not that she intended to go herself!

Yun Chi grabbed Lin Yu's arm. "Divine Maiden, you can't go!"

If something happened to Lin Yu and she died out there, never to return, the Divine Maiden the Tower of Heaven's Mandate had waited twenty years for would be gone. The Xianzun would kill her as a sacrifice to heaven! How could Yun Chi possibly let Lin Yu leave?

Lin Yu asked, puzzled, "Why can't I go?"

Yun Chi wrapped both arms around Lin Yu's, one leg hooking around her, pinning Lin Yu in place. "The Yellow Spring Road is so perilous—what would we do if something happened to you? No one in the tower could bear that. When the Xianzun comes to blame us, what then? We'd all have to descend to the Yellow Spring with you."

Yun Chi's words were blunt, with no roundabout subtlety, her expression clearly saying she was terrified that if Lin Yu died, she'd be buried with her. Lin Yu unexpectedly felt a flicker of amusement and had a sudden urge to tease her: "Then come with me?"

Yun Chi: ?

Yun Chi immediately released Lin Yu. "I'll wait for you at the Observation Immortal Platform."

There was still a difference between dying early and dying late. Rather than die with Lin Yu on that perilous Yellow Spring Road, Yun Chi chose to wait at the platform and be buried alongside her—at least that was a fitting end. Besides, she'd already tried to dissuade the Divine Maiden. If she wouldn't listen, what could Yun Chi do? Surely the Xianzun couldn't demand her burial for that?

Lin Yu chuckled softly. "Tonight, I never saw anyone, and I spoke with no one."

Yun Chi still wore a worried look. Lin Yu patted her lightly on the top of the head. "I'm off."

Yun Chi's voice came from behind her: "Then—then I'll wait for you at the Observation Immortal Platform. Be careful in everything!"

After Lin Yu walked a little ways, putting some distance between herself and the platform, the place fell into silence. As she walked, she spotted a familiar figure in the distance.

Lin Yu was somewhat surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Seeing Lin Yu approach, Fu Ming extended a hand toward her. "Come, I'll go with you."

Lin Yu froze for a moment. In the darkness, on some inexplicable impulse, she placed her hand in his. Warmth radiated from his palm, and Fu Ming tightened his grip around her cold fingers. The two of them walked toward the summit of the Divine Mountain.

...

By the time dawn neared, Yun Chi was still propping her head up by the Observation Immortal Platform, staring fixedly at the horizon.

Daybreak was approaching. The stars had dimmed, leaving only the brightest few still twinkling. Lin Yu had not yet returned.

Yun Chi fought off her drowsiness, glancing once more at the boundless sky. But in that single glance, her eyes flew wide open. All trace of sleep vanished in an instant, and she was jolted fully awake, goosebumps rising all over her skin.

Yun Chi could hardly believe what she was seeing!

She rubbed her eyes vigorously, her heart suddenly pounding like mad. There, at the horizon, the Purple Star—bright moments ago—had dimmed until it was almost too faint to make out!

And beside the Purple Star, the Heavenly Frost Star...

The Heavenly Frost Star had fallen!

A streak of white light shot across the sky, as if it would split the heavens apart!