She Holds the World After Being Reborn
Chapter 141: Women’s Empathy, Not Worth Mentioning

Chapter 141: Chapter 141: Women’s Empathy, Not Worth Mentioning

The jungle was shrouded in darkness.

Yan Wanqing’s gaze was frigid as she stared down the petite Palace Maid before her, her words carrying a warning.

"Do you know where you are?"

Xun Wu tilted his head back and poured a mouthful of wine into his mouth, "I’ve been here for a few days now, so naturally I do."

"Did she send you to follow me?" Yan Wanqing asked again.

Listening to her teeth-gritting tone, Xun Wu nodded his head, "Otherwise, how could I have evaded the pursuit of these people?"

"" Yan Wanqing felt as if her Tianlinggai was about to be flipped open.

What kind of ally had she chosen for herself? Not only was the Empress, in all her dignity, entangled with a monk from the temple, she had even disguised him as a Palace Maid to keep by her side!!!

Could she have misjudged the situation?

Countless thoughts flashed through Yan Wanqing’s mind, eventually settling on one.

Xun Wu, watching her eyes grow increasingly cold, chuckled, "What’s the matter, boy? You still want to assassinate a monk like myself?!"

Yan Wanqing pressed her lips together and said nothing.

Xun Wu shook his head helplessly, "That won’t do, otherwise, when you meet your father after a hundred years, I’m afraid he won’t recognize you."

"What does my father have to do with it?"

Xun Wu winked mysteriously, "There’s definitely a connection, I originally wanted to tell you today, but you, boy, are ungrateful, even thinking of raising your hand to a monk, which is utterly disrespectful. I’m not pleased and have decided not to tell you now."

As he spoke, Xun Wu, carrying the wine jug, began to walk deeper into the jungle.

Yan Wanqing wouldn’t allow it.

With a flip of her hand, a sharp palm wind shot out from behind Xun Wu. Xun Wu, with his back to her, curled his lips into a faint smile and then turned around to face it.

Their palms met, and although there was no intent to kill, at that moment, the leaves of the bushes in the jungle spread out from the center in a rippling pattern, scattering wildly to all sides!

Such a familiar Inner Strength!

Yan Wanqing’s eyes were filled with shock.

"You, what is your relationship with Song Huaxu?!"

This Inner Strength was clearly the unique skill of Song Huaxu.

And he never taught it to anyone else!

Yan Wanqing had only ever seen it on Song Huaxu’s person in her two lifetimes.

Even as his direct disciple, she had never received this Inner Strength legacy.

Why did Xun Wu have it?

The urgency in her eyes seemed to please the monk.

"Want to know?"

"Nonsense!" Yan Wanqing raised her hand, "If you don’t tell, I’ll beat you until you do!"

She could see that Xun Wu was an expert.

This clash between experts only served to ignite Yan Wanqing’s blood.

Xun Wu saw the girl’s fighting spirit and waved his hand with a gesture, effortlessly deflecting all her moves back at her with the technique of using softness to overcome hardness.

"Instead of worrying about who this monk is, you should be watching the banquet. Today’s banquet is no simple affair."

All Yan Wanqing knew was that the mysterious Xun Wu, the abbot of Southern Mountain Temple, had inexplicable relationships with her ally, her master, and even her father.

She was even more determined not to let him go.

But as the exchange of moves grew larger, Yan Wanqing realized this was not an ideal place, so she stopped.

"That’s more like it." Xun Wu, dressed in palace attire, was in a sorry state. If it weren’t for his collarbone looking like a maiden’s, he wouldn’t have been entangled by this girl to the point where he couldn’t get away; he complained bitterly, "You really are a rebellious one. No wonder your father poisoned you."

At these words, a poisoned needle flew straight at him.

Xun Wu narrowly pinched it between his fingers, noticing the cold light at the tip of the needle – a deadly poison that would seal the throat upon contact with blood!

"Vicious girl."

Yan Wanqing’s eyes were frosted over with ice.

"Today, unless you explain yourself clearly, don’t think about returning to her side."

The matter of her father poisoning her was known to but a few.

She didn’t care where Xun Wu got his information from, today she was determined to find out his identity; better to mistakenly kill a thousand than to let even one go!

The murderous intent in her eyes grew even more intense, she was already planning to call the Hidden Guard to quickly settle this.

Just then, Xun Wu shook his head helplessly, he poured the fine wine he couldn’t bear to discard in battle down his throat.

Next came a series of crackling noises from his bones, and the Palace Maid’s clothing was torn apart, revealing his muscular upper body. He raised his hand to remove the wig on his head, revealing a shiny, bald scalp.

When he looked up at Yan Wanqing again, she saw one eye shimmering with a purple glow.

It was heterochromia!

Yan Wanqing was even more shocked.

"There’s no need to make such a fuss," Xun Wu sighed lightly and tossed the empty bottle aside, the bottle instantly shattered into countless pieces.

Xun Wu slowly turned around, and on the smooth skin of his right shoulder blade which was previously unmarked, an eagle totem started to appear. As the skin across his body turned red, the eagle seemed to come alive with its wings flapping!

Even the ordinarily composed Yan Wanqing couldn’t help but stagger a step backward at this scene.

"You, you... how can you..."

"How can I have the same totem as your father?" Xun Wu finished her sentence.

Yan Wanqing’s eyes were filled with disbelief, staring fixedly at Xun Wu.

Waiting for an answer.

Xun Wu took a few steps closer to her: "Young master, do you want to hear a story?"

Yan Wanqing nodded eagerly.

Of course, she wanted to.

Her mind was full of doubts.

But just then, the guards who heard the commotion at the banquet came over, and after exchanging a glance with Yan Wanqing, Xun Wu vanished into the woods.

The guards patrolling saw Yan Wanqing sitting on the steps with the shattered wine pot at her feet and hurried over.

"Princess Anping, what has happened?"

Yan Wanqing waved her hand: "Nothing, just missing someone from the past."

With that brief statement, the guards connected it with the past events and looked at her with pity.

Great Township Manor, illustrious heroes all gone, leaving behind only a group of women and a child, how the sighs and tears flowed.

Yet, Yan Wanqing’s mind echoed with the words Xun Wu said before he left.

"According to seniority, you should call me ’Uncle’."

Uncle... Doesn’t that mean he is my father’s brother?

But wasn’t my father an only child?

Yan Wanqing couldn’t figure it out and was eager to return to the capital to ask her mother, Sun Qinglian, for clarity and relief.

"Princess, it’s cool in the mountains, and the banquet is about to begin, please return first," said a guard’s voice near her.

Yan Wanqing hummed in acknowledgment, nodded, and walked toward the path she had come from.

Little did she know that her dazed silhouette fell under the watchful eyes of the guards, taking on yet another meaning.

Among the guards, someone stared intently at her retreating figure, but the shine in their eyes ultimately turned to silence amidst the forest and mountain streams.

By the time Yan Wanqing returned to the banquet, everyone had already taken their seats.

As both the Emperor and Empress were present and the Summer Resort was predominantly attended by families, there were no separate seating arrangements for men and women. The guests were seated on either side of the stream, and the Palace Maids floated delicacies down the stream on trays. The nobles simply had to tell the maids or eunuchs by their side what they wanted, and it would be scooped up and served to them.

"Wanqing, come and sit next to me," said the Empress in a warm voice.

Yan Wanqing walked over demurely.

The Empress’s attendant neatly rearranged the cushion— it was a spot reserved for her from the start of the day.

Upon seeing this, the Emperor smiled at the Empress and said,

"I was unaware the Empress had grown so close to this young lady."

"Your Majesty jests, it was just that upon our last farewell, we felt a genuine connection," Zhang Lanyi spoke with a subdued expression.

The Emperor then thought of Zhang Lanyi’s background and said, "Indeed, there are some resemblances between you."

It’s nothing more than the pitiable empathy between women, hardly worth mentioning.