A commanding voice rang out across the battlefield.
The crowd instinctively parted as a regal figure clad in golden-black robes stepped forward.
His hair was meticulously tied, and an imperial jade emblem glimmered on his belt.
It was Minister Yan Taifeng, a high-ranking official of the Desolate Heaven Empire, and the one sent by the Imperial Family to observe this conflict.
His expression was tight, his brows creased in displeasure as he glanced first at Yue Wushuang, then at Bai Xinyue.
He cupped his hands with proper courtesy but did not bow.
"Fairy Yue," he began, his voice respectful but edged with steel, "forgive this one for the interruption, but your actions here have already crossed the line."
"You know well the Empire Agreement—none of the empires are to interfere with each other’s internal affairs without His Majesty’s explicit permission."
There was a sharp edge now in his tone.
"And while your words may not yet count as taking action, offering to take Bai Xinyue away... a talent of such rare potential—openly, and without a formal diplomatic process—is no different from stealing the future of our empire."
The words stirred whispers from some officials and cultivators in the background.
But no one dared side with or against him yet.
After all, while Minister Yan was an important figure of the Desolate Heaven Empire, Yue Wushuang was an important figure of the entire Continent.
Still, as the saying goes, a local snake is more dangerous than a distant dragon—they still didn’t want to offend Minister Yan either.
Everyone expected Yue Wushuang to be offended and teach Minister Yan a lesson.
Yue Wushuang, however, remained still.
Then she exhaled softly.
Her calm tone drifted like moonlight over a still lake.
"If your empire could protect her, I would never have appeared."
She looked directly at Minister Yan.
Her gaze was unwavering.
"You speak of the empire’s future, yet you don’t truly care about her. If you did, you would have intervened before I even appeared."
What she said was the truth.
The Imperial Family didn’t really care about Bai Xinyue. Rather, they felt threatened by her potential—just as much as the Li and Zhao Clans did.
Minister Yan was only intervening because the person they had hoped would be eliminated was now going into the hands of another—worse, someone from another empire.
This wasn’t any better for them.
It was like a sweet one couldn’t eat—but watching someone else eat it still made you jealous.
Minister Yan’s lips twitched, but no words came out.
She had struck directly at the truth.
They had watched. They had done nothing.
Moreover, they had hoped that Bai Xinyue would perish at the hands of the Li-Zhao Alliance.
And everyone knew it.
Yue Wushuang turned her gaze aside, voice composed.
"We are not here to invade. The Flowing Moon Sect respects the accords."
She raised a single hand, letting a soft moonlike glow shimmer between her fingers.
"But should the empire feel insulted by my actions, we are willing to offer compensation."
Her next words echoed like a formal declaration.
"We shall present our case and explain the full details to His Majesty at a later date. But Bai Xinyue’s talent is not something you can keep buried within borders."
She let the glow fade, but her presence didn’t soften.
"She isn’t someone your Desolate Heaven Empire can control."
A heavy silence followed.
Minister Yan clenched his jaw.
He could not deny the logic behind her words, nor did he have the authority to risk clashing with the Flowing Moon Sect directly.
Yue Wushuang had given him a way out—compensation and formal talks.
And... a subtle warning.
Behind her beauty and serenity was power that could shake empires.
So instead, he lowered his gaze, cupped his hands stiffly, and said:
"Very well. If your sect is willing to speak with His Majesty, then I have no objection."
He hadn’t even wanted to step forward—but if he had let everything play out, others might have started to question the Imperial Family’s authority.
One might start to ask, can anyone simply take away someone from the Desolate Heaven Empire without regard for the Royal Family?
There was a need to show that even in the face of the Flowing Moon Sect, without the Empire’s Imperial Family’s permission, things could not be done easily.
Of course, strictly in terms of strength, they couldn’t do anything—but because of the agreements and understandings between empires, Yue Wushuang at least needed to show a bit of formality.
One that she did which saved face for the Imperial Family with compensation being icing on the top.
Meanwhile, Bai Xinyue and Bai Zihan were unaffected by Minister Yan’s presence or whatever was happening to other places.
Right now, only the two of them mattered—and they were speaking to each other.
Bai Xinyue called out—not in the tone of her usual hatred.
She looked straight into his eyes—the same eyes she couldn’t look into when they were children.
Many years had passed, and she still hesitated to meet his gaze.
As they say, the eyes are the mirror of a person’s soul.
She had always wanted to know what Bai Zihan truly thought about her... but had been too scared to find out.
Did he see her as a burden because she was clingy and useless?
Did he hate her for being needy?
Did he look down on her like so many others had, just because she had no parents?
So many questions... but until now, she hadn’t had the courage to seek the answers.
But what Bai Xinyue saw in those eyes made her breath catch.
There was no condescension.
Not even the faintest flicker of disdain or contempt.
Instead, she saw a calm she couldn’t define—steady, cool, and... kind.
A quiet sort of kindness.
Perhaps she was imagining or that is what she would like to believe.
Do you hate me? Did you ever hate me?
But the words wouldn’t come out.
Even now, she didn’t have the courage to hear the answer.
So instead, she swallowed the knot in her throat.