Sun rose high over the pristine waters surrounding Shui Guo and sound of bells resounded the whole kingdom that marks the high noon for Cao XiuCai's public trial. Cao YunXi, XiuCai's father personally attended the trial himself. As a state preceptor, his presence was most valued and looked forward to by BeiYin.
YunXi was welcomed at the palace warmly by BeiYin and Cao Cao.
"Your highness BeiYin, my son, Cao XiuCai committed a grave mistake please do not punish him he's just a young—"
"Sure your son maybe naive Lord YunXi, but rest assured, the crimes that he had committed kidnapping one of my guests, killing his own aunt, molesting the dead… It might be unforgivable."
"Y—Yes... If it is what her highness says…"
"I will agree not putting your son in death sentence if…"
"Please name your conditions your highness…"
"If and only if he break his ties with my daughter. Cao Cao will no longer bear his surname Cao."
"T—That's impossible your highness. Once marriage ties are made, it cannot be broken unless an immortal will stand witness against their love and prove that they are unfit to be with each other."
LanRong overheard the conversation and stepped forth bowing her head to pay her respects.
"Your highness… I, Zhuge LanRong will stand witness for breaking the marriage ties."
YunXi's eyes narrowed and shunned LanRong against BeiYin.
"Your highness, how will we know if this woman is an immortal or not?" He angrily gritted his teeth baring devious sight against LanRong.
"Your highness, please give me permission to use my divine prowess." LanRong bowed once again and BeiYin nodded in reply.
"Yes. Go ahead."
LanRong asked everyone to step back and after all has been settled, she closed her eyes and conjured her divine weapon out of nothing. The eunuchs, members of the court and other guests gasped as a bright light filled the execution grounds.
Her white robe turned black adorned with finely embroidered images of deer. The golden embroidery on her black robe matched her golden ornament wrapped on her forehead.
Her hair also transformed and was beautifully arranged. As she opened her eyes, a mark resembling the guardian tulip appeared on her forehead.
She had then carried her Qin and gracefully bowed in front of the star-strucked YunXi.
"Forgive my imprudence, immortal LanRong! I—"
"It's alright. Let's skip the pleasantries… Your highness, let's proceed with the ceremony."
"Hao. LanRong is right, Lord YunXi. Time is fleeting. We must not waste more."
————————————
The ceremony of breaking ties ended successfully and the final decision was made. The country of the White Snake will never conquer the Water Country once again. The war from the past have been won through revealing the truth and once again… Will rise from the scrapheaps of their past.
BeiYin then dismissed her subjects and at the same time, guide Tai Cao back to her room. Wei Yue decided to go to the treasury house where the green wave scroll has been kept and excused himself. LanRong and MoXiao remained alone in the throne room sitting side by side. LanRong leaned over his broad shoulder as he caressed his hair removing the golden ornaments piece by piece.
"MoXiao… How did you know that I was inside that tunnel?"
"His highness Wei Yue helped me consult with her majesty and she led us to a sword pool where we can see any immortal that has been lost."
"A sword pool? The one that you used before I went missing?"
"Yes. The same sword pool."
"MoXiao... I'm afraid."
"Afraid of what?"
"I'm afraid of the future. You already lost me once. How sure are you that you won't lost me ever again?"
"I just lose you once and never again will I turn my back or even blink my eyes."
"Idiot."
LanRong tried to stand up but stepped on her robe and lost balance. Luckily, MoXiao caught her and stared into her beautiful eyes. MoXiao then recalled the things that he had endured together with LanRong, his mind is now at peace and never again will it be affected by rage nor hatred, greed or lust.
MoXiao then captured LanRong's lips and his mouth then trailed from her mouth into her neck. His hands also made it's way inside her robe touching every part of her skin. LanRong felt the anomaly as she heard her outer robe came off and pushed MoXiao away.
"Hey we're inside a throne room!"
"B—But… Your eyes they're lovely."
"If you're going to gloat just to get chummy, let's do it on another place not here."
"Why? We're the only ones here."
"Aren't you forgetting the maids?"
MoXiao then turned his head to the other direction and saw the maids with their jaws dropped.
"Uh… Sorry."
————————————
Tai Cao already had calmed down and BeiYin sees to it that the royal physician is nearby to assist Tai Cao once she awakes. The trauma of having her husband betray her makes it hard to move on and again, the notion of her husband laying with her every night while making out with a dead corpse is also sickening. BeiYin would almost vomit everything that she ate thinking about the gruesome things that XiuCai wrought.
After seeing Tai Cao calmed down and asleep induced by the acupuncture prescribed by the royal physician, she made her way into the palace and decided to see Wei Yue. On her way into the inner chamber, she caught glimpse of Wei Yue sitting at the palace's flower garden looking at the flowers. She approached him slowly and sat at the nearby chair beside him.
"You're thinking deeply."
"Oh! Grandmother I…"
"I know. You must've missed someone back at your kingdom."
"Uh… Umm… No… Ah… Yes."
"Yue, you must not limit yourself in loving someone. Sure, you maybe your father's son, Wei Xuan was an honorable man who upholds the codes and edicts that he imposes but yet, you are who you are. Use your mind but always remember to check your heart."
"Grandmother…"
"Enn…"
"There's something I would like to ask you about. Remember when I told you about your own father?"
"Yue, if this is something about me being related with a demon ki—"
"No grandmother. Your father… He needs you. He's not the demon king that you expect. He's being manipulated."
"Manipulated by whom?"
"Your father has been locked inside his consciousness and because of that, the anger of the Nether awakened. My friend, the Lunar Empress is currently holding the wave inside the dark realm. Only you can help her grandmother. The guardian eel told me that only you can enchant the writings written inside this scroll."
Handing the golden scroll from his hand, BeiYin received it and opened the scroll. From Wei Yue's eyes, the writings are un-understandable but from BeiYin's eyes, the words formed gradually making it casual for her to read however, she hurriedly closed the scroll and gave it back to Wei Yue.
"I do not understand the writings at all."
"Your eyes. It tells me you knew what was written there. Please grandmother… If we're too late the Wave of the nether will wipe out not only the Dark realm but also the human realm as well."
"But… How will we get there? There's no way an immortal could open a portal there."
"I know someone. If you could just come with me in my kingdom."
"*sigh* Alright. I'll come with you. But promise me one thing, it'll only for a day."
"Yes. I promise you."
————————————
In the dead of the night, far away in an old ruin of a destroyed kingdom, a hooded woman appeared in front of Lu XueCao.
"Lu XueCao. How pleasant of you to meet me out here."
"Let me get this straight, you wanted to destroy master because he's weak right?"
"Yes. Definitely. Hundreds of years ago, I saw weakness in him as he threw away his immortality for a human girl. Now, the girl that was brought from the mortal realm resembled the girl that died 300 years ago and again, I saw him melt."
"Mistress. Please leave the master be."
"My orders are final Lu XueCao. Release the Nether Wave and wipe out the dark realm along with the human realm and I will make you the next demon king."
"Yes. Mistress."
The hooded mysterious woman then disappeared into the night in a blink of an eye. Lu XueCao was then left there with his hands clenched in a fist.