Miss Loser is too enchanting

"Is there news about the Gold Spiritual Bead?" Dugu Qianye asked.

Qie Yue nodded, his expression turning solemn. Seeing his look, Dugu Qianye knew the news wasn’t good and asked with concern, "What happened?"

"The Gold Spiritual Bead has actually been in Yong Xing’s possession all along. He gave it to Jian Fengxing, but now his whereabouts are unknown," Qie Yue said.

In Yong Xing’s hands?

Dugu Qianye’s heart skipped a beat, and she asked, "Who is Jian Fengxing?"

"The Sect Master of the Artifact Refiner Sect in the Heavenly Spiritual Realm, and he is Yong Xing’s right-hand man," Qie Yue explained. "It is said that hundreds of years ago, a young man with innate talent appeared in the Sect. He was framed out of jealousy, captured, and later escaped, taking the Gold Spiritual Bead with him. Years later, when the Sect found him, he was already dead, and the Gold Spiritual Bead was no longer with him. Since then, no one has seen the Gold Spiritual Bead."

"If indeed it was taken by that person, then the Gold Spiritual Bead should be with someone he had contact with after he left. Do you know his previous identity? Did he have any close friends?" Dugu Qianye inquired.

"That person was a side-branch disciple of the Jian Family, an orphan since childhood. Due to his exceptional talent in Artifact Refining, he was chosen to join the Refiners Sect. Because of jealousy from others, he didn’t have any good friends," Qie Yue relayed the message from the Flame Army.

Having accepted Dugu Qianye and holding her in high regard from the bottom of his heart, understanding that it was to find the Gold Spiritual Bead for her, the members of the Flame Army were particularly diligent. They knew that the more detailed the information they gathered, the more it would benefit her, so they investigated every related person and matter thoroughly. However, how that person escaped, and the events after his escape, were like a mystery shrouded in fog, elusive to their grasp.

Dugu Qianye pondered the words of Qie Yue and, after a while, lifted her head and said, "Since the later information can’t be found, we should start with the Sect!"

"You want to go to the Sect?" Qie Yue asked.

Dugu Qianye nodded, saying, "As long as I can get in, there’s a way to investigate the events of that year or find out the whereabouts of the Gold Spiritual Bead. It’s also possible that the Sect has already recovered the Gold Spiritual Bead but does not wish to make the news public. All possibilities can only be investigated upon entering the Sect."

"But the Refiners Sect is in the Heavenly Spiritual Realm, Yong Xing’s stronghold. Going there, being so close to him, it’s very dangerous," Qie Yue said.

"Without entering the tiger’s den, one cannot catch its cubs. Since that’s the case, I must delve into the tiger’s den!" Dugu Qianye declared.

"Xiao—" Qie Yue looked at Zi Xiao, hoping he would stop Dugu Qianye, but to his surprise, Zi Xiao kissed Dugu Qianye on the face and said, "If you want to go, then go. I’ll protect you from behind!"

"Alright then." With both of them resolved, Qie Yue could only keep his worries to himself. He took out a Flame Token and said, "This is the command token of the Flame Army. You will inevitably need manpower once you’re there, and they are first-rate when it comes to scouting for news. Perhaps it will be of use to you. In a moment, I’ll have Yan Yi come over to liaise with you."

Dugu Qianye glanced at Zi Xiao, took the token from his hand, and said, "I understand. Thank you."

Qie Yue waved his hand and said, "What’s there to thank me for between us? But before you leave, you should take care of the tail first!"

The tail?

"What tail?" Dugu Qianye asked.

"The tail Zi Xiao left for you to practice with. You’ll have to ask him about that. I’ll head back first and have Yan Yi come over to stand by," Qie Yue said and then ran off like a wisp of smoke. It wasn’t until he returned to his own courtyard and thought of Zi Xiao’s dark face that he still felt a cold breeze at his back. Seeing Hei Zi still waiting in his room, he chuckled twice, sat down on a stool, and said, "You didn’t see how he looked just now, it was so funny!"

Hei Zi glanced at Qie Yue and said, "Soon, he’ll find you even more amusing!"

"Don’t gloat there. It was clearly the two of us talking, deliberately letting that curious cat Zhi Xin overhear. You’re part of this too, you know?" Qie Yue protested.

"But I wasn’t there just now. Even if you say so, Zi Xiao won’t believe it!" Hei Zi laughed unscrupulously.

"Fine, Hei Zi, I think you should be called ’Black Heart’ instead!" Qie Yue looked at the person who wasn’t on his side and said, "Crap! I need to run away quickly before Qianye hasn’t left yet, otherwise he’ll catch me later! Tell Yan Yi for me that the Flame Army will follow Qianye’s commands from now on, and have him report to Qianye soon. I need to zip out of here fast! Remember that, all right?"

Qie Yue looked around the room, saw nothing that needed packing, dashed out the door, and randomly entered a portal to another realm. Humph, they were flaunting their love in front of him, bullying him for being alone; this time he would also find someone for himself!

Hei Zi watched Qie Yue’s hurried escape with a laugh. Then he stood up to find Yan Yi—such an important matter was not to be taken lightly!

In the main hall, Dugu Qianye and Zi Xiao both didn’t believe Qie Yue would go to find Yan Yi, guessing he had fled far away after hearing about the so-called "eighteen kinds of cruelty."

"What was that tail Qie Yue mentioned just now?" Dugu Qianye asked.

Zi Xiao took a deep breath. Interrupted twice now and knowing that Yan Yi would be coming soon, Zi Xiao was no longer in the mood to continue playing ’wolf eats sheep’ with Qianye. He wrapped his arms around her and returned to the throne, saying, "Yong Xing has hidden a lot of people in the Nine Heavenly Mystic Realm. After his last visit here, not believing you weren’t here anymore, he kept people watching this place. You have been in seclusion, so I haven’t thought of getting rid of them. Keeping them could give you a good chance to practice. If you leave, you need to take out those people first."

"You could tolerate them under your eyes!" Dugu Qianye remarked.

"What’s there to worry about! I always ignore such people," Zi Xiao said. "If he can plant his men here, I can certainly do the same to him. When you go to the Heavenly Spiritual Realm, I’ll have them there to protect you. If you need to contact them, just find Yan Yi; he knows where they all are."

"Hmm, I got it," Dugu Qianye nodded in response.

The two of them chatted about other matters, and it wasn’t long before Yan Yi arrived. Zi Xiao told him about Dugu Qianye going to the Heavenly Spiritual Realm and instructed him to follow her commands unequivocally. Yan Yi accepted the order, ensuring that he and the Flame Army would heed her arrangements. As he left, Zi Xiao asked him, "Did Qie Yue tell you?"

"Your Highness, Lord Hei Zi was the one who came to find me. He said Lord Qie Yue has already left the Nine Heavenly Mystic Realm," Yan Yi replied.

"Alright, you may leave now," Zi Xiao said.

Once Yan Yi had left, Dugu Qianye said, "I didn’t expect Qie Yue to really leave!"

"That guy didn’t leave because of the punishment I was going to give him. He must have felt lonely and empty seeing the two of us together and went out to find his other half!" Zi Xiao said lazily.