Fire Qilin had lived so long that it had met countless women before, but it only remembered one or two of them.
Helian Wei Wei was one of them. It could still recall how brave and daring Helian Wei Wei was back in the Pandemonium...
Yet, a human's lifetime was limited and a few hundred years had passed, how could she still look exactly the same as before?
"Are you a human or a demon?" This was the Fire Qilin's first sentence to Helian Wei Wei.
"You two know each other?" Baili Jia Jue raised his eyebrows.
"Yes, Master…" Fire Qilin then narrated the past to him.
None of them noticed the smile on the boy's face disappearing slowly as he listened to the stories.
Helian Wei Wei did not say anything unnecessary and cut straight to the point, "Since you are here, things are much easier. If I'm not mistaken, you are still looking for His Highness's Soul Fragments and you should be able to recognize this red rope."
Helian Wei Wei raised her left hand as she talked.
Fire Qilin was surprised and seemed to be reminded of something when it saw the red rope. "No wonder I couldn't find it… His Highness has left his Soul Fragments in the past…"
"You're right," Helian Wei Wei smiled as she turned around to face the boy standing beside her, touched his head and said, "Now you can trust that I didn't lie to you, right?"
But things were not going as she imagined. The little boy started to laugh awkwardly, "This is the reason why you were being nice to me. I'm just a fragment to you."
Helian Wei Wei was startled by his reply, "It's not like what you think."
"Then what?" The little boy lifted his eyes and removed her hand from his head indifferently, "You just want me to follow you back."
Helian Wei Wei could not refute him, as it was all true.
What was it all for? She did not even want to stay.
He thought that finally, there was someone who… Ah…
The little boy bit his lips, his imagination was too wonderful.
But still, he hoped that there was some warmth, even just a little.
Because being alone was too cold…
"Will you stay if I don't follow you back?" The little boy asked with a hoarse voice. He always thought that she was fooling him with those words, but now, he knew that she might disappear someday later. He gasped for air, and his c.h.e.s.t ached, "I will chase away Yun Biluo and set you free. If you like m.a.t.u.r.e guys with power, I can do it as well. Just give me a little bit more time. So, could you please stay and don't go?"
Helian Wei Wei looked at the little boy and shook her head reluctantly. "I cannot stay. You will no longer be awake if I promised to stay," her throat ached as she spoke.
"So, you have to go no matter what?" She would still leave even after all his begging?
He did not know how to describe that feeling, he just wanted to stay still and do nothing.
This golden cage was specially made for her.
He knew that she loved gold a lot, so he took out all the rewards given to him by his Imperial Grandfather just to decorate this cage for her.
The most comfortable blanket was laid inside the cage, and he even placed a night illuminating pearl inside.
He thought that she would be happy, she might even lean over to kiss him on his eyes with her sheepish smile.
However, after arriving here, all she did was talk to the Fire Qilin. She did not even bother to take a look at the cage.
His heart ached so much that he felt like he was suffocating. He never thought that he would experience this feeling in his life.
Now, he knew what that felt like.
It was just like riding a roller coaster, there were ups and downs. Finally, when it came to a rest, a sense of emptiness would kick in.
He was just like the golden cage, decorated nicely and presented to her full of joy.
Fire Qilin had noticed Baili Jia Jue's fluctuations and stopped the conversation at once, "Let's talk about this next time. Now, the Empress will definitely look for you as something had happened to the Eldest Prince. Your Highness, you should go back with Lady Wei Wei first." Fire Qilin said while hinting Helian Wei Wei with a wink.
Helian Wei Wei understood Fire Qilin's worry. They were both afraid that Baili Jia Jue would turn evil earlier than expected.
Her heart hurt more than anyone else when she saw the lonely look of the little boy. She had almost promised him to stay.
But, she could not do that…
Chapter 619 - The Third Fragment
Shadow could clearly sense that there was something wrong with his Master. He went out with joy on his face, but came back with a lonely, sad look.
This was the first time he saw his Master with such a facial expression.
From his memory, His Highness had always been cold and indifferent. He had never shown such an expression even when he was deeply hurt by the Empress.
It felt like he was abandoned by the whole world...
"Your Highness," Shadow called out as he was worried.
But he got no response in return.
The little boy stood beside the desk and his fingers on top of it turned stiff.
Just when Shadow was about to say something, the Empress's servant arrived…
The Empress had summoned Baili Jia Jue to her place.
The boy was still expressionless.
Shadow grabbed the hand of the servant and asked, "Eldest Palace Maid, His Highness didn't cause any trouble lately right? The Empress…"
"Stop wasting time, the Empress wants the Third Prince in her presence for a reason," the palace maid shook away little Shadow's hand.
But the palace maid was stopped by Helian Wei Wei who just walked into the room. "Eldest Palace Maid, His Highness is still a prince after all. Now, the Retired Emperor hasn't returned yet, but when he does, he would surely know who treated the prince well, and who did not. As you can see, the Third Prince is the only prince left in this imperial palace. Eldest Palace Maid, you are a smart person, I guess you already know what to do."
Helian Wei Wei's harsh yet soft words got the palace maid to ponder for a moment, and she made a quick decision, "Be at ease, sister, I'll be with the Empress to make sure that the Third Prince does not suffer."
The Eldest Prince's death had caused the Emperor to lock himself in for two days. Naturally, he did not visit the Empress as well.
The Empress could not tell whether she was feeling good or bad. She looked at the little boy standing in front of her and said nonchalantly, "The death of the Eldest Prince is quite sudden, and I can allow the palace maid to stay by your side for a while more. But why did you send Biluo back here? Huh?"
"It's like what you think," the little boy did not face the Empress, his eyes void of any emotion. "Don't ever think of touching the people around me, unless you no longer want to see that man again."
The Empress took a deep breath, "Are you threatening me now?"
The little boy did not answer her.
"Have you forgotten who I am? I'm your mother! You even dared to threaten your own mother! You are indeed a devil!" The Empress' smile turned cold, "How could I have given birth to such a cold-blooded devil!"
The little boy bit his lips and his eyes darkened, "That's why, don't provoke me."
The Empress looked at him. Bam!
The teacup in her hand flew and smashed into the little boy's forehead, "Get out!"
On the way, he bumped into the little girl from the House of Helian again.
This time, she did not say a word but ran away with terror.
The little boy pressed his fingers on his forehead and smiled mockingly.
He recalled when the woman roared at him and asked him whether he had fallen in love with this little girl. Now, it felt funny to him.
He would not even lay his eyes on this porcelain doll who would be scared to death whenever she bumped into him, not to mention falling for her.
He accepted all those things just because he felt that
she would have wanted to eat…
This was a feeling he had never experienced before. His blood was boiling at the thought of making her his.
At first, he thought that he was her one and only.
Because whenever she looked at him, her gaze was so warm.
But in the end, he realized that he was just nothing but a Soul Fragment to her.
If he was not a fragment of that person, she might not even bother looking at him…
The little boy scoffed. Just as he stepped into the Great Hall, Shadow let out a breath of shock and immediately ran out to look for the imperial physician.
When he got back, the little boy had fallen asleep and his face had lost its color.
Helian Wei Wei had no idea of what was happening. This was the first time that she doubted her own actions.
She finally understood what the Fire Qilin had told her earlier.
It said, "Remember, no matter what happened to His Highness, you cannot promise him that you'll stay."
In fact, it was not that simple.
She hoped that she could always stay beside him. Her little prince who was deceitful, smart and arrogant but also had a soft side.
He would place his head on her shoulder or mumble about his dislikes.
Whenever she kissed him, he would point at her forehead and ask her to stay away from him, even though he enjoyed it.
How could she reject someone like him?
Helian Wei Wei grasped her hands tightly and looked at the hazy lake as her eyes turned red.
She had told him before.
Let her do all the bloody and dirty things.
It was the same this time.
Even if she would be hated and begrudged by him.
He must follow her back!
"I'm really happy that you stayed firm." The Fire Qilin's voice appeared in Helian Wei Wei's mind and it sounded tired, "But things are a bit bad now."
"What do you mean by that?" Helian Wei Wei's heart tightened.
"There is a slight difference between history and the past. Even though the general direction is still correct, your appearance has caused some of the things to happen earlier than predicted." Fire Qilin sounded like it was trying to support something. "Luckily, there are no big mistakes, and this can still be fixed. However, the Soul Fragment gaining autonomy is bad news. We've all underestimated His Highness. You should know that he cannot be tamed by anyone."
Helian Wei Wei replied with a soft voice, "I never wanted to tame him, I just want him to stay alive and stand in front of me in good health."
As Fire Qilin saw her reddened eyes, it bowed its head, "Forgive me, but once the Soul Fragment gains autonomy, it is very difficult to get him back. Furthermore, his current thoughts have already affected the third fragment. Now, the second and third fragments are showing signs of merging together."
"Signs of merging?" Helian Wei Wei was dumbfounded for a moment, "What does that mean?"
Fire Qilin's voice went deeper, "The appearance of the two fragments has proven that His Highness' fragments were left in the past. Transforming from a demon to a human, His Highness had lost all of his memories and couldn't remember that you appeared in the magical realm. But, the next fragment contains all of his memories… In order to regain His Highness' consciousness, both the fragments must be brought back together. That's why we need to adjust our plan, you need to go to the time when the third fragment would appear."
"Now?" Helian Wei Wei paused, "But I haven't…"
Fire Qilin interrupted her with a deep voice, "You need to leave sooner or later anyway, it's better to leave earlier."
Chapter 620 - The Beginning Of The Third Fragment
Helian Wei Wei's fingers were locked for a while, "Alright."
"Let's begin." Fire Qilin's voice gradually turned softer.
Big pieces of snowflakes fell from the sky and Helian Wei Wei's eyelashes were tinted white. She raised her hand and gently patted her face, but eventually she could not hold back the sadness that she felt in her heart. She slid down off the wall and sat on the floor, her shoulders slightly shivering.
The North Wind blew past.
On that night, the little boy was restless.
He had a dream. In his dream, she told him that she was freezing as she looked at him with pitiful eyes.
As a qualified master, he should not let his own prey be freezing.
He remembered that he had a fur coat in his royal chamber, so he rushed into the inner chamber, but because of his small size, it was basically impossible for him to reach the coat that was placed at a high place.
He walked in circles in panic, then without hesitation, he moved a chair over and crawled up. He stretched out his fingers, trying to reach the fur coat.
At last, he got the fur coat.
However, an unknown silhouette appeared beside her.
She curled her lips, losing the haughtiness that she wore as she cuddled in the silhouette's arms, just like an obedient fox.
He, the little boy stood inside the chamber which was only a door's distance away. He looked at them in a daze, like a silly boy.
Only when he put down the fur coat did he realize that his knee was wounded.
He had probably knocked on the cupboard when he climbed onto the chair...
The sudden pain in his leg spread to his c.h.e.s.t. The pain was so severe that he even felt out of breath, but he still wanted to look at her.
For the first time in his life, he hated that he was younger than her. He hated that he was not tall and strong enough, he hated himself to the bone.
Well, what was the use of that? She did not even take a look at him.
The little boy held onto the coat in his hand tightly and asked, "Why…"
Why must that man be the chosen one?
His voice turned hoarse after asking all those questions, but there was no reply at all...
"Your Highness, Your Highness…" It was Shadow. The prince's wound was applied with ointment and should not be touched. However, from the moment the prince laid down to rest, he was not at ease even for a moment. Shadow was worried that he would hurt his forehead again.
The little boy finally woke up. When he realized that it was all a dream, he let out a faint sigh of relief.
Later, he stood up from his bed and coughed heavily a few times. His face was tinted with an unusual redness.
He thought that maybe if he went to look for her, she would notice his wounds and definitely care about him.
So, he ran out of the room just like that, without a care for anything else.
However… the area beside the house was empty.
The little boy's hands were petrified. He clutched the door handle tightly before turning his head around, "Shadow, where is she?"
"She?" Shadow was befuddled. Realizing who the little boy was talking about, he answered, "Since both of you returned, she never left the room. I thought she was asleep, which was why…"
Without waiting for his sentence to end, the little boy started to run. He immediately burst into Luanfeng Palace and glared at the Empress coldly, "Where is she? Where did you send her to?"
"Who?" The Empress squinted her eyes, "Do you know what you are doing now? How dare you come running in without notice! Where is your princely etiquette!"
Bang!
In the blink of an eye, the little boy threw the palace lantern beside him onto the floor. His eyes were bloodshot, "Now that she's gone, what is the point of etiquette! Where is she!"
"I have no idea who you are talking about." The Empress saw the redness in his eyes, and she started to feel uneasy, "I did not lay my hands on any of your servants."
Actually, the little boy knew that the Empress was not behind this, but he just wanted to try his luck, no matter how slim his chances were.
But in reality, there was no trace of her.
It was like she had never existed.
The uncontrollable fear was like a tide, drowning him whole.
The
little boy returned to his room, and the world became frighteningly quiet.
He lifted his hands to cover his eyes and inhaled a big mouthful of air.
He was left alone in the empty space, all the servants that reported back had told him that she was gone!
The little boy clenched his fist hard, so hard that he left red marks on his palm.
As he slowly relaxed his fingers, something started to steadily flow down from his eyes…
He had no idea how long he had been sitting on the floor.
Probably for two hours, maybe four…
At last, he laughed softly. Cracks started to appear on the floor under his feet, and the whole room started to shake along with his laugh!
In the midst of flying sand and rolling pebbles, a small silhouette walked out of the darkness. His delicate face was smeared with bloodstains, and behind him were ruins of houses, clouds of smoke and snow, engulfing the entire palace...
...
"Cough, cough cough!" When Helian Wei Wei opened her eyes once again, she was at the Holy Worship Temple.
Young Nangong Lie looked at her curiously and even used the offering stick to poke at her face. He looked like a hippie, "Hey, are you a ghost or a human? Why are you here?"
Helian Wei Wei massaged her temples and started to suspect that Fire Qilin had sent her to the wrong place.
"Don't tell me she is mute?" Nangong Lie's youthful and handsome face closed in gradually. He suddenly started to laugh wickedly, "This is interesting, I have just predicted Ah Jue's fate before going out. When I got back, you appeared in the divinatory circle! Don't tell me you are Ah Jue's destiny, the love of his life?"
When Helian Wei Wei heard the name 'Ah Jue', she felt a sudden ache in her heart.
Nangong Lie touched his own chin, "Her looks are pretty good, but why does she look so familiar, as if we have met somewhere before…"
"Where is he?" Helian Wei Wei put down her hands and interrupted.
Nangong Lie raised his eyebrows, "Not a mute, too bad, Ah Jue does not like talkative people."
Helian Wei Wei laughed, "Neither do I. It would be better for you to tell me his location now, Young Master Lie."
The Anarchic Consort c1-1376 Page 267