Yun Chuxue changed into a clean set of clothes, the ones she had instructed Ye Sishui to alter, and headed towards the direction of the Western Cloud Empire. Moxi was somewhat puzzled and asked, "Why go to the Western Cloud Empire first?"
"I cannot allow any contamination to appear in my homeland," Yun Chuxue stated firmly. She must eradicate all the demonic practitioners within the Western Cloud Empire's borders within a year. The task was indeed daunting, but she wouldn't give up.
With Yun Chuxue's speed, it would take half a month to reach the capital of the Western Cloud Empire — West Cloud City. If not for the fear of revealing her location, it would only take a day to reach West Cloud City.
A few days later, the news of Yun Chuxue's appearance had already spread to the top echelons of the sects, stirring up a commotion. In just half a month, almost everyone on the continent knew that Yun Chuxue had appeared, and there was an even more astonishing piece of news: Yun Chuxue had single-handedly defeated eleven late-stage Spiritual Gods and possessed eight sacred spiritual bodies. This news left those who wanted to kill Yun Chuxue seething with resentment.
Since Yushi's return, he had been staying alone in his room, until Tang Ruoyu came to find him.
"Supreme Leader, are you there?"
"I am. Come in." A faint voice came from behind the door.
After Tang Ruoyu entered, she found Yushi staring at the mural on the wall, depicting the time he married Yun Chuxue. Tang Ruoyu knew that Yushi was reminiscing about "Suxue'er." "Supreme Leader, Yun Chuxue has reappeared. Suxue'er, is she...?"
"I once sent Ye Yu to protect Suxue'er. When Ye Yu returned, he said that Suxue'er had not come out of the Fallen God Valley. Moreover, I went to see Yun Chuxue myself, and her eyes told me that she wasn't Suxue'er. They were very cold, very ruthless..."
Yushi's voice grew quieter as he spoke. Tang Ruoyu comforted him, "Supreme Leader, please believe in Suxue'er. She will definitely come back."
Yushi turned around, forcing a smile. "Alright, you can leave now. I want to be alone for a while."
"Okay."
As Tang Ruoyu reached the door, she opened it and found Yuzi Xi standing outside, with Yuke also present.
"little Xi!" Tang Ruoyu picked up Yuzi Xi and asked, "little Xi, why are you here?"
"I'll explain. My father said that the King of the Western Cloud Empire will have his birthday in a few days. After my sister learned about it, she wanted to tell Uncle about it. She wants to go too."
Yuzi Xi nodded obediently.
Tang Ruoyu hesitated, "This..."
"Ruoyu, take her with you," Yushi said.
"Understood."
"Yay!" Yuzi Xi smiled happily.
"Pack up. We'll leave tomorrow morning." Tang Ruoyu closed the door and said to Yuke as they walked away.
"Alright, I'll go downstairs to prepare. Should I call him?" Yuke asked.
"No, he still has affairs to handle at the Spiritualist Guild, so let's leave him out of this."
"Okay."
The next day, Yuke and Tang Ruoyu, along with several strong Spiritual Gods and soldiers from the Spiritualist Guild, headed for West Cloud City.
By this time, Yun Chuxue had already arrived in West Cloud City. Although West Cloud City was not as prosperous as Azure Cloud City and Holy Star City, it was still the capital of an empire, and its population was indeed massive.
"Why are there so many people in West Cloud City today?" Yun Chuxue kept walking forward until she reached the gate of the palace. Seeing the palace so festive, she calculated the dates and understood, "It's a few days before old man Luo's hundredth birthday. No wonder there's such a lively atmosphere. I should send a gift. Despite having offended everyone else on the continent, the only person I haven't offended is him — Old Man Luo. We have a solid relationship. I'll prepare a gift first and give him a surprise in a few days."
With that, she left.
Meanwhile, Tang Ruoyu and Yuke, having arrived at a hotel, decided to rest for the night as it was the eve of Old Man Luo's birthday. After settling everything, they realized that Yuzi Xi was missing.
"Yuke, little Xi is missing," Tang Ruoyu said in panic, looking around.
"What? Take some people to search for her. I'll go find the city guards and ask them to help us look," Yuke said.
"Okay."
Tang Ruoyu and Yuke split up to search for Yuzi Xi.
At that moment, Yuzi Xi was walking alone. Feeling hungry, she had quietly left Tang Ruoyu to follow the scent of food. Yun Chuxue was in a small, unpopular restaurant, enjoying wine and small dishes. The place wasn't very crowded, so Yun Chuxue had chosen it intentionally.
Yuzi Xi stood outside the door, swallowing hard. She was very hungry and rubbed her stomach, looking at Yun Chuxue, but she dared not speak.
Yun Chuxue noticed Yuzi Xi staring at her and smiled gently. Setting down her chopsticks, she got up and walked over to Yuzi Xi, squatting down in front of her. "Little girl, are you hungry?"
Yuzi Xi nodded, and Yun Chuxue led her inside.
"Waiter, bring a small bowl of rice and a few plates of meat dishes," Yun Chuxue ordered.
"Alright."
Yuzi Xi sat there motionless, and Yun Chuxue couldn't help but feel fond of this adorable child.
When the food arrived, Yun Chuxue slowly fed Yuzi Xi. After finishing, Yuzi Xi grinned and said, "Sister, you're really nice."
Yun Chuxue smiled back. "What's your name?"
"I'm Yuzi Xi."
Upon hearing the name Yuzi Xi, Yun Chuxue froze, and her chopsticks slipped from her hand.
"Sister, sister, what's wrong with you?" Yuzi Xi asked.
Yun Chuxue snapped out of her daze. "Nothing. Are you still hungry?"
"A little."
Yun Chuxue then called the waiter again. "Do you have any fruits or pastries? Bring some."
"Sure."
When the fruits and pastries arrived, Yuzi Xi intended to eat them herself, but to her surprise, Yun Chuxue directly fed her. This gesture increased Yuzi Xi's fondness for Yun Chuxue even more.
"Sister, you're really kind. A kind person like you must be very beautiful," Yuzi Xi said cheerfully.
Yun Chuxue smiled and continued to feed Yuzi Xi fruits and pastries slowly, preventing her from choking.
After finishing, Yun Chuxue pretended to be unaware and softly asked, "You should go home now, or your mother will worry."
Pouting, Yuzi Xi looked unhappy. "I don't have a mother. My mother left when I was very young."
"Oh, I see. Do you miss your mother?"
"I do. I miss her very much. Sister Ruoyu said my mother will come back one day, and I'm willing to wait."
"Do you hate her?" Yun Chuxue continued to ask gently.
"I do. Why does everyone else have a mother, but I don't? Waaah~" Yuzi Xi started crying, and Yun Chuxue suppressed her own tears, comforting her. "Don't cry, don't cry. Your mother will come back to see you."
"Really?" Yuzi Xi choked up.
"Really. Sister won't lie to you."
"Okay."
After searching for a long time without finding her, Tang Ruoyu and Yuke heard Yuzi Xi's tender voice. "Sister."
Tang Ruoyu immediately turned around and hugged Yuzi Xi. "It's good that you're back. Sister thought you were missing. Where did you go?"
"I was hungry, and then a kind sister gave me some food."
Tang Ruoyu realized something was wrong. Using her spiritual power to check Yuzi Xi's body, she gently asked, "What did that sister look like?"
"She wore a snowflake mask, and her whole body was dressed in white. She was very pretty."
Seeing that Yuzi Xi was okay, both Tang Ruoyu and Yuke breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't go out alone in the future, alright?"
"Okay." Yuzi Xi smiled innocently. She didn't know what was good or bad.
After Tang Ruoyu and Yuke left, in a side alley, tears flowed endlessly from Yun Chuxue's eyes. "Mother will definitely come back. Trust me, little Xi."