In the silent wait, Chen Hao and his group, hiding in the military camp tent, finally welcomed the sunset. Since all three of them were wearing modern clothing, Uncle Fu went to the city first to find a few local outfits for them.

Owing to the strong Yang Energy they possessed, they would be quickly noticed if they went out; appearing solely as a Yin Soul would also arouse suspicion, so Chen Hao said to Ye Yuqiao, "You accompany elder sister to find her husband later, I'll take a stroll around the city to see if I can find an exit to leave this place, and incidentally cause some disturbances to divert attention to facilitate your search for people."

Ye Yuqiao nodded, with a somewhat peculiar expression on her face.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know!" Ye Yuqiao said in a low voice, "Just thinking about you not being by my side later makes me feel a bit uneasy."

"If you encounter danger later, remember to activate the Stealth Stone immediately or hide inside a Nether Acupoint, and of course, remember to call for me," Chen Hao said, holding Ye Yuqiao's hand.

Ye Yuqiao nodded, her voice becoming smaller and quieter, "You can't be too far away from me; I must always feel your presence."

Chen Hao promised, speaking softly, "Little girl, seeing you like this, I can't bear to leave you even half a step."

"Alright, I'm fine, just suddenly felt a little sensitive. Let's proceed as you described, but you must always remember that you must protect your queen well."

A quarter-hour later, Uncle Fu came back with a few plain clothes.

Thinking that he would still be discovered even if he put on the local attire, Chen Hao simply chose not to change.

Soon after, Ye Yuqiao and Luo Luo, having changed into their clothes, walked over to Chen Hao. Although they had only donned simple ancient skirts, Ye Yuqiao looked so refined and ethereal in hers it made her beauty even more outstanding, causing Chen Hao to stare dumbly at her.

"The young lady is really pretty!" Uncle Fu could not help but exclaim in admiration.

"Yes! She looks like a beauty who has stepped out of a painting," Luo Luo commented, standing to one side.

After a bashful smile, Ye Yuqiao glided over to Chen Hao and asked, "Does it look good?"

Chen Hao nodded repeatedly, his gaze somewhat vacant.

"Do you like this style of dressing?"

"I like it!" Chen Hao chuckled foolishly, "It turns out my girlfriend is a classical beauty; I'm afraid it will be very dangerous for you to go out like this."

"Don't worry, with my boyfriend here, he'll protect me by his side."

...

After returning to the cat talisman, Uncle Fu transformed back into his original cat form and led Ye Yuqiao and Luo Luo towards the Imperial Palace. At this point, Ye Yuqiao had locked her Yang Energy within her body using the Nether King's Power, while Luo Luo's Yang Energy had been exhausted, so the two did not arouse suspicion as they walked on the streets. In addition, to avoid drawing attention to her appearance, Ye Yuqiao deliberately messed up her hair to cover most of her face and intentionally kept her head down when walking.

After nearly twenty minutes of walking, the three finally arrived in front of the gates of the Imperial Palace.

By then, the palace gates were already filled with kneeling figures. These people, each in tattered clothes and emaciated bodies, were either knocking their heads on the ground pleading for food or so starved they lacked the strength even to raise their heads or speak. They were Onmyoji who had been persecuted over the decades and had come here to suffer.

"Elder sister, do you see your husband?" Ye Yuqiao asked.

Luo Luo shook her head, her eyes already brimming with tears. The misery of the beggars before her sent chills through her heart. She hoped her husband was among them, yet wished he had not sunken to become a beggar.

"I can't make him out," Luo Luo said in a hoarse voice, "Let's go look for him."

With that, the two women, linking arms, walked into the group of beggars.

"Hey, you two women, how dare you not kneel at the Imperial Palace gates!" A soldier at the gate barked at them, "If you want food, kneel down to me, or get lost!"

Luo Luo dropped to the ground in a kneel, then tugged at Ye Yuqiao's hand, whispering urgently, "Yuqiao, kneel quickly."

Ye Yuqiao huffed angrily, in her life only others had knelt before her, there was no way she would kneel to others. Thus, she shook off Luo Luo's hand and turned to leave.

"Eh! This lady has backbone, let's see how long you can last!" the soldier remarked.

When Ye Yuqiao retreated back into the alleyway, the cat possessed by Uncle Fu approached her and said, "Miss, acting that way will raise suspicions, truly."

"Shut up!" Ye Yuqiao cut off Uncle Fu coldly, her expression grim and her eyes filled with rage.

Seeing her like this, naturally, Uncle Fu didn't dare say anything more.

"Dong, dong, dong!" At that moment, several bell sounds emanated from within the Imperial Palace.

Immediately, all the beggars at the palace gates straightened their bodies and then began knocking their heads to the ground in unison, chanting, "Long live our Emperor, long live, long live!"

The beggars knocked and chanted thrice before the palace gates slowly opened.

However, the figure that emerged was not an Emperor clad in yellow robes but a haughty eunuch.

"Ah!" the beggars cried out in unison, their voices filled with disappointment.

"Where is the Emperor?"

The eunuch chuckled with a sneer, "The Emperor is in a foul mood today, so none of you stinking beggars will have a meal. Come back tomorrow and see if the Emperor's mood has improved."

"Why is the Emperor in a foul mood?"

"Today, three new intruders broke in, and we still haven't found where they are, so the Emperor is very unhappy. If any of you can find those three intruders for the Emperor, I guarantee you'll eat and drink your fill every day from now on," the eunuch explained. With that, he turned and walked toward the inner palace.

"Don't go, don't go, your excellency, please beg the Emperor on our behalf, let us have this meal. If we are full, we'll have the strength to help the Emperor find those three intruders."

Turning his head back, the eunuch sneered dismissively and said, "Why should I plead on your behalf? Whether you're hungry or not is none of my concern!"

This eunuch was in fact an evil spirit from a thousand years ago, once sealed inside a soul-locking bottle by an Onmyoji for many years, hence his deep hatred for Onmyoji, and these beggars just so happened to be Onmyoji.

"You!" the beggars were furious but helpless. In the past, they could have gotten rid of a possessed eunuch like him in a matter of minutes, but here in Mu Cheng, their Yang Energy had been drained, leaving them unable to use their Yin Yang Arts.

As the grand palace gates slowly closed, some beggars quickly got up and rushed forward in an attempt to stop them.

"Ah, thinking of rebelling, are you?" The commanding officer guarding the gate glowered at them and whipped out his lash, striking the beggars in front of him. The beggars had already been faint with hunger and naturally lacked the strength to fight back, so after a couple of hits from the whip, they all collapsed on the ground, uttering pained groans.

In the end, the city gate shut, and with no hope of food, the beggars lay on the ground, under a sky gradually being engulfed by darkness, filled with despair. Nevertheless, the commanding officer's whip continued to sway over the fallen beggars, not stopping until their beaten bodies stopped moving, and their Primordial Spirit and Primordial Soul particles drifted up into the air.

Soon after, the beaten beggars were resurrected and then dispersed, driven away by the guards at the gate.

Meanwhile, Luo Luo was still busily searching for her husband, Zhang Chuiping, among the crowd.

"Cough, cough!" A familiar coughing suddenly sounded from within the crowd.

Luo Luo turned around abruptly and saw the face she had been longing for among the people behind her. She immediately burst into tears. She covered her mouth, trying her best to keep her sobbing as quiet as possible so that the soldiers guarding the city would not hear her.

After a pause, she strode toward Zhang Chuiping.

It was only when she stood in front of him, blocking his path, that Zhang Chuiping slowly looked up at her.

At the sight of her, Zhang Chuiping stared in shock. It was a long time before he came back to his senses, his eyebrows tightly knit as he said, "Wife, is it you?"

Luo Luo, with tears streaming down her face, was too excited to speak and could only nod again and again. The bedraggled Zhang Chuiping in front of her aroused her sympathy but also felt unfamiliar.

"I must be dreaming!" Zhang Chuiping scratched his head, then lifted his left hand and pinched his cheek hard.

"It's me, it's me, your wife, Luo Luo!" Luo Luo hurriedly reached out to stop Zhang Chuiping. In her eyes, he had grown so thin that if he pinched any further, he might break through what little skin he had left.

Zhang Chuiping took a deep breath, eyes brimming with tears. He longed to embrace Luo Luo right in front of him, to fuse into one and never part again.

Every reunion after a long separation felt as intense as having been through life and death.

Ultimately, to avoid suspicion, Zhang Chuiping did not embrace Luo Luo but instead grabbed her hand and quickly walked away with her.

After taking a few steps, Ye Yuqiao and the cat possessed by Uncle Fu appeared in front of them.

"This is my husband, Zhang Chuiping," Luo Luo eagerly shared her joy with Ye Yuqiao.

"Let's go back to the barracks first!" Ye Yuqiao said coldly.

A quarter-hour later, they all returned to the tents at the barracks.

"Wife, how did you get here!" Zhang Chuiping anxiously grasped Luo Luo's hand and asked, seeming a bit angry.

"To save you, to take you back."

"Save me? Take me back?" Zhang Chuiping gave a bitter smile, "It's impossible to get out of here. Why did you act so recklessly, doing something so irrational?"

Chastised in such a way by Zhang Chuiping, Luo Luo threw off his hand in anger and said, "We haven't seen each other for so long, do you really have to yell at me the moment we meet? All I wanted was to be with you, is that so wrong?"

As she finished speaking, tears of grievance rolled down Luo Luo's face.

"Wife, I'm not trying to lose my temper with you, but..."

"I know, you just want me to stay alive and well. But have you ever thought about how I could live well without you? And this time, I didn't come looking for you recklessly but brought reliable people with me. You must know about Chen Hao, right?"

"Ah! Chen Hao?" Zhang Chuiping looked incredulous, "Are you talking about the Chen Hao who defeated King Ning?"

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