Chapter 649: Yuan Meridian

　　Chu Liuyue followed Chan Yi and entered through the side gate, going straight toward Huayang Palace.

　　It was currently late winter, and the winds were harshly cold. When they blew on one’s face, it felt like a knife was cutting it.

　　Suddenly, Chu Liuyue felt something cold on her glabella, and she looked up.

　　Pure, white snowflakes floated down.

　　It actually snowed.

　　The two of them walked forward. When they reached Huayang Palace, a thin layer of snow had already accumulated on the smooth and tidy marble floor.

　　Seeing Chan Yi come back, the palace people all bowed toward her. Quite a few people’s gazes landed on Chu Liuyue.

　　Previously, they had already received news that the Third Princess would invite Chu Liuyue over. This… must be it.

　　Before this, they only heard about her in rumors. Now that they finally saw the real her, they felt that the rumors were actually quite believable. At the very least, this outstanding appearance and elegant demeanor were genuine.

　　Chan Yi walked forward. “Third Princess, Ms. Chu is here.”

　　A gentle voice came from inside. “Hurry up and bring her in.”

　　Chan Yi bowed toward Chu Liuyue. “Ms. Chu, please.”

　　Chu Liuyue slightly nodded and followed her in.

　　…

　　Since a very long time ago, Huayang Palace had been Shangguan Wan’s bedroom. Amongst the many halls in the palace, Huayang Palace was very unassuming. No matter if it were its size, position, or construction, it was only average at best.

　　Shangguan Wan’s birth mother had a lowly status, so she wasn’t very well-liked either and had been bullied countless times when she was young.

　　Later on, Chu Liuyue felt that she was miserable and took pity on her, so she always put in a word for her in front of her father. Shangguan Wan’s situation improved since then, and she even moved to Huayang Palace.

　　Even though Huayang Palace couldn’t be compared to Chu Liuyue’s palace, it was already a huge improvement to the Shangguan Wan back then.

　　Chu Liuyue originally thought that Shangguan Wan would change her place of residence after she came into power. However, she didn’t expect the latter to still be here.

　　But Huayang Palace has been renovated. Judging from the surrounding views and its design, she must’ve spent quite a fortune.

　　Behind the screen, a graceful figure walked out. Her looks were pretty, and she had a smile on her lips with a tinge of spring-like nature. At the same time, her eyes were filled with the distance and elegance of being superior.

　　It was Shangguan Wan!

　　Chu Liuyue glanced at her and bent her knees to bow. “Greetings, Third Princess.”

　　Shangguan Wan went up and gestured for her to get up as she smiled and said, “Quickly, get up. I invited you over today because I have a few things I wanted to seek advice from you. You don’t have to be this courteous.”

　　Even though she said this, her back was very straight, and she was three steps away from Chu Liuyue. This showed that she didn’t have any intentions of letting Chu Liuyue ease herself.

　　Chu Liuyue had seen too many of such methods back then, so she completely didn’t care. After she bowed, she stood up and slightly smiled at Shangguan Wan. “Thank you, Third Princess.”

　　Shangguan Wan was dazed for a moment, and she hesitated in her actions. We were a distance away the previous time we met, so I couldn’t see her very clearly. Now that she’s standing so close, I can see her face very clearly. This face… When she smiles, it’s really like…

　　A tinge of hatred surfaced in Shangguan Wan’s heart, but she didn’t show it at all as she smiled and sat down at the host seat. “Ms. Chu, you don’t have to be courteous. Sit.”

　　Chan Yi walked to Shangguan Wan and served her.

　　Chu Liuyue wasn’t courteous at all as she swiftly sat down at the side after thanking her. Others might be wary of Shangguan Wan’s identity, but not her.

　　Shangguan Wan saw her carefree manner and was speechless for a moment. After a momentary pause, she found a topic to start off with. “Ms. Chu, I’ve already heard about what happened at the clan competition. Your talent is really enviable.”

　　Chu Liuyue smiled. “Compared to you, Third Princess, my talent is nothing. I heard that you had already become a stage-seven warrior two years ago. How can I compare to you?”

　　Shangguan Wan felt something stuck in her heart.

　　She was indeed a stage-seven warrior two years ago, but her Yuan meridian was ruined after that incident. Nothing she did could recover it—she had long become akin to a useless person.

　　Chu Liuyue’s words were undoubtedly pricking her heart.

　　She forced a smile, picked up her teacup, and sipped it, hiding the cold expression on her face. From the corner of her eye, she saw that Chu Liuyue smiled slightly with a sincere expression. That’s true. There are only three people who know about my condition, including myself. How would Chu Liuyue know about it?

　　“My elder sister left me more than a year ago, and I have been devastated over it for a long time. I fell gravely sick, and even now, I frequently can’t sleep. Thus, it’s inevitable that I neglected my cultivation. Sorry for letting you see this joke.”

　　Chu Liuyue’s eyebrows rose slightly. “Third Princess’s elder sister should be the late Princess, right? It looks like both of you were on really good terms. Every time you bring her up, you look very upset.”

　　“Of course. I grew up with my elder sister from a young age, and our relationship can’t be compared to others.” Shangguan Wan placed her teacup down—which made quite a sound—before she looked at Chu Liuyue. “Ms. Chu, don’t mind me, but you really look quite similar to my elder sister. So every time I look at you, I’ll think about her. But speaking of which, Ms. Chu, you seem to have heard rumors about my elder sister?”

　　Chu Liuyue’s expression didn’t change. “Actually, I just heard Young Master Jian mention her a few times.”

　　Shangguan Wan’s heart tingled. “Oh? Jian Fengchi? What did he tell you?”

　　Chu Liuyue smiled nonchalantly. “When Young Master Jian first met me, he said that I looked like someone from his past, and he mentioned a few small incidents between them. I only found out that he was talking about the Princess after I came to Xi Ling.”

　　Chu Liuyue pushed the blame to Jian Fengchi without hesitation. Shangguan Wan will definitely suspect Jian Fengchi, but it’s impossible for her to start a conflict with him over this. In the past, Jian Fengchi was on quite good terms with Shangguan Wan, but now…

　　Chu Liuyue also didn’t know what happened between them, but it was clear that the two of them weren’t as close as before.

　　Jian Fengchi had always been carefree. If he hated a person, he definitely wouldn’t let that person have a good time. This was the case for the late Shangguan Yue and naturally even more so toward Shangguan Wan.

　　“I see… It’s not strange that he’d tell you about this because he always had a good relationship with my elder sister. After she passed on, he was sad for quite some time,” said Shangguan Wan slowly as she looked down.

　　Chu Liuyue was dazed. Jian Fengchi… was sad for me? How could that be? Back then, both of us hated each other when we saw each other. Whenever Jian Fengchi had the chance, he would go against me and cause trouble for me. I didn’t expect…

　　“Forget it; let’s not talk about that. I heard that you came from Country Yao Chen outside Heaven’s Canopy, right?”

　　Chu Liuyue nodded.

　　Shangguan Wan looked at her and slightly smiled as she seemingly asked unintentionally, “I heard that you were born with a lacking Yuan meridian and only officially started cultivating more than a year ago. I’m quite curious. How did you… heal your Yuan meridian?”