It was evening, and the setting sun painted half the sky in rosy hues, casting a layer of pink over the distant lake. The water before them shimmered green, algae bursting into life and scattering its colors across the surface. Everything looked peaceful and calm. A gentle breeze stirred countless tiny waves, which clustered together, playing and splashing happily against the shore, sending up foamy bubbles that danced in the mild wind.
Eli Crane stared blankly at the scene, eyes full of wonder. Beside him, Ivy Shen watched Eli with a gentle warmth blooming in her heart. The next second, she squeezed his hand tightly. "Do you like it?"
Turning his head, Eli gave her the softest, sweetest smile and nodded vigorously. "So this is what the outside world is like!" It was Eli's first time leaving Violet Heart Valley, and he was endlessly curious about every flower and blade of grass.
Seeing this, Ivy smiled. "This is just the tip of the iceberg. We're heading out to find the Endless Indulgence Kingdom, and I'll show you the whole world!"
"Ivy..." Eli gazed at the beautiful person before him, feeling sweet and full inside. "I'm so glad I met you!"
"Me too!" she replied, flashing him the brightest smile.
"Wow, the outside world is amazing!" Aiden Chen yelled from the side, totally ruining the romantic mood.
Ivy shot him an exasperated glare. She hadn't wanted to bring him along, but Aiden flat-out refused to leave Eli's side and insisted on staying to take care of him. He even started bawling his eyes out.
Thinking it over, Ivy realized Aiden had followed Old Man Sai for years and knew all the tricks for taking care of Eli. If Eli felt unwell, Aiden could help out. Besides, after so many years together, Eli was probably used to him by now. Whatever, she could handle it!
Old Man Sai, knowing Aiden would tag along, quickly packed up a bundle of medicines—all for Eli—and handed them to Aiden, who knew exactly how to use them. With everything ready, the three of them finally left the valley floor!
"Young Master, we have to really enjoy ourselves this time!" Aiden Chen grinned, backpack slung over his shoulder. Everything about this trip seemed fun to him.
"No messing around, got it?" Eli Crane gently reminded him, worried Aiden might cause trouble.
"Got it!" Aiden replied cheerfully—he'd agree to anything as long as he could stay by Eli's side.
Seeing this, Ivy smiled and said, "Let's find a carriage first, then head for the Endless Indulgence Kingdom."
"Little Bird, Old Man Sai said the Endless Indulgence Kingdom is super hard to find. Do you think we really can?" Aiden's face, which had just been all smiles, now scrunched up in worry.
"Relax, we'll find it soon." Ivy gave a mysterious smile, walked over to a locust tree, plucked a leaf, and blew a strange melody up toward the sky.
Sure enough, within moments, a bright green Emerald Spirit Bird swooped down from afar and landed on her hand. Aiden was stunned—wait, Little Bird can summon birds too?!
Ivy quickly tied a tiny note into the bamboo tube on the bird's leg, then let it fly away. This was one of the Shadow Guard's Emerald Spirit Birds, able to hear sounds from a thousand miles away. The Shadow Guard kept over a thousand of these birds, sending them all over the realm. Every three days, they'd fly back to headquarters; if any member had intel, they'd attach a message to the bird's leg, so the network always stayed up to date.
This time, her note had three points: first, letting them know she was safe; second, ordering them to quickly pinpoint the Endless Indulgence Kingdom's location; and third, telling them to notify her husbands she was alive and well—but not to reveal her whereabouts. She wanted them to stay calm and wait for her message before meeting up.
Honestly, it wasn't that she didn't want to tell them where she was. She could never forget the scene at the cliff, everyone risking their lives for her—so stubborn, so determined. She's scared, scared to face that kind of thing again.
She knew Silver Consort definitely wouldn't kill them—at least not within the next six months. The Dragon‑Phoenix Jade Seal was just too tempting, and for Silver Consort, that lure was everything. She was sure they'd rather believe it exists than risk missing out.
Since she believed they were safe for now, she didn't want them taking any more risks—and she had no idea if their injuries had healed yet!
"Ivy..." Eli watched her frowning at the direction the green bird had flown, his own face scrunched up with worry.
"Eli..."
"I know you're worried about them, right? How about we go find them first?" Eli suggested, sensitive as ever.
"Huh? Find them first?"
"Yeah! That way they won't worry about you, and you can relax too."
Ivy smiled slightly. "Silly, it's fine. I've already sent word that I'm safe, and I'm sure they'll get the message. I can't meet up with them just yet—I want to wait a little longer. At least they're safe right now." If they all gathered now, the court would immediately take notice, and their safety would be back in jeopardy.
"Okay, I'll listen to you!" Eli, ever perceptive, already understood what she meant.
"Alright, let's find a small town, buy a carriage, and head west!" They didn't know exactly where the Endless Indulgence Kingdom was, but Old Man Sai had said it was somewhere to the west—so west it was.
"Alrighty, let's go!" Aiden shouted with a big grin and started pushing Eli's wheelchair.
**********
Three days later—
"Ivy, Ivy..." Lucian Vane clutched the letter he couldn't make heads or tails of, trembling with excitement.
The letter was written in special Shadow Guard code, so even if someone else got their hands on it, they wouldn't be able to tell what it said.
"Wind, is this real? Really, really real?" Lucian Vane grabbed Wind by the collar, shouting so excitedly he could barely contain himself.
"Yes, it's her handwriting," Wind replied. Ivy had never let them reveal their identities, so Lucian had no clue who Wind really was.
"Read it again! Read it again!" The exhaustion on Lucian Vane's face vanished in an instant, replaced by pure joy.
"I'm safe. Don't worry, everyone. I'm in a valley on business. Wait for my message to meet up. Take care!" Wind recited for the thirty-first time, face dark with exasperation.
"Really? Really? Is it really, really real?" Lucian spun in place, laughing so hard he could barely stand. "I knew you'd be safe, Ivy! I just knew it!"
Wind just smiled helplessly. He was thrilled to get word from the Mistress, but the letter said not to reveal her location and to investigate the Endless Indulgence Kingdom. He figured she must have gone there herself.
"Wait, something's off!" Lucian Vane suddenly paused, then snatched up the letter again. "You just read out twenty-one words, but there are more than thirty symbols here—no, forty!" Lucian, ever meticulous, stared at the coded symbols, puzzled.
Wind started sweating—when did this guy get so observant?
"Master Lucian, those are our special code symbols. It takes two or three symbols to make one word, so that's why there are so many."
"Really? I don't know about that." Lucian frowned, pressing in. "Are you sure? You're not lying? Or is there something in here I don't know about? Hm?"
"Hey, that's all there is!" Wind retorted loudly, turning his head away from Lucian's relentless questioning.
"Really? Really, really real? Are you sure it's really, really real?" Lucian still wasn't convinced!
Wind finally snapped. "Look, just relax! If Mistress says she's fine, she's fine. She said to wait to meet up, so just chill and wait. I've got to go notify Adrian Night and Liam Willow. You just go back to the inn and wait for news, okay?" With that, Wind bolted—if he didn't escape now, Lucian would wear him down and he'd slip up for sure. That guy was just too much!
Watching Wind disappear into the distance, Lucian's eyes crinkled with a smile. "Ivy, you've been gone so long—if you don't miss me, I swear I've missed you so much I'm going crazy. Wait to meet up? I don't think I can wait! Now that you're out of the valley, I'll definitely find you!"
Wind dashed off, heading for the spot Rain had marked—where Adrian Night was waiting. He just hoped Adrian would be more reasonable than Lucian, at least not so clingy! Otherwise, Wind was going to lose it!
*********** Major Announcement **************
PS: Tomorrow Yiyi will go all out as a thank-you for your love! At least 12,000 words to update—double the usual! Maybe even 15,000 if we're lucky! Please support with all your strength! Okay, I'm off to write—whee~!