"I once noticed them—they looked like lichen," Bianca Whitefan said. "Same color as the cliff wall, so if you didn’t look closely, you’d never notice. It takes centuries for even a tiny patch to grow."
Lily Bai’s eyes lit up. She bowed to the Golden Immortal Swallow, saying, "Thank you, Little Swallow."
The Golden Immortal Swallow stretched out its wing to shield its nest, glaring at her with obvious distrust.
...
Mother and daughter agreed to visit the Gatekeeper Shrine that afternoon. Normally, flying from the Celestial Palace to the shrine would take half a day—it was still quite a distance.
Worried about Bianca Whitefan’s health, Lily Bai asked Azure Flame to carry them to the Gatekeeper Shrine.
Azure Flame used Swiftstride, and they arrived in the blink of an eye.
The three of them entered together to offer incense and pay their respects.
This time, there was no rainbow omen, no sign at all.
Lily Bai could even sense that the spiritual energy here had faded a lot.
Maybe after sending out the Tenfold Oblivion Arrow, the Gatekeeper really did leave this place for good.
Lily Bai felt quietly emotional.
But for Bianca Whitefan and Azure Flame, their feelings were obviously much deeper than hers.
During the Gatekeeper’s fifty thousand years in the world, both of them shared profound ties with her.
Whenever the two of them talked about her and Emperor Evan Xiao, they could go on forever.
Lily Bai could only listen from the side.
As she listened, she suddenly felt that something was off.
After watching for a while, she realized—it was Azure Flame.
She was a little different from before.
Sometimes she’d smile faintly, sometimes her sadness showed openly.
Compared to her old wooden-faced self, she was so much more lively now.
And in this state, she looked breathtakingly beautiful.
Apparently, she was never just a wooden face. Lily Bai thought, it’s just that not everyone is worthy of seeing her emotions.
"Crown Princess, why do you keep staring at me?" Azure Flame noticed her gaze.
"Uh... I just realized you smiled," Lily Bai said. "You never used to smile. Even when we were all cracking up at jokes, you’d just sit there with no expression at all."
Azure Flame touched her own face. "Really?"
Lily Bai nodded. "Mom, did she just smile?"
Bianca Whitefan glanced at Azure Flame, her brows tightening almost imperceptibly. "Azure Flame has been an expressionless child since she was little, but now she does."
"Did she show any expression when she was with the Gatekeeper before?"
Bianca Whitefan nodded.
"Huh?" Lily Bai stared at her. "So what exactly made you change?"
She thought it was because they’d talked about the Gatekeeper—was it not?
Azure Flame said nothing.
...
After they returned, Bianca Whitefan told Lily Bai, "Back when we were joking around, the Gatekeeper had me cast a hexagram for Azure Flame to see when she’d get married."
"What omen did you get?"
"Love means death."
Lily Bai’s face changed.
"A Spirit Beast who’s never shown emotion suddenly does," Bianca Whitefan said. "In this world, only love has that kind of power. You’d better keep an eye on her."
A wave of dread swept over Lily Bai.
That night, when she saw Sean Shaw, Lily Bai immediately told him not to keep sending Azure Flame to Soren Lann.
But Sean replied, "She’s already gone."
"Why do you keep sending her over there?" Lily Bai asked, a little annoyed. "Is she supposed to be spying on Divine Lord Soren Lann?"
"She wanted to go herself," Sean said. "She said she plans to stay at the Radiant Palace long-term. She’s not coming back for now."