Mingyi quickly withdrew her hand, not daring to meet She Tianlin's gaze, and only said, "The teacher must have mistaken me for someone else. Ming Xian is clearly over there."

She pointed in a direction, and She Tianlin instinctively followed her gesture.

The small path was empty—there was nothing there.

When he turned back, the person before him had already vanished without a trace.

Furious and heartbroken, She Tianlin cursed under his breath, "You little brat! Why run?"

In such a state, shouldn't she have sought help from her master first?

Mingyi mustered every ounce of strength to sprint forward, heedless of returning to the Song and Dance Stage or the forbidden inner courtyard. She leaped across rooftops and walls, fleeing She Tianlin's sight at top speed.

And at that same speed, she ran straight into the encirclement of the imperial guards.

"Who goes there!" Eight streams of Essence Power materialized into halberds, restraining her as the guards roared, "How audacious!"

Startled, Mingyi instinctively wanted to resist but remembered this was the inner courtyard of Star Yearn City. She forced herself to lower her hands.

Though she relented, the guards had no intention of doing the same. This was a forbidden area—how could they allow intruders? Several guards immediately closed in, ready to drag her away.

"Wait." A voice called out.

Mingyi turned to see Situ Ling standing at the other end of the path, striding toward them.

"Lord Situ," the guard said sternly, "this intruder is under the jurisdiction of the inner courtyard, not the Hall of Judgment."

"Indeed, the Hall of Judgment has no authority here, but Da Si wishes to see her." Situ Ling flashed a token before them. "Hand her over to me."

The token, forged from Starfall Stone, gleamed with the imprint of stars. The guards promptly bowed in deference.

Situ Ling smoothly took custody of Mingyi, roughly escorting her forward.

After walking some distance and ensuring the guards had dispersed, Mingyi finally whispered, "How long have you been here, young lord?"

"Didn’t Sister Ming see? I only just arrived."

"Just now?" Mingyi smiled faintly. "There are two paths to the Song and Dance Stage. Instead of taking the shorter, easier route, you chose this long, muddy palace road. Aren’t you afraid of dirtying your fine robes?"

Situ Ling faltered, then chuckled. "I nearly forgot Sister Ming knows these inner courtyard routes well."

The shorter path was the usual choice—no one would take the palace road unless they saw She Tianlin still lingering on the other path.

He sighed. "Sister, there’s no need to be so guarded. Even if I heard everything, I wouldn’t harm you."

Her fists clenched slightly as Mingyi lowered her gaze. "In this world, who doesn’t harm whom? If the young lord has demands, speak plainly. That would put this servant’s mind at ease."

Situ Ling looked at her, hesitating.

He didn’t understand how she could so naturally refer to herself as a servant, just as he hadn’t understood during their first meeting at Prince Gong’s residence why someone with such unyielding pride would bow deeply to a stranger like him.

Ming Xian had been a person of immense pride. Riding through the streets, she had once reached out and plucked him from a group of Fighters, setting him on her horse with a bright laugh. "This place may value strength above all, but age still matters. He’s still young—so what if he lacks Essence Power? He may yet achieve greatness. But you—bullying the weak is the act of cowards!"

Dozens of Fighters on the street, incensed by her words, hurled their Essence Power at her like shooting stars.

Without even turning her head, she simply asked him, "Which city are you from? Where do you live?"He looked up in panic, pointing toward the attack behind her. Before he could even shout for her to run, the Essence Power exploded like fireworks against her transparent shield. A myriad of shooting stars slowly fell from the astonished depths of his eyes.

"Hmm? Behind me?" She paid no attention to the commotion at her back, only smiling. "Then that must be Star Yearn City."

Turning her horse around, she galloped with him toward the lodgings of Star Yearn City, murmuring under her breath, "Star Yearn City is good indeed—where slumbering clouds embrace the moon, and the silver river carries stars upon its boat."

Her faintly amused voice scattered in the wind, mingling with the crisp clatter of hooves that filled Sunspire City's Long Radiance Street.

The breeze brushed past his temples as Situ Ling lifted his gaze.

The person before him still had the same eyes—those smiling phoenix eyes—yet not a trace of their former brilliance remained. Her words seemed directed at him, yet also as if she were mocking someone else through him.

He sighed wistfully. "Sister has nothing left now. What could I possibly ask for? If Sister feels uneasy, why not leave Ji Bozhai and return with me to my estate?"

Mingyi was puzzled. "Young Master's estate surely doesn’t lack servants."

"No one is as interesting as Sister," he chuckled. "I’ll pay Sister eight thousand Shell Coins a month, and you won’t have to lift a finger."

"..." Well, that was undeniably tempting.

Mingyi hesitated for a moment, about to reply, when another group of maids appeared ahead. The leading attendant looked familiar—she must have been among Si Hou's retinue earlier.

This was bad. One of the two eunuchs from before had survived and must have gone to report the incident.

"Lord Situ," the attendant approached, giving a slight curtsy. "We are here under the Empress's orders to apprehend a fugitive."

Situ Ling nodded. "This is someone the Grand Secretary wishes to see. I am under orders to escort her there."

The attendant smiled. "This woman’s contract still belongs to the inner court, under the Empress’s jurisdiction. Might Lord Situ hand her over first? Once we present her to the Empress, we will send her to the Grand Secretary."

These old hands of the inner court were slippery, their words laced with deceit. Situ Ling glanced behind him, regretting not bringing Fu Yue along.

"The order was urgent. Any delay, and I cannot bear the Grand Secretary’s displeasure," he said. "I beg your understanding, Madam."

The attendant shook her head regretfully, her hidden hand giving a subtle signal. The maids behind her promptly encircled Mingyi.

Situ Ling frowned. "I was unaware that the Empress’s commands held greater authority than the Grand Secretary’s within the inner court."

"We are all merely following orders," the attendant replied with a smile. "I shall make amends to you later, my lord."

Situ Ling stood firm in front of Mingyi, refusing to yield. In desperation, he drew out the Kaleidoscope She Tianlin had given him.

"Don’t—" Mingyi barely had time to protest before he fired an arrow past the attendant’s ear.

Though devoid of Essence Power, the arrowhead carried formidable force, severing a lock of the attendant’s hair before embedding itself into the earthen wall behind her with a sharp thud.

The attendant paled in fright, and the surrounding maids recoiled half a step.

Situ Ling steadied himself, raising the Kaleidoscope as he said softly, "Kindly step aside, Madam."

"My lord belongs to the Hall of Judgment. You must know that carrying weapons in the inner court is tantamount to treason," the attendant forced out, struggling to remain composed.

"I will explain myself to the Grand Secretary," Situ Ling replied, signaling Mingyi with his eyes.

Mingyi nodded, nimbly slipping past the maids and sprinting ahead.Embroidered shoes stepped on the gray-black stone slabs, gradually slowing down after only a few running steps. Mingyi looked up just as the speeding Phoenix Carriage came charging toward her from the opposite direction.