Sure enough, Minister Cai's death was kept under wraps.
It was publicly announced that he encountered bandits on his way home to retire, but the court officials were all shrewd enough to guess what had really happened.
Had the emperor been anyone else, it might have provoked outrage among the ministers. But the emperor was Tantai Jin—when he said he would kill, he killed without hesitation, caring neither for his reputation nor his dignity.
No one could do anything about a man like that.
In any case, someone was the first to yield, and after that, no one actively sought to provoke Tantai Jin again.
Everything proceeded swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, it was already June.
The day before the coronation ceremony, Su Su tried on the phoenix robe. The magnificent red gown was layered and intricate, with golden threads shimmering brightly under the sunlight.
Thirty-six embroiderers had worked tirelessly for two full months to complete this garment.
Even Nian Muning had to admit that the dress was exceptionally beautiful.
Just as Su Su had changed out of the robe, someone reported that Ye Bingshang had arrived.
"The weather is lovely today. Would Third Sister care to take a stroll with me?" Ye Bingshang said.
Her eyes were slightly red—anyone could tell she had been crying. The palace maids glanced at Su Su, then at Ye Bingshang, their eyes filled with pity.
Since His Majesty had established this consort, he had never spent the night with her. This consort was truly pitiable.
Su Su smiled inwardly. "Very well."
The two walked around the imperial garden, with Nian Bai Yu following closely behind them.
Ye Bingshang smiled bitterly and said, "Third Sister might think I’ve come today to stir up trouble. But in truth, since Prince Xuan’s death, I’ve come to realize that I simply lack the fortune to compare with you."
Su Su replied, "Whether one has good fortune or not depends on oneself. Relying on others is meaningless."
Ye Bingshang was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. "You’re right. None of that matters anymore. Tomorrow, Third Sister will become the Empress of Great Zhou. I would like to ask a favor of you—could you plead with His Majesty to grant me permission to leave the palace? Whether I live in a villa outside or return to the Xia Kingdom, either would be a blessing for me."
She looked pleadingly at Su Su and grasped her hand.
Su Su withdrew her hand. "If Lady Zhaohua seeks a favor, she may ask His Majesty herself. I’m afraid I cannot be of help."
A beauty’s tears held no sway over Su Su. She pulled her hand away from Ye Bingshang’s grip. "If there’s nothing else, I shall return to my palace."
Ye Bingshang watched her retreating figure, withdrew her hand, her expression neither sad nor joyful.
The curved jade wondered aloud, "What is she really trying to do? Surely she doesn’t genuinely wish to leave the Zhou Kingdom’s palace?"
Su Su opened her hand.
The curved jade exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? What’s this? Did Ye Bingshang slip this to you just now?"
In Su Su’s palm lay a vibrant green gem.
Su Su said, "This is Grandmother’s gem."
Back when the Ye family was exiled, all their possessions were confiscated, but Old Madam Ye had managed to hide this gem.
It was the first gift Grandfather had given her when she was young. When Su Su had carried Old Madam Ye on her back to Liuzhou, on cold nights, the old woman would often reminisce about the past.
Grandmother treasured this gem so dearly—why was it now in Ye Bingshang’s possession?
A sense of foreboding crept into Su Su’s heart.
The curved jade said, "Don’t worry. Old Madam Ye has been under Tantai Jin’s protection all this time—nothing could have happened to her. Ye Bingshang, like you, has been confined to the palace. There’s no way she could have done anything to the old lady. Didn’t you just receive a letter from Old Madam Ye two days ago assuring you of her safety?"Speaking of letters, the moment Su Su saw the Gem, suspicion arose in her heart.
She quickly took out the intermittent letters her grandmother had written to her and carefully compared them. The handwriting on all the letters was identical.
Su Su's heart sank.
Even if the same person wrote the letters, they wouldn’t write the same characters exactly alike in every letter.
She clenched the letters and the Gem tightly.
Suddenly, she became certain of one thing—
Her grandmother was in trouble.
Su Su hurried back and, as expected, Ye Bingshang was still waiting for her in the same spot.
Standing among the flowers, Ye Bingshang showed no surprise at Su Su’s return. She said softly, "Does Third Sister now wish to have a proper talk with me?"
Su Su turned to Nian Muning and said, "I left the tourmaline I need for tomorrow at Ruiming Palace. Could you bring it to Chengqian Palace for me?"
Nian Muning frowned.
Su Su said, "If not, someone else can bring it."
Tourmaline was such an important item that Nian Muning would never let anyone else handle it. She quietly instructed the Night Shadow Guard to keep a close watch on Su Su and headed toward Ruiming Palace.
The two sisters walked to the rockery, where Su Su took out the Gem and asked, "What is the meaning of this?"
Ye Bingshang also shed her delicate demeanor and looked at Su Su with a complicated expression.
"Don’t blame me for seeking you out now, but Grandmother is indeed in trouble. Before his death, Prince Xuan left behind a group of death guards called the Hidden Dragon Guards. Previously, Lord Pang hid at Grandmother’s residence. After he died, the Hidden Dragon Guards disappeared. His Majesty wants this group of death guards, and so does the Eighth Prince, who is now living among the common people."
Su Su said, "So you’re telling me that the Eighth Prince, not daring to provoke Tantai Jin, has captured Grandmother to force her to reveal the whereabouts of the Hidden Dragon Guards."
"Exactly," Ye Bingshang said. "You normally can’t visit Grandmother, but my mother can. A while ago, when she went to visit Grandmother, she found Grandmother gone, with only this Gem left behind."
Su Su coldly scrutinized her.
The curved jade whispered, "Ye Bingshang is likely telling the truth."
Ye Bingshang continued, "A few days ago, the Eighth Prince sent out a message, demanding the Hidden Dragon Guards in exchange for Grandmother’s life. Otherwise…"
Ye Bingshang said gravely, "By midnight tonight, Grandmother will meet her end. Everyone in the capital knows this. Do you remember when His Majesty left the palace? That was when he went to confront the Eighth Prince’s rebel forces. His Majesty kept it from you, and the palace servants dared not tell you. I didn’t want to take this risk either, but she is my grandmother too."
"Third Sister," Ye Bingshang studied Su Su, "Are the Hidden Dragon Guards… truly in your possession?"
Su Su sneered, "No."
Su Su said, "I don’t care what schemes you’re plotting. If I find out that Grandmother’s predicament has anything to do with you, I will live in agony for the rest of my life, even if it means breaking my word."
Old Madam Ye was the only one who had shown Su Su familial affection since she came to the mortal world. Su Su desperately hoped nothing would happen to her.
The deadline set by the Eighth Prince was midnight. For Su Su to find the Hidden Dragon Guards and use them to exchange for her grandmother by midnight was utterly impossible.
Ye Bingshang lowered her gaze and said gently, "You may think I have ill intentions, and perhaps I do, but I genuinely hope you can save Grandmother."
Su Su said, "Give me the heart protecting scale."
"What?" Ye Bingshang looked at her in surprise.
Su Su said, "If you truly want me to save her, then give me your bargaining chip as well. I will go and bring Grandmother back."
Ye Bingshang took a step back.Su Su smiled and said, "See? So stop pretending it's for grandmother's sake. Ye Bingshang, you only love yourself."
Ye Bingshang almost instinctively retorted, "No, how could I know if you would actually save her after taking the item..."
Su Su glanced at her, no longer wasting words, and turned to leave.
The curved jade asked, "What do we do now?"
"Save her."
"Aren't you going to be empress anymore?"
Su Su said irritably, "A life is at stake. What empress?"
Her goal had never been to become Tantai Jin's empress. If she moved quickly, she should be able to make it back before midnight.
Since Tantai Jin had kept this from Su Su, he clearly didn't want her to intervene.
If one thought more cruelly... Tantai Jin also wanted to lure out the Hidden Dragon Guards in hiding, so he allowed the Eighth Prince to capture grandmother.
Moreover, Tantai Jin suspected the Hidden Dragon Guards were in Su Su's hands. He feared she might actually give them to the Eighth Prince, who had a better reputation and would gain power, enough to threaten everything Tantai Jin had. If the Eighth Prince really killed Old Madam Ye, Su Su would never give him the Hidden Dragon Guards no matter what.
But the Hidden Dragon Guards weren't in her possession.
Su Su admitted that Ye Bingshang was clever. Even if this was a trap, she still had to go.
Su Su wrote a letter informing Tantai Jin she would return by tomorrow.
The curved jade reminded her, "Little master, don't leave it here. Remember the lesson from Prajna Floating Life, when Ming Ye left words for Sang Jiu, but Tian Huan erased them."
Su Su immediately recalled how Ming Ye had left a message for Sang Jiu, only for Tian Huan to destroy it.
She retrieved the letter and burned it with Talisman Paper.
If anyone noticed her absence before tomorrow, those entering the room would see the message formed by condensed mist and naturally report to Tantai Jin.
She closed the door and told the maid outside she was resting and not to be disturbed.
Su Su activated the World-Toppling Flower and drew a Teleportation Incantation.
Blood gushed from her fingertips. Su Su glanced at the red golden-threaded wedding veil beside her, pressed her lips together, and closed her eyes. The next moment, she vanished from the spot.
Ye Bingshang appeared in Su Su's room holding a silver ring.
Watching the lingering mist in the air, barely condensed, she murmured, "Quite clever."
The heart protecting scale in her bosom emitted a silvery light. She drew it out and swept it through the air—the mist dispersed into nothing.
"Pity, the heart protecting scale is still more useful. Sorry, third sister, but you left me no way out."
Simultaneously, black mist billowed from the Soul Devouring Banner as the old Taoist rushed to report.
"Your Majesty, there's magical array activity in the palace."
Tantai Jin opened his eyes, withdrawing his hand, his thin lips stained with a gorgeous crimson.
The mouse demon before him twitched violently as the black energy in Tantai Jin's palm vanished in an instant.
His eyes darkened.
Tantai Jin was momentarily dazed, then smiled mockingly. Many things only he thought were changing—in truth, they hadn't. For instance, he remained that monster who needed demonic creatures' inner cores to sustain his life.
One moment he had been wondering if she would look at him with disgust when she found out. The next, he was told she had left him again.
Again.
Tantai Jin stood up. Nian Bai Yu stood guard outside.
Sure enough, Nian Muning soon appeared, pale-faced: "The young lady is gone."
Tantai Jin was far calmer than she expected. He even managed a faint smile: "The silver butterfly?"
Nian Muning hurriedly produced a box.The silver butterfly's wings emitted a white glow in the night as it flew in one direction.
Tantai Jin said quietly, "Towards Qiannan, where the Eighth Prince is hiding."
So, the Hidden Dragon Guards really were with her. Or perhaps this time she had given them to the Eighth Prince and would never return.
Though he was smiling, Nian Bai Yu faintly sensed that His Majesty's mood was likely extremely foul at this moment.
Nian Muning also lowered her head.
Tracking Sorcery was fundamentally unusable in the mortal realm.
Seeing the bloodshot veins in Su Su's left eye, the curved jade quickly said, "Little master, don't overdraw the World-Toppling Flower anymore! Your mortal body can't withstand such depletion."
Su Su remained silent.
In truth, by the time she found this place, her internal organs were already aching faintly. As the curved jade said, every use of the World-Toppling Flower caused tremendous damage to her body.
She glanced at the sky, hoping only to find her grandmother and bring her back before dawn.
The hour of Zi was drawing nearer.
Occasionally, pairs of green-eyed wolves watched her darkly from the forest, not daring to approach.
Su Su felt something was wrong—there seemed to be a strange scent in the air. Before she could ponder it deeply, a burning sensation spread from her chest—the Soul-Extinguishing Pearl Tears had actually produced three more nails.
Six nails already...
A whistling sound cut through the air, and Su Su instinctively dodged the arrow almost immediately.
The sound of applause emerged as a youth in deep purple robes stepped out from the woods. He didn't appear old, but his brows and eyes were shrouded in a murderous aura.
Seeing Su Su, he showed the excitement of a hunter spotting prey.
"So you're Third Miss Ye. I've been waiting for you so long—you've finally come."
"The Eighth Prince?" Su Su said. "Where's my grandmother?"
"That old woman—don't worry, she's fine for now. Where's the Hidden Dragon Guards' seal? Did you bring it?"
In truth, the moment she saw the Eighth Prince, Su Su's heart sank.
She had used the World-Toppling Flower's power to come here secretly, intending to avoid the Eighth Prince's notice, find her grandmother, and quietly leave. She never expected the Eighth Prince would be waiting for her here.
The Eighth Prince was two years younger than Tantai Jin. His eyebrows were thick, and he was far from possessing Tantai Jin's stunning beauty, merely tending towards handsome.
The curved jade said gravely, "Could it be that Ye Bingshang tipped him off?"
This speculation was too malicious—if it really was Ye Bingshang, then she clearly wanted grandmother's life.
Steadying her mind, Su Su took out the half-concealed jade seal from her sleeve, then quickly put it back. "I brought it. Let me see my grandmother."
The Eighth Prince studied her with an inscrutable expression.
"Is that the seal?"
Su Su said, "Yes."
It was actually the Empress's jade seal. Her heart pounded wildly, hoping the Eighth Prince hadn't seen it clearly.
The Eighth Prince shook his head regretfully. "It's not in your possession after all. You don't even know what the Hidden Dragon Guards' seal looks like."
He smiled strangely. "That thing of yours rather resembles the Empress's jade seal that my mother coveted but could never obtain. Could it be that my cruel and tyrannical imperial brother gave it to you?"
Su Su cursed under her breath and stopped wasting words with him, raising her hand to strike at him.
The Eighth Prince laughed heartily, his expression turning sinister. "You little brat, coming to my territory and still daring to act so arrogantly. Since that little bastard cares about you, you'll have to stay here even longer."
Countless Crimson Flame Bees had appeared in the air without anyone noticing when.
The curved jade exclaimed, "Bad news! The Tantai imperial family all raise demonic creatures!"
The Crimson Flame Bees had originally spread from the Zhou Kingdom's imperial family. Who knew how many such things the Eighth Prince had in his possession.Su Su could still escape now if she wanted to, but if she left, what would happen to her grandmother?
She drew her sword and killed two Crimson Flame Bees attacking her.
However, there were too many Crimson Flame Bees, as if a beehive had been breached, and all of them swarmed toward Su Su.
In such a situation, Su Su couldn't move an inch.
She spun and landed on the ground. The Crimson Flame Bees were massive, so she tried to hide in narrow spaces while moving closer to the Eighth Prince.
The Eighth Prince said, "Overestimating your abilities!"
Having hidden here for so long, he naturally had plenty of tricks up his sleeve. With his two older brothers, Tantai Minglang and Tantai Jin, both being unscrupulous tyrants, his supporters had naturally grown in number.
The Crimson Flame Bees stopped moving, but a blood-red net suddenly spread out behind Su Su.
The curved jade cried out in alarm, "It's the Corpse-Dissolving Net! Young mistress, dodge!"
With Crimson Flame Bees in front and the Corpse-Dissolving Net behind her, Su Su suddenly realized that Tantai Jin had been going easy on her during their previous skirmishes, as he had never used lethal moves against her.
The Eighth Prince was no match for Tantai Jin, yet she had found herself in danger the moment she arrived here.
Left with no choice, to avoid the Corpse-Dissolving Net behind her, she could only throw herself toward the Crimson Flame Bees.
Just as the Crimson Flame Bee's proboscis was about to pierce her shoulder—
Silver butterflies swept through the swarm of Crimson Flame Bees, abruptly illuminating the dark jungle night. The Crimson Flame Bees seemed to sense something and scattered in a panic.
Su Su fell to the ground in a disheveled state, and a pair of black cloud-patterned boots appeared before her.
She looked up and saw Tantai Jin, who gazed at her mockingly. "With skills like these, you dare come here to throw your life away?"
He turned to the Eighth Prince and sneered, "You little beast, I'll let you choose how you want to die."
Su Su thought, as expected of biological brothers, they even insult people the same way.
Though Tantai Jin was even worse.
The Eighth Prince was also enraged. "Today, you won't leave here alive!"
After all, this was the Eighth Prince's territory. A strange pink mist drifted through the air, but the soul-summoning banners behind Tantai Jin spun rapidly, dispersing the mist in an instant. The Eighth Prince exclaimed, "Impossible!"
Tantai Jin said coldly, "Kill him."
Su Su had already gotten up and stood by Tantai Jin's side.
Seeing the situation turning against him, the Eighth Prince prepared to flee.
Thinking of her grandmother, Su Su wanted to chase after him.
She had only taken one step forward when Tantai Jin grabbed her wrist and snapped, "Do you have a death wish?"
"My grand—"
She had only uttered two words when silver-blue arrows flashed through the air.
Tantai Jin abruptly pulled her into his embrace, shielding her as they dodged the arrows.
The arrows pierced through tree trunks, one after another, shooting toward them.
Nian Bai Yu's heart sank—this wasn't the Eighth Prince's men; it was more like the Hidden Dragon Guards!
The moment Tantai Jin held her, Su Su's mind went blank—not for any other reason, but because the Soul-Extinguishing Pearl Tears in her embrace suddenly grew hot and transformed into nine nails.
He remained completely unaware. The young Demon God's love was like untouchable air. His life was like stagnant water, and even his feelings stirred silently, like a pool of dead water.
So effortless, yet seething beneath the surface.
As they fell, he instinctively cushioned her head with his hand.
The air seemed to freeze in her eyes.
Tantai Jin was so close to her that she could clearly see the tension in his eyes. The young man's body shielded hers as arrows whizzed past behind them.
Something fell from Su Su's person. She glanced down and saw that the Gu worm given to her by Xiao Shan had been severed in two by the arrow rain.
But she had no time to dwell on it, because if she wanted to kill him, now was the best opportunity.Even the curved jade excitedly said: "Little master, hurry!"
This was their ultimate goal!
Su Su gritted her teeth and summoned the Soul-Extinguishing Pearl Tears. Tantai Jin held her tightly in his arms, but in the next moment, three golden nails appeared behind him and pierced his heart.
Tantai Jin looked down in shock, seeing the girl's emotionless eyes.
His face turned deathly pale, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. After a long moment, he released her: "Why?"
Su Su's clear pupils looked at him: "I came here to kill you."
"Kill me?" he repeated softly, "No, weren't you going to... be my..."
Three more Soul Extinguishing Nails entered his heart, interrupting his words.
His face turned as pale as paper, suddenly raising his head to look at her with icy eyes.
Darkness spread in his eyes.
"You've been deceiving me all along. You never liked me. You're just like them, only wanting me dead!"
Su Su sensed something wrong and tried to quickly drive the last three Soul Extinguishing Nails into his heart.
He suddenly curved his lips in a strange smile.
The night breeze of June instantly turned icy cold, brushing through Su Su's hair.
Where his heart was, a blue scale began to glow faintly.
The curved jade gasped sharply: "Ye Bingshang gave him the heart protecting scale!"
The last three nails shattered upon impact with the heart protecting scale.
The young man's face was as pale and ghastly as a corpse's. He raised his hand, and Su Su was sent flying backward.
Having overused the World-Toppling Flower, she was already at the end of her strength. Struck by the heart protecting scale, she vomited a mouthful of blood.
A sword was placed against her neck.
Su Su's heart sank infinitely, her mind and body completely cold. Three Soul Extinguishing Nails... shattered.
Her mission had failed.
But even more terrifying was the young man squatting down to look at her, blood continuously flowing from the corner of his mouth: "Do you think I'm very stupid, very ridiculous?"
Su Su coughed violently.
He grabbed her neck, making strange sounds between crying and laughing: "If you don't care for my love, then try my hatred."
Su Su couldn't utter a single word. The heart protecting scale flashed, and she lost consciousness.
"Today is the fifteenth."
Someone whispered this in her ear.
The fifteenth? At that moment, she didn't realize what this word meant. Her mind was in chaos, and even though it was a summer night, the cold air still made her shiver.
The fifteenth! Su Su suddenly opened her eyes.
In the cold dungeon, she lay on a simple stone bed, surrounded by darkness so complete she couldn't see her hand in front of her face.
At the other end of the stone bed, a dark figure sat quietly.
Su Su discovered that her wrists and ankles were bound by Ruoshui, sealing her power.
In the darkness, those icy eyes mockingly watched her struggle.
Su Su's heart sank infinitely.
"Very scared, aren't you?" he laughed softly, speaking neurotically, "This was exactly how I felt day and night these past few days."
"Alone in the darkness, always hoping tomorrow would bring light. But you see, no one in this world will save me, just like now... no one will save you."
Su Su instinctively searched for the Gu worm on her body, hoarsely murmuring: "The Gu worm is gone..."
Her reaction made Tantai Jin laugh coldly again.
The Gu worm had been lost amid the Hidden Dragon Guards' random arrows, and it happened to be the fifteenth, when the Spring Silkworm Curse on her body would activate."You've probably laughed at me many times behind my back. Look at that fool called Tantai Jin—you used to beat him, curse him, humiliate him, yet he still couldn't bring himself to kill you. He even considered making you his empress, letting you grow old and die like an ordinary person."
"He was utterly foolish, even knowing full well you would leave him again, yet he still chose to come find you. Because he was afraid you might truly be killed by that beast, the Eighth Prince."
"But the arrows of the Hidden Dragon Guards and the six nails driven into his heart made him see clearly—he truly was contemptible. When you killed me, did you hesitate even for a moment?"
His tone, filled with despair and madness, yet soft as a whisper, echoed in the dimly lit secret chamber, almost serene.
Su Su felt an indescribable dread. Her body burned, her breath came in ragged gasps.
Calculating the time, the Spring Silkworm Curse had been in her body for a year and a half now, far surpassing the mild effects of the first or second time. Without the Gu worm, her body had reached a point where without an antidote, she would die.
She clutched her collar tightly, her heart in turmoil.
She wanted to stay away from him, but the drug's effects were slowly consuming her reason.
Tantai Jin said, "Don't worry, I know you no longer care to be my empress. I won’t be so foolish again—do you think I’d settle for a concubine?"
"You won’t even get to be a concubine."
"Just die here," he murmured, like a demon’s whisper. "What a pity—I didn’t die as you wished, so your hell is about to begin."
The stone bed beneath her was hard as ice, offering Su Su no comfort.
The curved jade showed no response, and the pitch-black darkness was absolute. She was in agony, her fingers digging into the stone bed like a dying fish, yet she never reached out to him.
The dim light in Tantai Jin’s eyes gradually hardened into piercing indifference. He stood up and left.
Su Su collapsed onto the stone bed, gasping in pain. A haze of blood clouded her vision, blurring even the secret chamber.
Her blood raced, and fresh blood seeped from her nose and mouth.
She spat out a mouthful of blood, feeling her life force fading.
So cold...
Just as her breathing grew faint, the sound of footsteps returned swiftly. Someone seized her hand—whether out of malice or rage, it was hard to tell—and with rampant killing intent, he crushed her finger bones.
Tantai Jin abruptly lifted her upper body and pinned her against the cold wall of the secret chamber.
"Rather than letting you die like this, I’d rather end you myself!"
The pain, however, jolted Su Su back to awareness. No, she couldn’t die.
She thought, I can’t… die like this. No matter what, I must survive.
Trembling, she grasped the hand of the person before her, interlacing her fingers tightly with his, her nails nearly digging into the back of Tantai Jin’s hand.
"Save me…"
The young girl trembled in his embrace, her fingers drawing blood from her own nails and leaving scratches on his skin.
After a long silence, he closed his eyes and laughed softly. "You too…"
The girl trembled as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
The night shattered before her eyes, and Su Su gasped for air.
Her fingers ached, every part of her body hurt. The fear of mission failure and the agony of the Spring Silkworm Curse made her tremble like a small, frightened animal.
Tantai Jin’s fingers tangled in her hair. She clung to him like a climbing vine, drawing sustenance, struggling to survive through him.
Dawn was approaching.
When Su Su regained consciousness, the person beside her was chuckling softly, whether mocking her or himself, it was unclear. Soon, he fell silent and began humming a song he’d heard as a child in the Xia Kingdom.
It was a tune sung by countless lonely palace attendants on desolate nights to pass the time. In those terrifying, solitary nights, he had learned nothing else but these filthy things.
Now, he was singing it to her.He took her hand and pressed a kiss to it, effortlessly applying pressure to her aching knuckles.
“Does it hurt? Not as much as the pain in my heart.”
How he longed to kill her, yet he chose to let her live.
In the darkness, blood trickled from the corner of Tantai Jin’s mouth as he laughed wildly and continued humming.
At some point, his fingers had locked with hers, gripping them with an unyielding force.
In the boundless night, Tantai Jin was cold and unrestrained.
“Can you feel it?” He brushed away the tears that had long turned cold in her hair, his touch indifferent.
Such was his hatred.
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