[Yao Residence · Night]
By the time Youqing returned to the Yao Residence, the sky had fully deepened into night.
The wind still carried a trace of rain. Moonlight spilled across the blue stone pavement, cold and silent. Behind her, the three generals, Jialuo, Tutan, and Lianyu, kept close. Their expressions were oddly strained, like people carrying a question in their throats but terrified of letting it out.
The three of them began nudging one another.
"You ask."
"No, you ask."
"Go on, you're the boldest."
Youqing stopped at the gates and turned back, smiling with amused patience.
"You three are stammering like guilty children. What is it? What could possibly be so hard to say?"
They exchanged looks. In the end, Tutan was pushed forward from both sides.
His face flushed red. He held it in for a long moment, then finally blurted out,
"Um… we just wanted to ask… Your Highness, the Imperial Princess… you and that Third Prince, are you… well… do you two like each other?"
Jialuo smacked him at once. "What do you mean 'like each other'? Say it properly. You mean you're in love!"
Lianyu nodded vigorously, as if this were a matter of etiquette.
Youqing laughed. "What's wrong? My three uncles… you don't like him?"
Tutan waved both hands in a panic. "No, no, no, not like that!"
Lianyu shook his head just as hard.
Jialuo coughed once, lowering his voice. "We have no issue with him. We're just… worried the Nether Emperor will."
Youqing raised a brow. "Why?"
Jialuo leaned closer, whispering like someone discussing forbidden incense.
"The Nether Emperor only just found you again. Do you really think he'll let you marry far away into Yao City? He'll probably want you to take a husband into the Nether Realm instead!"
At that, Youqing couldn't help laughing out loud.
"You three are overthinking. Yes, we're dating," she said breezily, "but marriage is still a long way off."
"Dating?"
"Marriage?"
The three of them stared at her, baffled, like she'd just started speaking an alien dialect.
Youqing paused, then remembered those words were far too modern for them. She cleared her throat and explained with earnest patience.
"It means two people who like each other spend time together first, to see if their tempers and habits fit. If they do, they marry. If they don't, they part ways. No forcing it."
Then her smile turned sly.
"Speaking of which, Uncles… why are none of you married? I've been hoping for aunties, you know."
All three froze.
Tutan scratched the back of his head, mortified.
"How did the topic circle back to us? It's not that we don't want to marry… it's just… no young lady dares to come near us."
Youqing fought down a laugh, sweeping her gaze over the three men.
"Uncle Tutan," she began, "you're tall and formidable, but when you pull that face… you do look a bit terrifying."
She turned to the next. "Uncle Lianyu… you're basically social anxiety incarnate. A girl hasn't even taken two steps toward you before you've already scared yourself off."
Then she looked at Jialuo, eyes bright.
Jialuo stiffened instantly. "And me?"
Youqing blinked innocently. "You still have hope. It's just… those beast eyes and the scale markings. The first time people see you, they really do need a moment to recover."
The three of them stared at one another, then fell into mute resignation.
Tutan let out a heavy sigh. "At this rate… I'm afraid there'll never be any aunties at all."
Youqing covered her mouth as she laughed, her eyes warm with real affection.
In that laughter was a rare looseness, a long-missed ease, and the tenderness she held for these men who had guarded her like family for far too many years.
The night mist hadn't fully lifted. The lanterns by the outer gates cast long streaks of light across the stones.
A few guards stood with long halberds in hand. Seeing the four emerge from the rain haze, they immediately stepped forward, blocking the way.
"This area is sealed. No unauthorized entry!" the lead guard barked.
The woman at the front wore a dark cloak. When moonlight brushed her features, her eyes looked like snow and steel.
Youqing raised a hand and drew a silver pocket watch from within her robes.
On its face, the ring of the Five-Yao seal surfaced. The central pattern rotated slowly, releasing a gentle, luminous glow.
The instant that light appeared, the entire street fell silent.
The lead guard's hand trembled. Even his voice changed pitch.
"That is… the Saintess' seal!"
Youqing's tone was calm, but it allowed no argument.
"By the Realm Emperor's order, I have returned to Yao City to investigate Trial Valley and the disturbances in the soul veins. This seal serves as a travel warrant. Open the gates."
The guards looked at one another, hesitation still clinging to them.
At that moment, Tutan strode forward from behind, his voice booming like a great bell.
"Did you not hear the Saintess?!"
The sheer force of it made the gate lock vibrate.
Jialuo reached over and patted Tutan's shoulder. "Lower your voice. We're foreign envoys, not an invading army."
Lianyu added quietly, "If we frighten them, it'll only cause trouble…"
Sweat broke out on the lead guard's forehead. He bowed quickly.
"This subordinate was rude, please forgive us! It's only… the three beside the Saintess… we do not know—"
Youqing turned slightly, unbothered.
"These three are envoys from the Nether Realm, here under the Nether Emperor's command to remain temporarily in Yao City. The matter has already been agreed upon between the Nether Emperor and the Realm Emperor. There is nothing for you to fear."
"Nether Realm envoys…!"
The guards instantly straightened their posture and bowed in unison.
"Envoys, Saintess, please enter."
The heavy gates opened with a slow groan against the night wind. A gust met them head-on, carrying the mixed scent of medicine and lingering ash.
Youqing inclined her head. "You've worked hard. Keeping watch through the night is no easy thing."
She tucked the pocket watch away and stepped inside.
The three generals followed.
As he walked, Tutan muttered under his breath, "When the Imperial Princess speaks, it's like the whole gate is covered in Yao light…"
Jialuo shot him a sideways look. "Your voice is the one that sounds like you're throwing thunder."
Lianyu chuckled softly. "Still… it was impressive."
Tutan puffed up proudly. "That's what I call pressure on the whole scene."
Jialuo rolled his eyes. "Try not to crush people unless the moment calls for it."
Youqing listened, lips curving, without looking back.
"If you're done talking, remember to restrain your Yao aura. There are wounded inside the residence. Don't scare them."
All three fell silent at once.
A servant led Youqing through the corridors to a pavilion near the east side. The night was deep and still. Under the eaves, wind chimes rang softly.
"Saintess, this will be your quarters," the servant said with head bowed respectfully.
"Hot water and a meal have been prepared. If you need anything, please instruct the maids. As for the three envoys, this subordinate has arranged rooms in the side courtyard."
Youqing nodded, her gaze flicking briefly toward the darker courtyard beyond.
"They've traveled far. Please see to them properly."
"Yes." The servant bowed and withdrew.
The moment the door closed, the pavilion went quiet.
The air held rain's dampness, mingled with medicinal fragrance and sandalwood. Youqing removed her cloak and placed the pocket watch on the table.
In the dim light, the ring of the Five-Yao seal pulsed slowly. She touched the lid with her fingertips, thinking:
From this moment on, she was both Saintess… and Imperial Princess of the Nether Realm.
After Youqing returned to her room, the corridor outside fell briefly still.
Night wind, heavy with moisture, brushed the stone pillars. The three generals stood beneath the eaves, looking at one another with complicated expressions.
They were led toward the side wing.
As he walked, Tutan exhaled hard. "Whew… that scared me. I thought she was going to scold us for being nosy."
Jialuo glanced at him. "Scold you? She smiled so sweetly. She probably saw through us from the start."
Lianyu added in a small voice, "Actually… when the Imperial Princess smiles, she looks a bit like the Nether Empress did when she was young."
Jialuo paused, then huffed a laugh. "So you do notice things. No wonder the quiet ones keep the most secrets."
Tutan slapped Jialuo's shoulder. "Don't change the subject. You were the one who said 'in love.' Tell me, what's that Third Prince really like?"
Jialuo frowned as he considered.
"That man… he's a bit sly, a bit cold, but not wicked."
Then his eyes narrowed. "The most dangerous part is… the way he looks at her."
Lianyu nodded slowly. "That look… like she's the only light left in the world."
Jialuo immediately agreed. "Exactly. That's it."
Tutan scratched his head. "Isn't that good, then? The Imperial Princess finally has someone who treasures her."
Jialuo snorted. "Don't celebrate too early. If the Nether Emperor learns his daughter has fallen for a prince of Yao City… he'll explode nine times out of ten."
Tutan thought for a second, then shrugged. "Let him explode. She's grown. She gets to choose what's in her heart."
Lianyu, rarely the one to speak, murmured, "Yes. If the Nether Emperor truly loves her… he has to let go at least once."
The three of them looked at one another, and then, without meaning to, all smiled.
Tutan lifted his shoulders. "Speaking of which… why are we three old men meddling in romance? She's dating, and we're still single."
Jialuo cast him a cool glance. "Because you look like a war god who eats people for breakfast."
Tutan shot back instantly. "And you? Your scales twitch and children start crying."
Lianyu murmured beside them, "I've… frightened people too. More than once."
Jialuo and Tutan turned at the same time. "You admitted that fast."
For a moment they stared, and then they all burst out laughing.
Their laughter was carried away by the night wind, scattering beneath the eaves of the Yao Residence.
It held the looseness of after-war relief and, at last, something unmistakably human.
Far away, lanternlight pooled on the ground like little hearts keeping vigil through the dark.
No one said it out loud, but they all understood.
If that Third Prince ever made her shed even a single tear, these three "uncles" would be the first to make him regret it.
Still bickering and laughing, they disappeared into the night, their voices fading with the mist.