LILY stopped walking and turned around. The man who had suddenly declared his intention to leave was standing still, gazing at her with a serious expression. In his eyes, she could detect something deeper—sadness, and perhaps a quiet longing. And somehow, she understood. Leaving behind the place one had grown up in, the world one had become familiar with, was never easy.
In her three previous lives, Hugo had also returned to his maternal family at this exact time of year. And each time, it took him five long years before he came back. But by then, she had already died. As a ghost lingering in the mortal realm, she had seen him from afar—his figure solemn as he shaved his head and entered a temple. After that, he never came out again. Or maybe he did, but she would never know. She had already moved on.
Lily sighed deeply. "Be careful in your journey, Fifth Imperial Uncle," she said, her voice soft but sincere. "Who knows? Perhaps we will see each other again in the Earth Realm in the future."
"I won't take long," Hugo promised firmly, his tone gentle but filled with conviction. "I will come back as soon as I possibly can."
Lily wasn't quite sure why he was saying this—why he felt the need to make such a promise to her—but she still nodded in response.
Hugo exhaled quietly. His hand lifted as if wanting to reach out to her, but after a brief hesitation, he lowered it again. He wanted to touch her, to hold her, to somehow imprint her presence onto his soul. But he couldn't. Not when he had no rightful status in her life.
"Keep safe. And stay vigilant," Hugo said solemnly. "The Medicine Sect you see today is no longer the same sect that once existed to serve the common people. Their path has changed. The only thing that drives them now is power. If they encounter anyone who poses even the slightest threat to their ambitions, they won't hesitate to eliminate them."
"Fifth Imperial Uncle need not worry," Lily replied confidently. "My grandfather and I are not people who are easily trifled with." When she noticed Hugo still wearing a worried expression, she added lightly, "The Pei family's millions of troops are not a bluff. Just a wave of our hands, and they'll appear like ghosts in the wind."
But Hugo couldn't be reassured by those words. How could conventional armies, no matter how vast, stand against the sorcery of the Medicine Sect? A sect that wielded true magic—enough to destroy an entire nation without lifting a sword—would not fear soldiers bound by worldly limits.
"How about this, then?" Lily said after a brief moment of thought. She placed her right hand over her left chest, and a soft, radiant light began to glow. Before Hugo could say anything, a red, crystalline orb emerged from her chest, shimmering with energy. She held it up with both hands and presented it to him. "I believe you know what this is?"
"Life crystal..." Hugo murmured, his voice filled with astonishment. His eyes flicked from Lily's face to the glowing orb in her hand, then back again. He had already examined her body before. He knew her constitution wasn't compatible with magic. And yet, here she was, pulling out a genuine life crystal.
Life crystals were rare and sacred—essences of the soul belonging only to magic users. If the crystal's light faded, it meant the owner was dying. And if it shattered completely, it meant they were already dead.
"If fate allows us to cross paths again, I'll be generous enough to tell you the truth about our origin," Lily said, then took his hand and gently placed the crystal into his palm.
Hugo stared at the small orb in his hand, his expression unreadable. After a few seconds of silence, he slowly absorbed it into his consciousness.
"It's a promise, then," he said with a soft smile.
Hugo escorted Lily all the way to her estate. When she was finally safe inside, he turned and departed without another word. And once the man was gone, Lily's face turned sour.
She stared at the now-closed door and sighed heavily. "What was I thinking?" she muttered to herself, scolding her own foolishness. "Just because he peeled shrimp and fed me crab, I got soft? I even gave him my life crystal. Who the hell does that? I must be out of my mind."
She grumbled to herself for a while longer. There had to be something wrong with her. Who else would do something so embarrassing?
---
"You'll stay behind and look after Young Miss Pei," Hugo ordered coldly as soon as he returned to his prince's estate.
"This servant understands," Shadow Guard Loid bowed deeply. He had just returned from Spirit Spring Mountain and had been anticipating this command. After all, he knew that his master would soon be heading back to the Earth Realm. This was not unexpected.
Hugo turned away, his gaze fixed on the bright full moon hanging in the night sky. The truth was—he didn't want to leave. He really didn't. But if he wanted to give Lily the life she deserved, he had to settle everything with his maternal family first. Once all was in order, he would return—and this time, he'd bring Lily with him. Life in that realm was far better than what the secular world could ever offer.
---
A week passed since the emperor's grand birthday celebration, and it had been five days since Hugo left—vanishing without even saying goodbye.
Duke Pei sighed as he sat silently in his study. He had grown used to Hugo's company. With the younger man around, there was never a dull moment. But now that Hugo was gone, everything felt a little quieter… a little emptier. His granddaughter sat across from him, pouring tea, her face twisted into a scowl.
Seeing that expression again, Duke Pei wanted to run away and hide. He loved his granddaughter dearly—but goodness, her moods were a full-time job.
"Why do you keep sighing like that?" Lily asked, narrowing her eyes. "Are you hiding something from me? For days now, you've been sighing and staring off into space like some tragic old poet."
"Other than you, who else around here would give me enough headaches to sigh this much?" Duke Pei grumbled, sipping his tea. "And why are you frowning again this time?"
Lily set her teacup down with a gentle clink. "The Gate to the Earth Realm will open in a few months. All five of the great empires are starting to prepare for the upcoming competition," she said thoughtfully. "I'm considering whether I should join."
Duke Pei's face froze in surprise. "You're thinking of entering the Earth Realm?" he blurted. "If that's what you want, I can grant you access. Why waste time competing? There's no need to fight for a spot."
Every ten years, the sects in the Earth Realm would hold a massive competition to recruit new disciples. Before that, each empire would organize its own preliminary contest, selecting the top three to represent their nation. Recalling this, Duke Pei asked cautiously, "Has the emperor issued any official orders yet? Is he organizing the internal selection?"
Lily clicked her tongue. "You're expecting too much from that guy. I wouldn't be surprised if he's already forgotten. And even if he remembers, it'll probably be thanks to that elder from the Medicine Sect."
She was right. The last time this event came around, the emperor had completely forgotten about it. In the end, he simply chose a few people he liked and sent them to compete. The result? A humiliating defeat on the empire's stage.
But things were different now. The elder from the Medicine Sect was still around, and he had pride to uphold. There was no way he'd allow incompetent people to represent the Immortal Dragon Empire. He would personally see to it that only the most talented individuals were chosen—just so he could flaunt the wisdom of backing the right empire.