The group's beloved wife: She is the phoenix, she is the king

Chapter 695 Once a move is made, there's no going back.

Opportunity knocks but once. —Epigraph

Perhaps it was Tan Ying's words that touched her heartstrings, or perhaps it was her burning gaze, but Fan Nuoxi sighed softly and slowly agreed, "Then I'll have to trouble you with the rest."

When the mammoth heard that Fan Nuoxi was willing to stay, it happily shook its trunk, clearly looking forward to spending time together.

Even its pace quickened considerably.

In the blink of an eye, the mammoth led them to the palace gate.

The plaque on the palace was originally written in a script that Fan Nuoxi and the others couldn't understand, but after they appeared, it changed to regular script, with the words "Shunyi Palace" clearly written from left to right.

Before Fan Nuoxi and the others could react, the elephant swung its trunk and gently placed the people on its back onto the ground.

However, the group members were all pale and their hearts were pounding. They had clearly not expected the mammoth to suddenly accelerate, and they were all dizzy to varying degrees.

Seeing them like this, the mammoth, feeling somewhat guilty, cautiously touched them with its trunk, as if apologizing.

Tan Ying leaned against the mammoth, gagging uncontrollably. "You... (gag) you... (gag) next time... could you... not be so sudden?"

The mammoth spoke cautiously, "Master, I know I was wrong, but I couldn't help it..."

Hearing the mammoth's cute, boyish voice, the nauseous little dumpling, who had initially wanted to follow, curiously flew to the mammoth's side. "Huh? You can actually talk?"

The mammoth shyly curled its trunk, about to speak, but Tan Ying grabbed its trunk and flicked it.

The mammoth winced in pain and immediately lowered its head in grievance. "Master, I really know I was wrong!"

Supported by Dongfang Junyan, Fan Nuoxi forced herself to walk over and symbolically tapped the mammoth's trunk with the back of her hand. "It didn't mean to, it just didn't expect it to be so fast. You mustn't do that again next time—"

“Master, this fellow can be mischievous sometimes, and he's caused you trouble today.” Tan Ying bowed to Fan Nuoxi in apology, then looked at the mammoth awaiting its punishment, her tone becoming sterner, “As for you, you are forbidden from staying with my master today!”

Upon hearing this, the mammoth burst into tears, clearly feeling that the punishment was very severe.

The master's master looks like he has a lot of delicious food. If he doesn't let it come along, wouldn't it miss out on a lot of good food?

And she was really much gentler than her master...

Before anyone else could say anything, Tan Ying waved her hand, and the mammoth transformed into a streak of light and flew towards a palace, clearly to confine it for a while.

"Will it be alright if it's like this?" Fan Nuoxi asked, somewhat at a loss.

Why does Tan Ying seem a little angry?

"It's quite resilient. I sent it back to its palace now because I was afraid it would cause trouble again while it was around you." Tan Ying looked Fan Nuoxi up and down, her tone somewhat apologetic. "It's also because I've been too lenient with it. I wonder if the master, Tuanzi, and this... gentleman are all well?"

"It's...it's alright..." Fan Nuoxi fainted before she could finish speaking.

Immediately afterwards, Tuanzi and Dongfang Junyan also fainted.

Tan Ying panicked and quickly caught Fan Nuoxi. As for Tuanzi and Dongfang Junyan, they were enveloped by her magic and floated in mid-air, following behind her.

The moment the palace doors opened, a group of handsome men and beautiful women, dressed in various styles yet exuding an ethereal aura, filed out. The mist inside the palace also dissipated, but since there weren't many lamps in the palace, visibility was somewhat poor, and all that could be seen was a vast, dark expanse.

Clearly, these people had been waiting for a long time.

"Welcome, Your Excellency!"

The group bowed their heads in unison.

"Rise!" Tan Ying held Fan Nuoxi's arms without letting go, glanced at them, and then continued walking.

Everyone lowered their heads, not daring to look at her.

As soon as she sat on the throne at the head of the table, the entire palace, inside and out, suddenly became much brighter.

The entire palace was a kaleidoscope of colors, with clouds swirling around it, and its decorations exuded holiness and majesty, making it awe-inspiring and daunting.

The throne where Tan Ying stood was made of an unknown material, radiating a colorful halo. It was constructed primarily of white marble and gold.

Right now, Tan Ying is steadily placing Fan Nuoxi on the throne, while she herself is standing beside the throne.

As for Dongfang Junyan and Tuanzi, they floated on the right side of the throne, still appearing to be unconscious.

However, the halo emanating from the throne seemed to be nourishing the three unconscious people.

Those standing below finally saw who had entered the hall with Tan Ying, and their expressions changed repeatedly.

The female official in blue robes closest to the throne bowed respectfully. "Your Majesty has returned today, and the people you brought seem to be extraordinary. May we learn more about them?"

Although the other officials did not echo this, their eager eyes were clearly filled with curiosity.

As Tan Ying watched Fan Nuoxi's face gradually regain its color, a hint of gentleness appeared on her usually aloof face before the officials, but the words she spoke made them tremble.

"This is the divine messenger I mentioned to you before who descended to the mortal realm to undergo tribulations. You must respect her as you would respect me, and you must not neglect or belittle her. Otherwise, it would be as if you were disrespecting me. Anyone who offends her will have their soul destroyed and never return to their place."

"As for these two, they are also my honored guests. As for their identities, you will know when they return to their places in the future."

"I will heed Your Majesty's teachings!"

All the officials said in unison.

Although Tan Ying did not directly tell the officials about Fan Nuoxi's identity, how could she be just a divine messenger if she could allow Fan Nuoxi to sit on that throne directly?

Moreover, the person sitting on the throne in a deep sleep looked young, but his cultivation was unfathomably profound.

Not to mention the other two.

At this critical juncture, everyone is struggling to survive, so no one dares to do anything outrageous.

Afterwards, Tan Ying had a female official verify the situation of those present, confirming that there had been no casualties. She then briefly inquired about the matters in the areas they were responsible for recently, asked them to write reports and submit them one by one, gave them a few instructions, and then dismissed them one by one.

As the main hall quickly became empty again, a hint of loneliness flashed in Tan Ying's eyes, but when her gaze returned to Fan Nuoxi, it warmed again.

Tan Ying carefully squatted down next to Fan Nuoxi, gently took Fan Nuoxi's hand, looked up at her with a puzzled expression, and her eyes quickly reddened.

Feeling the warmth of Fan Nuoxi's palm and the familiar scent emanating from her, Tan Ying finally dared to believe that her beloved master had truly returned.

"So this really wasn't a dream—"

"Master, Yingying misses you so much!"

"Yingying has been looking for you all these years, but I can't find you no matter what I do..." Tan Ying sobbed softly, "Why did you abandon Yingying and the others back then?"

"Do you know how much Yingying fears and hates this—"

"I'm afraid you really don't want Yingying anymore, I'm even more afraid you'll never come back, and I hate you for abandoning Yingying and ignoring other people... Now you've even forgotten Yingying..."

"This time, please don't leave Yingying behind, okay? Yingying will be very good..."

At this moment, Fan Nuoxi's fingertips twitched slightly, as if she had sensed something, or as if she was showing signs of waking up. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and Tan Ying hurriedly wiped away her tears.

“Yingying, don’t cry, lest your master worry.”

But Fan Nuoxi only moved slightly and slept even more soundly on the throne.

“So you were just too tired,” Tan Ying breathed a sigh of relief and conjured a blanket to cover Fan Nuoxi. “That’s right. It’s not as comfortable here as where Master lived before. It will take some getting used to the environment here.”

As for Tuanzi and Dongfang Junyan, Tan Ying placed them on a small couch not far away, hidden by a screen. After confirming that the three of them were only unconscious due to the mammoth's momentary recklessness and their lack of adaptation to the environment, Tan Ying felt somewhat relieved.

She then began handling official business at a desk not far from the throne. Perhaps because she was thinking of Fan Nuoxi or was happy, Tan Ying, who usually dreaded official business, was unusually efficient today.

Just as Tan Ying was about to stretch and relax after putting down the last book, she saw Fan Nuoxi, who had woken up at some point, looking at her with a blank expression.

Tan Ying stiffened, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she casually got up and walked to Fan Nuoxi. "Master, are you still feeling unwell?"

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This chapter was written by Tan Ying.

Art Director: Fan Nuoxi

Guest appearance: Memorial to the Throne