The name flashed through Jiang Chen's mind, and it struck him like a bolt of lightning roaring past his ear, leaving him completely stunned.
Consort Dan? The adopted daughter of His Majesty the Peacock Emperor, Lady Dan'er?
These two people—he had never once connected them in his mind. Consort Dan—ever since he had returned to Tiangui Kingdom after the trial, he had learned that she had already departed from the Grand Tutor's Villa.
Back then, Consort Dan had asked the servants at the Grand Tutor's Villa to leave a letter for him.
The letter contained only two lines—"A thousand words cannot exhaust my meaning; for you, I shall never regret this longing."
Jiang Chen had kept that letter to this day, stored in his Storage Ring. Over the years, he would sometimes think back on those times—on that girl who was a bit stubborn, a bit aloof, yet also a bit willful.
As time passed, the events Jiang Chen encountered only grew more numerous. But late at night when the world was still, as he reviewed the experiences of these years, he would occasionally think of Consort Dan—of those days in Tiangui Kingdom.
Moreover, old Grand Tutor Ye Chonglou had once entrusted him with a request: to find Consort Dan if the opportunity arose.
Jiang Chen had always kept the old man's words close to his heart. This time, when he had sent Emperor Canghai and the others to the Sixteen Kingdoms Alliance, he had specifically mentioned Consort Dan's name.
He had never expected that news of Consort Dan would appear before him in this manner—and in such a shocking way!
This was practically bizarre!
Consort Dan turned out to be His Majesty the Peacock Emperor's adopted daughter, Lady Dan'er!
"You two—could you be certain that woman is Consort Dan? That she is His Majesty the Peacock Emperor's adopted daughter, Lady Dan'er?" Jiang Chen drew a deep breath and asked in a low voice.
"Young Lord, Emperor Canghai recognized Lady Dan'er. He would not have mistaken her. Lady Dan'er had always known only Young Lord Zhen of the Sacred Peacock Mountain—she was unaware of your true identity. So when she heard your real name, Lady Dan'er reacted very strongly... From what we observed, she is indeed an old acquaintance of yours. Her reaction did not seem feigned."
Jiang Chen was overjoyed. "Good, good! Heaven truly has a strange sense of humor. Who would have thought we were both on the Sacred Peacock Mountain yet never once crossed paths? Fate plays its cruel games—if we had met even once, she might not have seen through my disguise, but I would certainly have recognized her."
He sighed with emotion. If Consort Dan truly was the Peacock Emperor's adopted daughter, she would never have needed to wear a disguise while on the Sacred Peacock Mountain.
He recalled that the first time he had gone to the Sacred Peacock Mountain, Third Young Master Ji had even brought him to pay respects to Lady Dan'er. Back then, Third Young Master Ji had been trying to curry favor, but when Lady Dan'er's maidservant carried the message inside, the meeting never materialized.
Later, when the great powers of Liuli Royal City had come to propose marriage, the Peacock Emperor had summoned Jiang Chen—but Lady Dan'er had departed ahead of time, declaring a seclusion of death, and once again they failed to meet.
After that, Jiang Chen had only known that the Peacock Emperor had an adopted daughter who was in seclusion, with no further word.
Now, hearing this thunderous piece of news, Jiang Chen was truly moved. It was not merely the coincidence that stirred him, but the sheer caprice of fate—beyond anything he could have imagined.
"That's right—if that Lady Dan'er is not Consort Dan, how would she appear at the Treasure Tree Sect's gate? There is no mistake. No mistake at all. It must be her."
Though Jiang Chen had not laid eyes on her himself, he firmly believed there was no error.
"Why didn't you bring her to me?" Jiang Chen asked with some regret.
"Emperor Canghai initially wanted us to escort her here, but Lady Dan'er seemed rather bashful. Under Emperor Canghai's accompaniment, she appears to be heading to Tiangui Kingdom. It seems she has been searching for someone as well," the Geng brothers explained.
"She must be looking for old Grand Tutor Ye Chonglou." Jiang Chen sighed softly, his heart filled with concern. Back when he had sensed that great upheaval was coming to the Myriad Domains, he had given old Grand Tutor Ye Chonglou a batch of resources and instructed him to take the core members of the Treasure Tree Sect and go into hiding upon his return.
Old Grand Tutor Ye Chonglou had apparently followed his advice.
But after they vanished into hiding, Jiang Chen had received no news of them whatsoever. It would be a lie to claim he wasn't worried. After all, the people of the Treasure Tree Sect were not particularly powerful in cultivation. Even in hiding, should they encounter even moderately strong cultivators, the consequences could be dire.
"Once matters at the Danqian Palace are settled, I will make a trip to the Sixteen Kingdoms Alliance." Jiang Chen made his decision. After so long without any word of Consort Dan, to suddenly hear of her—and such startling news at that—his heart was quite stirred.
Emperor Yunzhong, however, furrowed his brow slightly and glanced at Jiang Chen, appearing as though he wanted to say something but ultimately held his tongue.
"Yunzhong, if you have something to say, speak freely," Jiang Chen said with a smile.
Emperor Yunzhong quickly rose and bowed. "Young Lord, regarding Lady Dan'er—His Majesty the Peacock Emperor doted on her greatly. In Liuli Royal City, there were many talented and distinguished men who expressed their affections to Lady Dan'er, but she turned down every single one. In her heart, it seemed she was always longing for someone. She consistently claimed to be a married woman... and she has a daughter, who is currently with Emperor Duomei, I believe?"
Emperor Duomei nodded. "His Majesty entrusted Nian'er to me and asked me to guide her cultivation. That little girl has excellent talent and solid foundations, and she is remarkably clever—truly a child of great potential."
A married woman. A daughter.
In that instant, Jiang Chen's mind lurched with a flash of revelation.
*Boom. Boom. Boom.*
Countless bolts of lightning seemed to roar through his head. A married woman? A daughter? An indescribable sensation washed over him.
It was as though countless threads of memory were surging forward, trying to tell him something. Yet try as he might, these threads simply refused to converge into a single picture.
Then, without warning, Jiang Chen recalled that trial tournament organized by the four great sects of the Sixteen Kingdoms Alliance years ago. At his side, there had once been a companion who called herself "Xiao Fei."