Huan Changming was tormented by the pain and was momentarily lost in thought until a sharp pain in his ear brought him back to his senses. "Lu Pianpian, you—"
Lu Pianpian covered his head with both hands to prevent him from retreating, and bit his earlobe hard. The next moment, a faint golden light flashed on Lu Pianpian's and Huan Changming's earlobes at the same time. After the light disappeared, a very faint mark appeared on their respective earlobes.
The spell was complete. Lu Pianpian released Huan Changming and spat out the blood in her mouth, suppressing her disgust.
Huan Changming roared in fury, "Lu Pianpian, you're asking for death!"
Lu Pianpian lay back on the bed, looking at his angry face and chuckling softly, as if she had encountered something extremely ridiculous.
His laughter thoroughly enraged Huan Changming, who grabbed his arms and pulled them above his head, saying, "I will make sure you never have the strength to laugh again!"
After escaping the Prime Minister's residence, Qu Surou dared not slacken her efforts in the slightest. She flew on her sword all the way to her sect at top speed.
Even so, it still took her half a day.
As night passed, the first rays of dawn appeared.
Qu Surou finally saw the familiar mountain peak, slowed down her sword strike, and after taking only one step up the steps, she collapsed on the steps at the entrance of her sect, exhausted.
She was exhausted, but her fellow students were still waiting for her.
She wiped away her tears. If she couldn't stand up, she could crawl.
Using all four limbs, she slowly climbed up the steps, shouting in a hoarse voice, "Master! Master! Save us, save us..."
Sheng Guanfa Cai was sweeping the yard when he suddenly heard Qu Surou's voice. He immediately dropped the broom and ran out, shouting, "Senior Sister Qu is back!"
The person climbing the steps was covered in dust and looked extremely sad; she was nothing like the spirited and energetic Senior Sister Qu of the past.
"Senior Sister Qu, what's wrong?"
The officials, eager to promote him and make him rich, rushed to help Qu Surou up from the steps. Qu Surou grabbed their clothes and said, "Take me to see Master! Quickly take me to see Master!"
"But Master Qu has been in seclusion ever since you went down the mountain to travel..."
"Senior Sister Qu, what exactly happened to you?"
No wonder none of their letters to their master received a reply.
Those who are in seclusion should avoid being disturbed. If they are disturbed by others and their minds are disturbed, they may go astray and lose their lives.
Qu Surou was stunned for a moment, then suddenly pushed aside the "promotion and fortune" and knelt down at the entrance of her sect.
She shouted hoarsely, "Before the three of us descended the mountain, our master said that what happened after we entered the mortal world was the tribulation we were destined to face! I have always kept this in mind, so I have never dared to report to our master when troubles and chaos occur. This is our tribulation, and I cannot selfishly drag our master into our tribulation and ruin his path to immortality."
"I will never forget these principles! I would never have come to ask my master for help unless I had truly reached a dead end!"
Qu Surou slammed her forehead hard against the floor, and blood instantly flowed out, mixing with the tears on her face.
"But Master, Pianpian and Huan San are dying..." Qu Surou's heart was breaking. "I beg you, you are the only person I can turn to in this world, and you are the only one who can save them..."
"Master, I beg you, please save my junior brothers..."
The woman's voice, which sounded like she was weeping blood, slowly echoed across the quiet mountaintop before disappearing from sight.
A note from the author:
Dear readers, the next chapter will be about jumping into the furnace.
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 50
The sky was still dimly lit, and the streets of the capital city were spotless, having been swept clean the night before.
Merchants and vendors closed their shops and gathered with their relatives and friends at the foot of the mountain outside the capital, all to witness today's coronation ceremony and catch a glimpse of the King's face.
Before long, they saw a magnificent and imposing honor guard coming in a grand procession towards the foot of the mountain.
The young man, riding a tall horse and dressed in high-ranking official robes, cleared the way for the emperor's entourage behind him, demonstrating his noble status and extraordinary favor.
The common people whispered among themselves, "It seems that young Jing is now more favored than when his father, Old Jing, was alive. He's practically second only to the emperor..."
"Haha, well, who told this young Prime Minister Jing to have such a 'close' relationship with our new emperor?"
When the new emperor was still a prince, he always appeared as a woman, while Prime Minister Jing was a gentleman. Their love was a match made in heaven. Although they are now separated as emperor and subject, and the new emperor has also returned to his male identity, the harem is empty, and no concubines have been appointed.
Jing Yi was appointed prime minister at a young age, enjoying the highest favor in the court, which is enough to show the affection between the new emperor and this young prime minister Jing.
Everyone in the Li Kingdom knew perfectly well that the relationship between their new emperor and Prime Minister Jing was merely a matter of men and their roles as ruler and subject, and they hadn't yet broken the unspoken rules. But that didn't stop their story from becoming a popular tale among the people of Li Kingdom.
Jingyi was in high spirits today. He was especially happy to be able to join hands with Huan Changming at the grand ceremony under the envious and admiring gazes of the people of Li Kingdom.
The honor guard drove all the way to the mountaintop altar. The mountaintop was calm and the clouds were light. On all sides of the altar, the courtiers of the departing country waited solemnly for a long time.
"Welcome, Your Majesty!"
The sounds of worship echoed across the mountain peak, and the young emperor slowly descended from the magnificent dragon carriage.
He wore a dark imperial robe with dragon patterns embroidered in gold thread on the collar and chest. His dark brown hair was tied up with a gold crown, revealing his deep-set face. He exuded an aura of dominance over all things.
He lowered his eyes to look down at the people kneeling at his feet, a faint smile blooming on his lips.
He never tires of the feeling of trampling all living beings under his feet, even if he experiences it countless times.
"Your Majesty, please ascend the altar," Jingyi said respectfully, kneeling beneath the imperial carriage.
Huan Changming nodded to him and walked towards the altar. Jing Yi hurriedly followed behind, assisting Huan Changming in completing the remaining rituals.
Unexpectedly, Huan Changming suddenly said, "Have someone bring Lu Pianpian up to me."
Jingyi's smile froze. "Your Majesty, if we go back to the city to invite him now, the ceremony will probably be over by then..."
"He is in my lonely dragon carriage."
The coronation ceremony was so important that Jingyi never expected Huan Changming to bring Lu Pianpian along.
He steeled himself and had someone bring Lu Pianpian out, then followed Huan Changming to the altar.
There were only the emperor and his minister on the altar, with offerings for the sacrifice to Heaven placed in the center.
Jing Yi lit three incense sticks and respectfully handed them to Huan Changming. "Your Majesty, according to the ancestral rules of the nation, every new emperor must perform the ritual of kowtow to worship Heaven, Earth, and the gods."
Huan Changming chuckled cryptically, took the three incense sticks with one hand, walked to the table, and inserted them upside down into the incense burner. The sparks went out, and blue smoke instantly rose up.
Jingyi was shocked and hurriedly tried to take out the three incense sticks, saying, "Your Majesty, this is a great disrespect..."
Huan Changming burst into laughter, then flicked his sleeve and said, "I don't believe in heaven, I don't believe in earth, and I don't believe in gods!"
"I only believe in myself!"
All these talk of gods and spirits is utter nonsense. Only cowardly and insignificant beings would place their emotions and desires on such laughable things.
Huan Changming is different from these foolish and ridiculous creatures. He climbed out of the abyss from the ground step by step to reach his current position on his own!
If there truly are gods in this world, then he is that god!
Huan Changming is a being who can control his own destiny and trample everything that goes against him under his feet!
As Jingyi gazed at the young emperor's arrogant expression, his love and admiration for him overflowed like a flood, reaching the city walls.
"Your Majesty is absolutely right!" He knelt and kowtowed. "Your Majesty is the master who rules over all things under heaven!"
Huan Changming smiled and helped Jing Yi up, saying, "I know you have done a lot of preparation for my enthronement ceremony. You have worked hard."
He came to this sacrificial ceremony, but the worship was just a formality; the main event he wanted to see today had not yet begun.
Knowing his thoughts, Jingyi quickly said, "Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty. I will make the arrangements immediately."
"Go."
Jingyi walked down the steps, brushing past the path that had led him up.
After walking past, he felt something was off and turned back to take another look at Lu Pianpian's clothes.
Lu Pianpian was still wearing a white shirt, which at first glance looked no different from her usual white shirt. But today, the wind was gentle and the sun was shining brightly, and Jing Yi could see the difference in Lu Pianpian's white shirt clearly in the sunlight.
Lu Pianpian's back and the hem of her dress were embroidered with phoenix feathers in white thread.
The white shirt is embroidered with white thread, so thin that it's barely visible unless you look closely, especially since it's embroidered on the back and hem—two extremely inconspicuous locations.
Jingyi's steps faltered for a moment.
Your Majesty, will you reveal your feelings for Lu Pianpian to the public, or will you keep them hidden?
But in Jingyi's eyes, this was blatant favoritism.
Jing Yi took a deep breath to calm the turmoil in his heart.
He told himself that it didn't matter. As long as things went well today, His Majesty would definitely turn against Lu Pianpian, and then both a phoenix robe and a position beside His Majesty would return to his hands.
Palace servants brought over the dragon throne and placed it on the empty platform below the altar. This position provided a clear view of what was about to happen below.
Huan Changming sat on the dragon throne, observing Lu Pianpian walking towards him with great interest.
Lu Pianpian remained silent after being brought to Huan Changming with an indifferent expression.
Huan Changming reached out and touched the pattern on Lu Pianpian's dress. "Lu Pianpian, do you have something to say to me today?"
Lu Pianpian neither dodged nor spoke, her eyes gazing blankly at Huan Changming, as if to tell him that she had nothing more to say.
Huan Changming wasn't annoyed. He pulled him to sit beside him, put his arm around his waist without any hesitation, and whispered, "Don't cover your eyes. Take a good look and see what happens next."
Upon seeing this, the ministers kneeling below quickly lowered their heads, fearing that even a glance would offend the tyrant.
They had already heard in private that the tyrant kept a male concubine in his bedchamber. They never expected that this tyrant would disregard etiquette and bring his male concubine to the coronation ceremony in broad daylight. It was truly immoral and filthy!
But they only dared to say these words in their hearts. Faced with this tyrant, they could only fear and submit.
Jingyi ordered a dozen men to carry a huge furnace to the center of the ministers. The old ministers recognized the furnace and asked, "Prime Minister Jing, why was this bone-burning furnace suddenly brought out?"
Jingyi said, “Our country has always had a set of rites. When a new emperor ascends the throne, it is necessary to burn offerings to ancestors to burn away the filth and calamities that will affect Your Majesty’s future country and its people, leaving only purity and holiness.”
In the past, this ritual did exist in the country, but it required sacrificing living people to be burned in the furnace. People in the past thought this ritual was too cruel and abandoned it long ago. I don't know why this old ritual is being brought up again today.
Jingyi ordered, "Guards, bring this guilty subject here!"
Huan Juntian, wearing shackles and prison clothes, was forced to kneel in front of the incinerator by the guards.
"Gentlemen, this is the person we will burn today!"
As soon as Jingyi said this, all around fell silent.
They knew perfectly well how this tyrant had obtained his throne, yet now he was subjected to such humiliating and cruel torture on the former eldest prince. They dared not speak out in anger, and were too guilty to even look the eldest prince in the eye.