"I can smell Your Majesty's scent. I am a member of the Wood Spirit clan, and I am quite familiar with the scents of these plant and insect spirits. It's strange, though, that this scent on Your Majesty is the kind that lingers after the poison has been relieved. I wonder how Your Majesty relieved it?"
Huan Changming seemed to have made a connection to something, and his eyes darkened slightly. "What method is there to completely cure this strange disease in my body?"
"On the shore of the South China Sea lies Flower Sleep Island, inhabited by the Spirit Rhinoceros Butterfly Clan. Using the wings of the Spirit Rhinoceros Butterflies as medicine can completely cure Your Majesty's illness."
"What does the Spirit Rhinoceros Butterfly look like?"
After pondering for a moment, Mu Lingzi replied, "The demon's body and wings are both pale gold. The female butterfly with a human body is beautiful, and the male butterfly is handsome. Tens of millions of years ago, they were descendants of the gods. However, after the demon race declined, the Lingxi Butterfly Clan was also punished, returned to their demon forms, and stripped of their divine positions."
Huan Changming glanced towards the interior of the hall, then snorted and left, "Just a mere butterfly!"
After Huan Changming left, Lu Pianpian fell into a deep sleep in the hall. He didn't know how long he had been asleep when he suddenly heard a clear, cold sound beside him, as if some kind of prohibition had been broken.
The candles in the hall burned out, and a gentle breeze suddenly blew in through the half-open window. Lu Pianpian keenly sensed that someone had entered the hall. He was afraid that Huan Changming had returned and was going to torment him again. He tried hard to open his eyes and regain consciousness, but his eyelids felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. No matter how much he struggled in his heart, he could not open them.
He felt a warm breath covering the wound on his shoulder, and the pain from the scratch gradually subsided.
"Senior brother," the newcomer called softly.
Lu Pianpian opened his eyes as if waking from a dream. Seeing his junior brother standing unharmed in front of him, his throat tightened, and he choked out, "I'm sorry."
A note from the author:
The junior brother you've been waiting for is online!
Chapter 35
Huan Changming personally set up the formation, and he immediately sensed it being broken.
He slammed down the memorial in his hand, "Mu Lingzi, the formation that trapped Lu Pianpian has been broken!"
Mu Lingzi followed Huan Changming closely, and upon hearing this, asked in return, "Do you want him to leave, or do you not want him to leave?"
"Of course I cannot let him go!" Huan Changming left the imperial study. "You absolutely cannot let him escape!"
Mu Lingzi pouted, "I'll do my best."
Enraged, Huan Changming rushed to the inner palace, bound him, humiliated him, and imprisoned him... Despite using so many methods, Huan Changming still couldn't erase Lu Pianpian's desire to escape him.
Was it really because he was too lenient with Lu Pianpian, making her believe that she was truly as weak and vulnerable as she had previously pretended to be, and that she could escape from him?
His thoughts raced all the way, and when he arrived at the front of the palace, he found Mu Lingzi fighting with someone in the air.
As the two spiritual energies collided, amidst the shifting light and shadow, he clearly saw the person's appearance; it was none other than Huan Juntian!
Lu Pianpian was placed on the bottom of the steps by Huan Juntian. His eyes followed Huan Juntian closely, filled with worry.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Huan Changming grabbed Lu Pianpian and said, "You want to go with Huan Juntian? You're dreaming!"
Lu Pianpian frowned and struggled, "Let go!"
A blade of light slashed down from above, and Huan Changming had no choice but to let go of Lu Pianpian in order to avoid it.
Mu Lingzi was defeated, falling to the ground from the air, coughing twice while clutching her chest, "I can't beat them..."
Huan Juntian landed in front of Lu Pianpian, blocking Huan Changming's figure for her.
The commotion they caused was so great that it attracted the attention of all the imperial guards in the palace.
Huan Changming ordered, "Surround them!"
The Imperial Guards obeyed orders, but upon realizing that the target of their encirclement was Huan Juntian, a hint of hesitation arose in their hearts.
Everyone knows that in order to protect the Li Kingdom, he defeated the eldest prince of the Xiye Kingdom on the border.
Huan Changming noticed the hesitation of the imperial guards and rebuked them, "What are you all standing there for! Huan Juntian broke into the palace in the dead of night with the intention of assassinating the emperor. Do you want to become traitors and murderers like him?!"
The charge of regicide could be so severe that it could bring ruin upon one's entire family, even extending to nine generations.
The imperial guards dared not hesitate any longer, drawing their weapons and slashing at Huan Juntian, shouting, "Protect the Emperor!"
Huan Juntian remained calm as he slashed forward with his willow-leaf blade, creating a gust of wind that shook the Imperial Guards away without injuring them.
"Huan Changming." Huan Juntian looked at Huan Changming with sharp eyes, "The hatred of killing your father and the anger of humiliating your brother. I will make you pay for them one by one."
Sensing its master's anger, the blade emitted a sharp clang.
"If you don't die, I won't be at peace." Huan Changming picked up a sword from the ground and held it in his hand. "Let's settle our old and new scores together now, so I can kill you with my own hands!"
His longsword unleashed a powerful shockwave, and a surge of azure light swept towards Huan Juntian like a tidal wave. Taking advantage of the moment, Mu Lingzi released several bamboo spikes to attack Huan Juntian's back.
Huan Juntian and Huan Changming were locked in a struggle when Lu Pianpian drew her sword to block a bamboo spike for Huan Juntian, which aggravated her wound and caused her to cough up a mouthful of blood.
"Senior brother!"
Lu Pianpian's condition was not optimistic. Huan Juntian did not want to get entangled with Huan Changming any longer, so he cut Huan Changming's sword in half and quickly turned around to help Lu Pianpian up. "Are you alright?"
Lu Pianpian shook her head at him, "I'm fine."
Lu Pianpian was in imminent danger. Huan Juntian knew that tonight was not a good time to kill Huan Changming, and that leaving was the best course of action.
Huan Changming saw through Huan Juntian's thoughts. He threw down the broken sword in his hand, glared at Lu Pianpian, and said fiercely, "Lu Pianpian, if you dare to leave with Huan Juntian today! Next time we meet, I will definitely break your legs with my own hands!"
Lu Pianpian was not intimidated by his warning at all. "Junior brother, let's go."
Huan Juntian nodded, and the two jumped onto the blade and flew into the sky.
"Mu Lingzi! Stop them for me!"
Mu Lingzi leaped forward to give chase, but Huan Juntian unleashed a burst of spiritual energy, forcing him to stay away. He could only watch helplessly as Huan Juntian and Lu Pianpian disappeared into the night sky.
Huan Changming grabbed Mu Lingzi by the collar and said angrily, "Who gave you permission to let them escape!"
Mu Lingzi said, looking dejected, "What can I do? I can't beat them..."
Huan Changming cursed Mu Lingzi under his breath, then released her. "Where is that little beast?"
Mu Lingzi led Huan Changming to the water dungeon where the demon dragon was imprisoned. Huan Changming stood by the water dungeon, looking at the demon dragon, which was twice the size of yesterday's dragon, which was now staring at him expectantly.
"Growing so fast?"
Mu Lingzi said, "Lang Xu must have added something to it, otherwise it shouldn't have grown so fast."
Huan Changming crouched down and reached out his hand to the demonic dragon, "Come here, let me take a look."
The demonic dragon hesitated for a moment underwater before surfacing and spitting out a ring of bubbles onto Huan Changming's hand.
"Spitting everywhere, what kind of behavior is that?" Huan Changming frowned and washed his mouth with the water beside him. The dragon thought he was playing with it, and its two whiskers curled up happily. "Mu Lingzi, you should teach it a lesson!"
Mu Lingzi replied weakly, "Yes."
Dragon saliva is dragon's saliva, something others would beg for but would never dare to obtain. If it were spat into Huan Changming's hand, he would find it disgusting.
"It's good that it grows fast, it'll come in handy."
"What are Your Majesty's next plans?"
Huan Changming sprinkled the water from his hands. "Huamian Island."
The strange illness he had suffered from since birth, Mu Lingzi said was a poison. But whether it was poison or illness, he had to get rid of it as soon as possible to avoid any mishaps when he fought Huan Juntian in the future.
"Feed this little beast something so it can grow faster."
Mu Lingzi stroked her chin and chuckled, "It's rumored that demonic dragons enjoy eating human flesh. Is it really acceptable to feed them some human flesh?"
“Why not?” Huan Changming casually pointed to the prison behind him. “This prison is full of death row inmates.”
"Your Majesty is wise."
Huan Juntian's army was still stationed on the border with the Western Night Kingdom, unaware of the earth-shattering changes that had taken place in the capital.
Qu Surou stood on the observation platform and looked into the distance. She soon discovered the traces of Huan Juntian's return.
She quickly ran down from the platform to the ground. In order to conceal the departure of the commander from the camp and prevent the morale of the troops from collapsing, she directed the soldiers patrolling around, "You go patrol over there and take a look. I think I just saw something go by!"
"Yes, Holy Maiden!"
Qu Surou dismissed the soldiers, and Huan Juntian helped Lu Pianpian into the main tent. She followed closely behind and, upon seeing Lu Pianpian's injuries, exclaimed, "How could this happen?"
Lu Pianpian sat in the chair, forcing herself to stay upright, and smiled at Qu Surou, "Senior sister, it's just some superficial injuries, I'm fine."
"Still trying to be tough!" Qu Surou quickly found her first-aid kit and applied medicine to Lu Pianpian's shoulder wound. "What exactly happened to you two?"
"Huan Changming forced the emperor to abdicate and murdered him, and the kingdom has changed." Huan Juntian's tone was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger.
"He actually harbors such wolfish ambitions?!" After her initial shock, Qu Surou thought of Huan Juntian's loss of his father and asked, "Huan San, are you alright?"
Huan Juntian said calmly, "Life and death are predestined. Father's tragic death today is the result of the hidden dangers he sowed in his life. Sowing good causes yields good results, and sowing evil causes yields evil results. Huan Changming is the evil that Father sowed for himself."
Among the three, Huan Juntian had always been the one who had the most thorough understanding of the great principles of ethics, life and death, and destiny.
Qu Surou wrapped bandages around Lu Pianpian's wounds. "You're quite... easygoing... So you're not planning to avenge your father?"
“Of course I must avenge him, but I should not use Huan Changming’s evil deeds to settle personal scores.”
"As a son, he murdered his father, which is unfilial; as a subject, he murdered his ruler, which is disloyal. Such a disloyal, unfilial, cruel, and reckless person is intolerable to Heaven and should be punished by the law."
Lu Pianpian felt a lump in her throat upon hearing this. Huan Juntian glanced at her sideways and asked, "Senior brother, he lied to you. Does your marriage to him still stand?"
“He used me to steal my father’s token, which enabled him to mobilize the Imperial Guards to force the emperor to abdicate and assassinate him.” Lu Pianpian lowered her eyelashes. “My engagement with him… was nothing but a joke.”
From beginning to end, it was all about exploitation.
"What a heartless bastard! You treated him like your own heart, and now you've been fed to a white-eyed wolf!" Qu Surou said indignantly on Lu Pianpian's behalf. "It's a good thing you didn't actually marry him, otherwise he might have devoured you until there wasn't even a bone left!"
Lu Pianpian's eyelashes trembled a few times, but she did not refute Qu Surou's words. "It was my mistake in judging people. Junior brother, I'm sorry."
"Senior brother, you are the one who was most deceived by Huan Changming. If anyone is to blame, it is none of us who saw through his disguise beforehand, not even our master. So why should you feel guilty?"
"Yes, Pianpian, it's not your fault!" Qu Surou felt sorry for her junior brother being deceived and sighed, "Huan San won't blame you, so don't blame yourself anymore!"
Facing her two closest relatives, Lu Pianpian finally found a source to confide in about the humiliation, grievances, anger, and grief she had suffered at Huan Changming's hands over the past few days.
He let his guard down, and his eyes involuntarily reddened. A tear fell onto the back of his hand, and he quickly rubbed his eyes, afraid that his junior brothers and sisters would notice that he was crying.
Little did they know, Huan Juntian and Qu Surou had already seen his appearance clearly.
Huan Juntian, unable to speak, gestured to Qu Surou with his eyes. Qu Surou stepped forward and patted Lu Pianpian on the back, "Pianpian, didn't you used to buy your senior sister stories about heartless men all the time? As the saying goes, it's hard to find a two-legged leper, but two-legged men are everywhere. He's just a mere man; the next one will be better!"
"Senior sister, I was deceived." Lu Pianpian felt even worse after Qu Surou's persuasion. "He dressed up as a woman to deceive me..."
"He deserves to die!" Qu Surou cursed. "Next time I see him, I'll definitely tear him to pieces for you!"
Lu Pianpian stopped crying and started laughing, unwilling to talk about her own affairs anymore. She changed the subject and brought up serious matters with Huan Juntian, "Junior brother, what are you planning to do next?"