Chapter 2124

He Lingchuan's smile was warm and friendly. The previous overbearing, disdainful aura seemed to have vanished along with his battle armor.

Besides, everything by the spring remained in its original place, though the plants were somewhat disordered; he unconsciously looked toward the valley outside—people came and went, military affairs were busy, all as before.

It was as if the whirlwind black mist had never happened.

"What's going on?" After moving the divine seal, the elder brother had such a big reaction?

"No problem. After removing the seal, the spiritual platform finally became clear and unobstructed." This surge of divine sense, long suppressed, simply found an outlet to vent.

After he made his great vow, his Dao heart was already firm. With the divine pressure moved away, this sea of consciousness truly became vast enough for fish to leap.

At this moment, He Lingchuan's divine light was inwardly contained, like a sword sheathed.

"Lord Shen spoke correctly—this is indeed what I need most now."

He was originally the designated vessel for the Netherfall Heaven, using the power of the Great Vast Vessel to trick and trap the Netherfall Heaven's incarnation, temporarily sealing its divine descent channel through a bug exploit.

But this hidden danger always existed and never disappeared. With the world changing too fast, if one day the laws shift, who knows—he might face new troubles again.

There are only two ways to remove the divine seal:

Either, the deity who implanted it voluntarily withdraws it;

Or, the vessel's power becomes strong enough to surpass the deity, or at least stand equal to it, so the seal can no longer hold him.

Now, Netherfall Heaven actively withdrew the seal in He Lingchuan's sea of consciousness, eliminating his hidden danger—this is the sincerest gesture of goodwill, far surpassing any gold, silver, jewels, or treaties.

Of course, Netherfall Heaven's willingness to do this presupposes He Lingchuan's own growing strength.

Can it control the spoiled son of the Yongtai Prefect of the Yuan Kingdom? Can it control the Nine Abysses Great Emperor who unified the Flash Gold Plains and ended a millennium of strife?

A chicken coop cannot hold a fierce tiger; bonds and constraints are relative to strength.

That's why this gift is what He Lingchuan "currently" needs—because his power is growing too fast, with infinite potential, perhaps one day he could break the seal on his own.

Precisely because of this foresight, Netherfall Heaven might as well withdraw the seal now, treating this act as a sincere gift and a powerful bargaining chip.

While He Lingchuan's heart surged with emotion, he also felt some admiration for Netherfall Heaven.

This fellow says "let go" and lets go, says "trade" and trades—compared to other true deities, he is far more pragmatic.

On this side, He Yue understood, almost in unison with Dong Rui: "Congratulations, congratulations!"

The ghost ape also grinned at him.

He Lingchuan accepted with a smile, picked up He Chunhua's letter, and continued reading.

Besides the ornate prose, the letter also mentioned the surrounding small states. Shen State is willing to lead the organization of an overseas team, building a friendship and trade bridge between Flash Gold and the multinational coalition led by Shen State.

In plain terms, Shen State not only does business with Flash Gold itself, but also drags along a host of small states behind it to interact with Flash Gold.

This favor, Shen State won't do for nothing. But the Nine Abysses Great Emperor will surely welcome it—Cangyan State has just been established and is seeking to engage with the world.

"Good, excellent!" He Lingchuan was indeed delighted, and on the spot signed and stamped the contract document He Yue produced.

From then on, Shen State and Cangyan State formally established relations, with mutual communication.

This journey's official duty was mostly completed, but He Yue still hesitated somewhat.

He Lingchuan noticed his hesitation: "What is it? Speak freely."

"I… the Shen Wang Hou also prepared some gifts, wishing to present them to the Nine Abysses Great Emperor."

"Oh?" Was it Lady Ying preparing them? No, it should be addressed as Shen Wang Hou.

He Lingchuan showed great interest, and He Yue felt reassured, then produced a brocade box to present.

The contents of the box were quite simple: two small jars, one green and one white, and a small garment.

He Lingchuan opened one jar and immediately smelled a familiar fragrance.

Qing sandalwood, with a hint of refreshing mint—this is the He family's most commonly used incense in Heishuicheng.

The other jar contained chunks of reddish-brown soft candy; upon opening, a sour fragrance drifted out.

"Sour jujube paste." This is the Shen Wang Hou's specialty snack—formerly, the He brothers would sneak two pieces after meals to eat, sweet and sour, aiding digestion and relieving greasiness.

He Lingchuan set down the jar, lifted the pale yellow small garment with two fingers: "What is this?"

The garment was too small, the fabric very smooth, like something for an infant under one year old; though well-preserved, He Lingchuan could see it was somewhat aged.

"The Shen Wang Hou said this is the Great Emperor's childhood garment, made even before his birth." He Yue was repeating his mother's words verbatim.

He did not quite understand his mother's intention in sending this garment, but all three gifts had been reviewed and nodded to by his father.

"Made before my birth?" He Lingchuan's brow twitched—then the person who sewed this garment was not Lady Ying, but his birth mother, Lu Xiaoyun!

Besides that jade pendant, this small garment is likely the only relic his birth mother left for "He Lingchuan."

The Shen Wang Hou producing it to return it to its rightful owner also clarifies this karmic bond.

He Lingchuan's last departure from the Yuan Kingdom had already seen him break with He Chunhua and lay bare the truth—this so-called "father-son relationship" was worse than that of strangers. This time, He Chunhua deliberately sought to establish relations with Cangyan State, knowing He Lingchuan disliked him personally, thus the He Xin official documents were purely formal, not mentioning father-son ties at all, not even daring to show a hint of closeness.

But he sent He Yue.

The gifts sent by the Shen Wang Hou were still everyday household items—He Lingchuan would recognize them and feel nostalgia at once.

What does this mean?

I, He Chunhua, owe you an apology for my offense, but He Yue has done nothing wrong—he remains your good younger brother, and Lady Ying has not wronged you either.

He Lingchuan gave a faint smirk—truly worthy of He Chunhua, this gesture of goodwill and closeness is measured just right, so even if he feels displeased, he cannot stir up anger.

This round of ingratiating oneself was subtle yet proper.

He softly sighed and asked He Yue: "How is the Shen Wang Hou doing?"

"Very well." He Yue replied without hesitation: "All day busy in the inner palace, either arranging heirs or instructing people—indeed, he's even gained a few jin."

After saying several sentences in a row, he realized this sounded too intimate, quickly tried to amend: "Great Emperor, I…"

He Lingchuan interrupted him: "And you—how are you faring?"

He Yue jerked his head up, opened his mouth, but said nothing.

When the Nine Abysses Great Emperor asks about the Shen Wang Hou, it could still be seen as perfunctory courtesy, but asking him directly—that's brotherly small talk!

He stumbled over his words: "Good, very good. I…"

He Lingchuan turned around first, went to the jar to take a piece of sour date paste to eat, and then laughed as he patted his shoulder: "You're already a father, yet you're still so unsettled."