Chapter 626: No Distance Too Far

A large crowd followed in panic, shouting to guard the carriage, but seeing Xie Yuan remain calm, the imperial guard behind the Great King didn't use any fierce tactics against the huge bear; instead they circled around, trying to lift the bear away.

Smart people immediately realized, this is… an acquaintance's bear? After all, the new emperor's pets are diverse; there was even a bear back home, so it's not impossible.

The imperial guard knew this was the emperor's beloved pet, usually sleeping in the same palace, and they were careful with their force, but Xiao Jin didn't know that!

When it was at the North Border Prince's Mansion, the Great King threw it into the garden, and it had hardly any contact with Weini; even after seeing it for so long, it had completely forgotten it. Later, while playing, it glanced back and saw its meal ticket knocked over by a wild beast! This is utterly unreasonable!

The Golden-haired Beast leapt forward twice, its head slamming into and sending the poor big guy flying. Weini was thrown several meters away, still dazed; the Great King, now free, quickly got up pretending nothing happened, and the crowd noticed that despite being knocked flat by such a huge bear, it only had a speck of dirt on its face.

Someone already sucked in a breath in disbelief—this physique… the Bai Li Clan has produced an oddity.

And the unfortunate Weini, hearing Zhu Ti say they'd take it out to meet the Great King, had been excited for two days in advance; today, upon leaving the gate, it could no longer contain its excitement and ran off to shake off the little eunuch tasked with looking after it. This enthusiastic lunge at the Great King was fine, but when Xiao Jin shoved it aside, it got hurt!

Weini munched on tasty feed beast pellets, growing larger than its wild kin in the mountains. Its large frame was thrown to the ground, and the impact hurt badly—it grimaced and couldn't get up for a while.

Xiao Jin, this aggressive faction member, still wouldn't relent, seeming to want to follow up and strike again! Seeing it wasn't good, the Great King didn't care about saving face, rushed forward and grabbed Xiao Jin's chubby leg, shouting, "Our own, our own! Xiao Jin, this is your half‑brother Weini!"

Xiao Jin tilted its head, a question mark appearing, confused·JPG

Xie Yuan rubbed his forehead, but this wasn't over yet.

Weini got up, looking at the Great King it missed, feeling wronged and in pain, it wailed tears, the bear cried.

Weini shed tears while howling, its gaze at the Great King like that of a faithless lover. The bear's tears are a pain stimulus, unrelated to emotion, purely a physiological reaction; the howling means it's sad, but to others it doesn't look that way.

The Great King felt extremely guilty, the bear cried again, appearing very sorrowful.

He let go of Xiao Jin's leg, clapped his hands with a "no silver here three hundred taels" gesture, saying, "Weini, I've missed you so much!"—aside from the obstructive ministers nearby, the Great King also wanted to howl a couple times to prove his innocence.

Weini sat on the ground, gripping his robe, still shedding tears profusely; a city dweller from Chang'an today broadened his horizons, watching the Great King coax a mountain beast, a man and a bear conversing back and forth—how is it that you two have no language barrier?!

The least happy person on the scene was Xiao Jin, which sensed a crisis of its meal ticket changing hands, so it also moved up to crowd beside the Great King.

You're quite familiar with this newcomer?

The Great King took one hand holding Weini and the other holding Xiao Jin, forcing the two beasts to touch paws, saying, "From now on you're family!"

Wei Shen finally had enough of the bustle and burst out laughing. Xie Yuan then stepped forward to ask His Majesty to depart soon; the officials and commoners waiting outside the city to welcome him were already assembled. He had imagined the long‑term liveliness of the court, and this silently weeping bear would surely be a frequent sight.

The Great King decided to stuff his precious treasure into his imperial carriage, taking a seat at the edge himself, while Xiao Jin lay across the pole, constantly grunting. The Great King was busy indeed, coaxing both ends with great enjoyment, like a father of two juggling water.

The officials of Chang'an had mixed feelings; Bai Li Jing… stood at the top of the food chain, a man.

"The imperial carriage is already ten li out!"

Ten li outside Youzhou, the officials were already dressed and standing ready. The new dynasty's Censor‑in‑Chief Xue Lin'an stood at the very front, in straight‑cut robes with wide sleeves, his back ramrod straight. The officials behind him were all the same.

Behind them and along both sides of the imperial road were dense crowds of Youzhou locals who had come of their own accord.

Some were families of men who had enlisted, coming to see whether they'd return this time; many more were simply there to welcome their king, who had given Youzhou a new ruler and, even after ascending the throne, had not abandoned Youzhou.

Without orders or rules, tens of thousands of commoners stood against the north wind, quiet and orderly.

Liang Bin, Xie Shu, Lu Xing, and Lu Ga, who often played with the Great King, were there as the idle rich; everyone else had proper duties, except the failed examinee Lu Xing, who was relaxed and carefree. Since the Great King wasn't in Youzhou, his recent days had been fine, and now he was stretching his neck to look around, uncaring about appearances.

"Take a look at Your Majesty's popularity—I hear even the southern county city is coming. Our Youzhou hasn't been this lively in ages; if the lord of Youzhou isn't here, it just won't do. Over the past half year I've felt Zhuque Avenue isn't lively either; lately I find wandering around boring."

Liang Bin drawled, "You see, all these people not on duty just make you angry."

Lu Ga couldn't bear his cheer, saying, "Pull your neck in, just in case your uncle comes back and sees you like this… tsk tsk!"

Their clan elder, Xie Yuan's disciple Lu Xin, also joined in the schadenfreude: "Your Majesty ascended the throne this year; the teacher said an extra grace exam will be opened after the year, so, fortunate younger brother, get ready mentally."

Liang Bin finally took interest: "If you fail again this time, won't His Majesty really send you to the Anding Great Farm to farm?" He thought, super eager to see that!

Lu Xing: ……

Thanks, I can't even laugh.

After waiting another half hour, a black line finally appeared on the horizon.

This time it wasn't an illusion—the black line writhed and thickened, like blood seeping from a crack in the earth. Gradually, the outline of banners could be made out, and the glint of the Owl Riders' armor could be seen.

Hooves thundered, and Youzhou city gradually awoke amidst the familiar yet strange sounds; the heartbeat of Youzhou throbbed once more.

When the procession drew near, everyone realized the leading rider was an emperor dressed entirely in dark battle attire.

He wore dark robes and a dragon robe, head crowned with an exquisite jade cap, riding the White Dragon steed—what a handsome young gentleman! Minister Xue, ah, now Doctor Xue, felt his eye sockets inexplicably warm.

That child who used to make barbarians panic at a glance has truly grown up.

He didn't have time to think much, just about to lead the officials in kneeling to welcome their triumphant king, when he saw the Great King dash forward and stop right before him.

"Huh? Long time no see, Minister Xue seems to have aged a bit."

Observing this so closely, warm‑hearted and warm‑lunged, Xue Lin'an's eyes grew hot again, and then he heard the Great King say: "Is it because you missed me?!"

"Ah, I truly have boundless charm, reaching far and wide—hahaha~" Relying on the officials being ahead and the commoners still far off, the Great King laughed with extraordinary bravado.

Xue Lin'an: ……

What's with growing up, and no thanks!