Chapter 77: What is the Purpose of Devotion (2)

The heavy rain in the Chu capital did not cease for the entire night. Even as the sky began to brighten, it remained shrouded in dark, dense clouds, with no sign of clearing. Watching the perpetually gloomy weather, Shang Rong's eyes, which were usually cold and devoid of emotion, revealed a trace of worry. He had clearly been waiting for a long time. As soon as he saw Zi Hao return to the villa, he hurried forward, presented two secret memorials, and said in a low voice, "Master, two urgent reports have arrived from the Di Du. The disaster in the seven cities of Fuchuan is worsening. The Moshui River has breached its banks several times, turning hundreds of miles of land on both sides into a marshland. The number of displaced people has exceeded thirty thousand. Duke Zhao has tried to mobilize all the silver in the national treasury, but I fear it is still not enough to meet the needs."

Beneath the umbrella, the wind and rain tugged at his robes, causing them to flutter. A trace of a frown, almost imperceptible, flashed across Zi Hao's brow, but he did not take the secret memorials. He continued to walk forward, his pace even slightly faster than usual. Shang Rong continued, "The Han Zhang branch has handled the matter regarding the Second Young Master of Chu. They ask if they should bring him back to the Chu Guo. The Chiling branch sent a message via carrier pigeon: King Xuan has secretly transferred two elite cavalry units under the guise of rotating border defenses. Their intentions are unclear, and they ask for your instructions on whether to prepare a response. Also, Wanqi Boyan came to request an audience yesterday and has been waiting in the front hall for the entire night. Master, will you see him or not?"

Zi Hao had been in seclusion for ten days, and having been away from the villa for the past few days, a great many matters had piled up that urgently needed handling. However, he was currently forcing himself to return, and even speaking felt strenuous. He only hoped to hold on until he returned to his room, so as not to let his subordinates in the villa notice anything amiss and cause unnecessary panic.

He walked forward with a calm expression. Seen through the driving rain, it only added a touch of cold, haughty detachment. He was not a man of many words, and everyone assumed he was in a foul mood after hearing such news, so they did not think otherwise. Only Shang Rong, who had accompanied the sovereign for a long time, faintly sensed that something was wrong. Just as he frowned and stopped speaking, he looked up and saw two figures returning through the rain.

In the cold wind, Zi Rao's black robes fluttered, and Su Ling's blue robes looked as if they had been dyed. The two had clearly traveled a long distance and had not closed their eyes for the entire night. Before they even reached him, Zi Rao said, "Zi Hao, did you go out last night?" When she stepped onto the bamboo veranda, she suddenly stopped, staring at his complexion with eyes full of astonishment.

The rain was deep and cold, chilling to the bone, and his vision blurred for a moment. Zi Hao gave a bitter smile. To be safe, he had previously found an excuse to order Zi Rao out of the city, but he had not expected them to return so early. He managed to force a smile to his lips, "You've returned..." The moment he opened his mouth, the surging Qi in his chest could no longer be suppressed. A mouthful of fresh blood rushed up, staining his lips a striking crimson, which made his face appear as pale as snow, shattering the woman's calm, clear eyes.

The rain fell like a curtain, water splashing like mist.

Gusts of cold air rushed toward them. Shang Rong's dark gray robes were whipped about by the rain, but he seemed not to notice, standing like a solid, hard rock statue, possessing a cold firmness that surpassed the wind and rain.

Several black shadows dispersed. The Ying Nu, who had been bowing to listen to orders, plunged into the rain and quickly vanished. The entire villa was submerged beneath the torrential downpour, appearing exceptionally somber and suffocating.

The waterfall-like rain blurred the world into a dim expanse; only streaks of heavy lightning tore through the dark clouds, occasionally illuminating the deathly pale curtain of rain. Behind Shang Rong, the light and shadows of the hanging curtains were chaotic, as if the cold air of the freezing rain had been brought into the room, splashing gloom and darkness across the floor. Intermittent, low coughing could be heard faintly from among the fragmented shadows. Shang Rong listened to each sound, his eyes unmoved, but a sharp edge gradually formed at the corners of his lips, growing deeper and deeper.

A corner of blue robes hurried around the corridor. Shang Rong turned to the side, his gaze meeting Su Ling, who had already arrived. "How is it?" Before he could speak, Su Ling had already asked.

Shang Rong shook his head, glancing at the bloodstains still fresh on the bamboo veranda. The Master's old ailment had suddenly flared up, and the onset was exceptionally dangerous. Li Si had been inside for nearly half an hour, yet there had been no movement... Su Ling's brows locked tightly, and his usually elegant, handsome face was as cold as jade, revealing an unusual gravity.

Being in the Chu Guo now, not to mention the vast distance from the Di Du where matters were beyond reach, the current undercurrents between the Chu and Xuan kingdoms meant that if the Eastern Emperor were to suffer any misfortune, it would immediately trigger a catastrophic disaster. If, by any chance... Su Ling closed his eyes gently, as if the striking bloodstains were still before him. The Jiuyou Mysterious Penetration had clashed with the virulent poison, striking back at the heart meridians; how could it have suddenly worsened to this extent? He wondered if Li Si had any certainty and if she could suppress the increasingly rampant accumulated poison.

"Wanqi Boyan is still in the front hall," Shang Rong reminded him.

"I know, I have already seen him," Su Ling said, looking up. He paused, his voice lowering, "Arrangements have been made outside. I will leave the rest to you, Eunuch."

This was already the worst-case scenario. Having seen many rises and falls in the deep palace, Shang Rong's expression remained unchanged, but he gave a slight, imperceptible nod. "Everything depends on the Nine Princess..."

At this moment, the light behind the curtains in the room flickered, and Li Si hurried out holding a medicine box. Both Su Ling and Shang Rong tensed and hurried forward to meet her. Shang Rong immediately noticed the crimson leather pouch pressed onto the medicine box; inside, something was rolling and agitated, as if the venomous creature could not withstand the stimulation of the thunder and rain, having been provoked into a bloodthirsty frenzy, still struggling incessantly. He asked first, "Is it unusable, or has it lost its effectiveness? What is the situation now?"

Li Si's face showed great fatigue. She suppressed the frenzied golden snake in her hand while shaking her head. "No, the toxicity of the Heavenly Remnant Extinction Palm within the Master's body is mutually restraining with the Jiuyou Mysterious Penetration. Although the onset is fierce, acupuncture and medicine can still be effective. Naturally, this method should be avoided if possible..."

As she was speaking, Su Ling pressed further, "How could it be the poison of the Heavenly Remnant Extinction Palm? What exactly happened?"

Li Si's body trembled slightly. She wanted to speak but hesitated, not daring to defy the Master's wishes, yet being questioned by the two of them, she did not know what to do for a moment. Muffled thunder rolled incessantly among the heavy clouds. This torrential rain seemed as if it were about to tear the world apart, casting an ink-like darkness that pressed tightly against all things. A gust of wind swept across the bamboo veranda, forcing the group to shield their eyes and retreat two steps. Just then, they heard the Nine Princess's hoarse voice from inside, "You promised me you wouldn't give the snake gall to anyone, yet you treat your own life as such a joke? That Yin Xiqing, what kind of person is he? Is he worth you risking your life for?"

Several muffled claps of thunder pressed down, weighing heavily on their hearts. In the dim room, streaks of fragmented curtain light cut across Zi Rao's cold, jade-like face. Her clear eyes stared at the person before her, a dark, ink-like undercurrent flowing and crossing into waves...

The demons and monsters in the Demon Realm could not shatter her clear, dust-free heart; the inconstant phenomena of the human world could not suppress her wanton lotus-like splendor. In the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, only he could make her willingly enter that realm of demons and monsters, for his faint smile, gathering all the enchanting brilliance.

The deluded karma of all living beings, the chaotic flow of evil illusions.

Twenty years as an imperial daughter of the Heavenly House, thousands of nights as a lonely soul beneath the tower, coldly treading upon the bloody, golden, glorious dust, she mocked heaven, man, ghosts, and gods, yet in the depths of the empty sacrificial hall, she lowered her beautiful, wanton brows and promised that one soft, lingering attachment.

His joy and peace, her three lives and three incarnations...

The Nine Domains and Four Seas were stirred by wind and clouds. In the darkness, whose smile was his? Whose empire and world was it? Whose hell and red dust? With the light, indifferent, solemn oath of the golden mouth and jade words, and the schemes plotted with blood and rain, she had guessed the hearts of men but could never guess him; he had calculated the world but had also calculated her.

Zi Rao's sleeves trembled slightly; her palms were covered in his blood, staining her cold, silky sleeves along the way. The warm sensation vanished in an instant, yet it was more striking than the enchanting rouge, possessing a kind of cruel, ultimate beauty that bloomed layer by layer through her heart. She could not tell if it was anxiety or anger, only feeling a deep, unbearable pain, as if the poison vines were piercing her skin along with his blood, wantonly soaking and spreading through the gaps in her icy, translucent flesh and bones, twisting open streaks of scorching, crimson scars.

The sound of wind, thunder, and rain tangled into the depths of the heavy, suffocating darkness. Outside, they could vaguely hear the Master say in a very, very low voice: "I have my own sense of proportion regarding this matter." This was followed by muffled, short coughs, which were even more alarming than the thunder and rain.

That one sentence, "I have my own sense of proportion"—how many times had he acted arbitrarily? At this moment, it was truly nothing short of adding fuel to the fire. Zi Rao could no longer endure such pain and blurted out, "You know full well the extent of the poison used in the Chonghua Palace for over twenty years. As the head of a clan and the ruler of a nation, to not cherish your own body at all—is this what you call a sense of proportion?"

Although the few people outside knew about the hidden affair between the Eastern Emperor and the Empress Dowager, as a palace taboo, no one dared to be so blunt in front of the Master. Su Ling was startled and hurried inside, almost simultaneously with Shang Rong, blocking the way, "Princess!"

In the dim light, the sound of rain made the incense smoke swirl in disarray. Zi Rao turned her head abruptly; her usual languid charm had long been replaced by a fierce, baleful aura. In her eyes, a dark, intense cold flame burned, almost like a fire consuming her heart. She swept a glance at Li Si and Shang Rong, "What are you two for! Don't you know how to advise me when you're by my side?"

The duty of the female medical officials of the Changming Palace was to ensure the Master's health, and the existence of the Ying Nu was originally for the Master's safety. Li Si and Shang Rong both knelt nearby. Even if the Nine Princess were to punish them on the spot, they would have no reason to argue and would obey unconditionally. The room instantly became so quiet that only the sound of the rapid rain could be heard. Facing those cold, enchanting, soul-devouring eyes, even Su Ling, who had no responsibility in the matter, took half a step back, smoothed his lapels, and knelt down.

"Zi Rao!" Zi Hao tried to prop himself up, but with just a slight movement, a sudden, rapid dizziness forced him to close his eyes hurriedly. Although the toxicity of the Heavenly Remnant Extinction Palm had not acted as an accomplice, it had still caused extremely serious consequences. At this moment, the indescribable fatigue and weakness throughout his body were like falling into a bottomless abyss, sinking continuously. It was empty and uncomfortable to the extreme, yet sharp, severe pain spread throughout his internal organs. While forcing himself to hold on, his consciousness became more and more muddled. After a long pause, he said in a hoarse voice, "Do not be unruly."

Zi Rao's phoenix eyes narrowed like blades, and she said coldly, "If I am not unruly, I fear you will truly fulfill that Feng Wan's wishes!"

Zi Hao raised his eyes abruptly, his hand pressing hers trembling slightly. He only looked at her for a moment before turning his head away abruptly, coughing up a mouthful of fresh blood from his throat, covering his lips as he coughed violently. "Presumptuous! You... you all withdraw."

The blood soaked deep into his white sleeves like dye. His stubborn, cold, indifferent figure was as pale as the frost on an ice peak. His thin, tightly pressed lips seemed capable of enduring all pain and suffering, yet he kept people at a distance of a thousand miles. Zi Rao almost bit her lips until they bled, staring straight at him, then stood up abruptly. "Fine, you have your own sense of proportion. I am meddling in other people's business. From now on, whatever happens to you, life or death is up to fate; I won't care anymore!" Saying this, she stamped her foot fiercely and turned to leave.

The cold light of the bead curtains shattered like ice, falling to the floor as her black sleeves swept past. Everyone in the room was shocked by these rebellious words. Even Su Ling, who was usually quick-witted, did not know how to react for a moment and stood there stunned.

The warm sensation slipped away from her fingertips, and a hollow, icy coldness swept over her entire body. Zi Hao leaned back on the soft couch, not knowing whether it was because of fatigue or anger, and did not say another word.

The rain covered the sky and the earth, cold and silent...

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 78 =====