Chapter 1645: Heaven's Mandate Seven Sons' Monster-Hunting Chronicle 36

They went to the nearest city.

Not yet polluted by evil spirits, but people's hearts were filled with anxiety.

Finally waited for the inn to collapse; Jin Chen could barely restrain the surging power that kept bouncing, needing to absorb and recover souls as soon as possible.

These past few days of repression were due to fear of danger on the road, leaving Rong Zixu unprotected.

The door was shut tight.

"Senior Brother."

Jin Chen squeezed Rong Zixu's hand, speaking in a relaxed tone: "I'll sleep a few days to catch up on rest, Senior Brother, don't worry."

"Also, don't stray too far from me."

Only when sensing the beloved's soul can the restless soul find peace.

"Okay."

Rong Zixu's eyes were moist; he gently stroked Jin Chen's gradually closing eyelids, his movement exceedingly tender.

These past days, Jin Chen's oddness—how could he not have noticed it?

He blamed himself: no longer the all-powerful senior brother in Jin Chen's eyes, unable to help much.

Companionship is all he can do now.

Rong Zixu sat beside the bed, leaning into Jin Chen's embrace, palm against his cheek; only hearing the steady heartbeat could ease some of his worry.

Jin Chen's unconsciousness… had lasted four days.

Rong Zixu never left his side, staying in the room, at most stepping out briefly to ask the attendant for things.

He did not want others to see Jin Chen.

During this period, Yang Yu and the five others also came to look after him; Chang Wuming urged Rong Zixu to rest, saying they could take turns keeping watch.

Rong Zixu, however, refused; he remained seated by the bed, occasionally pressing on Jin Chen's arms and legs.

"Xiao Chen said he didn't want me to stray too far from him."

"You're tired too; spend these days resting and playing in the city."

They had no choice but to comply, delivering meals at regular times.

During this time, news of Bai Shiyun's death still leaked out.

Bai Shiyun was after all the Heir Apparent of Prince Yong'an; many had secretly followed him, so the imperial court immediately seized upon the Heaven's Mandate Seven Sons as a pretext, angrily dispatching a crowd to investigate, led by the General himself.

On the seventh day of Jin Chen's unconsciousness, the General led his troops to the inn; clueless townsfolk gathered outside to watch the spectacle, and the innkeeper was nearly scared witless, thinking he had harbored some notorious bandit.

"The Heir Apparent incognito followed seven immortals—why did he suddenly die?"

The General, spear in hand, nearly aggressive: "Could it be that the seven immortals couldn't even protect him?"

Gong Simyue couldn't hold back: "Second Senior Brother, can we fight?"

Rong Zixu was still upstairs attending to Jin Chen; Yang Yu hissed, "It's tricky… probably… doable."

Folk rumors said the Heaven's Mandate Seven Sons could dispel disasters, already widespread.

The General exposed their identity before the onlooking crowds, clearly aiming to suppress the reputation of the Heaven's Mandate Seven Sons—also the court's intention.

"Seven immortals… are they the Tianming Mountain Seven Sons?"

"Weren't they supposed to kill evil spirits? How could they not even protect the Heir Apparent?!"

"Fake! I was hoping to see them, but it's just bragging!"

Rong Zixu walked out of the inn amid the crowd's doubts; the five people, unusually angry and ready to fight, calmed down.

Jing Xingcan complained: "Eldest Senior Brother! They're bullying people too much!"

The onlookers gasped; a slender figure stepped out of the inn—a graceful, jade-like gentleman!

It was actually the eldest of the Tianming Mountain Seven Sons!

Rong Zixu always carried an intimidating pressure.

At that moment, his expressionless gaze, icy as a frost‑bladed sword, could not be overwhelmed even by a battle‑scarred General.

"What explanation do you have?" Rong Zixu stood for a long while, speaking coldly.

"Did you seven kill the Heir Apparent?" the General demanded, "If so, you must give an account."

Rong Zixu's thin lips curled into a cold arc: "It seems you haven't found any substantive evidence."

"Otherwise, why come to ask? The indictment would arrive before you."

The General was left speechless, unsure how to reply.

The imperial court indeed had no evidence.

But everyone in the court knew what the Heir Apparent of Prince Yong'an was doing with the seven; his sudden death must mean the matter was exposed.

But if it were exposed openly…

"Then may I ask this immortal, what caused our Heir Apparent's death?"

The General still backed down.

Rong Zixu's voice grew colder: "Consorting with evil spirits, attempting to seize my junior brother's life."

Yang Yu immediately understood, stepping forward to flap his fan with a pap-pap sound.

"Our junior brother is still lying in the inn room; we seven were ordered down the mountain to eradicate evil spirits, yet you court folk seek to take lives—do you not care for the peace of all under heaven?"

What a huge pot to blame!

Poor, brute General who only knows how to fight—he couldn't find a rebuttal, letting Yang Yu vent his satisfaction, with Xu Qie occasionally adding a sharp, cutting remark.

In an instant, the blame shifted from the Heaven's Mandate Seven Sons' inadequate protection to the court's negligence and hidden malicious intent.

The restless gazes of the townsfolk made those soldiers' scalps tingle; if they truly moved troops in the city, the news would likely blame the court again.

The General, furious, snorted and glared; he came in anger, gained nothing, and left in anger.

Rong Zixu: "Second Brother, pacify the townsfolk—don't let them disturb Xiao Chen's rest."

Yang Yu: "All right!"

Wait for Xiao Chen to wake up, senior brother will surely be happy; then we'll take the chance to bring up retrieving the dice, and senior brother will definitely not refuse.

Little did they know that the General, having rushed back to the imperial city, the emperor already had other plans.

The world is vast; cultivators are not only those from Tianming Mountain.

Imperial supremacy is what they need.

For this they must pay a price, such as the common folk who are not so important.

Rong Zixu returned to the second floor; the room remained silent.

He shed the icy aura all over his body, slowly drank the tea, his gaze fixed on the lover on the bed, his eyes deep.

It's the seventh day.

As days pass, Rong Zixu's heart grows increasingly uneasy.

Why hasn't he woken up yet.

What exactly happened, why is his spirit always unsettled.

I... what else can I do for you.

Rong Zixu drew a deep breath, his heart felt sour, his fingers gripping the tea cup turned blue; after a long while he leaned forward, moistening Jin Chen's lips with tea.

……

Ninth day.

…

Thirteenth day.

Jin Chen shows no sign of waking; Rong Zixu's rationality is stretched taut, a slight slip would cause it to snap, and each day the time he spends staring blankly at Jin Chen grows longer.

Yang Yu and the five have gone to quell the chaotic evil spirits in several surrounding areas; they dare not stray too far, and each person is anxious.

Rong Zixu often stays up all night; at night Jin Chen's condition is best; when townsfolk and nearby villages have strange matters coming to him, he will go under cover of night to kill ghosts.

Wait until dawn, then return to Jin Chen's side.

After all, he's not made of iron; Yang Yu and Chang Wuming once forcibly had Rong Zixu rest, but seeing his eyes filled with bloodshot lines, hiding deep anxiety, they couldn't bear to force him.

They too are anxious.