Chapter 2712: Psycho City Lord's Rules of Love and Killing 35, 36

(Combined)

Jin Chen held the rarely vulnerable Yin Chaosheng in his arms, passing through layered palace gates, arriving at the Imperial Garden when Yin Chaosheng suddenly moved, lifted his head, extended a pallid finger, pointing toward a small path half-hidden by dense foliage, inconspicuous.

"I want to go there." His voice was very soft.

Jin Chen followed the direction of his finger and saw that the small path wound and twisted, unknown where it led, appearing especially secluded.

"What place is that?" he asked softly.

"My former… residence." Yin Chaosheng answered, burying his face back into his neck, his voice muffled, not showing much longing, rather an indescribable weariness.

Jin Chen lowered his gaze to look at him, meeting those eyes that now appeared somewhat vacant, their strange beauty.

Yin Chaosheng lifted his face, kissed the corner of Jin Chen's lips, then stared at him unblinking.

Jin Chen's heart softened slightly, he gave a low laugh, and as instructed, held him and turned into that small path.

This place is indeed remote; even patrolling guards and on-duty palace servants are rarely seen.

Along the way, the palace walls were mottled, the plants lacked care, showing an air of neglect; after walking only a short while, Yin Chaosheng lightly tapped Jin Chen's arm, "Here, put me down."

Jin Chen stopped; Yin Chaosheng descended from his embrace, bare feet stepping on the blue stone slabs, walking toward the courtyard ahead where the swing set had already faded, its ropes somewhat rotten.

Beside the swing set, opposite its side, was a vermilion-lacquered door with peeling paint, half-open, half-closed, an old palace gate.

Although Jin Chen had never set foot here, from this scene he could guess that this was likely the cold palace where the deposed empress resided.

Yin Chaosheng walked to the swing, reached out to gently touch the rough wooden planks, after a moment turned and sat upon it, slightly raising his face to look at Jin Chen, his countenance half-covered by scattered dark hair, appearing extremely fragile in the sparse sunlight.

He lightly swung his dangling toes, a childish stubbornness.

Come push me.

Jin Chen naturally had no objection, walked behind the swing, supported Yin Chaosheng's seemingly thin shoulders, and pushed forward.

The swing swayed slightly, emitting a soft creak.

It was already past afternoon, the sunlight slanting westward.

Only then did Jin Chen notice that the position of this dilapidated swing was, in this gloomy cold palace, the sole corner that could be touched by the lingering glow of the setting sun.

The eaves of the main hall of the cold palace ahead cast a gap here, allowing the dim yellow sunlight to filter in.

Jin Chen raised his hand, using his palm to shield Yin Chaosheng from some of the harsh slanting sunlight, lowered his head and asked softly, "Does it hurt?"

After all, Yin Chaosheng is still a fierce ghost; exposed to the utmost yang sunlight, even at dusk, it is ultimately not comfortable.

Yin Chaosheng originally wanted to shake his head, but seeing the concern in Jin Chen's eyes, he changed his mind, the corners of his mouth turning up, his voice softening a little: "It hurts."

Saying this, he reached out to grab Jin Chen's sleeve, exerted a little force, and pulled him to sit in the empty spot on the other side of the swing.

This swing is actually spacious; Yin Chaosheng turned sideways, his arms encircling Jin Chen's waist, bending forward to bury his entire upper body in Jin Chen's warm embrace, his head resting on his knee.

Jin Chen stroked his hair, gently combing it through.

Yin Chaosheng closed his eyes, remaining still in his embrace for a long time, so long that Jin Chen thought he had fallen asleep, before a muffled voice came from within the embrace, almost dreamlike and fleeting.

I am the Red Yin Ghost King; I ought to be ranked among the Ghost Kings of the Netherworld, overseeing the underworld.

Jin Chen's hand, which had been combing his long hair, paused slightly, then resumed as usual, responding softly, "Mm."

He gently kneaded Yin Chaosheng's earlobe, "And then?"

Yin Chaosheng gave a soft scoff, as if mocking his former unrealistic fantasies, "But I have stayed in the Netherworld too long, so long that… I still wanted to be human once."

He paused, a hard-to-describe bitterness staining him, "I used several hundred years of accumulated merit… to exchange for a chance to be reborn as a human."

Jin Chen's brows furrowed; just as he was about to say something, a strong wave of drowsiness hit him, his body swayed, and he uncontrollably tilted to one side.

The Yin Chaosheng who had originally buried his head in his embrace sat upright, reached out, and steadily caught Jin Chen's tilting head.

He cupped Jin Chen's cheek, gently pressing his own forehead against the other's; in his free hand, unknown when, had appeared black fragments.

They were precisely the remnants from that nightmare ghost king's jar.

Jin Chen opened his eyes; he was still standing outside the cold palace, but the scene before him was completely different from before.

The palace walls, though also showing age, lacked the deathly stillness and decay seen today.

Jin Chen heard the bright cries of a baby from within the palace, and saw the emaciated yet still regal bearing of the deposed empress holding a swaddled infant, weeping with joy.

The infant's features were exquisite, faintly revealing the future stunning contour.

That was Yin Chaosheng's birth.

Jin Chen became an unable-to-intervene observer, forced to witness the sealed past.

The images flashed by rapidly.

Ten years later, the old state preceptor brought his then-young female disciple, whose brows already showed a hint of sternness, into the palace.

The old state preceptor advised the emperor in his prime, stating directly that the Sixth Prince Yin Chaosheng's fate was flawed, bearing yin evil, would drain the dragon energy, endangering the foundation of the state.

The emperor, obsessed with mystic arts, actually believed this and, via secret methods, forcibly reversed Yin Chaosheng's fate.

From then on, there was no Sixth Prince Yin Chaosheng in the imperial palace; only the "Red Yin Princess" bestowed a name by the old state preceptor, whose identity was awkward.

And the empress who gave birth to him, after regaining the empress position for only a few years, was again charged with witchcraft, thrown into the cold palace, and died suddenly there five years later.

Coincidentally, at that time the emperor's health was failing, the old state preceptor again advised, saying that the Red Yin Princess's fate bore the solitary evil, harming kin and state; if not checked, it would likely damage the emperor's dragon body and disturb the dragon energy.

In just a few scenes, this was the fifteen years of torment and distortion that Yin Chaosheng personally experienced as a 'person'.

He had not yet awakened his ghost king memories; in this man-eating court, his identity unclear, gender ambiguous, everyone regarded him as ominous, and anyone could trample him with contempt.

Having been called princess for a long time, amid those malicious, indifferent gazes, even he himself often felt dazed, unable to tell whether he was male or female.

He couldn't even tell what he was.

That year, the old state preceptor passed away, and his female disciple succeeded him as state preceptor.

She presented the ailing emperor with a miraculous elixir, and frankly stated that between the emperor and the princess, their dragon energies clashed; only one could remain.

Whether it was the initial reversal of his fate or now being pushed forward as a sacrifice to prolong life, Yin Chaosheng was never within the realm of choice; he was forever the one discarded.

Jin Chen watched these scenes, suddenly recalling how, in the ghost city's bizarre jars, Yin Chaosheng was always so obstinate, even self-abusive, repeatedly forcing him to make choices.

Jin Chen felt a pang of sorrow and softly sighed, seeing Yin Chaosheng dressed in striking red attire, his brows and eyes dead still.

The bright yellow imperial edict was issued, granting the princess to sacrifice her life for His Majesty, and she voluntarily requested to be cast into the well.

The well...

In Jin Chen's mind, a flash passed over the cold palace courtyard, that deep, desolate well beside the swing frame!

His pupils trembled, the scene before his eyes shifted, and it was precisely the day Yin Chaosheng received the edict.

Outside the cold palace, the National Teacher and his disciples had already surrounded it completely, swords drawn, cold light glinting, leaving Yin Chaosheng no chance to escape.

Yin Chaosheng, clad in elaborate red robes, held the edict that determined his fate, step by step, walking slowly and stiffly toward the well that had been prepared in advance with a soul-seizing forbidden spell.

On his other side, generous sunlight poured onto that lone swing.

The swing sat empty, swaying gently in the breeze.

Jin Chen watched helplessly, unable to dwell on the fact that this was merely an unchangeable past.

Nor could he consider himself merely a bystander.

How could he be just a bystander?

Jin Chen rushed into the illusion.

Clang!

Jin Chen snatched a longsword from a disciple's hand, pointing the blade at the National Teacher standing there.

The National Teacher turned his head in bewilderment, unable to comprehend this sudden change.

Jin Chen was already furious, and now his moves were fierce, containing power not belonging to the illusion; in just a few exchanges, the National Teacher and the disciples beside her, in this chaotic scene, like smoke scattered by the wind, Distorted and vanished.

Jin Chen turned around.

Yin Chaosheng already stood at the edge of the well; one more step forward would mean eternal damnation.

Jin Chen extended his hand to him, a comforting gentleness.

"The water in the well is cold," he said.

"Come down."

The boy standing at the well's edge twitched his eyelashes, slowly turned his head, and gazed at the sudden appearance of this strange man.

His voice was dry, his tone filled with the despair instilled over a long time.

"Who are you? They say... my father emperor is gravely ill, all because of me, only if I die..."

"The emperor has nothing to do with me."

Jin Chen stepped closer, extended his hand, and held the boy's icy fingers with great care.

A faint warmth came from his fingertips, making Jin Chen's heart pang, and he recalled that in Ghost City, Yin Chaosheng's eternally icy body temperature came from being soaked in the well water.

"I only want to save you." Jin Chen looked at him, saying each word deliberately.

The boy at the well tilted his head, his memories gradually overlapping with the nightmare.

Yin Chaosheng looked at Jin Chen, then suddenly broke into a smile; the smile shattered the numb stillness on his face, bringing a hint of relief.

It seemed that in this endless cycle of pain and waiting, what he sought was precisely this moment.

It was this person.

【Detected Villain Blackening Value -20, total 36!】

【Detected Villain Heartthrob Value +10, total 90!】

Yin Chaosheng hesitated no more, leaping from the well's edge, not falling into the dark abyss but throwing himself into Jin Chen's embrace.

In that instant, the surrounding icy, dilapidated palace and everything in it shattered like broken glass, fragment by fragment, completely vanishing.

Opening his eyes again,

Jin Chen still sat on the faded swing, Yin Chaosheng leaning in his arms, the afterglow of the setting sun stretching their shadows long.

Jin Chen lowered his head, his fingertip gently brushing the moisture at the corners of Yin Chaosheng's eyes; Yin Chaosheng sensed it, the corners of his eyes reddening as he stared steadily at Jin Chen.

Jin Chen's heart softened slightly, and he leaned in to kiss.

Yin Chaosheng tightly wrapped his arms around Jin Chen's neck; in the fervent heat of their entwined lips and tongues, Jin Chen felt Tears continually welling from his tightly closed eyelids, sliding down his cheeks.

Yin Chaosheng's Tears flowed ever more fiercely, as if to wash away in this single kiss all the grievance and despair of hundreds of years.

The deeper he kissed, the more violently his Tears flowed, wishing to never be separated from the sole warm salvation.

On the other side of the imperial palace,

Fu Lingjing nearly rolled and crawled his way into the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

His face was agitated and distorted, his chest heaved violently; just moments ago, the mysterious immortal in his mind finally forcibly broke through the forbidden spell Jin Chen had set.

〖Trash! I've expended so much effort to help you; if you mess up again, you'll bear the consequences! 〗 The immortal was very contemptuous.

"National Teacher! National Teacher!"

Fu Lingjing fell to his knees with a thud, "I have secret news to report: the Scarlet Yin Princess—no, she isn't a princess at all! She is……"

The force that had previously blocked his speech surged again, tightening his throat; Fu Lingjing, relying on the immortal's aid, forcibly broke through the obstruction and let out a hoarse shout.

"He is Yin Chaosheng, the master of Ghost City, Yin Chaosheng!!"

"What!"

The National Teacher seated at the head slammed his palm on the table and sprang up, "Yin Chaosheng is the master of Ghost City?"

The National Teacher of course knew the Scarlet Yin Princess was named Yin Chaosheng, but……

Scarlet Yin Princess.

Master of Ghost City.

These two utterly unrelated identities suddenly overlapped; the details she had overlooked linked together—the timing of the princess's awakening, the icy aura unlike that of ordinary people, Jin Chen's abnormal demeanor, the old emperor's sudden severe illness……

Damn it.

And her master, the deceased old National Teacher, had countless times muttered his plan before his death.

So that's how it is! So that's how it is!

The old National Teacher back then had reversed Yin Chaosheng's life pattern; it wasn't simply to suppress some yin evil, but to use this body bearing a special life pattern as a vessel, as a bridge linking yin and yang, to steal the imperial dragon aura and the mortal world's fortune.

Perhaps the old National Teacher hadn't expected it, but Yin Chaosheng is actually the Ghost King… No, he had expected it; otherwise why would he have given Yin Chaosheng the name Chi Yin?

The National Teacher is rather muddled.

She frowned, unable to figure out how the old National Teacher back then actually had something hidden from her.

Now this Ghost King dares to return to the yang world in the guise of a princess, sneaking into the imperial palace…

What does he intend? To overthrow imperial authority, or to completely break through the yin-yang boundary?

Either way, I will absolutely not allow it!

The National Teacher's hesitation vanished, replaced by an almost fanatical resolve to kill.

She must seize this opportunity to eradicate the greatest hidden danger once and for all, eliminating future trouble.

"Issue the order!"

The National Teacher's solemn shout spread throughout the National Teacher's Hall, spreading out to every part of the imperial palace.

"All disciples, all talented persons stationed in the palace, gather immediately."

She stepped out of the hall, her figure hovering in midair, her long robe snapping in the night wind, her voice like rolling thunder spreading through the court.

"The Lord of Ghost City has sneaked into the palace, plotting rebellion; this ghost is a source of chaos that disrupts yin and yang, endangering the very origin of all beings. Follow me to slay this ghost, break Ghost City, and restore clarity to the world!"

"Slay the Ghost King! Break Ghost City!"

For a time, echoes of assent rose and fell.

Countless figures shot out from every part of the imperial palace—sword light, talismans, the glow of magical artifacts tearing through the night sky, surging toward the Cold Palace.

A killing aura enveloped the entire imperial capital.