Chapter 56#
Giving Away#
Dazzling golden flames dispelled all chill and restrained Li Guanghan’s sword qi.
In an instant, the cold wind within the hanging platform dissipated, as if the initial sun was rising and the ice and snow were melting.
Amidst the noisy discussions of the guests, Yin Yuheng curled his fingers that had just been frozen, and a trace of deep thought slid through his eyes.
—This scene was a bit stimulating.
Whether it was Li Guanghan or Zhu Anning, the way they lost their composure when meeting him as a substitute was not at all like they loathed the protagonist.
Rather, it was like a deep-rooted obsession, longing but unobtained, and missing turned into madness.
How did the plot skew to this extent? Yin Yuheng blinked, deliberately glanced at Li Guanghan with a pale face, then looked back at the arriving Xue Ciling.
“City Lord…”
Yin Yuheng took a step toward Xue Ciling, but the other person slightly turned his head and avoided his eyes.
Yin Yuheng sensitively noticed the other’s avoidance and stopped in his tracks.
He held the ghostly green Blue Sky Attraction, standing in the middle of the hall, looking helpless and blank.
But Li Guanghan didn’t care about a counterfeit’s helplessness. Li Guanghan raised his head, his face darkening slightly: “Lu Yan, what are you doing?”
Lu Yan.
Hearing this name, Yin Yuheng’s hand holding the Blue Sky Attraction tightened. The surrounding guests suddenly went quiet, and their gazes instantly became scorching.
The Demon Emperor, Lu Yan, was a legend in the cultivation world. Almost overnight, this originally low-key name became known to everyone.
The change of throne was always a major event, and the chaotic situation of the Demon Clan some days ago had spawned countless versions that spread in all directions. It was said that the Golden Crow fire that rose to the sky on the Three Barren Mountains that day had burned countless bones of the rebels; it was also said that Lu Yan held the Dark Feather Sword to split the long night, and the scorching sun shone on more than a dozen provinces of the Demon Clan. It was said that he was on good terms with the Li Dynasty, perhaps an exchange of interests, perhaps mutual exploitation, with various opinions.
People recounted countless rumors about Lu Yan: indifferent and aloof, moody, arbitrary, and decisive in killing… in short, in people’s hearts, this new Emperor should also be like the previous Demon Emperor, a noble, detached, and fierce Golden Crow.
Various speculations surfaced in the hearts of the people around. Since Li Guanghan shouted this name, no one spoke again. Everyone was respectful, fearful, and curious, holding their breath and looking up along Li Guanghan’s gaze.
On the high level of the hanging platform, one person leaned against the railing and looked. Black clothes sprinkled with gold, ink hair tied high, and he was elegant and solemn. His eyes were indifferent, looking down coldly from the high place. Some people couldn’t help but lower their heads, a sense of self-deprecation appearing in their hearts.
Almost everyone’s heart flashed a thought: he indeed was as detached as rumored, and the ruler who commanded ten thousand demons should look like this.
Except for Yin Yuheng.
He raised his head with the others, staring at the figure above, his heart beating faster and faster.
The other’s features seemed like the person he had once seen in a dream, carrying a lantern through the darkness and walking toward him.
But Yin Yuheng inexplicably felt that the person shouldn’t look like this.
He should be vigorous and high-spirited, free and easy; he should be gentle and concerned, with sincere eyes. Rather than as he was now, as if distanced from the whole world, silent and lonely.
—From those indifferent eyes, what Yin Yuheng saw was not detachment, but loneliness.
Yin Yuheng felt his heart tightening bit by bit, and he felt uncomfortable in a way he couldn’t describe. At a certain moment, he had an urge to call out the other’s name and get closer to him.
In the next moment, he collided with the other’s sharp and cold gaze. Yin Yuheng suddenly woke up and instinctively lowered his head.
Before he could think carefully, Li Guanghan beside him coldly spoke: “Lu Yan, why are you interfering? What, do you still want to protect a counterfeit?”
Xue Ciling, who had just walked over, changed his face and hurriedly looked at Yin Yuheng, only to see the other person with his head lowered, appearing to be in disbelief.
…… ……
“What do you mean… counterfeit?”
As the youth spoke, the gazes of everyone present converged on him. He seemed pained by these countless gazes and took a step back with a pale face. He frantically grabbed Xue Ciling’s clothes, his voice trembling: “City Lord?”
Xue Ciling opened his mouth, but could say nothing.
“Didn’t you say I… said I was injured and lost my memory…” Yin Yuheng said in a daze, “You said I was originally your Daoist companion…”
Xue Ciling’s hand trembled, and he instinctively reached out to cover Yin Yuheng’s mouth, barking in a low voice: “Shut up!”
Yin Yuheng opened his eyes wide, in disbelief.
“Daoist companion?” Li Guanghan’s gaze turned toward Xue Ciling, his expression mocking, “How come I didn’t know that Yuheng had a Daoist companion like you?”
What fell along with his voice was also a wild sword qi.
Li Guanghan was after all a Penglai Sword Sovereign, his cultivation far above Xue Ciling’s. Xue Ciling found it difficult to dodge, let out a muffled groan, and swallowed the blood in his throat.
Li Guanghan raised his sword, using the hilt to push aside Xue Ciling’s hand, and lifted Yin Yuheng’s chin, revealing a look of disdain: “I thought it was something, turned out it’s just a puppet…”
Puppet.
Yin Yuheng’s eyes widened slightly.
“So… that’s how it is… no wonder…”
Yin Yuheng didn’t say the subsequent words, but Xue Ciling understood his meaning.
No wonder since he climbed Kunwu Mountain, some people always said some strange things.
No wonder in the City Lord’s Manor, the attitude of the maids was hesitant to speak.
No wonder he couldn’t perceive heat or cold, and even when he was injured, he didn’t bleed.
Xue Ciling was inexplicably a bit panicked: “No, don’t think too much…”
“Xue Ciling, I look like a fool, don’t I?” Yin Yuheng interrupted him, laughing self-deprecatingly, “Even with so many clues, I kept believing your words… everyone else knows the truth, only I was kept in the dark.”
“I’m just a puppet, a substitute made according to someone else’s appearance…”
Even the name “Yin Yuheng” was not his own.
“I’m just a complete counterfeit… you all are looking through me at another person.”
That person was dazzling, the moonlight that everyone chased; while he was untender, he even had to wear a veiled hat when going out.
Yin Yuheng looked at Xue Ciling, the light in his eyes dissipating bit by bit, like withered wood that had lost its spiritual energy. Not long ago, he was still smiling and calling the City Lord on the top of Kunwu Mountain, full of joy; however, in a short time, he discovered that the person for whom he went to get the Blue Sky Attraction had never had the slightest sincerity for him.
“No…” Xue Ciling instinctively wanted to grab Yin Yuheng’s hand, but was avoided.
Xue Ciling froze.
The truth was uncovered in a cruel way, and Yin Yuheng turned his head and closed his eyes. He seemed to want to cry, but a puppet had no tears. His black hair was scattered over his white clothes, making his whole person look delicate and fragile.
Li Guanghan’s sword hilt pressed against his chin, and he said indifferently: “I don’t need an imitation.”
What Li Guanghan hated most were counterfeits.
If it weren’t for Zhu Anning’s deception, he wouldn’t have hurt Yuheng so deeply. Every time he thought of this, Li Guanghan felt he was going mad with regret. No matter how many times he tortured Zhu Anning, it was difficult to forget the scene of Yuheng lying in a pool of blood at that time, heart-rending.
Li Guanghan’s sword edge turned and suddenly slashed toward Yin Yuheng. However, in the next instant, it was blocked by another surge of spiritual power.
“Lu Yan!” Demonic energy churned in Li Guanghan’s heart.
…… ……
Lu Yan didn’t even look at Li Guanghan. He leapt down from upstairs, his black hair flying, his long eyebrows slightly raised. He landed in front of Yin Yuheng and suddenly said: “Are you okay?”
Yin Yuheng was stunned, and inexplicably, he couldn’t quite continue his act of sorrow and despair, and shook his head.
“That’s good,” Lu Yan’s tone was indifferent and aloof, “it’s not your fault.”
Yin Yuheng was stunned for an instant before reacting to Lu Yan’s meaning. The other was telling him that looking like “Yin Yuheng” and being treated as a substitute was not his fault. There was no reason because of this that he should die.
Yin Yuheng hadn’t expected Lu Yan to say this and was somewhat surprised.
Yin Yuheng could detect Lu Yan’s rejection and distance. Seeing a substitute who looked almost exactly like his beloved, this person’s inner anger was certainly not less than Li Guanghan’s. But the other still restrained his murderous intent and said to him, It’s not your fault.
Lu Yan paused, then gently added a sentence: “If Yuheng were here, he would also think so.”
After Lu Yan finished speaking, he turned and no longer looked at him. However, before turning around, he suddenly said as if inadvertently: “A-Heng, right?”
Yin Yuheng: “…En?”
Lu Yan lowered his eyes and shook his head: “Nothing, I’m overthinking.”
…… ……
Lu Yan turned his head, his thumb gently rubbing his tiger’s mouth, and his mouth curled in a self-deprecating way.
He was indeed too lovesick, so much so that he had delusions and fantasies.
How could it be possible.
He no longer looked at that youth. The more he looked, the more he couldn’t suppress the pain and anger in his heart.
Lu Yan suddenly raised his eyes and said: “City Lord Xue, I agree to your deal. I’ll take him and the Blue Sky Attraction away.”
Lu Yan pointed at Yin Yuheng.
Xue Ciling’s face suddenly turned green: “Didn’t we agree before that only the Blue Sky Attraction…”
“The spiritual treasure recognizes its master,” Lu Yan said indifferently, “only the person who picked up the Blue Sky Attraction can exert its spiritual power.”
Lu Yan’s eyes were somewhat similar to Xue Ciling’s, but there was a kind of calmness and unquestionableness that Xue Ciling did not have: “So he, I must take away.”
Xue Ciling’s breathing was slightly hitched.
……
The whole banquet hall was eerily quiet.
Yin Yuheng blinked slowly, thinking to himself, so he was about to be given away by Xue Ciling?
As a substitute, being given to someone else as a tool to save a person—if he guessed correctly, the one being saved was precisely that white moonlight of everyone, the Crown Prince of the Li Dynasty.
I’m so pitiful, Yin Yuheng thought not very sincerely.