Chapter 63#
Imperial Brother#
Feelings arise without reason and go deeper. Lu Yan seemed to have gained some comfort from Yin Yuheng’s words, and he barely managed to produce a faint smile.
Today, Lu Yan and Yin Yuheng spoke clearly, and it could be considered a “gentleman’s agreement.” The two looked at each other and actually felt a bit more at ease, not as awkward as before.
But Lu Yan was ultimately unwilling to look at Yin Yuheng too much. Every time he saw the other, Lu Yan would think of the past, which was an endless torment for him.
Lu Yan was about to depart when Yin Yuheng suddenly called him back.
Yin Yuheng said indifferently: “The Fox Tribe, and the demons who are on good terms with the Fox Tribe, Your Majesty, pay more attention.”
Yin Yuheng knew that Li Hu had deliberately approached him, but he was without relatives or friends and couldn’t think of any use for himself. After a bit of thought, Yin Yuheng guessed that Li Hu was mostly coming for Lu Yan.
But he had no evidence in his hand, and Lu Yan might not believe his words. Yin Yuheng had hesitated about how to say this to Lu Yan, and today he couldn’t help but mention it vaguely. Lu Yan was a smart person, and Yin Yuheng felt that if he touched upon it, Lu Yan would be able to grasp his meaning.
Lu Yan was startled, and truly understood the implication in Yin Yuheng’s words. He said nothing, only nodded.
Lu Yan and Yin Yuheng looked at each other, and in an instant, actually felt a trace of familiar tacit understanding.
…
Although Li Hu had many small calculations behind the scenes, on the surface he indeed looked like an innocent little young master who was oblivious to the world.
As usual, he came to find Yin Yuheng to talk about some gossip from all directions. He was well-informed, and the news from the Li Dynasty was told as if he had seen it with his own eyes.
“Something happened in Chaoge!” Li Hu said with great interest, “the Royal Family and the National Preceptor’s Manor have broken up.”
Yin Yuheng didn’t paint today and started to study brewing tea. Anyway, he was bored in the Demon Clan, and no one cared about him if he acted according to his own wishes. While pouring the emerald-green tea soup onto the tea pet, he asked casually: “Oh?”
“Ever since the Crown Prince fell into an accident and the second princess of the Li Dynasty, Yin Xuanji, took power, she has been investigating what happened to her younger brother, and somehow traced it back to Li Guanghan,” Li Hu said, his eyes flashing with the look of someone who wished for the world to be in chaos, “it’s said she went to the National Preceptor’s Manor with a sword right then.”
Yin Yuheng’s hand stopped pouring tea: “And then?”
In terms of cultivation alone, Yin Xuanji and Li Guanghan were far apart and she would suffer.
Yin Yuheng frowned.
“And then? Then it’s extremely absurd,” Li Hu whispered with a laugh, “it’s said—just said, okay—this Transformation Stage powerhouse, Li Guanghan, was publicly pierced through the shoulder with a sword by the second princess, with blood covering half his body, and he didn’t return a single strike.”
Yin Yuheng’s features relaxed and he was silent.
Li Hu continued with high spirits: “This isn’t over yet. I heard that after the second princess sheathed her sword and returned to the palace that day, by a stroke of luck, the first prince, Yin Shaozhuo, just happened to end his seclusion and broke through.”
“It’s said the first thing the first prince said upon ending his seclusion was to ask about his brother. As a result, he met Yin Xuanji, who was returning aggressively with a sword, and hearing what happened, he killed his way to the National Preceptor’s Manor like a madman. No one knows what happened next, as Li Guanghan remained behind closed doors and the National Preceptor’s Manor didn’t see outside guests… but I heard that when the first prince left that day, there was blood on his sword.”
Li Hu narrowed his eyes and summarized: “No one knows what kind of wicked things Li Guanghan did to the Crown Prince, that when the family members came to his door, he only dared to lower his head and apologize, letting them hit and punish as they pleased.”
Li Guanghan was the National Preceptor of the Li Dynasty, and people in the court didn’t dare to gossip about him. However, Li Hu was far away in the Demon Clan and didn’t fear him, instead happily watching the show.
Yin Yuheng listened, absent-mindedly smiling along.
He remembered the ending of Yin Shaozhuo and Yin Xuanji in the original book.
He suddenly felt a bit weary and said: “I’m a bit tired, little young master, shall we gather another day?”
Li Hu saw his lack of spirit and didn’t think much of it, telling him to rest well before leaving.
…
Yin Yuheng was indeed tired.
He also didn’t know why he was so exhausted, and lying on the bed, he soon fell into a deep sleep. But his sleep was not peaceful, and by midnight, he even began to dream.
In the dream was a scene of wind and snow. Yin Yuheng stared blankly at the snow not far away, where a person lay.
That person was already dead, his chest full of startling red blood, seemingly having just breathed his last.
That person’s appearance was exactly the same as Yin Yuheng’s.
Someone rushed over from a distance.
The wind on the snowy plains was so cold, and the usually mature and steady Yin Shaozhuo roared as he split the wind and snow, throwing himself forward in a panic, and finding that his younger brother’s body had lost its temperature. Angered to his core, he vomited blood on the spot.
“How could this be, how could this be…”
Yin Shaozhuo couldn’t accept the fact and was on the verge of collapse.
“Who is it!?”
“The younger brother I doted on since he was little, back then if his hand had even a small cut, I would feel distressed for a long time…” Yin Shaozhuo vomited blood, his tears having run dry, “How dared they… how dared they treat you like this? How dared they let you bleed so much?”
The onlookers had already dispersed, and heaven and earth were only a vast expanse of white snow. Only Lu Yan stood not far away, looking down at the sword in his hand, the blood on the tip of the sword already frozen dry. Yin Shaozhuo looked up abruptly, staring at him intensely: “Is it you?”
“…Yes.”
The wind and snow blurred Lu Yan’s expression, only his voice could be heard as if about to dissipate in the wind: “…Sorry.”
“I’ll kill you!” Yin Shaozhuo wanted to strike out with his sword like a madman, but the sword in his hand sank, and he vomited another mouthful of blood.
“You can’t defeat me, and you can’t defeat Li Guanghan.” Lu Yan’s voice had no fluctuation, just stating the fact.
“With the strength of the whole country, why not!” Yin Shaozhuo roared.
He was of the Royal Family; if he were willing to do so at any cost, using the national fortune to pile up his cultivation and command the people of the Human Clan to kill the Demon Emperor, then even for cultivators standing at the peak like Li Guanghan and Lu Yan, life would definitely not be easy.
Lu Yan however said: “To damage the world for one person, A-Heng wouldn’t be willing. He worked so hard, wasn’t it precisely for…”
“He’s my brother!” Yin Shaozhuo was mad with hatred, unable to listen to Lu Yan at all, and said in pain, “You’re also worthy of calling him A-Heng? How did he ever let you down, that you should treat him like this? Lu Yan, one day, I will surely kill you—”
Lu Yan was silent.
After a long time, Lu Yan’s voice finally sounded, as light as a breeze.
“No need, no need for so much trouble, I will accompany him… wait for me.”
Yin Shaozhuo stared at him in disbelief, and after a long time, lowered his head again. He no longer looked at Lu Yan, picking up Yin Yuheng and rising unsteadily.
“Brother came late… sorry. You must be cursing me in your heart, right?”
“You’re so afraid of the cold… how could you die in the snow?”
“Brother’s taking you away… the almond cakes are kept for you… the peach blossoms in Chaoge have bloomed, didn’t you like them most? Your sister is also waiting for you to return, she brought small fried fish from Lizhou for you, saying you’ll surely like it.”
“Let’s go home, brother…”
Yin Shaozhuo tried to hold his brother’s body in his arms to warm it, but tears hit Yin Yuheng’s face and were frozen into frost and snow by a gust of wind.
Yin Shaozhuo gnashed his teeth.
He hated himself for being in seclusion and leaving Yin Yuheng alone, and even more hated himself for believing those people’s lies after waking up, thinking his brother had an accident while cultivating and was in a coma. Who knew someone had stolen his precious brother, brought him to a place where he couldn’t see, and humiliated him like this?
He was going to take his brother home.
Lu Yan watched his figure recede, motionless, standing in the heavy snow for a full three days.
…
Yin Yuheng woke up with a start, leaning on the bedside and panting hurriedly.
His head had a splitting headache and his whole body was stiff, murmuring in a daze: “Brother!”
Naturally no one answered.
After half a day, Yin Yuheng finally cleared his mind.
His face was pale, staring blankly at the bedside, until the horizon turned white and Oriole entered the room to call him to get up.
Oriole was startled by his face: “Young Master, are you sick?”
Yin Yuheng slowly shook his head.
“If your body is unwell, don’t force yourself,” Oriole said with concern, “shall I accompany Young Master for a walk?”
Yin Yuheng again shook his head: “I… I want to be quiet on my own.”
A thousand threads of thoughts made it hard to be at peace.
Oriole couldn’t say anything more, so she just exhorted a few words and left.
Yin Yuheng got out of bed alone, walking silently on a deserted small path. After an unknown amount of time, the suffocating sadness in the dream finally gradually faded.
Looking up, he was startled to find that he had unknowingly gone down the mountain and was no longer within the protective array of the Three Barren Mountains.
Yin Yuheng rubbed his brow with a bitter smile, intending to return. Just as he took a step, he suddenly heard a joyful voice from afar: “Yuheng!”
Yuheng?
Ever since he came to the Demon Clan, everyone called him Bai Heng; those two words hadn’t been heard for a long time.
Yin Yuheng raised his eyebrows and turned around, his hem drawing a slight arc in the wind. Amidst the branches and leaves, he saw a familiar person.
It was actually Xue Ciling.
…
Xue Ciling’s fingertips were tingling with excitement, and his throat was dry.
From the Demon Realm to the Demon Clan, it was more than thousands of miles. Fortunately his cultivation was profound and he could shrink the earth into inches; seeking all the way wasn’t too difficult. What’s more, no matter how far or difficult the road was, it wasn’t as difficult as the bitter lovesickness that felt like a burning heart.
He missed Yin Yuheng, missed him to madness. He had never obtained warmth before, and although it was hard to endure, he could barely manage. But he didn’t know that losing warmth again after having obtained it would hurt to this extent.
That pain was uncontrollable and there was no escape, the only antidote being Yin Yuheng. Yet this antidote was used as a bargaining chip by him and given to others to toy with.
How could he have lost Yin Yuheng? What substitute, what Crown Prince… Yin Yuheng was never a so-called substitute, but the most precious gift in his lonely life. It was just that he was blind and missed it.
He wanted to make up for his mistake. He wanted to find Yin Yuheng, apologize to him, beg for his forgiveness… he wanted to take Yin Yuheng away.
“Yuheng…” Xue Ciling said foolishly, “I’ve searched for you for a long time, but there was no way to get onto the Three Barren Mountains… fortunately, fortunately, I’ve met you today…”
Heaven took pity and allowed him to see Yin Yuheng again.
“How have you been?” Xue Ciling clenched his fists, his voice trembling, “I heard the Demon Emperor is cold and cruel, is he not good to you?”
After all, Yin Yuheng and the Crown Prince looked so much alike; how much humiliation he suffered in Lu Yan’s hands, Xue Ciling could imagine.
“Yuheng, you…”
Yin Yuheng suddenly took a step back.
This step made Xue Ciling’s heart sink to the bottom.