Chapter 67#

Recognition#

Lu Yan was stunned.

In an instant, it felt as if heaven and earth had turned upside down, and the sun and moon had lost their light.

The Golden Crow Divine Fire was still swaying submissively, yet it was like an easterly wind blowing on flowing fire, scorching Lu Yan’s internal organs, his three souls, and seven spirits. Thunder roared in his ears, and all the sounds of the world became distorted; he could only see Yin Yuheng’s clear eyes and his slightly opening and closing lips.

He couldn’t hear, and he had lost the ability to think. He only tremblingly reached out his hand, but at the moment before his fingertips touched the other party, he stopped again, lost and dejected.

—Is it a hallucination?

He had had many dreams where Yin Yuheng walked towards him with a smile, appearing both real and illusory, only to dissipate like dew when he embraced him in ecstasy. He was afraid that the person in front of him was also just a dream, beyond reach.

“Yuheng—?”

A layer of mist covered his eyes, and a trace of trembling vocal sound squeezed out of his throat. He called out in trepidation, afraid that a louder voice would shatter the dream, and also afraid that if he were a step slower, he would miss his sweetheart.

In Yin Yuheng’s eyes, Lu Yan’s fragile appearance was reflected.

Yin Yuheng had just finished using the Biluo Yin, and his spiritual energy was over-exhausted. He was suffering from a severe headache and didn’t react for a moment, his fingers subconsciously releasing that feather as he looked blank for a second: “Hmm?”

Why did Lu Yan suddenly call him that? Could it be that the blow was too great, and seeing someone who looked like his “white moonlight” had driven him mad?

Yin Yuheng’s heart tightened, and he tested cautiously: “Your Majesty?”

A concerned yet distant form of address.

Lu Yan suddenly snapped awake and grabbed Yin Yuheng’s wrist, using so much force that a red mark immediately appeared on the other’s fair skin.

It wasn’t a hallucination.

Lu Yan felt an impulse to weep with joy. His gaze was still vacant, but the corners of his mouth tightened unconsciously. His spiritual power surged into Yin Yuheng’s sea of consciousness, both forcefully and with extreme care, and continued deeper to probe Yin Yuheng’s soul.

Yin Yuheng was stunned for a moment but didn’t resist.

Lu Yan couldn’t help but tremble. He had done something similar when he was repairing Yin Yuheng’s soul. At that time, he only felt a slight sense of familiarity from Yin Yuheng, but now, sensing carefully, it was as if the clouds had parted to reveal the moon—at a certain moment, a layer of invisible barrier seemed to be broken. The feeling that the other party’s soul and sea of consciousness gave him was clearly his Yuheng.

Appearance can deceive, but the marks branded on the soul cannot.

He should have recognized him long ago—why had he only discovered it now?

“Why… A-Heng…”

He couldn’t say a complete sentence, only maintaining a half-kneeling posture, deathly gripping Yin Yuheng’s wrist. His throat was dry and painful, and his vision was a blur. He was afraid that if he let go, Yin Yuheng would disappear.

Yin Yuheng subconsciously wanted to pull his wrist away. Just as he moved slightly, a look of helplessness appeared on Lu Yan’s face.

“A-Heng, don’t go…”

Yin Yuheng said hesitantly: “…Your Majesty, you’ve recognized the wrong person.”

“No, I haven’t.” Lu Yan’s lips trembled.

Once that layer of paper covering his eyes was peeled away, all the clues began to connect at this moment.

the similarity in the details of the other’s features, the tone and cadence of his speech, his small habits and movements, and the name “Bai Heng”… all pointed towards the other’s true identity.

What puppet… Xue Ciling was merely a city lord of the Demon Realm and had only met the Crown Prince of the Li Dynasty a few times. How could he possibly manufacture a puppet that looked so much like the Crown Prince? How could he know so many details?

All the clues were clearly laid out before his eyes…

It was he who had been timid and over-cautious, afraid of both gain and loss, not daring to face the facts, and thus missing the sweetheart right in front of him.

Lu Yan stared fixedly at Yin Yuheng. Under the surge of great joy and great sorrow, his blood churned, and blood welled up from the corners of his mouth, soaking Lu Yan’s lapel. While coughing up blood, he let out a self-deprecating laugh.

“I actually… I actually didn’t recognize you…”

It was laughable that his obsession was so deep that it instead caused him many misgivings, not daring to have wishful thoughts, such that he was blinded by a single leaf and had missed his Yuheng for so long.

“Yuheng…” Lu Yan leaned half-way against the bed, gazing infatuatedly at Yin Yuheng, “Why, why were you unwilling to recognize me?”

Without waiting for Yin Yuheng’s answer, the light in Lu Yan’s eyes gradually faded.

“You blame me, don’t you? I did many things wrong, and you don’t want to recognize me anymore,” Lu Yan murmured, “I’m sorry, I… I…”

Confused thoughts made Lu Yan tremble uncontrollably. His longing over many days had already surged into a tide, becoming difficult to suppress, making him want to embrace the other party regardless of everything. Yet he didn’t dare to take another step forward. The joy of regaining what was lost turned into the pain of worrying about losing it again in an instant.

The Demon Emperor, who everyone called cold and heartless, now lowered his head, the mist in his eyes finally gathering into tears that were about to fall: “A-Heng… I’m sorry…”

*

Yin Yuheng blinked and stopped the words he wanted to say.

Using the Biluo Yin had exhausted too much of his mental energy, making his usually quick thinking much more sluggish. He endured the headache from over-consuming spiritual energy, yet he still perceived that Lu Yan’s emotions were very unstable right now.

Even just a single heartless sentence from him would be enough to push the other party into the abyss of emotional collapse.

Reasonlessly, Yin Yuheng felt a pang in his heart.

“…” Yin Yuheng was silent for a moment, then gently took Lu Yan’s hand, “I am here.”

Just three simple words, yet Lu Yan was truly comforted. He lowered his head and rubbed his cheek against Yin Yuheng’s hand: “A-Heng.”

Yin Yuheng pursed his lips and finally said: “Your Majesty, let’s go back to the Three Desolate Mountains first.”

Lu Yan’s status was special, and this matter involved both the Human and Demon races. Before things were cleared up, they had to be handled carefully.

Lu Yan was in a daze and subconsciously listened to Yin Yuheng’s words, nodding his head. Yin Yuheng endured his headache to stand up, and Lu Yan also stood up staggering, with no intention of letting go. Yin Yuheng sighed and, leading Lu Yan, prepared to go out.

However, when Yin Yuheng pushed open the door and Yin Shaozhuo’s voice came from outside, Lu Yan suddenly blushed and let go of his hand.

*

The First Prince, Yin Shaozhuo, had been waiting in the small pavilion outside the door.

The pavilion was shaded by lush green bamboo, casting mottled shadows on the ground. The bamboo had been planted by Yin Yuheng in the past. Although the East Palace was now without a master, the palace servants still cared for it meticulously, unwilling to let these precious bamboos suffer any mishaps.

The Crown Prince was in a deep sleep, but many people still missed him in their hearts.

On the table in the pavilion were small snacks like almond cakes, all of which were favorites of Yin Yuheng. Yin Shaozhuo sat rigidly at the table, his face tensed with nervousness, a thin layer of sweat faintly appearing.

The Second Princess, Yin Xuanji, was tossing and turning, unable to sit still. Several times she wanted to open the door and go in, but she feared disturbing the process of the Biluo Yin’s soul-calling. Finally, she simply sat on a stool and sighed repeatedly.

“It’s all my fault for not protecting my little brother well back then,” Yin Shaozhuo stared at the almond cakes on the table, his tone dejected, “If I had known, I shouldn’t have gone into seclusion… when the accident happened, my little brother didn’t even have a single person he could rely on by his side.”

Yin Xuanji appeared calmer than Yin Shaozhuo: “Enough, you’ve said that a hundred times. Dwelling on it is useless; the important thing is whether our little brother can wake up this time.”

She had always hated the strictly regulated imperial palace and longed for the diverse world. In twelve months of a year, she might not even stay home for a full twenty days. However, since Yin Yuheng’s accident, she had never left Chaoge. She had even renovated the Princess’s Mansion, looking as if she intended to stay for a long time.

As Yin Shaozhuo changed the cold tea in the pot for the third time, he heard the creak of the door opening from ahead. His hand weakened, and with a clang, he dropped the small copper pot onto the table. Yin Xuanji also stood up hurriedly, only to see a cyan hem of a robe floating out from behind the door as a person stepped out. When that person raised his eyes, those eyes that were full of affection without even smiling met theirs.

*

The imperial palace was, after all, not a place one could just leave; at least one should bid farewell to the owner of the place. Yin Yuheng originally wanted to bow to the First Prince to say goodbye and apologize for failing to wake the Crown Prince. However, before he could speak, he first saw Yin Shaozhuo’s reddened eyes.

“Li… Little brother.” Yin Shaozhuo’s lips trembled as he murmured.

Had this person also recognized him as the Crown Prince?

Yin Yuheng was slightly stunned, feeling an indescribable sense of familiarity and closeness toward the person in front of him. This sense of closeness made him stand in place, not dodging when Yin Xuanji rushed forward.

“Little brother!” Yin Xuanji changed her previous calmness, clutching Yin Yuheng’s shoulders and bursting into tears.

Yin Yuheng was stiff all over, his heart feeling inexplicably sour because of Yin Xuanji’s tears. He couldn’t move or push her away. He seemed to have realized something, but he still said hesitantly: “You might have recognized the wrong person…”

Yin Xuanji slapped his back and sobbed: “What nonsense are you talking? How could I not recognize you? I’ve seen you since you were nursing!”

Yin Yuheng fell silent.

His head hurt terribly, even more so than before, making him feel dizzy. It was as if he was about to remember some things, but they were blocked by something, leaving a hollow, uncomfortable feeling in his heart.

“Brother,” Yin Shaozhuo was somewhat calmer and noticed that something was wrong with Yin Yuheng’s reaction. He grabbed Yin Xuanji by her collar and pulled her away, “You don’t remember?”

Yin Yuheng: “I…”

“Don’t speak.” Yin Shaozhuo’s expression became solemn as he grabbed Yin Yuheng’s wrist. After a moment, he said with certainty, “It is little brother, no doubt—your cultivation technique is unique and easy to recognize. In all the world, there is no second person who has entered the Dao through the Human Path.”

The Human Path? Yin Yuheng felt as if he had touched upon something, but before he could think deeply about it, his head throbbed again.

Yin Yuheng couldn’t help but hiss in pain.

Yin Shaozhuo was so startled that he let go: “Are you uncomfortable?”

“It hurts…” Yin Yuheng was not someone who liked to show his fragility in front of others, but facing Yin Shaozhuo, he had an intuition that he could depend on and trust him. So he spoke plainly: “I can’t remember what you’re saying.”

Yin Yuheng had always been very smart. Although the headache made his mind restless, he still guessed something.

Lu Yan called him A-Heng, and Yin Shaozhuo called him little brother, their tones certain and sincere. Coupled with the suspicions he already had, Yin Yuheng thought to himself, could it be that I really am the Crown Prince of the Li Dynasty?

But he couldn’t remember.

Yin Yuheng subconsciously pressed his forehead and turned back to find Lu Yan’s figure. He saw Lu Yan standing not far away, his hands clenched into fists, staring at him in a daze.

In an instant, Yin Yuheng understood his expression.

Lu Yan was feeling sad.

“He is thinking, why everyone else could recognize you at a glance, but he didn’t,” a weak voice suddenly sounded in his mind, “It’s not his fault.”

“Heng-ge, I missed you so much, waaaaah.”