Chapter 75#
Silk-Pulling Lotus#
An ominous premonition? Yin Yuheng’s brow furrowed, feeling something was strange.
Lu Yan called out: “A-Heng?”
Yin Yuheng snapped back to reality and smiled at Lu Yan: “I’m fine. Can you sense what kind of calamity it is?”
Lu Yan shook his head: “No, it’s just a vague feeling.”
Yin Yuheng then asked Xiao Bai in his heart: “Is there this plot in the original novel?”
Xiao Bai said: “No, I also find it very strange. Could it be that the Heavenly Dao saw you’ve returned and wants to cause trouble again?”
It was possible.
Yin Yuheng sighed and said to Lu Yan: “The premonition of a Soul Transformation stage cultivator is usually not without reason. Since both you and Li Guanghan say so, it’s best to look into it.”
Li Guanghan might not be much of a person, but his cultivation level was still there.
He thought for a moment and suddenly remembered something, asking: “Is that Kunlun Mirror fragment I got from the Shen family still here?”
Lu Yan already knew about the Kunlun Mirror from Yin Xuanji and nodded: “It is.”
The Kunlun Mirror fragment was as it had always been, emitting a faint white glow.
Shen Liyuan had once used this fragment to shield himself from the secrets of heaven, even to the point of blocking Li Guanghan’s Soul Transformation stage spiritual sense. In Yin Yuheng’s previous dream, the “Lu Yan” of the original work possessed a complete Kunlun Mirror, using it to torture him after stripping his immortal bones and destroying his spiritual platform, trapping his soul within it.
What exactly was this thing? What was its use? It surely couldn’t be just for torturing people.
Yin Yuheng pondered for a moment and said: “Perhaps only with a complete Kunlun Mirror can its mysteries be known… we can first check the archives of the Yin Imperial family and the Demon Race for any records.”
After searching through the library, they actually found a sliver of information regarding the Kunlun Mirror.
“It is said to be able to perceive the secrets of heaven, know the past and present, and reverse time? It truly is a divine artifact,” Yin Yuheng mused. “Although I don’t know if it’s true, it certainly is intriguing.”
Yin Yuheng toyed with the fragment in his hand: “I wonder where the other fragments are… I’ve already ordered people to look for them, but it’s like searching for a needle in a haystack; who knows when they will be found.”
Lu Yan thought for a moment and said: “Divine artifacts have spirits; fragments should sense and attract each other.”
Lu Yan said softly: “Don’t worry about these things… Compared to some Kunlun Mirror, your body is more important.”
Looking at Lu Yan’s worried expression and remembering Lu Yan’s actions in his dream, Yin Yuheng couldn’t help but smile. He suddenly leaned closer to Lu Yan and joked: “The Kunlun Mirror isn’t important? I once had a dream where you used the Kunlun Mirror and the Silk-Pulling Lotus…”
The two were so close that their breaths intertwined. Lu Yan’s face gradually turned red; despite being a high-and-mighty Demon Emperor, he appeared quite innocent.
“What about them?” Lu Yan asked in a low voice.
Yin Yuheng narrowed his eyes. He belatedly remembered something.
“Silk-Pulling Lotus, have you heard of it?”
Lu Yan’s eyes showed a momentary confusion.
“It is said this thing is very powerful; as long as it’s consumed, even if one’s limbs are severed, immortal bones stripped, or spiritual platform destroyed, one will not die. Such a divine medicine would be quite useful for my current body, wouldn’t it?” Yin Yuheng said slowly.
————
That recurring dream about death hadn’t returned since his soul left his body.
When Yin Yuheng fell into a deep sleep due to the Empathy Incense, he saw another possibility for the world’s development: he and Lu Yan knew each other since childhood, supported each other, and finally reached a mutual understanding.
From that moment on, Yin Yuheng no longer took the dream of Lu Yan killing him seriously. Compared to the so-called tragic ending, Yin Yuheng preferred to believe that the dream of him and Lu Yan supporting each other was the truth.
Whether it was a conspiracy of the Heavenly Dao or the deception of the plot, Yin Yuheng only believed the facts he saw for himself, not those ethereal prophecies.
Fate has always been held in one’s own hands.
However, today, after Yin Yuheng lay down, he had a long-awaited dream. Perhaps because the Silk-Pulling Lotus had been mentioned during the day, he dreamt at night of what he thought about by day.
He seemed to be tightly held in a warm embrace. In a daze, he heard an anxious voice in his ear; the person’s tone was one of gritted teeth, yet it carried a suffocating sadness: “Yin Yuheng, must you do this? What is worth you giving your life to save?”
Yin Yuheng felt inexplicably guilty. He instinctively wanted to raise his hand to hug the other person, but it caused the jingling sound of iron chains.
His hands and feet seemed to be locked.
Strangely, Yin Yuheng didn’t feel any resistance. He lowered his hands and leaned into the other’s embrace.
“A-Yan…” He whispered the other’s name. “It’s okay, I found the Silk-Pulling Lotus… at the bottom of the Ice Lake. You are a Golden Crow, you can’t go to the Ice Lake… Send me there. I’ve soaked in the Ice Lake water before; I can adapt to the temperature at the bottom…”
The other person silently held him even tighter, as if afraid he would run away.
“Yin Yuheng, how can you be so cruel? I…”
…
“A-Yan?!” Yin Yuheng suddenly woke up from his dream. He sat up abruptly, his heartbeat only stabilizing once Lu Yan held his hand.
“What’s wrong?” Lu Yan was a bit nervous.
Yin Yuheng turned his head and quietly watched Lu Yan. The flickering lamplight outlined Lu Yan’s features; though he looked tired, it couldn’t hide his handsome and spirited appearance.
Yin Yuheng’s breathing gradually calmed.
“I’m fine…” Yin Yuheng said softly. He was about to speak after gathering his thoughts when he suddenly heard someone reporting outside the door: “Your Highness, someone is here to visit.”
————
Zhu Anning stood at the door, nervously touching his hair and tugging at his sleeves, as if trying to smooth out non-existent wrinkles.
He was going to see his senior brother.
He didn’t know if his senior brother would be willing to see him.
He remembered he had once sworn never to disturb his senior brother again.
Zhu Anning pursed his lips and lowered his head apprehensively. After a long time, he finally heard the creak of the door opening. Zhu Anning buried his head even lower, his fingertips trembling slightly.
“His Highness invites you in.”
Zhu Anning didn’t know he was being treated much better than Li Guanghan, who was blocked at the door, but he was equally overwhelmed by the favor, stammering: “Yes, yes…”
Passing through the bamboo groves and pavilions, Zhu Anning was led into the study, which was filled with the fragrance of paper and ink. He didn’t dare look up, only able to see the corner of the hem of the person sitting ahead.
Zhu Anning was speechless for a moment. He respectfully performed a grand bow before managing to say tentatively: “Your Highness…”
When Zhu Anning spoke, he was already prepared to be met with indifference.
However, the voice from ahead was calm, without the loathing Zhu Anning had expected: “What is it?”
It was his senior brother’s voice; his senior brother was still willing to talk to him.
Zhu Anning felt a spark of joy, clutching the corner of his clothes. He wanted to look up but ultimately didn’t dare, saying with his head down: “I… I’m here to return something.”
The room fell silent. When Zhu Anning didn’t receive an answer for a long time, apprehension and panic filled his heart. After a while, he finally heard a sigh, followed by: “No need, it’s not required.”
Zhu Anning looked up abruptly, his eyes red and his voice trembling: “Your Highness!”
His voice caught in his throat.
Before him was the person he only dared to think about in dreams, his features as heart-stirringly beautiful as in his memory. His Highness’s black hair trailed down as he leaned against the edge of the table, his eyes peaceful and calm, devoid of joy, sorrow, resentment, or hatred.
Zhu Anning gazed at Yin Yuheng dazed for a long while before saying brokenly and with great unease: “I know I’m not worthy, but… but Your Highness’s health is not good. My spiritual veins, I… I have tempered them, they can be used, Your Highness…”
Zhu Anning’s speech was somewhat incoherent; he was afraid.
The spiritual veins and spiritual platform are the foundation of a person. Even ordinary mortals have meager spiritual veins in their bodies. A person cannot live without veins; once they are completely excavated, it’s not just a loss of talent, but could even lead to death.
But Zhu Anning didn’t care much about that. What he feared was that Yin Yuheng would despise him and refuse to use his spiritual veins.
As for death… Zhu Anning thought he deserved to die. To be able to die for His Highness would be a worthy death, not bad at all.
But what he feared most happened anyway.
In fact, Zhu Anning had considered whether to hide it from Yin Yuheng and quietly strip his own spiritual veins to give to his senior brother. But he didn’t do so later, firstly because the person needs to be conscious during the transfer of spiritual veins, making it hard to hide from the recipient, and secondly because Zhu Anning didn’t want to hide anything from Yin Yuheng anymore.
Looking at Zhu Anning’s panicked state, Yin Yuheng thought of the original plot and couldn’t help but let out a heavy sigh: “Tempering spiritual veins? Using the Ice Lake water?”
Zhu Anning nodded quickly, saying hopefully: “My spiritual veins have been washed, they can be used…”
Yin Yuheng was silent for a long time, finally lowering his eyes and asking: “Did it hurt?”
Zhu Anning was completely stunned; he hadn’t expected Yin Yuheng to ask him that. His lips trembled, and he abruptly lowered his head, saying in a small voice: “It didn’t hurt.”
How could it not hurt?
The Ice Lake water was bone-chillingly cold, like being sliced alive. But Zhu Anning felt he deserved it—and he was often tortured by Li Guanghan’s sword qi, so he was already used to it. To him, the most painful thing was his senior brother not wanting him.
“Forget it, I don’t need others to use their lives to save me,” Yin Yuheng said plainly. “You should go.”
Zhu Anning grew anxious: “I… I already owe Your Highness a life…”
“You should go, I’m tired.”
Zhu Anning wanted to say more, but Yin Yuheng had already closed his eyes expressionlessly. Zhu Anning didn’t dare speak again; he stood there unwillingly for a moment before finally walking out of the room in a daze.
Once outside, he realized—was he just going to leave like this?
Then what about his senior brother’s body! He had clearly prepared himself, he had to persuade his senior brother; even if he disdained using his spiritual veins, at least he could use his heart’s blood, which would be of some use…
He hurriedly turned back, wanting to go back in, but someone blocked his way.
In black robes with gold patterns and a gold crown, his expression was cold and sharp. The moment Zhu Anning looked over, he felt a burning pain in his eyes as if from the sun.
It was Lu Yan.
Zhu Anning recognized the now-famous Demon Emperor Lu Yan and knew something of his relationship with Yin Yuheng, so he quickly performed a salute.
“Don’t go in; he’s tired and needs to rest,” Lu Yan said indifferently. “Let Yuheng worry a bit less.”
Zhu Anning looked at him blankly: “But…”
“Listen to him.” Lu Yan stood with his hands behind his back. “He told you before that he was unwilling to use your blood. Does he now want to dig out your spiritual veins?”
Zhu Anning was silent for a long time, his expression dim: “I know, but His Highness’s health is so fragile now, it’s all my fault. I owe His Highness a life; it’s only right for His Highness to dig out my spiritual veins. I am willing. I can do it myself…”
“Since you owe him a life, then live well and don’t seek death so casually,” Lu Yan said coldly. “If you have a sincere heart for repentance, his tolerance for you won’t be in vain.”
Zhu Anning opened his mouth, tears silently filling his eyes.
“He doesn’t need your spiritual veins. If you truly want to make amends, you’d be better off doing something proper for him.”
Zhu Anning was startled and murmured: “If there is anything I can do for His Highness, even if it’s a mountain of blades or a sea of fire, I am not afraid.”
But did he still have the qualification to do things for His Highness?
“You’ve been to the Ice Lake; you can help him find something there,” Lu Yan said indifferently. “Yuheng’s body is weak right now and needs it for healing. If you are willing…”
“I can do it.” Zhu Anning agreed without a second thought. Yin Yuheng’s injury was a weight on Zhu Anning’s heart; he was even prepared to dig out his own spiritual veins, let alone just going to the Ice Lake.
…
The wind blew, making the bamboo leaves rustle.
After Lu Yan finished his instructions, Zhu Anning, afraid that staying would annoy Yin Yuheng, was about to leave quietly when Lu Yan called out to him again.
Lu Yan glanced at the small pavilion behind Zhu Anning, was silent for a moment, and said: “There’s something in there he left for you; go see for yourself.”
“Something for me?” Zhu Anning repeated foolishly. Seeing that Lu Yan had no intention of explaining, he walked over in a daze.
On the small stone table in the pavilion lay a bundle. Zhu Anning opened it with trembling hands; inside was actually a book and a sword.
The book was a sword technique manual, and the sword was a beautiful silver blade, reflecting the dazzling sunlight.
Zhu Anning didn’t move.
Lu Yan looked at his stiff back and sighed: “Yuheng asked me to ask you, how long has it been since you practiced your sword properly?”
“He said your sword technique was taught by him; when you go out, don’t disgrace his reputation.”
Zhu Anning began to shake more and more violently.
The clear chirping of birds came from all around. A light breeze brushed his face, blowing the tears on his face; only then did Zhu Anning realize he was crying.
Tears fell on the stone table, spreading into a wet patch.
“Senior Brother…”