Chapter 81#

Unease#

Chaoge.

When Yin Yuheng returned to the palace city from the Star-Picking Platform, he felt as though the world had become vast and open, different from before.

Many people bowed to him along the way, their eyes harboring a hidden reverence, and he nodded with a smile.

In the distant sky, the clouds were light, and the breeze brushing his face was gentle.

The pain that had tormented his heart at every moment had finally eased somewhat, and the icy chill was gradually fading. For the first time in many years, he felt spiritual energy gently flowing through his spiritual platform and soaking into his spiritual veins; even his steps felt a bit lighter.

On the Star-Picking Platform, he had realized his true heart and verified his Dao. From the moment he accepted the inheritance of the human race, the aspirations of ten thousand people converged upon him, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth washed through his spiritual veins, a process of reconstructing his immortal bones.

He was born with natural spiritual bones; now, his damaged foundation had been repaired, and his body was revitalized, finally allowing him to cultivate normally. Spiritual energy flowed smoothly through his heart meridians and spiritual platform, slowly cleansing the old hidden injuries left behind.

Although his body would still need some time to slowly recuperate and fully heal due to the repeated injuries of previous years, it was already much better compared to the past when no amount of medicine could do more than barely sustain him.

Now his state of mind was clear and bright, and spiritual energy continuously nourished his spiritual veins with every breath. Given time, not only would his hidden injuries heal, but he might even progress further.

Yin Yuheng truly did not need Zhu Anning to dig out his spiritual veins, nor did he need Li Guanghan to exhaust himself seeking medical help on his behalf.

The so-called “blood exchange and spirit seizing” was ultimately a heterodox path, not where Yin Yuheng’s ambitions lay.

What he saw was broader and further. As he had once told Lu Yan—as long as the human race is not extinguished, this Dao will not be destroyed.

His ambition lay with the world, with the great vow to protect all living beings under heaven.

The common people rewarded him in turn; the aspirations of ten thousand people converged upon him.

A great wind surged, blowing through the palace city.

From now on, he was the master of the Li Dynasty, the sovereign of the human race.

The not-yet-fully-healed heart meridian injury caused Yin Yuheng to cough twice, but the heart-wrenching pain of the past was gone.

Soon, everything would improve, and his body would get better as well.

Yin Yuheng looked up at the golden halls and vermilion towers before him, and the clear, beautiful sky after the tribulation clouds had dispersed. There was a bright sun in the sky.

He suddenly felt a faint sense of unreality.

…How many years had it been since he felt this relaxed?

No shackles of the plot, no torment of illness.

And he had the person he cherished and held deep in his heart.

Looking at that radiant sun in the sky, Yin Yuheng slowly revealed a slight smile.

Lu Yan should have obtained the Kunlun Mirror fragment and be returning soon, right?

The commotion he caused on the Star-Picking Platform was quite large; even from thousands of miles away, one could see the scene of the tribulation clouds gathering. Lu Yan must have already guessed what he did… he wouldn’t be angry, would he?

Thinking of how Lu Yan had repeatedly urged him to rest and recover before leaving, Yin Yuheng felt a slight pang of guilt.

Yin Yuheng thought that although he hadn’t listened and rested, and had even risked confronting the Heavenly Dao, the result was ultimately good, so Lu Yan surely wouldn’t have the heart to scold him.

“Little brother? Why are you standing there?” At this moment, his elder brother’s voice came from behind him.

Yin Yuheng withdrew his thoughts and turned around to see his brother’s gentle and gratified gaze.

After Yin Yuheng was pulled to the main hall by his elder brother Yin Shaozhuo, the first thing he saw was a table full of memorials.

Yin Yuheng: …

He began to sigh.

Whatever they said about a new emperor ascending and the whole world celebrating—Yin Yuheng rubbed his brow with a headache.

He had to start working again, and these were all serious matters that could not be neglected for even a day.

“I know what to do, don’t worry, brother,” Yin Yuheng said softly to Yin Shaozhuo.

Since he had been the Prince Regent, he was already well-versed in handling these government affairs. After all, he had long been the actual person in power in the Li Dynasty.

But he didn’t know if it was his imagination, but he felt… there was more to do now, and he was busier than before? Yin Yuheng picked up the vermilion brush, flipped through a few memorials, and pondered.

But it was only normal. He had been unconscious for a long time, and his health was poor when he first woke up, so he didn’t have much energy to handle court affairs. Now that he had formally succeeded the throne, not only were there current government affairs to review, but there were also legacy issues from his time in a coma that needed to be addressed. It was inevitable that he would be busier.

Some government decrees needed to be advanced; there were issues with taxes in several eastern provinces, with suspected corruption; appointments and removals of court officials… case after case, there were too many matters that needed individual review. Had it not been for the help of his elder brother and sister, this would have been even more exhausting.

Yin Yuheng’s expression was focused.

The warm sunlight fell on Yin Yuheng’s profile, making his hair appear as if it were shimmering. Although his body was recovering, because he had been chronically ill for many years, this newly ascended sovereign was still somewhat thin and frail. The hand holding the brush reminded one of fragile jade.

But everyone around him knew that compared to fragile glazed jade, he was actually quite resilient—even after experiencing so much pain in the past, he remained a tall green bamboo that the wind could not break.

He was always an existence to be looked up to: noble and pure, with the hearts of the people unified under him. His elegance was too dazzling; just looking from afar was enough to make one long for him with admiration.

And now, his aura seemed even more peaceful; just looking at him brought to mind the spring breeze and autumn waters, untainted by a speck of dust.

Elder brother Yin Shaozhuo watched him from the side and suddenly smiled: “My brother has grown up.”

“Hmm?”

Yin Yuheng looked up from the memorials and blinked at his brother. At this moment, the feeling unique to someone of high power and status faded a bit, revealing a trace of the cuteness from his youth.

Yin Shaozhuo laughed again.

Yin Yuheng also smiled: “Brother, if you have nothing to do, you should come help me with some work instead of standing there mocking me.”

Between the brothers, there were no thoughts of fighting for power or the throne. Both of his elder siblings were much more interested in cultivation than in the imperial throne. Their relationship was even closer than that of an ordinary family.

“I just feel that before, you always had something on your mind. Now you finally look like you did when you were a child,” Yin Shaozhuo said with a smile.

Yin Yuheng’s gaze softened.

Now that he had broken the plot, the restrictions on him were smaller. He no longer had to see those hateful people, nor did he have to remain immersed in the anger and resentment of being forced and controlled.

More importantly, it was because he had Lu Yan.

He knew that whether it was the obstruction of fate or the limitations of the plot, even under the interference of the Heavenly Dao where Lu Yan couldn’t recognize him, Lu Yan would still come to his side.

He felt at peace, and his mindset was very different from before.

A trace of a smile appeared on Yin Yuheng’s face.

Yin Shaozhuo watched his brother’s mind wander and, knowing who he was thinking of, couldn’t help but click his tongue.

Yin Yuheng turned back to look at him.

“I see that you’ve now broken through a major realm and your health is better, so I don’t need to worry about you anymore,” Yin Shaozhuo smiled. “Sigh, the brother I worked so hard to raise.”

Now Yin Shaozhuo could finally feel a bit more at ease regarding his worrisome brother.

At least within the borders of the Li Dynasty, no one could harm Yin Yuheng.

Yin Yuheng’s Way of the Sword was the sword of the Human Sovereign.

From the moment Yin Yuheng succeeded the throne, he was linked to the country’s fortune. As the master of the country and Human Sovereign, he could mobilize the country’s fortune for his own use. Even a three-year-old child, under the protection of the country’s fortune, would have the strength to not fear the top experts of this world, not to mention that Yin Yuheng was already naturally gifted.

What Yin Yuheng lacked was only time to grow.

Now that his foundation was restored and he had the protection of the country’s fortune, he didn’t need to worry about his own safety and could cultivate in peace.

He would go very far.

Yin Shaozhuo thought his brother always made him proud.

Just then, the sunlight outside the window seemed to brighten slightly.

Yin Yuheng and Yin Shaozhuo were both startled, and they turned their heads to look out the window.

Yin Yuheng stood up and went to the window, looking at the distant sun and frowning slightly.

“The Golden Crow rules the sun. Has something happened to that Demon Emperor Majesty you’re so fond of?” Yin Shaozhuo asked curiously.

The Golden Crow is the divine sun bird, and the sun is affected by Lu Yan’s state. Had some change occurred on Lu Yan’s side?

The next second, brilliant golden rays of light covered the distant sky.

In this instant, Yin Yuheng keenly felt a disturbance in the spiritual energy between heaven and earth, and the source was in the direction of the snowfields.

“Brother Heng!” In his sea of consciousness, Xiao Bai’s voice also rang out at the right time. “Just now, it seems something went wrong with the Heavenly Dao. I sensed its control over the plot has grown even weaker! It happened very suddenly.”

The change in the spiritual energy between heaven and earth lasted only for a brief moment and soon returned to normal.

But Yin Yuheng’s expression grew more solemn.

Was it something that happened where Lu Yan was?

Did it have something to do with the Heavenly Dao?

Although he knew that with Lu Yan’s abilities, nothing in the world could harm him, a sense of unease still surfaced in Yin Yuheng’s heart.

It was likely the uncontrollable concern for someone he valued.

Yin Yuheng touched the “Tingyu” transmission artifact at his ear and softly called out: “Lu Yan.”

However, no response came from “Tingyu.”

Yin Yuheng was stunned.

He glanced at Yin Shaozhuo, pursed his lips, and said, “Brother, I’m going out for a moment.”

Before his voice finished echoing, he had already hurried out of the hall.

Yin Shaozhuo: …

The brother he had worked so hard to raise!

That inexplicable sense of unease in Yin Yuheng deepened a bit more.

In Yin Yuheng’s sea of consciousness, the book spirit Xiao Bai spoke up in surprise: “Brother Heng, Brother Heng, is Lu Yan back?”

“His aura is present, but it’s far away, and I can’t distinguish the exact location,” Yin Yuheng nodded.

Yin Yuheng’s spiritual sense was linked with the country’s fortune; within the Li Dynasty’s borders, if there were any large fluctuations of spiritual energy, he would have a faint sense of it.

“I can’t sense the location either,” Xiao Bai said, a bit dejected. “Aren’t I quite useless then?”

Yin Yuheng comforted it gently: “How could that be? You are the Xiao Bai who has always accompanied me, and you are very important in my heart.”

Xiao Bai: …

The illusory pages in his sea of consciousness rustled, and finally closed with a snap; it was embarrassed.

Yin Yuheng smiled slightly; he was telling the truth. Xiao Bai, this book spirit, was always very soft-hearted and loved to worry on his behalf, getting even angrier than him when unhappy plot points occurred. Through those many days and nights of struggling against fate, he was very grateful for Xiao Bai’s company.

The smile was fleeting; thinking of Lu Yan, Yin Yuheng’s expression turned neutral again.

It was a bit strange.

With Lu Yan’s current realm, he could easily cover thousands of miles in an instant. Returning to Chaoge from the distant snowfields shouldn’t take long.

If he had found the Kunlun Mirror fragment, he should have come back to find him. Why was he lingering in the distance?

He was so far away that it was hard to know where to find him.