Chapter 84#

Repentance#

The sound of the wind gradually quieted down.

The smile on Yin Yuheng’s face deepened a bit. Amidst Lu Yan’s increasingly apprehensive heartbeat, he finally blinked his eyes gently and gave an affirmative answer: “Me too.”

Upon hearing the other’s response, Lu Yan’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he abruptly used force to pull the person in his arms tight.

Yin Yuheng leaned into his embrace. after a moment, he couldn’t help but laugh out loud, his hair swaying gently with the movement and brushing against Lu Yan’s face.

Lu Yan blushed slightly at the laughter. Although he had become the Demon Emperor through the inheritance of the Golden Crow clan, it was clear that the Golden Crow inheritance did not include experience in romance—it was even pure to the point of being a bit cute, Yin Yuheng thought to himself.

“I thought it would take you a while longer to say it out loud.” Yin Yuheng’s eyes curved slightly, his tone teasing.

Lu Yan lowered his head, looking at the person in his arms who seemed to be at ease, his gaze sliding from the top of the head down to the side of the neck.

Lu Yan clearly didn’t move, but Yin Yuheng inexplicably felt a tingling sensation like being rubbed, extending bit by bit along the other’s gaze.

Yin Yuheng’s smile stiffened slightly, and a thin layer of crimson spread across his jade-like neck.

Lu Yan’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his gaze excessively focused, until finally he couldn’t resist kissing the tip of the other’s ear.

Taking it in, a light bite.

Yin Yuheng couldn’t help but tremble: “A-Yan, don’t…”

Lu Yan let go, his gaze slightly lowered.

Yin Yuheng was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when suddenly all his breath was completely blocked.

Yin Yuheng’s breathing turned chaotic, his fingers tightening to grip Lu Yan’s back. The newly ascended sovereign of the Li Dynasty, who had just been teasing the other, no longer looked at ease; the corners of his eyes gradually reddened, as if a layer of water light had gathered.

The wind around them rose and fell, fell and rose again, gradually howling as a trace of angry will faintly echoed in the void. Neither of them paid it any mind. Lu Yan raised a hand, and an invisible barrier isolated the surrounding sound of the wind.

………………

With the new Emperor of the Li Dynasty succeeding the throne and the young Prince Regent ascending, the heavenly phenomena could be seen from ten thousand miles away. The news spread at an extremely rapid speed, shaking the world.

Over these years, without realizing it, the top experts of the Human, Demon, and Ghost races had gradually vanished from sight. The Ghost Lord remained in seclusion, the Human Sovereign’s life or death was uncertain, and the previous Demon Emperor had directly fallen, leading to great turmoil in the Demon race until Lu Yan took control of the Three Desolate Mountains and things gradually stabilized. Those with broad knowledge had already sensed something unusual about this.

On the other hand, the relationships between the three races had subtly leveled out. These past few years had been peaceful, with far fewer frictions and conflicts than before.

Perhaps it was due to the forced endurance after losing their top experts; perhaps it was because they sensed the instability of the Heavenly Dao and recognized a potential crisis, forcing the three races to unite against external threats; or perhaps the rulers of the three races intended to repair their relations. In any case, in the eyes of the common people, this was a period of peace between the races.

Peace brought prosperity, and the towns at the borders of the three races gradually became flourishing due to trade.

Today, a merchant caravan arrived at a small town near the Ice Plains.

This small town was under the rule of a Ghost Lord of the Ghost Realm, but because it was very close to the border of the Li Dynasty, it was a meeting place for the two sides. The Human and Ghost races were somewhat familiar with each other, and merchant caravans had been coming and going frequently over the years, so everyone was used to it.

However, this time, there was something unusual about the caravan that caused passing ghosts to look over frequently.

It was because of a young man on horseback within the group.

This person was very good-looking. He wore only simple black clothes, with no other decorations except for a bracelet on his wrist, but it was still difficult to ignore his beautiful appearance.

In contrast to his naturally brilliant looks was his icy expression. His gaze was cold, and the corners of his mouth showed not a single upward curve. He lacked the liveliness expected of someone his age, instead possessing a kind of tempered steadiness. With a sword hanging at his waist and his ink-black hair tied high, he, like his sword, had a coldness that kept people at a distance.

The young man seemed out of place with the rest of the caravan.

Indeed, he was not part of the merchant group.

The young man was merely passing through and had saved the caravan from danger, hence traveling with them for a period.

The caravan leader was very respectful toward him.

“Young Master Zhu, we have arrived,” the leader said softly, riding up beside the young man. “Once we finish buying goods here, we will head back.”

The young man nodded faintly: “Then we shall part ways here.”

The leader knew the young man’s destination was not here and felt a bit reluctant.

Although the young man seemed difficult to get along with, the leader felt he was a warm-hearted person. Not only had he stepped in to save him when he was in danger, but he had also traveled with the group for a time, providing protection, for which the leader was deeply grateful.

Furthermore, in the leader’s eyes, the young man’s temperament wasn’t actually as cold as it appeared on the surface.

He had seen the young man smile. The day before, when the Prince of the Li Dynasty ascended the throne and drew strange heavenly phenomena visible for thousands of miles, the leader had clearly seen a trace of a smile blossom on the young man’s face, his entire aura changing like melting ice.

The leader was a businessman and was skilled at observing people. This young man was clearly a follower of Prince Yuheng—actually, this wasn’t strange; nine out of ten people in the Li Dynasty held Prince Yuheng in the highest esteem, including the leader himself. However…

The leader stole a glance at the young man’s arm. There was a deep wound there, one that revealed the bone, left from a fight with other cultivators a few days ago, and it had yet to heal.

Even now, thinking back on that incident made the leader feel a bit apprehensive.

That was the only time he had seen this Young Master Zhu enraged. Even when the other cultivator’s weapon was driven deep into his arm, Young Master Zhu didn’t seem to feel pain, insisting on making the other pay the price simply because that person had spoken disrespectfully of Prince Yuheng.

The other cultivator was eventually grabbed by his hair by Young Master Zhu’s blood-stained hand and pressed to the ground, forced to kneel toward the direction of Chaoge to confess his crimes and beg for mercy.

The leader didn’t pity that cultivator—he had gotten what he deserved for raiding caravans and committing many evil acts. Young Master Zhu had carefully investigated, acting as an agent of heaven, which showed he was actually a person with a cold exterior but a warm heart.

But thinking of the cold severity and disregard for his own life when this young man named Zhu was in a rage, the leader sighed.

He had also advised the young man that when away from home, he should still be careful of his own safety. However, the young man only remained silent while bandaging his own wound.

Perhaps in his heart, Prince Yuheng was far more important than himself.

The leader sighed again.

“Young Master Zhu, if you go any further, you will enter the Ice Plains territory,” the leader said softly. “Ten thousand miles of ice and snow, sparsely populated, with life and death being unpredictable.”

The young man glanced at him and nodded: “Thank you for the reminder.”

Seeing that the young man still insisted on proceeding toward the Ice Plains, the leader stopped advising him and simply cupped his hands: “I will never forget the kindness of Young Master Zhu’s protection along the way. You are a young hero; one day you will surely soar high. May you have a smooth journey, and please take care of yourself.”

The young man’s movements paused, and he turned to look at the leader. Inexplicably, a trace of self-mockery appeared in his eyes.

“A young hero, soaring high one day…”

The young man muttered these words under his breath and slightly lowered his eyes.

“I don’t deserve such praise. I am not worthy; I am merely… a person seeking atonement.”

The young man reached out, touched the silver sword at his waist, nodded to the somewhat confused leader, and turned his horse toward the white snow, riding away.

In the distance, the heaven and earth were desolate. The back of the black-clad youth was like a drop of ink merging into white water, soon vanishing without a trace.

The leader stood on the spot, somewhat dazed, the young man’s final look still lingering in his mind.

There were so many complex emotions in that gaze—wistfulness, guilt, regret, and more settled, unreadable things.

Though the boy was young, he seemed to have already experienced frost, snow, wind, rain, and the bitterness of the world.