Chapter 583: Imperial Palace

Chapter 583: The Imperial Palace

Upon entering the imperial palace, the sound of their argument gradually faded. They cautiously peered out from both sides of the sedan chair, gazing in awe at the crimson walls surrounding them.

Such a solemn place seemed to possess an inherent majesty that made even speaking aloud feel inappropriate. Especially when a towering three-story palace suddenly came into view, it evoked a sensation as if they were about to kneel before it.

"Did we really come to the right place? Does Senior Brother Gao really live here?" Yang Xiaohai whispered nervously to Chun Xiaoman, who was stepping down from the sedan chair beside him.

Chun Xiaoman silently shook her head and walked ahead without hesitation toward the palace interior. Others, recovering from their shock, quickly followed after her.

The unfamiliar surroundings made everyone feel extremely restrained. However, once they saw Gao Zhijian seated upon the dragon throne—a familiar figure—their unease vanished instantly. Even though he now wore the imperial robe and sat upon a golden dragon throne, he remained none other than the Gao Zhijian they had once shared life and death with.

Seeing his fellow disciples, Gao Zhijian's face lit up with his old kind smile as he stood from the dragon throne to greet them.

"Heh! Zhijian! What happened to you? How did you end up becoming emperor after just visiting the capital?"

At these words, all the eunuchs inside the palace changed expression, casting hostile glances toward him.

Chun Xiaoman immediately pushed Dogwa away using the hilt of her sword, then raised her head to speak directly to the great imperial ruler before her: "Zhijian, is Brother Li and Miaomiao here? Didn't your people say they were all here?"

Gao Zhijian nodded slowly, each word carefully enunciated: "They are."

"Oh my! You're not stammering anymore? Not bad! Becoming emperor and still able to cure illnesses?" Dogwa looked puzzled.

"The palace physicians have medicine; they cured some."

Hearing this, Dogwa perked up with excitement. "That’s incredible! Can I borrow one of those physicians to treat my white spots on my body?"

"Dogwa!! Have you no shame?! We've traveled so far just to chat?"

Seeing Chun Xiaoman's furious face, her sword almost drawn halfway, Dogwa quickly stepped back several paces, obediently closing his mouth and ceasing his chatter.

Taking a deep breath, Chun Xiaoman turned again to Gao Zhijian and addressed the matter at hand. "Since Brother Li and Miaomiao are here, can you take us to meet them?"

"Bai Sis, yes. Brother Li, no. His current condition makes it inconvenient for him to see anyone."

"What's inconvenient? Did he strip off his own skin? What exactly happened?"

Gao Zhijian hesitated slightly. "I don't know how to explain it clearly. It's complicated. Wait until Brother Li recovers, then ask him yourself."

"Fine, then lead me to see Miaomiao first," said Chun Xiaoman, her face showing slight anxiety. She wouldn’t feel at ease until she saw a living person.

Gao Zhijian nodded and led the others toward the imperial kitchen.

"Your Majesty." Four eunuchs immediately knelt before them. "Your Majesty, being the true dragon son of heaven, your body is priceless. Such lowly tasks may be handled by us servants."

Gao Zhijian scratched behind his head, causing the golden pearl crown atop his head to tilt askew. "Alright, you take Xiaoman to find Sister Bai."

Just as the others prepared to follow Chun Xiaoman, Gao Zhijian stopped them. "Do any of you desire anything? As emperor, I can give you anything."

"There's such a thing? Really, anything at all?" Dogwa's eyes gleamed.

Anything at all.

"That's what you said, right? Then let me sit on the throne instead."

"Bold!" A low, commanding voice from the old eunuchs startled Dogwa nearly into wetting himself. "I... I was just joking. I used to do this all the time with him."

Waving his hand dismissively, Gao Zhijian looked at Dogwa with a complex expression. "That won't work. Being emperor isn't something pleasant. Choose another."

Glancing cautiously at the elderly eunuchs, Dogwa thought for a moment, then stood on tiptoe and whispered softly into Gao Zhijian's ear.

After hearing this, Gao Zhijian nodded and said, "Okay," turning to Zhao Wu. "What about you?"

Zhao Wu, leaning heavily on his crutch, glanced toward where Chun Xiaoman had gone, then looked back at Gao Zhijian with a complicated expression. He shook his head. "I don't need anything."

Gao Zhijian didn't press further and asked Yang Xiaohai next. "How about you?"

Yang Xiaohai seemed nervous. "Senior Brother Gao, really anything at all?"

"Yeah, anything."

"Then could you help me find my parents? Could you find them for me?" Yang Xiaohai's voice grew excited.

Gao Zhijian showed a trace of hesitation. He summoned an old eunuch and asked him something. The eunuch approached Yang Xiaohai, examining him thoroughly, then asked in a delicate voice, "Do you have your birth date and time?"

"What's that?"

"Birth date and time means when you were born."

"Oh, I see." Yang Xiaohai looked enlightened but then shook his head. "I don't know."

The old eunuch's slack skin twitched slightly. With his talon-like hand, he touched Yang Xiaohai's bones. "Come with us."

Gao Zhijian gave him a comforting look. Yang Xiaohai, feeling uneasy, followed the eunuch away.

As Yang Xiaohai left the hall, Chun Xiaoman also found Bai Lingmiao stirring porridge in the imperial kitchen.

"Miaomiao!" Overcome with tears, Chun Xiaoman rushed from behind and tightly embraced her waist.

"Be careful, don't spill the porridge!"

Bai Lingmiao carefully placed the finished porridge on the stove edge, then gently wrapped her arms around Chun Xiaoman. "Sister Xiaoman, why are you here? Don't cry, I truly had urgent matters and couldn't return sooner."

"I left a letter for Brother Li, I thought he would tell you."

Bai Lingmiao comforted her, and the excited Chun Xiaoman finally stopped crying. "Next time, wherever you go, please bring me along, okay? Following Brother Li is too dangerous."

"Sister Xiaoman, don't talk about Brother Li like that. His illness seems to have improved."

Chun Xiaoman shook her head forcefully. "No way. You're so beautiful—what if something happens to you? It's settled then."

"And now I’ve mastered all the divine martial arts of the White Lotus Sect, even better than before. I can definitely protect you!"

Bai Lingmiao smiled faintly. "I know."

"You know? How do you know?"

"You wait, I'll explain later. First, I must feed Brother Li this bird's nest porridge. If it gets cold, it won’t nourish him properly."

Bai Lingmiao released Chun Xiaoman, put the porridge into a food box, and headed toward the exit of the kitchen.

"Then I’ll go with you. I want to see Brother Li too."

"No, really no. Brother Li... he's currently inconvenient to meet. I'll be quick, I'll be out soon. Sister Xiaoman, wait here for me."

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Update for the next chapter at 00:01