Chapter 647: Return

Chapter 647: Return

Inside the hospital, Li Huowang had felt nothing at all. But once he stepped outside, as if awakening from a dream, he suddenly felt an overwhelming joy—joy that emanated from deep within and spread outward like ripples.

He was free now. He was no longer a lunatic. He could return to school and resume his studies! He could live a normal life!

"Come on, get in the car and go home. Your dad drove his old taxi here specially to pick you up."

On the ride back, the first thing Li Huowang did was reach into Sun Xiaoqin’s bag and take out her phone, logging into his WeChat account.

Holding the cracked screen in his hands, Li Huowang looked hesitant, lost in thought.

Eventually, he opened the familiar rabbit avatar and began typing—three sentences, deleting two.

He wrote for half an hour, staring at the hundreds of words on the screen. His thumb hovered over the send button for a long time before he clenched his teeth and deleted everything.

"I want to surprise Yang Na. I can't do it through WeChat. I have to wait for her at her school gate!"

As soon as that image formed in his mind, his gaze fell upon his ankle where the "electronic watch" was embedded.

"I want to surprise Yang Na. I’ll wait for her five hundred meters away from her school!"

With that decision made, Li Huowang rolled down the window and gazed out at the unfamiliar scenery. A smile slowly spread across his face.

Li Huowang was happy. In the past few years, there had never been a single day when he had felt this way.

At a crossroads, he noticed a fruit vendor staring at him. Li Huowang waved gently at him.

Kangding Hospital was far from his home, but despite the long journey, a smile never left his face.

When he saw the gates of his residential complex again, it felt as though he had returned from another world. “Shangjing, I’ve finally come home.”

Looking up at the imposing city walls, Li Huowang suddenly yanked the reins and let out a breath before charging into the inner city.

Once inside, he gradually slowed the horse’s pace and silently observed everything around him.

What reassured him was that the people of Shangjing were still bustling about as usual, showing no signs of change.

The sedan chair with musicians playing music nearby confirmed that weddings and funerals continued as they always had.

Though chaos raged outside, the imperial city remained untouched.

After circling the entire city—both inner and outer walls—he found no trace of the sect. Only then did he urge his horse forward toward the imperial palace.

But just five paces from the gates, Li Huowang suddenly felt a sharp tingling between his brows and a burning pain throughout his body.

He pulled the reins hard, and his black horse reared up and stopped abruptly.

Li Huowang understood—if he had charged straight in, the guards inside would likely have attacked him on sight.

“What’s going on?! It’s me! Haven’t we only been apart for a short while? How could you not recognize me?” he shouted at the guards.

Neither the guards inside nor those outside responded; they stood motionless like statues.

“What the hell is going on?!”

Just as Li Huowang pondered how to avoid these fools, an old eunuch dressed in purple silk robes, walking gracefully in white clogs, emerged from a side gate. “By imperial decree, Minister Li, please enter the palace to meet the emperor.”

Frustrated, Li Huowang dismounted and prepared to follow the eunuch inside. Suddenly, he turned his head, frowning deeply at the bustling street ahead, as if searching for something.

“Minister Li? What’s wrong?” The eunuch’s voice brought him back to reality. “Nothing. Let’s go.”

Li Huowang had visited the imperial palace many times before. There was nothing more to say. He quickened his steps and followed the eunuch to find Gao Zhijian.

During the walk, he could clearly sense that different eyes were watching him from all directions—numerous hidden and visible sentries surrounded the entire palace like a net.

Perhaps due to the lingering effects of the dice game, the level of alertness had increased dramatically.

“Master of the State, it’s been a long time,” Li Huowang called out to the elderly man in the room.

However, Huangfu Tiangang said nothing. He simply stood there with his hands behind his back, silently staring at Li Huowang.

“Dad, he seems unhappy,” Li Sui said, following behind Li Huowang.

“Don’t worry about him. When has he ever been happy?” Li Huowang pulled Li Sui out from under his cloak and continued walking forward.

Li Huowang saw Gao Zhijian again in the bedroom of the imperial quarters.

At first glance, he nearly didn’t recognize him. The past Gao Zhijian was a mountain of muscle, standing like a wall.

Now, however, Gao Zhijian appeared light on his feet, dark circles under his eyes, pale as death, looking like he might collapse at any moment.

“What happened to you? Did the sect assassins attack you? Are you injured?”

Gao Zhijian waved his hand dismissively. “It’s nothing. Just... being emperor is harder than I expected.”

Compared to his previous stumbling speech, Gao Zhijian now spoke fluently. It seemed that during this time, his stammer had been completely cured.

“So what exactly happened? Be clear. You are the ruler of a nation. Nothing must go wrong.”

A hint of embarrassment crossed Gao Zhijian’s face, as if reluctant to speak. Eventually, he leaned close and whispered into Li Huowang’s ear.

“Three times a day? That much?”

“Ah…” Gao Zhijian sighed deeply, pulling Li Huowang to the steps of the hall and sitting down on the white marble stairs. “Senior Brother Li, I’m going to be a father. Sixteen women in the harem are expecting.”

“The dragon veins will continue. You can rest now. Don’t exhaust yourself.” Seeing that Gao Zhijian was otherwise fine, Li Huowang breathed a little easier.

Whatever the sect intended for Gao Zhijian, at least he had arrived in time.

“Senior Brother Li, is Niu Xin Village still okay? Is everyone alright?” Gao Zhijian’s eyes flickered with longing.

“It’s fine. Everyone’s well. With all the valuable gifts you gave them last time, Niu Xin Village is probably richer than a country.”

Seated on the steps, Gao Zhijian looked at the empty space before him and said, “Really? That’s good. Sometimes I dream of returning to Niu Xin Village, as if I want to visit.”

“But now it’s probably impossible. The sect trouble keeps growing.” Returning to business, Li Huowang became serious.

“You’ve received my earlier messages, right?”

“Of course I have. But don’t worry. The Heavenly Observing Bureau will protect His Majesty from anyone who means harm.”

Hearing the voice behind him, Li Huowang turned and found the tall figure of the Hanlin Academy’s Xuan Pin, the chief astronomer, standing silently behind him.

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Next chapter updates at 11:30 PM.

(End of Chapter)