Chapter 863: Lu Yang, You Kid are Blessed with Romance...

xshuquge

"So, Father, do you intend to continue your incognito tour, or return to assume the throne?" Jiang Qun inquired.

The Emperor of Xia recalled his experiences over the past few days—either being threatened by Lu Yang with the execution of his entire clan, or being urged by him to rebel. He concluded that remaining Emperor was, after all, the safer option.

"I shall return; these old bones of mine can no longer endure such upheaval."

Delighted by these words, Jiang Qun hastily made a token gesture of dusting the throne, inviting his imperial father to take his seat.

Upon reverting to his original countenance, the Emperor of Xia seemed to suffer a corresponding decline in physical strength, panting heavily with every step he took.

He could scarcely sit upright even upon the chair, forced to lean heavily against its back for support.

"Father, are you well?" Jiang Qun was thoroughly startled. As he supported his imperial father, he felt the Emperor's arms to be as withered and desiccated as a corpse's bones, utterly devoid of vitality, as though the father who had just been jesting with him were a mere illusion.

The Emperor of Xia drew two ragged breaths, waved his hand, and managed a strained smile: "It is of no consequence. I have simply abstained from exertion for too long, and my frame can scarcely bear it."

Though the Emperor insisted he was well, his complexion was ghastly pale, his eyes deeply sunken, bearing the very aspect of impending death, which filled the Grand Prince with profound distress.

His span of life had already been drawing to a close, and in his pursuit of absolute enjoyment over these past few days, he had forcibly wrung out his remaining life force, rendering his condition far worse.

"Qun'er, I fear my end is nigh. Throughout this life, I believe I have done right by my ancestors above, right by the common people below, and right by the entire nation. Yet my energy is ultimately finite, and I failed to properly nurture you children, which allowed several of your brothers to harbor sinister intentions. To hand Great Xia over to their custody, even with the ancestors to guarantee safety, leaves me truly unable to rest at ease..."

Discerning the underlying meaning within his imperial father's words, Jiang Qun spoke with a trace of helplessness: "No, Father, you have already played this game once. How can you attempt it a second time?"

The Emperor of Xia's voice instantly rose several degrees, his entire being suddenly revitalized: "Heh, you brat, why must you be so utterly obstinate? Is being the Emperor such a grievance to you?"

"Enough, enough, begone." The Emperor of Xia waved his hand impatiently, shooing the Grand Prince away as though banishing a fly.

"Very well."

As the Grand Prince and the Immortal Fairy departed the Hall of Great Brightness, the Emperor of Xia reverted once more to that decrepit state, withered as dry wood, the flame of his life flickering on the verge of extinction.

Leaning against the throne where he had sat for the greater part of his life, he watched Jiang Qun’s receding figure and offered a helpless, bitter smile, his voice entirely bereft of strength.

"Qun'er, my body truly is nearing its end..."

"Nonetheless, I enjoyed myself immensely these past few days. My thanks to you, Lu Yang..."

Xu Xin, Eunuch Li, the Imperial Guards, and the others looked on in sheer shock at Lu Yang and the Grand Prince as they emerged from the Hall of Great Brightness.

Those who had entered were Lu Yang and Xia Tian; those who emerged were Lu Yang and the Grand Prince. Xia Tian’s true identity was now glaringly obvious.

Lu Yang and the Grand Prince were suspected of rebellion, yet they walked out completely unscathed. To what extraordinary lengths did His Majesty extend his leniency toward the Grand Prince?!

Within the mental space, the Immortal Fairy let out a massive yawn.

"Tired from all the play, time for a nap. Little Yang's disciple, this body is returned to you."

"Ah, what?"

Before Lu Yang could even react, he saw the Immortal Fairy, clad in imperial robes, fall asleep immediately, curling her body and peacefully entering the realm of dreams, while he regained possession of his fleshly body after a long absence.

"Fellow Daoist Lu Yang, is something amiss?" Jiang Qun noted that Lu Yang had suddenly frozen for a moment.

"It is nothing, nothing at all."

"Then we shall take our leave here." Jiang Qun clasped his hands to bid Lu Yang farewell.

"Until we meet again."

Having regained his physical body, Lu Yang found that his soul, through its battles against the Invincible Infant within the mental space, had achieved a tremendous elevation. While there ought to have been a slight sense of discordance between soul and flesh, Lu Yang unexpectedly found that his soul and body fitted together in flawless harmony.

This implied that the Immortal Fairy had continuously aided Lu Yang in tempering his physical body, ensuring it grew at a pace perfectly synchronized with his soul.

"The Fairy is dependable after all."

With his overall strength further enhanced, Lu Yang returned to the Meng residence in high spirits. Pushing open the door to his room, he found Ao Ling and the other two women all staring at him in unison, their eyes gleaming with a green light as though they had spotted their prey.

Lu Yang suddenly recalled that three ancient Half-Immortal ladies were still residing in his room!

Fairy, perhaps it would be better if you continued to govern my body; I cannot cope with this situation.

"Senior Brother has returned?" Ao Ling and Jiang Lianyi sharply perceived the alteration in Lu Yang’s inherent aura. It appeared that Sister Immortal had once again returned the body to Senior Brother Lu Yang.

"You returned remarkably fast." Jin Caiwei looked at Lu Yang in astonishment. The three of them had just been deliberating over which power Lu Yang should join to secure diplomatic immunity.

To be precise, Ao Ling and Jiang Lianyi were deliberating, while she merely listened.

To be even more precise, Ao Ling and Jiang Lianyi had been on the verge of coming to blows.

Now it seemed there was no need for strife; Lu Yang had returned perfectly unharmed, evidently quite safe.

"Where is Xia Tian?"

Jin Caiwei was perplexed as to why only one person had returned.

Lu Yang had no choice but to explain the matter clearly, emphasizing that Xia Tian was none other than the Emperor of Xia, and that their excursion to the imperial palace was not termed stealing the throne, but rather assisting with a relocation.

"So it was the Emperor of Xia. I wondered why several Tribulation Transmutation experts were covertly trailing him; that explains everything." Jiang Lianyi nodded, unsurprised by Xia Tian’s identity.

Neither Ao Ling nor Jin Caiwei had detected the presence of those hidden Tribulation Transmutation experts; only Jiang Lianyi could perceive them, as the embryonic form of her Dao Fruit of the Law of the Jungle allowed her to sense existences weaker than herself.

Concurrently, Meng Jingzhou concluded his brief period of secluded cultivation. Though it lasted a mere seven days, he had reaped substantial rewards.

"What? That brat Lu Yang reported the Fourth Prince for rebellion?" Meng Jingzhou emerged from seclusion and inquired about the occurrences of the past few days, immediately receiving a piece of blockbuster news.

Meng Jingzhou was consumed by regret. Why on earth had he chosen to enter seclusion back then, missing out on such a spectacular spectacle?

"The Fifth Prince's estate was raided as well?"

Meng Jingzhou was thoroughly amused. Although there was no proof, his intuition told him that the Fifth Prince’s misfortune was likely connected to Lu Yang as well.

"The throne was stolen by Lu Yang, and he even clamored to rebel?"

Although the matter of Lu Yang stealing the throne was kept confidential, the Ministry of Justice had apprehended the suspects from the Meng residence, making it impossible to keep the secret from the Meng family itself.

Meng Jingzhou was left dazed by this torrent of news. Had he truly been in seclusion for seven days, or seven years? How could so many events have unfolded? That brat Lu Yang truly dared to do anything.

"What? You say our family has not even utilized our connections, yet Lu Yang has already returned safe and sound just now?"

Hearing so much news concerning Lu Yang, Meng Jingzhou could not contain himself and went to seek him out.

Lu Yang resided just next door. Pushing open the door to Lu Yang's room, he laughed heartily: "Old Lu, I hear you wished to rebel?"

Then, to his astonishment, he beheld Lu Yang blessed with extraordinary romance, surrounded by three matchless beauties, two mature and one young.

Meng Jingzhou was just about to feel envious. Having only recently emerged from seclusion, his mind had been somewhat clouded; but seeing this sight, his blood rushed to his head, and he swiftly sobered up, remembering that Lu Yang was currently possessed by the Immortal Fairy, which instantly restored much of his mental equilibrium.

"Do not speak nonsense, no such thing occurred, those are entirely rumors." Lu Yang hastily denied it.

Meng Jingzhou instantly realized that this tone belonged indisputably to Lu Yang!

"Lu Yang, you brat, such romantic fortune—"

Lu Yang immediately delivered a kick, sending Meng Jingzhou flying outward and cutting short his remaining words.

If the Qilin Immortal were to catch wind of this, the consequences would be unthinkable.

(End of chapter)