After Three Lifetimes of Tragedy, I Finally Got a Happy Ending with His Majesty - Chapter 1

“Bang”

A piercing gunshot tore through the silent night sky.

The sinful dungeon was filled with the scent of blood. This was a place where evil was interwoven, where people had lost their morals and humanity, and where slaughter and greed coexisted.

In this bloody dungeon, a young man in a black trench coat moved like a ghost of the night. His figure flickered in the darkness, making him difficult to track. His gaze was as cold as ice, staring ahead without a shred of emotion. Firmly gripping the handgun that had just delivered the fatal blow, he neutralized the person threatening him.

The young man slowly lowered the gun. His movements were elegant and composed, as if all of this were merely an insignificant game. However, his coldness and ruthlessness evoked an indescribable sense of fear. His originally gentle and aloof face was now stained with blood, carrying an air of cold madness.

“An Qing! You actually dared to… betray the organization…”

The man maintained a ferocious expression even as he collapsed.

The remaining people were thrown into chaos upon seeing this. They had relied on their numbers; even though the opponent possessed firearms, they hadn’t been overly afraid. After all, they were armed as well. Even if An Qing was the ace among them, in a gunfight, the strength on both sides was equal, and the outcome remained uncertain.

However, what they never expected was that they had somehow fallen into the opponent’s trap and been drugged. This sudden turn of events caught them completely off guard, rendering them utterly unable to resist. Their bodies felt limp, and even lifting their guns became an arduous task, let alone fighting the enemy.

“An Qing! Sui Jing! What on earth are you two trying to do?!”

One of them managed to calm down quickly, glaring at An Qing and Sui Jing as he demanded an answer. He was one of the administrators of this dungeon branch, and the man killed by An Qing had been the chief administrator. There had been members who overestimated themselves and betrayed the organization before, but without exception, no one had ever left the organization alive, nor had anyone managed to do what An Qing and his partner had done.

What made him even more incredulous and confused was that they all carried a Gu poison within them—a method used by Blade Night (刃夜) to control its members. The only benefit of this poison was that it granted immunity to other toxins or drugs. He couldn’t fathom what kind of drug An Qing and Sui Jing had used that could bypass the Gu poison and knock them all out so silently.

Sui Jing, who had stood beside An Qing without making a move, scanned him with disdain. “Obviously, we want you all to die.”

He raised his gun, aiming at the people collapsing on the ground.

“Bang”

An Qing remained silent, raising his own gun to finish them off as well. He didn’t know where Sui Jing had obtained the drug or how it worked so effectively without alerting anyone. However, he had always trusted Sui Jing and never questioned his secrets.

Watching his subordinates fall one by one before him, the man panicked, unable to maintain his composure. “You have already killed ‘Mask’ and ‘Chameleon.’ From now on, you two will be the new ‘Mask’ and ‘Chameleon.’ I won’t speak of today’s events; we can manage this branch together, and I can still be of use to you…”

Seeing both of them aim their guns at him, he grew even more frantic. “And! Don’t forget, you still need the antidote for the Gu poison in your own bodies. If you kill me, you—” His words ended abruptly as his body slumped heavily to the ground.

“That is none of your concern,” An Qing said coldly.

After eliminating the last person, he lowered his gun and exhaled deeply. He felt a sense of relief wash over him. Great, he thought, from today on, I can finally completely break free from the organization.

Suddenly, his eyes widened. Looking down at his chest in disbelief, he saw a dagger piercing his body. He struggled to turn around and saw the person standing behind him. He smiled bitterly and asked, “Why?”

Sui Jing had discarded his gun. The dagger in his hand was buried in An Qing’s chest, his hands covered in blood. An Qing didn’t understand why the person who had fought side-by-side with him just moments ago would turn a blade against him. He had never lowered his guard against anyone except Sui Jing.

A flash of unreadable emotion crossed Sui Jing’s eyes. He moved his lips, his complexion deathly pale. “…I’m sorry. I had to do this.” His hand holding the knife was trembling.

An Qing opened his mouth. Anger, disbelief, sadness, and grief surged within him, eventually settling into resignation. He wore an ugly smile, gasping for air with great difficulty.

“Sui Jing, oh Sui Jing… you really… haven’t changed at all.” His gaze became dead and hollow. “As expected… in this hell… one shouldn’t hope for… even a shred of warmth…”

Sui Jing’s hand shook. He wanted to speak, but he forcibly held it back. What was it like to personally kill the person you loved most? There was no greater agony than this. But he had no choice…

“Although… I don’t know what you are trying to do… but… I hope you… achieve your wish…” An Qing fell to his knees, looking up to give Sui Jing a difficult smile as he spoke these words syllable by syllable.

No… it’s not like that. Sui Jing’s whole body was trembling.

The light in An Qing’s eyes gradually faded. Sui Jing collapsed, kneeling beside An Qing. His body trembled as he carefully gathered An Qing into his arms. He looked down at the person who had lost his breath, the corners of his mouth twitching in an expression that was neither crying nor laughing—utterly fragmented.

Blood… his hands were stained with blood. It was An Qing’s blood… he had personally killed his lover…

“I didn’t want to…”

“A-Yu, I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

“I had to do it… I’m sorry…”

His mind was in chaos; he only saw a sea of red, his hands soaked in his lover’s blood.

“Yan Qinyu, how could you be so heartless? Do you know… the first thing I saw when I woke up was your corpse, along with your shattered soul… I truly nearly went insane.” He acted as if he wanted to knead the person in his arms into his very bones. “I really, really wanted to bind you to my side so you could never go anywhere else, but… you would be sad, and I am not willing to make you sad…”

He looked at the person he had missed for thousands of years, his expression a mix of madness and restraint. He gripped An Qing’s hand tightly. “That guy is truly trash! He couldn’t even protect you.”

“If it were me! If I had been there…”

If I were there, I might not have been able to protect you either.

Sui Jing realized this sad truth; even in that situation, he would not have been able to protect his lover and walk away unscathed.

Sui Jing caressed An Qing’s pale face, picked up the dagger still stained with An Qing’s blood, and plunged it into his own chest without hesitation. As the intense pain washed over him, he smiled wildly.

“This strike, I return it to you. Little Immortal Lord, please don’t hold a grudge…”

The trial was complete; he was about to fall into a deep sleep.

Little Immortal Lord, after this parting, I don’t know when we will meet again.

Sui Jing felt both sad and angry. It really was too easy on that guy!

“I still had so many things I wanted to tell you…”

“Little Immortal Lord… wait for me…”

No matter how unwilling he was, he had to return to his true form. His consciousness began to drift into sleep. Taking one last look at An Qing, he slowly closed his eyes.

Soon after, a fierce, blazing Sun True Fire emerged, burning the entire dungeon building to ashes.

『Yan Qinyu, you are the clear breeze and the bright moon; you have compassion for all living beings, a god who saves the world—yet, you are the only one you have forgotten.』

『I only wish for you to be free and unrestrained, holding the breeze and the moon, in heaven or on earth, never to be extinguished.』

One year later.

Yan Mountain.

A young man dressed in Taoist robes walked through the woods, clutching a compass in his hand.

“That’s strange. It clearly moved a moment ago; why is there no reaction now?”

“Jingle-ling~ On the other side of the mountain, on the other side of the sea, there is a group of blue spirits~”

His phone rang. Gu Yun scrambled to answer it. “Hello?”

“You brat! Where are you right now?”

His Second Uncle’s voice came from the other end. Gu Yun held the phone away from his ear to avoid being deafened by the shouting. He curled his lip. “Second Uncle, what are you in such a rush for? I’m on my way. Alright, I have important business to attend to. Hanging up.”

Before the other end could respond, he hung up. Gu Yun rubbed his nose. “Seriously…”

Gu Yun was the young master of the Gu family. As a scion of a hidden family, the Gu lineage practiced both martial arts and Taoism. Yan Mountain was their dojo. At the same time, Yan Mountain held what they had protected for thousands of years.

“Yan Mountain” was a general term and did not refer to a single peak. The surrounding mountains were continuous, and the depths were shrouded in a barrier. Within the barrier were countless great formations. Everything was hidden, seemingly calm and peaceful.

Gu Yun had originally left the mountain on a mission, but before he had even left the dojo, he sensed a disturbance in the barrier near the Imperial Mausoleum and immediately rushed over. He had to take it seriously, as the barrier protected what his family had guarded for ages.

However, Gu Yun stared at his compass for half an hour. Aside from that initial flicker, the compass remained completely still, leaving him looking like a fool.

“Forget it, forget it. I suppose there’s no problem.”

Gu Yun turned to leave, but the compass flickered again.

Gu Yun: “…?” No, are you messing with me?

Gu Yun looked in the direction the compass was pointing and knocked on the barrier at that spot. The barrier was incredibly sturdy; it didn’t look like anyone could have broken in. Just as he was about to leave, a flash of white light suddenly erupted from the barrier, leaving his hand covered in blood.

Gu Yun gasped in pain.

“Oh no!”

The offensive formation had been activated, which was why it had injured someone who got too close.

“Did someone break in? That’s impossible!”

Before Gu Yun could figure it out, he saw his blood, which had fallen on the ground, being absorbed by the barrier. Immediately after, an irresistible force pulled him directly into the barrier.

As Gu Yun lost consciousness, his final thought was: Oh no, I haven’t eaten yet!

The Gu clan descended from a great general from over two thousand years ago—Gu Xuanfeng, one of the founding generals of the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty. The Great Yan Dynasty lasted for over nine hundred years and was the longest-lasting dynasty in history. Only Great Yan deserved the title of “Imperial Dynasty.” Because Great Yan truly achieved a state where ten thousand nations came to pay tribute, it was a glorious and prosperous era.

After the fall of the Great Yan Dynasty, the former Gu clan followed their ancestral teachings and came to Yan Mountain. The Yan Mountain Imperial Mausoleum held the remains of the Great Yan’s founding emperor, the Human Emperor Lu Xuan. The Gu clan served as the guardians of this mausoleum.

For over two thousand years, various formations had nourished Yan Mountain, turning it into a blessed land rich with spiritual energy. The Gu clan benefited from this, which allowed them to practice both martial arts and Taoism.

Spiritual energy in the world had been severed during a great war over three thousand years ago. The Divine Realm had shattered, the gates to the Underworld had closed, and spiritual energy had become thin; no one could practice the immortal path anymore. But they could on Yan Mountain. The spiritual energy there was sufficient, so there were no ordinary people in the entire Gu clan most were martial artists or cultivators.

This was a trade of sorts: they used the spiritual energy in exchange for guarding the Imperial Mausoleum generation after generation. To this day, no tomb raider dared to set foot on Yan Mountain.

Gu Yun had not expected a disturbance in the outer barrier of the Imperial Mausoleum today. The blood of the Gu clan’s direct line could open the barrier, allowing them to lead their kin into the mausoleum for rituals every year. Since the annual ritual had only taken place three months ago, Gu Yun couldn’t understand why the barrier was acting up.

If someone was looking to die by tomb raiding, Gu Yun didn’t believe it, as it was impossible for anyone to approach Yan Mountain without being discovered by his clan.

After waking up, Gu Yun used his internal energy to stop the bleeding in his hand and simply bandaged it. He had fallen into the depths of the mausoleum. The rituals were always held in the outer perimeter, as there were many traps and formations within the mausoleum that no one would dare touch. Consequently, Gu Yun was unfamiliar with the structure of the inner mausoleum, making it extremely difficult for him to find a way out.

Gu Yun couldn’t help but wail, “What am I supposed to do now?! There’s nothing here. What if I get stuck for a few months and starve to death?”

Although he was a top-tier expert in both martial arts and Taoism, he had not reached the state of bigong (fasting/subsisting on energy). He could only last ten days without food at most.

The spiritual energy of Yan Mountain could support their cultivation, but it could not truly allow them to take that final step to become immortals.