Breaking Army - Chapter 25

To ensure they had something substantial to present once the Heavenly Realm envoys and Xiao Chen arrived, Hu Qu led a team to turn Hua Wuhen’s quarters upside down. No one was spared, including those who appeared close to him or had regular dealings with him. Eventually, by following the trail of clues, they actually managed to locate the place where Hua Wuhen had cultivated the Poisonous Acacia.

Although Hua Wuhen had cleared away the trees, the soil had long been corroded by the daily drenching of venom. It was now toxic, littered with withered weeds that no one had cleared. It lay there, a desolate wasteland where even insects dared not tread, radiating an ominous aura of death.

Hu Qu stared at the garden, his expression flickering between shadow and light. The subordinate following him wiped away a cold sweat. “This… My King, surely he didn’t actually brew some kind of poison here, did he?”

“The Underworld has a technique called Soul Searching,” Hu Qu said, tapping his folding fan against his palm. “If Hua Wuhen truly did it, the Lord of the Underworld likely already knows. He made a move against the Lord in the mortal realm, which means he had both the audacity and the means to track His Highness’s movements. It wouldn’t be surprising if this were connected to the poisoning.”

“Then this could be.”

“Why the panic?” Hu Qu’s fan snapped shut. His voice betrayed not even a hint of alarm. “Hua Wuhen was Zhi Luo’s man. Failing to see through him is my responsibility, but the poison and the assassination attempt cannot be blamed on us. His Highness is not an unreasonable man, we simply need to explain things clearly. In this matter, even the Underworld is involved, so no one can claim to be perfectly clean. As for those from the Heavenly Realm coming to put on a show…” Hu Qu narrowed his eyes. “I only fear they will fabricate more lies and smear us with as much filth as they can.”

Because the culprit behind the last great chaos of the Three Realms was Zhi Luo, the Demon Realm seemed to have been looked down upon ever since. If it weren’t for Hu Qu’s genuine capability and political tact, the Demon Realm might have been trampled so hard it could never hold its head up again. Even now, many demons remained timid when traveling abroad, not daring to mention Zhi Luo’s name, viewing him as the shame of the Demon Realm and fearing they might provoke outsiders into giving them the cold shoulder.

Hu Qu continued, “Of the two princes of the Heavenly Realm, I know the Second Prince. I met him once, he’s a bit of a hothead with decent cultivation, a good soldier. The Crown Prince, however, is said to possess the Emperor’s early style, very meticulous. Send word out: watch every move the Heavenly Realm envoys make. Also, tell our people to keep their mouths shut around them in private. Pick the clever ones, we don’t want anyone being baited into giving information without even realizing it.”

The subordinate noted it all down. “By the way, My King, according to your orders, all musical instruments in the guest quarters have been removed. The songs and dances for the banquet have been arranged, and the musicians will be behind a curtain, they will not show their faces.”

Hu Qu nodded in satisfaction. The subordinate hesitated, his curiosity finally getting the better of him. “Forgive my ignorance, My King, but regarding the removal of the instruments… what is the deeper meaning behind this?”

He saw the usually composed Demon King’s expression crack for a split second, but Hu Qu quickly recovered, looking profound. “It has its uses. It’s better you don’t know.”

How could he possibly tarnish the reputation of His Highness the Po Jun Star? Outsiders might not know, but how could the demon generals who participated in the Battle of Wind-Watching Valley not know? They didn’t even need Hu Qu’s orders, the moment they heard Xiao Chen was coming, they had already hidden every instrument in their estates. Even though Xiao Chen might not even visit them, they were like startled birds, terrified at the mere mention of his name.

Such matters were, naturally, inconvenient to mention to those who idolized the legendary Po Jun Star.

Xiao Chen felt that one moment he was drinking with Rong Yuan, and the next, he opened his eyes to find himself in bed.

Spider Lilies actually have a fragrance, though it is very subtle. A single flower might not have a scent, but in a vast field, one can detect a trace of sweetness, realizing that despite their flamboyant appearance, the flowers possess a very refined aroma.

When Xiao Chen woke up, he felt that faint scent still lingering at the tip of his nose. His memory stopped at the moment he was drinking with Rong Yuan. He knew he had been getting tipsy, but it seemed… he had actually passed out drunk?

Xiao Chen hadn’t felt humiliated when he was poisoned, lost his cultivation, or suffered in the mortal realm. Yet at this moment, the Prince felt truly embarrassed. He had been drinking against a novice who rarely touched alcohol, and he was the one who got drunk, even losing his memory of the event.

This was too embarrassing. Was his body no longer able to handle wine like before? It turned out alcohol tolerance was also linked to cultivation. What a mess.

Xiao Chen sat up in bed and sighed. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. His clothes were still perfectly intact, but there was no smell of alcohol. Rong Yuan must have used spiritual power to remove it. Not only that, but there was also that faint… floral scent?

A sea of red flowers flickered through his mind, blurred and indistinct. He seemed, he seemed to have been leaning against a very comforting place? His hand felt like it had been holding something, something cool… only vague images could be clawed back from his mind.

Xiao Chen’s heart skipped a beat. What else did we do after that? I didn’t say anything I shouldn’t have, or do anything inappropriate, did I?

Xiao Chen looked down at his hands. That cool sensation, could it have been Rong Yuan’s hand?

Did I take liberties with him?

Xiao Chen was certain he wasn’t a frivolous person. Hu Qu was the one who loved to get touchy-faced with beauties, not him. But he had never been drunk before, so he couldn’t be sure what he might do while intoxicated. For a rare moment, the Po Jun Star felt a bit guilty.

Should I go and test the waters?

Rong Yuan was in an excellent mood. A smile remained on his lips, and even the half-mask couldn’t hide his joy. He was handling affairs in the Underworld Hall with Zuo Yi and You Chang.

Zuo Yi and You Chang were exchanging glances. Zuo Yi signaled silently: You ask. You Chang countered with his eyes: No, you go.

The two were bickering with their eyes, a scene fully captured by Rong Yuan when he looked up. He used spiritual power to trace words in the air before them: “What are you two doing?”

You Chang was startled and blurted out instinctively, “Nothing!”

Zuo Yi watched him with a gloating expression. You Chang glared back at him. Since he had already spoken, he decided to just go for it. “Sovereign, we… we have something we want to ask.”

Zuo Yi rested his chin in his hand, thinking that this guy would definitely ask directly. He really didn’t understand the art of subtlety.

Sure enough, You Chang said, “Earlier, outside the Cloud-Climbing Pavilion, we saw you and the Prince… Sovereign, so your decision to save the Po Jun Star wasn’t because you needed something from him, was it?”

Rong Yuan remained silent for a moment. Professionally, as the Underworld Sovereign, he really shouldn’t be impulsive, and Zuo Yi and You Chang, as his left and right envoys, were supposed to watch over him. But personally, a cultivation partner should be someone one’s heart desires, and Zuo Yi and You Chang were like family to him. Having acted recklessly in the mortal realm, he owed them an explanation.

Rong Yuan paused, then said under their collective gaze, “There is something I seek.”

“I seek his sincere heart.”

Zuo Yi and You Chang stared at the words for a long time, speechless. After a moment, Zuo Yi spoke first. He wore his usual smile, looking a bit lazy and careless. Though he seemed relaxed, he wasn’t frivolous, he had a way of making people feel that “it’s fine, not a big problem.”

He spoke in a light tone, “Having someone you like is a good thing, and if it turns into a marriage, it’s even better. Sovereign, you could have just told us. We didn’t even know when you fell for him, we’ve been quite incompetent subordinates.”

You Chang opened his mouth dryly. “Is it an affection that grew out of admiration from hearing too many legends?”

Rong Yuan didn’t move, so You Chang took it as a confirmation. Back then, as ‘Ghost Mask,’ Rong Yuan had slipped out under his master’s nose despite the ban on leaving the Underworld. His excuse to others was that he was in seclusion. The Underworld was chaotic at the time, with ghosts queuing all the way to the Yellow River, so Zuo Yi and You Chang were too busy to notice. Three years passed in the blink of an eye, and they had no idea Rong Yuan had actually been on the battlefield.

You Chang felt a mix of emotions. He loved listening to hero stories and had often talked about the Po Jun legends in front of Rong Yuan. Seeing the boy grow up like this, he felt he shared some responsibility. “Sovereign, you…”

He stumbled over his words, which made it easy for Rong Yuan’s text to interrupt him: “Don’t ask me if I can distinguish between affection and admiration. You two watched me grow up, you should understand.”

You Chang shut his mouth. When he spoke again, he changed his tune. “If I may be blunt, the Po Jun Star doesn’t seem to have any interest in mortal romance.”

Rong Yuan wasn’t annoyed, because it was the truth. “For now, yes.”

Zuo Yi tried to smooth things over. “It’s fine. He’s the Consort of the Underworld now anyway, and he can’t go back to the Star Realm for the time being. There’s plenty of time to build feelings. Our Sovereign is so wonderful, there’s no need to fear he won’t win him over.”

You Chang followed the thought but wasn’t as optimistic. “It’s been five hundred years. What if the karmic slaughter on the Prince suddenly vanishes one day and he wants to leave immediately?”

He was genuinely worried, but Rong Yuan said, “When the Prince’s karmic slaughter is cleared, if he wants to go back to the Star Realm to see, I won’t stop him.”

Marriage is a matter of cause and effect, especially one sealed by a marriage contract. You Chang was stunned. “You… you’re willing to grant a divorce?”

“Not a divorce,” Rong Yuan said. “The cause and effect formed by a normal marriage, as long as there is no murder, infidelity, or betrayal involved, does not stain one with negative karma. It is not a major obstacle in the path of destiny, and it certainly won’t be a reason for the Star Realm to reject him. Does being married mean one can’t go home? He simply wants to visit his home, of course I wouldn’t stop him.”

You Chang hadn’t expected the child he raised to be such a devoted soul. He said, “Aren’t you afraid that once he goes, he’ll never want to come back down?”

Rong Yuan said, “The Prince wouldn’t do that, and I will certainly capture his heart.”

Zuo Yi couldn’t listen anymore. He picked up an inkless brush from his desk and tossed it at You Chang’s forehead. You Chang, caught up in his complicated feelings, didn’t dodge in time. He snapped, “What was that for!”

“You idiot,” Zuo Yi said. “If they don’t divorce, and the Prince deliberately hides in the Star Realm and never sees the Sovereign again, over time that would be an act of betrayal. That would turn into a karmic debt of resentment.”

“Oh, right.” You Chang’s eyes brightened for a second, then dimmed again. He always had endless worries. “What if the Prince insists on a divorce?”

“Can you have a little faith in our Sovereign!” Zuo Yi turned to Rong Yuan. “Ignore him, Sovereign, I support you. You won’t know if it works until you try. With such a good opportunity right in front of you, you naturally can’t let it go.”

Rong Yuan nodded. You Chang was displeased and threw the brush back at Zuo Yi. “Did I say I didn’t support him? I’m just worried for the Sovereign. Considering the problems and coming up with more ideas is just being thorough!”

Zuo Yi caught the brush mid-air. “You and your negative thinking, you’re just making people hesitate for nothing!”

“What did you say!”

Before their bickering could escalate, Rong Yuan said with a smile, “I know you are both caring for me. Thank you.”

Zuo Yi and You Chang saw Rong Yuan’s words and let their anger die down. They sat back down and huffed at each other. Rong Yuan’s eyes flickered, and he said, “The Prince is here.”

Sure enough, a moment later, a guard led Xiao Chen into the hall. The Underworld Hall was just an office for the three of them, not a court for passing judgment. Xiao Chen didn’t need to wait in a side hall. The guard reported and left. Seeing him arrive, Zuo Yi and You Chang immediately stood up and bowed. “Greetings, Your Highness.”

Xiao Chen said, “No need for formalities.”

After You Chang lowered his hands, he gave Xiao Chen a smile. It was a very kind smile, but Xiao Chen felt it was a bit strange, just… too forced.

But why is he smiling instead of being angry? Does that mean I didn’t take liberties with Rong Yuan, but did something else instead?

Xiao Chen couldn’t help but look at Rong Yuan. Rong Yuan felt the same as usual. Words floated before him: “Your Highness has come at a perfect time. I’ve encountered a problem, I’m sure you might have some insight. Could you offer some guidance?”

Xiao Chen wouldn’t refuse a request for help, so he walked over and naturally sat down beside Rong Yuan, leaning in to look at the scroll spread out before him. “Is it this one?”

Below them, Zuo Yi and You Chang thought: They’re sitting awfully close.

In the entire hall, only the Consort could sit in the seat next to the Sovereign. They could see clearly that Rong Yuan’s lips were curved in a constant smile, while Xiao Chen was seriously looking at the scroll, completely unaware of their proximity.

Was this… a total lack of progress, or a sign of improvement? Had Xiao Chen already grown used to Rong Yuan’s closeness?

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