Breaking Army - Chapter 26

With Zuo Yi and You Changzai present, Xiao Chen naturally found it difficult to ask about the events of the previous night. Fortunately, the two departed quickly after handling their affairs. Rong Yuan, on the other hand, was uncharacteristically leisurely today, processing his tasks without any hint of a hurry.

Once they were alone, Xiao Chen finally spoke up. “I was careless and grew intoxicated. I’ve caused you trouble.”

“Your Highness is too kind,” Rong Yuan replied.

Xiao Chen assumed a serious expression, humming thoughtfully. “Hmm… I didn’t say anything strange while I was drunk, did I?”

Whenever Rong Yuan ‘spoke’ with Xiao Chen, he never kept his eyes on the scrolls in his hands. “Of course not. You have excellent conduct when drinking.”

To receive such an answer from Rong Yuan, that his ‘drinking conduct’ was good meant he hadn’t let any secrets slip, nor had he behaved inappropriately toward him. After all, if he had thrown a drunken tantrum, he wouldn’t be described as having good conduct. Xiao Chen felt half the weight lift from his chest. His fingers moved slightly against the table, though they made no sound. “When I’m drunk, my mind only holds fragmented images. I can’t remember clearly. Did we pass by the Equinox Flower thickets afterward?”

Vast stretches of vivid red flowers, and the sound of flowing water.

Rong Yuan nodded. “We went to the banks of the Yellow Springs to admire the flowers. You fell asleep shortly after.”

Wait. If that were the case, the sensation of leaning against something hadn’t been an illusion. There were no buildings by the Yellow Springs, only flowers. What could he have leaned on?

That only left a person.

Xiao Chen’s fingers stiffened. He slowly shifted his gaze away from Rong Yuan. He realized he didn’t want to know how he had returned to his room at all. If he had fallen asleep while looking at the flowers, there was no way he could have walked back on his own.

As it turned out, he might have embarrassed himself, but at least it wasn’t because he had tried to take liberties with someone.

Rong Yuan sat quietly and elegantly, watching Xiao Chen with a faint smile. Xiao Chen thought to himself that it was a blessing he didn’t have to look the man in the eye through that mask. He gave a dry cough, decisively ending the topic of his intoxication. As long as they discussed official business, he could maintain his composure.

“The current Demon King, Hu Qu, do you know much about him?”

The image of Hu Qu’s face, which practically radiated a playboy aura, surfaced in Rong Yuan’s mind. He simply said, “I know a little.”

“He is very clever. Outsiders are often deceived by his romantic and frivolous exterior, but he possesses genuine capability. To be honest, regarding the poisoning and the ‘Flower Without a Trace,’ I don’t suspect him.” Hu Qu had no reason to kill him, though he might use him. Xiao Chen continued, “My main reason for going to the Demon Realm is to see the place you mentioned, where the ‘Flower Without a Trace’ was planted. With the Lord of the Underworld, a Prince of the Heavenly Realm, and the Demon King gathered together, it’s best if you don’t reveal your identity. Many people have designs on the Underworld’s cycle of reincarnation.”

Anything involving life and death was of grave importance. Every year, people tried to break into the Underworld to snatch souls in an attempt to resurrect the dead. Their reasons varied; some were truly heart-wrenching stories. During Rong Yuan’s reign, not a single one had succeeded. As word spread, he became the villain in these stories—the cruel figure who heartlessly prevented reunions. That was how Rong Yuan’s reputation for being cold, ruthless, and bloodthirsty was born.

They never stopped to think that with countless living beings in the world, chaos would ensue if anyone could return from the dead. If even the Underworld compromised, even for just one person, what would others think? They would demand to know why they couldn’t do the same. When the Goddess and Lord Taibai died to maintain the seal years ago, not even their souls remained. What could be said for them?

Then there was his own mother. Rong Yuan couldn’t even manage to collect her remains.

Aside from the Star Realm, the Underworld was the most unique of the Six Realms. Some looked down upon it, while others viewed it with a mix of awe and terror. King Hu Qu was anxious to restore the Demon Realm’s prestige, and the Heavenly Princes needed to uphold their realm’s image. Xiao Chen was reminding him to keep the Underworld out of the fray as much as possible to avoid being exploited.

Whatever the motive, he was looking out for me. A warmth bloomed in Rong Yuan’s chest. Strangely, the ripple of emotion that followed caused the hand beneath his sleeve to tighten. A sudden, violent surge of pain erupted in his chest, nearly forcing a reaction.

Yet, Rong Yuan’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. Even though no one could see his face beneath the mask, he didn’t even knit his brows. He simply nodded. “I will be careful. I also want to find clues to identify the spy lurking in the Underworld. Anyone who supports a madman like Zhi Luo would be a great threat to the Underworld if allowed to stir trouble from the shadows.”

He manifested words again: “I shall prepare my avatar now. In the Demon Realm, there are no cultivation suppressions like those in the Mortal Realm. I certainly won’t make a fool of myself in front of Your Highness again.”

Xiao Chen fell silent upon reading this. The corners of his mouth straightened, his smile fading. He looked at Rong Yuan earnestly and said, “Mu Qing did not make a fool of himself. He was wonderful. You don’t need to disparage yourself, Rong Yuan.”

Rong Yuan smiled. “Those words from Your Highness are enough.”

Rong Yuan then went to prepare. Returning to the Underworld Lotus Palace, he selected a room used for secluded cultivation. The room came with its own defensive arrays, which were easy to activate. The previous day, he had gathered Equinox Flowers and water from the Yellow Springs, which he had left in the room.

Once inside and the defensive arrays were activated to isolate the space, he could no longer keep up the act. He doubled over, and a mouthful of blood sprayed onto the flower petals.

Whenever his emotions were deeply stirred, the pain in his heart became increasingly unbearable. It seemed his frequent emotional upheavals lately had caused his chronic ailments to accumulate, finally erupting at this moment and leaving him momentarily unable to endure it.

The blood splashed across the petals, making it impossible to tell which was more vivid. Rong Yuan wiped the corner of his mouth, and surprisingly, he even found the leisure to think: Good, this saves me the step of drawing blood.

An avatar only required two drops of blood. The two mouthfuls he had just coughed up were enough to create a dozen avatars.

Rong Yuan leaned against the wall with effort and sat down, waiting for the worst of the pain to pass. He instinctively reached out to touch his chest, but there was nothing there except the pain. It was empty. He could feel heartache and a pulse, but there was no sound of a heart beating in his chest, his heart was not there.

The high-grade spiritual jades kept in various rooms of the Underworld Lotus Palace weren’t for advancing his cultivation; they were there to make him feel a little better. He had grown used to the usual pain, but there were always moments when it became intolerable.

This was why, when Mu Qing’s heart had been pierced, he had told Xiao Chen it didn’t hurt. He truly wasn’t lying. Compared to the pain he lived with every day, that much was nothing.

Rong Yuan sat for half a stick of incense’s time. He stood up and wiped away every trace of blood on his person. He showed no sign of his previous weakness, appearing as if nothing had happened as he began to prepare the avatar. With the water of the Yellow Springs, the Equinox Flowers, and his own blood, the new avatar looked exactly like Mu Qing. This time, he didn’t need to carry a bundle and pretend to be a mortal. His clothes were changed to the dark robes common in the Underworld, as he had to look the part of an Underworld attendant.

On the day they departed for the Demon Realm, the group from the Heavenly Realm arrived before Xiao Chen. When Xiao Chen arrived, the Heavenly guests came out to greet him together, showing the immense respect they held for him.

“Oh, Your Highness! It has been years. Have you missed me?” Hu Qu called out in his usual melodic drawl, tossing out sweet words as if they cost nothing. “I have thought of you every day, longing for the moment I might see Your Highness again.”

The moment Hu Qu finished speaking, he felt a sharp, piercing gaze land on him. Being a demon beast, he was exceptionally sensitive and immediately looked up, but the gaze vanished instantly. It was very strange.

Rong Yuan quickly withdrew his gaze and lowered his eyes, standing obediently behind Xiao Chen. He and this fox really did not get along.

Geng Xie and Xiang Zhi stood behind the Heavenly Princes. Before they could even feel happy about the reunion, Hu Qu’s words had already given them goosebumps.

“Do you think I believe that? With so many beauties surrounding you, would you really have time to think of anyone else?” Xiao Chen was well-acquainted with Hu Qu’s style. The fox was fine in every other regard, but he was a hopeless romantic who loved beauty above all else, regardless of gender. He had kept several beauties even before becoming the Demon King. After several hundred years, there was no telling how large his harem had grown.

Hu Qu was always charming toward beauties he met for the first time. Of course, if that beauty later became his enemy, he wouldn’t show a hint of mercy when he struck.

“When did Your Highness acquire such a little beauty?” Hu Qu asked with a smile, looking at Rong Yuan’s avatar, who stood half a step behind Xiao Chen. “I thought you would come alone, so I only prepared one room next to mine. It seems I was inconsiderate.”

A room next to his? Wouldn’t that be inside the Demon King’s palace? Xiao Chen’s expression turned odd. He hadn’t quite adjusted to the fact that he was technically a married man, but with Rong Yuan here, he instinctively felt this was inappropriate.

“His name is Mu Qing, an attendant Rong Yuan assigned to me.” No one whose cultivation was lower than Rong Yuan’s true form could see through his avatar. Among those present, not a single person could, including Xiao Chen, whose cultivation had been halved.

Rong Yuan was only about six hundred years old, yet his strength was as stunning as his appearance. Without realizing it, Xiao Chen had stopped associating conspiracy theories with him. Rong Yuan was a rare genius of the Six Realms and was already a realm lord. The Underworld had no need to vie for power with the other realms, so there was no reason for Rong Yuan to set a trap for him.

Rong Yuan raised his hands and gave a stiff, formal bow to Hu Qu without much expression. Hu Qu’s ingrained flirtatiousness surfaced again. “I didn’t realize the Underworld held such a peerless beauty. Young Master Mu Qing, would you like to follow me? The Demon Realm has many interesting places—ow! Your Highness, what are you doing?”

Xiao Chen, unable to watch any longer, had snatched the fan from Hu Qu’s hand and tapped it against his shoulder. “Control your temperament. You’re not getting him, so give up now. Since I brought him out, I must return him to the Underworld in one piece. Also, change the room. Give me a separate residence.”

Hu Qu’s eyes widened slightly. “I’ll just arrange another room for Young Master Mu Qing. Why must your room be changed?”

“It would be inappropriate,” Xiao Chen said, tapping Hu Qu’s fan against his own palm. “I am a man with a cultivation partner now.”

“My dear Highness, everyone knows that you and the Lord are just, well, you know?” Hu Qu didn’t finish his sentence, wearing a knowing smile as he looked at Xiao Chen. Xiao Chen threw the fan back at him. “Know what? Change the room.”

Ci Shu and Cheng Feng had remained silent out of politeness while the Demon King spoke. They had waited for ages, but Hu Qu wouldn’t stop talking nonsense. Cheng Feng, growing impatient, took the opportunity to signal Ci Shu to step forward with him. Ci Shu, knowing his brother’s thoughts, gave a slight smile and raised his hands in a bow toward Xiao Chen. “Ci Shu of the Heavenly Realm greets His Highness Po Jun.”

Cheng Feng followed quickly. “Cheng Feng of the Heavenly Realm greets Your Highness!”

Xiao Chen returned the greeting. “There is no need for such formality, Princes. In fact, Cheng Feng and I have met once before.”

“Yes!” Cheng Feng exclaimed excitedly. “I am honored that Your Highness remembers! Seeing Your Highness’s heroic grace all those years ago… that is the realm all of us warriors strive for. It was truly unforgettable!”

Xiao Chen didn’t dislike martial-minded juniors. “The path of cultivation is endless. If we have time during this trip, perhaps we can exchange some insights.”

Cheng Feng was overjoyed, his eyes shining with fervent admiration. Xiao Chen couldn’t help but recall the weight of the gaze in Mu Qing’s eyes back in the mortal world when he spoke of the one he loved… it was very different from Cheng Feng’s.

Xiao Chen’s heart gave a sudden, strange leap. He almost turned around to look at Rong Yuan, but luckily, he regained his focus when he caught sight of Xiang Zhi and Geng Xie.

He took the chance to observe them. They weren’t hard to find, as Ci Shu and Cheng Feng had only brought two people each. Under so many watchful eyes, the two didn’t dare reveal themselves and maintained their composure perfectly.

Good, Xiao Chen thought. They could keep their cool in different situations. Perhaps it was a good thing to let them see the world. In the past, Xiang Zhi would only descend to the mortal realm to collect books and leave, and Geng Xie rarely went out at all, especially given his attitude of looking down on the other realms. He wouldn’t listen to mere words, so this experience might change him.

“By the way,” Xiao Chen added, “Mu Qing is practicing the Vow of Silence. It is inconvenient for him to speak or use voice transmissions. Hu Qu, make sure your people don’t make things difficult for him.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” Hu Qu replied. He didn’t put on any airs in public and was quite polite. “I have prepared a welcoming banquet for our guests. Everyone, please follow me.”

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