I Rely On The Collapse Of The Character Setting To Survive In The Hands Of The Male Lead Chapter 202

Chapter 202

Huo Luo dared not imagine such an ending. He could no longer think clearly, his injured arm bleeding profusely from the exertion. Blood began to seep from the corners of his mouth. His martial arts prowess was formidable, his inner energy boiling, showing signs of losing control. Lu Yi and Lu Shi hurriedly held onto Huo Luo.

“Calm down, Huo Luo! The master is still here!” Lu Yi shouted.

Lu Shi added hastily, “Yes, yes, the master must have a solution.”

Huo Luo trembled all over, as if grasping for a lifeline. He finally turned to Chu Lishu, his eyes moist with helplessness and pleading, hoping that the Crown Prince could once again work a miracle.

Chu Lishu’s face darkened, and he said directly, “Lu Yi and Lu Shi, go to the palace and find Ning Ziheng. Tell him to issue the order.” Lu Yi and Lu Shi were about to argue that it was impossible, given Ning Ziheng’s temperament. Even though he was somewhat familiar with both Huo Luo and Chu Lishu, they were still adversaries, and tonight’s events were targeted at Ning Ziheng himself. How could he be willing to lend a hand? If he found out, he might even wish for their deaths.

But the next moment, Chu Lishu spoke up, “Tell him that if he saves Yue Chen, I’ll tell him the whereabouts of Yuan Ran.”

This statement shocked not only Lu Yi and Lu Shi but also Huo Luo.

Before Lu Yi could respond, Chu Lishu said, “There’s no time. Go quickly.” The burial grounds were vast, and finding a buried person was nearly impossible. If Yue Chen had been buried directly, he would surely be dead by now. However, if he was buried in a coffin, there was still a chance, perhaps two or four hours. Based on what Tu Feng had said, Chu Lishu believed that the possibility of being buried in a coffin was higher, giving them some hope.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Shi was about to take action when suddenly Lin Qingyang rushed over and appeared in front of Tu Feng, pouring medicine from a bottle into his mouth.

Everyone was surprised, thinking that Lin Qingyang was also threatening Tu Feng.

Tu Feng laughed, “Little guy, you think giving me poison can… can…”

Suddenly, Tu Feng couldn’t laugh anymore, and even his expression became eerie.

“Take us to find Yue Chen! Immediately!” Lin Qingyang commanded through gritted teeth.

Tu Feng stared directly at Lin Qingyang and then nodded silently. Lin Qingyang, disregarding the astonished expressions of others, reached out and cut the ropes binding him. Then, as if under control, Tu Feng quickly headed towards the slope of the Potter’s Field.

Huo Luo immediately followed.

Lu Yi and Lu Shi stared in disbelief at Lin Qingyang, while Chu Lishu reacted quickly, stepping forward and asking, “Was it Mu Huichun’s Truth-Telling Incense?”

Lin Qingyang, still catching his breath, nodded stiffly.

“But didn’t he say he didn’t have enough ingredients to make it properly?” Chu Lishu frowned.

“So, I’m not sure about its effectiveness, but I hope it works,” Lin Qingyang said nervously. In fact, it wasn’t Mu Huichun’s Truth-Telling Incense but a Truth-Telling Pill he had exchanged for a hundred points. Because items over a hundred points took longer to process, he had wasted some time just now. Luckily, he had checked the vials he got from Mu Huichun earlier and found several empty ones that looked similar to the one containing the Truth-Telling Incense. That’s how Lin Qingyang managed to bluff.

Without further ado, on the slope of the Potter’s Field, Tu Feng stopped and pointed to a flat area.

Huo Luo immediately pounced forward, refraining from using a knife to dig for fear of harming the person underneath. Instead, he relentlessly used his hands to excavate.

Lu Yi and Lu Shi also hurried to help. Lin Qingyang wanted to join them, but seeing that there was no space left, he could only silently pray that it was a coffin with air inside.

Soon, Huo Luo’s hand hit a wooden board with a thud, as if striking his frozen heart. Finally… his heart began to beat.

The sound made everyone gasp in unison.

“Yue Chen… Yue Chen!” Huo Luo directly grabbed the coffin lid with his bloodied hands and forcefully lifted it.

In the instant it was revealed, tears streamed down Huo Luo’s face.

Inside, curled up, was indeed Yue Chen. Apart from some dirt and dust on his face, there were no visible injuries.

Huo Luo reached out abruptly, but froze in an instant. He suddenly dared not touch him, fear gripping his hand, trembling. What if… what if…

At that moment, Chu Lishu stepped forward, reaching out to place his hand directly under Yue Chen’s neck.

The others waited in silence, while Huo Luo seemed lost, staring dumbly at Yue Chen.

“It’s okay, he’s alive,” Chu Lishu’s words were like a light shining into the abyss, instantly causing Huo Luo to burst into tears and laughter. Without hesitation, he lifted Yue Chen from the coffin, holding him tightly in his arms. The joy of recovering what was lost overwhelmed everything else. Feeling his warmth and the vitality of his breath, Huo Luo clumsily wiped away the dust from his warm cheeks.

Finally, Lin Qingyang also breathed a sigh of relief, feeling somewhat exhausted as he leaned towards Chu Lishu.

Seeing this, Chu Lishu smiled with relief and reached out to embrace him. “Thanks to your quick thinking, you’re my lucky star.”

Lin Qingyang shook his head, feeling that he had merely rectified the mistake he caused.

Lu Yi and Lu Shi also had tears in their eyes, looking at Lin Qingyang with smiles full of gratitude.

After all, having stayed in the coffin for so long, there was still concern about potential issues, so Lin Qingyang gave Huo Luo another lifesaving medicine, as it couldn’t hurt to take it.

Hurriedly, Huo Luo fed it to Yue Chen. But after feeding him, Huo Luo’s hand didn’t leave Yue Chen’s lips. Suddenly, Huo Luolowered his head and kissed Yue Chen on the lips.

This scene stunned the four who had been waiting for Yue Chen to wake up, despite their initial relief.

Chu Lishu turned his head away, avoiding eye contact, and reached out to cover Lin Qingyang’s wide-open eyes.

Lu Yi also hurriedly took Lu Shi to check on the other captives. Lu Shi’s stuttering voice kept coming through, after all, they didn’t know as much as Chu Lishu and Lin Qingyang did.

This time, Huo Luo was genuinely shocked. He actually dared to do that directly in front of them.

Huo Luo actually didn’t have much experience; he just brushed his lips, as if doing so would make him feel more at ease.

But soon Yue Chen woke up. He was directly discovered and knocked out by Tu Feng, completely unaware of being buried alive. Upon waking up and seeing Huo Luo, he thought he had just been kidnapped, only to be found by Huo Luo again.

Seeing the expression on Huo Luo’s face, Yue Chen faintly felt that something was wrong. It seemed like there was something more in his gaze as he looked at him.

“Is there anywhere else uncomfortable?” Huo Luo still held Yue Chen as they sat on the ground.

Yue Chen shook his head. “I didn’t expect so much to happen. By the way, what about His Highness?”

“They went to handle it. We’ll be able to leave soon,” Huo Luo replied.

“Alright, perfect. We entered the palace overnight and resolved the matter. Better to nip it in the bud before it gets worse.” Yue Chen didn’t really take his own experiences seriously, instead focusing directly on what lay ahead. After a moment of contemplation, he smirked confidently, “I didn’t expect to be this lucky. Just devised the plan and it’s already executed. They definitely won’t have time to prepare.”

Huo Luo’s expression darkened, “Where’s the luck in that? You almost… From now on, when I’m not around, don’t do anything risky.”

“Tonight was an exception. I never intended to take risks, you know I’m not stupid.”

“But…”

“Enough, it’s our task anyway, let’s get on with it.” Yue Chen said, attempting to stand up, feeling uneasy being held by Huo Luo.

Huo Luo felt that as soon as Yue Chen spoke, he wouldn’t get a chance to say anything. He really wanted to shut him up like he did just now.

The two arrived at the deserted house. In reality, the situation here was already resolved. The people from the Ministry of Justice, Ning Ziheng’s assassins, and three dead convicts—all the evidence was conclusive.

Yue Chen was about to approach Chu Lishu and Lin Qingyang to speak when he noticed that everyone was looking at him strangely. He didn’t think much of it; they were probably worried about him being buried alive.

“I’m fine now, thank you all for coming to rescue me,” Yue Chen said, pulling Lin Qingyang over and ruffling his hair. “Especially quick-witted little Qingyang here.”

Lin Qingyang awkwardly glanced at the Huo Luo behind him. He felt that given their current relationship, as men, they should maintain some distance, especially since he was technically ‘broken-sleeved.’ “I’m just glad you’re okay, that’s all.”

“Yue Chen, are you ready?” Chu Lishu asked directly. They all knew that since there was trouble here, the Ministry of Justice and Ning Ziheng would soon find out. So the best course of action was to act quickly and catch the other side off guard.

Yue Chen immediately composed himself, nodding. When it came to handling business, Yue Chen was never hesitant; he moved forward with determination.

So, soon enough, the group returned to the city. Yue Chen and Huo Luo, along with the bodies of the people and guards, went back to the Inspection Court and hurried to the palace overnight.

The night was deep and quiet, it was the time for peaceful sleep, when the footsteps of the officials and soldiers echoed in the capital city, knocking on the doors of the Ministry of Justice officers one by one.

Meanwhile, deep in the palace, upon learning that officials from the Inspection Court had submitted reports overnight, there was a sense of unease, as the return time was later than usual, and shortly after, there came the summons from the Emperor.

Ning Ziheng remained composed, straightened his attire, and went over, while at the same time, all the officials from the Ministry of Justice were also summoned.

On the other side, Chu Lishu and Lin Qingyang had also returned home. While Lin Qingyang went to return the medicine, Chu Lishu praised Mu Huichun again. Mu Huichun naturally looked confused.

However, Mu Huichun was usually engrossed in medical research, with a wide variety of herbs scattered around, and his mind not very clear. He began to doubt himself, saying, “Could it be that missing one ingredient’s essence would still work?”

Chu Lishu said, “The symptoms seem a bit different. But it indeed let him obeyed commands and told the truth.”

“I just used whatever was in the medicine bottle. As long as the result is good, it’s fine. Mu Huichun, you can continue your research,” Lin Qingyang quickly pretended not to know much and bluffed.

As Lin Qingyang said, as long as the outcome was favorable, everything else could trouble Mu Huichun. More research would be beneficial.

Early the next morning, Lin Qingyang woke up to a notification that the mission was completed, earning a reward of two hundred points, which was a small profit. It happened to be the day for Chu Lishu and him to return to the palace, so they hurried back. Upon their arrival, they immediately sensed the solemn atmosphere. The palace enuch sent by Chief Steward Hai explained the situation from the previous night.

Almost all the charges against the officials of the Ministry of Justice had been settled; they were just waiting for the imperial decree. Although the Minister of Justice had been reprimanded, in reality, he was overshadowed by the Emperor himself, as he had nurtured the officials below him. It wasn’t appropriate to implicate the aging Minister of Justice at this point, so he was merely fined and stripped of his salary. The future management of the Ministry of Justice would still be entrusted to him and a group of young officials.

The reason why the Emperor wanted to sideline the Minister of Justice was entirely because of the principle that “new emperor, new officials.” Moreover, the Minister of Justice had been ambiguous in his stance regarding the matter involving Crown Prince Yuan Ran in the past, seemingly only concerned with self-preservation rather than genuinely seeking to align with the Emperor. Therefore, the Emperor had always been displeased with him, fearing his disloyalty. However, as he was an old minister, it wasn’t easy to take action against him without clear declarations or misconduct. Thus, the Emperor could only gradually sideline him. Over the years, the Minister of Justice had simply gone with the flow, occasionally meeting with old friends to speak candidly about his disappointment with the current court and his regrets about the past.

Among his old friends was Mr. Cao.

Last night, Chu Lishu received a notification from Mr. Cao, informing him that the Minister of Justice had visited him. Chu Lishu then took Lu Yi and Lu Shi to pay a visit.

In secret, Chu Lishu had Mr. Cao inquire about the transactions involving prisoners at the Ministry of Justice. Although the Minister of Justice was well aware of these dealings, he was powerless to stop them.

Thus, Chu Lishu learned about the day of the transaction and decided to investigate with Lu Yi and Lu Shi, unaware of the fortuitous timing of their arrival.

The affairs of the Ministry of Justice greatly angered the Emperor. After all, it was a force under his own command. Although their actions didn’t directly affect the court, it was considered collusion within the government, something the Emperor strongly disapproved of.

So, after dealing harshly with the Ministry of Justice, the Emperor turned his attention to Ning Ziheng. He was deeply dissatisfied with him.

Despite Ning Ziheng’s vigilance and early destruction of other clues, and despite Tu Feng’s loyalty to him, when his strength recovered from the effects of the poison after being brought into the palace, he used the poison hidden in his body to kill himself directly. Thus, there was only one dead assassin under his command, and it couldn’t be proven that he was the mastermind. As long as he didn’t admit to it, claiming that the assassin had acted on his own and had dealings with the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry couldn’t implicate him since there was no evidence.

But the Emperor wasn’t easily fooled. Although Ning Ziheng hinted that the Emperor was cultivating new assassins for the Blood Abyss Pavilion, the Emperor didn’t fully believe him. Moreover, the collusion within the government was indeed real, and Ning Ziheng hadn’t reported his private activities to the Emperor.

So, even though Ning Ziheng didn’t suffer as harshly as the officials from the Ministry of Justice, many of his duties were divided between Chief Steward Sheng and Chief Steward Hai. Ning Ziheng also demoted to become a Leading Enuch, handling some rough and dirty work within the palace. His power and status plummeted rapidly.

However, it seemed that the Emperor still left him some leeway, as he didn’t take away the Blood Abyss Pavilion from him. After all, the Emperor temporarily didn’t trust anyone else to take over. He was probably also concerned that Ning Ziheng, this madman, might bite back suddenly. Even if he didn’t die, it would hurt. So, he decided to deal with it slowly.

At this point, the Emperor actually still believed that Ning Ziheng was only selfishly cultivating his own power and not intending to betray him. If Ning Ziheng had wanted to betray him, he could have done so long ago, and wouldn’t have waited until now.

However, if the Emperor knew that Ning Ziheng’s goal wasn’t his life but the entire Yuan Dynasty’s fate, he would probably feel ashamed of his judgment.

In any case, after this ordeal, Ning Ziheng was severely weakened, harboring deep hatred towards the two instigators of all this. Yet, outwardly, he showed no signs of weakness. Even after being reprimanded, he still walked back with a straight back.

Unfortunately, as Ning Ziheng headed in his direction, Huo Luo was still waiting for him.

It wasn’t until Ning Ziheng was beaten by Huo Luo to the point of spitting blood that Yue Chen finally stopped him. “Enough, he’s about to die.”

It’s not that they couldn’t kill him, but killing within the palace was not allowed.

Huo Luo then forcefully pushed Ning Ziheng away, as even the slightest hint of pity towards Ning Ziheng because of Qi Ci had completely disappeared.

“Ning Ziheng, you should be grateful that Yue Chen is unharmed. Otherwise, today would have been your end,” Huo Luo said.

Ning Ziheng spat out the blood from his mouth and sneered, “It’s your own foolishness, venturing into dangerous places. What does our business have to do with you? Meddling in our affairs, or is it that your target is the Ministry of Justice? I’m just caught in your crossfire. You guys must have… some purpose.”

“Yeah, our purpose is to get rid of you, this lunatic,” Yue Chen said bluntly. “So we don’t have to deal with your nonsense all the time.”

Ning Ziheng raised an eyebrow, a sardonic smile playing on his gloomy face. “Then you can come up with more ideas, or else your dissatisfaction might continue.”

“You’re asking for it!” Huo Luo stormed forward in rage, but was held back by Yue Chen.

“Forget it, we’ve fought enough. Let’s go,” Yue Chen said, pulling Huo Luo away. Huo Luo still cast a cold stare back at Ning Ziheng as a warning before leaving.

Ning Ziheng laughed and said, “Getting involved in such a struggle, sooner or later, you’ll encounter danger. You never know when you might lose your life. So, Huo Luo, if you really care about Yue Chen, then stay by his side, don’t leave for even a step. Don’t regret it later for not dying with him.”

“You!” Huo Luo felt Ning Ziheng’s words were a threat, but he was still dragged away by Yue Chen.

Ning Ziheng laughed coldly, but his expression gradually turned gloomy.

The two of them arrived at Wenbo Pavilion, waiting for Chu Lishu and Lin Qingyang to return from  Shiye Hall.

Huo Luo continued to pace around the courtyard in agitation, “I really want to beat him up!”

“Alright, what’s going on with you?” In fact, Yue Chen wasn’t angry; it was Huo Luo who had gone to find Ning Ziheng on his own, seemingly wanting to vent, so he had to follow.

“He almost got you killed. Of course, he needs to be taught a lesson,” Huo Luo said with lingering hostility.

Yue Chen smiled faintly, poured a cup of tea for Huo Luo directly, and waved his hand like beckoning a little dog, inviting him to come and sit. “Alright, thank you for helping me out.”

Huo Luo snorted coldly, sat down, and glanced sideways at Yue Chen’s smiling face. The lingering hostility around him dissipated. It was fortunate that this person was still by his side, smiling.

However, Huo Luo forgot that Yue Chen was best at provoking him when he was around. So, soon he heard Yue Chen say, “By the way, why did you come back alone? You left them all in Huzhou. You really are something. Lin Tangping was supposed to stay. Did you let the two women go back to the capital by themselves? Your mother will scold you to death when she finds out.”

Huo Luo’s face instantly darkened. If Yue Chen hadn’t refused to accompany him southward, if he hadn’t needed to go south to accompany Mo Jiahui, none of the terrifying events would have occurred. Huo Luo couldn’t help but feel uneasy at the thought that any slight mistake in their choices last night could have meant losing the person in front of him, leaving him with a lingering sense of dread.

Suddenly, a surge of anger rose in Huo Luo’s chest. There was an impulse to break everything, to let it all burn down, as some things had already been determined back on that chaotic burial mound.

So, when Yue Chen habitually criticized him for mishandling things, Huo Luo stood up abruptly and approached Yue Chen directly.

Yue Chen wasn’t exactly afraid of Huo Luo, but the overwhelming momentum coming from him was somewhat intimidating. It made Yue Chen instinctively stand up, raising his hand as if to knock Huo Luo on the head and ask him what he was up to.

But the next moment, his arm was grabbed by Huo Luo.

Yue Chen thought to himself, “Oh, angry now? Looks like he’s gearing up for a fight!”

Yue Chen was just about to counterattack with verbal weapons, as their confrontation typically involved one using physical force and the other using words.

But this time, Huo Luo didn’t give him the chance to use that infuriating mouth. He abruptly used his other hand to hold Yue Chen’s head and, under Yue Chen’s startled gaze, kissed him forcefully.

The first time was a gentle touch, a celebration of surviving a disaster. But this time, fueled by a hint of anger, he wanted to kiss Yue Chen fiercely, to shut him up, to make him understand his feelings.

Yue Chen was genuinely dumbfounded. Like a complete idiot, he stared with widened eyes, his brain momentarily ceasing to function, too stunned to react as he was invaded.

He… was kissing Huo Luo?

Huo Luo kissed him?

What does this mean?

What is he doing?!

Yue Chen reacted and tried to step back, but he couldn’t resist against this brute force.

Huo Luo wasn’t kissing him gently; it was more like he was biting and gnawing, as if he wanted to devour him.

Yue Chen’s heart pounded with confusion, as if the answer was right in front of him, yet he dared not reveal it due to the overwhelming mix of joy and nervousness.

Suddenly, a loud cough came from the doorway.

Yue Chen startled, abruptly pushing Huo Luo away and turning to look.

Well, aside from Lin Qingyang, who blushed and pretended to cough to remind them.

Chu Lishu remained calm, Xu Wenze looked foolish, Pei Jin was shocked, and the scene was quite exciting for the onlookers. It seemed like there were even more people about to enter the courtyard from behind.

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