Chapter 68.1 Chip Chip Chip Chip Chip Chip Chip Chip Chip Chip.
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Huo Caiyu noticed a change in His Majesty.
During court sessions, he often seemed absent-minded. He would lower his head, lost in his thoughts while the ministers presented their reports.
Even when Li Jinyu was called upon, he appeared preoccupied.
Feeling nervous but hopeful, Huo Caiyu initially thought His Majesty was considering their relationship. However, he gradually realized that His Majesty’s thoughts seemed unrelated to him.
Since realizing his affection for Li Jinyu, Huo Caiyu paid extra attention to Li Jinyu’s state of mind.
Wondering what might be troubling His Majesty, Huo Caiyu tried asking, “Your Majesty, tomorrow marks the grand enfeoffment ceremony for Prince Mao. Is there anything else Your Majesty would like to convey?”
Prince Mao of the First Rank was the title granted to Chi Zhongming. Chi Zhongming arranged his books of enlightenment on the desk and delicately set a black cat upon them, beckoning the small feline to leave its mark on a single character.
Recently, there had been a lengthy dispute between Li Jinyu and the imperial relatives regarding the reinstatement of Chi Zhongming into the royal family. Fortunately, the influential Han and Meng families, who held the most power among the imperial relatives, suffered significant losses due to the rebellion. They lost their ability to challenge Li Jinyu, which spared them from further complications.
Many members of the imperial relatives secretly wondered if His Majesty had lost his mind. With no princes born in the harem, His Majesty went to find his lost brother. Wasn’t this unnecessarily inviting trouble?
If Chi Zhongming had ambitions for the throne and managed to have royal descendants before His Majesty, things would become more complicated!
Many people sought an audience with His Majesty and expressed this opinion either directly or indirectly.
After all, the noble class of the Di Dynasty was limited. If a prince suddenly appeared and overshadowed them, who would be pleased?
Li Jinyu completely disregarded it and went back.
Li Jinyu already understood Chi Zhongming’s personality from the novel. He was loyal and grateful for Huo Caiyu’s kindness, willing to sacrifice everything without complaint. Now, in addition to those traits, Chi Zhongming had developed another eccentricity—his obsession with a black cat.
He would hold the little black cat all day long, cuddling and playing with it. Besides military matters, nothing was more important to him than his chubby cat, even if the sky were to fall.
Li Jinyu couldn’t help but feel a tinge of envy.
Huo Caiyu had never prepared hamster toys and equipment for him like this!
He could only buy small toys in Dumpling’s name, unable to play with them himself. He could only watch Dumpling happily enjoying them.
Li Jinyu had been feeling anxious these past few days.
Ever since dreaming of Emperor Jingchang’s true self, he felt like something was off with his body.
He couldn’t exactly describe the changes, but it felt as if the faint sense of emptiness between him and this world had completely vanished, like emerging from a foggy valley.
Or perhaps, it was only now that Li Jinyu truly experienced the sensation of genuinely touching this world.
Apart from some instinctual knowledge, as a spiritual being, he knew nothing else. He urgently needed a knowledgeable mentor to guide him.
Unfortunately, after Chi Zhongming took the black cat from him, he joyfully indulged in cat worship at home every day, making excuses to avoid the morning court sessions—partly to avoid disputes with courtiers regarding Prince Mao’s enfeoffment.
Li Jinyu had no other option but to issue a decree…
“Your Majesty?”
Li Jinyu snapped back to reality and met Huo Caiyu’s concerned gaze. He quickly reassured him, “Zhen is fine. Huo Aiqing need not worry.”
Huo Caiyu frowned slightly and sincerely said, “If there’s anything Your Majesty needs, please tell this official.”
For other matters, Li Jinyu wouldn’t hesitate to ask for help. Unfortunately, in this particular case, Huo Caiyu couldn’t be of any assistance.
Li Jinyu quickly made up an excuse and noticed Chief Kang entering with a tray in hand. He stood up hastily and exclaimed, “Chonky!”
The tray held a black cat happily nibbling on fish crackers. Upon hearing Li Jinyu’s call, the cat gave him a stern glare.
Li Jinyu couldn’t afford to be afraid right now. He promptly asked Chief Kang to take the black cat to the sleeping quarters. He also informed Huo Caiyu, “It’s getting late, Huo Aiqing. You should go back for now. Tomorrow, you have to attend Prince Mao’s enfeoffment ceremony.”
Huo Caiyu watched Li Jinyu’s hurried figure and couldn’t help but feel increasingly puzzled.
He was well aware of His Majesty’s past fear of cats.
Why did His Majesty suddenly change his attitude and not only keep a cat but also allow it into the sleeping quarters?
People’s preferences could change over time, but over the past year, His Majesty had been under his watchful eyes, and Huo Caiyu couldn’t remember anything that would alleviate His Majesty’s fear of cats…
It was a good thing that His Majesty’s fears had lessened, but Huo Caiyu didn’t like how Li Jinyu was currently hiding things from him.
He pressed his lips together, organized the memorials, and turned to leave the sleeping quarters.
Just as he stepped outside, he saw Chi Zhongming, who had been confined at home for several days, approaching him with big strides. “Is His Majesty here?”
Huo Caiyu was a bit surprised. “You’re willing to go out now?”
“His Majesty took away my Chonky. How can I stay indoors?” Chi Zhongming pouted and pulled out a folding fan from his pocket, giving it a shake with a hint of discontent. “Brother Huo, what’s going on between you and His Majesty? How come he still has the time to take Chonky away?”
Huo Caiyu gave him a wordless glare.
He was confident that he still had a place in His Majesty’s heart. But he wasn’t sure if His Majesty reciprocated his feelings. Even though he was willing to give up everything for him, he couldn’t be certain of His Majesty’s affection.
So, he was gradually testing the waters.
However, what did this have to do with Chi Zhongming’s cat?
From Huo Caiyu’s expression, Chi Zhongming could tell that he hadn’t fully succeeded yet. A sense of superiority surged within him, and he playfully patted Huo Caiyu’s shoulder. “Brother Huo, you still need to keep working hard… What is His Majesty doing?”
“His Majesty brought your cat into the sleeping quarters.”
“Wasn’t His Majesty afraid of cats?” Chi Zhongming furrowed his brow slightly. “And yet he dares to let a cat into the sleeping quarters?”
He tilted his head slightly, lightly tapping his chin with the fan, and his expression gradually became subtly intriguing. “Could it be…”
Huo Caiyu noticed Chi Zhongming’s gaze and keenly felt that Chi Zhongming seemed to know something. He spoke in a deep voice, “Could it be what?”
Chi Zhongming snapped open the fan, covering half of his face, and coughed. “It’s nothing. Maybe I misunderstood.”
Huo Caiyu: “…”
Seeing the cold gleam in Huo Caiyu’s eyes, Chi Zhongming quickly said, “This involves a little secret between me and Chonky. It’s not easy to tell you… If you want to know, why not ask His Majesty yourself?”
If His Majesty was willing to tell him, why should he stand here?
Huo Caiyu felt a slight itch in his fist.
However, he had promised His Majesty that he wouldn’t actively pry into things His Majesty didn’t want him to know. So, despite his curiosity about the secret between Li Jinyu and Chi Zhongming, Huo Caiyu restrained himself from overthinking.
After confirming that Chi Zhongming was Li Jinyu’s bilogical brother, Huo Caiyu finally removed Chi Zhongming from the list of “potential love rivals.”
Chi Zhongming had no idea he held such an honor. He simply looked at the sleeping quarters, paced in place for a while, and clenched his teeth. “No, I have to find His Majesty and bring Chonky back. I can’t sleep without holding Chonky.”
Huo Caiyu silently extended his hand to stop him.
“Brother Huo, it’s time for you to go back.”
Although Huo Caiyu didn’t know what His Majesty was doing, he naturally supported any decision His Majesty made. He shook his head and said, “If His Majesty took your cat, His Majesty must have a reason for it. Once His Majesty is done, the cat will be returned to you.”
Chi Zhongming: “…”
He felt frustrated. Why couldn’t he defeat Huo Caiyu?
………
Inside the sleeping quarters, Li Jinyu anxiously looked at the black cat. “How am I doing? Did I make a mistake?”
The black cat, with its black and stern face, showed a look of curiosity. It circled around Li Jinyu twice and made a clicking sound. “Who would have thought you’d have such good luck.”
“What kind of luck?”
The black cat snorted, “After we demons become enlightened, if we want to transform into human form, we either have to diligently practice and accumulate spiritual power over time, or take a shortcut.”
Li Jinyu was curious, “What kind of shortcut?”
“It means having someone who is willing to bestow their fate and identity upon you, allowing you to directly overcome the obstacle of transforming into human form.” The black cat’s tone had a hint of bitterness. “In the past, I practiced for so long to achieve human form, but you, you achieved it in one fell swoop.”
“Emperor Jingchang bestowed his identity upon me?” Li Jinyu paused for a moment. “So, from now on, can I only be Emperor Jingchang?”
“You can be whoever you want to be,” the black cat said with a smirk. “This kind of bestowal simply helps you skip the step of transforming into human form. It won’t interfere with anything else—now, the Ziwei imperial aura on you truly belongs to you alone.”
Li Jinyu instinctively extended his hand, closed it into a fist, and then opened it again, gazing at his slender fingers. He found it somewhat challenging to process this fact. “So… can I transform into human form now?”
“Before, you were just temporarily inhabiting this body, so naturally, there was a sense of unreality when perceiving this world. Now that this body completely belongs to you, those feelings are gone. Just get used to it.”
Li Jinyu sat in place, stunned, unsure whether he felt shocked or delighted.
Although he was content with his carefree life as a hamster, indulging in eating, drinking, playing, and sleeping, now that he had become a spiritual creature, he still desired to take on human form.
However, he wasn’t a resolute person, didn’t prioritize cultivation, and didn’t give it much thought.
When he transmigrated into Emperor Jingchang’s body, it was his first encounter with a human form. He believed that after breaking free, he would have to undergo extensive cultivation to transform into human form.
He never anticipated that it would all happen in a dream, enabling him to achieve his aspirations in a single leap.
Li Jinyu attempted to activate his spiritual power and frowned. “But why can’t I change back to my original form?”
Emperor Jingchang had given him his entire identity, so why did the Heavenly Dao still restrain him?
Li Jinyu had previously asked the black cat about this matter, but even the black cat was unsure.
“After I arrived here, I didn’t feel any restraints from the Heavenly Dao,” the black cat had said at the time. “Perhaps it’s not the Heavenly Dao that restrains you, but rather your spiritual power not being enough to freely transform between human and original forms.”
Now that he could transform into human form, why couldn’t he change back?
The black cat also had some doubts about this matter.
It circled around Li Jinyu once again, unable to comprehend the reason, and finally said, “Maybe… it truly requires Huo Caiyu to seize the throne?”
Li Jinyu remained silent.
It circled back once more.
He had believed that after being able to transform into human form, he wouldn’t have to endure the hardship of letting Huo Caiyu be the Emperor!
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