Chapter 76.1 Chip Chip~
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While on the road, Huo Caiyu learned from his captive Bake about the ruler of Jiao Kingdom’s disturbing act of sacrificing his own children. Consequently, he had already anticipated the situation in the royal city.
Although he lacked knowledge of the supernatural realm, Huo Caiyu engaged in casual conversations with his Majesty along the journey, which provided him with some insights.
The ways of spirits and gods were similar to the practice of martial arts—both required a step-by-step approach. Trying to find shortcuts to achieve certain goals always demanded an equal or even higher price.
Jiao Kingdom’s desperate move to cause severe drought and unleash swarms of locusts raised doubts about their own well-being.
Huo Caiyu gently placed his hand on his collar and lightly caressed Li Jinyu’s head, lost in contemplation.
“We managed to capture some people who escaped from the royal city of Jiao Kingdom. Many of them seemed disoriented, uttering incoherent words like ‘His Majesty has gone mad,'” explained Huo Caijin. “We sent scouts into the city, but they haven’t returned yet. Therefore, we have temporarily halted our progress while we consider our next steps.”
After discussing the military situation, Huo Caijin asked with curiosity, “Why are you here? What happened to the capital city?”
There had always been communication between the military and the capital city. When Huo Caijin was asked by Huo Caiyu to swap identities, she learned about a plot to overthrow the government. Later, she journeyed here, receiving messages through carrier pigeons from the capital city, and confirming that Huo Caiyu had successfully resolved the coup, which brought her relief.
However, when Huo Caiyu sent the message, he didn’t provide specific details, so Huo Caijin remained unaware of the exact circumstances of the coup.
Huo Caiyu smiled and said, “Everything is fine in the capital city. Someone is taking charge. I came here for a personal matter.”
Huo Caijin raised an eyebrow slightly and understandingly remarked, “It’s about His Majesty, isn’t it?”
“How did you know, Elder Sister?”
“We grew up together. How many people can make you prioritize personal matters over public ones?” Huo Caijin glanced at her younger brother’s calm smile, and a faint suspicion crossed her mind. She cautiously asked, “Are you… involved with His Majesty?”
Both Huo Caiyu and Li Jinyu, nestled at his collar, were surprised.
Li Jinyu’s ears perked up nervously.
Huo Caiyu coughed and said, “Did you figure it out, Elder Sister?”
“I had my suspicions earlier,” Huo Caijin shrugged. “You’re the one who helped His Majesty with the aphrodisiac, right?”
As soon as those words were spoken, before Huo Caiyu could react, Li Jinyu blushed entirely, turning bright red. Even the white fur couldn’t conceal it.
Heavens, did Huo Caijin already know that they had been intimate?!
Li Jinyu wished he could hide his head inside his belly, trying to evade the embarrassment of the situation.
Huo Caiyu could almost feel the warmth coming from his collar. Internally amused, he composed himself and said to Huo Caijin, “His Majesty is sensitive, so please avoid discussing this in front of him.”
That was an admission, plain and simple.
Huo Caijin shook her head, looking at her younger brother with surprise.
It was beyond her expectations that he would become involved with the Emperor.
And to top it off, he was the one who initiated it…
Although it was his own affair, Huo Caijin couldn’t help but show some concern. “What are your intentions with His Majesty?”
Huo Caiyu understood and lightly touched his collar. “Just as you’ve imagined, our hearts are in sync, and we will continue like this.”
Huo Caijin carefully assessed her brother’s expression, remained silent for a moment, and let out a gentle sigh. “You have your own ideas, and I may not fully comprehend them… but you must think carefully. Even if you disregard the matter of having offspring, His Majesty still needs an heir to succeed the throne.”
Even if it was a woman, how many could gain the lifelong affection of an Emperor? And especially if it was a man?
The smile on Huo Caiyu’s face slightly diminished as he nodded, “I will discuss it with his Majesty.”
Huo Caijin simply reminded her younger brother, who was clearly infatuated, and let it be. She turned around and said, “Let me find a tent for you to rest.”
“Hmm, by the way, I brought you a gift,” Huo Caiyu pointed outside the door. “We caught a prince.”
Huo Caijin was somewhat surprised. “Where did you catch him?”
“Just happened to come across him on our way here.”
The current ruler of Jiao Kingdom had around thirty-something children, half of whom were princes. The value of being a prince depended entirely on whether the Jiao King favored them or not.
That was why the Jiao King sent his daughter, Princess Tama, directly to the Great Di harem.
While Huo Caijin’s troops had won several battles on their way to attack Jiao Kingdom, they hadn’t encountered any of the kingdom’s princes.
Handing Bake over to Huo Caijin, Huo Caiyu took Li Jinyu and went to the military camp to rest.
Finally, without any other interruptions, Huo Caiyu took the little hamster out from his chest, gently tapped its head, and smiled, “Your Majesty, still feeling shy?”
Li Jinyu showed half of his head, feeling somewhat sorrowful. “How will I face General Huo in the future?”
“My sister and mother will eventually come to know,” Huo Caiyu smiled and put Li Jinyu down. “Don’t worry, they will support us.”
Li Jinyu fidgeted uncomfortably, calculating his spiritual power. He transformed into a human form and hugged Huo Caiyu tightly.
Huo Caiyu embraced him and gently kissed Li Jinyu’s furry ear, letting out a satisfied sigh.
It had been a long time since Huo Caiyu held Li Jinyu in his human form.
Li Jinyu snuggled in Huo Caiyu’s arms and suddenly whispered, “I don’t want children.”
Huo Caiyu was slightly taken aback.
Li Jinyu lowered his head and continued in a soft voice, “I just want to be with you.”
Regardless of whether the sterility poison in his body was cured or not, he simply wanted to be with Huo Caiyu.
Huo Caiyu’s lips curved into a smile as he wrapped his arms around Li Jinyu’s waist. He gently rubbed his nose against his beloved’s ear and spoke with a tender tone, “Hmm, I trust Jinyu.”
Since being together with his Majesty, he had chosen to wholeheartedly trust him.
After hugging for a while, Li Jinyu sat up, feeling a bit bashful. “You’ve been on the road all day, so rest for a bit.”
Huo Caiyu smiled and patted his head, taking out some dried food from the bundle. “Is Jinyu hungry?”
Li Jinyu was indeed a little hungry, but he hadn’t been very active all day, so he felt a bit hesitant about eating. He took a small piece and slowly chewed, grinding his teeth.
In Huo Caiyu’s presence, he was growing more comfortable expressing his true self.
Huo Caiyu watched Li Jinyu nibbling on the dried food and couldn’t help but smile without any particular reason.
Li Jinyu, in his hamster form, was especially adorable when eating, and when Li Jinyu, in human form, ate like this… he was even more adorable.
Huo Caiyu suddenly reached out and lightly brushed against Li Jinyu’s face and lips.
Confused, Li Jinyu lifted his head. “What’s the matter?”
Huo Caiyu suppressed his inner impulse, let out a sigh in his heart, and said, “It’s nothing.”
No matter how much he wanted to be with His Majesty… now was not the right time.
The duration of His Majesty’s human form was limited, and they were currently in a tent with almost no sound insulation.
………
After resting for a night and discussing with Li Jinyu, Huo Caiyu sought out Huo Caijin. “I will go to the royal city and gather information.”
Huo Caijin was initially taken aback, then without much thought, she refused, “No, it’s too dangerous. This is the responsibility of my Beiyue Army. There’s no need for the Regent Prince to personally intervene.”
She had sent several scouts inside, but none of them had returned or sent any messages. Most likely, they had encountered an unforeseen situation.
“Are there any individuals in the army now with superior martial skills to mine?”
Huo Caijin struggled with her words but still disagreed, “That won’t work either.”
“If the General doesn’t agree, then I’ll go alone.” Huo Caiyu smiled faintly, “Don’t worry, I have His Majesty’s protection. Nothing will go wrong.”
Huo Caijin looked at him as if he were foolish, endured for a while, and eventually weakly waved her hand, “Alright, then I’ll send a few guards to accompany you.”
“If you send guards with me, who will be protecting whom?” Huo Caiyu declined. “I can handle it myself.”
There might be times when it was necessary for His Majesty to intervene, and having other people around could only hinder the situation.
After discussing with Huo Caijin and obtaining a rough map of the royal city from Baku– which Huo Caijin had requested the captured prince to draw yesterday.
Once everything was prepared, he patted Li Jinyu’s head and together they arrived beneath the royal city, using light footwork to sneak in.
………
The royal city of Jiao Kingdom had a completely different appearance from the Di Dynasty, with strong exotic elements evident in its architecture and subdistricts.
However, to Huo Caiyu and Li Jinyu’s surprise, there wasn’t a single person on the streets.
The entire royal city seemed lifeless, resembling a ghost town.
Huo Caiyu frowned and whispered, “Does Jinyu feel anything?”
Li Jinyu poked his head out and whispered softly, “There’s a heavy presence of malevolence, similar to what I felt from those locusts.”
After some consideration, Huo Caiyu found a nearby household and barged in to check if anyone was there.
As expected, the household was fully equipped with everyday items, but there wasn’t a single soul in sight.
Li Jinyu gazed at the seemingly ordinary tools and felt an even greater sense of unease. “Could all the people in the royal city have been taken for sacrifices?”
Huo Caiyu shook his head with a solemn expression as he emerged from the household. “The Jiao King wouldn’t go to such extremes, I believe.”
He turned at a corner of the street and crouched down, examining several symbols on a wooden fence that resembled childlike scribbles.
Li Jinyu was curious. “What are these?”
“These are symbols left by the Beiyue Army scouts.” Huo Caiyu carefully identified them, his furrowed brow relaxing slightly. “At least when the scouts entered the city, this area wasn’t dangerous.”
He stood up. “Let’s follow the traces left by the scouts and see where they lead us.”
The fact that the scouts had left their marks here meant that any valuable information in this area should have already been retrieved.
Li Jinyu had no experience in such matters but supported Huo Caiyu’s decision unconditionally.
They followed the imprints left by the Di Dynasty scouts on the subdistrict, passing through several subdistricts and tents, yet there was no sign of any person.
Finally, they reached the entrance of the palace. There were no guards at the palace gate.
Unlike the empty royal city, this place was densely packed with people, tightly pressed against each other as if bundled stacks of straw.
Huo Caiyu also spotted a few individuals with distinct Di Dynasty features, presumably the scouts sent by Huo Caijin.
Whether they were from Jiao Kingdom or Di Dynasty, all the people had hollow expressions, standing motionless as if a group of pigs awaiting slaughter.
Huo Caiyu furrowed his brow and was about to approach when he heard Li Jinyu whisper softly against his chest, “It’s best not to go closer. I sense a sinister aura.”
Huo Caiyu nodded, refraining from making any sudden movements, and asked in a low voice, “How does Jinyu feel?”
“These people seem to be mentally ensnared by the malevolence in this place,” Li Jinyu whispered, “I felt nauseous as soon as I entered the palace. But I used my spiritual power to protect you, so the malevolence shouldn’t affect you.”
A faint smile appeared on Huo Caiyu’s lips. “Your Majesty is truly amazing.”
Li Jinyu couldn’t help but twitch his ears, feeling a mix of shyness and pride.
Although they conversed, both of them remained highly alert and focused on their surroundings.
Suddenly, a roar-like sound, reminiscent of a wild beast, echoed from the palace. Shortly after, the person closest to the palace took a few steps forward, mechanically entering through the open palace gate.
Huo Caiyu pondered for a moment, bypassing the crowded throng of people and following from the top of a nearby tent.
The person moved like a zombie, slowly stepping into the royal palace of Jiao Kingdom.
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