PCTG Chapter 117

Chapter 117

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The thick smoke and dust lingered for a long time. The leader of the Imperial Guards made a decisive decision, ordering the soldiers to encircle the entire platform and search all the way up. However, they couldn’t find Emperor Chao Yuan anywhere. They counted the scattered corpses along the way but found no trace of the Emperor.

The winter sun wasn’t scorching, and the mountaintop was even colder, yet the leader of the Imperial Guards was drenched in sweat. His voice grew hoarse as he stood at a high point, commanding continuously, “Search! Over there, and there too! Keep looking!”

A tall figure approached rapidly—it was Marquis Wuwei! Before the leader of the guards could kneel down, the figure had already dashed towards his side.

The leader had never seen him in such a terrifying state. With bulging veins on his forehead and bloodshot eyes, the Marquis, with a swift motion, grabbed a guard’s arm, yanked the guard’s sword from its sheath, and leaped out of the area, plunging into the dense thicket.

With a shout from the thicket, the Marquis hacked through it, and a half-man-wide tunnel entrance revealed itself. Without waiting for the leader to speak, he had already jumped in.

The leader quickly called over a few subordinates, assigning tasks, “Hefang, immediately send a message down the mountain. Seal off the mountain and do not let anyone leave this Changtai Peak without proper authorization!”

“Yes!”

“Leave two hundred people here, the rest follow me!”

“Yes!”

In the midst of the confusion, the sound of hurried footsteps rang out, and the Imperial Guards scattered in an orderly manner, each heading toward their assigned duties. The leader of the guards jumped into the tunnel first, and one by one, his men followed suit.

The tunnel was winding and dark, with no daylight to be seen. The leader ignited a torch to get a glimpse of the direction, his back drenched in sweat. His eyes were stung by perspiration, he dared not relax even for a moment. After about the time it took for two sticks of incense to burn, a white light finally appeared ahead. Overjoyed, the leader climbed upward and emerged from the tunnel.

After dwelling in darkness for so long, the bright sunlight irritated his eyes. After a while, he regained his senses and found himself facing a temple.

The soil here was quite soft. The leader saw the disordered footprints on the ground leading in the direction of the temple. His heart tightened as he realized what this meant. He raised his large hand, “Surround the area!”

The Imperial Guards who crawled out of the tunnel quickly bowed and moved toward the abandoned temple.

The leader’s hand brushed against his sword, wiping away sweat, and he mustered his full attention. However, before reaching the temple gate, a closed door ahead emitted a loud shout from Ni Lie, “Don’t come in!”

The leader’s heart pounded like a drum, and he swallowed his saliva. With a wave of his hand, he eventually halted the men. About a hundred of them formed a circle, silently enclosing the small, dilapidated temple.

Inside the Mountain God Temple, Ni Lie’s eyes were bloodshot, his expression solemn. His chest heaved heavily, and before him stood someone he hadn’t seen in over a year, Sima Yu.

Not having seen him for more than a year, Sima Yu had become considerably thin, his skin darkened by the sun. A beard had grown on his chin, no longer resembling the elegant and noble young master from a prominent family. Now, he looked more like a hunter from the mountains. His eyes radiated a chill, but the corners of his mouth carried a trace of amusement.

“Yes, no one is allowed to enter. If they do, he’ll lose his life.”

“Where is he?!” Ni Lie shouted suddenly.

Sima Yu didn’t answer him. Instead, he reached into his robes, pulled out a jade pendant in the shape of a tiger’s head, and handed it to him.

Ni Lie’s pupils contracted sharply, with almost imperceptible speed, he snatched the object from Sima Yu’s hand. It was the heirloom of his mother, and the person had been keeping it on his person all along.

Ni Lie’s anger surged, he grabbed Sima Yu’s neck, his eyes almost devouring.

Sima Yu burst into laughter, without a trace of fear on his face, “Red Tiger King, you’re too impulsive.”

His eyes grew cold, “I advise you not to act rashly. The life of the Supreme Ruler of this realm is in my hands. I decide whether he lives or dies!”

Birds suddenly took flight, fluttering their wings and flying away from the desolate wall.

Ni Lie’s chest heaved heavily. He closed his eyes for a moment, then released Sima Yu. He let out a slow breath, “A network of traps has been set up on Changtai Peak. You won’t escape no matter what you do.”

The blood-red, agitated look in his eyes gradually subsided, replaced by a slight squint as he stared at Sima Yu. “You’ve already gone into hiding. If you changed your name and identity, you might have lived a hidden life, but you’re waiting for someone to come to you.”

His Adam’s apple moved slightly, his gaze focused on Sima Yu, “Sima Yu, your target is clearly me, so why bother resorting to these tactics?”

Sima Yu’s gaze turned increasingly resentful, “Yes, my target is you, in both lives! I didn’t expect that both generations of my Marquis Zhenbei would fall into your hands. How will you account for this, Red Tiger King?”

“How do you want to settle this?” Ni Lie had completely regained his calm. His eyes narrowed slightly as he observed the temple. “Where is the Emperor?”

Sima Yu sneered, “Naturally, he’s not here. Why would I make it easy for you to find him? This is my greatest reliance.”

He paused for a moment and chuckled, “…..Isn’t that right, Red Tiger King?”

The air fell silent, leaving only the sound of their breathing.

Ni Lie suddenly burst into laughter, his voice clear and resonant, “Are you trying to use the Emperor to blackmail me?”

Ni Lie had already regained his composure, taking several steps back. He closed the inner door of the temple, then approached Sima Yu step by step.

Sima Yu’s breathing became heavier, his jaw twitching as he stared intently at Ni Lie’s movements.

When he was just a few steps away from Sima Yu, Ni Lie stopped and arched an eyebrow mockingly, “Now, there’s already a prince in the palace who shares my Red Tiger King. To me, whether Emperor Chao Yuan stays or leaves, what difference does it make?”

He raised his eyebrow to glance at the tightly closed inner courtyard gate, a scornful glint in his eyes.

“However…” Ni Lie seemed to think of something, and his voice lowered slightly, with a hint of lecherousness, “Keeping him would indeed be better. After all, where else could I find someone so exquisite in my harem? In my past life, there was never such a treasure. If you kill him, where would I find another like him?”

“He treated you like that! How can you be so heartless?” Sima Yu gritted his teeth in anger.

Ni Lie laughed heartily, as though he had heard a huge joke, “You’re playing around, Young Marquis. You can’t be serious.”

Sima Yu squinted at him for a long while and suddenly burst into laughter too.

Ni Lie’s laughter gradually subsided, and he squinted at Sima Yu.

Sima Yu’s smile slowly faded, and he clapped his hands. With a creak, a side door opened, and Li Yuanmin emerged with a cloth stuffed in his mouth. Held by two Taoist priests, he was forced to step outside.

Two knives were laid horizontally across his pale neck, yet he seemed entirely unconcerned. His eyes were reddened, and he gazed at Ni Lie in disbelief. Sima Yu signaled to one of the priests, and with a nod of understanding, the priest removed the cloth from Li Yuanmin’s mouth. Panting for air, Li Yuanmin’s rage was palpable, “I was wrong to trust you!”

He clenched his teeth, his eyes turning even redder, “How could I trust the feelings of someone like you?”

Ni Lie’s face turned ashen!

After a moment, he gradually eased up, his expression now feigned reassurance, “Your Majesty, I was just rambling earlier, trying to distract this scoundrel… My feelings toward Your Majesty are as clear as day.”

Li Yuanmin closed his eyes in agony, clearly no longer believing even half of what he said.

Seeing this, Sima Yu couldn’t help but smile, forcing himself to restrain his emotions, “A Min, as I’ve said before, there’s no one in this world who has my feelings for you.”

He cast a sinister look at Ni Lie, then turned his gaze back to Li Yuanmin. His lips twitched unnaturally, forming a distorted smile, “This servant from Yeyou Courtyard would never truly care for you. Now, you finally… understand.”

Li Yuanmin’s eyes were visibly moist.

“What does understanding achieve?” Ni Lie’s face grew darker. He stared at Sima Yu, his voice turning suddenly cold, filled with a bone-chilling malevolence, “Do you think I’ll let you walk out of this door?”

Li Yuanmin’s eyes widened in shock. His face turned fearful, “Are you planning to commit regicide?”

His voice trembled, “There are still Imperial Guards waiting outside! Aren’t you afraid of suffering the Nine Clan Extermination?”

Ni Lie snorted with a hint of laughter, raised his blade suddenly, and with a swift motion, a stone from the ground flew into the air, striking the inner door with a loud thud. The door latch fell, locking the door firmly shut.

His gaze turned icy, like a coiled beast ready to strike, “Regicide… Who has seen it? Don’t forget…”

He took a few steps closer, his voice growing even more chilling, “Dead men can’t talk.”

Li Yuanmin was now so terrified he couldn’t speak. The two Taoist priests holding him were forced to step back by the deathly aura Ni Lie emanated.

Even in such dire circumstances, Sima Yu felt an immense sense of satisfaction. This was the most exhilarating moment he had experienced since his rebirth.

His eyes took on a manic gleam as he began to smile, “A Min, A Min.”

Approaching him, he tightly grasped his wrist, his gaze burning with unusual intensity, “From the very beginning, when I plotted all this, I knew I wouldn’t survive it!”

“I just wanted you to know, in this world, no one treats you more sincerely than I do.”

“A Min, do you remember our past life?”

His expression became intoxicated, immersed in joyful memories, seemingly blind to any danger.

“Do you remember how I treated you in our past life? In this life…”

He chuckled, as though ashamed to continue the sentence, yet he didn’t have the chance to finish.

A faint sound of breaking air, a soft thud. He was suddenly unable to utter the rest of his words. He stared dumbfoundedly at the blood-red blade piercing his chest.

Blood beads dripped from the tip of the blade, sticky and viscous.

His body swayed, and everything around him seemed to stretch out in slow motion. He saw the ferocious beast pouncing on one of the Taoists, its fist smashing into the man’s face, causing blood to splatter like fireworks during the Hongwu Festival, staining the ground with red.

The other Taoist lay bloodied and mangled on the ground, as well.

He tried to say something but coughed up a mouthful of blood instead.

The beast strode over to stand in front of Li Yuanmin, and Sima Yu’s lips twitched.

Ah Min, don’t be afraid. Let’s die together, even in death we should be together.

But he saw Li Yuanmin open his arms and embrace the beast tightly, his face, which should have been full of panic, now glistened with tears of joy as he gazed at the fearsome creature.

A Lie!

Sima Yu heard the endearing yet relieved call to the beast.

Sima Yu was now lying motionless on the ground, but his pupils remained fixed on the two figures in the courtyard.

So this was death.

His body grew stiff, yet he could still see some things. However, these images became increasingly blurred, losing color bit by bit.

The last image was that of the beast holding Li Yuanmin’s face, their foreheads pressed together. He had never seen the beast so gentle, nor had he ever seen Li Yuanmin so affectionate.

Surely that couldn’t be the Red Tiger King, and the other figure couldn’t possibly be his A Min. But how was it possible for them to look exactly the same?

Where did things go wrong?

In that instant, he suddenly remembered his previous life.

In a study warmed by the afternoon sun, a frail sixteen-year-old child slipped a small piece of paper into a book. He tiptoed, struggling to place the worn book onto a shelf, just like the river lanterns that young girls would release by the river on the Yuan Festival, offering prayers to an intangible dream.

When that person left, he took the book and retrieved that person’s dream.

“Amongst tall mountains and flowing rivers, it’s only you I see.”

That person’s dreams were so restrained, as if trying to capture his desires in delicate strokes.

But then he tore that paper into pieces and disdainfully tossed it into the flames, watching as the fire consumed it.

Did the mistake happen then?

Before he could figure it out, his world suddenly went dark.

Three corpses lay on the ground, yet the two in the courtyard clung to each other tightly.

Li Yuanmin’s court attire was stained and torn, the fabric in some places completely shredded.

Li Yuanmin finally recovered from his shock. Realizing that things outside must have fallen into chaos, he wanted to go out and attend to the situation. However, the person in front of him wouldn’t let him. The person’s strength was unexpectedly great, so much so that Li Yuanmin could hardly bear it, his chest constricted, making it difficult to breathe.

He thought the person was frightened, so he reached out and gently stroked the back of their neck, about to console them in a soft voice.

“Your Highness….” A soft sigh was heard.

Li Yuanmin’s body went rigid. He pushed the person away, his lips moved, and then he seemed to be afraid. He covered their mouths.

The person looked at him with fear, so helpless.

Ni Lie wanted to laugh, but tears welled up in his eyes instead. He removed the person’s hand, his voice choked, “My Royal Highness… My Jiaojiao…”

Li Yuanmin finally understood everything from the person’s gaze. He chuckled twice, but then anger suddenly flared up in him. He slapped the person hard across the face and clenched his teeth, hammering into the person’s chest.

“Where were you! How dare you come back! You dared to come back to see me!”

Ni Lie allowed him to strike, his hot tears streaming down, yet he smiled as if allowing his beloved to release his pent-up emotions.

A gust of wind swept by, lifting a cloud of dust from the ground.

Li Yuanmin continued to hit until he was exhausted, his breathing heavy and labored. He pressed his forehead against Ni Lie’s chest, shivering uncontrollably. Unable to hold back any longer, he grabbed onto Lie’s clothes and burst into heart-wrenching sobs, shaking violently in a fit of hysteria.

“Don’t… make me sad again…”

“Don’t let me be sad…”

“I won’t,” Ni Lie embraced him tightly, his tears falling onto Li Yuanmin’s fair neck. “I promise…”

Finally, the Imperial Guards broke through the door and rushed in. Everyone witnessed their dignified Emperor, in a state of disarray, clutching at Marquis Wuwei’s clothes and crying like a child. Even Marquis Wuwei’s eyes were glistening with moisture.

No one understood why.

How had these two solitary beings arrived at this point? Neither of them understood.

Perhaps His Majesty had been terribly frightened, that’s what everyone thought.

The setting sun painted the horizon red, igniting the white clouds into a fiery glow. Even the dilapidated temple was bathed in a layer of golden crimson.

Today was the winter solstice, the day with the longest night and the shortest daylight. As this day passed, it marked the end of the longest night.

From a dried corner, a small green bud timidly emerged, heralding the arrival of new life.

The end.

Ciacia/N: Extras coming next!

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