GB Chapter 51

What He Ku intended by diverting Lüling was obvious, and how could others not see it? Fang Suihan and Qian Ren exchanged a glance and stepped forward on their own initiative, leaving the pair of uncle and nephew to talk slowly behind them.

Seeing them like this, Zhao Huanzhi did not retreat any further. He glanced at Qian Ren and thought of the rumors of his coldness and ruthlessness in the martial world. He also thought that the two of them didn’t seem very close just now, so he worriedly said, “Are you serious about that demonic cultivator? Marriage is a lifelong matter and should not be rushed; don’t regret it in the future.”

His concern was genuine, and Ying Xishen was not one to fake anything. Zhuge Qingtian felt a warmth in his heart. Although they were still not walking very close together, he knew that this was probably the only person besides Qian Ren who would sincerely consider his well-being. For this reason, he didn’t want to be ambiguous, and finally, he asked seriously, “When the Third Imperial Uncle insisted on not establishing an empress, did he ever regret it?”

Zhao Huanzhi was stunned, seemingly not expecting him to answer like that. The matter back then was actually a power struggle between the Empress and the Zhao clan. Even though later those who knew the truth insisted that these tragedies could have been avoided if there hadn’t been the empress establishment turmoil, he knew that as long as his mother’s ambition did not subside, one day she would still move against him. And he, who wasn’t ruthless enough back then, couldn’t defeat his own birth mother.

Zhao Huanzhi would never shift responsibility to others. The downfall of a nation was also not something that a single relationship could control. At this time, he only replied faintly, “Indeed, I thought that if I had been more careful, the ending might have been very different. But not marrying anyone else, that’s something I never regretted.”

However, even though both were “no regrets,” back then, it stemmed from the emotion of not wanting to let down his beloved. Now it was out of an analysis of the situation and the emperor’s dignity, never compromising to external relatives’ forces. He was, after all, no longer the simple young prince of the past.

If it were Zhao Huanzhi at that time, he would probably have been able to rush to Fei Xin’s side no matter what happened, firmly believing that only he could give her the best happiness. However, the current Ying Xishen could no longer do such a thing. All of Ying Xishen’s blessings would eventually turn into misfortune. Since then, he had long lost the confidence to make anyone happy.

Fei Xin was dead. Now the choice was only in his hands. These past few days, he was not completely unaware of He Ku’s hesitant expression. Facing his nephew, he finally said decisively, “Tell He Huan that Ying Xishen is not the Third Prince Zhao Huanzhi. Since we can’t go back to the most beautiful time, don’t drag someone who has already been freed back into the old affairs.”

Not expecting that he would make such a decisive choice, Zhuge Qingtian was startled and ultimately only sighed, “So you understand everything.”

“You should know, I am not very ruthless, but when it is time to make a decision, I never run away.”

Smiling at him, Ying Xishen did not speak about the past any further. He and Zhuge Qingtian were still different. When he had received the news, he had already secretly investigated everything. The most painful times, he had already silently endured them. That’s why he did not mention the past in his letter to Fang Suihan, only wanting to completely die in the Xiliang Emperor’s Mausoleum. It was a pity that now he owed his teacher a great deal. Since his teacher didn’t hesitate to violate his agreement with the Heavenly Dao Alliance to save him, he could not be willful and choose to disappear again.

He had not told any of this to anyone. When Zhao Huanzhi was alive, he was the Emperor of Xiliang; after his death, he was the ruler of Yindu. His affairs did not need anyone to make decisions, not even for the most respected Fang Suihan.

Looking at the current Zhuge Qingtian, he seemed to see the self he was when he first became a Ghost God. Although he knew that he shouldn’t trust anyone so easily, he still whispered a reminder: “Remember, the power of a Ghost God is already formed. There is no way to undo anything if you regret it, you must control this power and use it for yourself. That way, you can protect the people you love, to avoid ending up like I did.”

Meeting again, both Zhao Huanzhi and Zhuge Qingtian tacitly didn’t discuss old imperial family feelings. Hearing the tone of concern intentionally weakened still touched him, he then said solemnly, “If Uncle Three needs anything, write me a letter, and I will immediately rush to Yindu.”

Not Third Imperial Uncle but Uncle Three. In an instant he understood that he meant to forget his imperial status from now on. Zhao Huanzhi’s gaze finally softened. Though he couldn’t be too close to him while looking at his familiar form, he finally changed the topic to something more friendly. “Having said so much, how long have you two known each other?”

This question made Zhuge Qingtian a little confused. He thought about it and then said hesitantly, “About… almost a month?”

Having only known each other for a month yet wanting to form a cultivation partnership with another man—saying these words made Zhuge Qingtian himself feel unbelievable. Sure enough, when Ying Xishen heard it, he was instantly shocked. The look in his eyes was full of pity, as if this silly child had been tricked. “Such a short time, do you really understand him?”

This, the question that Fu Sang Shen gave him could probably answer half of it.

Although thinking this in his heart he had no confidence, Zhuge Qingtian showed no weakness on the surface, saying righteously, “Of course, his background is clear, he is not yet married, he is sixty-eight years old and still a virgin, which is simply a rare species once in a century among demonic cultivators.”

Qian Ren, whose hearing was excellent and was caught off guard by a fatal blow: “…”

Fang Suihan, who was secretly paying attention to the two and ready to intervene: “…”

The sudden stiffness in the steps of the two in front did not draw Ying Xishen’s attention. In fact, hearing this, he felt even more unreliable. He then advised, “That’s because you haven’t seen much of the world. Not to mention my celibacy for many years, teacher is several hundred years old and still…”

In Ying Xishen’s mind, his teacher was the best in everything. Even his age of abstaining from worldly desires had to be the best in the world. But Fu Sang Shen in front of him quickly coughed to interrupt him, probably also recognizing that he could not keep up with the pace of young people’s conversations. He then chose to take his leave. “You talk, I’ll go look for He Huan.”

Rarely seeing Fu Sang Shen’s embarrassed expression, Zhuge Qingtian blinked his eyes and then asked with feigned innocence, “Why does he have to go look for the Grand Master when the topic of virgins comes up?”

It is said that concern makes one lose their senses. Ying Xishen completely failed to notice the teasing in his eyes. In passing, he thought of the rumors of He Huan’s unrestrained womanizing and hurriedly chased after him in a fluster, “Teacher, you must not be impulsive! It’s just that no one in the world is worthy of being close to you!”

Silently watching Ying Xishen’s figure rushing away, Zhuge Qingtian, who was finally freed from the parental questioning, spread out his hands towards Qian Ren, “Actually, Uncle Three is quite easy to fool.”

His expression was much more relaxed than when he had first arrived. Qian Ren knew that the person’s heart might not be as calm as he appeared. He only took his hand and led him back towards the path they had come. “Let’s go, we’ll go to the Realm of the End of the World.”

They were originally scheduled to depart tomorrow. Seeing that Qian Ren had suddenly moved the schedule forward, Zhuge Qingtian immediately asked in confusion, “Why do we have to leave so soon?”

To this, the man only glanced at him, “I didn’t originally plan to leave so soon, but now to end the advantage of being a virgin, I have decided to leave immediately.”

Are all you old men so concerned about this word? If you care, then why not have the wedding ceremony earlier!

Silently complaining like this, Zhuge Qingtian thought about who the target of ending his virginity would be, and in the end, he didn’t say what he knew would be settled later, and instead changed the subject, “Aren’t you going to say goodbye to the young master?”

“I just glanced over, and he had already rushed off to supervise someone to make sure that they were not helping others to end their virginity.”

Okay, changing the topic had failed. His teacher was indeed never led by others. This resilient quality was also considered a terrifying advantage.

Finally realizing that his casual remark seemed to have stirred a hornet’s nest, Zhuge Qingtian didn’t struggle anymore and obediently admitted his mistake, “Master, I was wrong! Actually, my celibacy has lasted even longer than yours!”

Regarding how to deal with the mischievous Zhuge Qingtian, Qian Ren had already summed up a set of experiences. Seeing him become well-behaved now, he was finally satisfied and answered with a profound meaning, “It’s okay, it will end soon.”

There seemed to be some terrible hidden information behind that sentence. He had been teasing his teacher for so long, was he finally going to be punished?

His heart couldn’t help but tremble. Zhuge Qingtian looked at their hands that were tightly clasped together and finally mustered up the courage to open the note that he had been clenching in his palm. This was what Ying Xishen had secretly given him before leaving. He originally thought that it would be some secret instructions, but it only had a simple line: Some courtyards are empty and no one is living there in Yindu, so, come take a look when you have time.

Looking at the familiar handwriting, the corners of Zhuge Qingtian’s mouth unconsciously curved up. He carefully folded the note and put it in his chest pocket along with the jade rabbit pendant and tucked it away. When he looked up, he only lightly said, “The person is gone, what’s the point of leaving a letter? Uncle Three is so unfrank.”

Zhuge Qingtian had now recovered his Ghost God power. The two of them only needed to step into the clouds to leave Huanhun Island. Watching their figures go far away, the two Ghost Gods hidden under the lamplight slowly walked out.

Tilting his head to glance at Ying Xishen, who was still focused on watching his relatives’ backs, Fu Sang Shen sighed softly, “You recovered this time faster than I imagined.”

“Teacher, you said that people can’t keep falling in the same place, but I think that if you give up the beautiful scenery ahead just because you fell a few times, that’s not right. I know that Huai’an was much smarter than Jicheng. If he wanted to deceive me, he would not be easily exposed. Even so, I still want to be an elder worth relying on, just like Teacher.”

Raising his eyes to smile at him, the spring breeze swayed Ying Xishen’s blood-red robes. At this time, he had shed his disguised indifference, and the corners of his eyes and eyebrows were full of warm tenderness that made people feel at ease. This was the true appearance of Zhao Huanzhi, one that he would never let others see again.

But for him, Teacher was not an outsider. In the past, Teacher had saved him and extended an invitation to him. This time, he didn’t want to stay in the same place any longer. For the first time, he proactively reached out to the person in front of him. The look on this emperor’s face was more serious than ever before. “If only ending the war in the human world and creating a world of great harmony can make Teacher feel at peace and be able to pass on, I will not wait any longer; I will be the one to change this human world. The advantage of Ghost Gods is that they won’t die again, so, starting from the Ghost Domain, no matter how many years it takes, no matter how many times I fail, I will change the world into what Teacher hoped for.”

Yes, after experiencing so many things, he finally remembered that, putting aside all the resentment and unwillingness, what he had originally wished for was to become a wise and enlightened emperor, to lead his people towards the safest and happiest future. Although Xiliang was gone, he still wanted to take on the responsibility for the world that he had once missed and create a beautiful human world where Ghost Gods would never be born again. He would do it himself.

And now, Zhao Huanzhi, who had truly stood up again, slowly extended his hand to the imperial tutor who had guided him. He asked, “So, is Teacher willing to personally verify whether I can do it?”

Fang Suihan had saved Zhao Huanzhi three times. Each time, the person’s response had exceeded his expectations. This time was the same. Looking at the emperor who had been reborn again, he smiled slightly and then granted his student’s wish. “Fang Suihan greets Your Majesty, the Ghost Emperor.”

In the past, Fang Suihan had supported two generations of the Xi Shang Kingdom’s rulers. However, only this time when he bowed down to the emperor, did the student he had taught also respectfully give him a formal bow. He said, “This student, Ying Xishen, greets Teacher Fang.”

The author has something to say: Zhuge Qingtian: Wife, you have also met my parents, it’s time to go back to your mother’s house.

Qian Ren: You can’t hold back from being mischievous, can you?

Zhuge Qingtian: You’re going to weaken me, I decided to act up enough before that!

Qian Ren: Okay, you just wait.

After I have breakfast, there is another update today, so that heaven will know that I do not admit defeat!

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