Chapter 123: Back To That Key Moment ②

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Chapter 123: Back To That Key Moment ②

After the New Year, several visitors arrived through the snow. They were the companions who had once helped seal the Devil’s Tree, with Kaiser at their head—a group of five accompanied by more than twenty guards. One of the young women held a special status: Tylor’s younger sister, Ticia, the little princess of the Holy Empire and Kaiser’s fiancée.

After the Devil’s Tree was sealed, Kaiser and the others were awarded the title of “Hero” by the Holy Empire and became famous throughout the land. Ticia fell in love with Kaiser at first sight during the heroes’ award ceremony, and after he graduated, the king announced their engagement.

Their purpose in coming was to invite Tylor back to the capital for Kaiser and Ticia’s wedding.

Before this, Kaiser had no idea Shang Ke was still alive. When he entered the courtyard of the bamboo house and saw Shang Ke brewing tea at a stone table amid the snow, his shock was easy to imagine.

“Shang… Shang Ke!” Kaiser stared at Shang Ke as he slowly walked toward him. His memories seemed to return to three years ago, every moment they had once spent together resurfacing one after another before finally dissolving into blood. The man who should have been resting beneath the earth was now standing before him, alive and vibrant.

“Have you been well?” Shang Ke greeted him with a bright smile.

Kaiser rushed forward and hugged him tightly. “You’re alive. You’re really alive!”

Shang Ke’s warmth, steady heartbeat, and familiar scent filled Kaiser not only with the joy of recovering someone he had lost, but also with a faint, inexplicable sense of peace.

Just then, a powerful force tore Kaiser away from Shang Ke. Tylor stared at him with obvious displeasure. He had always suspected this brat had improper intentions toward Shang Ke, and now he had finally seen the proof with his own eyes.

Kaiser had yet to recover from his excitement when he noticed Tylor’s arm wrapped around Shang Ke’s waist. His eyes flickered slightly.

“Second Brother.” Princess Ticia stepped forward and softly greeted Tylor, her assessing gaze sweeping over Shang Ke without appearing too obvious.

“You’ve already set the wedding date?” Tylor placed particular emphasis on the words wedding date.

Shang Ke wasn’t surprised by Kaiser and Ticia’s marriage. According to the information supplied by the System, Kaiser had indeed married the princess. As the “protagonist” of this world, he was supposed to succeed in both career and love, with a smooth future ahead of him.

As he thought this, the System suddenly spoke in his mind: 【“Protagonist” conversion complete. The world’s protagonist has changed from Kaiser to Tylor.】

Surprise flashed through Shang Ke’s eyes. The protagonist changed? Why?

The System gave no answer. In truth, Kaiser carried a portion of the destined one’s fortune. If Shang Ke had fallen in love with him back then, Kaiser would have replaced Tylor and become the true “protagonist.” He would then have followed Shang Ke’s presence and competed with the destined one for fortune; if he successfully took the position, he could completely replace the destined one.

Several worlds had contained secondary incarnations like Kaiser who possessed a share of the destined one’s fortune. But Shang Ke had always chosen the true destined one, so those secondary incarnations never gained enough power to challenge him.

The difficulty of a mission therefore depended not only on the mission itself, but also on Shang Ke’s choice of the destined one.

“Mm. The wedding is set for three months from now.” Ticia smiled slightly. “Second Brother, you won’t miss your little sister’s wedding, will you?”

“I’ll go.” Tylor stood rigidly in the courtyard with absolutely no intention of inviting anyone inside.

“It’s freezing out here. Come inside and talk,” Shang Ke invited them. “The house is rather small, though, so I’m afraid the others will have to make do with resting in the courtyard.”

“You’re too kind, Lord Osari,” Ticia replied politely, then glanced at Kaiser beside her.

Tylor reluctantly allowed them inside. Shang Ke poured hot tea for the guests and sent tea and snacks out to the guards in the courtyard so they could warm themselves.

Seeing how calmly and efficiently Shang Ke handled everything, Ticia formed a fairly good impression of him. However, the fact that he lived under the same roof as her second brother and was clearly intimate with him—and Kaiser’s attitude toward him as well—still bothered her somewhat.

Shang Ke left Tylor to catch up with his sister while he went to the kitchen to prepare food. Before long, Tylor came in and told him there was no need to bother; they would be leaving shortly.

“They came all this way, and you’re not even keeping them for a meal?” Shang Ke looked at him in confusion.

“Cooking for twenty or thirty people is too much trouble.” Tylor leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Save your delicious food for me and Pupu.”

Shang Ke shrugged and didn’t insist.

When the two saw their guests out, Kaiser seemed to want to speak to Shang Ke alone, but in the end he never said anything.

Ticia wandered around the area for a while longer. The neatly arranged vegetable plots and gardens, the cleverly designed amusement park nearby, and the children playing there all amazed her. She was impressed both by Shang Ke’s ingenuity and by Tylor’s willingness to live such a quiet life. Prince Tylor, once so imposing and magnificent, was now content to live in seclusion in the mountains with another man.

Ticia sighed inwardly. She couldn’t blame Tylor for becoming disillusioned with them. After he became a half-demon, not one person had supported or accepted him. Everyone had politely suggested that he “rest somewhere secluded,” but how could Tylor possibly fail to understand the fear and rejection behind those words?

Before leaving, Ticia asked Tylor, “Second Brother, are you really planning to stay with Osari? You’re both men. I’m afraid people may criticize you in the future.”

“Do you know why I became a half-demon?” Tylor asked instead of answering.

“Wasn’t it because you were corrupted by demonic energy?”

“It was because Shang Ke died.”

“He’s your weakness, so that’s why you want to be with him?”

Tylor’s expression did not change. He asked again, “Do you know why I was able to purge the demonic energy and return to normal?”

“Why?”

“Because Shang Ke came back to me.”

So? Ticia stared at him in confusion.

Tylor looked toward Shang Ke, who stood a short distance away, and said warmly, “Only the power of faith can purge demonic energy. Shang Ke is my faith.”

Ticia stared at him in shock. It was not unheard of to regard one’s lover as one’s faith, but transforming that faith into power strong enough to purge demonic energy required an extraordinarily steadfast, pure, and profound love.

Her second brother had given that man everything he had.

Ticia couldn’t tell whether what she felt was heartache or envy. Who in this world wouldn’t want to receive love this sincere? Osari truly was fortunate.

“I understand.” Ticia smiled at Tylor. “Bring Osari—no, bring Shang Ke back to the palace sometime. I’ll do everything I can to persuade Father and Mother. I won’t let them become an obstacle between you and Shang Ke.”

“Thank you.” A trace of softness appeared in Tylor’s eyes. Although he didn’t care whether his family approved of their relationship, he still accepted Ticia’s goodwill.

Ticia shrugged helplessly. “I’m also doing this for myself. My fiancé obviously has feelings for your man that he shouldn’t have. Maybe he hasn’t realized it himself yet, but if those thoughts aren’t cut off soon, they may affect our life together in the future.”

Tylor’s expression darkened at once. “You’d better keep your fiancé under control. If he dares set his sights on Shang Ke, I’ll make him wish he were dead!”

“Don’t worry.” Ticia elegantly straightened her clothes and said with confidence, “I have plenty of faith in my husband-taming skills. Give me less than two years, and he’ll be utterly devoted to me.”

The group had arrived suddenly and left just as decisively. As far as Ticia was concerned, they had accomplished what they came for, so there was no reason to remain. Tylor had always kept his word. If he said he would attend her wedding, then he certainly would.

Sure enough, a little over two months later, Tylor arrived in the capital with Shang Ke and Pupu.

Shang Ke had prepared himself to be judged, mocked, and ridiculed, only to discover that Ticia had already taken care of everything. There were still a few dissenting voices, but most people expressed support and offered their blessings.

The expedition to seal the Devil’s Tree had shaken the entire continent several years earlier. As important members of that mission, Shang Ke and Tylor’s contributions had been written into stories and spread far and wide.

What interested the public most now, however, was not the heroic tale everyone had already heard countless times, but a love story that had only recently begun circulating. Its protagonists were Shang Ke and Tylor.

Both men were extraordinary talents once celebrated as the “Academy Twin Stars.” However, after Shang Ke lost a duel, he traveled far from home and did not quietly return to the capital until several years later, where he made a living selling boxed lunches. But if you think selling boxed lunches was something lowly, you would be gravely mistaken. Even as a lunch seller, Shang Ke sold with style, fame, and taste, eventually becoming known as the “Lunch Box Prince.” It was only after Tylor happened to taste one of Shang Ke’s lunches that he recognized his identity. Their gazes crossed over the crowd gathered to buy lunch, meeting from afar, and from that moment onward, their lives were destined to be entwined.

When Shang Ke heard this part, he couldn’t help complaining. Couldn’t they have picked a more romantic place for us to meet? Surrounded by crowds buying boxed lunches and wave after wave of suffocating body odor, who the hell would have time to feel romantic?!

Tylor immediately agreed. “Exactly. Whoever wrote this story has absolutely no imagination.”

Next, the two joined the mission to seal the Devil’s Tree together. The journey was filled with twists, dangers, and bizarre events, enough to move anyone to tears. Their feelings gradually deepened through countless hardships until they finally swore never to abandon one another.

Yet heaven seemed intent on testing their love. Just when they and their companions finally succeeded in sealing the Devil’s Tree and were preparing to celebrate their victory, a traitor launched a sneak attack. To protect his lover, Shang Ke used his own body to block the fatal strike and died covered in blood within Tylor’s arms.

Tylor was devastated. The collapse of his faith left a weakness in his heart, allowing demonic energy to corrupt him and turn him into a faithless half-demon. To avoid endangering ordinary people, he took Shang Ke’s body into seclusion in the snowy mountains and guarded him alone for three years.

Then came the miracle everyone found most unbelievable of all! Shang Ke actually returned to life after being dead for three years, becoming the God-Touched who had remained dead the longest in recorded history. Bearing the blessing of the gods, he returned to the mortal world—and to Tylor’s side.

Tylor fulfilled his vow never to abandon him, while Shang Ke broke through the boundary between life and death. After enduring countless hardships, the two finally found their way back to one another.

Who could bear to separate lovers this devoted? Their love was practically regarded as a legend and spread throughout the continent.

“Shang Ke, you are my faith.”

Hand in hand we go, from young to old.

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