Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Lu Yunqi pinched his chin and asked, "Do you think Murong Jie can really find Penglai Immortal Mountain and run into the Medicine Immortal?"

Xiao Jiu replied, "He's got incredible luck, so he'll definitely find it and definitely run into him. However... that corpse of yours is fake, so there's no way to bring it back to life."

Lu Yunqi sighed, "Then he's bound to be heartbroken. Sigh, Xiao Jiu, am I being a little too cruel?"

Xiao Jiu clicked his tongue and said, "Master, something's off with you. Real off."

"Huh? What's off about me?" Lu Yunqi shot back. "What's wrong with asking a normal question?"

Xiao Jiu said, "If you say it's normal, then sure, it's normal! Alas, it's just a pity for Murong Jie. He's currently hiking over mountains and rivers, and he has to pass through a huge whirlpool. Beyond that, there's a tornado that nearly swept him up into the sky and killed him. If he hadn't been clinging to your jade coffin for dear life, and since that coffin weighs over a thousand jin, he... didn't get blown off."

Lu Yunqi: ...

Well, he really is lucky. No wonder they call him the Child of Fortune.

Lu Yunqi asked again, "...And then what happened?"

Xiao Jiu said, "Oh? Master's worried about him?"

Lu Yunqi said angrily, "Can't you just answer the damn question straight?"

Xiao Jiu chuckled and said, "Alright, alright, alright! I'll answer properly! Afterwards, he found the Medical Immortal, and the Medical Immortal tried to treat you, but it was useless. However, the Medical Immortal said one thing to him: 'This corpse has no soul. What am I supposed to save?'"

Lu Yunqi: ...

He furrowed his brow and asked, "What does that mean? Did the Medical Immortal see through my whole fake death thing?"

Xiao Jiu sighed, "Come on, that's the Medical Immortal! Do you know why the cultivation world, the high-tech world, and the high-martial world can't all exist at the same time? It's because even having just one of them is already defying the heavens. If all three existed at once, even the Heavenly Dao wouldn't stand a chance, right? So, you get how insanely powerful the Medical Immortal is, right? He could tell at a glance that the body had no soul, but he had professional ethics, so he only gave Murong Jie a single hint. But with Murong Jie's brains, how long do you think it'll take him to figure it out?"

Lu Yunqi fell silent, thinking that he'd conquered Murong Jie across nine lifetimes and knew better than anyone how eerily clever this man was. It probably wouldn't take long before he figured out the truth about the fake death.

A week later, in the capital, at Lord Nine Thousand Years' residence.

Lu Tong had returned from the border, grieving over the loss of his son, and in his arms, he carried a baby who wasn't even a month old.

The baby was remarkably well-behaved, and upon closer inspection, there was even a tiny red mole, no bigger than a sesame seed, right between his eyebrows.

Lu Tong had clearly cried his eyes out more times than he could count; his eyes were still swollen and red. Lu An stood by his side, not daring to say anything to comfort him, knowing that Lu Yunqi was Lu Tong's entire world—the child born from him and his most beloved woman.

In the main hall of the Lu residence hung a rolled-up scroll that had been there for years. No one dared to open it; it was something Lu Tong treasured more than anything, said to hold a portrait of the late Lady Lu.

Now, Lu Tong finally unrolled Lady Lu's portrait, and the image of a stunningly beautiful woman appeared before Lu An.

The woman wore strange clothes, nothing like anyone in this world, like she was some kind of immortal.

He blurted out instinctively, "Fairy Liuyi?"

Lu Tong burst into loud sobs, crying as he spoke, "Xiao Yi, I've let you down. Our Yunqi... he's gone!"

Only he knew that Fairy Liuyi's real name was Liu Yi. She'd said he was an unmatched military genius who could protect the nation and keep the realm stable.

But relying on him alone, he couldn't cleanse this corrupt world, so she decided to have a child with him to face the upheaval that would come twenty years later.

Lu Tong didn't understand what the upheaval was, but he always listened to Liu Yi, cherishing their child with all his heart. There was no need for strict upbringing, for the child would naturally grow into greatness.

So no matter what he did, no matter what he wanted, Lu Tong granted it all.

Now, Lu Tong seemed to understand somewhat: "No wonder you said that as long as he lived happily, that was enough. So his fate was this bitter, taken so young. Leaving behind a child, making me, a white-haired man, bury my black-haired son, yet forced to cling to life for this child's sake. Xiao Yi, tell me, what should I do? What do you want me to do!"

Lu An wept too. He was Lu Tong's adopted son, raised alongside Lu Yunqi since childhood, knowing how his adoptive father doted on his younger brother like the apple of his eye.

His adoptive father had saved his life, so he repaid that debt through devotion to Lu Yunqi. Who would have thought Lu Yunqi would die so young? How could his adoptive father ever accept that?

Perhaps sensing Lu Tong's sorrow, Lu Feiluan began to cry as well.

Lu Tong said, deeply moved, "Ah, truly worthy of being my little grandson—he cries along with his grandfather."

Lu An sniffled and said, "Father, could it be that Feiluan is hungry? You've been carrying him the whole journey, and he's soiled himself twice without having eaten once."

Lu Tong: ...

It was all because he was too consumed by grief that he'd forgotten his little grandson needed feeding. He quickly got up and handed Lu Feiluan to the wet nurse, then turned around and said sternly to Lu An, "An'er, your younger brother cannot die in vain! Since we've already found out who was behind it, then this matter... must be settled once and for all!"

Lu An nodded: "Rest assured, Father. I will handle this properly and make sure Murong Feng has no place to be buried!"

"No place to be buried? Hah, that'd be letting him off too easy! I want his descendants to never rise again! Doesn't he want to be emperor? Then I'll give him that chance!"

With that, he whispered something into Lu An's ear, and Lu An nodded slightly, replying, "Rest assured, adoptive father. I will get this done!"

"Good, go handle it!"

The capital was suddenly fraught with tension, and even the old emperor had a gut feeling—that the winds of change were blowing.

But the old emperor was somewhat surprised. The man he'd guarded against his entire life, Lu Tong, had lost his only son. Just as he breathed a slight sigh of relief, he learned that his son had left behind a grandson. The old emperor's nerves immediately tightened again.

He thought to himself that the Lu family was lucky—losing a son but gaining a grandson. His title of Prince Peer was hereditary, so this grandson was born into good fortune.

The old emperor couldn't help but think of his own sons. Why, with so many sons, was there not one who pleased him?

The eldest had been passable before, but his recent behavior was increasingly disappointing.

As for the sixth, he had pacified Shanqiu Commandery this time, a great achievement.

But he was already a prince with no higher title to grant. He couldn't very well make him a Prince Peer, and given his ties to the Lu family, making him crown prince was out of the question.

The old emperor's shrewd eyes flickered as he thought, why not grant him the title of Prince Peer?

After all... as everyone knew, when princes are plentiful, they lose their value.