Chapter 25: Lingyun Sword

Chapter 25: The Lingyun Sword

This reaction made it impossible to say Shen Lian didn't know about Ling Yun's existence.

Yan Huaixuan stared at Shen Lian closely.

Besides rebirth, was there another explanation for Shen Lian?

He rubbed his fingertips together.

Sure enough, the Emperor, just like in his past life, barely glanced at the sword and said offhandedly, "Give it to the Crown Prince."

The second those words left his mouth, everyone's eyes went wide in shock.

The Crown Prince? Since when was there a Crown Prince? There was a Deposed Crown Prince, but the Emperor didn't say "deposed"!

The head eunuch beside the Emperor's face also changed. He hesitated, glancing at the Emperor, only to find him completely indifferent, as if he hadn't just said that.

Left with no choice, he steeled himself and handed the "Lingyun" sword to Yan Huaixuan.

Only then did the Emperor speak again. "Start the banquet."

Everyone else was secretly scheming.

They didn't know, but Shen Lian knew all too well—this old Emperor was head over heels for Yan Huaixuan's mother, the Virtuous Consort. But she'd had a falling out with the old Emperor and, in a fit of anger, killed herself.

All these years, the old Emperor had never been able to let go of the Virtuous Consort, but he couldn't forgive her for taking her own life.

Otherwise, why would he have let Yan Huaixuan out of the cold palace just because people urged him to?

But none of that mattered to Shen Lian. What mattered more was the Lingyun sword right in front of him.

In the original story, Yan Huaixuan had accidentally gotten his blood on this sword, which woke up Ling Yun.

Shen Lian's fingertips trembled a little.

What if he got his blood on it first...

But Shen Lian quickly dropped that idea. For one, he couldn't bring himself to steal Yan Huaixuan's opportunity.

Second... Shen Lian thought about how Yan Huaixuan had taken that jasmine from his hair earlier.

Don't think he didn't notice—Yan Huaixuan was secretly getting jealous.

But Shen Lian had no idea that Yan Huaixuan was reading every single one of his emotions.

After the banquet, Yan Huaixuan suddenly asked, "You like this sword that much? What's so special about it?"

Shen Lian froze, realizing he'd been staring too much. He could only play dumb and say, "Doesn't Your Highness think this sword is gorgeous? It's like it's covered in frost and snow."

Yan Huaixuan said coolly, "Mm."

The system started nagging in Shen Lian's head again: "Quick, find a way to swindle that sword away."

A cold glint flashed through Shen Lian's eyes.

Then he hid it all and looked at Yan Huaixuan. "Your Highness, could I borrow this sword and take it back to my room? I want to use it to practice my painting."

Ling Yun's face turned sour. "Master! This guy clearly knows the sword has some kind of opportunity."

Yan Huaixuan suddenly said, "But in my past life, I never showed you to anyone. How would he know the sword has a cultivation opportunity?"

Ling Yun was taken aback. Yeah, how did Shen Lian know?

It hesitated, then said, "Your Highness, regardless, Shen Lian is up to no good."

It looked at Yan Huaixuan. "Master, you've trained for years to reach the Great Dao. Are you really going to let it all fall apart? Master, do you remember all the suffering you went through in your past life?"

The Heartless Dao demanded cutting off all emotions and attachments. The moment feelings stirred, the Dao heart would shatter.

And Yan Huaixuan... had already started losing his cultivation realm.

"Master, are you still going to blame it on the red thread now?"

Yan Huaixuan went quiet for a moment. He rarely had to make such a hard choice.

His hand, hidden in his sleeve, lightly brushed against that jasmine.

His mind flashed back to those words.

"Your Highness, I want to protect you."

"Shen Lian just wants to borrow the sword to paint."

Ling Yun said, "Master, why can't you just let it go?"

Yan Huaixuan stopped talking to it.

He glanced at Shen Lian. "If you want to paint, then take it."

Shen Lian's eyes brightened. "Thank you, Your Highness!"

The system in Shen Lian's head also sounded pleased. "Didn't think you had it in you! Quick, get rid of that Lingyun sword."

But it didn't expect Shen Lian to keep Lingyun instead of tossing it, and actually bring it back to his room.

The system frowned. "What are you doing?"

Shen Lian said, "Oh, if I get rid of it too soon, Yan Huaixuan will get suspicious. I'll find a way to make a convincing fake."

The system frowned a little. "That works."

Shen Lian asked outright, "Can you get me a fake one?"

The system chuckled. "Taking the Lingyun sword counts as changing Yan Huaixuan's path a little, so we still have some points."

As it spoke, another 'Lingyun' sword materialized in Shen Lian's right hand.

Shen Lian murmured, "It really is exactly the same."

The system raised an eyebrow. "Of course, this is top-quality system merchandise!"

"Mark the two swords so you don't get them mixed up. The one in your left hand is the real one."

Shen Lian tied a red tassel to the fake in his right hand. "Okay, this one's the fake."

And Shen Lian had no idea that above them, something had quietly slipped away.

In the adjacent room, Yan Huaixuan slowly opened his eyes.

Ling Yun couldn't help but say, "Master, see? I told you—this Shen Lian has ulterior motives. He swapped the swords—he's definitely planning to give you the fake one."

"More importantly, how did he conjure another fake out of thin air? Could he have someone helping him? Someone else who's been reborn?"

Yan Huaixuan said nothing. He sat in the empty hall, his face completely expressionless.

But the frost in his eyes crept in, inch by inch.

Yan Huaixuan lowered his head, spread his fingers, and revealed the jasmine in his palm.

The image of Ye Zhang flashed through his mind.

The day he ordered Ye Zhang thrown into the mass grave, Ye Zhang was not yet dead. If Ye Zhang had called for help, he could have lived.

But later, when he thought the mole thing was off and went to find Ye Zhang,

Ye Zhang had already been torn apart by wolves—the cause of death was poisoning.

That poison... was the Thousand-Tail Iris flower, which was also one of the herbs in the tonic Shen Lian brewed for him, meant to strengthen the body.

But combined with the juice of the Jade Ru flower, it turned into a lethal poison.

One day, passing the garden, he'd seen the Jade Ru flower—and the garden had always been tended by Shen Lian.

Were these... just coincidences?

More importantly, he'd used a technique to briefly glimpse a wisp of Ye Zhang's soul lingering there, refusing to leave out of deep obsession.

The spirit was nearly frantic: "He clearly had a mole on his waist! Clearly had one!"

Could it be that Shen Lian isn't Shen Lian, but someone else?

Meanwhile, the system was still caught up in the thrill of seizing the opportunity.

Shen Lian suddenly said, "No... I feel like someone's watching me."

He looked up at the sky, and the system followed his gaze. "Could it be a Spiritual Sense?"

Shen Lian seized the chance to quickly swap the tassels on the two swords.

When the system looked away, Shen Lian "happened" to lower his head at the same time.

"There's nothing there," the system said, frowning.

A slight smile curled Shen Lian's lips.

The next morning, Shen Lian went to see Yan Huaixuan, holding the "counterfeit."