106: Chapter 106 He's Going to Die

The faint sound of opera drifted into Su Chen's ears.

It was a melody that was somewhat sorrowful, yet also filled with hope and passion.

It seemed to be commemorating the victory of a certain battle.

His consciousness slowly returned, and he opened his eyes.

He found himself lying on a dragon bed inside the magnificent old Great Ning imperial palace.

"Good heavens... I've been hoisted up to be the Son of Heaven."

Su Chen didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He couldn't help but feel as if he were possessed by Zhao Kuangyin.

"The White-clad Sword Immortal descends from the heavens, slaying demons and stabilizing the world."

"A hundred and eight swords break the evil array, cleansing the demonic aura to reveal the clear sky."

He listened carefully and realized the opera being sung outside the walls...

...was actually a newly composed piece based on his merits, titled 'The Great Commander Su's Array-Breaking Song'.

The political intuition of scholars and literati is always the sharpest.

At the moment, it seemed set in stone that he would be the ruler of Great Ning.

It must be those musicians and scholars who survived the catastrophe, eagerly beginning to sing praises for him and this unprecedented battle.

He tried to focus his mind and inspect his internal condition.

As expected.

The sword soul origin, once as vast as the sea and flowing ceaselessly, was now completely dried up, leaving only a deathly silent desert.

His meridians were withered, his spiritual platform was dim, and the fire of his life was as weak as a candle flickering in the wind, as if it would be completely extinguished at any moment.

Three days.

He could clearly perceive it.

For this physical body, which he had forcibly reshaped using a forbidden technique, the remaining time was three days at most.

"I'd better not be the emperor. Even the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty ruled for three years. If I'm emperor for three days, what kind of joke is that?"

"When the time comes, I'll just dump this mess on Jingjun."

"In this round of investment, I've cultivated an Empress. The investment score certainly won't be too low, so it can be considered a success."

"From this perspective, my teaching skills are not at all inferior to Yu Xiaogang's."

Just then, a series of hurried but deliberately lightened footsteps approached from afar.

Carrying a familiar, faint fragrance, they stopped before his bed.

He didn't need to open his eyes to know who it was.

Besides her, who else in this world would be the first to come to his side when he was in such a state?

A pair of slightly cool, soft hands cautiously touched his forehead.

"Great Commander Su Chen, are you awake?"

"Hmm? Playing the hero didn't tire you out too much, did it?"

She seemed to want to use a joking tone to speak with Su Chen at first.

But before she could finish those two sentences, her voice already betrayed the heavy nasal tone that follows a crying fit.

Su Chen slowly opened his eyes.

What came into view was Ye Jingjun's beautiful but haggard face.

Her eyes, usually as cold as frost, were now as swollen as peaches.

The Female Sword Immortal was still dressed in a crimson robe, looking brilliant and radiant.

Seeing Su Chen open his eyes, the indifference, aloofness, and calm she had feigned on the battlefield vanished almost instantly.

Tears welled up again immediately, but she forced them back, squeezing out a smile that looked worse than crying.

"It's good that you're awake, it's good that you're awake..."

She rambled on, as if trying to dispel the heavy, suffocating atmosphere.

"Master, you don't know, you're the most popular person in the entire Great Ning now!"

"Everyone outside is singing of your merits, saying you devised strategies from within your tent to win battles a thousand miles away, that you are perfectly calculating, and that your sword strike was the sword that saved the world—that you are a god descended to earth!"

"The common people all say that if you ascend the throne, you will surely be a wise ruler for the ages."

"Even if you are unwilling to take that seat, they will build shrines for you while you're still alive and revere you as the Saint Emperor!"

Her tone carried a hint of pride, as if sharing in his glory.

Seeing that Su Chen didn't have much of a reaction, the smile at the corner of her mouth slowly faded.

Su Chen slightly twitched the corner of his mouth, wanting to give her a reassuring smile, but even such a simple movement was incredibly difficult.

Ascending the throne as Emperor?

A wise ruler for the ages?

Perhaps these were things many people in Great Ning dreamed of.

Even though the end of his life in Great Ning did not mean true death...

...at this moment, listening to the faint hymns outside the window and looking at the tearful eyes of the person before him who was forcing a smile...

...he only felt a sense of absurdity and emptiness.

Vast lands, eternal hegemony—what meaning did they have to a dying man?

Ye Jingjun stepped forward and nestled into his embrace.

Her entire full, supple body was almost glued to Su Chen.

Her full breasts pressed against Su Chen's skeletal body, creating a proud curve.

The young woman tried to help Su Chen up.

Her gaze inadvertently fell upon something he had been clutching tightly in his palm.

It was a round, translucent pearl emitting a soft blue light.

The 'mermaids tear' given to him by Cang Mingyue.

Su Chen also noticed the pearl.

It must have been this pearl that saved his life when he fell from the sky.

Were it not for this pearl from the Mermaid Maiden, he would probably have ended this round of investment by now.

Though three days wouldn't change anything anyway.

Back then, Su Chen had actually believed her words, thinking it was just some ordinary trinket, and had accepted it.

Who would have thought?

Having fought all the way to this point, he was no longer as ignorant of the Great Ning World as he had been at the start.

He already knew.

This was the tear Cang Mingyue had shed after falling in love with him.

The cool sensation transmitted through his palm, as if he could still feel the Mermaid Maiden's then-fervent heartbeat and shy warmth.

Miss Yue...

That silly girl should still be in East Lai now, shouldn't she?

Upon hearing the news of victory, she would surely be ecstatic.

She would surely be impatient to rush to the capital to see him.

But it was difficult for him to take the initiative to find her.

East Lai was more than a thousand miles from here.

In his current state, let alone flying through the air...

...even trying to walk on the ground would likely be as difficult as reaching the heavens.

His blood and qi were exhausted, and his soul was about to dissipate; now, even standing was a luxury.

He was nothing more than a shell barely maintaining consciousness.

In two rounds of investment, he had gained a lot.

But he was also always letting down some poor souls.

He had failed the promise to watch the snow with Zhuge Jinyu.

He had failed Ye Yuan's entrustment, unable to accompany Ye Jingjun for long.

Now, even the promise to Cang Mingyue that 'when you take human form, half of the world will be yours'...

...had become an empty word that could not be fulfilled.

Following his gaze, Ye Jingjun also saw the piercing blue pearl in his palm.

The girl's heart felt as if it had been stabbed hard by a needle.

Instantly, a dense wave of bitterness and jealousy surged up.

Her again...

That blue-haired siren!

Even at a time like this.

Even when his life was about to reach its end.

She still held a place in his heart!

Ordinarily, with Ye Jingjun's temperament...

...she would have been unable to hold back the grievance and jealousy in her heart and would have insisted on asking for a clear explanation.

But at this moment, looking at Su Chen's paper-white face...

...all the unwillingness and jealousy were covered by an even greater sorrow.

She bit her lower lip hard, tasting an even stronger metallic tang of blood.

Jealousy?

What right did she have to be jealous anymore?

He was going to die.

The man she loved most, the mysterious and powerful Master Su who taught her swordplay...

...was going to die.