21: Chapter 21 The Tragic Little Prince's Nobleman 3

A few years ago, although Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan was difficult to deal with and overly persistent, he remained within Lu Zhan's grasp and controllable range due to the vast disparity in their status.

Now, their situations have reversed; the 25-year-old Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan is already a young emperor, and they have completely broken ties, leaving no room for reconciliation.

With his blackening value quite high and his temperament drastically changed, Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan's methods are likely even more chilling.

Even if Lu Zhan were willing to humble himself now, return voluntarily, or even trade on his looks and just lie flat, it wouldn't matter.

Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan would only think to himself that, indeed, only by holding supreme power and grasping his weakness would a person obediently listen.

As for eliminating the blackening value, don't even think about it; it's impossible.

If he stubbornly refuses, at this point, Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan likely has plenty of means to force him to return obediently.

Moreover, his task is to eliminate the blackening value; without being by the Male Protagonist's side, even a clever housewife cannot cook without rice.

Could he really have to resort to crying, making a scene, and threatening to hang himself...?

Uh... he'd better spare himself; just thinking about it gives him goosebumps, and he truly cannot do it.

By comparison, Lin Sicheng's little tricks can only be considered child's play.

Sigh... this is a bit difficult to handle...

Lu Zhan raised his hand to his forehead and sighed in frustration, deciding to wait until he saw Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan to observe and carefully consider his options.

Thinking no more, he crossed his legs, picked up a scripture from the side, and lowered his eyes to read.

"Master, it is time for lunch."

A youth of about sixteen or seventeen, with red lips and white teeth, delicate and handsome, walked in with very light steps, carrying a tray in his hands.

Lu Zhan turned his head to look; it was Disciple Kong Yu, the little Disciple that the Sect Master had helped him take in.

He nodded gently and gave a soft affirmative sound.

The youth placed the tray directly on the tea table in front of him and stood obediently to the side, his eyes filled with respect and admiration as he secretly looked at Lu Zhan.

After Lu Zhan finished his meal, Disciple Kong Yu wanted to say something, but looking at the cold aura surrounding his Master, he hesitated.

He tidied up efficiently and walked towards the door with the tray. When he was almost at the door, Disciple Kong Yu thought about it and felt unwilling to give up, so he turned back, set the tray aside, and walked up to Lu Zhan.

"Master, I have been here for two years now. When can I become your true Disciple? Or is it that you, Master, do not actually want to take me as a Disciple and only found it hard to refuse out of respect for the Sect Master?"

Disciple Kong Yu felt a bit sad in his heart. When the Sect Master first brought him here, the young man glanced at him and then returned to his room.

Seeing this, the Sect Master told him to stay. Later, he called the young man Master, and the young man did not refute it, but he had never let him perform the apprenticeship ceremony.

Lu Zhan lifted his eyes to look. The youth in front of him looked sad, his eyes reddened, as if he would burst into tears the moment he said he wasn't willing. He was young, after all, with a child's Heart-Nature.

"Disciple Kong Yu, it is not that I am unwilling, but that it is not possible. If you were to apprentice under me today, you would be unable to enter another's Sect."

"And I fear that in the days to come, I may not be able to protect myself, nor will I be able to stay in the Sacred Sect for long. It would only delay your future."

"As it is now, although we lack the official title of Master and Disciple, we have the reality of it. With me as your guarantor, if I leave the Sacred Sect, you can still enter under the Sect Master."

His cold face unusually softened slightly, and the indifference in his eyes dispersed a little. He raised his cool hand and touched the youth's round, smooth head.

"But... I just want to apprentice under you. And isn't it that you, Master, cannot leave the mountain? How could you leave the Sacred Sect?"

The youth said with a firm tone.

The current State Preceptor Xuanchen was, in Disciple Kong Yu's short life, a god-like existence. He had once seen him from afar and felt that he was too beautiful to be a person of the mortal world.

Upon learning that he would become the Disciple of the State Preceptor, he was excited, thrilled, and nervous.

Lu Zhan looked at the youth quietly and, in the end, just shook his head slightly.

"You will have a better Master, but that person is not me."

The youth was very sad, tears swirling in his eyes. He looked at Lu Zhan stubbornly and said slowly.

"You are the best Master. I will not disturb you in your study of Buddhist dharma; this Disciple will withdraw first."

Not waiting for Lu Zhan to say anything else, and seemingly afraid of being rejected again, the youth turned and left as if trying to deceive himself.

Lu Zhan truly had no extra energy to take on another Disciple to keep by his side; one Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan was enough to exhaust his energy and focus. He lowered his eyes and began reading the scripture in his hands again.

Afterwards, both the youth and the young man tacitly chose to let the matter drop, and neither mentioned it again. The small courtyard returned to its usual peace and harmony.

The young man continued to follow his old habits, rising in the morning to finger his prayer beads and study the Dao, followed by Daoist scriptures as his primary focus, supplemented by various miscellaneous books.

Whenever the youth encountered profound and difficult problems, he would come to ask for guidance. Each time, a cold, magnetic voice would ring out in the quiet room, patiently explaining things to him.

In the quiet, secluded courtyard where no one else set foot, they lived in peace and harmony, and the days passed by one after another in this tranquil atmosphere.

In comparison, the imperial capital of the Jing Kingdom seemed as if it had just experienced a bloody storm, especially the execution ground in a remote corner.

Even though people scrubbed it every day, the floor was still stained red, and even the air was tainted with the smell of blood.

In just two short years, the imperial court had undergone a massive reshuffling, with many young new faces emerging. As for the former officials, those who resigned had resigned, and those who died had died; it was truly a case of "new emperor, new ministers."

At the center, the layers of palaces, whose full view could not be glimpsed, were surrounded by majestic vermilion-painted palace walls.

Inside Zichen Palace, the candlelight was bright, illuminating the young emperor.

He wore a dark-colored casual robe embroidered with a Dragon pattern. His lustrous black hair was half-tied up with a jade hairpin, with the rest falling behind his head.

His features were sharp and chiseled, and his pair of piercing black eyes were shaped as if outlined with a single stroke of thick ink, smooth and noble. He leaned casually against a wide, soft couch, tapping his fingers on the armrest.

A black shadow flashed by and knelt in the room.

"My Lord, the matter you ordered has been completed. The Sacred Sect has colluded with powerful officials in the court, causing chaos in the imperial administration and harboring ulterior motives. With both human and material evidence complete, this time we can surely drag them down from their pedestal completely."

"Very good. Everything is prepared. It is time for me to pay a visit to this Sacred Sect."

"Shadow Guard An Yi, you go ahead first and deliver the items to the Sacred Sect. Tell State Preceptor Xuanchen that the entire millennium-old foundation of his Sect lies in a single thought of his."

The young emperor's tone was normal, but a trace of an evil smile curled at the corners of his mouth, and his eyes were deep and eerie. He waved his hand to signal Shadow Guard An Yi to withdraw.

He called out to the door. "Eunuch, come in."

The sound of the door opening rang out, followed by extremely light footsteps. The emperor's personal Eunuch, body slightly bowed, quickly arrived before him.

"Your Majesty, for what reason did you summon this servant?" Eunuch said respectfully.

"Pass on my decree: tomorrow morning, we head to the Sacred Sect. Mobilize the personal army to set out with me."

"This servant obeys the decree and will go handle it immediately."

The young emperor gave a soft affirmative sound. Eunuch bowed and retreated, quickly exiting Zichen Palace and heading straight out of the palace.

The room immediately fell into silence. After a long while, a low, intermittent murmur sounded.

"State Preceptor... Master... Daoist Xuanchen... you cannot hide, nor can you escape... Since your heart is like cold iron, cold as frost..."

"You sneer at my love and treat it like worn-out shoes... then why not try this golden birdcage I have custom-made for you... This time, I want you to walk in obediently yourself... put on the shackles, and finally become a possession in my palm."