24: Chapter 24 The Tragic Little Prince's Nobleman 6
After waiting for a long time, the long procession finally arrived at the gate of the Sacred Sect, lining up neatly on both sides.
The exquisite, luxurious imperial carriage, which exuded nobility and majesty, rolled forward steadily and slowly came to a halt.
The personal eunuch, Yang Cheng, immediately stepped forward to the window on the side of the carriage and spoke respectfully into it.
"Your Majesty, the Sacred Sect has been reached, and the people of the Sacred Sect are waiting here."
"I am aware."
The young Emperor stood up.
Upon hearing the voice from inside the carriage, the two handsome young personal guards sitting in front immediately opened the doors on both sides.
A young eunuch, who had been waiting on the side, immediately knelt down in front of the carriage to serve as a footstool.
Footsteps moved inside the carriage, and before long, the young Emperor stepped onto the young eunuch's steady back to descend from the carriage.
The personal troops all knelt down in unison. The members of the Sacred Sect also bowed and pressed their palms together in greeting.
"Rise."
His voice carried a touch of lazy yet imposing authority.
The members of the Sacred Sect rose to welcome him, with many covert glances directed at this legendary tyrant.
He was seen wearing auspicious cloud boots and a black Dragon robe with gold-traced edges, interwoven with large swaths of dark gold Dragon patterns and crimson cloud patterns—both imposing and majestic, yet luxurious and vibrant.
Most of his ink-black hair was tied up with an exquisite golden crown, while the rest hung loosely, with a few strands draping over his chest.
His skin was like white jade, his features sharply defined, his nose bridge high, and his lips as if painted with rouge. His long, narrow Phoenix eyes possessed the nobility unique to the royal family.
The corners of his eyes were slightly upturned, bewitching and enchanting.
His eyes were as black as obsidian and as deep as a bottomless abyss, permeating with a careless, icy gleam. In the blink of an eye, they flickered with allure and danger, like natural-born seduction and cruelty—rippling with charm, tempting all living beings.
The people of the Sacred Sect really had not expected that this legendary, sinister tyrant would possess such a rare and handsome appearance.
Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan scanned the crowd of the Sacred Sect. Confirming that Daoist Xuanchen was not present, he narrowed his Phoenix eyes slightly and looked at the Sect Master of the Sacred Sect.
"Why is the State Preceptor not here?"
"We sent someone to invite him earlier, but Daoist Xuanchen only entrusted a Disciple to relay two sentences: 'What needed to be said has already been said. Since there is nothing left to say, I will not come again, lest I add needless trouble.'"
The Sect Master of the Sacred Sect explained calmly and gently.
Upon hearing this, the cold light in Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan's eyes sharpened. Even in this situation, he refused to soften even a little, just as before, avoiding him like a snake or scorpion.
"Which Disciple brought the message? Or is it the State Preceptor's Disciple?"
Although he did not know why this tyrant asked such a question, the Sect Master still raised a hand to beckon Disciple Kong Yu, signaling him to come over.
"Your Majesty, this is the person who brought the message. His Daoist name is Disciple Kong Yu, and he is Daoist Xuanchen's Disciple."
"A Disciple? How could he take a new Disciple?"
"Your Majesty, I came to be by Master's side two years ago. Is there a problem?"
The youth before him was about sixteen or seventeen years old, with red lips and white teeth, and a handsome, refined face. When speaking of his Master, his face was full of respect, and his eyes were brimming with admiration.
At a glance, he was clearly a sensible, well-behaved, simple, and pure-natured child. There was no mistake—this was the kind of child he would like.
He himself had once relied on such a good disguise to easily catch Daoist Xuanchen's eye and gain some of his favor, envied by others. But eventually, a disguise always has a day when it cannot be hidden.
But, didn't he say he would only take him as his only Disciple and would only be his Master?
He could not obtain his love, and now even this only remaining thought had been stripped away.
He had long known that only he was still trapped in the past, while Daoist Xuanchen had already withdrawn and left six years ago.
But learning at this moment that he had already taken a new Disciple, the unwillingness surging in his heart and the raging fire in his eyes were tearing apart his already dwindling sanity.
"Of course there is no problem. It is quite a coincidence; I am also the State Preceptor's Disciple. Since the State Preceptor is unwilling to come, I will trouble you, Junior Brother, to lead the way. I will pay a visit in person."
His eyes were deep and gloomy, stained with traces of malice, and his expression was eerie, revealing an indescribable strangeness.
Without waiting for the youth to reply, the young Emperor issued an order.
"Ye Ziqi, keep watch over the people of the Sacred Sect. Wait for my return to decide their fate."
Ye Ziqi was a member of the remnants of the Ye family and the current commander of the Imperial Guards.
"Your subordinate obeys."
The young, heroic man in armor waved his hand, and the personal troops rushed forward to surround the people.
The speed was so fast that even the members of the Sacred Sect could not react in time; everything was already a foregone conclusion.
"Your Majesty, this..." The Sect Master still wanted to say something.
The young Emperor waved his hand.
"Sect Master, there is no need to say anything more. I will not do anything to the members of your Sect for the time being. But if I do not get a satisfactory result from this trip, then it is hard to say. Perhaps these mountains will be your burial ground."
His careless tone, while discussing the life and death of thousands of the Sacred Sect's members, was truly chilling.
The young Disciples among the Sacred Sect, having only recently joined and lacking in cultivation, were all filled with gloom and despair upon hearing this.
The older generation looked at each other, and finally sat cross-legged, closing their eyes to meditate.
"The rest of you stay here. Shadow Guard An Yi, you take my Junior Brother and come with me. I haven't seen Master for many years, and I miss him very much."
He cast a casual glance at the frightened youth and walked into the Sect as if nothing had happened.
Shadow Guard An Yi flashed over, took Disciple Kong Yu, and followed.
...
In the backyard courtyard, the young man was sitting on a luohan bed as usual, counting prayer beads while meditating and reading a Daoist scripture.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came to his ears; someone had entered.
But the person on the luohan bed did not stop the movement of his hands, nor did he even open his eyes, continuing as if there was no one else there.
Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan stared at his Master, whom he had been obsessed with and thinking about for many years. Although he was 36 years old this year, time seemed to have stopped on him.
Except for a few fine lines at the corners of his eyes, his aura was even better than before, becoming increasingly mesmerizing!
Lu Zhan frowned. The intruder's gaze was truly too presumptuous, making him feel a bit uncomfortable. He stopped chanting, opened his eyes, and looked at the person who had come.
As expected, he had come looking for him—Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan.
Imposing and majestic, seductive and vibrant, cruel and willful, careless. Completely different feelings were perfectly presented in one person.
Such a Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan was undoubtedly something Lu Zhan had never seen before; he was very attractive and very charming!
A few years ago, he had begun to take shape, but he was still much more immature.
At least in Lu Zhan's eyes, the 19-year-old Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan was just a child, even if he was ridiculously twisted in some aspects.
"Why have you come to find me? I think I have already made myself clear enough."
Lu Zhan's expression was cold and indifferent. Even seeing the Disciple he had once spent every day with, his emotions did not fluctuate.
"Master, are you sure there really isn't? Your little Disciple is outside the courtyard, in Shadow Guard An Yi's hands. Oh right, I almost forgot—at the Sect gate, my Imperial Guards have surrounded all the people of the Sacred Sect!"
His careless words and cynical attitude were, however, filled with extreme threats.
Lu Zhan's cold and indifferent eyes stared at the young man before him, and he said word by word.
"Are you threatening me?"
"Master, how can this count as a threat? This is clearly a piece of friendly advice. Master, you must be cautious. Do not harm yourself or others, and implicate the entire Sect."
Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan's tone was gentle, and his face was full of smiles, but his Phoenix eyes were filled with sharp, icy light.