28: Chapter 28 The Tragic Little Prince's Nobleman 10

The young man on the bed seemed exhausted from speaking, simply staring blankly with murky, listless eyes, the tear tracks still wet on his face.

Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan raised his hand and struck the spot he had just hit with several more fierce slaps.

A crisp sound rang out, and the face immediately became abnormally red and swollen.

The pain cleared Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan's chaotic mind a little.

A mad and senile master; such a State Preceptor Xuanchen must never remain here, and even less so in the Sacred Sect.

Otherwise, if others were to find out, for the rest of his life, Master would be nailed to the pillar of shame, and even his past reputation for holiness would be completely tarnished.

When Master regains his senses one day, how will he face himself? I fear he would collapse even more completely, with death being the only way out.

Just thinking that Master might die, and that he would be the one to drive him to it, made Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan feel pain screaming throughout his entire body.

It turns out Master was right; it is he who is rebellious and has betrayed his master, it is he who harbors excessive hatred and baleful Qi, and it is he who is paranoid, gloomy, and reckless.

He is a piece of mud himself, so he wanted to drag the holy Master into the mire as well.

It was as if this could bring the two of them closer and prove that Master was his. Yet he never once considered whether Master could withstand it.

He built his own pleasure upon Master's suffering. Clearly, he had already noticed Master's inability to endure it and discovered his fragility and helplessness, yet it only ignited more excitement and satisfaction within him.

Since all of this was caused by him, he should be the one to atone for it.

From now on, as long as Master does not leave him, it does not matter if Master does not love him or accept him. Whether it is focusing on the Dao or burning incense and meditating, it is all up to Master; he will certainly not force or trouble him in the slightest.

Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan's footsteps were firm, step by step, as he walked toward Master on the bed.

And with every step he took, he could see the person on the bed becoming increasingly uneasy, curling his body up tighter, wishing he could hide himself away entirely.

The prayer beads were gripped so tightly they seemed to make a clicking sound. The hand covering the stains trembled even more noticeably, until it unconsciously clutched that piece of robe tightly in his hand, fearing even the slightest chance of it being exposed.

All of this made Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan feel even more unbearable heartache, as if the hand Lu Zhan was clutching was not the robe, but Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan's soft and fragile heart.

Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan raised his hand to stroke the young man's back; the body beneath his hand was uneasy and trembling.

Yet, as if powerless to dodge, he could only whisper a soft rebuke.

"Go away, don't touch me... Nickname, save me..."

Upon hearing these words clearly, this young emperor, who was always paranoid, gloomy, naive, and cruel, could not help but shed tears.

He had always felt that Master's heart was like cold iron, that he was cruel and heartless toward him, and that he was nothing to Master; otherwise, he would not have been discarded so completely. Yet, it turns out he had been wrong from the very beginning.

When Master was mentally deranged, the person he subconsciously called out to for help was actually himself, the very culprit.

"Master, I'm sorry, I was wrong..."

Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan said this, but it was destined to receive no response.

He did not mind, simply coaxing him softly, calming the young man's emotions.

"Master, don't be afraid, it's Nickname who has come; Nickname will take you home."

"Nickname..."

The murky eyes seemed to catch a word and looked over.

Because of the young man's soft call, Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan's heart felt a flicker of hope.

He watched his own reflection clearly mirrored in those slightly murky eyes. He thought Master had recognized him, however...

"No... You are not Nickname... Don't touch me... Get lost... You're talking nonsense... I didn't..."

The emotions that had just calmed slightly seemed to recall something and became violent again.

If this continued, Master would only collapse more severely. Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan had no choice but to strike the back of his neck, causing the young man to fall unconscious.

Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan placed the person on the bed and walked out. As soon as he exited the courtyard, he summoned the hidden guards who had remained outside.

"My Lord."

"Tell Ye Ziqi to drive the people of the Sacred Sect to the central palace first. As for the rest, tell them to keep their eyes and mouths shut, otherwise, I will flay their skin, pull out their bones, and exterminate their entire clan."

His tone was majestic yet chilling, making one's hair stand on end.

"As you command, My Lord."

The hidden guard vanished. Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan turned toward the small house nearby.

A moment later, the sound of a door being pushed open rang out, and this luxuriously dressed young emperor actually walked in carrying a basin of warm water.

Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan meticulously helped his master wipe his body, and after cleaning him up, he took out clothes from the wardrobe in the room and dressed him properly.

Once everything was tidied up, he spoke softly and gently to the young man who was still fast asleep.

"Master, Nickname is taking you home."

He bent down, scooped the person up steadily, and walked out.

The palaces, which were usually bustling with people, were now so quiet that only the rustling of wind through fallen leaves and the chirping of insects and birds could be heard.

Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan carried the person all the way to the entrance of the Sect. Not a single person from the Sacred Sect was to be seen, and more than half of the personal troops were gone. Those who remained all kept their heads lowered, looking at the ground.

Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan scanned the area, then steadily carried the person onto the carriage, placed him on the bed inside, and adjusted him into a comfortable position.

The young man lying on the bed had a normal expression, as if he had once again become that deity who was focused on the Dao, the most holy, aloof, proud, admired by thousands, and seated upon a divine altar.

Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan sat by the bed and stared blankly for a long while before walking out through the layers of gauze curtains and sitting down on a chair to the side.

"Eunuch, convey my decree: I know that I killed my father and brother, obtained the throne improperly, and have excessive killing karma; I am not a wise monarch. I personally ascended the Sacred Sect to invite State Preceptor Xuanchen into the palace to stay by my side, solely to allow him to offer more admonition and guidance. State Preceptor Xuanchen had already closed his doors to visitors, but out of pity for the suffering of the common people, he finally accepted the invitation and accompanied me."

"This servant obeys."

Eunuch was the young emperor's long-time personal attendant. No matter how curious or surprised he was, he never talked too much or asked questions; he listened to orders and handled matters reliably.

Very quickly, the massive procession was packed and ready to depart, following the road they had come by, disappearing into the mountains at a faster speed than before.

The Sacred Sect returned to its former tranquility, as if the storm that had occurred shortly before was just an illusion.

However, Disciple Kong Yu's broken finger, the empty courtyard in the back mountain, and the decree conveyed by the young emperor's personal attendant.

All served as evidence that the reason the Sacred Sect was able to be preserved was simply because someone had shielded them with this peace and tranquility at a moment of life and death.

...

Fearing that the young man would have violent emotional fluctuations upon waking, Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan fed him medicine throughout the journey until they arrived at the State Preceptors Residence in the Imperial Capital.

Lu Zhan had been unconscious for four or five days. When he woke up, his mind was a bit muddled. Sensing someone beside him, he simply kept his eyes closed and pretended to sleep.

He called out to 009 in his mind; it was time to verify the results.

"009, come out, check the Male Protagonist's blackening value."

"host, the inquiry is complete. Male Protagonist Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan's current blackening value is 60, a drop of 37. host, you are truly amazing!"

009's voice, as cheerful as ever, carried a hint of admiration.

"Hmm, not bad. You can continue to stay invisible, 009."

As soon as Lu Zhan finished speaking, 009 went silent again.

Since it dropped so much, it was finally worth his immersive and affectionate performance.

However, he really never expected that he, a cannon fodder character, would one day need to do something like this.

But having gone through this event, he reckoned he would be able to handle this Little Madman even better in the future.