32: Chapter 32 The Tragic Little Prince's Nobleman 14

Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan had long since lowered his head in shyness amidst the laughter, yet his hands were tightly gripping Lu Zhan's clothes.

His cheeks still bore the shyness and coquettishness from just moments ago, but in a place where Lu Zhan could not see, his phoenix eyes were already crawling with paranoid darkness, flickering with a sinister, cold light.

When Master had not yet recovered, he thought that as long as Master could regain consciousness, he would only be a nominal Disciple in the future and would never cross the line again.

But when Master recovered, Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan felt that his heart had changed; it had become greedy, dissatisfied with the status quo, and unwilling to remain just Master's Disciple.

However, Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan truly dared not use overly drastic measures again; if it happened once more, he might truly lose Master.

If one could live well and see a vibrant Master every day, who would be willing to die?

If drastic measures wouldn't work, then perhaps he should try boiling the frog in warm water.

Observing Master's current lucid state, he feared that the previous incident had ultimately cracked Master's unwavering heart dedicated to the Buddha.

And all he had to do was quietly pry that crack open bit by bit, then slowly fill it in with himself, little by little.

Master was pure and naive; by the time he realized what was happening, he might already have succeeded.

Thinking of this, Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan's entire heart palpitated violently.

From now on, it didn't matter how he acted in front of Master; as long as Master was happy, could look at him more, and wouldn't think about leaving, he would gladly accept anything.

Let go? In this life, it was impossible for him to let go, unless he died.

But even if it meant death, he would make Master die with him and be buried in the same place. Since they could not share the same bed in life, they would share the same grave in death. He was just such a selfish and sinister Little Madman.

After a while, Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan looked up at Lu Zhan, his eyes already restored to normal, still the exquisite, beautiful, obedient, and adorable young man.

...

For a long time after that, Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan and Lu Zhan got along very harmoniously.

Lu Zhan settled into the State Preceptor's Residence, and his daily habits were just as they had been in the past.

The only thing that troubled him slightly was that after Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan's blackening value dropped to 40, it seemed to have reached a critical point and would not go down any further.

And no matter how he acted out, Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan would quickly admit his faults with a pitiful and earnest attitude; this path was no longer viable.

He also dared not half-heartedly yield to the Little Madman's temptations. The level of possessiveness from Lin Sicheng in the previous world was already enough for him to endure.

Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan was even worse; with his old arms and legs, he really couldn't handle it.

Moreover, decades later, after spending so much time together, when the time came for him to leave, it would inevitably add a sense of melancholy and sorrow.

Therefore, unless it was an absolute last resort, Lu Zhan was not very willing to take that path; it was better to cut the Gordian knot.

Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan's state was too stable, so stable that it was abnormal; he feared that it would require some greater stimulation to pry it loose.

He needed to carefully consider how to handle this. If there was really no other way, suggesting a return to the Sacred Sect would not be a bad idea.

Given the level of Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan's paranoia, he did not believe this Little Madman could remain so calm.

When he could no longer sit still and made a move, he could just happen to go along with it. Perhaps he could achieve his goal in one step and directly eliminate the blackening value.

Lu Zhan thought very well, very idealistically, but unexpected events outside his plan arrived even faster.

He had vastly underestimated Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan's paranoia and possessiveness, as well as the unique thought process belonging to the Little Madman.

A person who thought that mutual death was a "Happy Ending" - how could he really be as calm on the surface as he appeared? As long as he had not obtained what he wanted for even a single day, then losing control was only a matter of time.

...

During this time, every time Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan finished attending court and handling government affairs, he would fly back to the State Preceptor's Residence to stay by Lu Zhan's side.

Occasionally, there were some small, intimate gestures, but they didn't make one feel it was overstepping boundaries; instead, they felt somewhat cute, just like that little Disciple from the beginning.

It seemed as if they had returned to those five years of being together day and night. It seemed as if nothing had changed between them, yet it also seemed as if everything had already changed.

Both of them were very tacit, one never mentioned letting him go, the other never mentioned leaving, and the days just passed by bit by bit.

Recently, the Imperial Capital had also been very peaceful, and even the execution grounds in the remote corners had not been stained with blood again.

The officials in the court also felt that during this time, Your Majesty seemed to be in a very good mood, not as moody and violent as in the past.

When handling government affairs, he would also consult and adopt some suggestions from several key ministers.

A few policies beneficial to the country and the people were issued, and he even began to faintly reveal the demeanor of an enlightened ruler.

As Your Majesty became enlightened, the court gradually stabilized; the officials in the court were finally no longer trembling with fear or suspicious of every rustle, and the common people were finally no longer complaining and grumbling.

The people of the Jing Kingdom naturally also knew that some time ago, the State Preceptor had been welcomed back, and Your Majesty had even personally issued an edict of self-reproach.

They had originally held feelings of reverence for the State Preceptor, and now seeing that after Your Majesty welcomed the State Preceptor back, he became more enlightened day by day.

In everyone's hearts, they held Daoist Xuanchen in even higher esteem, truly worthy of being a Divine Being.

Everything spread throughout the entire Jing Kingdom in this way, and the stature of Daoist Xuanchen in the hearts of the people of the Jing Kingdom reached an unprecedented height.

"Your Majesty, the Sacred Sect has received grace from the State Preceptor, and therefore holds him in high regard. The entire Jing Kingdom, due to the successful implementation of Your Majesty's plan, has not seen the State Preceptor's reputation damaged; in fact, it is even greater than before."

Shadow Guard An Yi knelt below, speaking with a touch of reverence as he reported to the young emperor sitting on the high seat.

"I know. You may withdraw."

Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan was busy hurrying to finish reviewing the memorials so he could go see Master, not even sparing a glance for Shadow Guard An Yi.

Everything was just as expected.

Long before welcoming Master back, he had already thought of a foolproof plan. He would definitely not let Master's reputation be burdened because of him.

It was just that he hadn't expected that the trip to the small courtyard of the Sacred Sect would cause him to go mad for a moment, acting entirely on the baleful Qi in his heart. One wrong step, and he had almost lost Master.

Otherwise, no matter how perverse he was, when it came to matters regarding Master, he would always consider everything thoroughly. How could he have been so reckless, acting entirely for his own satisfaction, and not even leaving himself any way out?

Later, if not for the bit of standing he had in Master's heart, a bit of softness, and relying on all sorts of acting spoiled, pretending to be obedient, and feigning pitifulness...

...he would likely have been completely cast into the cold palace by Master by now; how could he be living such a comfortable life now?

Thinking of this, Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan couldn't help but smile.

He had been diligent today, reviewing so many memorials; what kind of reward should he ask Master for?

Then he felt a bit troubled again; he had been maintaining this state with Master for a long time, but he just couldn't make a Breakthrough to take things further.

No matter how he cast amorous glances or tried various ways to seduce him, or constantly showed his most charming side...

...except for having some effect at the beginning, as time went on, he felt that Master had become immune to him, with extraordinary concentration and absolutely no fluctuation.

Sigh... Fifth Prince Qi Yuxuan sighed in his heart, the road ahead is long and arduous!

It seemed he would have to find another way. Perhaps he should ask someone else another day; although it was a bit embarrassing to talk about, as soon as he thought of Master, he couldn't care about such things.

He wouldn't ask today; he should just finish reviewing the memorials first. Last time he slacked off, he was scolded by Master and ignored for several days.

However, tomorrow at court, he must warn those ministers. The memorials should be written concisely and clearly, and they shouldn't submit memorials for every messy, trivial matter.

Not only did it greatly increase his workload, but it also seriously reduced the time he had to cultivate his relationship with Master.