Chapter 41

The little cub was clearly unaccustomed to such an address.

Seeing her looking like she had just been struck by a bolt of divine lightning, and fearing that his little junior sister might soon claw out an entire palace from the floor tiles, Chu Xingyun raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"Does His Imperial Majesty also know Youyou? My little junior sister and I are as close as siblings. His Imperial Majesty need not be so formal; simply calling her Youyou will suffice."

Sovereign Yu of the Primordial Sect had a beloved daughter whom he cherished like the pearl in his palm; this was widely known throughout the cultivation world.

Although it was a mortal dynasty, it was not completely cut off from cultivators, so it was no surprise that Emperor Zhao knew he had a little junior sister.

However, to have learned the cub's name in such a short time since her return to the Primordial Sect, and to know of the exceptionally close bond between them, showed that considerable effort had been expended.

"Matters concerning you are naturally things I always keep in mind." Emperor Zhao raised a hand, gesturing for his descendants to take their seats. Seeing Chu Xingyun sit beside him just as he used to, he signaled the beautiful yet slightly nervous court maidens on either side to step forward and pour the wine.

With effort, he forced a smile onto his aged face and said, "You are the pillar of the imperial dynasty. My imperial younger brother, it has been many years since your last return home. You ought to return more often to gather with us."

He was very old, and his hands trembled as he picked up his cup to offer a toast. Lowering his gaze, Chu Xingyun placed Yu Youyou onto a small rush mat beside him and calmly replied, "If my reputation and deterrence among the various nations are all that is needed to secure Your Imperial Majesty's realm, my returning or not returning makes no difference."

His tone carried the detached coolness typical of a cultivator.

Emperor Zhao did not mind. He merely watched as his handsome younger brother wiped his hands, shelled a lotus seed from the plate before him, and fed it into the mouth of the little cub leaning against him.

The maid behind him looked alarmed and stepped forward to help, but Chu Xingyun waved her away.

He continued shelling the crisp, tender lotus seeds one by one, feeding the cub with focused dedication, watching her eat one before offering the next.

Witnessing such patience, Emperor Zhao paused and said softly, "You are truly patient with children. Yet, after all, this is the daughter of Immortal Yu. Would it not be better to have a child of your own?"

Coughing twice, he slowly spoke to Chu Xingyun, who looked up at him: "Imperial younger brother, I know you are diligent in your cultivation and dislike worldly affairs. But you are of our Chu imperial bloodline and ought to leave behind your own descendants. You need not seek female immortals; a mortal woman will suffice. If you agree, I will select high-born maidens from noble families in the court to serve you. They ask not for eternity, but only for a single night—" Mindful of the young child present, he halted briefly before continuing, "They ask only that you leave behind a bloodline for the imperial dynasty."

"And then have that child remain here, so that this realm belongs to my bloodline—a bloodline that might once again produce cultivators to be passed down through the Chu family, giving you all hope of seeing a second cultivator in the future?"

Chu Xingyun had always known that no matter how warm an imperial family appeared, it could never rival naked interests.

Just as Sovereign Yu had once joked about his own family wishing for him to marry, have children, and leave behind descendants.

That was not solely for his sake.

It was also for the sake of this dynasty.

They hoped even more that he would father offspring with a mortal woman; whether those descendants possessed spiritual talent mattered not, as long as they remained forever rooted within this dynasty.

As long as this lineage continued, no matter how many centuries passed and how disconnected he felt from the dynasty, the existence of his bloodline would forever serve as a tether pulling him back.

Moreover, being a cultivator, his descendants also stood a chance of producing individuals capable of cultivation.

That was the outcome most advantageous to this dynasty.

Otherwise, given that powerful cultivators enjoyed vast lifespans—he was merely a step away from entering the Mahayana stage, and barring any accidental demise, he possessed a millennium of life—

Why would they need to pressure him into marrying like a common mortal, seeing as they already had a mountain with such an enduring lifespan to rely upon?

Chu Xingyun held affection for his ancestral family, but no amount of affection could withstand the entanglement of such interests, leaving his heart somewhat chilled.

His voice remained cold. The little cub was leaning against his arm, happily consuming delicious food; after finishing the fragrant, crisp lotus seeds, she moved on to the exquisite dishes and pastries on the table, eating with utter satisfaction.

Although the banquet featured numerous dishes, they were merely mortal fare devoid of spiritual energy. Aside from tasting wonderful, they did not cause any uncomfortable bloating.

Just as Chu Xingyun coldly exposed these underlying realities, plunging the banquet into an unusual silence, everyone's gaze drifted toward the little cub, who was steadily clearing the table of its dishes.

Yet none of them cared.

It was entirely normal for cultivators to eat heartily.

It was the aged emperor who broke the silence, suddenly declaring, "I wish to form a marriage alliance with Greater Jing. Imperial younger brother, what are your thoughts?"

"Whom to form an alliance with, and for what purpose—these are matters for Your Imperial Majesty as emperor to decide." Frowning, Chu Xingyun said slowly, "These are affairs of the mortal realm; there is no need to speak of them to me."

Raising his eyes to meet Emperor Zhao's slightly darkened expression, he said softly, "Using my name to ally with various nations over the years—seeing that this is not a bad thing and brings peace among nations and happiness to the common people, I have not opposed it. But if Your Imperial Majesty desires more than that, I cannot agree."

Their conversation sounded rather profound.

Tilting her head, the little cub listened for a moment, only to find that she could not comprehend it at all.

She was not particularly clever to begin with.

Yet even without much cleverness, she could sense that the atmosphere between these two brothers, separated by generations, was exceptionally dismal.

At that moment, the younger generations of the imperial family seated below held their breath, not daring to make a sound.

Emperor Zhao's aged, profound eyes fixed upon Chu Xingyun.

"This is your native land."

"Your Imperial Majesty asks for too much," Chu Xingyun replied coldly.

As he spoke these words, the cub instinctively sensed that his mood was terrible.

Her senior brother was unhappy.

Suddenly losing her appetite for the delicacies before her, she set down her slender chopsticks and rested her small head against Chu Xingyun's arm.

Lowering his head, Chu Xingyun affectionately stroked her small head.

"You don't like it?"

"It's stuffy," the little one murmured, clutching his finger.

Because her senior brother was unhappy, she felt deeply unhappy as well, unable to swallow another bite.

The displeasure in Chu Xingyun's heart vanished, replaced by a warmth brought on by this little creature who shared his grievances. The corners of his lips curved slightly as he stroked her head and spoke gently, "Then Senior Brother will take you out for a stroll in a moment."

The scenery of the mortal realm was also exceptionally beautiful.

Yet, seeing him ignore him for the sake of a child, Emperor Zhao—though too intimidated by Sovereign Yu's might to scoff or sneer—still remarked, "I am doing all this for your own good."

Having requests of Chu Xingyun, he naturally dared not raise his voice rashly. Ignoring the emperor's feelings entirely, Chu Xingyun stood up and said, "I am tired. You all go ahead and eat."

The imperial banquet had been hosted entirely for his sake.

Yet because words had failed to bridge the gap, and before the musicians and dancers could even take the stage to entertain, the guest of honor was already preparing to leave.

Emperor Zhao watched coldly, his aged eyes staring fixedly at Chu Xingyun. Seeing that he was about to leave, he suddenly blurted out, "The Longevity Pill."

Chu Xingyun turned to look at him.

"I still want a Longevity Pill."

"Though the Longevity Pill is wondrous and can extend one's lifespan, a person may only take it once in a lifetime; taking it again yields no effect." Chu Xingyun said slowly to Emperor Zhao, "Imperial Brother has already taken one Longevity Pill; taking another is useless."

What he spoke was the absolute truth.

For a Longevity Pill to be so miraculous as to extend life—even allowing mortals to consume it—

If such high-grade spiritual pills could be eaten like candied beans with cumulative effects, why would cultivators still worry about approaching the end of their lifespans and strive so frantically in cultivation?

Still, Yu Youyou could understand a mortal's fear of the exhaustion of lifespan.

After all, even cultivators grew terrified when their lifespans dwindled.

What she had not expected, however, was how generous Chu Xingyun truly was with his own family.

Refining a Longevity Pill was extremely complex; it was a high-grade spiritual elixir that required countless rare heavenly treasures, and the success rate of concoction was exceedingly low.

Even in the cultivation world, where rare treasures abounded, a single Longevity Pill was exorbitantly expensive.

This was not Yu Youyou merely boasting.

Her second senior sister, Zhu Changshu, who was a genius at alchemy, had previously attempted to brew a batch of Longevity Pills that extended life by three hundred years, consuming vast quantities of rare spiritual herbs in the process.

In the end, she obtained five pills.

And all five of those pills had been traded by Zhu Changshu for wonderful treasures, every single one given to her little junior sister.

"But I... the one I took only extended my life by a hundred years. I know there are rarer Longevity Pills that can extend life by three hundred years." Emperor Zhao was already well over a hundred years old, yet he craved an even longer existence.

Reaching out with a trembling hand, he gripped Chu Xingyun's arm tightly and said, "I know you can surely obtain one; you are now a renowned genius cultivator in the cultivation world. We are brothers—how can you simply ignore me?!"

"When I gave you the Longevity Pill back then, I told you that the finest Longevity Pill could extend life by three hundred years. But at that time, my cultivation was not what it is now, and I could not obtain such a precious spiritual pill. I advised you not to rush into consuming it, to wait for me. I told you that once my cultivation bore fruit, I would certainly secure the best for you. Yet Imperial Brother, you agreed in words while swallowing the Longevity Pill on your own anyway. Is it now my fault?"

Pulling his arm away, Chu Xingyun shook his head at the sinking gaze of the elderly emperor and said, "I am powerless to help." Since he refused to contribute to the dynasty or exert himself on his behalf, Emperor Zhao's gaze grew even gloomier.

Glancing at them, Yu Youyou silently hid her small head inside her senior brother's embrace.

Chu Xingyun walked straight out of the palace.

A flash of sword light gleamed beneath his feet as he carried Yu Youyou away from the imperial palace, descending into a forest on the outskirts of the realm.

Landing upon the branch of a tree, Chu Xingyun massaged the bridge of his nose and let out a light sigh.

The cub hastily helped soothe his chest.

"It aches," the little one said obediently.

"I never imagined that after all these years apart, Imperial Brother would also change so much." Chu Xingyun was not one to indulge in sorrow over the passage of time, yet family was ultimately different from strangers, and he could not help but murmur.

"Venting!" The cub struggled to squeeze out the word, willing to act as her senior sister's—or rather, her senior brother's—little tree hole.

Sitting on the branch beside Chu Xingyun, she looked up, watching the faint traces of melancholy and loss hidden beneath his handsome features.

Dazed for a moment, the cub could not help raising her small hand to gently stroke the corner of his eye. This was the first time she had ever seen her senior brother—always carefree, graceful, reliable, and proudly composed—reveal such an expression.

Whether from the memories in the book or her own recollections, Senior Brother had always been the most dependable and resilient of them all.