Chapter 44

Yu Youyou was extremely worried.

However, since this concerned the safety of her senior brother, she still had to explain everything clearly to him.

Because no one knew better than her how much malice the man whom Yu Youyou had once loved in the book held toward Chu Xingyun.

He was determined to drive Chu Xingyun to a dead end, to make him completely vanish from the world of cultivation, and even to ruin Chu Xingyun's reputation and turn everyone against him.

It was because he envied Chu Xingyun's talent and renown, and had always regarded Chu Xingyun as his ultimate rival.

Even though Chu Xingyun had never deigned to look at him, he persistently considered himself and Chu Xingyun to be locked in a competitive relationship.

This man, named Huangfu Zhou, who claimed to be a descendant of Dayi Emperor Zun—the strongest celestial-stage powerhouse in the cultivation world—had always desired to hold supreme power in this realm.

Such an ambitious man... In the original book, if Yu Youyou hadn't been the daughter of the sect master with immense utility value, and also a descendant of the Gong family, he probably wouldn't even have bothered to feign affection for her. In the book, he maintained an aloof, unapproachable persona that drove the original Yu Youyou completely infatuated.

To win a single glance from him, to receive a few words of gentle affirmation, she had frantically betrayed everything she possibly could.

Yu Youyou felt that the ending of the Yu Youyou in the book was truly deserved.

Yet no one ever said there could only be one person who deserved such a fate.

Huangfu Zhou was no good either.

Especially given his profound malice toward Chu Xingyun.

Once the little cub figured this out, she grasped her senior brother's finger and said earnestly, "Him."

Chu Xingyun was slightly taken aback.

The malice his little junior sister had sensed along the grand street came from that young cultivator? If that were the case, Chu Xingyun instantly grew vigilant.

After all, that malicious gaze had not only locked onto him, but according to the little cub, had also scrutinized her for a long time.

Having just witnessed the little one's abnormal state and remaining deeply wary of those malicious individuals coveting the descendants of the Gong family, Chu Xingyun could not afford to underestimate the young cultivator, regardless of whom his intentions were directed toward.

His gaze darkening slightly, he softly asked Yu Youyou, "Does Junior Sister recognize him? Has he ever bullied you?"

Hearing this, the little cub anxiously wriggled her soft little body on the plush daybed, looking pitifully up at the handsome young man whose expression had grown stern.

"Bad," she lowered her little head and said listlessly.

He truly was a bad person.

She also knew him.

Yet she could not explain his origin.

Because he ought not to have known her at this point in time.

As the little cub wondered how to explain their connection to her senior brother, she felt her head being gently patted.

Sensing the child's dilemma, Chu Xingyun could tell there was a hidden story behind it.

Seeing her struggle—evidently unwilling to deceive him yet not knowing how to explain the root cause—he smiled instead... He was a considerate senior brother, and this wasn't the first time his little junior sister had secrets.

Back when they were hosting Elder Wen, the senior brother had already mastered the art of playing dumb.

He did not need her to explain the origin of their connection.

Nor did he require her to lay out all her secrets completely.

It was enough for him to trust whatever she was willing to tell him.

"I understand. Junior Sister, rest assured; since he is a malicious scoundrel, I will not let him off."

Harboring malice toward himself or Yu Youyou, and judging by how familiar that young man's movements were within the palace, he had clearly been lurking here for a long time. To make Chu Xingyun believe he harbored innocent intentions would be an utter joke.

Without knowing the young man's true background, Chu Xingyun did not immediately strike. Instead, he meticulously prepared various formation diagrams and magical treasures, polished his long sword, and made every possible preparation to ensure that the man would not escape.

While he was on guard against the young man, the young man was currently standing in the most luxurious chamber of the imperial palace, before Emperor Zhao—whose eyes were dim with age yet still possessed a commanding and sharp authority—observing the mercurial expression of the elderly monarch.

He was too old, yet he desperately tried to project authority and an ability to overawe everything, resembling an aging lion that, clearly lacking the strength to do so, still stubbornly sought to clutch at everything within his control.

The greed of a mortal.

The corners of the young man's mouth curled slightly.

As he looked at the emperor before him, his faint smile gained a trace of confidence.

"You say..." In the quiet palace chamber where only the two of them resided, Emperor Zhao's blurred and turbid eyes stared at the cultivator.

So young and handsome, the sight of him stirred a hint of jealousy within the emperor, who said coldly, "You claim you can extend my longevity. But why should I trust you? Do you think I would betray my own flesh and blood for a mere few hundred years of life?"

The mere mention of Chu Xingyun brought a gloomy shadow to his face. Raising an eyebrow, the young man looked at the stubbornly defiant emperor and calmly replied, "This exchange holds no disadvantages for Your Majesty. You tested him today, so you know his attitude; he has no intention of expanding territories for Your Majesty or helping you unify the realms. Moreover, he refuses to help you prolong your life. Since he can do nothing and is utterly valueless, Your Majesty need not dwell on past fraternal bonds."

This struck a painful nerve in the elderly monarch.

Today, Chu Xingyun had rejected both of his requests.

"He and I, and the Chu imperial dynasty, are growing estranged..." the emperor murmured, though he quickly stopped himself, refusing to let the young man read his true feelings.

The young man's smile deepened.

"Grand Offering Zhai..."

"My real name is Huangfu Zhou." Going under an alias and sneaking into the Chu imperial dynasty naturally served a grand scheme.

Now that the plot was nearing fruition, he actually preferred letting these mortals know his true name.

Huangfu Zhou narrowed his eyes as he looked at the cold-snorting emperor, recalling the magnificently poised Chu Xingyun he had seen in the palace earlier, his gaze turning dark.

He hailed from the most noble bloodline of this realm—the Dayi imperial family—and possessed extraordinary talent. Though barely a hundred years old, he was already a peak Nascent Soul grand cultivator, a prominent figure in the outside world.

He should have shaken this realm with his name, becoming a universally praised young hero, but Chu Xingyun was like a sun bursting through the firmament; the moment he appeared in this realm, all other geniuses were utterly eclipsed.

People in this world knew only Chu Xingyun and could no longer see anyone else.

And even if they did notice others?

It was always met with the remark that they fell a shade short compared to Chu Xingyun.

It was as if no matter who it was, they could never compare to the Primordial Sect Master's premier disciple.

Yet on what grounds?

Clearly, Chu Xingyun possessed merely a mortal bloodline without the slightest inheritance of cultivation heritage.

Even if he hailed from an imperial clan, how could the imperial dynasty of a mere mortal dare to compare with the Dayi imperial family that cast its awe over the entire realm?

Yet a fellow of such mortal origins had stolen everyone's glory.

Furthermore, Huangfu Zhou harbored a visceral premonition: as long as Chu Xingyun remained in this cultivation world, no one else would ever have their day in the sun; he would forever press down upon their heads.

This was something the arrogant and ambitious Huangfu Zhou could not endure.

He had plotted for years, lurking within the Chu imperial dynasty, observing the words and actions of every member of the royal family, understanding what each of them desired, all so he could drive Chu Xingyun into fratricidal conflict, subject him to agony, and then completely eliminate this eyesore amidst his suffering.

Now, seeing Emperor Zhao waver, Huangfu Zhou's voice grew even more bewitching. Staring into the emperor's aged eyes, he whispered, "With a flick of your finger, you can gain hundreds of years of time, and even reclaim your youth. Discarding someone who holds no affection for the Chu family surely matters little."

"Longevity pills can only be consumed once. How do you propose to extend my lifespan?"

"There is more than one way to extend lifespan. I hail from the Dayi imperial dynasty and am a descendant of Emperor Zun Dayi; achieving this is as easy as turning over one's hand."

Huangfu Zhou raised his chin arrogantly and said indifferently, "Moreover, I understand Your Majesty's concerns. Chu Xingyun is the pillar of the Chu imperial dynasty; you worry that if he falls, the Chu family will be left without support and unable to stand in this world. There is no need for such anxiety. If you assist me in eliminating Chu Xingyun, I will protect the imperial succession of the Chu family in the future, and my protection will be no less than Chu Xingyun's. How about that?"

Emperor Zhao's wrinkle-filled face quivered slightly.

"You want to get rid of him?"

"Matters of cultivators... He is simply too much of an eyesore." Recalling how he had hidden in the shadows earlier to watch Chu Xingyun stroll through the city with the legendary daughter of Primordial Sect's Master Yu, Huangfu Zhou wore a look of disdain. "He would rather stroll the streets with that little girl than stay in the palace to converse on fraternal bonds with Your Majesty. It is clear he is not someone Your Majesty can rely upon."

Upon mentioning the dim-witted little cub Chu Xingyun was holding, Huangfu Zhou fell into thought.

That little girl looked utterly foolish, and the cultivation world was currently saying that the Gong family's bloodline was failing anyway—Gong Miaohua's bloodline had degraded, producing nothing but dull-witted and useless offspring.

Yet useless though she might be, she was still the daughter of the Primordial Sect Master, which meant she retained some degree of utility.

However, judging by how she was taken away from the Primordial Sect at such a tender age by Chu Xingyun, left to brave the wind and sun without proper upbringing in the sect, it seemed Sect Master Yu did not hold this useless daughter in high regard.

If Sect Master Yu truly had lost patience with this child, he would be wasting time trying to win her over.

Fortunately, once Chu Xingyun died, the child would automatically fall into his hands, and he could decide how to deal with her then.

Disregarding the tiny creature entirely, Huangfu Zhou looked meaningfully at the gloomy-faced Emperor Zhao and said, "Your Majesty should consider this clearly."

"I cannot trust the sweet words of a cultivator. You must give me the longevity-extending item first."

Emperor Zhao said coldly.

He had seen too many mortals who refused to release the hawks until they saw the rabbits. Huangfu Zhou smiled, internal disdain flashing through him, and flicked a spinning spiritual pill right before Emperor Zhao.

"Does this make Your Majesty trust me?" Seeing that Emperor Zhao did not dare to swallow the spiritual pill immediately—evidently still harboring suspicion, yet driven by his yearning for longevity and anger at Chu Xingyun's repeated rejections—the emperor nodded and said, "After this is done, I want five... no, ten more."

This greed confirmed his avarice. Huangfu Zhou immediately agreed and tossed a jade vial to Emperor Zhao, saying, "This is a soul-melting poison specifically designed for cultivators. Once ingested, the spiritual sea dissolves instantly and cultivation collapses. At that point, he will be unable to resist Your Majesty, and whatever we wish to do will be entirely up to us."

His opening move was a fatal strike. The elderly emperor, already reined in by the promises made to him, contemplated and said, "There is a pair of yin-yang vessels in my palace; I can simply pour wine for him. Let us... do this at the Minghua Hall. The Minghua Hall features a grand array he once laid down himself, and its core can only be controlled by me. Without me lifting the restrictions, no one can enter or leave, and he will have no way to escape."