The City of Light, Rong Country.

General Jing Ye, garrisoned in this city, found himself in an awkward predicament.

His “courageous exposure” of the plague in Yang Country had occurred when Yang was still a staunch ally of Qi. His actions were not without the intention of subtly undermining Qi’s influence.

However, he never anticipated that Qi would use this as an excuse to directly invade Yang, turning the nominally subordinate state into de facto Qi territory.

Thus, Jing Ye’s actions were now seen by some as “lacking foresight” and “disregarding the bigger picture.”

The root cause lay in the fact that once Yang became Qi territory, Rong Country shared a border with Qi, becoming a neighbor under threat.

The fate of Yang Country seemed to foreshadow the future of Rong.

Although Jing Country, the overlord of the Central Domain, and Mu Country, the hegemon of the Northern Domain, offered support to these smaller Eastern Domain countries, just as Qi supported some smaller countries in the Central and Northern Domains.

However, when Qi truly exerted its might, leading troops with such a renowned general as Chongxuan Chuliang, could Mu or Jing confidently engage in a national war with Qi in the Eastern Domain?

The reason why Yang Jiande had exhausted his nation’s resources to fight a decisive battle was that he understood only a victory could secure more support.

Putting oneself in his place, could Rong Country truly achieve what Yang Jiande had?

The answer seemed chilling.

Regardless of how Rong Country’s court secretly reinforced the border prefectures and cities, the Qi-Yang war had ended, and the border between Yang and Rong appeared calm.

Most common people only cared about their daily meals and were not concerned about the larger political landscape.

Inside a tavern on the second floor, an ordinary-looking young man leaned against the window, gazing at the pedestrians on the street, lost in thought.

“Their lives are still so peaceful, unaware of the approaching danger, not understanding the future. Perhaps, ignorance is bliss,” he murmured.

Inside the room, Liu Huai, wearing a fake beard, sat at the table, and replied coldly, “They are just ignorant, lowly people! Once the Qi army arrives, they will all grovel and beg for mercy, worse than dogs.”

The man by the window was none other than Yang Xuance.

Hearing Liu Huai’s words, he casually closed the window. “For ordinary people, what difference does it make whether the ruler is named Yang or Jiang? If the king were named Jiang, perhaps their lives would be more stable.”

Liu Huai looked at him with shock and anger, but remembering that this was the last of the Yang bloodline, he could only say, “How can you speak like that?”

Yang Xuance walked back and sat at the table, pouring himself a cup of tea. “What? Yang Country is already gone, and you can’t bear to hear the truth?”

“Young master, silence!” Liu Huai urged. “We must be careful now. This old servant’s death is insignificant, but you carry the weight of a thousand pounds!”

“Look,” Yang Xuance smiled with self-deprecation. “We are like stray dogs, afraid to show our true faces, unable to speak our real names, and concealing our former identities. If even we are like this, how can we force those common people to be loyal to the country?”

Liu Huai was speechless.

“In this world, no one owes anyone anything. Who should the twenty thousand soldiers who died under the butcher’s knife be blamed? Should they blame my father?”

“His Majesty shed his last drop of blood for the country, how can you…”

Yang Xuance interrupted him. “He sought benevolence and obtained it, nothing more.”

“Alright, alright,” Liu Huai said, somewhat disheartened, but after a moment, he took out a golden round stone and an ancient animal skin scroll from a storage box.

“I brought these out from the palace. Which one do you want to learn?”

The animal skin recorded text written in blood, and after countless years, the blood remained as scarlet as ever. A mere glance at the bloody text sent a shiver down the spine, making one deeply aware of its terror and power.

This was none other than the Emotion Severing Blood Demon Art.

However, Yang Xuance only glanced at it before looking away, focusing his gaze on the golden round stone.

Suddenly, he smiled. “The Great Sun Golden Flame Art, how could I have ever had the chance to touch it in the past?”

The Yang family’s secret Great Sun Golden Flame Art was only passed down to the crown prince in each generation. Back then, Yang Xuanji had been regarded as the undisputed heir to the Yang throne after learning this art.

To master this art was to inherit the Yang family’s ancestral temple.

But now, the Yang family’s ancestral temple had been “spontaneously” destroyed by the people of Zhaohang City before the army marched in. How could it be inherited? There was no place to worship!

The reason why discerning people didn’t believe this “spontaneous” claim was that Huang Yihang, who was “pacifying” the Hengyang prefecture at the time, was encouraging surrender. Destroying the Yang family’s ancestral temple before the Qi army could do it was one of his “achievements.”

However, with the fall of Yang Country, everyone was silenced. The Qi side would not say anything about it, and would only be happy to see it happen.

Liu Huai quietly waited for his decision.

But Yang Xuance shook his head, not even looking at the golden round stone anymore.

“My father’s abilities were a hundred times greater than mine. I can’t do what he couldn’t do.”

As a member of the Yang bloodline, learning the Great Sun Golden Flame Art meant inheriting a responsibility.

He reckoned that if he were in his father Yang Jiande’s position, he would at most be more lenient towards the people, perhaps gaining more popular support. But there was no way to extend the dynasty under Qi’s gaze.

Not to mention that the dynasty had already collapsed. Rebuilding the ancestral temple would be easier than hoping for the Yang ancestors to come back to life.

To his surprise, Liu Huai only said, “His Majesty said he wouldn’t ask you to do anything. Only one thing, he asked this old servant to give you this.”

A dragon-shaped jade pendant was placed on the table.

A single glance was enough to recognize that it was Yang Jiande’s personal accessory.

How many times had he hidden by his mother’s side, secretly looking up at that majestic yet indifferent man, often only seeing a profile and this dragon pendant!

Had that heartache and attention been noticed?

Yang Xuance avoided looking at any of it, only looking down at the teacup. But he actually saw his own eyes reflected in the water, turning red without him realizing it.

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he looked calm. He reached out and grabbed the jade pendant and the golden round stone representing the Great Sun Golden Flame Art.

“There’s no need to talk about loyalty or righteousness. The Yang family only owes the people of Yang Country, the people of Yang Country owe nothing to the Yang family.”

“You are free,” he said to Liu Huai.

Today, this was the only person left who was still loyal to Yang Jiande. Yang Xuance had never been fond of this eunuch, but now that the country was gone, there was no need to bind him with national affairs.

With that said, Yang Xuance got up and walked out.

Liu Huai only asked, “What are your plans, young master?”

“Although restoring the ancestral temple and dynasty is unlikely…” Yang Xuance paused slightly, then continued walking out. “But as a son, I have to do something for my father who died in battle.”

Yang Xuance left.

He closed the door to the guest room, and also closed Liu Huai’s last hope.

Although he himself knew how faint that so-called “hope” was.

Hiding in Rong Country’s border city just outside Yang Country’s border was Yang Xuance’s idea.

His absurd life at the Ten Thousand Worlds Tower had given him some experience in hiding his tracks.

Liu Huai himself had no direction at all.

Yang Jiande’s last order was for him to find Yang Xuance and take him away from Yang Country, but he didn’t say what to do next.

If there had to be a goal, it would be to restore the Yang dynasty, to keep the Yang family’s ancestral temple alive, and to bring peace to Yang Jiande in the afterlife, so that he could have continuous incense offerings.

But in reality, he himself understood that the things Yang Jiande couldn’t do in his lifetime were even more impossible after his death.

Even Yang Xuance himself, the only one qualified to continue the Yang family’s ancestral temple, was indifferent to this “grand plan.”

What else could an old eunuch who had lost his lord and his country do?

“You are free.”

Yang Xuance, as the only surviving bloodline of Yang Jiande, declared his freedom.

But what was “freedom”?

Wasn’t that life of carefully waiting upon someone also “freedom”?

He couldn’t remember how many years he had been in the palace.

He only remembered that when the current ruler was still a prince, his demeanor was different from others when he entered the palace to pay his respects. He walked with a dragon’s pace and a tiger’s stride, as if he was the master of this place.

Later, as expected, he sat on the dragon throne almost uncontested.

That prince who was secretly supported by Qi couldn’t even make a ripple in front of him.

He also remembered that when the current emperor saw him in the palace, he said he looked familiar and casually chose him to be his attendant.

He still remembered that during the first grand court meeting after his succession, the current emperor told him that the country was rotten to the core, but even if it was a rotten fruit, he would make it take root and sprout, and grow into a towering tree!

He remembered when the crown prince was first born, he saw the current emperor cry for the first time.

The current emperor cried and said, “After I die, I will never let my son be like this!”

But…

He remembered how high-spirited the current emperor was, and how he gradually declined.

He witnessed all of this, felt all of this, and chewed on all of this.

Now, the current emperor was gone, the crown prince was dead, and the little prince had also left.

The empty guest room only had the animal skin book on the table, still flowing with bloody light.

Liu Huai moved his lips, but couldn’t even let out a sigh.

What frightened him was that he found his gaze involuntarily drawn to the animal skin book. And the scroll, without him noticing, had quietly opened.

Emotion Severing Blood Demon Art…

What frightened Liu Huai was not how dehumanizing, how terrible, or how universally condemned this demonic art was. It was that he found he could not restrain the desire to learn this demonic art.

He had no relatives or friends, so he wasn’t afraid of severing emotions. But if there was anything he was attached to, it was the feeling of wanting to protect Yang Xuance because of Yang Jiande’s dying wish.

He had seen how Yang Jiande had killed off the entire royal family and slaughtered his own children.

Even a talent like Yang Jiande had ended up like that. If he cultivated this demonic art, he was afraid that one day he would have to kill Yang Xuance to cut off his only attachment.

The thought only flashed through his mind, but it made him uneasy.

That was the only surviving bloodline of the current emperor. How could he?

Liu Huai clenched his hands into claws, channeling his Dao essence, and immediately tore the animal skin book into many pieces.

Still not feeling at ease, he produced a ball of scorching flames and burned the animal skin recording the demonic art to ashes.

But…

He was horrified to discover that the bloody words on the animal skin book were still flowing clearly in his mind. He remembered every word of the Emotion Severing Blood Demon Art!