Chapter 263: The Emergence of the Royal Star
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation.
“Is that the Nine-Tiered Pagoda?” Xie Yu Zhou asked, his eyes wide with awe as he stared up at the towering structure.
“You must be kidding! Can the Nine-Tiered Pagoda actually summon someone? Oh no, this is bad,” he said, his gaze shifting to the sixth prince, eyes brimming with concern.
“I didn’t make her lose her mind, did I? It was just one cup of wine, and now she’s acting all silly?” the sixth prince muttered, worry lacing his voice. His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, his anxiety evident.
“Really, Chao Chao doesn’t lie. It’s really calling for me…” Lu Chao Chao whispered, pressing a small hand against her chest. [It’s really calling for me…]
“Chao Chao, you shouldn’t go there. It’s heavily guarded. Only the king and his direct heirs are allowed,” the sixth prince explained cautiously.
“Yeah, and the crown prince too,” added Xie Yu Zhou.
“But the crown prince won’t help us. The pagoda is strictly off-limits to us,” the sixth prince said. Having been raised with strict rules, he knew better than to approach such a sacred structure.
Lu Chao Chao shook her head, her voice soft and childlike, “Yes, yes, go call crown prince Brother.”
“Wait, where’s Fifth Brother?” she suddenly asked, remembering the fifth prince who was usually inseparable from the sixth prince.
The sixth prince bit his lip, a shadow of sadness crossing his face. “Fifth Brother’s mother, Consort Shu, made a mistake, and the king sent her to the cold palace. Fifth Brother has been very sick and weak ever since. He even knelt in front of the palace for days, but Father wouldn’t let him see her.”
Feeling lightheaded, Lu Chao Chao asked something nonsensical that had popped into her head.
Before long, the crown prince arrived, having been alerted to the situation.
“Chao Chao, have you been drinking?” he asked, approaching her and catching a faint whiff of wine.
Xie Yu Zhou shrank back, stammering, “I… I couldn’t stop her.” He was too afraid to admit that he had been the one to give her the wine.
The crown prince shot him a sharp look, making Xie Yu Zhou quickly avert his eyes.
Scooping up Lu Chao Chao, the crown prince gently asked, “Chao Chao, did you bring the Radiant Sword?”
Lu Chao Chao shook her head, her speech slightly slurred. “Left… at home. To protect family…”
Xie Cheng Xi sighed in relief, his stress visibly easing.
Despite her formidable powers, Lu Chao Chao was known to be quite a handful when intoxicated. Just a sip was enough to alter her composure significantly. Her eyes might seem clear, but her thoughts were anything but.
Once, in a drunken state, she had sliced off an entire mountaintop belonging to their sect. Another time, she had embarrassingly recited the scandalous novels of Xie Cheng Xi’s junior sister, Gan Tang, in front of a crowd. Humiliated, Gan Tang secluded herself for a century, only to emerge with mastery over the changing seasons. These incidents were blemishes on Lu Chao Chao’s past that Xie Cheng Xi wished he could erase.
“Summoning, summoning…” Lu Chao Chao pointed at the pagoda, her eyes filled with a tearful, stubborn resolve, likely heightened by her tipsy state. “If you don’t go, I’ll sneak in myself! You can’t stop me!” she declared defiantly.
The crown prince sighed, knowing it was pointless to argue with someone so inebriated. “You two, head back to the hall and wait. I’ll handle this situation,” he ordered sternly, making the sixth prince tremble.
Reluctantly, the two young men returned to the hall, tension already thick in the air. Dismissing the servants, the crown prince carried Chao Chao towards the pagoda himself.
“My head is spinning, Crown Prince Brother… Ugh…”
“Chao Chao, do you know a way to make the guards not notice us?” the crown prince asked soothingly, trying to engage her clouded mind.
“They can’t see me…” she mumbled, a trace of her power stirring at her fingertips.
As she released a gentle flow of spiritual energy, the crown prince amplified it with a flick of his fingers, rendering the guards unconscious.
They reached the pagoda’s door, and he carried her up the shadowy stairs bathed in moonlight.
Lu Chao Chao clutched her chest, wincing slightly. “It hurts a bit…”
“What’s that sound?”
“A thumping… like something is beating.”
“Crown Prince Brother, do you hear it?” she asked, her eyes closed, pain etched across her face.
The crown prince felt a pang of sympathy. “I hear it. We’re almost there; don’t be scared.”
At the top floor, he nervously produced a key and unlocked the door. Inside, a glowing orb pulsated in mid-air, rhythmically like a heartbeat.
“That’s it, that’s what’s calling me.”
“Chao Chao isn’t lying,” she said, her voice small and full of indignation.
“I know you’re not lying. I believe you,” the crown prince reassured her sincerely.
As she approached, the orb descended toward her.
“What is… this thing?” Lu Chao Chao asked, her curiosity piqued even in her drunken state.
“This is yours,” the crown prince explained. “It sustains countless lives; the world can’t function without it now. Chao Chao, the Three Realms owe you more than can ever be repaid. But trust me, one day it will be returned to you,” he promised, pressing his cheek against her heart.
Her chest was hollow, lacking the beating heart that should be there. Her form and soul had been reconstructed by her devoted followers, but her heart remained absent.
“Can I touch it?” she asked, drawn to the pulsating light.
“Of course you can,” he encouraged her.
As she reached out, the light surged into her chest. In an instant, she glowed radiantly, unnoticed by others, as a new star appeared in the night sky, outshining all others.
The National Advisor, witnessing this, gasped. “The Royal Star!” Staring into the sky, his body shook as he bowed deeply. “How can there be two Royal Stars at once? How can there be two Royal Stars simultaneously? How can there be a new master of the Three Realms?” Monk Shi Kong wondered, his aged eyes wide with terror.
The brightness of the new star seemed to overshadow even the old one.
At that moment, the crown prince couldn’t contain his joy. He lay beside Chao Chao, listening to the strong, rhythmic heartbeat emanating from her chest.
“So good, so good. Chao Chao… so good!” he sobbed, overwhelmed with emotion. His efforts had paid off.
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation.
He was a deity who controlled time and space, having reversed time repeatedly to ensure Chao Chao’s rebirth, each time depleting his own power and reincarnating to be by her side. Only when reunited with Chao Chao could he recover his memories.
The last time, tragedy struck just after her birth. He had no choice but to turn back time again. Luckily, this time… His Chao Chao had safely reached the age of two.
“It’s so strange, it’s jumping, it’s jumping!” Lu Chao Chao exclaimed, touching her chest, her face a picture of wonder and discovery.
The crown prince, his heart heavy with emotion, guided her hand to his chest. “Chao Chao, this is called a heartbeat. Everyone should have one,” he explained, his voice breaking with emotion, as his beloved Chao Chao experienced what it meant to truly live.
Ok I thought this earlier but I denounce the king!
He has so many wives and they don’t get to leave the palace basically ever and he didn’t empower the queen to run the harem and he expects them to all get along without banging each other even a little? Unreasonable! Justice for Consort Hui!
Also be nice to your actual kids!