Chapter 656

Chapter 656: Return to the Homeland

“So, you really are a good emperor, huh?”

“Rumors can be deadly.” Lu Chao Chao patted Xuan Ji Chuan on the shoulder, her small face full of emotion.

Xuan Ji Chuan smiled subtly, accepting her praise without a hint of guilt.

The court officials remained silent, but just an incense stick’s time ago, Xuan Ji Chuan had personally severed the head of his imperial uncle—the last remaining bloodline of the Xuan family.

To put it bluntly, if Xuan Ji Chuan perished without leaving behind a successor, the Xuan bloodline would be completely severed.

But to him, that mattered little. He was a madman, after all.

Xuan Ji Chuan lifted Chao Chao into the hall and placed her on the dragon throne.

Lu Chao Chao curiously glanced around, taking in the grand surroundings. Before long, the imperial kitchen presented an array of treats, all designed to appeal to a child’s palate. Xuan Ji Chuan, even with a gentle smile, personally fed her.

In the corner, General Mo tried to shrink away, doing his best to remain unnoticed.

Prince of Eastern Ling stared coldly at him, his eyes surging with bloodlust. That man dared to scheme against Chao Chao! He had almost exposed his true nature before her!

Unforgivable!

He never wanted Chao Chao to see his ruthless and bloodstained side. He feared her disappointment. He had no fear of the world—only of losing the warmth in Lu Chao Chao’s gaze.

“General Mo… You left home at a young age, and now your elderly parents have passed away in your homeland. Surely, you feel some guilt?”

General Mo knelt before the throne, his breath heavy, cold sweat slipping from his forehead.

“Now, I grant you leave to return home and tend to your parents’ graves.”

“Consider it a fulfillment of your filial duty.”

“Since your concubines in the estate rely on you, they shall accompany you as well.” Xuan Ji Chuan smiled gently at him. General Mo had once been Chancellor Zheng’s trusted blade.

Back then, he had abandoned the chancellor’s faction to join Xuan Ji Chuan—not out of loyalty, but because he had an affair with one of the chancellor’s concubines. When the chancellor found out, she took her own life.

He took that opportunity to switch sides, and as Xuan Ji Chuan rose to power, General Mo rode on his coattails, growing bolder and more ostentatious in the court.

During the recent disaster, he had repeatedly petitioned to lead troops into Northern Zhao to seize grain and riches. Each time, the Prince of Eastern Ling rejected him.

Now, as those words left Xuan Ji Chuan’s lips, General Mo’s face drained of color.

“I hear that General Mo has struggled to have children. At your age, you finally have a son. Since he is still young, he shall remain in the capital. The journey is long and arduous, after all. He wouldn’t endure the strain. You should set out soon.” Xuan Ji Chuan’s voice was calm.

General Mo opened his mouth to beg, but a hidden guard appeared, covering his mouth and half-coercing, half-supporting him as they dragged him away.

“The child is young. We wouldn’t want to frighten him. After all, he’s the only heir left to carry on the Mo family name…” The Prince of Eastern Ling’s voice remained impassive.

He had no fondness for men like General Mo. The army he led pillaged every land they passed, looting, killing, and taking women. It was vile beyond words. Rumors even suggested he harbored unspeakable perversions.

His estate’s dungeon supposedly held countless women and children.

Xuan Ji Chuan might not have been a virtuous man, but he had never tainted his hands with the blood of women and children.

Now, it was the perfect opportunity to rid the court of him.

“What was he mumbling about?” Lu Chao Chao watched as General Mo was hauled away, his mouth covered as he murmured.

“He was thanking His Majesty,” the eunuch beside the Prince of Eastern Ling replied.

“Being able to return home with his whole family is a great honor. Our emperor does not care for such overt displays of gratitude, so he was taken away quickly.” The eunuch deftly blocked Chao Chao’s view and smilingly handed her a dessert.

Before long, her attention was successfully diverted.

By the time Lu Chao Chao finished her meal, night had already fallen.

“I want to go outside. Can I?” She pointed toward the palace gates.

The eunuch looked troubled. “Your Highness, something strange has occurred in the capital. At night, monsters roam the streets… It might be too dangerous.”

Lu Chao Chao tilted her head up at Xuan Ji Chuan, clasping her hands together in a pleading gesture, her eyes wide and hopeful.

Xuan Ji Chuan chuckled, his gaze softening.

“Let the hidden guards follow her. If anything goes wrong, they’ll answer with their lives.”

He glanced at the darkening sky. The sun was setting, and a familiar boiling sensation coursed through his blood. With an apologetic expression, he said, “I have pressing matters and cannot accompany you out of the palace…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay! Go handle state affairs.” Lu Chao Chao waved her little hands before dashing outside.

As she disappeared, Xuan Ji Chuan gripped the table tightly, veins bulging on the backs of his hands.

His eyes glowed red.

“Your Majesty, quickly, to the meditation chamber!” The eunuch, both alarmed and terrified, dared not step any closer.

The Prince of Eastern Ling shot Xuan Ji Chuan a glance. The eunuch bowed his head, his body trembling uncontrollably. The emperor’s gaze—

It was not that of a human.

Only when he looked away did the eunuch collapse, utterly drained, as if he had just been pulled from icy waters.

Once outside the palace, Windchaser turned to the Prince of Eastern Ling.

“Something is wrong with him.” But he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

After their long journey, A-Wu was exhausted and rested at the posthouse near the palace, with Zhu Mo staying behind to care for her.

Lu Chao Chao continued with Shan Shan, Windchaser, Xie Yu Zhou, and the others. A-Man remained behind to sort their luggage.

“I’ve been to Eastern Ling before. The people here are fierce and lively, and the city never had a curfew. It should be bustling even at night. But now, the streets are deserted, even during the day…” A guard murmured, visibly disturbed.

Red lanterns hung from the street corners, yet the surrounding houses remained eerily silent, devoid of even a single flicker of candlelight.

Lu Chao Chao could sense it—behind those windows, people were quietly listening.

The wind carried fallen leaves across the empty roads. A strange sound reached their ears.

Everyone stopped.

Windchaser twitched his ears, preparing to leap onto the city wall—only to see countless dark figures surging toward them from all directions. They moved at inhuman speeds, their bodies unnaturally rigid. Hoarse growls escaped their throats, their eyes glowing red, their pupils a deathly gray.

They poured in from every alleyway, surrounding the group in an instant.

Shan Shan clung tightly to his sister’s sleeve, trembling. “B-blood relatives! Treasure! I… I can find treasure!”

Don’t abandon me—I’m useful!

Xie Yu Zhou nearly burst out laughing. Just how much trauma had his sister left in him?

Truly pitiful.

“These creatures are the same as those that attacked us before. They’re not dead, but their consciousness is gone. They only know how to attack until they’re completely destroyed.” Windchaser stepped forward, careful not to harm them.

Yet these creatures feared neither pain nor death. Even with twisted limbs, even when barely clinging to life, they still crawled forward.

Xie Yu Zhou felt a chill run down his spine. What were these things?!

Clutching his wooden fish, he trembled. “I haven’t even married yet—I can’t die here!”

“Whoever did this is trying to destroy the mortal world!”