The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 382- 384

Chapter 382: A Falling-Out and a Hunt for the Gu Master

Miao Shiba said to Yuwen Feng, “I’ll go and find him, Your Lordship.”

Yuwen Feng nodded. “Be careful.”

Miao Shiba grabbed a servant by the scruff of the neck and inquired of him, “Where’s the physician’s room? Lead the way or I’ll behead you straight away.”

While saying this, Miao Shiba whipped out his sword and held it to the servant’s throat. Feeling the sting, the servant was horrified and hastily answered, “I’ll take you there! I’ll take you there!”

Miao Shiba marched the servant away, heading for the physician’s room. Yuwen Feng walked inside and saw Yuwen Zhi who was still awake.

Yuwen Zhi’s face darkened at the sight of him coming in. “Why are you here? You still want to convince me to yield to Yuwen Tong? Save it. From now on you’re no longer my son. Get out.”

It struck Yuwen Feng that his father couldn’t have said anything that was more ironic than the words “you’re no longer my son”.

“Father, is it true that your ridiculous pride means more to you than the lives of our whole family do?” Yuwen Feng asked him.

He had never really understood why his father had been so bitter about being left in the capital city in that year. Was going to war really a much better alternative? Both his grandfather and his uncle had died on the battlefield. Why was his father so convinced that being left behind in the capital city had been a humiliation? Wasn’t everything the Yuwen family owned at the cost of the lives of their ancestors and Yuwen Tong’s risking his life on the battlefield? Why couldn’t his father see it? His father had even colluded with outsiders to work against his own nephew, only too anxious to see his nephew dead. And now he was even using his own son, ready to sacrifice his son’s life!

Yuwen Zhi looked incredulously at Yuwen Feng who had suddenly asked him, as though he felt that this was a stupid question.

As Yuwen Feng saw this, his heart which was numb and filled with disappointment sank even deeper, hardening completely.

“Father, is my life also something you could give up at any moment?”

Yuwen Zhi’s face became wary. With a suspicious expression in his eyes, he looked at Yuwen Feng and said, “What are you trying to say exactly? Stop talking in riddles.”

Yuwen Feng gazed at him for quite a while before he inclined his head. “Okay, Father. Please tell me where that Gu master at your command comes from, why he is here, and why he is helping you.”

Yuwen Zhi’s countenance changed drastically at these words, his piercing, watchful eyes staring at Yuwen Feng. “What are you talking about? What Gu master?”

“You had him plant a Manipulation Gu inside my body. Am I still a son to you?” Yuwen Feng asked yet another question in a cool and utterly unemotional tone of voice.

Yuwen Zhi was shocked. He looked at Yuwen Feng with a mixture of surprise and incredulity on his face, unable to fathom out how his son had come to know about this matter. “How did you find out?”

Yuwen Feng fixed him with a gaze, making no reply.

Yuwen Zhi looked back at him and the eye contact lasted quite a while. Eventually, he observed, “I gave you your life. Sacrificing yourself for my cause is one of your filial duties. Now that you’ve come to know it, I’ll be honest with you – no matter whether you’re willing to accept it or not, this is your fate, and it’s also something you should do.”

Yuwen Feng bobbed his head. “What about my little brother? What are you going to do to him?”

Yuwen Zhi said, “Why ask? You regret it now? Unlike you, Qi’er is not a fool. Naturally he’ll still be my beloved son, stand by my side and enjoy the glory we’re going to achieve. He’ll never be able to walk again, but it doesn’t matter. He’ll be the only son of Yuwen Zhi, the most honorable prince, and nobody would dare show him any disrespect.”Read manga at our MangaBob.com

Yuwen Feng asked, “Does he know you had a Gu worm planted in me?”

Yuwen Zhi said, “What does it matter if he knows it or not? Soon all these things will mean nothing to you.”

Yuwen Feng had nothing else to say to Yuwen Zhi. His heart instantly hardened as though it had turned to ice.

“Guard Yao, please come in,” said Yuwen Feng.

A movement was heard in the doorway and with that someone walked inside.

Yuwen Zhi’s face paled visibly at the sight of Yao Yi. He angrily shifted his gaze to Yuwen Feng and spat, “Are you crazy?! You’ve actually told this to Yuwen Tong?!”

Yao Yi stepped forward, cast a frosty look at Yuwen Zhi and then overpowered him who tried to resist by striking a particular acupoint of his, immobilizing him.

Flushing with anger, Yuwen Zhi wanted to hurl abuse but was unable to utter a word. The only thing he could do was glare at Yuwen Feng and Yao Yi silently.

“I’ve informed Sire already. Do you want this matter handled in court or in private, Your Lordship?” Yao Yi asked Yuwen Feng.

Yuwen Feng opened his mouth and was just about to speak when someone hurried into the room.

“Captain, Your Lordship, that physician was not in his room. Chief has left to look for him!”

Yao Yi’s and Yuwen Feng’s faces changed.

Yuwen Zhi’s facial expression, however, turned from fury to smugness. He looked at Yuwen Feng, his eyes full of sarcasm.

Seeing his father’s countenance, Yuwen Feng felt that he was incorrigible. Even if that Gu master managed to escape, what difference could he possibly make? His father really believed that that Gu master was capable of turning the tide?

“Have two men stay here protecting His Lordship. I’ll go and find him,” said Yao Yi.

Yuwen Feng, who didn’t feel like staying in the same room with Yuwen Zhi, said, “I’ll go with you. I’m more familiar with this residence than you are.”

Yao Yi gave it some thought, instructed the two men to stay guarding Yuwen Zhi, and then left the room with Yuwen Feng. When walking through the door, they saw a servant kneeling on the ground, who was none other than one of the two servants on night duty in the doorway.

“Your Lordship! I know where that physician went, Your Lordship! Please help me. That Gu master also put some Gu worms in me and the couple of others, threatening to kill us if we refused to do his bidding. Please help us, Your Lordship!” said the servant imploringly at the sight of Yuwen Feng and Yao Yi, kowtowing repeatedly.

“Where is he?” Yuwen Feng looked at him.

“This afternoon I overheard the Gu master tell Master that he would go to the interrogation room to see Second Young Master under the cover of darkness tonight, so that he could remind Second Young Master to tough out the interrogation and not to rat him out,” replied the servant urgently.

Yuwen Feng and Yao Yi exchanged looks and then quickly made towards the front gates.

…

Having failed to find the Gu master in his room, Miao Shiba worried that the man had escaped. Angry, he released the servant and then started searching the residence.

There weren’t any illicit torture rooms in Yuwen Feng’s residence. The so-called interrogation room was just an unoccupied chamber the windows of which had been boarded up, and the security there was tight. Nobody was allowed to get into it without leave from Yuwen Feng.

At first it didn’t occur to Miao Shiba to check the interrogation room, but when walking past that place, he saw those guards standing there motionless. With his rich experiences, he sensed that there was something suspicious in the atmosphere. He subconsciously flicked another couple of glances at those guards and found that all of them appeared rather nervous, some kind of panic in their eyes.

Miao Shiba knitted his brows, turned around, entered the courtyard house and tentatively walked into the sight of those guards. Surprisingly, those guards stared at him with surprise and incredulity on their faces but none of them moved. It was not because they didn’t want to move, but because they couldn’t.

Something was wrong.

Miao Shiba’s eyes immediately flashed at the room the door of which was tightly closed. There was candlelight under the door. It was very quiet and there seemed to be someone speaking in the room. The voice was very low and faint, making it impossible for Miao Shiba to distinguish any of the speaker’s words.

Holding his breath, Miao Shiba gave the medicine pouch hidden in his bosom a stroke to check it was still there, and then gingerly approached the room. When he reached the doorway, he found himself vaguely make out what the speaker was saying.

“… Don’t worry, Second Young Master. You’ll be free after my Manipulation Gu gains complete control of your brother. All you have to do is wait another day,” said a middle-aged voice.

On hearing the words and the tone, Miao Shiba came to know that the one inside was undoubtedly that Gu master. It turned out that this bastard hadn’t fled but come to this place to keep Yuwen Qi informed of the situation!

‘This son of a bitch nearly scared me out of my wits.’ Miao Shiba clenched his teeth, crept a few paces away from the doorway, motioned for the guards to be patient and then sent up a soundless signal flare.

Yao Yi, who was hurrying in the direction of the interrogation room, saw it and said, “Shiba has got there. The Gu master is still there.”

Yuwen Feng heaved a sigh of relief. He was walking in such haste that the pain in his chest intensified, his forehead wet with cold sweat, but he still gritted his teeth and managed to endure it.

In the interrogation room.

“Do you know that they tortured me? If I wait another day, I’ll definitely end up dead. I won’t be able to last that long. You need to figure out a way to get me out of here as soon as possible. Given that my old man has managed to get you in here, busting me out of this place shouldn’t be a problem for him. Why couldn’t you just tie Yuwen Feng up?!” Yuwen Qi had been suspended by a rope for a whole day and the misery had some time ago gone beyond his endurance. On hearing that he had to wait another day, he couldn’t help but rebuke the Gu master aloud.

“Second Young Master, it takes patience to achieve great things. These people really wouldn’t dare kill you. This time tomorrow, you’ll be able to punish them in whatever way you want,” replied the Gu master in a bland voice.

“By the way, it was not your father who got me in here. After I heard he was locked up in the Court Prison, I came here to rescue him so that I could repay the favor he did me. For your information, currently your father is still under house arrest by order of Yuwen Feng, and he wouldn’t be freed until a day later. Even he has to show patience.”

Yuwen Qi looked at the Gu master with a sulky face. “You couldn’t just control those guards conducting the interrogation as well so that they won’t give me the third degree again?”

“My Gu worms are limited in number. I won’t use them unless I have to,” answered the Gu master. “You’ve been informed now, Second Young Master. This time tomorrow I’ll come here to get you out.”

“You… Stop!” Seeing him making towards the door, Yuwen Qi demanded he stop, but the Gu master acted as though he hadn’t heard him.

The Gu master walked up to the door, opened it and abruptly came to a halt, looking at Miao Shiba who was standing in the courtyard.

“Leaving? You’ll have to go through me first.” Miao Shiba had whipped out his sword, which was menacingly reflecting the candlelight.

The Gu master’s face changed and he looked left and right. When he found that Miao Shiba was alone, his tense face relaxed. “Who are you? You think you alone can stop me?

“There’s only one way to find out,” Miao Shiba said, mobilized his internal energy and with that a powerful shock wave burst outwards from his body.

The Gu master’s face changed once again. Clearly it hadn’t crossed his mind that Miao Shiba’s internal energy would be so potent. He was still dressed like a physician, but the belt around his waist was fairly uncommon. He unfastened it and it turned out to be a whip.

“Who are you exactly? Why are you being such a busybody?” asked the Gu master, a wary look on his face.

“You’re a Gu master from South Xinjiang, but instead of staying in your den, you came to the capital city to make trouble. What you’ve been doing is far worse than being a busybody. Since you’ve waded in this matter, there’s no way you can walk away unpunished. If you’re smart enough to surrender yourself right now, maybe I’ll consider sparing your life,” said Miao Shiba.

The Gu master’s eyes instantly became piercing, staring at Miao Shiba. After a brief moment, as though having vaguely guessed Miao Shiba’s identity, the wariness in his eyes deepened and with that he rapidly swung the whip at Miao Shiba. The whip was jet-black, and a weird gust of wind with a foul smell was generated as the whip whizzed through the air.

Chapter 383: A Confrontation with the Gu Master- The Death of Yuwen Qi

Miao Shiba was immediately on the alert. He could tell at a glance that the whip was not something to be trifled with. There was a high risk that he would be poisoned if he got hit by it.

The two of them started fighting. What with the Gu master’s whip and Gu-craft which was difficult to defend against, Miao Shiba had misgivings about launching an all-out attack, but his consummate lightness skills and powerful internal energy kept the Gu master from gaining any advantage over him, so the fight reached a stalemate.

Yao Yi and Yuwen Feng soon arrived. At the sight of the fight in the courtyard house, they came to understand what was going on.

The Gu master’s face went quite sulky as he saw Yuwen Feng lead a group of guards to the courtyard to seize him. He realized that his cover had been blown, but he didn’t know how much Yuwen Feng had found out about his and Yuwen Zhi’s plan.

“Why are you making such a fuss, Your Lordship? Although I’m not a common physician that I claimed to be, it doesn’t change the fact that I saved your father’s life. There isn’t really any hatred between us, is there?”

Yuwen Feng gave a sneer. “It’s no good trying to justify your doings. You gave Yuwen Qi some Gu worms with which he killed two of my guards, and then you put a Manipulation Gu inside me in an attempt to control me. Your conspiracy has been exposed. If you value your life, surrender yourself to me right now and make a full confession. Otherwise this courtyard will be where you meet your end.”

The Gu master’s countenance changed once again. It surprised him that even the matter of the Manipulation Gu had come to Yuwen Feng’s knowledge. With a sepulchral face, he said, “Given that you’re aware of the Manipulation Gu in your body, you should also know that your life is in my hands.”

“That’s ridiculous. You think your pathetic Manipulation Gu could pose a threat to me?” Yuwen Feng coldly looked back at him.

Yuwen Feng’s reaction came as a surprise to the Gu master, who stared at Yuwen Feng for a few moments and then suddenly sent a signal to the Puppeteer Gu in his body. As the Puppeteer Gu cried, the Puppet Gu in Yuwen Feng naturally started struggling frantically. However, Mr. Mu’s medication was quite amazing, and the Puppet Gu could do nothing but struggle madly.

The only trouble was that as the Puppet Gu struggled, Yuwen Feng’s face went deathly white from the agony. He subconsciously clapped his hands to the right-hand side of his chest, cold sweat breaking out over his face.

Fixing him with a sinister gaze, the Gu master suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. Staring fixedly at him, he demanded, “Who helped you restrain my Manipulation Gu?!”

Subduing the pain with all his willpower, Yuwen Feng managed to stiffen his back and replied, “Since the likes of you who enjoy using underhand methods exist in this world, naturally there are people who know how to handle you.”

The Gu master clenched his teeth and glanced around him. He was faced with an opponent who was his match, and whose kung fu was quite good. On top of that, his and Yuwen Zhi’s plan had been exposed, and even the emperor had been alarmed. Obviously going into hiding in this city was no longer an option for him. He must figure out a way to extricate himself from this situation as soon as possible.

“There’s also a Gu worm of mine in your father’s body. If you let me leave, I’ll spare him.”

Yuwen Feng snorted, “That’s not going to happen.”

Yao Yi had examined Yuwen Zhi with a medication provided by Mr. Mu, and confirmed that there was no Gu worm whatsoever inside him.

“Hey, if you’re done talking, put your weapon down right now and make a full confession,” Miao Shiba said to the Gu master.

With a forbidding expression on his face, the Gu master looked at them and replied, “You’re seriously expecting me to believe you’ll spare my life if I surrender? Originally I had no intention to make an enemy of any of you. I was just doing that to repay the favor Yuwen Zhi did me. Now that things are past the point of no return…”

He suddenly broke off in the middle of a sentence and wheeled around attempting to rush into the room. Miao Shiba immediately hurled his sword at him, which swished through the air and instantly went into the door frame with a wicked gleam, narrowly avoiding cutting off the Gu master’s nose.

Yao Yi and Miao Shiba made their move at the same time. “Let’s make this quick,” said Yao Yi.

On hearing this, Miao Shiba dismissed all his misgivings. The two of them were both top kung fu masters. Although the Gu master’s Gu-craft was formidable, the two of them each had a medicine pouch. Also, Mr. Mu was present, ready to offer help, so they naturally were not afraid that the Gu master might play dirty.

After half of the duration of a burning joss stick, the Gu master was captured. During the fight, the back of Miao Shiba’s hand had been hit by the whip and skinned, and there was a blackish blue patch on it.

“Here!” Someone tossed a white porcelain phial at Miao Shiba, who took it, cocked an eye at the person and saw that it was Mr. Mu.

“Take one. It’ll detoxify the poison,” said Mr. Mu matter-of-factly.

Miao Shiba opened the porcelain phial, swallowed a pill and, before long, the spreading blackish blue patch on the back of his hand quickly dwindled and soon disappeared without a trace. Considering the detoxification effect visible to the naked eye, the alexipharmic pill given by Mr. Mu was nothing short of a miracle. Everybody present marveled at it. Seeing this, Yuwen Feng was greatly relieved. Though the pain in the right-hand side of his chest was still sharp, he was now quite composed.

The Gu master shifted his gaze to Mr. Mu, sizing him up with a sullen look in his eyes. “Who are you?” he asked.

He believed that his Gu-craft was pretty good, that he was one of the best Gu masters in South Xinjiang. Over the years, he had traveled to a lot of places and even knew about some court physicians, but he had never heard of anybody who was capable of preparing this kind of pill.

Mr. Mu looked at the Gu master with a calm face, appearing uninterested in him. “A physician.”

“No common physician could detoxify my poison so quick.” The Gu master was unconvinced. As he glimpsed Yuwen Feng, something occurred to him. “You were the one who kept the Manipulation Gu in him at bay?”

Mr. Mu replied, “Yes.”

“Who are you exactly? Once a Manipulation Gu enters someone’s body, it’ll wriggle constantly. Only a master of Gu-craft could restrain it. I’ve never heard of you before, and you’re not from South Xinjiang,” said the Gu master.

“Why are you so talky? It is not for you to make inquiries about our miracle-working physician. You have only your average skills to blame for your defeat,” reprimanded Miao Shiba.

The Gu master flicked a flinty glance at him. “You would’ve been dead by now had he not detoxified the poison for you.”

Miao Shiba curled his lip. “You think that would scare me? Let me tell you something. When I was slaughtering enemies on the battlefield, the word ‘death’ never once crossed my mind. Now cut the shit and tell us what you and Yuwen Zhi have been up to.”

The Gu master refused to confess. He still insisted Mr. Mu identify himself. He was quite unreconciled to the defeat inflicted on him by this man who had restrained his Gu worm and also detoxified his poison. There was a somewhat demented look in his eyes, which showed he was unwilling to admit defeat.

Mr. Mu said, “You’re such a weirdo. As the saying goes, ‘However strong you are, there is always someone stronger.’ Does it really surprise you so much that my medical skill is the bane of your Gu-craft? Please tell me you don’t seriously think the medical experts you’ve met are the only ones in the world. To my knowledge, in the previous dynasty, there were also quite some masters in South Xinjiang, and some of them left the mountains and achieved great things. How come you’re so ignorant? Are all your peers in South Xinjiang like you?”

The look on the Gu master’s face became one of deep shame and intense anger after he heard Mr. Mu’s remarks.

“What do you think we should do with him, Your Lordship?” Yao Yi looked at Yuwen Feng.

Yuwen Feng responded unemotionally, “This Gu master and Yuwen Zhi are to be brought to the imperial palace to be tried by His Majesty and all the courtiers tomorrow morning.”

Yuwen Zhi had committed attempted usurpation twice, and now he had tried to murder his own son. There was no way he could get away with it, and Yuwen Feng clearly wouldn’t intercede for him again. He would let Yuwen Zhi get his just deserts.

Miao Shiba exchanged glances with Yao Yi and then observed, “Well then, let’s–”

“AAARGH!” Suddenly, an anguished cry issued from inside the interrogation room. It was Yuwen Qi’s voice.

The others hastened into the room and saw that Yuwen Qi was lying limply on the ground, motionless, black blood flowing from the corners of his mouth, his eyes wide open, staring emptily in the direction of the door.

Yuwen Feng was dumbfounded for a brief moment, then quickly walked up to Yuwen Qi, crouched down and reached out a hand with the intention to tap Yuwen Qi on the face, but he had just touched his brother when he withdrew his fingers in spite of himself.

Miao Shiba’s and Yao Yi’s faces went grave. They could no longer sense Yuwen Qi’s breathing. He was dead.

“Let me see him,” said Mr. Mu, stepping forward. He examined the body and concluded, “It was Gu worms that killed him. Heart-consuming Gu worms.”

The countenance of everybody else present changed and with that they all shifted their gaze to the restrained Gu master.

Eyes on Yuwen Feng, the Gu master sneered, “Like I said, both your father’s and his lives are in my hands. Unless you let me leave, I’ll kill them both. Yuwen Qi’s death is just a warning to you. The next one will be Yuwen Zhi.”

Yuwen Feng looked at Yuwen Qi whose eyes were still wide open as though he were unreconciled to a death like this, a deep frown creasing his face, a distressed look appearing in his eyes. He stretched out a hand to cover Yuwen Qi’s eyes and said, “Although the ties of brotherhood between us ceased to exist some time ago, I’ll avenge your death. I’ll avenge your death by taking the Gu master’s life.”

After saying this, he removed his hand from Yuwen Qi’s eyes which were now closed.

The Gu master began to struggle, his face registering panic. “Yuwen Feng! Your father’s life is still in my hands!”

“So talky,” Mr. Mu suddenly said in a frosty voice and with that he rapidly stuffed a pill into the Gu master’s mouth and gave his chin a push.

Caught flat-footed, the Gu master swallowed the pill reflexively, his face livid with rage. “What did you just give me?”

Miao Shiba and the others also looked at Mr. Mu in bewilderment.

Mr. Mu explained, “It’s a pill with sedative effect. It’ll weaken him and make him less talky. Also, all the Gu worms inside his body are no longer at his command, and they’ll kill him in two days. If there’s any information you want to get from him, you’ll have to do it within the next two days.”

Yao Yi looked at Miao Shiba and said, “Let’s take the Gu master away. We’ll bring him and Yuwen Zhi to the palace tomorrow morning.”

Miao Shiba inclined his head and marched away the Gu master who was quite indignant but powerless to resist.

Yao Yi said to Yuwen Feng, “Your Lordship, we should get rid of the Gu worm inside your body first.”

Yuwen Feng gave a nod and then instructed some servants to transfer Yuwen Qi’s body to Yuwen Qi’s own courtyard house and start preparing the burial.

…

Mr. Mu helped Yuwen Feng rid his body of the Manipulation Gu. The process was indeed unbearably painful. When the Gu worm was extracted, Yuwen Feng was wet with cold sweat all over, but he finally felt a sense of relief. Looking at the ugly Gu worm, Yuwen Feng felt one twitch of repulsion after another.

“The Gu worm has now been extracted, you’ll be weak for a few days, but with some tonics and enough rest, you’ll fully recover,” observed Mr. Mu.

“Thank you for saving my life. You’re indeed a miracle-working physician. If there’s anything I can do for you, feel free to ask. I’ll do everything within my power to get it done,” said Yuwen Feng.

Mr. Mu said, “I saved you because Childe Ling wanted you to live. He’s the one you should be grateful to.”

On hearing this, Yuwen Feng replied, “I know. I’ll bear this favor from Childe Ling in mind, and I’ll be forever indebted to you for saving my life.”

Yuwen Feng had been aware that Mr. Mu served Ling Zhang, but it was not until this day that he came to know that Mr. Mu was a highly skilled physician indifferent to fame and wealth, and it had certainly come as a great surprise to him that Ling Zhang had a man with such great skills at his back. This made him feel that Mr. Mu’s background was shrouded in mystery.

Mr. Mu didn’t give any particular reaction to Yuwen Feng’s words. In his eyes, it didn’t matter much whether or not Yuwen Feng would remember this favor.

Apart from the Gu worm in Yuwen Feng, Mr. Mu also kindly got rid of the Gu worms in the couple of servants who had been controlled by the worms, saving their lives.

Chapter 384: A Try-On of the Stunning Wedding Robes

What with the hullabaloo in Yuwen Feng’s residence, a lot of people living nearby were woken up in the middle of the night, and news quickly spread that Yuwen Zhi, in league with a Gu master from South Xinjiang, had put a Gu worm inside his own son’s body with the intention to use him to approach and control Yuwen Tong.

Even a vicious tiger will not eat its cubs, but Yuwen Zhi had plotted to murder his own nephew at the cost of his own son’s life, which was an act of utter inhumanity.

Early in the morning, before daybreak, all the courtiers gathered at the front gates of the imperial palace, waiting to enter to attend the court meeting. Given that the emperor’s uncle was involved in this matter, it was as much a private affair as it was a state affair. Either way, it was not a trivial matter.

…

In the Infinite Fortune Palace.

Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong had got up. They had both washed and, fully dressed, were breakfasting. Yuwen Tong would have to go to the great hall to preside over the court meeting after a while.

The night before the two of them had got to sleep very late. Yuwen Qi had died. Yuwen Zhi and the Gu master had been arrested. Yuwen Feng had sent the two of them to the palace to be tried at a court meeting. This matter had basically been settled already. All that was left was to pass the sentence at the court meeting, which would be a mere formality.

Ling Zhang accompanied Yuwen Tong to the court meeting and sat in a seat behind a curtain in the right corner of the hall.

Under the influence of that pill of Mr. Mu’s, the Gu master had been quite obedient. During an interrogation, he had made a full confession which covered all the details about his and Yuwen Zhi’s plans, including how he had made contact with Yuwen Zhi when the latter had been in the Court Prison, how he had helped Yuwen Zhi fake his illness in an effort to delay the enforcement of his exile sentence, how he had planted a Gu worm inside Yuwen Feng’s body in an attempt to use Yuwen Feng to approach and control Yuwen Tong with another Manipulation Gu so as to usurp the imperial power, and how he had put a Gu worm in Yuwen Qi and killed him. He’d confessed everything without keeping anything back.

Ling Zhang didn’t know how Mr. Mu had made this happen, and neither did he know what that pill was exactly, but with the Gu master’s confession, Yuwen Zhi’s doom was certain.Read manga at our MangaBob.com

Yuwen Zhi had been involved in crimes related to attempted usurpation several times, and on this occasion, he had even schemed to murder his own son. In addition, driven by wild ambition, he had also conspired with a Gu master to murder the emperor and usurp the throne. All these crimes were punishable by death.

Two cups of poisoned wine ended Yuwen Zhi’s and the Gu master’s lives. Nobody raised any objections.

Afterward, Yuwen Feng brought Yuwen Zhi’s body back and held a joint funeral for him and Yuwen Qi.

The service lasted seven days before the two of them were buried.

During the seven-day funeral, Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong had privately paid a visit to Yuwen Feng’s residence to offer their condolences, and on that day, Yuwen Feng and Yuwen Tong talked confidentially with each other for almost an hour. Yuwen Tong had appeared fairly pleased when leaving.

The day after the burial, Yuwen Feng went back to the Ministry of Rites to work, looking even more unsparing than before, but he seemed much more energetic than he used to be. The Ministry of Rites had descended into disarray, but after his return, things were soon in good order again.

…

Everything in the capital city returned to the previous state of bustle and peace, and all officials were fully occupied with preparations for the upcoming imperial wedding.

The wedding robes of the two of them had been finished as a top priority. When the robes were delivered to them, Ling Zhang was somewhat astonished at the sight of them.

Although he had been supervising the making of the wedding robes all along, it had never crossed his mind that the end products would be so…

‘Stunning.’

Yuwen Tong hadn’t taken his eyes off the robes since the moment he’d caught sight of them. He directly had the servants leave, shut the doors of the imperial bedchamber, drew Ling Zhang into the inner chamber and started undressing him.

“You… What are you doing? This is daytime.” Ling Zhang jerked out of his trance caused by the charm of the robes.

Yuwen Tong leaned over and whispered beside his ear, “Trying on our robes, of course. They’re delivered here so that we could try them on to see if there are any parts of them that need to be altered.”

Ling Zhang heaved a sigh of relief, but before he finished the sigh, Yuwen Tong added in a hushed voice, “What else did you think I was going to do, uh?”

Ling Zhang, “…”

Yuwen Tong reached out a hand to unfasten Ling Zhang’s belt, stroking his waist. “Tomorrow you’ll move out of this palace, and I’ll have to spend several nights in bed alone. Even if I want to do something right now, couldn’t you just humor me? We won’t be able to sleep together until the wedding ceremony.”

Ling Zhang flushed at his explicit words. “What are you talking about? Have you not had enough of it in the past few days?”

He had some time ago intended to move back to the Ling Mansion, but Yuwen Tong had delayed it again and again, which was why he was still staying in this palace. Every time Yuwen Tong had tried to delay it, Ling Zhang had wanted to harden his heart and refuse, but Yuwen Tong had put on an injured look every time, and then Ling Zhang, powerless to say no, had had no choice but to let Yuwen Tong do what he wanted, but this time around, he really couldn’t continue staying in the palace any longer. He must return to the Ling Mansion.

Because of this, Yuwen Tong had been acting like a sex addict over the past few days. There had been several occasions when Ling Zhang had felt as though he was going to die on that bed, and that feeling had been particularly strong the night before.

“I have to go back home tomorrow, so you need to control yourself tonight. Otherwise my grandfather and the others might notice and it’ll be so embarrassing,” said Ling Zhang.

Yuwen Tong put on the injured look again. “Why do you have to move back home?”

Ling Zhang replied, “It’s a convention, isn’t it? Besides, I’ve barely spent any time with my family ever since they came to this city, and after marrying you, I’ll have even fewer chances to stay at home, so I need to take advantage of this opportunity to spend as much time with them as possible.”

Yuwen Tong said, “This palace is quite close to the Ling Mansion. You may go back there to keep them company any time you want. It’s not really necessary to move out.”

Ling Zhang looked at Yuwen Tong resignedly. Yuwen Tong had said this many times, and he had explained to Yuwen Tong many times.

“That’s different. Okay, let’s drop this. If you want to try the robes on, you need to hurry. It’s inappropriate to keep those people out there waiting too long.”

Yuwen Tong silently disrobed Ling Zhang, manifestly unhappy.

Ling Zhang looked at him. Eventually, not knowing what else he could do, he took Yuwen Tong’s face in his hands and kissed him. “Stop sulking, okay? This will be my home after the wedding, and we’ll have a lifetime to be together. Before that, you’ve got to let me spend some time with my family. I don’t want to regret not having done it some day.”

A wave of comfort swept over Yuwen Tong at the words “This will be my home after the wedding”. His spirits rose instantaneously, and it showed. With a smile curling the corners of his mouth, he said, “Okay, then. I think you do have a point.”

Ling Zhang almost dissolved into chuckle as he realized that Yuwen Tong had gone to all this trouble just to have him say those words.

“Soon you’ll be my man, and this place will be our home. For your information, if you make me unhappy, I’ll leave you,” said Ling Zhang, eyes on Yuwen Tong.

Yuwen Tong held him. “That won’t happen. If you dare forsake me, I’ll track you down and seize you even if you flee to the world’s end, and then I’ll tied you up and you’ll never be able to move a single pace away from me for the rest of your life.”

Ling Zhang’s whole body was suffused with a reddish color. “Okay, okay. I get it. Let go of me so I can try on the robes.”

His white-skinned body showed a sharp contrast with Yuwen Tong who was fully dressed. Originally Yuwen Tong hadn’t thought of anything sexual, but as he looked down at Ling Zhang’s body which was now pinkish, he swallowed hard and stiffened, unable to move an inch.

Ling Zhang could tell at a glance what he was thinking about. “Give me the robes. Hurry.”

If he let Yuwen Tong continue staring at his body, Yuwen Tong would definitely lose control.

Seeing that Yuwen Tong was still gazing at him unblinkingly, Ling Zhang hastened past Yuwen Tong to the table, took up the robes and started putting them on.

Yuwen Tong came to himself and immediately walked over. In a husky voice, he said, “Let me help you.”

These were wedding robes. On no account would Yuwen Tong miss the opportunity to clothe Ling Zhang in them one by one and feast his eyes at the same time.

Because of their uniquely noble identities, the wedding robes of Ling Zhang, the future empress, were quite resplendent and elaborate, and the number of layers of them were astounding. From the underwear to the overgarment, Yuwen Tong patiently helped Ling Zhang put them on one by one, neatly robing Ling Zhang in a gentle manner.

These robes were not thick. Despite the number of layers, they still perfectly showed the contours of Ling Zhang’s body – his slim waist, full peaky butt, broad shoulders, and narrow straight back. Ling Zhang didn’t look coquettish at all in this set of robes which was designed for men but fairly feminine in style. His brows and eyes were so dashing as though they’d been drawn in black ink. The red color provided a foil for his skin, making it seem as though it were glowing.

When helping Ling Zhang fasten his belt, Yuwen Tong felt as if he were wrapping a present, a rare unique treasure that only he could obtain. His eyes seemed to bore into Ling Zhang.

Ling Zhang looked down at the robes. Unaware of the overall effect, he asked, “How do I look? Do you think they’re becoming? Anything needing altering?”

Staring fixedly at him, Yuwen Tong looked as though he’d lost the power of speech.

Having received no reply, Ling Zhang furrowed his brows, shifted his gaze to Yuwen Tong and fell speechless.

A flush spread to the edges of his ears.

He made towards the full-length mirror on the other side. When he got close to the mirror, he was somewhat astonished as well, gazing into the mirror at himself in a faintly dreamy way. Was that really him?

Set off by the red wedding robes, his brows and eyes looked exceptionally pretty. This was the first time that Ling Zhang had come to realize that his looks were not bad…

But would he strike people as a trifle patronizing in these robes?

“Do I look a little unapproachable in these robes? Should I try another set of a different style? You–”

Before he could finish the sentence, Yuwen Tong cuddled him from behind tightly. Yuwen Tong’s eyes met Ling Zhang’s in the mirror. “You look terrific. You don’t need to strike anybody as approachable. I’m the only one whose opinion you should care about.”

Ling Zhang’s ears were burning. “Stop hugging me so tight or you’ll crumple my robes. If you think I look good in this set, I’ll take it. You should go change into yours and let me see if it fits you. Hurry.”

But Yuwen Tong didn’t move. “There’s no hurry.”

After saying this, he took the headwear off Ling Zhang’s head and slackened his bun. The black hair instantly cascaded down, rippling like premium silk. Ling Zhang looked at Yuwen Tong in confusion. “Why did you bare my head?”

Yuwen Tong gazed at Ling Zhang who had his hair hanging loose, entranced. The contrast between the black of his hair and the red of his robes was such an intense visual stimulus of breathless beauty that it seemed to be searing Yuwen Tong’s eyes. He took the hair in his hands and started slowly stroking it. After a while, he began to comb it with his fingers, his movements gentle and… Ling Zhang lowered his head, flicked a glance at it and was instantaneously turned on by the sight of his hand movements, his mouth and throat dry. “You–”

Yuwen Tong abruptly took him in his arms, their bodies pressing against each other tight, Ling Zhang’s jet-black hair flying up before slowly dropping, their lips locked.