One day earlier, the palace of Jade Dragon Kingdom was heavily guarded.
Emperor He Qian remained by the sixth princess’s side and never went away.
As the palace physicians diagnosed that He Yu was now ‘critically ill’, she might not make it through sundown.
“Yu’er, as your father, I couldn’t protect you. On this last day, I’ll stay with you no matter what.” He Qian entered the room and gazed at the bedridden He Yu sorrowfully.
However, upon entrance, He Qian could feel how the room was warmer than before. That air of death and chill was gone without a trace.
This was odd!
Startled, he went over and took a closer look at He Yu.
For some reason, although He Yu remained weakened and frail, she wasn’t pale as she was before. There was a mild trace of life on her face.
He Qian was an expert with blood contract level at seventh realm. As the nation’s emperor, his pet beast was obviously Rank 4 so he could easily sense changes. He placed a hand on He Yu’s forehead.
It was warm.
He felt her hand. It wasn’t ice-cold as it was earlier.
Subconsciously, He Qian’s facial muscles loosened and he smiled. But soon, he looked confused.
He thought for a moment but chose not to summon anyone over. He Qian just sat there and observed carefully. A long while after, one of the palace eunuchs announced that the sun had set.
This was on He Qian’s orders. He specifically instructed them to declare when the sun had gone down.
“The sun has set?” He Qian was stunned. He knew that during twilight, as day shifts into night, yang to yin, this was the most torturous moment for those who were gravely ill. Also, his daughter, He Yu supposedly couldn’t make it past the evening.
And yet, He Yu’s breathing was even. Though she was still unconscious, she didn’t seem to be dying anytime soon.
He Qian knew something must have gone wrong.
“Call the doctor!” He Qian shouted. At once, the royal physician who was waiting outside came in and bowed at He Qian. “Your Majesty!”
“Go and take a look at the princess’s condition,” He Qian instructed. The physician nodded and went over to examine He Yu. He grabbed the tiny thread tied around her wrist to feel her pulse before blooming into a smile and said to He Qian, “Your Majesty, Sixth Princess no longer show signs of losing her life. Her body is still weakened but she should be fine for now.”
He Qian could hardly conceal his astonishment.
After confirming the situation, he let the physician leave.
He Qian’s expression shifted slightly. He wanted to ask the guards if anyone had snuck in here secretly, but he thought it wasn’t possible.
Because for the entire day, he had been outside. With his cultivation level and senses, if someone did sneak in, He Qian would have noticed.
Moreover, there was only one entrance in this place so no one could have snuck in.
“Is it possible that Yu’er isn’t destined to die?” He Qian muttered to himself.
Then, he shook his head. “Those who have been bound by this curse couldn’t possibly reach adulthood. And the jade dragon’s soul had already…”
For now, He Qian didn’t have the slightest idea what was going on.
However, his subconscious thoughts pointed him to the person who almost broke this bestial soul curse.
Lin Jin of Maple City.
Would this have something to do with this Lin Jin person?
He Qian stopped thinking. That night, he stayed up, sitting on the chair. By morning, when he checked He Yu’s condition again, though she looked just as she had been yesterday, her condition hadn’t worsened.
He Qian now knew that something had surely gone wrong.
Just then, a eunuch informed that Minister Yu would like to seek an audience with the emperor.
He Qian went outside to where Minister Yu was waiting.
At the sight of the emperor, He Yu stepped forward with a solemn look on his face. “Your Majesty, the dragon deity in the temple was furious last night.”
He Qian’s expression faltered slightly and he asked, “Minister Yu, why is the dragon angry?”
Minister Yu shifted his gaze to the bedroom. “Your Majesty, the sixth princess, is doing alright?”
This sentence was both a question and an answer.
Unable to contain himself, He Qian flared up in anger. “What? The dragon deity can’t even wait for a few more days?”
Minister Yu took another step forward. “He could have, but the day before yesterday, when he came out at night, he was severely injured and now needs to replenish his spirit energy as quickly as possibly…”
“Enough!” He Qian slammed the table. Minister Yu stopped talking. He was aware that the emperor himself knew the gravity of this situation. Without a sacrifice, disasters were sure to befall Jade Dragon Kingdom.
“I’ve already ordered the closure of the palace and no one has been treating the sixth princess since. If the dragon deity wants a sacrifice, he can come and get it. Could I even stop him?”
He Qian was gritting his teeth, behaving in contrast with how he usually was.
“Uhm…” Minister Yu hesitated before saying, “The dragon deity says that someone has used magic to protect the sixth princess’s heart veins so the sacrifice couldn’t be completed.”
He Qian was puzzled.
“No one had visited the sixth princess since yesterday morning. Who could perform such an unusual skill? Hmph, the dragon deity’s words can’t be fully trusted.”
Minister Yu could only urge, “Your Majesty, please calm down. As this concerns the nation’s fortune, we can’t let things go wrong at such a critical time. If the sacrificial attempt fails and the dragon deity is enraged, not only would he take back all dragon pet beasts but he would also invoke calamity. When enemies decide to invade us during that time, Jade Dragon would be in grave danger. Your Majesty, please consider the nation’s fate.”
Having said that, he bowed low without getting up.
He Qian wavered and finally looked helpless.
“Minister Yu, you’re our nation’s prized minister and a figure loved by the dragon deity that he bestowed you with a jade dragon pet beast. Let me ask you, what should we do now?”
A savage look crept onto Minister Yu’s face. “Your Majesty, the way I see it, that Lin Jin of Maple City must have something to do with this sacrifice disruption. The dragon was also severely injured because that man left a gold ring behind. Though we have no idea what he pulled, he must be involved in the dragon being unable to complete his attempt. To ease the dragon’s anger, our only option now is to have him apprehended and delivered to the dragon temple for the dragon deity to do as he pleases.”
With an indifferent look on his face, He Qian suddenly asked, “Was it you who sent assassins after Lin Jin?”
Minister Yu was visibly shocked. He hesitated but knew that he couldn’t hide this from the emperor so he nodded. “Your Majesty, I only have the nation’s best interest in mind. This Lin Jin is a talent who has the ability to subdue curses but he would surely offend the dragon deity someday. Pick the greater of two talents and choose the lesser of two evils. I didn’t have any other choice.”
After that, he paused and added, “Moreover, no one can go against the dragon deity’s might. If we had the power to resist, the royal family wouldn’t have watched as the four female members of royalty…”
“That’s enough!” He Qian waved.
Then, he pointed to the pile of reports on the table. “This was sent here by the Defense Department. Maple City’s city lord and even Ye Yuzhuo have recommended Lin Jin into the Defense Department. According to the rules, no matter if they’re officials, merchants, peddlers, or soldiers, any subject of our country who possesses a Rank 4 pet beast is eligible to enter our Defense Department and be knighted. Minister Yu, I won’t penalize you for what you’ve done but bear in mind not to repeat it, do you understand?”
Minister Yu became anxious. “Your Majesty, this…”
“Also, tell the dragon deity that Jade Dragon’s royalty will uphold the vow from our ancestor’s time. Even if an outsider was to interfere, it’s up to the dragon deity to deal with him. Remember, Jade Dragon’s royalty doesn’t own the dragon deity anything.”