The Emperor Rui stared, his eyes wide, his mouth agape, drooling, his face a mask of disbelief and terror, as he watched the squadron of Imperial Guards march past them. They were arrayed in battle formation, their spirits high, their gazes sharp and piercing.
It was utterly baffling. The three living people standing right there, yet the Imperial Guards, in squads of twenty, didn't even spare them a glance.
The Emperor Rui couldn't help but wonder, were these people blind? Or perhaps... As a thought occurred to him, he froze. A chill ran from his head to his toes.
It seemed that not only Huo Qiyuan and his companions had become ghosts, but he himself no longer belonged to the world of the living.
Lost in his wild thoughts, the Emperor Rui failed to realize that if he had indeed died, he wouldn't have felt any pain when Huo Qiyuan dislocated his jaw.
However, on the subsequent journey to Chonghua Palace, the Emperor Rui became much more subdued. At intersections, he would simply raise his arm and point out the correct turn.
In truth, the Emperor Rui hadn't intended to flee or call for help initially. He had anticipated that Huo Qiyuan, upon finding him, would inevitably inquire about the remains of Huo Sizhun and his wife.
What troubled the Emperor Rui now was his inability to accept that despite his desire to change and his subsequent actions, before he could implement reforms and revitalize the Great Yu Dynasty, he had inexplicably become a "vengeful spirit."
In the dead of night, under the bright moonlight, the three figures walked boldly through the heavily guarded imperial palace. It was just that they could see everyone, but everyone couldn't see them.
Watching the patrolling soldiers pass by, the Emperor Rui transitioned from disbelief and rejection to a state of being like a walking corpse, expressionless and oblivious. To him, it was a good thing that people couldn't see him in his current state.
Meanwhile, Su Muqing and Huo Qiyuan, blessed with sharp hearing and sight, could clearly see and sense the hidden guards patrolling in the darkness. Even though these individuals were agile and made little noise, they couldn't escape their notice.
Upon reaching the entrance of Chonghua Palace, the Emperor Rui, with his hair disheveled and his clothes in disarray, his front garment soaked by the uncontrollable drool that had flowed down his chin during the journey, stood there.
Thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west. To think that he, the dignified Emperor of a nation, was now in such a pathetic state!
Huo Qiyuan, having frequently entered the imperial palace in his youth, would surely have remembered such a place if it had existed from the beginning. With a complex gaze, Huo Qiyuan surveyed the majestic palace before him, surmising that Chonghua Palace must have been renovated later.
Even in the darkness of night, and even from the outside, with almost no candlelight illuminating the structure, Su Muqing and Huo Qiyuan could clearly discern the palace.
The entire palace complex was vast, its exterior grand and imposing, constructed with incredibly luxurious materials. It was a unique landmark within the imperial palace. Save for its slightly remote location, it was in no way inferior to the main halls of the palace.
However, once they reached this area, the patrolling guards became scarce, and the surroundings were exceptionally deserted. It was unclear what the Emperor Rui's intention had been when he had a considerable circular corridor painstakingly built, intentionally isolating Chonghua Palace from the rest of the imperial grounds.
The palace walls of Chonghua Palace were quite high. Su Muqing and Huo Qiyuan effortlessly lifted the Emperor Rui and scaled them, landing silently on the other side.
The palace interior was eerily desolate. Despite it being July, a subtle chill permeated the air upon entering.
All the palace staff within Chonghua Palace were deaf and mute. Coupled with the area's unique nature, there were no night watchmen. Huo Qiyuan reattached the Emperor Rui's dislocated jaw, then, raising his hand, pulled back the hood of his cloak and strode forward, pushing open the heavy doors.
With two "creaking" sounds, the Emperor Rui felt a sharp pain on both sides of his cheeks, his head throbbing so intensely it made him dizzy.
Before he could recover from the pain, he saw Huo Qiyuan, now reduced to a single, gleaming silver head, floating away before his eyes.
Perhaps due to the overwhelming amount of stimulation he had experienced that night, witnessing such a horrifying scene again finally pushed the Emperor Rui over the edge. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted spectacularly.
A "thud" echoed as Su Muqing, standing a few steps away and caught off guard by the Emperor Rui's sudden fainting, couldn't reach him in time to break his fall.
Huo Qiyuan turned, casting a nonchalant glance at the Emperor Rui, who had collapsed onto the ground. He walked over, his eyes devoid of emotion, and dragged the Emperor Rui in by the collar of his back, like a lifeless sack, into the palace.
A pungent, indescribable odor assailed his nostrils. The unconscious Emperor Rui felt an urge to vomit, and then slowly regained consciousness. With the help of the moonlight filtering in, he recognized his surroundings and realized they were already inside Chonghua Palace.
A shadow enveloped him from above. The Emperor Rui timidly raised his head, and his pupils contracted sharply.
Silver hair, a handsome face, a tall and straight physique... The Emperor Rui didn't know how to describe it aptly. The Huo Qiyuan, who had been a mere spectral silhouette moments ago and then just a head, had now reverted to his human form.
Since no one else was present, Su Muqing had already retracted the invisibility cloaks they were wearing into her space.
"You, you, you... Are you human or..." The word "ghost" churned in the Emperor Rui's throat for a long time, but he dared not ask it. However, Huo Qiyuan and the others understood his unspoken question.
Having drooled so much, the Emperor Rui's throat was extremely dry, and his voice emerged with a "grating" sound, like something being dragged across the ground.
The two exchanged a glance. It seemed the invisibility cloak had led the Emperor Rui to misunderstand! However, Su Muqing and Huo Qiyuan had no intention of clarifying.
Su Muqing interrupted the Emperor Rui, who was about to speak further. "Where are Old Prince and the others?"
The Emperor Rui, seeing Huo Qiyuan's cold expression, knew he didn't want to speak with him, so he wisely fell silent. He painstakingly got up from the ground, and relying on his memory, stumbled his way towards the small Buddhist hall in the inner chambers.
The moonlight still illuminated the main hall, but the deeper they went, the darker it became. The Emperor Rui couldn't see his surroundings clearly, bumping into walls and pillars, staggering along, and soon his face was bruised and swollen.
Su Muqing felt this was a waste of time. In a rare moment of kindness, she produced a spotlight. The instant the beam illuminated, the Emperor Rui blinked his eyes against the sudden glare of the white light.
The path ahead was brightly lit. The Emperor Rui squinted and couldn't help but look back at the two behind him. Huo Qiyuan was holding something, and the light was emanating from it.