Chapter 28

Chapter 28

When news that Liu Hu was dying reached Lu Wei, he was in Sui'an Palace reading memorials.

The wolf-hair brush dipped in vermilion trembled in his hand, leaving a bright, jagged red mark on the Ministry of Works' petition.

Lu Wei frowned, wrote "Approved," laid down the brush, and looked at the attendant who had brought the message. "What do the physicians say?"

Lu Wei, now in his fifties, had grown a short beard, with streaks of silver in his hair and deep crow's feet at the corners of his eyes. Yet his back remained straight, his gaze had grown even more profound, and these changes did not make him appear aged; instead, they added a deep authority dignified by age.

"The Imperial Medical Bureau has already consulted. They say it's a matter of days," the attendant replied with lowered eyes, respectful and truthful.

Lu Wei took a deep breath, stood up, and ordered, "Prepare my carriage. I am going to the Yixiang Palace."

At the emperor's command, the imperial carriage was swiftly readied outside the Sui'an Palace.

The Great Mu followed the Fire element, so its emperors wore crimson; the Great Qian followed Earth, so its emperors wore bright yellow.

Clad in his everyday bright yellow robe with five-clawed dragons, Lu Wei boarded the carriage borne by eight men and set off for the Yixiang Palace.

On the carriage, Lu Wei suddenly realized he hadn't visited Liu Hu for over half a year.

It wasn't because love fades as beauty fades, or for the reason Liu Hu himself believed.

Lu Wei simply felt powerless. He believed he had tried his best to treat Liu Hu well, yet he couldn't save that sorrowful spirit from self-annihilation.

Liu Hu's love for him had become the last remaining obsession in his life.

In both his lives, Lu Wei had been loved by many men and women, and he enjoyed savoring new passions and intense emotions, but no one had been obsessed to a terrifying degree like Liu Hu.

It was a fixation that would only end with death.

Although Lu Wei ruled the entire kingdom and was seen by all as the wise and mighty Emperor Yongshuo, whenever he faced Liu Hu, the former emperor of the previous dynasty, a thread of instinctive unease towards the unknown would still arise in his heart.

Amidst these jumbled thoughts, the imperial carriage stopped before the Yixiang Palace.

Lu Wei stepped down from the carriage and entered the hall.

The Yixiang Palace was immaculate, with spotless surfaces and bright windows. It was the season when crabapple blossoms fall, and a few light pink petals were scattered on the window lattice.

The heavy, bitter smell of medicine permeated the entire space.

The imperial physician checking on Liu Hu at the bedside saw Lu Wei enter and hurriedly bowed to the emperor before quickly filing out.

Lu Wei walked over, sat on the edge of the bed, and looked down at the ailing Liu Hu.

Liu Hu's hair, mostly white and lacking luster, was spread across the pillow. He looked gaunt and old, so thin he was barely recognizable.

Yet, the moment he saw Lu Wei, a strange light suddenly sparked in his originally dull, unfocused eyes.

Liu Hu reached out, grasping Lu Wei's arm through the fabric of his robe, and said with difficulty, "Send them... all away."

Lu Wei silently waved his hand. The palace servants and the physician promptly withdrew, leaving only Lu Wei and Liu Hu inside.

"What do you wish to say?" Lu Wei looked at Liu Hu.

This would likely be the last time he saw Liu Hu. He would fulfill Liu Hu's last wishes within reason.

"It wasn't me... Boxiu, it wasn't me," Liu Hu gasped. "I know, no matter how much I explain, you won't believe me... but I'm about to die now. A dying man's words are truthful... believe me this once, stop... stop resenting me... alright?"

Lu Wei took his hand and said, "I believe you."

Liu Hu relaxed, and a smile that was almost radiant bloomed on his wrinkled, pale face.

The reason the Great Qian Emperor had no heirs was because someone had administered a powerful drug that causes sterility. Through diagnosis and calculation, the timing pointed to the half-year period when Liu Hu had imprisoned him in the Yixiang Palace.

"Actually, even if it were you, I wouldn't mind," Lu Wei patted his thin, bony hand, then paused before adding, "I have never resented you."

To this world, Lu Wei was just a traveler who could depart anytime. He truly didn't mind whether he could produce heirs and had never resented Liu Hu for it.

After all, he knew he had the next world's cycle. But for Liu Hu, there was only this one lifetime.

"R-really?" Liu Hu trembled, asking in disbelief.

Lu Wei nodded. "There's no need for me to lie to you."

"That's wonderful... that's wonderful, Boxiu." Liu Hu laughed through his tears. "Then... could you hold me one more time?"

Lu Wei sighed, extended his arms, and drew Liu Hu into his embrace.

The body in his arms was even thinner than it looked, light as a skeleton.

Liu Hu rested his head on Lu Wei's shoulder and breathed his last into Lu Wei's ear, "Lu Wei... ge..."

This call was achingly tender, filled with bone-deep devotion, yet also as shocking as thunder.

In this lifetime, Liu Hu had never called him "Lu Wei" or "ge." Liu Hu usually addressed him by his courtesy name, Boxiu; when furious, he would call him by both surname and courtesy name, Lu Boxiu; even when he was emperor in court, he called him "Marquis of Yanwu" or "Minister Lu."

After over thirty years of silence, 031, whom Lu Wei had almost forgotten, suddenly emitted frantic electronic tones in his mind.

Alert! Alert!! Alert!!

The energy-providing mediator has died in this world. The host cannot remain in this world any longer. Imminent departure! Imminent departure!

The sound was truly maddening. If 031 had a physical form, Lu Wei would have slapped it long ago, but unfortunately, 031 did not. So he could only shout in his mind, "Be quiet! How much time is left?"

"48 hours," 031 stopped the frantic electronic tones and replied.

"Liu Hu is Qin Ge?" Lu Wei continued.

"Yes."

"Will he appear in the next world?"

"Yes."

Lu Wei sighed helplessly. "Explain Qin Ge's situation to me."

"This system was activated using Qin Ge's obsession as energy. As the mediator, Qin Ge has the right to follow the host through rebirth in each world and obtain a portion of the energy the host gains," 031 organized its language at an extremely rapid pace.

"Does he also have the right to choose his social status?" Lu Wei thought of the situation when he first transmigrated and said with suppressed frustration.

"...Yes, he has the right to choose his identity in each world," 031 paused briefly before answering. "But correspondingly, his memories are erased upon rebirth and only recalled just before physical death, whereas the host retains all memories and skills."

Lu Wei fell silent.

Since Liu Hu was Qin Ge reborn through obsession, that terrifying, death-defying fixation on him was easily understandable. However, the original body wasn't him, yet Liu Hu had already fallen deeply in love, indicating this love wasn't necessarily exclusive to him.

Although 031 seemed to be hiding quite a bit more, this was the good thing about the system—it never lied. "To conserve energy, the host's spiritual body was already deployed from the infancy of the Lu family's eldest son."

"Which means there was no predecessor... the person who lived in this world for over fifty years was always me—the host."

Lu Wei released Liu Hu, letting the emaciated, lifeless body slide onto the bedding, and let out a hearty laugh.

So that was it... so that was it!

No wonder he had seamlessly inherited the martial arts and military acumen of his predecessor, no wonder he adapted so well to this ancient world, and no wonder he resonated emotionally with him... so that was it!

His memories had been erased, and he had lived in this world from infancy for twenty-six years. Then, at twenty-six, when he was intent on dying, the system restored all his memories and led him to mistakenly believe he had possessed someone else's body.

"No, 031, you're wrong." Lu Wei gradually stopped laughing. "That wasn't me."

Having lost all memory and personality, shattered and reshaped in this feudal dynasty—how could that possibly be him?

By the same token, he would never accept that Liu Hu was Qin Ge himself.

In his view, once memory and personality are lost, how can one still be considered the same person?

"In the next world, will I still be forced to exit within a set time because of his death?" Lu Wei reached out and slowly smoothed Liu Hu's graying hair.

"No," the system explained. "The first world used Qin Ge as a medium, so it was a special case."

"Moreover, since the host has collected energy from this world, the system will enable certain auxiliary functions for you. You can look forward to it."

Lu Wei narrowed his eyes.

Finally, he could be like a normal transmigrator and have a "cheat" ability.

The system had mentioned before that once enough energy was gathered, he could even become a legendary "god."

The system was untrustworthy, but it never lied; he was indeed starting to look forward to it.