Chapter 104: Phoenix Clan’s Secret Art

Chapter 104: The Secret Art of the Phoenix Clan

Late at night, Shen Yu drank in his office for the first time.

Yuan Kai had already brought him quite a few bottles, and seeing another one about to run dry, he finally spoke up: "General, you should drink less."

Shen Yu slammed his bottle down hard on the table, remaining silent.

He didn't know if he was drunk or not; he only knew his mind was a mess right now.

War, the people, Bai Yeye, Bai Yuanzhou—these words kept jumping around in his head, and he had no idea which to tackle first.

"General, please get some rest. If not for yourself, then for Yeye's sake. Don't torment yourself like this." It pained Yuan Kai to watch him. He used to think nothing could crush Shen Yu, but now he realized Shen Yu was only human.

The sad part was, even on the verge of a breakdown, he couldn't let it out. All he could do was drown it in silence.

"I'm fine. Go get some rest. I need a minute to clear my head."

"General..."

"Yuan Kai, please step out. I'll talk with him." Xie Yongyun's voice came from behind him.

Yuan Kai looked at him, surprised. "Why are you back?"

Xie Yongyun waved a hand, signaling for him to step out.

Yuan Kai could only nod and close the door on his way out.

Xie Yongyun came up behind Shen Yu and massaged his knotted shoulders and neck.

"You've been carrying a lot lately."

Shen Yu only dared to show his broken side in front of him: "Father, I let you down."

He'd failed to protect everyone—failed to protect the people he cared about.

Xie Yongyun held his hand: "Don't talk nonsense. You've always been your father's pride."

"Yuanzhou... and Yeye..." Shen Yu's throat tightened. He reached for the liquor to wash it down, but Xie Yongyun stopped him.

"You've done everything you could. Stop beating yourself up. Most things are handled now. All you have to do is find Wu Xiu, and it'll be fine."

"But I can't find him!" Shen Yu's voice suddenly cracked. No one wanted to find Wu Xiu more than he did. But Wu Xiu had vanished into thin air—no matter how hard he looked, he was nowhere to be found.

"Ayu..." Xie Yongyun's heart ached for him.

Realizing he might have scared his father, Shen Yu leaned back in his chair and went quiet for a long time.

Xie Yongyun stayed quietly by his side, letting him heal on his own.

After what felt like forever, Shen Yu opened his eyes: "Father, why are you back?"

Wasn't he supposed to be in Romar with Bai Ningxin right now?

Xie Yongyun wiped the tears from his eyes: "I couldn't stay. It hurt too much."

He'd rather Bai Ningxin yell at him and throw punches like before than see him like this.

Every time he got near Bai Ningxin, he felt like crying. And when he cried, it set Bai Ningxin off too. In the end, he chose to leave and let Long Shen stay with him instead.

"Will Uncle Bai get better?"

"Maybe, but no one knows how long it'll take."

The doctors said it could be a few months, a few years, or even a decade.

Shen Yu closed his eyes again. "Once this is over, have Yeye go back and keep him company."

Xie Yongyun hugged him. "Mm, good boy. Get some rest, okay?"

"Okay." Shen Yu obediently lay down.

Xie Yongyun tucked him in and sat by his bedside like he used to when Shen Yu was a kid, only turning off the lights and slipping out once he was asleep.

"How's he doing?" Shen Cun had been waiting outside the entire time.

Xie Yongyun shook his head: "Not good. He's too wound up."

Others might see it as responsibility, but as fathers, they just wished he'd go easier on himself.

Shen Cun didn't know what to say, so he just held his lover gently.

"For the kids, for Xinxin, I have to do something." Xie Yongyun looked at Shen Cun seriously.

Shen Cun understood what he meant but didn't agree: "It'll hurt you, and it might not even work."

"Whether it works or not, I have to try. Either you watch me do it, or you go rest and I'll do it by myself." Once Xie Yongyun set his mind to something, Shen Cun couldn't stop him.

"...Fine, but I'm staying with you. If I have to, I'll make you stop."

"Mm."

Xie Yongyun and Shen Cun went back to their old home. At dawn, Xie Yongyun retrieved what he needed from the secret room, set everything in its proper place, and knelt in the morning light.

After quietly murmuring his wish, he took a dagger and slashed his arm. Bright red blood ran down his arm into the glass basin in front of him.

Shen Cun squeezed his eyes shut.

This was a secret art of the Phoenix Clan, akin to divination. When enough blood was gathered, the answer to the prayer might appear.

Because the backlash was too severe and the success rate wasn't high, Xie Yongyun had never been willing to teach it to his two children.

As time passed second by second, Xie Yongyun's wound could no longer seep blood, so he unhesitatingly cut deeper.

"Yong Yun!" Shen Cun tried to stop him.

Xie Yongyun said in a low voice: "Shut up. We're at this point now—don't make me fail at the last step."

Shen Cun's hands clenched into fists, his chest heaving violently.

Finally, when the glass basin was filled with Xie Yongyun's blood, blood spilled from his mouth, but a smile appeared on his face.

The backlash had arrived, and so had the answer.

It was a place they didn't recognize, but just because they didn't recognize it didn't mean Shen Yu wouldn't.

Shen Cun held his body tightly, wanting to check on his condition. But Xie Yongyun pushed him away: "Don't worry about me! Write down the place shown here and take it to Ayu! Go now!"

Shen Cun gritted his teeth, photographed the scene appearing in the glass basin, and rushed to the base to give it to Shen Yu.

After he left, Xie Yongyun lay weakly on the ground. Though her body ached, her heart was filled with joy.

This was as good as dying once for Bai Ningxin. In the future, when Shen Yu married Bai Yeye, Bai Ningxin wouldn't let him die.

Shen Cun stormed into the base, barging into Shen Yu's office without so much as a greeting.

Shen Yu, nursing a hangover headache, shot up when he saw Shen Cun's face: "What's wrong? Who's in trouble?"

He'd been on edge lately—seeing anyone like that made him panic.

Shen Cun showed him the photos he'd just taken: "Do you know where this place is?"

"A secret room in the imperial palace." Shen Yu recognized it at a glance, because the patterns on the walls were exclusive to the Lex Palace, but which specific room it was would require searching.

Shen Cun slammed the table in anger: "Grab some men and surround the palace right away—Wu Xiu is hiding there!"

Damn it, indeed the most dangerous place was the safest. Since the palace had long been under their control, they'd never considered that Wu Xiu would dare to flee back there! Right under their noses, causing trouble!

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