Chapter 168: Hold On, Imperial Advisor! I, the Emperor, Have Recovered 5

Chapter 168: Wait, State Preceptor! I'm Cured 5

So that's how it was. Although the timeline of this world was similar to his previous life, the plot had unfolded entirely without his influence.

Third Young Master Lin died before reaching twenty, so naturally Qin Li never had the chance to reclaim his identity, let alone the storyline of him eventually becoming the villain.

This way, he didn't have to keep worrying about things completely unrelated to his current mission.

Although he'd told everyone he'd moved on, how could he truly let it go?

Seeing the Hundred Flowers Dew Qin Hanyue had given him that day sitting on the table, Lin Huaiqing didn't hesitate, opening the bottle and downing it in one gulp.

The moment it entered his mouth, Lin Huaiqing instantly felt his mouth and nose flooded with a rich fragrance.

A silky stream slid down his throat, cool and sweet, utterly irresistible.

Too bad there was only that one small sip.

Whether it was because the imperial garden had the widest variety of flowers, or because Qin Hanyue's cultivation was so advanced, this tiny bottle of Hundred Flowers Dew was the best thing he'd ever tasted.

Not only that—he'd had a headache from dealing with state affairs, but after drinking the dew, he felt completely refreshed and energized.

He could review memorials for another hour and not feel tired. It seemed he'd underestimated Qin Hanyue—the guy's gifts weren't so bad after all.

Maybe it was because taking gifts makes you feel obligated, or maybe because he'd been too harsh with Qin Hanyue earlier that day, Lin Huaiqing said he'd eaten too much at dinner and went out for a walk.

Yet somehow, his feet led him straight to Qin Hanyue's place in the palace—Penglai Pavilion.

Under the previous emperor, this had been the former State Preceptor's residence, called the Preceptor's Hall. After Qin Hanyue moved in, he thought the name was ugly and changed it to Penglai Pavilion.

It was named after the legendary Penglai Immortal Isle from the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*—a mythical paradise out at sea.

It seemed Qin Hanyue's mind was set on one thing only: ascending to immortality. Why else would he name his own home after that?

Now that he was right at the door, why did he suddenly want to turn around and leave?

Lin Huaiqing lingered at the entrance for a bit. Just as he was about to leave, a fierce gust of wind blew the gates wide open.

The sudden surprise made Lin Huaiqing jump, and he nearly cursed out loud.

A man's cool, low voice sounded right by his ear: "Since Your Majesty has come, please do come in."

He'd been caught. If he didn't go in now, he'd look like he was sneaking around.

"Wait here. I'll go in by myself." After giving his instructions, Lin Huaiqing entered Penglai Pavilion alone.

The moment he stepped inside, the door slammed shut behind him as if someone had shoved it. No doubt, it was another one of Qin Hanyue's little tricks.

He was probably secretly using his spiritual power right now to watch him freak out!

Boring! He'd pulled all these tricks himself ages ago.

"Your servant greets Your Majesty. What brings you here in the middle of the night?"

Before he even reached the building, Qin Hanyue appeared in the courtyard, looking like he had no intention of letting him in.

But who did Lin Huaiqing think he was? He was the emperor now—the highest authority in all of Yue Kingdom. He could go anywhere he damn well pleased!

Lin Huaiqing put on an arrogant air, brushed past Qin Hanyue, walked straight in, and sat down in the seat of honor.

"You're a cultivator, State Preceptor, so I figure you don't need sleep. Funny thing—I drank that Hundred Flowers Dew you sent me today, and now I'm full of energy, not sleepy at all. So I thought I'd drop by your place for a bit. You don't mind, do you?"

Qin Hanyue didn't get angry at his rudeness. If anything, he seemed pleased.

At least it meant his efforts hadn't been wasted. This was the first time Lin Huaiqing had ever come to see him on his own.

"Of course not. It's true I don't need sleep. But did Your Majesty really down the whole bottle of Hundred Flowers Dew in one go?"

Hearing this, Lin Huaiqing couldn't help but complain to himself:

That thing was such a tiny bottle—if he didn't drink it all, what was he supposed to save it for? Wasn't Qin Hanyue supposed to be some big-shot Transformation Realm cultivator? Why was he being so stingy?

"Yeah. It wasn't even half a mouthful—nowhere near enough." If only he could drink it like milk tea!

"I forgot to mention, Your Majesty, that the Hundred Flowers Dew is concentrated. Just one drop in your tea is enough. Since you drank the whole bottle, you probably won't be able to sleep for the next three days."

"What?! Why didn't you tell me earlier!" Lin Huaiqing was stunned. Why hadn't Qin Hanyue said something?! This concentrated dew was like espresso?!

So for the next three days, he'd be stuck at morning court and reviewing memorials all day with no sleep?!

This Qin Hanyue was definitely out to get him. He shouldn't have let his guard down and drunk that damn Hundred Flowers Dew.

Lin Huaiqing was stewing over being duped by Qin Hanyue, his mind racing with ways to get back at him.

Suddenly, someone grabbed his hand off the table with shocking force. He tried to pull it back but couldn't.

"What the hell are you doing?!" He'd seen through all of Qin Hanyue's seduction tricks—surely the guy wasn't about to force himself on him out of anger?

But instead, the man just held his wrist, not making another move, and pressed his fingers to it to check his pulse.

Oh, it was just taking his pulse. No need to make such a fuss...

Wait—his secret!

But his body suddenly felt completely controlled—he couldn't even blink, let alone pull his hand back.

It wasn't until half an incense stick's worth of time had passed that Qin Hanyue finally pulled his fingers away, and Lin Huaiqing slowly regained control of his body.

"Your Majesty's body really does have issues."

"You... who said you could force my pulse like that? You've overstepped!" Lin Huaiqing was so angry he was grinding his teeth. How could there be such a shameless cultivator?

He actually used a body-binding spell on a mortal!

"Have you been having soreness in your lower back and knees, weak legs, and feeling cold all the time? Even in... the bedroom..."

Luckily, Qin Hanyue didn't go on, or else Lin Huaiqing would have had him punished, cultivator or not.

"Your Majesty's condition might be caused by kidney deficiency."

"Bullshit!" Lin Huaiqing cursed back immediately, then thought better of it—that wasn't very imperial—so he added: "How dare you!"

Qin Hanyue didn't get mad at his outburst. After all, for any normal man, this kind of thing was a huge humiliation.

Let alone for the Supreme Emperor himself?

Qin Hanyue took a sip of tea and said, cool as can be: "But I can cure it."

"Then you're a miracle doctor! State Preceptor, can you really cure me?"

As they say, a wise man knows when to adapt. Since Qin Hanyue had already taken his pulse and, even though he only mentioned kidney deficiency, had clearly guessed the real issue.

Besides, in the original plot, Qin Hanyue had never sided with the Prime Minister. All he cared about was ascending—he had no interest in power or worldly matters.

So, to win him over, Qin Hanyue would definitely keep his secret, right?

Maybe he should just let this Transformation Realm big shot give it a shot. What if he could actually cure him?