Chapter 176: Hold On, Imperial Advisor! I, the Emperor, Have Recovered 13

Chapter 176: Wait, Imperial Preceptor! I'm Cured 13

"Is that so? If that's really the case, then what's your purpose in getting close to me, Imperial Preceptor?"

This time, he finally asked. He didn't want to keep muddling through like this anymore. Might as well get it all out in the open today.

"Your Majesty?"

Qin Hanyue was stunned by how fast Lin Huaiqing's attitude had flipped. Just a moment ago, he was carefully tending to his wound, and the next, his demeanor had suddenly changed.

"I merely wish to fulfill my duties as Imperial Preceptor."

"No, Qin Hanyue. What you've done goes far beyond the duties of an Imperial Preceptor. Go on, then. What's your real reason for getting close to me?"

If Qin Hanyue dared to say it, Lin Huaiqing would at least respect his honesty. But if things continued to stay so unclear, he truly couldn't take it anymore.

He only wanted to do everything in his power to hold onto the throne, eliminate all forces that opposed him, and lead Great Yue toward prosperity.

He didn't want to be played for a fool—body, heart, and soul—only to end up losing his life and being used as a stepping stone for some cultivator's ascension.

Qin Hanyue's eyes seemed somewhat hurt, those glistening eyes looking at him all innocent and confused.

Like he was just being paranoid.

Man, he could really act.

Qin Hanyue didn't answer. The silence stretched on.

"Forget it. If you don't want to say, then don't. I need to rest. You may leave." Lin Huaiqing's tone went ice-cold as he waved his hand, about to send Qin Hanyue away.

It seemed he was still too naive. There was no way Qin Hanyue would ever reveal his true intentions—unless he'd lost his mind.

The room fell into a terrifying silence, so quiet you couldn't even hear a footstep.

"Why are you still..." Lin Huaiqing looked up and found that Qin Hanyue had already vanished. He'd already teleported away while Lin Huaiqing wasn't looking.

Looking at the corpse lying on the ground and the shattered screen, Lin Huaiqing felt another headache coming on.

Although he was an emperor, having a corpse killed by sorcery suddenly show up in his own bedchamber—within this vast palace, it would still point right at him.

Honestly, he didn't trust a single one of the eunuchs in his chambers. Apart from Yan Weiquan, at least a few of them were surely spies for other people.

He had just driven Qin Hanyue away, so he couldn't exactly call him back to handle the body.

So what was he supposed to do?

Oh! Right! How could he forget about him?

Lin Huaiqing opened the window, stuck his head out, and whispered softly, "Xiao Xuan?"

It was the dead of night, and Lin Huaiqing even doubted whether the man would still be there at this hour.

But the next second, a dark figure materialized right in front of him, kneeling on one knee:

"Your subordinate greets you, Master. What are your orders?"

Looking at the man kneeling before him, Lin Huaiqing felt a mix of relief and curiosity.

Xiao Xuan was one of the shadow guards secretly trained by the original Lin Huaiqing's father. As the Seventh Prince, Lin Huaiqing wasn't favored by the late emperor, but the emperor still gifted him the best shadow guard from the shadow guard corps upon his coming of age.

Shadow guards personally trained by the royal family were a cut above ordinary guards, naturally. In the original plot, Xiao Xuan had successfully saved the original owner multiple times during assassination attempts orchestrated by Zhao Ge.

Xiao Xuan was the original owner's last lifeline. Unfortunately, before the original owner was killed by Qin Hanyue to sever his worldly attachments and ascend, Xiao Xuan fought desperately to resist, but he was ultimately just a mortal—and was basically taken out by Qin Hanyue without much of a fight.

Poor guy, honestly.

"Were you hiding on the roof this whole time?"

"Yes. Your subordinate didn't dare leave his post."

So he must have seen Qin Hanyue come into Lin Huaiqing's chambers. But he trusted Xiao Xuan wouldn't go blabbing about it.

"Can you quietly get rid of the body by the bed for me?"

"As you command!"

Almost immediately, Xiao Xuan hoisted the corpse onto his back and vanished into the palace night. He even wiped the bloodstains off the floor clean, as if nothing had ever happened.

As for the folding screen...

Lin Huaiqing carefully picked the blade fragments out one by one, wrapped them up, and planned to give them to Xiao Xuan to get rid of later.

When dawn broke, he would have the palace logistics office send someone to replace the screen with a new one.

Before daybreak, Xiao Xuan came back to report that it was done. When Lin Huaiqing handed the blade fragments to Xiao Xuan, he noticed the man's face was covered in dirt and grime, like a dirty little cat.

"What happened to you?" Lin Huaiqing reached out his hand, intending to wipe the marks off his face, but Xiao Xuan stepped back to avoid him.

The fear in Xiao Xuan's eyes startled even Lin Huaiqing.

What was this? Was he really that afraid of him? It wasn't like he was some kind of monster.

"Master! Did I do something wrong?"

Lin Huaiqing was caught off guard by the question.

"Huh? No, of course not. You did great. Did you bury the body outside the city?"

Xiao Xuan flinched a little, and only when he was sure Lin Huaiqing wasn't going to punish him did he relax a little.

"Yes... Your subordinate has already buried it. No one will ever find it."

Lin Huaiqing noticed how weirdly Xiao Xuan was acting and was deeply puzzled.

Wasn't Xiao Xuan the original owner's right-hand man? Why was he so afraid of him?

He had to figure this out.

Lin Huaiqing put on what he thought was a bright, friendly smile and said to Xiao Xuan, "Xiao Xuan, come closer."

Little did he know, such a bright smile only made Xiao Xuan's hair stand on end—more terrifying than a vengeful ghost coming to claim his life.

But right now, he absolutely couldn't back away. If he let Lin Huaiqing see even a hint of reluctance, who knew what kind of torture he'd have to endure again.

Xiao Xuan could only edge forward cautiously, eyes lowered, not daring to look up. He didn't dare show any sign of pulling back.

With a look like he was walking to his death, anyone would think he was being sent off to war.

Filled with confusion, Lin Huaiqing grabbed Xiao Xuan's arm and yanked his dark robe up.

An arm laced with crisscrossing whip scars was suddenly exposed in the candlelight. The sight made Lin Huaiqing suck in a sharp breath.

The other arm was in the same condition.

And from the look of it, these were fresh wounds—new scars crisscrossing old ones, with not a single patch of healthy skin left.

If his arms were this bad, then his chest...

Ignoring Xiao Xuan's weak resistance, Lin Huaiqing yanked open the clothes over his chest, and sure enough, his chest was covered in whip marks too—there was even a brand in one spot.

Lin Huaiqing couldn't tell if this was the standard brand for shadow guards or something added later, but either way, it was a horrifying sight.

Almost as if possessed, Lin Huaiqing reached out and laid his hand over the scarred brand, tracing it gently.

As if he could feel the pain this body had suffered when the brand was seared on.

Xiao Xuan's strikingly handsome brows were knitted tight.

He didn't know what he'd done this time to displease his master. What new torment was his master cooking up for him now?

"Don't... don't touch there." Xiao Xuan let out a soft whimper, unable to bear the agonizing sensation of being slowly tortured. He'd rather his master just finish it quickly like usual.

Hearing Xiao Xuan's pained groan, Lin Huaiqing quickly withdrew his hand and apologized, "Does it still hurt? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."