Chapter 192: Hold On, Imperial Advisor! I, the Emperor, Have Recovered 29

Chapter 192: Wait, National Preceptor! I'm Cured 29

He remembered Yan Weiquan mentioning that there was only one elder living at the Jing Temple. Presumably, the man in front of him was the senior at the Nascent Soul stage.

Mindful of his position, Lin Huaiqing merely nodded to the elder. "Sorry to bother you, Daoist master."

The elder looked up, giving Lin Huaiqing only a cursory glance before fixing his gaze entirely on Qin Hanyue.

Perhaps it was the mutual recognition between cultivators, or perhaps because he couldn't discern Qin Hanyue's cultivation level, the two stared at each other for a moment.

"Your Majesty, please follow me. The room has already been prepared."

"Thank you..."

After passing through the mountain gate and walking a little farther, they soon arrived at the deity statue. It stood majestically atop Yunhe Mountain, solemn and imposing.

Beside the statue was the Jing Temple. The temple was fairly grand, large enough to accommodate the guards and servants accompanying him.

"Please, come in. This is where Your Majesty will rest. It's been a tiring journey, so I'll leave you to rest."

Only after the elder was gone did Lin Huaiqing finally relax. He kicked off his shoes, stripped off his robes, and climbed onto the bed.

Though the room was small, it had all the basics—tables, chairs, and even a meditation spot.

Moreover, the window of this room faced the statue head-on.

This made it convenient for generations of rulers to pay homage and pray to the statue from within the room.

"Qin Hanyue, aren't you tired standing there all tense? Go get some rest..."

The room the elder had arranged for Qin Hanyue was right next to his, with only a wall between them.

Qin Hanyue didn't rush to leave, instead saying in a cryptic tone: "Haven't you noticed? There's a weird smell here."

Lin Huaiqing quickly sniffed the air. "No, I don't smell anything. Maybe it's just a musty odor from sitting empty for so long."

"Perhaps you can't pick it up... For the next few days, Your Majesty must not leave my sight."

"Okay..." This time, Lin Huaiqing didn't push back and agreed without hesitation.

If Qin Hanyue said there was a problem here, then there was definitely something seriously wrong. Perhaps a bunch of cultivators were already lurking in the mountains, waiting for the chance to take his life.

What was eating and sleeping next to Qin Hanyue compared to losing his life?

It wasn't until evening that all the guards and servants from the palace were finally settled in the temple.

The imperial guards were assigned shifts by their commander, keeping watch around the clock within the temple. The imperial kitchen chefs handled meals for the whole crew.

Additionally, there were servants attending to the emperor personally, led by Yan Weiquan—ten in all, eunuchs and maids alike.

Beyond that were the shadow guards hidden in the dark, led by Xiao Xuan. They were dispersed both inside and outside the temple, concealed and ready to protect Lin Huaiqing at all times.

On the surface, such an elaborate setup seemed sufficient to ensure his safety.

But who knew how many dangers were truly hidden within the thousand acres of Yunhe Mountain?

After a tiring day, the evening meal contained not a trace of meat—even eggs were a luxury.

Lin Huaiqing was annoyed but couldn't say anything, since it was a rule left by the ancestors. He had to suck it up.

He downed a bowl of mixed vegetable soup, and though the imperial chefs' cooking was decent, without meat to accompany it, it was still hard to swallow.

Who could blame him? As a kid, he often went hungry, never seeing meat. Once he grew up and earned his own money, he became someone who couldn't do without meat or spice.

Lin Huaiqing irritably tore the leafy greens into pieces with his chopsticks in the bowl, his face as green as the vegetables, frowning deeply.

Qin Hanyue had already reached the Hua Zhen Realm, so theoretically he didn't need to eat, but Lin Huaiqing insisted he join him for a veggie meal.

In the end, Lin Huaiqing only took a few bites before stopping, looking miserable as he battled with the vegetable leaves in his bowl.

"If Your Majesty doesn't wish to eat, I have some hunger-suppressing pills here. After taking them, you won't feel hungry," Qin Hanyue said, pulling a bottle of pills from his sleeve.

He had prepared them just for Lin Huaiqing.

"I don't want them..."

"Then what do you want to eat, Your Majesty?"

The word "meat" stuck in his throat, and Lin Huaiqing still couldn't get it out.

After all, he was an emperor, not a child—how could he let others know he was a picky eater?

"Yan Weiquan, take the dishes away!"

"At once, Your Majesty."

The next morning was the main day for the ceremony to honor heaven. Lin Huaiqing was again woken at dawn by Yan Weiquan, made to kowtow and bow before the statue, and recite a string of tongue-twisting incantations.

After a long, exhausting day, there wasn't a single part of him—neck, waist, or legs—that didn't ache.

Back in his room, he had to have Qin Hanyue massage him before he felt any relief.

"Qin Hanyue, do you think Zhao Ge is ever going to make a move? It's almost the third day now, and there's still nothing."

"He's probably already here. Just waiting for the right opportunity. Your Majesty must keep your guard up."

Before Qin Hanyue could finish his warning, he looked down and saw that Lin Huaiqing had already fallen asleep on his stomach.

It seemed the Little Emperor was truly exhausted today. He should let him get some good rest.

The bed in Lin Huaiqing's room was too small. The past two nights they had squeezed together, and Lin Huaiqing hadn't slept well.

This time, Qin Hanyue simply carried his own quilt over to Lin Huaiqing's room and set up a bed on the floor beside Lin Huaiqing's bed.

It didn't matter, though—he didn't actually need to sleep, just needed a spot to meditate and cultivate.

Qin Hanyue sat cross-legged on the floor, settled his breath into his dantian, and circulated his qi through his body, letting spiritual power flow naturally through every part of him.

The recent soul cultivation sessions with Lin Huaiqing had not only benefited Lin Huaiqing but had also significantly advanced his own cultivation.

Truly, he was the cultivation partner most compatible with him. Even just soul cultivation gave fast results—if he could actually engage in Dual Cultivation with Lin Huaiqing, he would likely be close to a breakthrough.

Unfortunately, although Lin Huaiqing had reached the Golden Core stage, he still hadn't found the right moment.

His main concern was that Lin Huaiqing would be unwilling. After all, as a man and a sovereign ruler, how could he stoop to being on the bottom?

Every time he meditated and thought of these things, Qin Hanyue would become restless, his mind drifting.

Just as his thoughts wandered, the sound of rushed footsteps abruptly broke the silence of the night.

Almost instantly, Qin Hanyue opened his eyes, and a man dressed in the same Daoist robe appeared in the room.

And this man, as it happened, he knew well—he was his enemy in the cultivation world, the Sect Master of the most convoluted of the hundred immortal sects, the Baqi Sect—Ren Jiuxiao.

Eighty years ago, at the Grand Competition of Immortal Sects, in the final round, Qin Hanyue had easily taken down Ren Jiuxiao within ten moves, who'd clawed his way past everyone to get there, and claimed the championship.

Since then, Ren Jiuxiao had seen him as a thorn in his side. That made the Tianyan Sect and the Baqi Sect bitter rivals.

Every time these two showed up together, the cultivation world was in for chaos.

He never thought Zhao Ge could actually get Ren Jiuxiao to come fight for him.

"Long time no see, Sect Master Ren."

Ren Jiuxiao didn't hold back either. "I heard in the cultivation world that Elder Qin, instead of keeping his ass on the mountain, had come to the Yue Kingdom to serve as a dog for mortals. So I made a special trip to see for myself."