Chapter 78 The real show is about to begin.

"Sister, sister?" Lu Xiaojun gently punched Lu Chaoge's shoulder and whispered in her ear, "This person is so handsome, sister?"

He had long heard of Lu Chaoge's unparalleled sword-forging skills, so he came to Tianhu Workshop to ask for a precious sword personally forged by Lu Chaoge. Lu Xiaojun burst out laughing when she heard this, and her sister secretly pinched her butt, making her wince in pain.

"A sword forged by my sister's own hand? Lu Chaoge is famous throughout the land, and countless people come to him every day seeking swords and guidance. What is so special about this person that he wants to win my sister's favor?" Lu Xiaoyun made a face at him and said, "Go away."

Lu Xiaojun wanted to hear how her sister would reject this man, but her sister put him down and told him to go to the foundry to play with Guan Xiaotian.

"Sister," Lu Xiaojun said irritably, "Master Guan doesn't pay any attention to people when he's working."

"Then go find A-Jing." Lu Chaoge stared intently at the stranger.

"A-Jing and Father have left the city." Lu Xiaojun grew increasingly unhappy. "You were the one who saw them off this morning, don't you remember?"

"Then you..." Lu Chaoge said impatiently, "Did you read the 'Casting Classic' today? Go read it."

Lu Xiaojun was most attached to her older sister, but also most afraid of her. She kept turning back to look at him, getting angrier and angrier as she walked. She couldn't help but turn back to look at the man again, knowing that her sister was going to teach him a lesson, and she was afraid of offending her eyes.

She thought that this person, like those visitors who came from afar, would never be seen again in this lifetime, but who knew... Lu Xiaojun saw him again.

"Sister, you've gone the wrong way." Lu Xiaojun tugged at her sister's hand and pointed to the other side, saying, "The place to eat fruit is over there."

"Eat, eat, all you ever think about is eating." Lu Chaoge lightly poked his forehead. "We're not going to Ma Yanyu's house today. I'll take you somewhere else."

"But you told Dad you'd take me to eat fruit." Lu Xiaojun revealed a childlike slyness. "Sister lied."

"Eating fruit, not fruit from the Ma family, which word of mine is a lie?" Lu Chaoge pinched his cheek. "You little rascal, you dare to poke me?"

That day, Lu Xiaojun ate the most delicious fruit he had ever tasted. Unlike the fresh fruit from the Ma family, the fruit that person brought was soaked in honey. It was soft, sweet, and glutinous with every bite. Lu Xiaojun's eyes lit up after just one bite. The person smiled gently and gave him a jar. He held it and ate it outside for a long time, until it got dark and his teeth started to ache. Only then did his sister and the person come out hand in hand. Seeing Lu Xiaojun staring at him with wide eyes, Lu Chaoge didn't hesitate and smiled at the person, saying, "My younger brother, Lu Xiaojun, is the precious darling of the Lu family."

"—The Lu family's most precious treasure, isn't it you?" The man had a jade-like appearance, and his eyebrows and eyelashes were like wisps of smoke.

Lu Chaoge smiled and said, "He is my most beloved younger brother. He is my only younger brother."

Lu Xiaojun didn't particularly like this person, but since she had eaten so many of their honeyed fruits, she couldn't be rude. Lu Xiaojun grinned and pointed to her tooth, "Sister, I ate too much, my tooth hurts."

"Serves you right." Lu Chaoge pried open her brother's mouth. "What others can eat for a month, you can eat in half a day. You deserve to have a mouthful of rotten teeth and won't be able to eat anything when you're old."

The dignified man laughed and patted Lu Xiaojun's head, saying, "You like it. Next time, I'll bring you another kind to try. It's called honey lychee, and it tastes even better."

"Honey lychee?" Lu Xiaojun had never heard of it before. She blinked and nodded at him.

"Xiaojun is naughty, please don't take offense." Lu Chaoge took her younger brother's hand. "Let's go, let's go back."

"Your brother is just like you, a rare talent, a gem in the world." The man looked at Lu Chaoge again, his eyes filled with reluctance.

"Sister, sister?" Lu Xiaojun shook her hand. "Let's go back."

Lu Chaoge snapped out of her daze, took a few steps, and then turned back to look. Lu Xiaojun also turned back and saw that the man's eyes reflected her sister's beautiful figure. His gaze was intense, and his smile was cheerful. When he looked up at her sister, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her cheeks flushed. The two stared straight at each other, their eyes filled with affection that surged like the sea.

If Lu Xiaojun couldn't see it, then she wouldn't be Lu Chaoge's most beloved younger brother.

"—Has the young master remembered this person?"

Cui Jin's voice was like a thunderclap, jolting Wan Qixi out of his reverie. Wan Qixi turned around, sword in hand, facing Cui Jin's unreadable expression. "Since the Imperial Advisor also knows this person, why ask me? How old was I back then? Even if I remembered, how much could I possibly remember?"

The Lu Xiaoyun who appears in Rongdu today is no longer the naive child who followed her sister twenty years ago. More than ten years ago, Cui Jin returned to the fishing village and saw Lu Xiaoyun. At that time, he had grown into a teenager, his eyes full of joy at the long-awaited reunion and his dependence on A Jing. Today, when they meet again, Lu Xiaoyun is quite shrewd and knows how to navigate various places with ease. Facing Cui Jin, she clearly has secrets she does not want to tell him.

Cui Jin, unwilling to ask any more questions, swept aside his robes and turned away.

"Stay in Rongdu, and the real show is about to begin."

Wan Qixi concealed his sword and disappeared into the pitch-black night.

Chengen Hall of the Imperial Palace

Since Mei Shiyu left, Mu Chenbi has been preoccupied with the matter of the counterfeit copper coins. He felt that he should report it to his father as soon as possible to put his mind at ease. Luo Yichen had seen Cui Jin outside Chengen Hall, so it seemed that his father would be spending the night there again.

Cheng'en Hall was a place Mu Chenbi had never set foot in. The palace was vast, and Mu Chenbi had never been to every corner of it in his life. However, Cheng'en Hall was right next to the Imperial Study. He passed by it every day but never went in. Not only him, but besides his father, only his mother and a few eunuchs went in and out of the palace to manage things. When Mu Chenbi was young, he had been curious about the existence of this hall. His mother said that everyone has a past that they do not want others to explore. As a subject and a son, you should respect your father even more. The hardships of an emperor are beyond the knowledge of ordinary people. When you inherit the throne in the future, you will be able to feel the feelings of your father.

—There are no concubines or consorts in Cheng'en Palace. My father goes there every few days. What is there there?

—There was… A deep displeasure settled between her brows, which instantly transformed into the benevolent grace of an empress dowager; there was nothing there.

Outside Chengen Hall, Mu Chenbi had been pacing for a long time. Seeing the lights flickering inside the hall, and knowing that midnight was approaching, he wondered why his father had not yet rested. He heard a noise coming from inside the hall and looked up. He saw that it was the eunuch Chang Lu and walked over to him.

"Your Highness?" Chang Lu was also somewhat surprised to see Mu Chenbi. He glanced back at the lights in Cheng'en Hall and gestured for Mu Chenbi to come aside to talk. "Why are you here so late at night?"

"I have something to report to my father, but after thinking about it, I realized it's too late. I'll talk about it tomorrow... tomorrow."

Chang Lu nodded and said, "His Majesty hasn't been sleeping well lately. Even though the lights are still on in the palace, he's tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep. This old servant was thinking of sending someone to the Imperial Kitchen to cook a calming soup for His Majesty."

"Has something happened recently?" Mu Chenbi asked worriedly. "There's nothing major happening in the court..."

Chang Lu had been by Mu You's side for decades and knew him inside and out. He could see through Mu You's thoughts. Mu You had been acting strangely lately. Chang Lu felt that something was amiss, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. The court was stable and the harem was peaceful. What could possibly make an emperor who ruled the world toss and turn and lose sleep?

Staring at the all-too-familiar Mu Chenbi, Chang Lu's old eyes were cloudy, as if he was thinking about something.

"I haven't seen my father for a while, Eunuch Chang, has something happened?" Mu Chenbi asked again, bowing her head.

Chang Lu's frail body suddenly jolted. It was him! No wonder the man looked familiar. He wore a half-face gilded mask, and the right side looked familiar, like someone else. Chang Lu had seen him several times and felt like he had met him before, but he couldn't quite place it.

He remembered the man's name, Ajiu—he was Ajiu, a swordsman from Xingguo Ward.

"A-Jiu!" Chang Lu blurted out.

"What did you say?" Mu Chenbi didn't quite hear him.

Chang Lu suppressed the turmoil in his heart, "The Crown Prince hasn't been coming and going much lately. His Majesty has summoned the swordsmen from Xingguo Ward to the palace several times. The one who came was a swordsman named Ajiu."

—A-Jiu…it’s A-Jiu.

“That man,” Chang Lu pointed to his left cheek, “covers half his face with a mask, and each time he chats with the Emperor for half a day, having a very pleasant conversation. The Emperor seems to like him very much. Today, when he left, seeing that it was getting late, the Emperor even gave him a carriage to escort him out of the palace. Has Your Highness heard of Ajiu, the swordsman from Xingguo Ward?”

Not only had I heard… Mu Chenbi was startled. Guan Ye had mistaken him several times, which showed that this person named A Jiu looked extremely similar to her. They had passed each other in the Ghost Market, both wearing masks, but from a distance, this person’s figure was similar to hers. If he took off his mask, he would definitely look like the same person as her.

"You said I look like A-Jiu. So... when you see me, do you feel the same way you see him?"

Guan Ye said, "He is him, and you are you. Do you want to be someone else's shadow? Ajiu would never want to be someone else's shadow."

A chill ran through Mu Chenbi. His father had summoned Ajiu to the palace. Could it be that he saw Ajiu as himself... or... someone else's shadow...?

"Your Highness? Your Highness?" Chang Lu called out several times to the stunned Mu Chenbi.

Mu Chenbi snapped out of his daze, his expression revealing a hint of displeasure. Chang Lu noticed this and whispered, "Your Highness is usually very busy, but you should still spend more time with the Emperor." Chang Lu didn't know why he was saying these things to the Crown Prince, and he immediately felt something was off as soon as the words left his mouth.

"Thank you for the reminder, Eunuch Chang." Mu Chenbi looked up dejectedly. A palace without a concubine to house him, a favor no one wanted to receive. His father had trapped him within it—for what reason, for whom…?

—The hardships of being an emperor are beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. When you inherit the throne, you will be able to understand the feelings of your father.

Ajiu, Ajiu… Mu Chenbi murmured the name. It seemed it was time to meet you. Mu Chenbi took a deep breath, turned around, and strode away.

September 19th was an auspicious day that Cui Guoshi had calculated for Xingguofang. On this day, the furnace of Xingguofang was finally completed, and the fire that had been preserved for a hundred years would return to the heart of the furnace, burning endlessly for generations to come.

In the foundry, the furnace had been restored, and the flames roared, illuminating the spirited faces of everyone present. The blacksmiths and swordsmiths stood in neat rows, ready to go, awaiting only the workshop master's command. Pei Yuan surveyed the crowd; they had all followed his family for many years, spanning three generations on the island, each one utterly loyal and fearless, even unto death for Xingguo Workshop. Pei Yuan's heart surged with emotion, and a powerful fighting spirit suddenly arose within him to accomplish the great cause of his ancestors.

While tossing and turning last night, Pei Yuan asked himself: If time could turn back, and I could go back to the past, if I knew that the victor would be wiped out a hundred years later, would I still have fought hard to win that sword trial?

After figuring out the answer, Pei Yuan fell asleep peacefully—life is fleeting, like a white horse galloping past a crack in the wall. Everyone's end is just bones turning to sand. Since it's all a dead end anyway, it's not a waste to have lived a brilliant life.

The road ahead is uncertain, but it's better than living out his days in obscurity on Canglang Island. Pei Yuan is willing to take the gamble.