Chapter 58 I'm going to jump into the well? No, the system is going to confess!

Li Muyan and Eunuch Gao were driven away by Yun Zhan with shouts and curses.

The backyard fell silent again, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind and the faint, suppressed coughing sounds coming from the front hall.

Yun Zhan stood there, his chest still heaving from the excitement. His tears had dried, leaving tight marks on his face. Unlike usual, he didn't let the matter go, but instead walked silently step by step to the well in the corner of the courtyard.

He first sat down against the edge of the well, head down, seemingly lost in thought.

Seeing his distraught state, System Xiaoqi assumed he was going through another bout of emotional distress and tried to soothe him in its usual tone: "Host, what's done is done, you don't need to blame yourself too much. Lord Li and Eunuch Gao were also acting out of loyalty..."

Before it could finish speaking, Yun Zhan interrupted it.

"Xiao Qi." Yun Zhan's voice was very calm, unusually so.

[I'm here, host.]

“Tell me,” Yun Zhan looked up, his gaze unfocused as he stared into the void, “if I jump from here, will I instantly be transported back to the modern world? Or… will I just die, ending it all?”

Xiao Qi's ball of light shuddered suddenly in her sea of ​​consciousness! [Host! Please don't do anything rash! Life is precious! Transmigration is no easy feat! We still need to earn points to pay off our debts... no, we still need to help the world and save lives!]

Yun Zhan ignored its joking around. He slowly stood up, dusted off his bottom, and then... stepped onto the loose stone slab on the edge of the well!

The stone slab wobbled under his foot, making a soft "creaking" sound.

Xiao Qi was so frightened that even her electronic voice distorted! [Host! Host, calm down! Get down! This is no joke! What are you up to now?!]

Yun Zhan sneered, pressing down harder with his foot, making the stone slab shake even more violently: "What kind of show do I want to put on? Shouldn't I be asking you what kind of show you're putting on, Xiao Qi?"

Xiao Qi: […Host, what do you mean? I don’t understand…] Its light cluster flickered wildly, and the data stream was a complete mess.

"Don't you understand?" Yun Zhan's voice was icy. "From the moment I left the palace, everything went by too smoothly. The guards were lax, the palace gates were open, and even Eunuch Gao was easily released to return to my side. Given how obsessed Yan Linye is with me, how could he let me go so easily? Even if he initially sent two teams out of the city to search, just to lull me into a false sense of security, it's been two months now. The capital isn't that big; how could he not find me?"

He paused, then continued coldly, "And then there's my clinic. Yes, I wanted to make some money and points from the plague. But don't you find it strange? With the epidemic so severe in the capital, my 'Yun'an Hall' is practically the only clinic in the southern city that can still operate normally and even has a good reputation. There's no way this news wouldn't have reached the palace. With Yan Linye's methods and control, how could he not have noticed this?"

The more Yun Zhan spoke, the clearer his thoughts became, and the colder his tone grew: "Unless, all of this is under his control. Unless, he already knew where I was and what I was doing. Perhaps... he even knows everything about your existence!"

Xiaoqi's ball of light froze instantly, its radiance dimming slightly. It hadn't expected that its host, who usually seemed carefree and only knew how to complain and lie low, would actually be so quick-witted when she got serious!

[Host, you're overthinking it... How could this be...] It was still making its last struggle, its voice extremely weak.

"I'm overthinking it?" Yun Zhan scoffed, making a move to jump into the dark well. "Fine, I'll jump in and see! Let's see if Yan Linye shows up after I die! Let's see if your system will go down with me!"

"No! Don't jump! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!!" Little Seven was terrified (if it had a soul), and emitted a series of sharp electronic alarms! It had no doubt that, in its current state, its host was capable of doing something as unconventional as jumping into a well! It certainly didn't have the ability to pull someone out of the well!

Yun Zhan stopped moving, one foot still dangling above the well opening, and coldly uttered two words: "Speak."

Xiao Qi's ball of light lay limp in her sea of ​​consciousness, like a puddle of melted electronic mud, weakly asking: "...Host, when...when exactly did you begin to have doubts?"

Yun Zhan withdrew his foot and sat firmly back down on the edge of the well, his tone tinged with self-deprecation: "I'm too lazy to think, but I'm not stupid. From the moment I left the palace, I felt something was wrong. It's just that I was unwilling to think about it deeply before, or rather, I didn't dare to think about it deeply." He paused and said in a low voice, "I would rather believe that he was just being soft-hearted, or that I had fooled him... But now, I can't fool myself anymore."

Hearing the bitter tone in its host's voice, Xiaoqi felt a pang of unease. It sighed (in a simulated way), knowing it could no longer hide the truth. The big boss's threat was indeed terrifying, but if its host were to commit suicide, it would immediately be destroyed along with him.

[Alright... Host, what do you want to ask?] It resigned itself to its fate.

Yun Zhan took a deep breath and asked the most crucial question: "First, did Yan Linye discover your existence a long time ago?"

Xiaoqi: [...Yes.]

"Secondly, what exactly was the deal between you and him? Why did he agree to let me leave the palace?"

Xiao Qi's ball of light trembled slightly, and she stammered, "[There... there wasn't really any deal... it's just... the boss... he knew you wanted to leave, so he... he just went along with it...]"

"Go with the flow?" Yun Zhan's eyes sharpened. "Then you'll stay by my side, continuing to monitor my every move and report to him at any time, right?"

Xiaoqi: 【！！！】Host, how did you even guess this?! It was so scared it almost crashed!

Seeing the system's reaction, Yun Zhan knew he had guessed correctly. A chill ran through him, followed by a strange pang of sorrow. Sure enough… his so-called "freedom" had always been under that man's control.

He suppressed his surging emotions and asked the last question, the one that concerned him the most: "Yan Linye is the chosen one of this world. Logically speaking, with the protection of Heaven, even if there is a plague, it shouldn't be this severe, and he shouldn't be burdened with the infamous reputation of 'absorbing the luck of others.' Did... he pay some price? Was it because of... me?"

Xiao Qi fell silent. This question touched upon the most crucial secret, one that Yan Linye had strictly forbidden it from revealing.

Yun Zhan didn't urge it, but just quietly looked at the well, as if ready to complete the unfinished leap at any moment.

Seeing its host's resolute stance, Xiaoqi's core code struggled to its limit. Ultimately, the fear of its host potentially "self-destructing" outweighed its fear of the powerful figure. It closed its eyes (if it had any) and blurted everything out:

[Yes... the big boss... forcibly gave you half of his destiny and fortune in order to save you...]

Yun Zhan's pupils suddenly contracted!

Xiao Qi continued, speaking rapidly, as if afraid she would regret it: "Because you are destined to be a 'discarded pawn of the plane,' you are doomed to die. Only by absorbing his destiny and fortune can you possibly deceive the rules of the plane and survive… But in doing so, his own fortune is damaged, and he cannot completely suppress the misfortune that should have been borne by you. That's why this plague is so fierce, and why those rumors are so rampant… He released you from the palace partly to make you happy, and partly… probably also to see if, after knowing everything, you would… willingly return to his side…"

It omitted the part about being an "emotional system" and only talked about the most important things.

Yun Zhan froze after hearing this.

He sat blankly on the edge of the well, as if he had turned into a stone statue.

Half of destiny and fortune...

To save him... that man actually gave away half of his own destiny, the foundation of his existence and the protection of the nation, to this "abandoned child of the plane"?

Therefore, the root cause of this plague that swept the world, those malicious rumors, and those opportunistic rebellions... all lies with him, Yun Zhan.

It wasn't Yan Linye who took the blame for him, but Yun Zhan who personally brought misfortune and disaster to Yan Linye and the dynasty he had painstakingly built.

The immense shock and unbearable guilt overwhelmed him instantly, like a tsunami. He felt breathless, as if countless needles were piercing his heart simultaneously, the pain so intense he almost curled up in agony.

What's so good about him? Cowardly, incompetent, afraid of death, and a liar... What is it about him that makes Yan Linye go to such lengths for him?

That idiot! The biggest idiot in the world!

Yun Zhan suddenly jumped off the edge of the well, and without saying a word, rushed back to his room in a daze, slamming the door shut.

He slowly slid down to sit on the ground in the corner, burying his face deeply in his knees.

He didn't cry out loud, but his shoulders were trembling violently. Xiao Qi's words echoed repeatedly in his mind—"Half of destiny's fortune," "To save you," "The misfortune was transferred"...

“Yan Linye…you idiot…fool…the biggest moron in the world…” He gritted his teeth, cursing under his breath, his voice choked with sobs, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face, quickly soaking his clothes. “Who asked you to save me…who cares about your luck…why did you give me your luck…what will you do with yourself…do you still want to be emperor…you’re so stupid…sob sob…”

He cursed incoherently and cried like a lost child. All his strength and pretense crumbled at that moment, leaving only boundless heartache, guilt, and a palpitation that even he couldn't explain.

Time passed, I don't know how much time went by.

A soft "click" sound.

The door latch was easily opened from the outside by something!

The door was gently pushed open.

A tall figure, shrouded in the night and exuding a cold, aloof aura, walked in against the faint light from outside the door.

Yun Zhan raised his head through teary eyes, and when he saw the person's face clearly, his eyes widened in shock, and he even forgot to cry.

Swallow...swallows approaching the wilderness?!

What is he doing here?! When did he arrive?!

Yan Linye looked at Yun Zhan, who was sitting on the ground, his eyes red and swollen from crying, and tears still clinging to his face. His heart felt like it was being ripped out. He quickly stepped forward, squatted down, and pulled Yun Zhan into a tight embrace without saying a word.

"Don't cry..." His voice was low and hoarse, filled with undisguised heartache. He carefully wiped away Yun Zhan's tears with his fingertips, his movements as gentle as if he were handling a rare treasure.

Yun Zhan was held in his arms and smelled his familiar scent. He froze for a few seconds, then a huge wave of grievance and fear washed over him, and he burst into tears!

He cried as he swung his fist and weakly pounded on Yan Linye's solid chest.

"You bastard... idiot... who let you come... who let you share your fortune with me... did you even ask for my permission... sob... what will you do now that you've given me your fortune... what will happen to the world... are you stupid or what..."

Yan Linye let him hit him, only holding him tighter, as if he wanted to meld him into his own bones and blood. He lowered his head, gently resting his chin on the top of Yun Zhan's head, feeling the real warmth and sobs of the person in his arms. The heart that had been hanging in suspense finally slowly settled back down.

He listened to Yun Zhan's tearful and incoherent scolding, but couldn't help but smile slightly.

His Yun Zhan felt sorry for him.

“Yun Zhan,” he said softly, his voice carrying an undeniable firmness and profound tenderness, “I’m not stupid.”

He cupped Yun Zhan's tear-streaked face, forcing him to look into his eyes, and said clearly, word by word:

"Without you, what meaning would my world hold?"

"Can you really bear to see me become a soulless...walking corpse who only knows how to govern the world?"

Looking into his deep eyes, filled with an almost overwhelming affection and seriousness, Yun Zhan felt all her sobs and scolding stuck in her throat.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found himself unable to utter a single word. Only tears flowed down his face even more profusely.

Seeing him like this, Yan Linye felt both heartache and helplessness. He could only hug him tightly again and gently pat his back, as if comforting a child who had suffered a lot of grievances.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

"Leave everything to me."