Chapter 261 The Martial World (Part 9)
Lu Lingjun returned because his elder brother's Daoist partner, the fox Gu Junsi who had been stealing his national robes, killed the Demon Lord Wu Yu of the Demon Realm and then led the Demon Army to conquer most of the Heavenly Realm.
Gu Yanjing had always felt that his elder brother had become quite weak and preferred to live off his wife since he was dethroned from the Heavenly Emperor's throne.
Damn it, his brother actually did the work of conquering the country himself, instead letting his wife do it.
This is something.
The Celestial Realm is in chaos, and the Phoenix Clan is also caught up in it. The clan leader has been away from the Celestial Realm for almost half his life, and the Phoenix Clan is now weak in the Celestial Realm. In this incident, Zhuo Yang, who had previously taken care of the Celestial Realm, was killed.
Without a powerful protector, the Phoenix Clan was almost bullied to death. Forced into a corner, they dug up the remains of the previous clan leader, which forced Lu Lingjun to return.
Since Lu Lingjun returned, he has been holding back a lot of anger, wanting to explode at any moment, but he has never been able to find the opportunity.
Now things are much better. Gu Yanjing has arrived, and his beloved Jiaojiao has spoken, so he has nothing to fear anymore.
There is always someone behind him, someone he can rely on.
"Your Majesty." Below the steps outside the palace, dozens of white-bearded old men dressed in golden feathers bowed to Lu Lingjun in unison, their expressions solemn.
The girl who had just run out was also there.
The girl's eyes were filled with tears, her stubbornness tinged with grievance, and she looked pitiful. She seemed to have a lot of drama going on, and she didn't even kneel down. She stood out from the crowd, as if she thought she was particularly attractive.
Lu Lingjun glanced at them and then looked away, his expression icy as he stared at the group of old men kneeling on the ground.
"What's up?"
The group of old men exchanged glances. Lu Lingjun didn't tell them to get up, and they didn't dare to get up either.
"Your Majesty, we have heard that His Majesty the Vermilion Bird has descended upon the Phoenix Clan."
"So what if it is?" Lu Lingjun's expression remained unchanged.
The group of old men couldn't quite figure out what Lu Lingjun was thinking, but remembering what had happened, they hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"His Majesty the Vermilion Bird is deeply attached to Your Majesty. Your Majesty almost died at His Majesty's hands. Now, Your Majesty should sever all ties with His Majesty the Vermilion Bird. Otherwise, Your Majesty's life may be in danger."
They couldn't believe that two people who were once enemies could now be so calm and loving as ever.
"Whether my name is in danger or not is none of your business. Besides, I finally managed to secure the position of Empress of the Vermilion Bird Palace. Why should I sever ties with the Vermilion Bird?"
Gu Yanjing is his bone, his blood. He has nothing left but Gu Yanjing.
If he lets go, then what else in this world will he have to hold onto?
"Your Majesty, please reconsider. His Majesty the Vermilion Bird has always only shown loyalty to His Majesty as ruler and subject..." The old men wanted to persuade her further, but they heard that the young girl could no longer contain herself.
"His Majesty the Vermilion Bird treats Your Majesty poorly, and Your Majesty does not like His Majesty the Vermilion Bird. Why then does Your Majesty still remain with His Majesty the Vermilion Bird?"
Listening to the girl's words, Lu Lingjun felt, for some reason, that the entire Heavenly Realm had a very deep misunderstanding of him and Zhuque.
"Who told you that I don't like the Vermilion Bird?"
He clearly adores Suzaku.
He disliked that Suzaku could willingly be beaten, and willingly give him half of his heart, just so that they could both survive, or even have a slight connection.
"I've heard from the elders that Your Majesty wasn't happy when you became the Vermilion Bird Emperor's playmate; you were only following Emperor Gu's orders. Your Majesty, Yu'er loves you, Yu'er is willing to serve Your Majesty, Yu'er..."
The girl looked at Lu Lingjun with great joy, hoping that he would see her heartfelt wish and respond to her.
Unexpectedly, Lu Lingjun interrupted her with a cold expression.
"Shut up." Lu Lingjun's heart was in his throat as he listened to these increasingly outrageous words.
Damn.
Gu Yanjing is still in the hall; if he hears this, he'll strangle him.
That's not right. He only got a suspended sentence and can only come out for a short while. He'll still get beaten up when he gets back.
Now that this woman has caused such a scene, a beating probably won't be enough; it'll likely take at least two.
"Your Majesty." Yu'er was startled and unconsciously burped.
"How dare you! You think you can covet me? You dare to compare yourself to the Vermilion Bird?"
Lu Lingjun felt that his words showed a strong desire to survive, but unexpectedly, a crimson flame still quickly engulfed Yu'er's face in the hall.
Yu'er screamed and tried to use magic to extinguish the flames that had already burned her body, but she did not expect that the Vermilion Bird Fire was so sticky that it burned her whole body in an instant, and she rolled on the ground in pain.
The old men on the side wanted to help, but they didn't expect that even their combined spells couldn't extinguish the Vermilion Bird Fire.
Lu Lingjun watched quietly, saying nothing, but also offered his help.
"Let him be burned to death. I heard that before those old men even thought of digging up his father's remains, it was this woman who came up with the idea."
His father and mother have been sleeping together underground for so long, and yet these people have gone back and disturbed them. They deserve to die.
A majestic voice echoed from within the hall.
"Anyone who speaks ill of this Emperor shall be sentenced to death."
Gu Yanjing did not show himself, but with a single move, he directly extinguished the old men's hopes of supporting another Phoenix Clan Empress.
The group of old men were so angry they almost vomited blood.
They never imagined that even after all this, with Emperor Gu Tian gone and the Vermilion Bird Palace changing hands, this Vermilion Bird Emperor would still be so arrogant and disdainful of everyone.
"His Majesty the Vermilion Bird has taken action against my Phoenix Clan, killing members of my Phoenix Clan. I'm afraid he doesn't take my Phoenix Clan seriously." The old men's faces were grim.
They had been plotting against Lu Lingjun for so long, and just when they thought they had a glimmer of hope, they were back to square one.
"What are you? You dare to look at me with disdain?" Gu Yanjing opened the palace door, looked at Yu'er, who had been burned to ashes on the ground, and sneered.
"Gu Yanjing, don't be so arrogant. Now that Emperor Gu is dead, no one can protect you anymore." When the old men saw Gu Yanjing come out, they were so frightened that they took three steps back.
After realizing what was happening, she immediately continued to glare fiercely at Gu Yanjing.
"Oh, protecting me? No wonder I can be so arrogant in the Heavenly Realm, it's not just because my brother is protecting me." Gu Yan glanced at the group of old men who didn't know what was going on.
A bunch of immortal old people who have lived for who knows how long, yet they're not as likable as the old men in the human world. They've lived so many lives in vain.
Lu Lingjun silently walked behind Gu Yanjing. He was clearly henpecked and had no sense of husbandly authority whatsoever.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, are you not going to do anything about it?" Several old men, driven by Gu Yan's shocking aura, knelt down again like dumplings being dropped into a pot, trembling as they begged Lu Lingjun for help.
Lu Lingjun stepped back two steps, bowed and cupped his hands to Gu Yanjing: "Your Majesty, Lingjun is also a subject of the Vermilion Bird Palace."
Gu Yanjing sneered: "Come in once you've dealt with it."
Ultimately, this was Lu Lingjun's problem, and he should have let Lu Lingjun handle it. He only intervened because he felt that these old men were really bullying Lu Lingjun, an honest man.
The old men: ...An honest man?
Gu Yanjing waited in the hall for another ten minutes or so, pondering which parts of the game Lu Lingjun had given him in the half-game they had just played.
Lu Lingjun pushed open the palace door and walked in without saying a word. He walked to Gu Yanjing's side and sat down on the ground next to Gu Yanjing without even bringing a chair. He rested his head on the red-clad young man's lap.
"Zhuque, I'm so tired." After a long while, Lu Lingjun finally spoke, his brows and eyes filled with a rare weariness.
The entire Phoenix Clan depends on him, so he dares not show any signs of fatigue.
Looking at the vulnerability in Qing's eyes, Gu Yanjing hesitated for some reason, and instead gently stroked Qing's brow instead of pushing her away.
She finally gave in to her soft heart.
"If you're tired, take a nap. I'll stay with you."
Gu Yanjing brushed aside the long hair on Qing's face and pressed it against Qing's forehead without knowing how hard it was.
Lu Lingjun couldn't help but wince in pain.
Gu Yanjing looked down at his fingertips: "Does it hurt?"
Lu Lingjun's voice trembled slightly: "A little."
Gu Yanjing fell silent and withdrew his hand.
It turns out that massage is not suitable for him.
"Jiaojiao." Lu Lingjun pulled that hand over, pressed it against his face, and fell asleep just like that.
He hadn't had a proper night's sleep since leaving Gu Yanjing. There were spies everywhere in this celestial realm, and he was exhausted.
Gu Yanjing watched Lu Lingjun sleeping without moving, but he didn't know if it was because Lu Lingjun was beside him or because the atmosphere in the hall was just too suitable for sleeping.
He dozed off, and soon after, he also fell asleep with his chin propped up on his hand.
Lu Lingjun, who had already fallen asleep, suddenly opened his eyes, looked up at the young man sleeping with his head down, and couldn't help but smile with delight.
He held the young girl's hand and carried her to his bed in his palace. The young girl didn't wake up, so he continued to hold her and sleep on the bed.
The two slept for a whole day, and the entire Phoenix Clan was turned upside down.
Lu Lingjun had been acting as a mascot since his return, not really handling anything, but with Gu Yanjing's arrival, he probably acted out of a survival instinct.
He directly reorganized the Phoenix Clan and withdrew from the war between the Heavenly Realm and the Demon Realm.
Anyway, Gu Yanci will come back sooner or later, and the Heavenly Realm will eventually be at peace.
But he didn't expect that while he had calmed down, his arch-enemy had no intention of doing so.
The neighboring python clan has always coveted the phoenix clan, wanting to devour them. This feud dates back to ancient times, and so many years have passed that no one remembers how it started. But now, it's impossible to shake hands and make peace.
Seven decades ago, the Phoenix Clan and the Vermilion Bird Palace were on good terms and at the height of their power, so the Python Clan naturally dared not touch the Phoenix Clan. But now that the Phoenix Clan is barely surviving, the Python Clan is naturally making a comeback.
Just like today, Gu Yanjing was eating when he heard shouting outside.
"What's going on?" Gu Yan asked, yawning and taking a bite of his drink. His gaze fell outside.
It was smoky and foul-smelling; the green smoke looked like something bad.
"It must be the Python Clan again. You eat first, I'll go out and take a look and be right back." Lu Lingjun put the longan he had peeled into Gu Yanjing's bowl, washed his hands, and went out.
Gu Yanjing continued eating, and after finishing the food, he drank some sweet soup. Today's breakfast was on the sweeter side, and Gu Yanjing ate quite comfortably.
A young man somehow passed through the barrier and arrived at the edge of the courtyard. He stood far away from Gu Yanjing and bowed down to him from a distance.
"This humble immortal greets Your Majesty the Vermilion Bird."
Gu Yan picked at the longan without saying a word.
Longans are ugly and don't look very appealing, but they taste very sweet.
“I am a disciple of Immortal Lord Zhuoyang. Immortal Lord Zhuoyang has already perished at His Majesty’s hands, but before he left, he entrusted something to me to pass on to His Majesty.”
The young man stepped forward, knelt beside Gu Yanjing, and presented something with both hands.
It was a bluish-green jade hairpin, but it didn't look very good and was quite old.
Gu Yanjing fiddled with the remaining longans, contemplating which one to eat next, and didn't take Shao's words to heart.
He didn't remember the hairpin.
"Zhao Yang Xianjun said, 'Thank you, Your Majesty, for being my half-teacher.'" Seeing that Gu Yanjing didn't come to take the hairpin, Shao Yu silently picked it up and placed it on the table.
After saying this, he bowed to Gu Yanjing once more before turning and leaving.
He's a fool to grow seedlings.
When he was determined to become more powerful than Suzaku, he never expected that talent is something that is innate, not something that can be obtained through hard work.
Gu Yanjing finished eating the longan in his bowl before finally turning his gaze to the hairpin.
Just then, Lu Lingjun returned after finishing his business outside.
The group of pythons that had been surrounding them also left.
"Did the person who brought the seedlings just arrive?" Lu Lingjun glanced at the hairpin, picked up a piece of paper, and took a bite.
"Yes." Gu Yanjing nodded.
Lu Lingjun laughed: "He only gave you a hairpin. He instigated the Python Clan to surround my Phoenix Clan, just to give you a hairpin?"
Where did this lunatic come from? He's so good at having fun. When Gu Yanci comes back, we'll send him to Gu Yanci's place and let Gu Yanci teach him a lesson.
"He also thanked me for being his mentor." Gu Yanjing kicked Lu Lingjun, urging him to hand him a gift.
Watching Lu Lingjun eat, she seemed to want to eat some too.
"Ha, you've only taught him a few times. I'm always the one teaching those brats. How did it become your half-teacher's favor? I didn't get anything in return."
Lu Lingjun handed him a **, feeling a little jealous.
In order to build the Vermilion Bird Palace, he was afraid that Gu Yanjing could not manage it alone, so he helped Gu Yanjing handle the general affairs, cultivate capable people in the palace, and even gave up the Phoenix Clan.
After all, his father was still alive at that time, and the Phoenix Clan didn't need him, so they let him go out and mess around with Gu Yanjing.
As a result, all the people he painstakingly trained only remembered Gu Yanjing. Ha.
"Are you just being jealous out of nowhere?" Gu Yan raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Can't I eat it?" Lu Lingjun asked back.
"Why are you jealous of everyone?" Gu Yanjing asked, exasperated.
“I’ve always been a petty and narrow-minded person,” Lu Lingjun retorted, arguing unreasonably.
"Who talks about themselves like that?" Gu Yan was impressed.
Shamelessness truly reigns supreme.
"I've said it all. I think I'm a petty person," Lu Lingjun chuckled.
He was able to drive away all the demons and monsters around Suzaku; he's not petty, he could be as ruthless as a snake.
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