Chapter 484: Jilin

Standing on the periphery, Li Huowang watched the strange scene in the coffin, feeling a shiver down his spine. He seemed to have witnessed something he shouldn't have. "Could the imperial family of Great Liang kill me to silence me and protect their secret?" Having endured countless hardships, Li Huowang instinctively began to consider the worst-case scenarios. He grew vigilant, his mind constantly racing to prepare for any eventuality.

Zhuge Yuan, standing nearby, offered reassurance: "Brother Li, don't panic. It's common knowledge that the royal family possesses a dragon's essence. I just never imagined that the dragon's essence of Great Liang was like this. Perhaps this is why the 'false' Great Liang was able to suppress Great Qi back then."

Regardless of Li Huowang's inner thoughts at that moment, the entire magnificent and solemn imperial temple, bathed in golden light, showed no other anomalies.

The only change was the Great Liang Emperor's increasingly frantic shouts: "Are you all deaf?! Quickly, save my imperial father! I am the Emperor now! Do you intend to defy my orders?!"

However, in response to his command, the old eunuchs merely prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling and doing nothing.

"Cough, cough... Lin'er..." A pained, weary voice made the tearful Great Liang Emperor look towards the uppermost part of the "dragon's essence"—it was his imperial father. "Lin'er, don't trouble them. I told them to do this. Cough, cough, cough..."

It was only then that Li Huowang learned the young Great Liang Emperor's name. The imperial family of Great Liang bore the surname Ji, and his name was Ji Lin.

Li Huowang remembered that when the previous Great Liang Emperor was sent to the execution ground, he had cursed the emperor on the dragon's essence. His name was Ji Man.

"But Imperial Father, why is this? You are clearly still alive!" Ji Lin watched the chains embedded in his father's flesh, feeling as if he were experiencing the pain himself, tears welling up in his eyes from the heartache.

Ji Man's voice gradually faded, as if there were things he didn't want outsiders to hear. However, Li Huowang's keen hearing allowed him to clearly understand what they were saying.

"You don't understand... This is the only way to preserve the destiny of our Great Liang Dynasty... This is our fate. You'll understand when you reach my age..."

"Imperial Father, but... but..." The young Ji Lin was utterly at a loss for words at that moment. He wanted to say something, but couldn't find the right way to express it.

"I actually died long ago; I was just forcibly revived by this dragon's qi. You can only ascend the throne if I die. You should be happy."

As he spoke, Ji Man, spread-eagled, grabbed the chains by his side and yanked hard, pulling himself and the stack of emperors closer to the coffin.

He extended his scaly, clawed dragon hand and abruptly pulled Ji Lin closer to him, his voice turning stern. "Do you know why, before my demise, I chose to pass the throne to you instead of the upright First Prince?"

"Your son does not know," Ji Lin replied, choking back a sob.

"Because you are cunning enough! At six years old, you dared to give your own brother croton beans just to vie for favor! The other princes can't compare! But even this isn't enough; if it were me, it would have been aconite!"

At this, his tone instantly became exceptionally cold. "Lin'er, after you return, kill all your brothers."

"Wh-what?!" Ji Lin's face instantly went pale. If his father hadn't been holding him by the collar, he might have collapsed on the spot.

"Of course, you don't have to act, but then don't blame others for striking first. They all have people arranged to assist them. Although you are the Emperor, the ascension ceremony hasn't taken place yet, and everything is still uncertain. Remember, to achieve great things, even your closest kin can be sacrificed!"

Li Huowang frowned upon hearing this. It seemed the Great Liang Emperor intended to use his sons in a gu-refining ritual.

Whoever was the strongest and most ruthless would become the next Great Liang Emperor. But would someone chosen in such a way truly be an enlightened ruler?

"Remember, Lin'er, 'Guaren' (I, the lone one) means a solitary man. To be emperor, trust no one but yourself, not even your mother..."

As Ji Man released Ji Lin's imperial robe, the heavy golden coffin lid slowly closed with a booming sound.

Silence fell upon the vast mausoleum, broken only by Ji Lin's rapid breathing. Despite the cold, beads of cold sweat continued to drip from his forehead.

"Welcome the spirits! Withdraw the offerings!" An old eunuch, whose identity was unknown, chanted. The eunuchs, who had stood like statues until then, began to move. They meticulously performed the complex and intricate sacrificial rites before the Nine Dragons Pulling Coffin. Meanwhile, Li Huowang observed everything like a silent bystander.

A while later, when the sacrificial ceremony concluded, the eunuchs formed neat rows and silently departed, without waiting for the Emperor on the ground to rise.

Li Huowang, standing by, glanced at Ji Lin, who was slumped on the ground, and then followed the eunuchs out.

He believed that facing such a monumental life change and decision, the new Emperor would likely be busy for some time and wouldn't have leisure to bother with a minor figure like himself, with whom he'd only had a brief encounter.

Emerging from the cold, oppressive mausoleum into the warm imperial temple adorned with hanging candles, Li Huowang felt as though he had transitioned from the underworld to the land of the living.

Just as he was about to walk towards Lian Zhibei, who was waiting by the entrance, a voice filled with authority came from behind him. "Ji Zai!"

"Ji Zai?" Li Huowang paused slightly. Seeing Zhuge Yuan beside him, he immediately realized this was the name the other party had given him earlier. "He's calling me."

"Brother Li, don't worry," Zhuge Yuan reassured him. "The Grand Preceptor of Great Liang cannot see through my methods. He cannot know your real name, nor can he divine your past actions." After giving Zhuge Yuan a grateful look, Li Huowang turned and walked towards the Grand Preceptor of Great Liang, who stood with his hands behind his back. "Ji Zai respectfully greets Grand Preceptor!" Li Huowang saluted the man's back with extreme solemnity.

"Since you are a Geng Banner holder of the Bureau of Celestial Observation, you should know what to say and what not to say, shouldn't you?" The Grand Preceptor raised his wrinkled hand, constantly making calculations with his fingers.

"I understand," Li Huowang replied, standing there with his eyes lowered and his mind focused internally. He was not at all surprised that the other party intended to caution him.

On the contrary, if the Grand Preceptor had said nothing at this moment, Li Huowang would have felt uneasy.

"Ji Zai, since you are a follower of the Aojing Sect, why did you join the Bureau of Celestial Observation? I recall that you ignorant people always renounce the mortal world and dream of becoming immortals, don't you?"

After thinking carefully, Li Huowang stuck to his previous narrative.

However, when facing this person, Li Huowang didn't even intend to lie. Instead, he wholeheartedly believed that he was Ji Zai, the one seeking vengeance against the Zuowang Dao for the deceased Grand Elder.