Chapter 570: Emperor

"Father, are you here?" Li Sui pushed open a dusty woodshed door, her face clouded with disappointment.

As she was about to move on to the next room, Gao Zhijian stopped her. "No, no... don't... don't search like that!"

Li Sui wrinkled her nose, stating with a hint of dissatisfaction, "You speak so slowly. Can I crawl inside you to hear you better?"

Gao Zhijian vigorously shook his head, then pulled Li Sui into the already unsealed Shangjing City.

Although Elder Brother Li's daughter now looked human, she wasn't truly human. It was far too unsafe for such a being to remain in Shangjing, so the priority was to send her back to Niuxin Village. As for Elder Brother Li, they would have to figure something out after his daughter was safely returned.

To be honest, Gao Zhijian felt a bit dejected at that moment. He had thought his status was significant and that he could be useful to Elder Brother Li, but it turned out he was nobody important.

Pulling out his carriage, Gao Zhijian drove Li Sui towards the city gate. Just as he was deep in thought, a familiar figure appeared, blocking his path.

"Father!" An extremely excited Li Sui leaped from the carriage, threw her arms wide, and vigorously hugged Li Huo'wang, burying her head into his embrace.

Li Huo'wang gently stroked Li Sui's hair, softly comforting her, "I'm sorry, so much has happened recently that I didn't get to look for you sooner."

Li Sui lifted her head from Li Huo'wang's arms, giving him a big smile. "Father, how did you find me?"

"I followed the divination signs all the way here. Next time this happens, don't wander around searching. Remember to go home first, okay?"

"Father, where is home?"

"Home is in Niuxin Village. Niuxin Village is our home."

After holding and comforting Li Sui for a while, he looked at Gao Zhijian. It was quite a coincidence that this big fellow had come to find him without him having to search.

Gao Zhijian, leading his horse with one hand, walked over to Li Huo'wang, vigorously patted his chest, beaming. Then, he stammered as he began to ask about Bai Lingmiao's whereabouts.

"The dice are dead, so she should be safe for now. Once your matters are resolved, I'll go find Bai Lingmiao immediately."

With that, Li Huo'wang led Gao Zhijian into an inn and booked a high-class room. Facing his sworn brother, Li Huo'wang decided not to hide anything. He explained everything in detail, including the royal family's bizarre Gu cultivation method for succession.

Gao Zhijian was shocked by this sudden change in his identity. There was another world, and he wasn't the emperor here, but the emperor there? And he was about to become emperor again, saving two worlds by himself.

Gao Zhijian's hands trembled slightly as he pulled open his clothes. The sword wound Li Huo'wang had inflicted on his chest was clearly visible. Although the story told by Elder Brother Li was incredibly bizarre, he wasn't insane; what he said was true. Gao Zhijian had memories of Elder Brother Li killing him in his mind.

*Slam*. Li Huo'wang placed a round jade pendant on the table, sliding it towards him. It was the one he had traded for a horse earlier, now returned.

"I don't know if this is good or bad for you, but this is your identity," Li Huo'wang said, his voice tinged with melancholy.

Becoming an emperor who ruled the world—most people would likely accept immediately. But after being in Shangjing for so long, he had witnessed the royal family's utter mess. To put it bluntly, he was pushing his brother into a fire, but there was no other way. This was the only way to save Daliang, and also Daqi, which Zhuge Yuan intended to save.

Gao Zhijian stared at the jade pendant for another half an hour. Then, he extended his large hand and firmly gripped the pendant. "Elder... Elder Brother Li! I'm... I'm... I'm very happy to be able to help you!"

Having said that, Gao Zhijian stood up, resolutely pushed open the door, and walked out. He decided that if he was meant to be emperor, then he would be. Being emperor would be good. If he were emperor, no one would ever dare to bully Xiaoman and the others again.

"Now that I'm emperor, Xiaoman should marry me, right?"

Li Huo'wang took Li Sui's hand and followed, preparing to escort his brother to his enthronement.

Gao Zhijian walked along the straight road. As he neared the imperial city, he seemed to recall some memory. With each step, his posture straightened, and the simple-minded expression on his face began to change.

"It's you again! Do you have a death wish? Prepare the Eight Ox Crossbows!"

When Gao Zhijian raised the jade pendant high, facing the enormous palace gate, the tightly shut gate slowly creaked open. A group of eunuchs and palace maids flocked out, surrounding Gao Zhijian, helping him comb and style his hair and don the dragon robe.

"Did you find him?" The Grand Master of Daliang, his face solemn, stood beside Li Huo'wang and asked him. Clearly, he had already confirmed Gao Zhijian's identity through some means.

Li Huo'wang didn't reply, watching his brother transform from a simple-minded giant into a revered emperor.

"Originally, there were nine members of the Daliang imperial family, but you killed so many! Otherwise, we wouldn't be forced to seek out a Daqi person to continue the dragon pulse! Speak! What were your intentions in all of this?" With a flick of his wrist, Huangfu Tiangang produced the Constellation Sword, shimmering with purple lightning.

Just as the Grand Master was planning his next move, Gao Zhijian noticed him. He immediately turned around, pointing an angry finger at the Grand Master. "Wha... what... what are you doing!"

The Grand Master, ready to make his move, looked at Gao Zhijian, who was now clad in the dragon robe. Unwillingly, he lowered his hand and performed a ritual bow towards Gao Zhijian. "This old servant Huangfu Tiangang greets Your Majesty!"

Gao Zhijian let out a cold snort, dramatically waved his sleeve, and led the group of eunuchs and palace maids deeper inside. Li Huo'wang glanced at the Grand Master, then pulled Li Sui along, following them inside.

As Gao Zhijian proceeded deeper into the palace, his retinue grew larger. By the time he reached the main hall, hundreds of people surrounded him, and Gao Zhijian himself was carried on a high imperial carriage.

Just as Gao Zhijian, surrounded by the crowd, ascended the white marble steps towards the main hall, a heart-wrenching scream echoed from the top of the stairs.

"I am the emperor! I am! Why won't you let me be emperor?! You clearly said that when only one of the nine survived, that person would be emperor! You're liars! You're all big liars!!"

Li Huo'wang looked up and saw Ji Lin, her hair disheveled, holding a sword, charging desperately towards Gao Zhijian. Before Li Huo'wang could react, a group of old eunuchs rushed out from somewhere and held Ji Lin firmly to the ground.

Ji Lin, struggling relentlessly, screamed like a madwoman in despair: "Why?! I gave up everything! I sacrificed so much! I killed my mother, I killed my sister, I killed my whole family! I became so evil! Why won't you let me be it?!"

Gao Zhijian cast a cold glance at her, then turned and walked towards the main hall. The others followed, not even sparing her a look. Even just recently, these same eunuchs and palace maids had followed Ji Lin's lead.

At that moment, only Li Huo'wang noticed Ji Lin. He stood beside her, bent down, helped her up from the ground, and dusted off her clothes. "You told me then that you didn't want to be emperor, you didn't want to die, you just wanted to live."

"Now your goal has been achieved. You are no longer emperor, and no one wants your life. You should be a little happier."

Ji Lin pushed Li Huo'wang away, then bounced around helplessly like a child, crying desperately. "I abandoned everything for the throne! If you take the throne away now, I'll have nothing left!"

Back during the Shangsi Festival, Li Huo'wang had a decent impression of Ji Lin, but now she had become this ghastly sight, which was truly regrettable. Li Huo'wang embraced her, gently patting her back in comfort. "If you don't know where to go, you can come find me. I can help you one more time."

With that, Li Huo'wang took Li Sui and continued towards the main hall. But as Li Huo'wang reached the top of the steps, his keen sense of smell detected a hint of blood.

When he turned around, he saw Ji Lin lying in a pool of blood. Dazzling crimson blood slowly flowed down the bright white marble steps, eventually forming a small pond at the bottom.

"Father, she's dead."

"Yes, she's dead."