Supernatural Brokers Rampaging in the Human World - Chapter 185 - Dissipation

The conversation that day ended without resolution. Liu Yun left behind a vague remark and departed, unwilling to say more. Daoist Xuanxu could guess most of what was happening but dared not speak further, only sighing at the whims of fate.

Meanwhile, Hu Jiu intended to take Hai Chen back to Wangpo Village, but they were unfamiliar with the roads and drew too much attention, making it inconvenient.

Hai Chen smiled softly. After resting in the cave for several days, his complexion had improved significantly. He gently said, “Nina, let’s not complicate things. Let’s go see the sea.”

Hu Jiu hesitated for a moment before agreeing. She remembered Hai Chen’s fondness for the sea, his long-standing desire to see it. Without any funds, Hai Chen gathered herbs in the mountains to sell in the city, and after more than a month, they saved up a decent amount. Just as they were about to leave, they saw a wanted poster of Hai Chen in the city.

Hu Jiu was furious, wanting to storm the palace and bite that treacherous Emperor. Hai Chen’s face turned grim as he disguised himself and avoided the soldiers, skirting the mainland and heading towards the sea marked on the map.

Upon leaving the Capital City, they discovered that the wanted posters were widespread, even in the border towns. No matter how cautious he was, wearing heavy clothing in the summer was suspicious enough.

Within two months, Hai Chen was captured. At that moment, they seemed to have almost reached the sea. As he was loaded onto the prison cart, Hai Chen felt as if he could smell the salty sea breeze.

Hu Jiu was frantic, unsure of what to do. She wanted to transform, but Hai Chen stopped her. He cradled the tiny kitten, now palm-sized after losing her tails, and softly said, “Nina, you should go… I’m not a good Master, nor a Fated Person. Return to the mountains and cultivate… Next time, don’t choose someone as foolish as me.”

Hu Jiu was furious, but Hai Chen pushed her off the cart. She called out a few times, trying to catch up, but was kicked away by the guards. Hai Chen shook his head at her from afar. There were too many people; if Nina revealed herself, she would be attacked by the crowd.

No matter how powerful Nina was, she couldn’t take on so many people. It wasn’t worth it for his sake…

Hai Chen, already weakened, suffered further in prison, becoming even more emaciated. The guards, unaware of the significance of their captive, only knew it was an order from the Emperor, assuming he must have committed an unforgivable crime. Naturally, they showed him no kindness.

Eager to curry favor with the new Emperor, these minor officials frequently tormented Hai Chen. By the time he was delivered to the Capital City, he was unrecognizable.

Upon learning that Hai Chen had been captured, Liu Yun felt relieved and ordered him to be well cared for in prison. Unfortunately, the subordinates, accustomed to misinterpreting orders, subjected Hai Chen to further torture upon his arrival.

When Liu Yun arrived at the prison after court, Hai Chen was hanging from a rack, covered in whip marks, his clothes in tatters, and his mind unclear. The minor official, seeing the Emperor himself, doused Hai Chen with a bucket of saltwater before Liu Yun could speak.

Hai Chen was in excruciating pain, unable to scream, only managing a faint groan, blood seeping from his lips. Liu Yun’s heart ached as he kicked the guard away, yet he lacked the courage to touch Hai Chen.

He finally understood the meaning of heart-wrenching pain. Never before had he imagined experiencing such agony.

“Someone, call the Imperial Medical Institute! Get him down! And take those guards away!” Liu Yun, furious, gently wiped the blood from Hai Chen’s face with a handkerchief, softly saying, “Chen, I’m here…”

Hai Chen barely opened his eyes, which shone brightly but were full of sarcasm. He forced a smile, spitting blood onto Liu Yun’s yellow robe.

“Liu Yun… I was blind in choosing people… But… I curse you… to never find true companionship in any lifetime, to live forever in pain and solitude… If possible, I even wish you had died in that foreign plot…” Hai Chen spoke with difficulty, blood seeping from his mouth as he did.

Liu Yun’s heart ached terribly, ignoring the curse’s venom, only gently wiping the blood from Hai Chen’s lips, softly saying, “Don’t speak… Chen, listen…”

Before he could finish, Hai Chen spat another mouthful of bright red blood onto Liu Yun’s robe.

The attendants watched in shock, unsure of what to say. At that moment, the Imperial Physician arrived, breathless, only to see the person in the Emperor’s arms had stopped breathing.

After speaking, Hai Chen seemed to have exhausted all his strength, his head drooping lifelessly.

Liu Yun’s breath caught as he held Hai Chen tightly, feeling the warmth still in his body. His reddened eyes turned to the Imperial Physician, saying, “Come here!”

The Imperial Physician, knowing the person was likely dead, still approached to check the pulse, then shook his head, “Your Majesty… I am powerless…”

“Get out! All of you, get out!” Liu Yun, in a frenzy, drove them all away. The Imperial Physician, drenched in cold sweat, noticed the Emperor had even dropped his self-reference-how deep was his sorrow?

In the first year of the Chen Yuan era, the new Emperor ascended the throne. Although the new Empress was alive, the palace held a funeral for the Empress, disregarding the current Empress’s feelings. No one knew where this Empress came from, only assuming she was the Emperor’s wife before his ascension.

The red silk in the Capital City’s palace was replaced with white, mourning throughout the nation, yet few knew who they mourned.

The new Empress, furious, smashed things in the palace daily, to no avail. The Emperor still did not visit her chambers, though the palace was filled with new concubines.

In the fifteenth year of the Chen Yuan era, the Emperor died at the age of forty-five, leaving no heirs, only an adopted son from the royal family to inherit the throne. All concubines were sent to a nunnery outside the palace, except the Empress, who was required to accompany him in death.

This period puzzled historians the most. The first puzzle was Liu Yun’s lack of heirs, explained by his inability to father children. The second was the Empress’s burial with him, rare in history, especially given their poor relationship. Some speculated the Emperor hated the Empress, leading to this decision.

The greatest mystery was the first Empress, unrecorded in both official and unofficial histories.

The true history had long vanished, and no one knew the truth.

Hu Jiu stared blankly at the ball of yarn in her hands, a gift from Hai Chen. Thousands of years had passed, and the yarn had long deteriorated, crumbling at the slightest touch. She preserved it using methods for preserving artifacts, once mocked by Cen You and others.

In the end, that foolish Hai Chen never saw the sea, never became Empress in life, yet was buried with Empress honors in death… Who was the act for? Hu Jiu thought of that utterly deceitful man and sneered.

The Nine-tailed Cat clan recognizes only one Master in their lifetime. Every subsequent Fated Person is merely the reincarnation of the first Master. If that person’s soul dissipates, they will never have the chance to grow a ninth tail.

Hu Jiu was fortunate to gain a blessing as her lifespan neared its end, allowing her to live with her eighth tail until now. But two thousand years… She searched for two thousand years and never found the reincarnation of that foolish Hai Chen…

Hu Jiu laughed and cried in her room, unsure of what she mourned or what she celebrated.

Her mental state was truly concerning. Qin Jian’an, seeing Su Yang helpless, grew anxious. Fortunately, three days later, the unconscious Zhang Yingying finally awoke.