CH 64

Sick to the Stomach

Yan Yuan was in a very good mood today, with his lover at his birthday banquet and Xuan Long removing the thorn in his side. He thought that Xuan Long would be able to get the job done, but then he saw Yan Huo Heng, who should have been dead, at the birthday banquet.

Why hadn't Xuan Long succeeded?

Could something have happened?...

Strangely enough, Yan Yuan's first reaction was not anger, but concern. He knew that Xuan Long would try his best to do what he had promised him, and now that Yan Huo Heng was sitting in front of him, there must be a reason for it.

Thinking about how weak Xuan Long had been recently, Yan Yuan suddenly couldn't sit still and wanted to go to Qiankun Palace to see if the dragon was there and if he was injured.

But this was his birthday banquet and the courtiers were all sitting around celebrating his birthday, so there was no reason for him, being the main character, to leave.

Yan Yuan pressed down the turmoil in his heart, lifted the glazed glass on the table, and smiled warmly at Yan Huo Heng below, "Imperial Brother has recovered many small southern border countries for me in the past two years, you have worked very hard and achieved a lot, and recently you have travelled a long distance to come back for my birthday banquet. I must drink to you."

Yan Huo Heng was cold in nature and did not like to exchange pleasantries with others. When people saw that he was holding a lot of power and had a million soldiers, they would rush to pay tribute to him, but he did not pay much attention to anyone. From the moment he took his seat, he kept his head down and ate quietly. Hearing Yan Yuan mention him, he lifted his cup and spoke expressionlessly, "Your Majesty is very kind, this is a personal responsibility of mine."

He then tilted his head and swallowed the wine in his cup.

Those who did not know would really think that he was dedicated to guarding the southern border and serving himself.

Yan Yuan's heart was cold, but on the surface, he smiled like a gentleman, "Imperial Brother is a good drinker. You must not return home without getting drunk today."

"Your Majesty is flattering me."

Yan Huo Heng was a very good drinker and didn't need to be told by Yan Yuan to keep refilling his glass. His eyes were long and narrow, slightly upturned, and when he tilted his head to drink, his night-like black eyes showed a bit of dissipation, as if he didn't care about anything, and the skin at the corners of his eyes was tinged with a thin red because they were too white.

There is no one in the Yan family who was born unattractive, and Yan Huo Heng was very handsome, but he was so cold that no woman dared to approach him, not to mention the fact that he had committed matricide.

An adopted mother is also a mother.

It's a shame that Yan Yuan still thinks he will repay his kindness for the sake of Empress Dowager Heng.

Halfway through the banquet, after the singing and dancing, it was time to present the birthday gifts.

The Prime Minister gave a pair of exquisite jade ruyi, the Minister gave a picture of a famous landscape, and someone else gave a jade Guanyin. In short, they were all things that were not in short supply in the palace, and even though things outside the palace were precious, there were fewer rare things than there were in the palace.

It was not the gift that mattered, but the sentiment. Yan Yuan accepted the whole list and was so happy that he drank more. His peach blossom eyes were tinged with a light intoxication and he forgot all about his worries.

The musician was playing a soothing piece of music, and someone at the end of the table spoke up.

"All the birthday gifts of my colleagues have been given, I wonder what the King of Zhennan is going to give to the Emperor today?..."

One person took the lead, and everyone became curious, chattering louder and louder.

Yan Huo Heng took the initiative to rise to the centre and gave an order towards the open door of the hall, “Huan'er, come in."

When the words fell, a young girl in a white dress with a delicate figure slowly walked in from outside the hall. Her face was covered with a white veil, her hair was half-tied with a simple wooden hairpin, her long ink-coloured hair hung down behind her, her skirt was light, and although her face was not visible, her appearance was definitely not bad.

As soon as she appeared, the crowd murmured: "What is this King of Zhennan bringing a woman here for?

……

The Emperor likes men, everyone knows this.

Is this not a way for the King of Zhennan to publicly cause discomfort for the Emperor?

Yan Yuan's eyes lingered on the women, and then fell on Yan Huo Heng, smiling, "What does Imperial Brother mean by this?"

Yan Huo Heng bluntly said, "The Emperor will be twenty after his birthday today, so he should have an heir."

When Yan Yuan was registering the Empress, almost the entire court protested over this matter. In the end, Yan Yuan insisted, chopping off the heads of a few ministers and agreeing to the retirement of a few stubborn old ministers. It was impossible for him to change his mind, and the matter gradually subsided, and the courtiers gradually accepted the reality.

Who would have known that Yan Huo Heng would publicly present him with a woman at his birthday banquet?

Yan Yuan's face immediately turned unpleasant, clenching one hand on the edge of the table as he gritted his teeth and said, "Yan Huo Heng--"

Yan Huo Heng's eyes were like deep wells as he indifferently met Yan Yuan's gaze.

"For the sake of the country, the Emperor should leave his own selfish desires behind. Start a new branch as soon as possible."

Yan Yuan's eyes revealed murderous intent, and he said, word by word, through gritted teeth, "My affairs have never needed you to be in charge of them."

He had to get involved in matters that were beyond the control of others, what was this if not a demonstration?

Yan Huo Heng did not say anything, but twisted his head and called the young girl's name, who understood, and shyly removed her veil.

The whole audience was in an uproar at this act.

The young girl's eyebrows resembled those of the Empress, but as a woman, her features were softer and she was a rare beauty with a plain face.

The most important thing was that she was able to start a new branch of the royal family, whereas Ning Zhiyu could not.

Ning Zhiyu's face turned pale, obviously irritated, and he covered his lips and coughed lowly in pain.

Yan Yuan anxiously turned his head to look, patting his back to smooth his breath: “A'Yu… Don't worry, I will never go back on what I promised you."

"If the Emperor does not have an heir, it will be difficult for the society..." Yan Huo Heng said as he looked at the two men in that hall.

"That's enough!" Yan Yuan interrupted him with a twist of his head, fuming with anger, “Someone! Drag this woman away!"

His words fell, and guards soon came in to take the woman away. The woman had never seen such a scene, and was so scared that she begged Yan Huo Heng to save her.

Yan Huo Heng frowned slightly as he watched the woman being led away from the hall.

The hall was silent, and no one dared to breathe too loudly.

Yan Yuan's anger was not yet extinguished: "If this happens again, don't blame me for not thinking of brotherly love."

Yan Huo Heng was silent for a moment, then bent down and bowed, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Of course, Yan Yuan could not condemn him for this, for Yan Huo Heng had achieved great success in battle. If he did not tolerate this, it would seem that he, the emperor, had no tolerance in his heart, so he had to wave his hand and tell him to sit down.

The good mood was ruined.

There was a lot of commotion in the hall, and Xuan Long, who was outside the hall, had noticed it. He heard Yan Yuan get very angry in public, and knew that Ning Zhiyu had a lot of importance in Yan Yuan's heart.

He really is... not willing to let him suffer even the slightest bit of grievance.

It was midnight when the birthday banquet adjourned, and the courtiers, full of wine and food walked out of the hall, stepping out of the light. Xuan Long flew up to the opposite eaves to watch for a while, and did not see Yan Huo Heng come out.

He felt that his spiritual power was getting weaker and weaker, and he was afraid that the Ling Xuan pill was about to wear off, as the sharp pain in his bones flared up... If Yan Huo Heng did not come out, he could only go in and look for him.

In a few moments, the courtiers in the hall were almost gone. Just when Xuan Long was about to go in to look for the man, the man in the ink robe slowly walked out. Even if he didn’t speak, his whole person was gloomy. As Yan Yuan said, he didn't look like a nice guy.

He had to remove the person who endangered Yan Yuan's life for him.

Xuan Long carried his long sword and followed him silently.

Yan Huo Heng walked slowly, unlike the rest of them who were in a hurry to return home. To leave the Hall of Peace, he had to pass through a long corridor, which was dark and empty; a good place to strike.

The soul-eating pain was becoming more and more unbearable, Xuan Long broke out in a cold sweat and hid himself. The opponent should not be able to detect him, but he still held his breath and did not dare to push too hard. As Yan Huo Heng rounded the corner of the long corridor, Xuan Long flew up in an unsteady manner, the long sword in his hand thrusting straight at his heart.

The long sword made of soul power broke through the air with a small sound, which was impossible for Yan Huo Heng to hear given the torrential rain outside the corridor.

However, just as the longsword was about to strike him in the back of his heart, Yan Huo Heng dodged and caught his longsword with two fingers.

The wind blew against the black gauze hat worn by Xuan Long, and his masked face was exposed to Yan Huo Heng. Yan Huo Heng's icy expression relaxed and he said in a daze, "Is that you..."

Xuan Long understood in an instant that his invisibility technique had failed.

Then the Ling Xuan pill would soon expire as well... He had to fight quickly.

Before Xuan Long could think too much, he drew back the longsword in his hand, stepped on the wooden bench next to him and leapt up with both feet, his longsword slashing towards Yan Huo Heng's face, who easily dodged it with agile movements.

Xuan Long did not understand why he was only defending but not attacking. In the middle of the struggle, he suddenly felt a pain in his stomach and his movements became slower and slower. Yan Huo Heng took the opportunity to strike his wrist with his palm, and the long sword fell to the ground, disappearing into thin air in an instant.

The Ling Xuan pill had worn off.

Xuan Long swallowed a muffled grunt, and his body leaned forward as he lost his strength. Yan Huo Heng caught him in his arms, "Are you alright?" Once the Ling Xuan pill had worn off, it was followed by a multiplied attack of soul-devouring pain. Xuan Long’s body shivered uncontrollably as the pain in his body and dull pain in his abdomen combined to cause his consciousness to fade, and cold sweat slipped from his forehead into his eyes.

Had Yan Huo Heng not been holding him, Xuan Long would have fallen in his next breath.

To an outsider, they appeared to be hugging each other intimately.

The sound of footsteps came from not far away, and Yan Yuan, dressed in imperial robes, appeared at the entrance to the long corridor, followed by Chen Yan, who was carrying an oil lamp.

"What are you doing?” Yan Yuan snatched the lamp from Chen Yan's hand and strode over to them.

He was in a bad mood and needed to take his anger out. He had thought that it was a guard and a palace maid who were hugging each other in the Hall of Peace, and fornication was a serious crime.

Who knew that when he walked over and took a look with the light of the oil lamp, he would see the ghostly face of Yan Huo Heng.

"Why is it you?"

Looking again at the person who had just been embracing Yan Huo Heng –

Xuan Long's black gauze hat had long since fallen to the ground at some point during the struggle, and when he heard Yan Yuan's voice, he barely raised his eyes, his out-of-focus turquoise eyes not quite open because of the blinding light.

The man's face was pale, and the corners of his forehead covered in cold sweat. No matter how you look at it, he looked very weak, but because he was being held in the arms of another man, he looked like he had just had a sexual encounter.

Yan Yuan lost his sanity in an instant and roughly ripped Xuan Long out of Yan Huo Heng's arms.

"What are you doing here?!"

Xuan Long stumbled backwards unbalanced, and the back of his head smashed against the pillar of the long corridor. The pain brought him back to consciousness for a few moments, and his icy turquoise eyes looked up at Yan Yuan with some confusion.

He saw the man looking at him with the eyes of a fly, as if he was something disgusting to the core, and Yan Yuan stepped closer and slapped him.

"Slut!!!"

Xuan Long was struck so hard across the face that his mask came loose and fell to the ground, revealing the ugly scar on the right side of his face. He frowned and held his stance, not moving, like that.

"Have I ever mentioned that you were actually born a real eyesore, especially this scar on your face, it makes me sick to my stomach."