Minxiu wanted his mother dead.
The punishment had come swiftly. Their father had ordered Minxiu confined to his chambers and subjected to many mind-cleansing rituals by the temple monks. For weeks, the palace had echoed with the sound of chanting, the smell of incense thick in the air and Sheng Fei had not been allowed to see him.
Minxiu was only eight years old.
And yet... even after it was over, even after he was deemed “cleansed,” Sheng Fei had never forgotten the look in his brother’s eyes when he returned.
Not guilt. Not regret.
Just quiet, detached acceptance.
Sheng Fei gritted his teeth, trying not to let Lu Gui’s words affect him but he couldn’t help but remember Minxiu’s eyes. Those dark empty eyes that showed no remorse, only some kind of twisted glee.
"You remember." Lu Gui stated, chuckling. "You remember it all and yet, you want to save him. You still consider him your brother. Maybe you’ve forgotten how he finally killed your mother. It would be nice of me to remind you, wouldn’t it?" His eyes were gleaming with joy as he ran his mouth. “What part do you want to hear? Tell me. I’ll tell you everything you want to know."
"You bastard..." Sheng Fei gritted, glaring at him.
Lu Gui only grinned wider. “Oh, I remember her so well. She was such a delicate thing, wasn’t she? So frail, so breakable.” He sighed as if reminiscing fondly. “I visited her every night, whispering in her ear, filling her mind with horrors and watched as she fell apart piece by piece. Everyone thought she was crazy, seeing things and saying things no normal person would say." He laughed. "Oh I miss her chaotic mind. It was so easy to influence."
Hua Ren’s grip on his sword tightened as he cast a quick glance at Sheng Fei and his heart clenched at what he saw.
Sheng Fei stood frozen, his golden eyes raw with pain, his usually calm face as pale as death. He wasn’t just listening to Lu Gui’s taunts—he was reliving them. The fear, the helplessness, the weight of memories best left buried.
Hua Ren gritted his teeth. Hot anger blazed in his chest, a fire he willingly fed as he launched himself toward Lu Gui. The evil bastard had no right to speak of Sheng Fei’s past, no right to mock him with the pain he’d endured.
His sword sliced through the air as he performed one of his unique techniques, unleashing fifteen slashes in mere seconds.
Lu Gui stumbled back, his clothes torn, fresh cuts blooming across his body. Though none were deep, his face twisted in pain. He coughed, spitting out blood. “Fuck,” he rasped. “I really hate you.”
Then, without warning, he vanished.
Hua Ren’s eyes widened. He had already anticipated this move, his body shifting to counter—
But he was a fraction too late.
Lu Gui reappeared behind him, fingers jabbing swiftly at Hua Ren’s acupoints. His body locked up, his limbs refusing to move. A second later, a sharp kick to his back sent him flying forward.
Seeing this, Sheng Fei instantly snapped out of his daze, surging forward to catch Hua Ren before he could hit the ground.
Hua Ren groaned, clutching Sheng Fei’s shoulders as his body trembled. The aphrodisiac—he had blocked its effects earlier, sealing his own acupoints, but now they had been forcefully released. Heat surged through him, his strength draining like water through open fingers.
Sheng Fei’s voice was soft but urgent. “Are you alright?”
Hua Ren gritted his teeth, his breath uneven. “I’m going to kill that bastard.”
Sheng Fei let out a low chuckle. “Not now. An army is approaching. He stalled us on purpose. He was buying time.”
Hua Ren’s vision blurred, his body too weak to stand. His breathing was growing heavier, the fire in his veins unbearable. “I can’t fight anymore,” he admitted unwillingly, his voice strained. “What do we do now? We can’t take on an entire army on our own.”
Sheng Fei’s grip on him tightened. “We escape.”
Suddenly, a sharp gust of wind sliced through the air behind them.
"And you think I’d let you?"
Lu Gui lunged, his fist raised for a crushing blow but Sheng Fei didn’t hesitate. He turned sharply with Hua Ren in his arms, taking a few steps backwards, effectively dodging the blow but Lu Gui came at them again.
In that instant, Sheng Fei linked fingers with Hua Ren and the rings on their hands touched.
A pulse of raw golden energy suddenly erupted between them, materializing a powerful forcefield in an instant. The impact struck Lu Gui like a hammer, hurling him backward and sending him crashing through the trees.
Hua Ren barely registered what had happened, his mind too clouded with heat but Sheng Fei, holding him close, felt something stir deep within him.
He glanced down at their intertwined hands, at the rings that had reacted as if answering a long-forgotten call and a slow, quiet realization settled over him.
His half Celestial weapon which had been unresponsive for years finally reacted to Hua Ren’s. It only meant one thing.
Hua Ren was definitely destined to be his.
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”
The frantic voices of his guards pulled the Emperor from unconsciousness. A sharp, throbbing pain lanced through his skull, and when he opened his eyes, he found himself sprawled among shattered branches and splintered wood. His entire body was bleeding and it ached.
A groan escaped his lips. “Ugh... what happened?” He struggled to sit up as the guards hurriedly helped him to his feet.
One of them hesitated before delivering the news. “I’m afraid they escaped, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor’s frown deepened. “...Escaped?” His mind was sluggish, the last thing he remembered—
He gasped. Hua Ren! And that rebel!
A lazy snicker echoed in his head. “Yeah... that rebel.”
His jaw clenched. “What is it?” he demanded. There was something the voice was not saying.
“Nothing, nothing,” the voice hummed, laughter curling around his mind like smoke.
The Emperor didn’t believe it. Not for a second. The Ghost King had taken control again. The gaps in his memory, the haze clouding his thoughts—it was all too familiar. He would have force the truth out of that damned voice.
“Good luck with that,” it chuckled amused.