Meanwhile.
In Lixun Imperial City, inside the Qin King’s Hall, atop the Throne, a middle-aged man dressed in a five-clawed dragon robe sat cross-legged before a desk.
His brow carried the unmistakable aura of an emperor—commanding without anger.
This man was none other than the reigning sovereign of the ancient Lixun Kingdom, the supreme ruler of the Qin Dynasty, and the father of Qin Luoyi—King Qin Junyin.
At this moment, he held a brush in hand, the tip gliding over the rice paper before him.
Ahead lay a mounted painting of poetry and art—he was copying it.
Suddenly, he paused, observing the brushstrokes back and forth for a long while, before his eyes narrowed involuntarily.
He raised his half-finished work, glanced back at the slightly stooped old eunuch grinding ink, and asked,
“Xiao Fuzi, compared to the original, do you think my copy is good or not?”
The old man known as Xiao Fuzi straightened up at the question, casting only a brief glance before replying, “Your Majesty, if judging by the imperial aura, your work has already surpassed this Ancestor’s Masterpiece, but…”
“But speak freely.”
“But if judged by the Mandate of the People, you indeed lack much.”
“The Mandate of the People?”
Those four words slipped out—an answer Qin Junyin had never anticipated.
“Xiao Fuzi, why say that? Compared to our ancestor, the realm I now possess is far more expansive, the people’s lives more peaceful, and the overall strength of Lixun much greater. This is truly a golden age. So what do you mean by this Mandate of the People…?”
He looked at the old man in confusion, unable to understand.
Xiao Fuzi did not answer directly but smiled toward the doorway not far away and cupped his hands respectfully.
“Your Majesty, forgive me for not replying now, because… it seems you have something far more important to deal with.”
Before the words had even fallen, a loud bang echoed as the great doors of Qin King’s Hall were violently kicked open in broad daylight.
“Who dares! How bold, to storm the emperor’s residence!”
Qin Junyin immediately rose, slamming the table as the peak of his Sevenfold cultivation burst forth, enveloping the entire palace in an overwhelming imperial aura.
Behind him, Xiao Fuzi calmly observed the scene, unmoved by the so-called imperial presence of the intruders.
After all, he was a Three-Dynasty Senior Minister; if he couldn’t handle such situations, he’d be utterly useless.
Nearby, approaching from far to near, a slender figure of a masked young woman quickened her pace, flanked on either side by two guards holding long spears.
The guards appeared hesitant—wanting to block her but afraid to act.
Qin Junyin’s face darkened at the sight.
A woman storming into the emperor’s palace without summons, with guards unwilling to intervene?
Until now, aside from his late mother and wife, only his eldest daughter Qin Luoyi had dared such a thing.
Now, a masked woman appeared out of nowhere to intrude—an outright desecration of imperial authority.
“Is this tolerable? Xiao Fuzi, kill her.”
He did not intend to intervene personally.
“Old man, do you really intend to kill me?”
“Hm? Kill you… wait, old man…?”
The familiar yet strange form of address made Qin Junyin pause.
He lifted his foot and stepped over the table, transforming into a shadowy figure that instantly appeared before the woman.
“Your Majesty…”
“Get out.”
“As you command.”
The guards, about to explain, were chased out by his words.
He then stood before the masked woman, squinting to size her up.
“This hair color… this voice… this unique form of address… and this domineering aura just like mine… hmm…”
He straightened, thought for a moment, and then his murderous intent burst forth again.
“Child, tell me, which pig got your mother pregnant? After all these years not returning, she sends a child to me directly. I’ll go kill him now… no, bring him to the palace for proper treatment.”
He had conjured a wildly absurd yet somehow plausible idea—this must be his daughter’s child born outside the palace.
“I say… old man, what sickness are you spouting? Aren’t you the one who got my mother pregnant?”
The masked girl spoke as she removed her mask and slapped her own face, “You, an emperor, have you forgotten your daughter, pig…?”
“Hm? You—you—you are Luoyi?”
He snatched off the mask, turned, and looked at the young woman sitting on his throne, eyes shining.
His reaction, along with his earlier guess, made the girl realize he never expected her to return.
She actually laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation.
She looked at the man with a wide-open mouth, like he was an idiot, showing no respect.
“You—you—you how did you come back, Luoyi? Didn’t you write you wouldn’t return for at least five years? You—you…”
Qin Junyin pinched his face hard, the pain making him grimace.
His actions now completely disconnected from the image of an emperor.
Covering his face, he hurriedly took three steps forward, glanced at the old man who chuckled beside him, and pointed to his own cheek.
“Xiao Fuzi, try slapping me again, just see what happens.”
“Your Majesty, that’s improper.”
“Smack!”
The sound of a slap rang out. Looking again, the emperor now bore a clear red mark on his face.
“This… so it really is you back… sob, sob, sob… my daughter… Luoyi… father missed you so much…”
The familiar touch on his cheek brought tears streaming down Qin Junyin’s face. He mournfully tried to rush forward to embrace his daughter but instead grabbed Xiao Fuzi, who had been pulled in front by the girl as a human shield.
The scene was utterly awkward.
“Your Majesty, perhaps you should maintain some imperial dignity.”
Only after the old man’s reminder did the middle-aged man realize his loss of composure.
He quickly released Xiao Fuzi, clasped his hands behind his back, and restored a normal expression.
Qin Luoyi sat on the elaborately carved rosewood chair, watching him with a long sigh.
Honestly, years ago when she had insisted on leaving the palace to travel and study medicine with Lu Qi, one of the reasons was exactly this—she could not bear the overbearing affection of her father, Qin Junyin.
Qin Junyin and her mother were childhood sweethearts betrothed from infancy—a union sanctioned by the previous emperor, a marriage of pure nobility.
Qin Luoyi was their legitimate eldest daughter, born before Qin Junyin ascended the throne.
So, since her mother died due to her constitution, despite having thousands of concubines and numerous children, the emperor never appointed a new empress.
His doting on Qin Luoyi reached unprecedented heights.
Previously, Qin Junyin had even tried breaking precedent by naming his eldest daughter as the so-called Crown Prince, which caused fierce opposition among ministers.
The court was tense, as if swords had been drawn.
After this incident, the freedom-loving Qin Luoyi simply left the palace first and reported later.
As for her reason—she was searching for her destined partner, someone capable of suppressing her own powers.
“Ahem, Luoyi, why didn’t you tell your father when you returned? I could have at least prepared something for you—see, I made these osmanthus cakes myself…”
He casually produced a large stack of osmanthus cakes on the table, his face beaming as if to say, ‘Look, I’m always waiting for your return, my dear daughter.’
“No need, I have my own.”
“What!? You ate cakes made by someone else? How could you? Tell me who, and I’ll kill them right now—”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I came back because of something important, otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.”
The girl’s words were a cold splash of water, nearly choking the emperor.
He lowered his gaze to her teal hair and instinctively recalled when her mother was still alive, a flicker of sorrow crossing his eyes.
But he quickly returned to his usual demeanor, his expression serious once more.
“Luoyi, the matter you speak of is related to that so-called destined person, isn’t it?”
“Hm? You followed me? Didn’t I say don’t follow me around?”
“Not following, Your Highness. I merely sensed the power within you—a calmness I’ve never seen before.”
When the girl remained silent, he paused, then continued, “You know, your mother died because of this power back then. If only I had… sigh…”
He didn’t continue, forcing a smile.
“So… my guess is correct?”
“Yes. You are right. I have indeed found someone who can suppress this power within me.”
“Then… who is this person?”
“Person, heh.”
Qin Luoyi sneered and slapped down the wooden plaque representing the Royal Seal of the Hundred Demons Kingdom on the table, eyes flashing with icy killing intent.
“He was taken by… no, stolen by demons.”
“Demons?”
Qin Junyin picked up the plaque and looked at her.
“You mean the woman my daughter has set her sights on was snatched away in Lixun’s territory by demon-kind, and they even left this plaque openly?”
“Otherwise? Wait… who told you she was a woman? He’s a… um… man. No, a boy…”
“What!? A boy!? No, no, that’s absolutely not acceptable.”
“Why not? Having anyone is good enough. What else do you want?”
“But…”
Suddenly, the ruler of a kingdom sagged in spirit.
He never expected that after his daughter’s time away, she would find a man.
But this was a helpless choice.
After all, he had searched for years for a solution for his wife with no success.
Now that such a person appeared before him, he couldn’t just watch his daughter die.
Qin Junyin wiped the despair from his face, straightened, and forced a smile.
“Xiao Fuzi, prepare yourself. It seems maintaining peace is no longer necessary—let’s go to war.”
With that, the man turned and waved his hand with the air of one directing a battlefield.
Behind him, Qin Luoyi glanced at Xiao Fuzi in disbelief, and the old man gave her a knowing smile and nodded silently.
With his tacit approval, the girl suddenly stood and gave her father a hard kick to the rear, sending the emperor sprawling and rolling several times before stopping.
Qin Luoyi covered her head, sighed, and muttered several times, “Don’t get angry,” to calm herself.
“I said, I only wanted you to come with me to retrieve someone, and you immediately talk about war. Aren’t you just sending ordinary Lixun people to their deaths?”
“I really don’t understand how you became emperor. Your mind is full of war and killing all day. Even children know ‘water can carry a boat but also overturn it,’ but you don’t get it. Sigh…”
Below, Qin Junyin rubbed his head and laughed awkwardly.
“I’m not fond of killing, it’s just that your matter is urgent, isn’t it, Xiao Fuzi?”
“Yes… Your Majesty has indeed made great progress over the years. This matter involves Princess, so naturally, he’s anxious.”
Qin Luoyi looked between her father and the old man, smirking.
“All right, all right. Since that’s the case, which one of you will accompany me to retrieve this person?”
“Father…!”
“The nation cannot be without its ruler even for a day, so… I shall accompany you.”
“No, let Father accompany you!”
“Fine, then let’s depart now. Father, take care of court affairs.”
“All according to the young lady’s wishes.”
“No… Father can come too!”
But despite usually commanding immediate obedience, the emperor now became the one ignored.
He could only watch Qin Luoyi and the old man leave the Qin King’s Hall, collapsing helplessly to the ground, until… they were gone.
Then, rising again from his seat, his gaze sharp as ever, he said,
“Lu Qi, you may come out now.”
“Yes.”
From the shadows, a white-haired old man emerged and knelt.
“In a few days will be the Autumn Moon Awakening Day, right? Your sister’s daughter… has been saved?”
“Yes. She was rescued yesterday, but… she has amnesia.”
“Amnesia? Permanent?”
“No, it will recover after some time.”
“Good. That girl Yajue can finally rest easy.”
Qin Junyin toyed with a pair of walnuts, rolling them slightly, his brows raised.
“Prepare some things. On Awakening Day, as her uncle, I ought to make a proper appearance.”
“Your Majesty, what are your plans?”
“Leading the imperial carriage… to the battlefield.”
The words were blunt, but that mattered little.