Chapter 13: Half a Chance of Survival

Lu Zhaoling had spent half the day sleeping just to recover a sliver of strength, yet she had exhausted it all again in one go, even dipping into her reserves. At this moment, she felt her hands trembling.

The Prince of Jin, however, felt as though he were recovering. He signaled for Qingfeng to step back and reached out to steady Lu Zhaoling’s hand. Looking down, he realized his collar had been pulled open once more.

"We have met exactly twice," he remarked, "and you have pulled open my clothes twice."

Lu Zhaoling chuckled weakly. "Do you think I enjoy it? Now, are you going to help me up or not?"

Qingfeng stepped back two paces, lowering his head to keep watch. Even so, he couldn't help but think that the young lady was truly blunt when speaking to the Prince.

The Prince of Jin helped her stand, but just as he prepared to let go, Lu Zhaoling’s legs gave way. She nearly collapsed again, so he immediately wrapped an arm around her waist. As he held her, he could feel her body shivering—a clear sign of total exhaustion. His lips thinned; he understood that she must have expended a tremendous amount of energy to save him.

Still, his gaze immediately darted to the Retired Emperor on the bed. Since he was still alive, was it possible to save the Retired Emperor as well?

"Can you save the Retired Emperor too?"

"No." Lu Zhaoling cut him off immediately, shattering his illusions. "He is already dead."

She spoke without a hint of reverence. This was the Retired Emperor! Qingfeng’s jaw dropped. Was this because she was raised in the countryside?

The Prince of Jin’s eyes darkened. He was shocked, but what stunned him most was the implication: had she managed to break that secret forbidden art?

"However," Lu Zhaoling added, "he cannot be allowed to die too thoroughly. You and he share a life-link forbidden art; it cannot be severed completely."

The Prince of Jin was bewildered. Someone was dead, yet they could not be allowed to die "thoroughly"?

"Help me to the bedside."

The Prince led her to the side of the Retired Emperor’s bed. "Qingfeng, guard the exterior. Do not allow anyone to enter."

"Understood!"

Qingfeng, already reeling from shock, hurriedly retreated. The entire Ningshou Palace was currently immersed in mourning, and the Emperor had permitted the Prince of Jin to remain in the bedchamber alone to keep vigil, so no one dared to disturb them.

Lu Zhaoling arrived at the bedside, examining the Retired Emperor’s complexion and then scanning the surroundings. Her gaze swept over the Prince of Jin’s face. Had this father and son finally redeemed one another? The Retired Emperor had voluntarily given the Prince ten years of his lifespan, and the Prince, in turn, shared his own life with him.

One was the former emperor, the other possessed the destiny of an Imperial Star, rich with purple aura. Although both were Imperial Stars, there was a distinction; the Prince of Jin’s destiny surpassed that of other emperors. Because of the pressure of his purple aura, the Retired Emperor’s life force had not completely dissipated. Half remained, and she had just managed to gather it in time.

"What do you mean when you say he cannot die 'too thoroughly'?" the Prince asked.

"Do you have a wooden tablet?" Lu Zhaoling ignored his question, looking at him instead.

"What kind of wooden tablet?" The Prince frowned.

"Like a spirit tablet. If possible, one made of golden cedar."

The Prince had no idea why she needed a wooden tablet, but looking at the Retired Emperor lying on the bed, he agreed. "I do."

He sent a message to Qingfeng to retrieve one. Ningshou Palace was full of golden cedar, such as the screens. They could simply carve a piece off.

Soon, a golden cedar tablet was delivered into Lu Zhaoling’s hands. She placed it over the Retired Emperor’s heart, extended a finger, and pricked it with a hairpin, causing a bead of blood to seep from her fingertip. She pressed her finger to the center of the Retired Emperor’s forehead.

"Lu Zhaoling!" The Prince was alarmed and reached out to grab her arm. His imperial father was dead; how could she desecrate his body so casually?

Lu Zhaoling glanced at him. "Let go. Do you still want to live?"

"What are you doing?" the Prince asked in a low voice.

Lu Zhaoling looked at the rich purple aura radiating from him, and with her other hand, she suddenly reached out and grabbed at the air before him. She snatched a bit of his purple aura; otherwise, she would not be able to sustain herself.

The Prince watched as she completed the motion and then pressed the "air" she had caught against her own brow.

"What was that?"

Even though he didn't understand, he noticed her complexion improved significantly after the action—as if she had consumed some miraculous tonic.

Lu Zhaoling let out a soft breath. As expected of a one-in-a-million Imperial Star, this purple aura was incredibly nourishing for her.

"I just preserved half of the Retired Emperor's life force. I can settle that life force into this wooden tablet to bear the weight of your life-link forbidden art. It will deceive the Heavens into believing he hasn't truly died, and you won't have to die either." In exchange for that handful of purple aura, she kindly explained.

The Prince of Jin was stunned. "This is possible?"

"It wouldn't work for anyone else. Your destiny, the Retired Emperor's destiny, and my abilities—each is indispensable." Lu Zhaoling said this with considerable pride.

The Prince of Jin had never heard of such a thing.

"Can you let go now?"

"If the life force is settled into this tablet, what will happen to it?"

What would happen? Lu Zhaoling thought for a moment. "It will be like a genuine ancestral spirit tablet. Just send it to the place where you enshrine the royal incense. Perhaps, when some descendant comes to kowtow, it might even perform a miracle?"

For some reason, the Prince sensed a hint of mockery in her tone. He didn't believe it. How could such a thing be possible? Nevertheless, he released her arm.

Lu Zhaoling pressed her finger to the Retired Emperor’s forehead, then slowly lifted it and moved it toward the wooden tablet, as if she were pulling a thread. Once at the tablet, she used her finger to write.

"What is the Retired Emperor’s name?"

"Zhou Changxi."

Lu Zhaoling asked which characters they were. The Prince thought for a moment, then grabbed her hand, guiding her finger to write on the tablet.

*Spirit Tablet of Zhou Changxi.*

It was written in her blood. For some reason, as the final stroke was completed, the Prince felt as if the characters flashed, veiled in a layer of silver light.

"Done."

Lu Zhaoling’s voice brought him back to reality.

"The place where you enshrine the royal incense—"

"Send it to the Ancestral Temple."

The Prince let go of her hand and picked up the spirit tablet. Lu Zhaoling’s body swayed dangerously. After writing those five characters, her face had turned deathly pale again.

"Later, find me some high-quality ginseng and brew me some chicken soup—"

Before she could finish, her vision went black, and she collapsed forward onto the bed. She was about to fall right onto the Retired Emperor.

The Prince of Jin immediately reached out, caught her waist, and retreated two steps. Only then did he realize that his knees, which had been in agonizing pain and prevented him from standing, were no longer hurting. He could stand and walk? What exactly had Lu Zhaoling done?

"Your Highness, His Majesty has arrived!" Qingfeng’s voice sounded from outside.

But the Emperor did not wait for Qingfeng; he had already strode into the room as he spoke, only to find the Prince of Jin clutching a young woman.

"What are you doing?!"