The amount of spiritual energy Liu Haoyu transferred into Yao Yuxuan's body was incredibly precise, measured with an almost unnerving accuracy. It was as though the dragon prince knew Yao Yuxuan's limits intimately, down to the last shred of vitality he could endure before collapsing. The moment Yao Yuxuan stepped through the threshold of their room at the inn, all of his strength evaporated. His legs gave out beneath him, his muscles stiffening as if gripped by iron chains, and the ache in his chest returned with a vengeance. The stabbing sensation clawed at his ribs, forcing him to gasp for breath.
Before Yao Yuxuan could even catch himself, Liu Haoyu had already taken hold of him, but this time, there was none of the gentle care that had been present earlier. He moved Yao Yuxuan like a lifeless doll, roughly depositing him onto the bed. The sheets crumpled beneath his weakened form as Liu Haoyu turned wordlessly toward the windowsill, where he sat, staring out into the dimming sky, his presence cold and distant.
"Welcome back, Your Majesty," A-Mei greeted, her voice soft but reverent as she bowed deeply. Her eyes flickered toward Yao Yuxuan, and she added in a quieter tone, "…Gege."
The dragon prince didn't respond. He didn't even look in A-Mei's direction. His gaze remained fixed on the world beyond the window, his silhouette cast in shadow by the setting sun.
Yao Yuxuan, struggling to regulate his ragged breathing, turned his head toward A-Mei and gave her a small nod. "Thank you, A-Mei," he rasped, though his words were cut short by a violent fit of coughing. The force of it tore through his fragile body, and before he could react, a wave of blood rose up in his throat. He doubled over, convulsing as he coughed into his hand, the metallic taste of blood filling his mouth.
Lei-er, who had been so quiet that Yao Yuxuan hadn't even noticed his presence, suddenly rushed forward. His small, delicate hands offered a plain white handkerchief, head bowed in submission. Yao Yuxuan, trembling uncontrollably, took the cloth with a weak, shaky hand. The tremors that racked his body made it difficult to raise the handkerchief to his lips, but he managed. His coughs intensified, each one more painful than the last, until finally, a dark clot of blood dislodged from somewhere deep within his chest. He spat it into the silk, his body heaving with exhaustion.
"Just what is wrong with you?" Liu Haoyu's voice cut through the silence, his tone colder than ice. He didn't turn to face Yao Yuxuan, but the intensity of his presence filled the room like a storm. "Don't bother answering. It's rhetorical."
Yao Yuxuan sat still, his chest rising and falling with each labored breath. The blood that had clogged his lungs was gone, but he still felt weak, as if his life was hanging by a thread. His eyes, tired and wary, flicked toward Liu Haoyu. He could feel the weight of the dragon prince's words hanging in the air, sharp and dangerous, like a blade poised to strike.
What was he thinking? What did he want from him now?
"I've looked into your background a little," Liu Haoyu continued, his voice distant and aloof, as though he were reciting facts rather than speaking to the man lying broken on the bed. "Your achievements are nothing short of astounding. If it weren't for that brainless dog wearing emperor's clothing, I believe you'd have become a legendary Grandmaster by now."
Liu Haoyu's tone shifted, growing darker, as if a shadow had passed over his words. "I've had my eyes on you and your spiritual prowess for ten years, Yao Yuxuan. We've grown up with our swords aimed at each other's throats, but I know your strength better than anyone on this planet. I know how formidable you are."
He paused, his lavender eyes narrowing as he finally turned from the window. His handsome features, normally so composed, were twisted with anger. "But despite your talent, your health has been in constant decline. Why are you so sick? Why is it that now, when I'm finally ready to break you and take your qi, your core is in such a state of complete disrepair?"
Yao Yuxuan flinched at the sudden change in Liu Haoyu's demeanor. The dragon prince's voice had grown quicker, more urgent, and with each word, his anger became more palpable. He stepped away from the window, his movements sharp and deliberate, revealing the full extent of his frustration. His once calm face was now a mask of fury, his sharp features contorted into something nearly unrecognizable. His shoulders trembled with barely contained rage, and his hands rose to his face as he let out a laugh—a laugh that was wild, unhinged, and filled with madness.
"Who the fuck has been doing this to you?!" Liu Haoyu shouted, his voice echoing off the walls. "Who got to you before I could?! Who dares to ruin the plan I've been developing for a decade?! Is there really someone in this world bold enough to take what's mine and break it before I can even have the chance to experience it? I'll find them, I'll ruin them, skin them alive, eat them alive!"
He turned his gaze toward Yao Yuxuan, and for the first time, the man felt the full force of Liu Haoyu's wrath. The dragon's lavender eyes glowed with an unholy light, blazing with rage and a feral, unrestrained intensity. "You've been defiled, weakened, and yet you're so dense and useless that you don't even know how or when it happened?! Do I really have to figure everything out for you, too?"
His voice alternated between furious shouts and venomous whispers, his words seething through clenched teeth. He began pacing back and forth, his eyes wild with a purple glow that seemed to ripple through the air. His anger was a force of nature, crackling like lightning, threatening to tear the room apart with its intensity.
Yao Yuxuan, despite the overwhelming fear gnawing at him, felt something stir inside. Anger. Liu Haoyu could scream at him for days on end, but to call him useless and dense? That was the final straw.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Yao Yuxuan growled, his voice hoarse and strained from the pain in his chest. "Blaming me for something I had nothing to do with? Piss off, you overgrown snake!"
Liu Haoyu's laughter cut through the room again, sharp and bitter. "Maybe if you had a spine and left the palace instead of being the emperor's lapdog, you wouldn't be in this state!"
"I didn't have a choice!"
"Oh really?" Liu Haoyu sneered, his eyes narrowing. "Tell me then, Nameless Maestro, what was so important that you wasted half your life in that miserable state?"
Yao Yuxuan coughed violently, spitting more blood into the handkerchief. His chest heaved, his voice barely a whisper as he forced out the words. "I did it for someone dear to me."
"For love?!" Liu Haoyu's face twisted with disgust. "You've wasted a decade of your life for love? How stupid can you be? I thought you might have been sacrificing yourself for a noble cause, protecting peace or some other nonsense, but love? What idiotic woman has bewitched you so thoroughly that you'd throw your life away for her? Han Yiran, that spoiled brat? Did she at least let you sleep with her for all your trouble? How good must she have been to cloud your judgment so completely?"
"It was for my sister!" Yao Yuxuan's voice rang out before he could stop himself. His anger had overridden his sense of caution, and now, the truth was out.
Liu Haoyu froze, his expression shifting from rage to something more complex. For a moment, his face softened, his eyes narrowing as he processed what Yao Yuxuan had said. "Your sister?" he repeated, his voice quieter, more measured.
Yao Yuxuan sighed, realizing it was too late to take back his words. He had no choice now but to explain. "Yes. Han Yiran is my younger sister."
Liu Haoyu stared at him, and for the first time that evening, the dragon prince's eyes seemed to soften. A flicker of sadness passed through them, but it was fleeting. After a moment, he scoffed bitterly. "Siblings are the first to betray you when things go wrong. You're an even bigger fool than I thought."
"I don't know what kind of trauma you've endured," Yao Yuxuan said, his voice trembling with exhaustion. "But it's childish to project your pain onto others! I would have died if my sister hadn't found ways to help me… kept me alive…"
A-Mei, standing quietly in the corner, felt her heart tighten at the sight of Yao Yuxuan's suffering. His face was pale, his breaths shallow and strained, and she feared for his life. She glanced toward Liu Haoyu, her master and savior, and felt torn between loyalty and compassion.
Liu Haoyu waved a dismissive hand, his expression hardening once more. "Whatever. It's irrelevant now. Your core belongs to me, and I'll find a way to fix it."
"You're mad!" Yao Yuxuan shouted, his voice cracking as another fit of coughing overtook him.
A-Mei took a cautious step forward, her voice trembling as she spoke. "Your Majesty, may this humble servant administer medicine?"
Liu Haoyu's gaze flickered toward her, and after a brief pause, he waved his hand dismissively. "Do as you please. I can't have him dying on me."
A-Mei hurried to Yao Yuxuan's side, carefully lifting his head as she poured a medicinal concoction into his mouth. He swallowed weakly, his body barely able to keep up with the effort. Moments later, his consciousness began to fade, the world around him slipping into darkness.
That night, Yao Yuxuan dreamed of his sister. But whether the ache in his chest was from his physical injuries or from his heart, he couldn't tell.