Chapter 498 – Creator of History; The Immortals Dare Not Cross West – Part 2

When Li Yuan returned to the Clear Mind Hall, it was already afternoon.

Even for someone like him, these past few days had been exhausting.

Seeing Xie Wei, he spoke calmly, “It’s done. You can move against the other eight provincial governors now.

But as for cutting down the vassals, I won’t be involved for the time being.”

Xie Wei suddenly dropped to her knees in a graceful bow.

Li Yuan reached out to lift her up, puzzled. “What’s this?”

Her voice was soft, but firm, “Thank you, Senior...for avenging the Xie Clan. Others may not understand what’s happened, but I do. From this day on, I will no longer follow the will of the Dragon Vein or the Immortal Domain. I belong only to you.”

Then, without waiting for a reply, she called out, “Attend me!”

Two palace maids entered.

“Is the Jade Heart Pool complete?” Xie Wei asked.

One of them replied, “Your Majesty, the construction was finished just two days ago.”

Xie Wei nodded. “Prepare the carriage. I’ll visit the Jade Heart Pool.”

Once the carriage was ready, she waved at someone else and said with a playful smile, “Chang Xin, come ride with me. Accompany me to the pool for a bath. You’ve pleased me these past few days. Allow me to reward you.”

It was already common gossip that the Empress Dowager had taken a eunuch into favor. The palace maids weren’t even surprised anymore.

In fact, Xie Wei had looked increasingly radiant in recent days, rejuvenated and glowing with vitality.

But everyone knew...a eunuch couldn’t possibly be the cause of

that

kind of glow. Unless...he wasn’t a eunuch at all.

Of course, no one dared say it aloud. The rumors stayed buried in whispers.

Li Yuan, exhausted and worn, heard that Xie Wei wanted to play around again and didn’t resist. He simply climbed into the carriage.

After all, such indulgences were rare.

The Jade Heart Pool was a natural hot spring, reserved exclusively for the royal family. Located north of the imperial palace, it had once been buried in debris during the chaos of the Lotus Cult uprising. Reclaiming and restoring it had taken significant effort and time. But now, the spring ran clear once more, and the surrounding garden was once again tranquil and elegant.

Not long after, laughter echoed from the Jade Heart Pool.

The palace maids glanced at one another, startled. It was the Empress Dowager’s voice.

Water splashed joyously. Mixed in, faint, ambiguous sounds whispered through the steam, just enough to make the maids blush and hearts pound.

The hot spring rippled gently, brushing over smooth, snow-white skin.

In the steaming waters of the Jade Heart Pool, Li Yuan stretched out his arms, soaking comfortably in the hot spring. Wrapped around him was the most powerful woman on the land—Xie Wei, the Empress Dowager—clinging to him with abandon, utterly at ease in his embrace.

It was decadent, outrageous, and...exhilarating.

A wild, intoxicating thrill stirred deep in Li Yuan’s chest.

But then, footsteps echoed in the distance, rushed and urgent. The metallic clatter of swords and armor rattled through the halls.

Li Yuan stirred, about to move.

But Xie Wei tightened her grip on him.

Her cheeks flushed, she shook her head gently, then lifted her voice, “No one is allowed to enter.”

From outside the screen came the reply of a palace maid, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

Those stationed here were her most trusted. And as the former head of the shadow guard, every woman at her side was skilled, formidable.

Among the maids currently guarding the Jade Heart Pool, at least four were fifth rank cultivators.

Still, the arguing at the pool’s main gate quickly escalated.

The Empress Dowager pressed down on Li Yuan’s shoulder, signaling him to stay.

Then came the voice of a maid reporting from outside.

“Your Majesty, it is... His Majesty, the Son of Heaven.”

“The young Emperor?” Xie Wei’s eyes lit up with a playful smile. Her gaze flicked mischievously. “Then let him in alone. When he arrives at the screen, simply tell him that the Empress Dowager is bathing with Eunuch Chang.”

The maid hesitated for a heartbeat, then answered, “Understood.”

Li Yuan stared at the woman in his arms. “What are you doing?”

Xie Wei replied softly, “He’ll have to accept you eventually.”

“He’s tied to the Dragon Vein,” Li Yuan said. “And he’s still just a child.”

“No,” Xie Wei said firmly. “An emperor is never a child.”

Li Yuan frowned. “He’ll never accept me. This, what you’re doing, it’ll just make him hate me. And hate you.”

“Then let him hate us,” Xie Wei said calmly. “Let that hatred shape him. That is how I choose to raise him. If there comes a day when he can climb over the mountain of my five-fingered hand, then I will finally be at peace, knowing he’s worthy to be Emperor.”

She paused. “At least I can forgive him when he stumbles. I can give him second chances. But if he’s handed over to someone else...they won’t....

“I may resent him,” she admitted. “But he still carries Xie blood in his veins. I want him to become a real Emperor. A strong one. Not a puppet controlled by the whims of every faction in the realm.”

As she spoke, the sounds from outside grew louder, harsh, angry breathing, deep and heavy. Then sounded the respectful voice of a palace maid.

“Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager and Eunuch Chang are behind the curtain.”

With that, the maid stepped away in silence.

The candle flames flickered on a tall boy standing just beyond the screen.

He wore the imperial dragon robe. His right hand clenched the hilt of a ceremonial longsword, so tightly that his knuckles were white. His back was slightly hunched, and his face twisted with fury. Though he said nothing, the sound of water behind the curtain was unmistakable.

The flickering light of the candles cast long shadows, outlining the boy’s solitary, uncertain figure.

“Mother...?” Ji Hu’s voice wavered as he spoke the word. Even now, even with everything right before his eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to believe it.

That man had died too soon. But he’d been kind. Gentle.

And after his death, a seed had quietly taken root in Ji Hu’s young heart. He would be a good son to his mother. He would protect her...for that man’s sake.

His name was Ji Hu. Born into the imperial family amidst chaos and bloodshed, placed upon the throne by fate itself. Even his name meant

to protect

. Surely, Heaven’s will was clear. He was meant to guard his family, guard his nation.

But now...from behind the curtain came a familiar, gentle voice, so dignified and so composed.

“Hu’er? What brings you here so late at night?”

Ji Hu’s voice was low and heavy. “I ask...is Eunuch Chang within?”

There was a pause. Then the Empress Dowager’s voice returned, still poised but with a sharper edge.

“If you want to know, come see for yourself.”

“I dare not,” Ji Hu replied.

“You should be focusing your mind on statecraft,” she said coldly. “Who put this nonsense in your head and led you here to the harem?”

Ji Hu sighed. “There have been...rumors in the palace. That Mother is often alone with Eunuch Chang. And now—”

“You know already, then,” Xie Wei said.

That simple confirmation stunned him.

For a moment, he stood frozen.

Then, sword still in hand, Ji Hu threw his head back and roared with laughter, bitter and furious.

“So, is Mother planning to find me

another

eunuch to call Father?!”

Silence. Then, behind the curtain, the Empress Dowager let out a soft, mocking laugh. “In that case, why don’t you confer the title

Marquis of Freedom

upon Eunuch Chang? And the next time you see him, greet him as your

Honored Stepfather

.”

Ji Hu couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His pupils burned crimson, face twisted with fury, and he let out a strangled scream. “AAAHHH!!”

He raised the sword, ready to burst in. But before he could move, the Empress Dowager’s icy voice cut through the steam and candlelight.

“You are the Son of Heaven. Not a brute. Did you bring Fish Guts? Is Gao Kaiping outside waiting? If not, how

dare

you charge in here alone?”

Ji Hu’s sword trembled in his hand. His knuckles turned white. His entire body shook. His eyes were bloodshot, and hot tears slid down his cheeks.

“Mother...tell me this isn’t real. Tell me you’re not...not like this. How can you do this? How could you...do this to Father?”

From behind the curtain came soft laughter. Not mocking this time, just...sad.

“You’re still just a child.” The laughter faded. And the voice that followed was cold and merciless, “Get out.”

“Mother—”

“I said, get out.” Then she called out, “Attend me!”

Two figures swept into the room, palace maids, silent and swift. They stood before Ji Hu, barring his path.

Ji Hu’s gaze darkened further. His fingers clenched so tightly around the sword hilt that it looked as though he might crush the blade itself.

He wiped away his tears and bowed stiffly.

“Your son takes his leave.”

And with that, he hunched his shoulders, lowered his eyes, and stormed out of the room, each step heavier than the last.

Behind the curtain, Xie Wei turned to Li Yuan, her expression unreadable. Then, unexpectedly, she smiled. “I wondered what he would say. Turns out it was about

you

. Looks like all those days you spent flying kites with him, giving him piggyback rides, sneaking him out to buy sweets...didn’t go to waste.”

“Haha...” Li Yuan let out a dry, self-mocking laugh. “I don’t think I’m a good person. I did kill his real

father...”

He was about to say more, but Xie Wei gently placed a hand over his mouth. Her gaze met his, steady and unwavering.

“To him,

you

have always been his

real

father.”

Li Yuan sighed, the weight in his chest sinking deeper.

A strange memory surfaced, one from before his transmigration. In that long-forgotten history, there had also been a tale of a false father. And now, here he was...caught in the same echo, the past folding over the present.

For just a moment, he felt as if he were no longer living in history—

He was

creating

it.

Li Yuan helped the Empress Dowager sit upright and said calmly, “Now that you’ve taken control of the Mountain Hall, don’t touch the grain transport line. That route might reconnect with the Eastern Sea’s Immortal Domain; it’s a perfect piece of bait.

“Also, when the envoy’s last subordinate died, there wasn’t much on him. I suspect he hid something. Have your people search the area. If they find anything, I’ll come to collect it.

“Lastly, mobilize your network. Make a show of investigating the murders. Act like you’re trying to identify the culprit. Don’t let anyone connect the deaths of the envoy to you.”

“I understand,” Xie Wei replied gently.

The indulgent hours spent at the Jade Heart Pool had left Li Yuan feeling remarkably refreshed.

To live forever in this world, he thought, one must live like water. Water had no shape, it flowed around obstacles, adapted to any terrain, and always found its way forward.

Li Yuan wanted to experience every kind of life. And to do that, he had to

become

every kind of person.

As for those who claimed that losing yourself in other lives led to forgetting your true self... he scoffed at the idea.

If your true self was so fragile that it crumbled just because you lived differently, then maybe it was not worth keeping.

After all, the person you were at 10 years old, was that your true self? What about at 20? Or 30?

People grew. People changed. And that change, that endless becoming, that’s what made life interesting.

Just a moment ago, he was still the terrifying hand behind the curtain, slaughtering two Immortal envoys with cunning and overwhelming power, shaking the capital to its core.

But now, suddenly, he wanted to become something else. A man of the blade. A wandering hero who lived by the blade, cutting down evil with purity and purpose, untainted by the filth of politics and intrigue.

But before he could become that man, he had a few things to finish.

First, he went to the bustling market and bought a swallow-shaped kite. Then he made his way to the Dragon Roar Hall, and with the handwriting of the late Emperor—a style he had practiced during his impersonation, he inscribed a few words on the kite—

Strive without ceasing...