Love & Redemption
Chapter 232: Volume 5 Phoenix Flower Blooms, - 39: Reviving Majesty (Part 2)

Chapter 232: Volume 5 Phoenix Flower Blooms, Chapter 39: Reviving Majesty (Part 2)

Today is a recommended push with three updates, this being the third.

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Yu Sifeng anxiously searched the tunnels for the Great Palace Master’s figure, walking until the very last cell and still not seeing him. Although the underground prison of Lize Palace was large, there were no traps or secret passageways. After searching once more and finding nothing, he had to turn back, only to see Xuanji and the Elders heading his way.

Elder Luo immediately asked, "Have you found the Great Palace Master?" He shook his head dejectedly and said in a low voice, "The Elders have suffered. I never expected the Vice Palace Master to hide such a big secret."

Everyone sighed, but there was no time for regret, only worry about what state Yuan Lang had left the Great Palace Master in. An Elder seemed to remember something and said, "Let’s go check the Vice Palace Master’s bedroom. I remember a junior disciple once trespassed into the Vice Palace Master’s bedroom and discovered something. He came out raving madly, and as a result, he was slain by the Vice Palace Master with a sword for his insubordination. Perhaps the Great Palace Master has been imprisoned in his bedroom."

Yu Sifeng, without a word, turned and dashed out of the dungeon, followed by the Elders. Once outside, they saw many young disciples gathered at the entrance. Seeing that the Elders were unharmed, the disciples wept with joy and talked about past events with deep emotion. The most unbearable thing in the world is when one’s lifelong serious beliefs become a joke in the hearts of others. Xuanji could barely imagine how big a blow this was to Lize Palace. They were so distressed; she guessed they wouldn’t want to see an outsider like herself watching, so she stood far aside, holding Bengyu and waiting for Yu Sifeng to find the Great Palace Master.

The Vice Palace Master’s bedroom was in the innermost layer of Xidou Palace. Yu Sifeng forcefully pushed open the door—he had grown up in Lize Palace but had never entered the Vice Palace Master’s room. This enigmatic and strange person avoided closeness with others, and his room was indeed bizarre. Pushing the door open, he saw nothing but masks hanging on all four walls. These masks were even bigger than those of Lize Palace’s Shura masks, some depicting crying, some laughing, some angry, some joyful, yet whether in contours or expressions, they all looked strikingly similar to one person.

He walked in slowly, took a mask from the wall, and brushed off the dust. The mask was carved lifelike, with bright, intelligent eyes, and lips curled in a half-smile that remarkably resembled Wuzhiqi—every mask in this room, whether crying or laughing, looked exactly like Wuzhiqi!

Yu Sifeng felt somewhat dazed, clutching the mask and pacing slowly around the room, when suddenly, he heard a "thump thump" sound from the corner, heavy and muffled. He was startled and quickly turned to see a large green canopy bed in the corner, with the sound coming from underneath the bed as if someone was forcefully knocking against the bedboard.

He swiftly approached, lifted the bedboard with a jerk, and was assaulted by a foul stink. Under the bedboard was a tiny space, just large enough for one person to curl up and crouch in, and that very spot was indeed occupied by a figure, whose clothing had lost all color, emitting a disgustingly pungent odor.

Seeing the bedboard lifted, light fiercely pierced the figure’s eyes, causing a sharp pain and tears to slowly flow. He tried to straighten up but simply could not. Yu Sifeng, looking at him in shock, felt as if pricked by a needle and, disregarding the filth, parted his matted hair to reveal a face of indistinguishable color, with unkempt beard. He took a breath and made a strange noise from his throat, "...Dad?!"

The hunched, dirty, and smelly person turned out to be the Great Palace Master! It seemed he had indeed been confined to such a tiny space for two years! Yu Sifeng quickly lifted him out and placed him on the bed, gently slapping his cheek, his voice breaking as he said, "Dad! How are you?!" The Great Palace Master trembled slightly all over, his eyelids quivering, and his muffled voice saying something indecipherable no matter how hard one listened. Yu Sifeng took out a piece of the Juntian Ring from his bosom, placed it on his chest, and asked softly, "How about now? Feeling better?"

The Great Palace Master gasped a few times, as if finally drawing a deep breath, his emaciated hand gripping Yu Sifeng’s wrist tightly; his lips trembled as he murmured, "You... who are you? The Vice... Vice Palace Master?"

Yu Sifeng then remembered he had taken the antidote for the Lover’s Curse, forgetting everything about Yu Haofeng and himself. He immediately corrected, "Master, I’m your disciple. The Vice Palace Master... it’s a long story. You rest for a moment; I will check your pulse and treat you right away."

The Great Palace Master clung to his wrist, whispered, "Wait... what is your name?"

Yu Sifeng choked up, and after a moment, said, "My name is Yu Sifeng. You probably don’t recognize me."

The Great Palace Master’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, he said softly, "No... No, that’s a very familiar name... I seem to... I seem to have forgotten something? You’re called Si Feng... Si Feng... mm..."

His eyes suddenly flew open, his look unclear, as if he was vaguely remembering something. Seeing his changed expression, Yu Sifeng knew that even with a piece of the Juntian Ring at his chest, he was still extremely weak and couldn’t muster any demon power. The Vice Palace Master had said the antidote for the Lover’s Curse would not only make him forget about Yu Haofeng but also suppress his demon power. It must have been that right after he had left, the Vice Palace Master immediately imprisoned the Great Palace Master. Since the Great Palace Master had lost his demon power, he couldn’t resist and was brutally locked under the bedboard for two years.

It wasn’t just about the loss of his demon power; even if he had retained the demon power of Shieryu, being confined in such a dark and cramped space for two years would have greatly tormented his mind. Seeing the once formidable figure reduced to this condition, Yu Sifeng felt a surge of sorrow, speaking softly, "If you can’t remember, then don’t try. Come on, I’ll take your pulse." He then grasped his wrist and put two fingers on it.

The Great Palace Master stared blankly at him, lost in thought. Yu Sifeng felt his pulse fluctuate between fast and slow, then fading away, clearly on the verge of burning out. Originally, if he had continued to be confined under the bedboard, he might have lived for several more months; but now, being exposed to daylight again was another serious blow to his body. Even with the Juntian Ring nearby, it was of no help anymore. Yu Sifeng took a deep breath, suppressing the sourness in his throat, and smiled, "...It’s okay... It’s okay, Dad, you’ll be better soon. Do you remember now?"

The Great Palace Master whispered, "What did you call me?"

Yu Sifeng gripped his hand tightly, choking up as he said, "I call you father because you are my father."

In a daze, it seemed as if countless scenes flowed like water before the Great Palace Master’s eyes. He shuddered violently and his eyes suddenly opened wide. In a trembling voice, he exclaimed, "You... you are Si Feng! Si Feng!"

He became agitated, and although on the brink of death, his grip became incredibly strong, tugging painfully at his wrist. Yu Sifeng relaxed his brow and said softly, "That’s right. I am Si Feng. Father, you’ve finally remembered."

The Great Palace Master gasped for breath and asked urgently, "The Vice Palace Master... where is he?!"

"He’s dead." Yu Sifeng was reluctant to tell him the truth, knowing the Great Palace Master was always proud. If he knew that the existence of Lize Palace was only for Yuan Lang’s greed, he would be heartbroken. He was about to die; better to grant the dying some mercy.

The Great Palace Master let out a long sigh, his complexion gradually turning pale, and asked in a low voice, "Dead! Did you kill him?"

Yu Sifeng nodded in silence. Suddenly, there was a commotion outside, and many people, calling out for the Great Palace Master, burst through the door. Upon seeing his crooked and wretched state lying on the bed, many disciples began to cry. Elder Luo stepped forward quickly, choking up, "Great Palace Master! We... ah, the Vice Palace Master... he... ah! We should have discovered it earlier!"

Struggling for breath, the Great Palace Master, after a long while, said in a low voice, "I won’t last much longer... from now on, the Lize Palace will be handed over to... Si Feng. Although he carries the burden of Shieryu, he is too young... he will need the support of the elders. If he cannot win over the crowd... let him... leave!"

Yu Sifeng exclaimed, "Father... Master! I don’t want to..." He stopped mid-sentence, meeting the Great Palace Master’s pleading and affectionate gaze and found himself unable to continue. The Great Palace Master held his hand and said in a low voice, "Si Feng, in this life, I’ve failed in everything. Whether as a Palace Master or as a father... I even caused the death of the woman I loved... You must not follow my example. You’re a good child, intelligent and steady; I am totally reassured to entrust Lize Palace to you... It’s just that... I’ve made you suffer..."

Yu Sifeng’s tears started to flow. He felt the grip on his hand tighten gradually, and the voice became very faint and distant, "...call me father once more..." Yu Sifeng choked up so much he could hardly speak, calling out softly, "Father, father." Before he could finish the last call, he felt a weight on his wrist as the Great Palace Master finally passed away.

Behind him, a wave of crying broke out; everyone knelt to the ground, sobbing and wailing. Yu Sifeng took several deep breaths, recalling his own origins. From now on, he was truly alone in the world, without a father or mother. Suddenly, he felt the whole world had excluded him, almost suffocating him.

After who knows how long, someone held him tightly in their arms; the embrace was very warm and peaceful. He couldn’t help but grasp back tightly and said in a low voice, "Mother..." The voice of Xuanji came from above his head, "Si Feng, do you feel better now?" Startled, he wiped away the tears streaking his face and looked up to see it was indeed her holding him. Remembering his dazed moment when he had called her "mother," he blushed and stammered, "I’m... fine. You just now... you didn’t hear..."

Xuanji said softly, "Mhm, I didn’t hear anything. As long as you’re alright."

He sat up, only then noticing that it had become dark outside and the Great Palace Master on the bed had been cleaned and dressed in funeral garments, his eyes closed and lips sealed, looking as though he was merely sleeping and might awaken with a nudge. He couldn’t help but touch the face with his hand, whispering, "Really dead, yet looking as if he’s asleep."

Xuanji arranged his disheveled hair neatly with her fingers, saying, "You fainted just now, and Elder told me to inform you that when you wake up, you should go to the main hall of Jingui Palace; they have important matters to discuss with you."

Yu Sifeng nodded, straightened his clothes, and Xuanji handed him a damp cloth to wipe his face. Uncharacteristically quiet, she didn’t ask any questions. He grasped her hand and said softly, "Don’t you have anything you want to ask me? With all that’s happened..."

Xuanji shook her head, "I don’t know how to ask, nor do I want to. Because you don’t want to speak. Anyway... I probably can’t be much help. Just don’t be too sad, and don’t say you’re all on your own, because I’m still here with you."

Yu Sifeng gently embraced her, then turned and pushed open the door, "I’ll be back in a while. If I’m late, you should go to sleep first, no need to wait for me."

The elders had something to discuss with him; he had some idea what it might be. If they weren’t talking about him taking charge of Lize Palace, then it would be about dissolving it. He pondered various scenarios on his way there, thinking about how he would handle them. In that moment, he seemed to have grown up a lot, simply because the weight on his shoulders had increased.

As he arrived at the main hall and pushed open the door, he saw dozens of elders all kneeling on the ground, declaring in unison, "We greet the new Palace Master!" (To be continued. For the follow-up, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)