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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 205: The Truth is Hard to Distinguish
When a man reaches an extreme level of handsomeness, he often becomes more alluring than even the most beautiful woman, and Ye Huan was one such example. Clinging to the belief that Zhao Ziyu could have no feelings for a handsome man, he watched as she elegantly tossed her silver hair and finally spoke with a playful expression, "Your Majesty, I am also a charming and extraordinary handsome man. Why don't we talk about appearances?"
"Appearances? In my heart, you will never be as pleasing to the eye as he is!"
With a disdainful glance at Ye Huan, Zhao Ziyu noticeably softened when mentioning 'him.' A hint of color appeared on her pale face, which, combined with her somewhat frail physique, evoked a sense of pity. Unfortunately for her, standing before her was none other than Ye Huan, who had a betrothal with her.
Seeing Zhao Ziyu's expression, Ye Huan felt an inexplicable surge of anger. Not knowing who 'he' was, he demanded loudly, "He? Who is he? Tell me, and I'll take care of him!"
As he spoke, Ye Huan took two steps forward, almost placing his hands on Zhao Ziyu's shoulders. Just as they were within mere centimeters of each other, a cold glint flashed. Zhao Ziyu once again pressed her Short Blade against her delicate neck and coldly warned, "Don't touch me. He doesn't like me anymore; what meaning does my life have? I might as well die..."
"Hey, don't think like that! I'm stepping back now; is that okay?"
Noticing that the Short Blade was already drawn, Ye Huan realized that if it were to slice across Zhao Ziyu's neck, not even the Great Immortal could save her. Thus, he spoke soothingly while slowly retreating two steps. However, unable to shake off the question of who 'he' was in Zhao Ziyu's heart, he added, "Your Majesty, if you're planning to die anyway, shouldn't you at least do it with clarity? Tell me who that person is! If you tell me now, I will leave!"
"What good would it do to tell you? It's not that I underestimate you; if he were standing in front of you right now, you probably wouldn't even be able to touch a single finger of his!"
Noticing that Ye Huan truly had no intention of harming her, Zhao Ziyu slowly began to speak. Yet everything she said was merely dissuading him from harboring any hopes. This left Ye Huan feeling frustrated; what kind of person could be so powerful that even he couldn't compete?
It was no wonder Ye Huan felt suspicious. In the current realm of Jiuzhou, if he considered himself second in strength, no one would dare claim the first spot—after all, his reputation was soaring. Coupled with his identity as a Summon Arms, there was likely no one brave enough to challenge him directly.
Just when Ye Huan couldn't fathom who this formidable figure mentioned by Zhao Ziyu could be, she unexpectedly spoke again: "To tell you the truth! His name is Ye Huan..."
"Who?! Ye Huan?!"
Stunned as if struck by lightning, Ye Huan vigorously rubbed his ears in disbelief. He couldn't accept this reality because he felt that his relationship with Zhao Ziyu hadn't even reached the stage of romance yet. But then again, he couldn't ignore the fact that if it weren't for her feelings for him back in the military camp at Sky Star City, why would she have taken that blade for him?
As Zhao Ziyu continued recounting everything they had experienced together—from Beiyuan to the Star of Heaven, overwhelmed by emotion, Ye Huan rushed forward and embraced her tightly.
Feeling the warmth radiating from him and unaware of his true identity, Zhao Ziyu was instantly frightened into losing her composure. Even her Short Blade clattered to the ground with a crisp sound as she snapped back to reality and struggled fiercely to escape from the embrace of 'White Impermanence,' shouting desperately, "Let go of me! You beast!"
"A beast? I'm just Ye Huan!”
Ye Huan looked at Zhao Ziyu in surprise, hurriedly trying to clarify his identity. However, it was utterly helpless; at that moment, Ye Huan had the face of someone else, and even his voice had changed. How could Zhao Ziyu possibly believe what he said?
Thus, upon hearing White Impermanence claim to be Ye Huan, Zhao Ziyu struggled even more fiercely and shouted angrily, "Do you think I'm blind? If you are Ye Huan, then I am Durei IV!"
Durei IV?
Imagining himself holding a man, Ye Huan suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He loosened his grip on Zhao Ziyu just enough for her to easily slip out of his embrace. It wasn't until he noticed the emptiness in his arms that Ye Huan realized what he looked like and hurriedly gathered all the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy within him, intending to revert to his original appearance.
Perhaps fate was playing tricks on Ye Huan, or maybe the heavens favored him in this form; no matter how hard he tried, not only did his appearance remain unchanged before Zhao Ziyu, but even the most noticeable white hair showed no signs of alteration.
'How could this be? Could it be...'
In a moment of realization, Ye Huan recalled that the art of disguise prevalent in Eastern State, while simple, had a certain time limit. Once a person's appearance was altered, unless Ye Huan died within three days, there would be no change until the time was up. Only after three days would he return to his true self.
Thinking of this and glancing at the still somewhat flustered Zhao Ziyu while noticing the strands of white hair on his shoulder, Ye Huan muttered aloud enough for Zhao Ziyu to hear clearly, "What the hell is this?"
After taking another look at Ye Huan and circling around him twice, Zhao Ziyu could confidently say that White Impermanence and Ye Huan shared some similarities in build, but their appearances were worlds apart. How could he possibly be Ye Huan?
Having confirmed his thoughts, Zhao Ziyu showed no courtesy towards Ye Huan and coldly sneered, "Keep pretending. Since you enjoy acting so much, I'll let you act to your heart's content! Guards! Drag this guy who intends to do something untoward to me away!"
"Ah?!"
Knowing that there were many palace guards and realizing it was not wise to reveal his identity in front of so many people, Ye Huan's first instinct upon hearing Zhao Ziyu's shout was to deny everything. He couldn't let anyone know about their physical contact earlier. Moreover, he had to ensure that no one discovered he was Ye Huan to avoid raising Durei IV's suspicions. If that happened without knowing the full story, then this trip to the palace would have been for nothing.
As Ye Huan prepared himself for what was to come, an unsettling feeling arose when three to five minutes passed without anyone arriving. Both Ye Huan and Zhao Ziyu felt a twinge of anxiety because, from Ye Huan's perspective, Zhao Ziyu was like a caged bird in the palace; even her cries went unanswered. This made it clear what kind of life she led. As for Zhao Ziyu, she was still a woman alone with an unknown man; her unease was simply instinctive.
In this awkward situation, Ye Huan felt it necessary to convince Zhao Ziyu of his identity. He summoned his 2012 Arms Compendium and asked Zhao Ziyu, "Your Majesty, do you recognize this?"
"Summoning Book?!"
Upon hearing Ye Huan's words, despite repeatedly telling herself to stay calm, Zhao Ziyu couldn't help but exclaim in surprise when she saw the 2012 Arms Compendium in Ye Huan's hands. No matter how much a person's appearance changed, a Summoning Book could never change—especially some special Summoning Books; they were one in a million and nearly impossible to find another copy.
For instance, Durei IV held the position of Court Chief Summoner not only because of his strength but also because he possessed a Summoning Encyclopedia.
Understanding all about Summoning Books seemed to make Zhao Ziyu believe in the current Ye Huan somewhat. After biting her lip thoughtfully, she tentatively asked, "Are you really Ye Huan?"
"Absolutely! Don't you remember? We were quite intimate back in Sky Star City!"
With a wicked smile, Ye Huan confirmed his identity and couldn't resist throwing in a teasing remark, which left Zhao Ziyu blushing furiously. Despite this, Zhao Ziyu still felt a lingering confusion about how Ye Huan had transformed into the person standing before her now.
Ye Huan slowly recounted the events that had transpired, and when he mentioned that he had gone to the Martial Arts Competition for Marriage and killed two people for her sake, Zhao Ziyu's eyes filled with tears of gratitude. Without hesitation, Ye Huan shared everything he had done since leaving the capital two months ago. This revelation prompted Zhao Ziyu to throw herself into Ye Huan's arms, crying uncontrollably like a wronged maiden, completely shedding her image as the Empress of Huaxia Nation.
Gently patting Zhao Ziyu to help her regain her composure, Ye Huan finally had the chance to ask what had happened in the past two months that led to Durei IV seizing power in the capital.
Wiping her tears, Zhao Ziyu began to explain the events of the last couple of months. It turned out that while Ye Huan and his companions were still in the capital establishing a new regime, Durei IV had been consolidating power by leveraging the influence of the last Ninth-Level Practitioner in the capital to gather a significant following. This included several professionals and key members from various families in the capital. At that time, with Huaxia's economy struggling to recover after the war, no one noticed Durei IV's maneuvers. However, once Ye Huan left, Durei IV placed these supporters into military and court positions. Zhao Ziyu found herself powerless to stop this, as she was alone and lacked strength compared to Durei IV.
Later on, in an attempt to reclaim power, Zhao Ziyu sent people to seek help from other Three Halls under Ye Huan's command. However, she never imagined that those she dispatched would be discovered and captured by Durei IV before they even left the palace.
Upon learning of Zhao Ziyu's attempts to reach out for help, Durei IV was furious and issued orders under Zhao Ziyu's name for Dragon Hall members to leave the capital. He also commanded an attack on Xuanling Pass aimed at eliminating Ye Huan.
For two whole months afterward, Zhao Ziyu was effectively under house arrest while Durei IV ruled unchallenged in the capital. Just a few days ago, unable to endure any longer and refusing to continue playing along in court, she infuriated Durei IV. Surprisingly, however, Durei IV remained inactive for several days. If she hadn't heard him mention hosting a Martial Arts Competition for Marriage in her name today, she might still be oblivious to his plans.
"Martial Arts Competition for Marriage? Is Durei IV planning to dethrone the emperor?"
Once Zhao Ziyu finished speaking, Ye Huan pondered briefly before realizing the crux of the matter: Durei IV truly intended to rebel!
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