Lin Yue wiped away her tears and whispered, "Third Brother, before I came, the Grand Preceptor and the others said that after successive blows and being confined to guard the imperial mausoleum, you must have a twisted mindset and gone mad. They told me to be careful not to get hurt by you! It's so good to see you're alright!"
"Princess Qi! Princess Qi—!"
At this moment, the Grand Preceptor and a group of high-ranking officials rushed over.
All the way, they had worried that Lin Yu might go berserk and harm Princess Qi. Now, seeing Lin Yu perfectly normal, they all froze in astonishment.
The Lin Yu before them was nothing like a madman—he was as normal as could be!
Moreover, he seemed completely calm, as if he hadn't suffered the setbacks of losing an army, humiliating the country, having his cultivation abolished, or being confined to the imperial mausoleum at all.
Lin Yu turned to look at the Grand Preceptor and the other officials, smiling. "Why are you all in such a hurry? Is there something important?"
"Uh... W-we all followed Princess Qi to visit Your Highness!"
"Your Highness has lived in the imperial mausoleum for so long, and we thought we should come see you!"
"Please don't blame us for visiting so late, Your Highness. State affairs have been too busy, and we couldn't find the time!"
Caught off guard, the Grand Preceptor and others quickly made up excuses.
"So you came to see me with my sister," Lin Yu said, feigning realization as he smiled at them.
"Yes, yes! We all came to visit Your Highness!"
The Grand Preceptor and others nodded repeatedly, all heaving sighs of relief.
"I see," Lin Yu said with a smile. "You can just put the gifts in the house. You came all the way from the imperial city to see me—surely you didn't come empty-handed?"
The Grand Preceptor and others exchanged awkward glances, their expressions a mix of emotions.
They had intended to stop Princess Qi from meeting Lin Yu, so how could they have brought gifts?
But since they claimed to be visiting Lin Yu, arriving without gifts would show blatant disrespect to the prince.
Although Lin Yu was confined to guard the imperial mausoleum, he was still a prince of the Great Han, representing imperial dignity. If the secret guards reported this to the emperor, they would surely be held accountable.
If nothing happened, it might be fine, but if trouble arose and the emperor dug up old grievances, this would be 把柄 [a handle] they handed him.
The Grand Preceptor's face darkened. He gave Lin Yu a deep look, then reluctantly took a jade pendant from his waist and offered it.
"Third Prince, I came in a hurry and didn't bring a proper gift. This jade pendant is a treasure I carry with me, capable of withstanding attacks below the Fifth Rank of the Innate Realm. Please accept it as a token."
As he spoke, the Grand Preceptor's heart ached—this was a one-of-a-kind spiritual treasure. Now he not only had to give it to Lin Yu but also beg him to accept it, which made him want to spit blood from frustration.
Seeing the Grand Preceptor offer a jade pendant, the other officials gritted their teeth and presented the jade thumb rings and jade Ruyi scepters they carried to Lin Yu's room.
These high-ranking officials, all at least Innate Realm warriors, carried spiritual treasures like jade thumb rings and Ruyi scepters, each with unique uses and 不菲 [enormous] value.
Thus, when they left Lin Yu's room, their faces were 阴沉 [gloomy], their hearts aching.
"You've given your gifts and visited me, so I won't see you out," Lin Yu said flatly, seeing their pained expressions.
The Grand Preceptor and others had no choice but to take their leave. After exiting the imperial mausoleum, they looked back, secretly regretting, If we knew Lin Yu would extort us, we never would have come!
"Not bad—you've reached the Innate Realm now," Lin Yu said, turning back to Lin Yue. He nodded, a pleased smile on his face.
Lin Yue looked at Lin Yu, tears welling in her eyes. "Big Brother, you've suffered. I came back this time to ask Father to revoke his order and let you return to the imperial city!"
"Big Brother, I haven't found the mastermind who framed you yet, but one day, I will clear your name!"
Lin Yue looked at Lin Yu with determination. In the past, Lin Yu had protected her; now that his cultivation was abolished, it was her turn to protect him.
"Silly girl, the emperor's words are final—how can he revoke an order? Don't upset Father for my sake. Actually, I'm quite content here," Lin Yu said, reaching out to stroke Lin Yue's head. "Cultivate well—maybe one day our Great Han will have a female emperor!"
Lin Yue hadn't expected Lin Yu to still consider her even in this state. Her eyes reddened slightly. "Big Brother, if I become empress, I will definitely redress your grievance and welcome you back to the imperial city in glory!"
Lin Yu smiled and nodded. With his current cultivation, where in the world could he not go?
He stayed in the imperial mausoleum for two reasons: first, the depths of the Qilian Mountains still held many Innate Realm demon lords; second, the mausoleum was quiet, free from disturbance, and suitable for cultivation.
After that, Lin Yu and Lin Yue talked at length—about happy times they'd spent together and their separate lives since parting.
Lin Yue especially asked how Lin Yu was faring in the mausoleum and whether anyone had dared to trouble him. She'd petitioned her sect to return home specifically to support him after hearing of his ordeal!
Lin Yu smiled and reassured her that all was well.
Seeing he wasn't forcing a smile, Lin Yue finally felt more at ease.
"Big Brother, when I return to the sect, I will cultivate hard. When I advance to the Purple Mansion Realm, that will be the day I bring you back to the imperial city!"
Before leaving, Lin Yue made a solemn promise to Lin Yu.
Helping Lin Yu leave the imperial mausoleum and return to the capital became her motivation for cultivation.
"Quick—go check those jade pendants, thumb rings, and Ruyi scepters! They're all treasures containing spiritual energy. If I, Lord Cauldron, refine them, your cultivation will definitely break through to the Sixth Rank of the Innate Realm!"
As soon as Lin Yue left, Lord Cauldron shouted in Lin Yu's mind, eager to refine the gifts from the Grand Preceptor and others.
Lin Yu returned to his room, summoned the Divine Devouring Cauldron, and the jade pendants, thumb rings, and Ruyi scepters in the room floated up, swept into the cauldron by ripples of starlight.
"Good, good! The spiritual energy in these treasures is extremely abundant—equivalent to several Fifth-Rank Innate demon beasts!"
Lord Cauldron chuckled, refining the treasures while channeling their spiritual energy into Lin Yu, boosting his cultivation.
...
A few days later, a 狂暴 [fierce] aura surged from Lin Yu's body, followed by sharp sword intent crisscrossing the air, leaving hundreds of deep sword marks on the stone wall of the room.
"Already Sixth Rank Innate?"
Lin Yu slowly opened his eyes, feeling the surging spiritual energy in his body. He flicked a finger, and a sword qi turned into a fierce ray, easily piercing the wall.
"Tsk tsk! With your Saint Emperor Sword Body and my help, you should be stronger—capable of killing Seventh-Rank Innate demon lords. 可惜 [It's a pity] the cultivation technique you're using is too low-level, holding you back severely!"
Lord Cauldron shook its "head," disdaining the royal secret technique Lin Yu practiced.