He and It Chapter 205: Inquire Here (33)

Chapter 205: Inquire Here (33)

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: GaeaTiamat

 

I’ve been deceived. In that silent moment, the Holy Ancestor’s mind was blank. He saw nothing, heard nothing. I was too arrogant, too naive, too desperate, and forgot that those factors together could cost a man his life. Collaborating with the Evil One was like driving away a fierce tiger only to be torn apart by the lurking wolves.

The Holy Ancestor stood there, barefoot and disheveled. At that moment, instead of an Emperor ruling the world, he instead resembled a destitute beggar. The misfortunes of the world rolled endlessly over his spine and shoulders, and he could only endure. He lacked any strength to resist.

His face alternated between paper-white and fiery-red. Veins bulged in his forehead and neck; they throbbed visibly. His bloodshot eyes made him suddenly seem thirty years older.

Woe to my lifetime of glory, only to end up foolishly inviting the wolves into the house. Making a deal with the Evil One…

The Holy Ancestor gritted his teeth. His voice trembled “You…you…”

His heart swelled painfully, almost bursting. Suddenly, he couldn’t utter another word, and droplets of blood trickled from the corner of his lips. The palace attendants cried out loudly, but the Holy Ancestor ignored them, he could hear the deafening noise that echoed in his brain.

“Enjoy the rest of your life,” the Evil One cheered. “But don’t forget, you still owe two hours, and you owe plenty!”

As the Evil One departed, all the vigor that had sustained Holy Ancestor collapsed utterly. He swayed, his eyes rolled back, and like a puppet with severed strings, he fell heavily, emitting a dull thud.

“Your Majesty!”

“Quick, summon the imperial physicians, call for the cultivators!”

Chaos engulfed the Imperial Palace in Wuping. Countless elixirs and true essences were poured down his throat before the cultivators managed to stabilize Holy Ancestor’s shattered lifeline. Three days later, the emperor slowly regained consciousness, his face withered like that of an elderly man nearing the end.

His vacant eyes scanned the approaching figures. The beloved concubine’s eyes were red from crying, her tears like rain on crabapple blossoms. The Empress’ voice was hoarse, but she smiled through her tears, “It’s alright, it’s alright. Waking up is all that matters!”

“I…swore…” The Holy Ancestor’s throat made a wheezing sound, as he grabbed the wrist of a nearby cultivator. “I…swore…”

He would pay any price, no matter how heavy, to break free from the Evil One’s bonds, to annul the oath, to regain joy and happiness. But even as he despaired, the head cultivator shook his head regretfully.

In strict terms, the Evil One and Goodness had transcended the realm of ordinary cultivators long ago. Regardless, if one were to tread the path to immortality, there were rules and paths to follow: Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Dividing Spirit…Each step grounded in the righteous path. But the concepts of the Evil One and Goodness were unheard of among ordinary cultivators, their existence unimaginable. Such creatures that had almost merged with the principles of yin and yang…could a vow made with them be revoked? Never without enduring the “Anguish of soul and heartache. The pain of true yang burning.”

The Holy Ancestor understood the head cultivator’s silence. His hand fell limp, and he collapsed back onto the jade pillow, tears of blood rolling from his eyes.

After he languished for a while, he suddenly remembered something, and hastily reached out to grab the Empress.

“Quickly, protect the Empress! She’s with child. We cannot afford…any mistakes…”

Exhausted from imparting those words, the Holy Ancestor depleted his energy and sank into unconsciousness.

From then on, laughter vanished from the palace, and any sense of ease dissipated. The Emperor’s mind fixated on the unborn child, yet he dared not approach the Empress too closely, as if fearing something within him might disturb her delicate condition. Until the day of the Empress’s labor, the Emperor anxiously waited outside the palace gates. It was the first time he felt such vague apprehension about the future.

If something were to happen to my child…

An anxious thought flickered through his mind, swiftly quashed. No, nothing would happen! That demon only wanted my time. It wouldn’t harm my child…

But deep down, The Holy Ancestor hesitated.

…Wouldn’t it?

Gold chopsticks, red silk, and precious ornaments were already prepared. The palace was aglow with the light of formations illuminating the Empress’s chamber. Her familiar cries of pain during childbirth tore at the Emperor’s heart.

May the heavens protect us! As long as my child is born safely, I will grant amnesty to the world. I will devoutly honor every deity, seeking their mercy to ensure justice prevails!

The Empress’s labor was a lengthy ordeal. An entire day passed, with imperial physicians bustling about, handing out basin after basin of blood and water. The Holy Ancestor waited outside, his nerves stretched to breaking point, almost numb.

As night fell, the palace was lit up like the starry sky, pearls shining brightly, making the ground as bright as day. The Holy Ancestor waited in a side hall, unable to sit or move, his legs numb from standing.

He wanted to barge into the birthing chamber, but feared his emotional turmoil might attract the Evil One’s attention. Instead, he anxiously waited for the noblewoman to come out and report on the Empress’s condition.

As his mind grew hazy and his strength waned, suddenly, a wave of jubilant clamor erupted from the hall, mixed with cries of “It’s coming out!” “The head is out!”

The Holy Ancestor’s spirits lifted instantly. He took a step forward, but his legs seemed not to obey, and he collapsed to the ground.

The guards rushed to support him, but he paid them no mind, urgently asking, “Has she given birth? Is mother and child safe? Any complications?”

“Your Majesty, the little prince has shown his head!” the noblewoman reported excitedly. “Everything is safe and sound, without any issues. The Empress is blessed with good fortune!”

The Holy Ancestor was overjoyed.

A wave of happiness surged through him like electricity. Like a thirsty traveler finally drinking sweet spring water, or a suffocating patient finally breathing fresh air. It was a sudden downpour after a long drought, overwhelming Holy Ancestor, making him dizzy and nearly faint.

…What’s happening? His body trembled involuntarily with long-lost happiness, even swaying slightly. Yet his heart remained skeptical, astonished beyond measure.

Why am I feeling happiness again? Could it be that my debt is paid off?

Lost in intense confusion and fleeting lightness, Holy Ancestor couldn’t grasp how much time had passed. Suddenly, the previously cheerful noblewoman rushed in, her face pale and panicked.

“The Empress is in trouble!” she cried. “She…she…”

Struggling for breath, she nearly choked to death on the spot, which left Holy Ancestor paler than her. Without a word, he pushed her aside and rushed into the main hall.

By the time he reached the hall, it was too late.

The flames of the palace lamps flickered mournfully, dim and dismal. The light from the pearls was too harsh, resembling many glaring knives that unsettled the heart.

In the light, the Empress lay in the center of the birthing bed. The bedding was soaked with blood, while she appeared so pale she was almost transparent, lying in a sea of crimson. Her skin, her lips, even the strands of her hair were tinged with white.

Childbirth had drained her blood and emptied her body.

The Empress appeared asleep, but anyone with clear senses would know she had already passed away, succumbing to excessive bleeding and weakness.

The midwife carried the faintly breathing, blue-faced infant towards the Holy Ancestor, trembling and unsteady. She didn’t dare to speak, and only extended her hands, as she held the swaddled bundle before the Emperor like a protective charm and showed him his son.

Mechanically, the Holy Ancestor took the child into his arms, utterly numb.

…How could this be?

My child, my Empress, my wife for countless lifetimes, how could she be gone, how could…

In an instant, his emotional pillar, his family, his life, seemed to collapse completely, turning to dust floating in the mortal world.

The infant in his arms seemed to sense the Holy Ancestor’s despair and grief, and emitted a weak cry, as if calling for his father’s comfort.

The Holy Ancestor lowered his head and looked at his child. He was already beyond tears, unable to utter a sound.

“My son…” he parted his lips, hoarsely uttering that address. The loneliness and pain were so intense. “From now on, it’s just us two…Relying on each other…”

After he said those words, he suddenly felt something strange. As he gazed at the baby in his arms, he felt a sudden chill.

The flickering lamp light, the sound of the wind, the trembling figure of the midwife, the fearful breaths of the imperial attendants…everything came to a halt, and left only his own thunderous heartbeat.

Now, the Holy Ancestor witnessed firsthand how “time” could be stripped away. He watched as his newborn son, who had just come into the world, suddenly ceased to breathe, his eyes unopened, still covered in the amniotic fluid from his mother, slowly turned purple, as his limbs stiffened in silence.

No…No, please, I beg you! I kneel and beg you! I’ll smash my head begging you, I’m willing to die begging you! Don’t be so cruel, he’s just been born, he hasn’t even had a chance to see me, to see his mother…Don’t, don’t…

The Holy Ancestor stood there silently, when he wanted to scream, to roar, to tear out his heart and lungs, to jump into the fire and self-immolate, to burn everyone to death…But no matter how madly his thoughts screamed in his mind, his face remained frozen in sorrow from moments before, eyes teary and grieving.

Those were the longest few minutes of his life.

He watched helplessly as his own child went through the process of death, and finally, time began to flow again.

“Why, like this, to me,” the Holy Ancestor murmured in a daze. “Why?”

The Evil One approached and teasingly stroked the newborn’s soft hair.

“You’re quite a peculiar one!” it said disdainfully. “Let me ask you, did you ever have a thought before? Did you say in your heart that as long as you could break our oath, you would be willing to trade everything, no matter the cost?”

The Holy Ancestor’s clouded, lifeless eyes twitched.

“You remember, don’t you?” the Evil One chuckled. “Just now, didn’t I generously grant you the feeling of happiness again? I fulfilled your wish, yet you’re unwilling to provide even a small reward. You turn around to question why I treat you like this…What’s wrong? Have I not treated you well?”

The Holy Ancestor trembled uncontrollably, like a dry leaf tossed about in a cold wind. “You killed…you killed my child, my son…”

The Evil One sighed and lamented, “I say, have you had enough? How many cycles, how many years have passed? Your ‘wife’ gave birth for you, endured the pain of pregnancy and childbirth time and time again, only to watch you embrace other women, touch their buttocks, kiss them. Do you think she would be willing? Your ‘son,’ your crown prince, will never grow up, forever frozen in this age of helplessness, merely serving as a prop for you to satisfy paternal love and enjoy family bliss. Do you think he would be willing?”

As he circled around him, the Evil One chuckled, “It was me! I rarely do a good deed, helping them break free from this endless cycle, and you won’t even bow in gratitude, instead of standing and shaking here like this. Let me ask you, what are you trembling for?”

In an instant, the Holy Ancestor wailed loudly, in bitter, agonizing tears.

When a person reaches a certain point of pain and rage, they completely lose control of themselves, let alone their face and dignity. His howls were tremendous, like an injured beast’s mournful cries echoing through the mountains and forests.

The Evil One had not only deprived the Empress of time to stop her bleeding but now also deprived the crown prince of time to breathe before his eyes. Yet he didn’t understand, truly didn’t understand, why the Evil One would do that. It had clearly said, praising its own talents, showing great favor to itself!