C132. Clear Skies Ahead.

C132. Clear Skies Ahead.

In the next moment, a faint breeze stirred.

The leaves rustled, dust was kicked up, and sand gently rolled on the ground. Yuan Li's robes undulated like waves, his eyes wide open, witnessing the unbelievable scene before him.

Chu Hechao was still kneeling, having just kowtowed to his parents for the third time.

After kowtowing, as he tried to rise using the hilt of the knife for support, a hand was placed over Chu Hechao's head, halting his movement.

Chu Hechao seemed to sense something, and in his lowered gaze, two pairs of feet appeared.

One pair was the round-toed shoes of a woman, the other a man's footwear.

These shoes looked strange yet familiar. Chu Hechao's heart trembled, looking up in disbelief. The simple dress of a woman met his gaze, beside which lay the attire his father, Chu Hengping, often wore.

His gaze moved upward, scanning the waist, chest, and finally resting on the two faces that should have been deceased.

Chu Hechao's pupils dilated, half-bent in a kneeling position, his posture stiff.

Madam Yang's appearance was identical to when she was alive, with moist eyes and a gentle smile on her face as she lightly caressed Chu Hechao's hair, as if still alive.

Yet her touch brought no sensation, confirming her death.

"Mother..." Chu Hechao struggled, staring intently at her face, finally managing to utter the word.

"Ciye," Madam Yang smiled, "After your father and I left, have you been doing well?"

"Hmph," Chu Hengping standing beside him snorted, looking Chu Hechao up and down, "You've hurt yourself again, haven't you, Grand General? Don't you know how to take better care of yourself?"

Madam Yang glanced at Chu Hengping disapprovingly, "Say a few less words, will you?"

Yuan Li, watching from the side, marveled at the scene.

It was so lifelike, the images were truly lifelike.

If he didn't know it was the system's ability, he would almost believe that the real Prince Chu and Consort were standing in front of him.

He had only requested a twenty-second recreation of the Prince and Consort's images, but the system not only recreated their appearance but also simulated their tone, expressions, and actions flawlessly, without any discordance.

Even Yuan Li didn't know what Prince Chu and Consort Yang would say next.

Glancing at the system, Yuan Li saw that the system was counting down from twenty seconds.

Twenty seconds seemed short, almost like the time it takes to sneeze or sip some tea, but when time was measured in seconds, each second suddenly became heavy and the flow visibly slowed down.

But even so, there were only ten seconds left.

Chu Hechao stared at them intently, his mind blank, his throat choked, and he didn't even know what to say.

The hand holding the large knife trembled.

It seemed that Prince Chu and Consort Yang also knew that time was running out. Madam Yang looked at Chu Hechao with an unprecedentedly loving gaze, filled with guilt and nostalgia, and softly said, "Ciye, remember, your mother and your father have always been proud of you. We regret not having spent more time with you before we passed away."

Prince Chu added succinctly, "Live well with your wife in the future, and when you die, I'll come to disrupt your underlings and break your legs."

After saying these words, Prince Chu and Consort Yang's figures slowly disappeared with the wind.

Subconsciously, Chu Hechao reached out towards them, but only caught the disappearing wind. Prince Chu and Consort Yang were blown away by the wind and vanished without a trace.

It felt like a hallucination.

Chu Hechao stared blankly at his empty hand.

He had seen his parents, and they had acknowledged his relationship with Yuan Li.

There was no scolding, no disappointment— they accepted it.

Chu Hechao's eyes welled up, his heart ached.

But soon, he pushed back the emotions welling up, masking his wet eyes, and looked at Yuan Li, "Lejun."

His voice hoarse, cautious, "Did you see that?"

Unable to bear seeing him like this, Yuan Li's eyes welled up, and he nodded without hesitation, smiling, "I saw it."

It wasn't an illusion.

Chu Hechao suddenly felt relieved. He couldn't quite describe what he was feeling at that moment, his throat moved, unable to speak for a long time.

Yuan Li came over and helped him up, and Chu Hechao embraced Yuan Li, whispering in his ear, "They didn't blame me."

Yuan Li responded.

Chu Hechao said, his voice choked, his words almost incomprehensible, "They were proud of me, Lejun."

His voice was choked with emotion, and he continued, "Lejun, I finally saw them for the last time."

Yuan Li felt a twinge in his nose.

He was both happy and sad for Chu Hechao.

Prince Chu and Consort Yang could have easily alleviated the pain in Chu Hechao's heart with just a few words, but unfortunately, they never spoke those two or three crucial sentences to him before passing away.

Yuan Li knew that the AR-generated Prince and Consort of Chu were not the real deal after all. To Chu Hechao, it was a deception.

But what did it matter?

Chu Hechao would never know it was a ruse, and no one else would either.

Only Yuan Li and the system knew the truth.

And Yuan Li would carry this secret to his grave.

Chu Hechao had never believed in spirits or the supernatural, even after seeing his parents with his own eyes. He tightly embraced Yuan Li, his warm breath dampening Yuan Li's neck, and asked, "Lejun, did you make me see them for the last time?"

Chu Hechao had always had almost a beast-like intuition about Yuan Li, who calmly nodded.

"I guessed," Chu Hechao's breath was heavy, "What harm could it do to you?"

Yuan Li's lips curled up, "None. But it can only make them come to see you this once."

"One time is enough," Chu Hechao muttered, "One time is enough."

Cradling Yuan Li's face, he smiled gently, "Thank you, Lejun."

Yuan Li covered his hand with his own.

After paying respects to Prince Chu and Consort Yang, Chu Hechao seemed to have shed the final burden. Though pale, his spirit was fuller than it had ever been in these past few days.

Yuan Li could clearly sense that a weight had lifted from Chu Hechao's heart.

In the afternoon, the two returned to the Prince Chu Mansion.

Upon their return, Yuan Li arranged for a physician to change Chu Hechao's bandages and inspect his wounds. Fortunately, the wound had not reopened and was healing well.

The physicians gathered around the bed, marveling at Chu Hechao's knife wound and expressing great satisfaction at the speed of his recovery.

Surrounding them, Chu Hechao's personal guards also gathered, peeking at the general's injuries with eyes filled with astonishment.

The fact that the general's injuries could heal so quickly seemed to suggest that if they ever had similar wounds in the future, they could also recover faster.

After changing the bandages, Chu Hechao adjusted his clothes and impatiently said, "Alright, everyone out."

The guards and physicians respectfully withdrew. Once they were gone, Chu Hechao reached out to Yuan Li, "Yuan Li, close the doors and windows. I want to talk to you."

Yuan Li closed the doors and windows and approached the bed, asking, "What do you want to talk about?"

Chu Hechao pulled him to sit down and held his hand for a long time before saying, "Mom and Dad know about us."

If Chu Hechao ever had any regrets, not telling his parents about his relationship with Yuan Li would definitely be one of them.

Now that his parents could know this as spirits, Chu Hechao was almost satisfied.

Yuan Li maintained his smile and joked, "Yes, they even said they'd break your legs after you die."

Chu Hechao chuckled coldly and mockingly said, "If he can do it, let him come."

Yuan Li couldn't help but laugh and cry, "Is this how you usually talk to your father?"

Chu Hechao lazily responded with a grunt.

Yuan Li teased him, "I remember now, when I first met you, you had such a cold and hard temperament, like a stone."

Chu Hechao, afraid of being reminded of old grievances, calmly reassured him, "That was in the past, I dare not be harsh now. If I am, I have to make amends right away."

He pinched Yuan Li's waist, and Yuan Li impatiently pushed his hand away.

But the man's hand reached out again, "Lejun..."

"No," Yuan Li ruthlessly refused, glancing at his waist and abdomen, "You are still injured."

But Chu Hechao was unusually excited today. He brightly slapped Yuan Li's back and said, "But you are still here."

Yuan Li hesitated.

Chu Hechao raised an eyebrow playfully and teased, "Are you scared?"

Yuan Li chuckled twice but remained silent.

Chu Hechao patted his thigh and mischievously said, "Sit here, do it yourself."

He then said leisurely, "While I'm injured and unable to move, this is your rare opportunity to take control of the situation."

Yuan Li hesitated and was a bit indecisive.

Chu Hechao smiled at him.

In the end, Yuan Li couldn't resist the temptation, feeling guilty, he tentatively touched the bed.

...

Afterward, Yuan Li lay on the bed, frowning, trying to regain his strength, sweating profusely, with his hair sticking to his back.

Beside him, Chu Hechao massaged his back, his rough fingers pinpointing any painful areas. He looked content, as if he were in paradise.

When Yuan Li recovered a bit, he propped himself up and bit into Chu Hechao's shoulder.

Chu Hechao hissed in pain and begged, "Ancestors, loosen your grip."

Yuan Li only released his mouth when he tasted blood, then looked at Chu Hechao expressionlessly, "You lied to me."

Pretending not to understand, Chu Hechao furrowed his brow, "Where did I lie to you?"

Yuan Li couldn't even speak, just glaring at Chu Hechao.

Chu Hechao chuckled, pinched his face and kissed him, "Just teasing you a bit, don't be angry."

"Get lost," Yuan Li coldly smiled, pushed Chu Hechao's face away, and turned over to sleep.

He thought to himself,

"From now on, if I believe in Chu Hechao's words like this again, then I, Yuan Lejun, am just a fool."