Chapter 1901: Journey (Five)
“Answer me one question.”
Yun Che’s tone shifted abruptly. Though their gazes remained locked, his slightly narrowing eyes seemed to condense into a compressed starry sky.
Cang Shuhao parted her lips: “Is His Majesty asking what sort of feelings I hold toward you?”
As soft as water, her words struck directly at the thought Yun Che had been about to voice. He nodded: “I want the truth.”
Cang Shuhao did not reply directly. A fragrant breeze stirred as she slowly moved forward, stopping before Yun Che, then bending down. Her hands, fairer than flawless jade, gently rested upon his knees.
When her eyes met his, they already carried an upward gaze of reverence.
“His Majesty once believed that my emotions had dissipated, that I no longer knew joy, anger, sorrow, or pleasure, and had even extinguished romantic feelings altogether. You thought that even if you sincerely regarded me as an imperial consort, you would receive no feedback from the heart or emotions, and thus it was better to treat me with indifference. His Majesty further believed that this was the best state for me—no need to force affection, feign smiles, or pretend to comply.”
“…” That had indeed always been Yun Che’s thinking.
Before today, he had firmly believed Cang Shuhao to be someone essentially devoid of emotions. Though she possessed an extremely beautiful appearance and an indescribable unique charm, cultivating feelings with her would only be asking for embarrassment and unrequited effort.
He was the sovereign of the four realms, one who had bent even the Dragon Queen and Divine Maiden—how could he stoop to such a thing!
“I have barely seen the light of day for ten thousand years, partly due to my severe illness and partly due to the pressure from Nanming. As a result, my emotions may have long been warped in ways I myself cannot detect. What I am drawn to must also differ from ordinary people. Toward men, I have harbored a deep-seated aversion buried for a very long time.”
“But…”
Her gaze grew slightly dazed, and her voice, slow and ethereal like mist, emerged from her lips—cherry-pink and delicate, inches away from Yun Che: “Whether His Majesty believes it or not… the very first time I saw you, I knew you would be the eternity of the rest of my life.”
Yun Che was slightly startled.
Cang Shuhao’s eyes grew increasingly misty, her words like orchid fragrance: “Does His Majesty know where your most formidable and fearsome quality lies?”
“…” Yun Che’s nose twitched involuntarily. Though he had an impenetrably thick skin and feared nothing, he was still somewhat too embarrassed to answer truthfully.
“In my eyes, it is not your invincible power, nor your unparalleled inheritance, but… your eyes.”
Yun Che’s eyes narrowed by a fraction: “Oh?”
“Although Ruiyi’s words were greatly offensive and disrespectful, there is one point that cannot be refuted.” Cang Shuhao smiled faintly. “His Majesty ascended to the emperor level at half a jiazi of age. From the perspective of an emperor’s realm, that is far more than merely young.”
Half a jiazi to become an emperor—in the entire history of the Divine Realm, there had only been two people.
One was Yun Che. The other was Xia Qingyue.
“But His Majesty has experienced ordinary obscurity, sunk to the deepest abyss, soared to the highest pinnacle; you have saved the world from peril and plunged it into a sea of blood…”
“In just a few decades, the vicissitudes and upheavals you have undergone surpass what others could experience in ten thousand lifetimes. The world reflected in your eyes carries the deepest, most unique, and most terrifying colors.”
“For my cold and still heart, with its fear and aversion toward men, falling for any man would be immensely difficult. But His Majesty… in that fleeting gaze, the colors in your eyes—though I knew they would lead to a dangerous path with no return—made it impossible to resist the urge to be curious… to draw near… to explore… to sink… to drown…”
Cang Shuhao’s ten-thousand-year life had been a constant lightless and cold stillness. Yet Yun Che’s brief decades had been a series of immense surges and overturns.
Hence, Yun Che’s invisible attraction to Cang Shuhao was even more lethal than to other women.
Yun Che vaguely recalled that in the Northern Divine Region, Chi Wuyue had said something similar, though nowhere near as direct and straightforward as Cang Shuhao.
Right now, though, he wanted to find a mirror and study what on earth was so absurd about his eyes.
Cang Shuhao gazed at him, her words gradually turning into a dazed murmur: “If one day His Majesty encounters a powerful woman who is hard to subdue, do not forget: Compared to your strength, those eyes of yours, which are far too easy to arouse curiosity and cause one to sink, are your best weapon.”
Yun Che contracted his gaze and said with extreme seriousness: “Wouldn’t my face be even more useful?”
Cang Shuhao’s brows relaxed gently as she pressed her lips into a smile: “If Your Majesty says so, then of course it is.”
Yun Che lowered his gaze, then gently took the jade-like hands resting on his knees. His fingers touched them like snow-white fat, soft and stirring.
“Tea, cuisine, calligraphy, music… mastering even one to a level of renown is enough to make a lifetime proud. Yet these flawless hands have attained the pinnacle in all of them. When I think about it carefully, it’s rather heartbreaking.”
Cang Shuhao shook her head lightly: “In the past, I only felt bitter and stifled. Only by immersing myself in these pursuits could time pass a little faster.”
“But now, I feel quite fortunate.” She paused briefly, then suddenly smiled: “Would His Majesty be willing to try learning cooking with me?”
“Me? Cooking?”
Those two words were completely irrelevant to Yun Che’s consciousness, so he replied directly: “A boring joke.”
Cang Shuhao, however, spoke slowly: “In the vast world, since ancient times, cultivation of the profound has been paramount. Among worldly desires, people chase the desire for the profound way, the desire for power, the desire for sensual pleasures… but the desire for food is always cast to the bottom, unworthy of pursuit.”
“Yet among the six desires of humans, food satisfies the desires of the mouth and nose. Even if the desire for food is deliberately downplayed, it always remains fully present in human nature. Once it is awakened by a sufficiently strong craving, its pull on one’s will may be no weaker than any mundane desire.”
Cang Shuhao’s words were indeed not without reason, but Yun Che still found it amusing: “I have no interest in this path. Besides, you are my imperial consort. With you by my side, why should I do it myself?”
“Hearing His Majesty say that makes me very happy.” Cang Shuhao spoke softly. “But the time I can accompany His Majesty is ultimately running out.”
Yun Che: “…”
“And His Majesty is, in my eyes, the person with the greatest talent for this path. So in my heart… I truly cannot suppress this thought.”
“Me? Greatest talent?” Yun Che twitched the corner of his mouth. “How would I not know?”
Cang Shuhao explained slowly: “The same tea leaf, with different methods, can produce a hundred fragrances. As for the way of cooking—steaming, boiling, smoking, stir-frying, sautéing, braising, stewing, grilling, baking, blanching, quick-frying, simmering, roasting, pickling… it is infinitely varied, with a thousand people having a thousand flavors.”
“And setting aside the recipes and techniques that can be directly taught or gradually learned, the core and most difficult part lies in the selection and handling of ingredients, as well as… the delicate control of heat.”
“As far as I know, His Majesty excels in the medical arts and has received the gift of the Wood Spirit. You are intimately familiar with all the trees and herbs of the world, able to discern their essence and age by their aura alone. Moreover, the Heavenly Poison Pearl that His Majesty controls, according to ancient records, possesses the most ultimate power of purification and refinement in the world.”
“Thus, in the matter of ingredients, His Majesty can easily achieve what others cannot even dream of at the highest level—even I cannot compare with you.”
Yun Che: “emmm…”
That was true, but using the Heavenly Poison Pearl’s ability to cook…
He Ling was completely obedient to him and naturally wouldn’t object.
But if the ancient poison spirit of the Heavenly Poison Pearl knew, it would probably be so angry it would rise from the dead.
Cang Shuhao continued: “As for heat… when it comes to controlling flames, who in the present world can compare with His Majesty?”
Yun Che was about to cut her off and kill this idea that had nothing to do with him, when her next sentence struck deep into his heart:
“Does His Majesty not desire to let your daughter, your family, and your consorts enjoy the most delicious cuisine in the world anytime—cuisine personally prepared by your own hands?”
The words he was about to speak silently retreated back into his throat, replaced by a profound stirring that suddenly welled up.
He still vividly remembered the look of surprise, praise, and overflowing happiness on Yun Wuxin’s face earlier. At that moment, he had even felt somewhat jealous.
Silently, he looked at his own palms. It had been quite some time since returning to Lan Ji Star, yet his heart was still often filled with guilt toward his daughter and deep self-reproach.
He was trying every possible way to make amends, to become a better father.
If, as Cang Shuhao said… not only for Wuxin, but for all his family and beloved women, and also for himself, it would be an extremely good thing.
And he could easily achieve a level that others could not reach in a lifetime… It didn’t seem that hard, did it?
The change in Yun Che’s expression made Cang Shuhao smile radiantly: “So, would His Majesty like to give it a try? Perhaps you might discover another wonderful world beyond your expectations.”
…
It took a full several hours of dawdling before Yun Wuxin finally returned to the bedchamber, followed by the extremely nervous Ruiyi.
After the impulse, she was already regretting it.
“Father, I’m back.” Yun Wuxin was full of joy, clearly having had a wonderful time.
After her cheerful shout, she looked at her father and Cang Shuhao in the hall, and let out a soft “Eh?” in surprise.
Yun Che and Cang Shuhao were standing side by side at the desk, less than half a body’s width apart. What astonished Yun Wuxin the most was that her father’s aura had changed.
Perhaps it was a wariness of outsiders, or the pride of being an emperor—when others were present, there was always a natural invisible barrier around her father, completely isolating any close contact with their auras. Even when he walked with her through bustling towns, his body never absorbed the slightest trace of others’ auras.
But when he was with her and her mother and the others, that isolating barrier naturally dissipated.
Though her profound cultivation was far from understanding her father’s realm, she could vaguely sense that this isolating barrier of his was not deliberate, but a natural instinctive reaction formed by his body over the years.
When he had faced Cang Shuhao earlier, that barrier had persisted.
But now, it had vanished.
As they stood close, their auras intermingled without obstruction.
The faint smile at the corner of Cang Shuhao’s lips, still gentle and peerlessly beautiful, had gained an extra touch of moving radiance.
“Where did you go to play?” Yun Che looked up at her. In truth, his spiritual sense had been following Yun Wuxin the entire time—he was indeed overly protective.
“The clothes in the Ten Directions Canglan Realm are all so beautiful! I couldn’t resist trying them all on. And I really want to see Aunt Shuhao wearing them.”
Having said that, she lost the urge to show off the phantom water wave dress she wore, and her bright eyes darted between Yun Che and Cang Shuhao. Then she said weakly: “Am I… not supposed to come back?”
Yun Che saw through his daughter’s little scheme at a glance: “Come over here quickly. No more running around.”
It was clear that, though they had only met for the first time, Yun Wuxin already liked Cang Shuhao very much.
“Ruiyi, you come in too.” Cang Shuhao called out softly.
Ruiyi, who was behind, did not sense Yun Che’s gaze or his killing intent. At Cang Shuhao’s words, she finally lifted her steps and moved forward slowly, her head bowed.
At that moment, Yun Che suddenly raised his head, his eyes stabbing straight at Ruiyi: “I’ll give you a chance to atone. Kneel.”
Ruiyi bit her lip hard. She perceived Cang Shuhao’s soft gaze and did not want to let down Yun Wuxin’s good intentions, so she finally knelt slowly, her head deeply bowed: “This maidservant spoke rashly and disrespectfully. I beg the Cloud Emperor to forgive and be magnanimous.”
“Rash and disrespectful? So you don’t think you said anything wrong at all?” Yun Che’s gaze turned cold.
“…” Ruiyi lowered her head and bit her lip, neither denying nor begging for mercy.
“An apology given so reluctantly might as well shut up forever.” Yun Che glanced sideways. “Do you really think you’re unyieldingly proud and every word you spoke was correct? Then let me tell you something.”
“You said that when I integrated the Canglan divine power into Consort Shuhao, I also heavily damaged her lifespan.”
“Then how do you know I am incapable of extending her life?!”
These few words struck Ruiyi, who had refused to yield even in the face of Yun Che’s murderous intent, and she jerked her head up. Her beautiful eyes trembled like shattered starlight.
“You… what did you say?” She was excited, overjoyed, incredulous. “You… you really have a way?”
“Hmph! If my Cloud Emperor’s consort were to die too soon, wouldn’t the world mock me for incompetence!” Yun Che snorted coldly. “You’re at least a mid-stage Divine Lord, yet you dare to measure my power with your shallow understanding—how foolish and laughable!”
Yun Che’s scathing mockery rained down, yet Ruiyi felt no anger or humiliation at all. Tears misted in her eyes, and her posture and words lost all defiance: “This maidservant admits her fault… If His Majesty can ensure the lady’s lasting peace, then I will submit to any punishment His Majesty decrees!”
“Ridiculous. Do you think I can do whatever I want with you?” Yun Che looked down coldly.
Ruiyi was frozen there, looking at Yun Che’s furious face. She was terrified that this anger provoked by her would implicate Cang Shuhao. Then, with a determined expression, she said: “This maidservant was ignorant and reckless, self-righteous, and committed an unforgivable sin… As long as it can calm His Majesty’s anger, no matter how I am punished or how I atone, I will have no complaints.”
“Is that so!”
Yun Che’s voice remained ice-cold to the bone: “You have accompanied Consort Shuhao for ten thousand years. Today’s offense was also on her behalf out of injustice. If I were to kill you, I fear it would chill Consort Shuhao’s heart. To do that over a maidservant like you would be quite unworthy.”
“I have changed my mind. I plan to stay a few more days in this Canglan Realm and take up temporary residence in the Canglan Palace.”
“Since you’re so eager to atone,” he slowly raised his hand, his slightly lowered fingertip pointing at Ruiyi, “then tonight, you will warm my bed.”