Chapter 344: Chapter 344 : Reclaiming The Twin Heirs (2)
For a fleeting mont, it seed as if Xie Jianshen was on the verge of morphing into his fearso dragon form and tearing Zhang Fengxi to pieces.
The palace officials, re mortals untouched by the power of cultivation, trembled in terror, their instincts urging them to flee the audience hall in a desperate attempt to escape the impending carnage.
Xie Jianshen, fueled by his unbridled rage, might have indeed unleashed his wrath upon Zhang Fengxi, were it not for the lifeless form cradled in the latter’s arms.
"General Zhang Fengxi!" he snapped at his brother-in-law, who had just returned from the realms of the dead. "How much longer do you wish to desecrate Little Yu’s body? He was gone more than seven days ago, it is ti to prepare for his entombnt at the palace mausoleum!"
Zhang Fengxi, unfazed by Xie Jianshen’s outburst, gently pressed his lips against Xie Jianyu’s lifeless body, its warmth maintained only by the spiritual energy Zhang Fengxi tirelessly infused into him.
"I hear you are to assu the mantle of Emperor," Zhang Fengxi spoke softly, his words carrying a hint of mockery.
"Congratulations, Xie Jianshen. Jianbao would be overjoyed. However, I fail to understand why you must exploit your newfound power to steal our children."
Xie Jianshen’s eyes narrowed, his gaze piercing Zhang Fengxi like daggers. The latter deigned to neither kneel in front of him nor to address him with the proper honorifics. His transgression was punishable by death, should Xie Jianshen wish for that to happen.
"You have abandoned your children in your grief," he snarled, his voice laced with venom. "What am I to do? Leave them to the care of maids and servants?"
Zhang Fengxi’s eyes flashed with icy disdain. "I am deeply grateful for your care of my children in my absence," he retorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Now that I have returned, I wish to reclaim my children."
Xie Jianshen scoffed, his disdain evident in his curled lip and narrowed eyes.
Despite his differentiation into an oga, he had never once considered himself inferior to any alpha, with the sole exception of his late Imperial Father.
Now, on the precipice of becoming the next Emperor of the Heavenly Empire, his confidence and assertiveness swelled, imbuing his words and actions with an air of untouchable authority.
"What if I say no?" he arched his brow at Zhang Fengxi, challenging the alpha.
Undeterred by Xie Jianshen’s sneer, Zhang Fengxi responded with a calm chuckle. "Then let your words echo loud enough for Jianbao to hear," he challenged.
Xie Jianshen’s eyes remained fixed on the lifeless form cradled in Zhang Fengxi’s arms. His voice, heavy with sorrow, broke the silence, "He can no longer hear ," he said slowly. "He has journeyed to a distant realm, far beyond my reach."
With hands that shook like leaves in a storm, Xie Jianshen reached out, his fingers trembling as they brushed against the lifeless form of his younger brother. With a reverence born of a heart burdened with unspoken sorrow, he gently lifted Xie Jianyu from Zhang Fengxi’s embrace.
The sight of Xie Jianyu’s lifeless form, once a source of solace amidst the storm of grief, now served as a stark reminder of his irreparable loss. The weight of Xie Jianyu’s body in his arms felt like a leaden anchor, dragging Xie Jianshen deeper into the depths of despair.
As he cradled his brother’s lifeless form, Xie Jianshen’s heart pounded with a relentless ache, a physical manifestation of the emotional turmoil that threatened to consu him.
The weight of his grief pressed upon his chest, an oppressive force that constricted his breath and stifled his cries.
The illusion of strength he had so ticulously crafted by looking at his infant nephews’ smiling faces every day was shattered in an instant.
His tough exterior, once a shield against the relentless onslaught of pain, crumbled under the sheer force of his anguish, revealing the raw, wounded soul of a mourning brother.
"Little Yu," he sobbed. "Little Yu... Ahhhh... My Little Yu...!!!"
Xie Jianshen’s knees buckled beneath him, his body collapsing to the cold, hard floor. His tears, long held captive, cascaded down his cheeks, each droplet a silent testant to the depth of his sorrow.
His chest heaved with sobs that shook his entire body, each one a desperate attempt to expel the anguish that consud him.
Zhang Fengxi watched silently as Xie Jianshen surrendered to his grief, the future Emperor’s cries echoing through the vast hall.
He allowed the tears to flow freely, a cathartic release of the pent-up sorrow that had been gnawing at Xie Jianshen’s soul.
When the storm of grief had finally subsided, leaving behind a trail of exhaustion and despair, Zhang Fengxi knelt beside Xie Jianshen. With a low voice that bordered on a whisper, he recounted the events that had transpired in the Yellow Springs.
Xie Jianshen’s eyes widened in disbelief.
"If you are trying to fool ..."
"I am not," Zhang Fengxi assured him. "Fate cannot be dictated, but I choose to trust Heaven’s Will. Jianbao is a unique, precious gem that is born only once every ten thousand years. He belongs in the Heavenly Realm. His stay in the Human Realm will not be long."
"..."
"I can preserve his body. No matter how long he needs to return, I will wait for him."
"..."
"Xie Jianshen, I want you to wait for him as well," Zhang Fengxi pointed out. "Now that you are going to be the Heavenly Emperor, you can decree anything."
"..."
"And my children. I need them back. I promised Jianbao to raise them, so I will. You will not want to disappoint him a second ti."
"..."
Xie Jianshen squeezed his eyes shut, allowing a final tear to trace a path down his cheek. This rascal of an alpha had deftly wielded their past conspiracy, using it as a weapon to pierce his defenses and amplify his guilt.
With a weary sigh escaping his lips, Xie Jianshen offered a curt nod, his heart heavy with a mixture of resignation and lingering sorrow.
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