[email protected]/phelio for 100+ more chapters
They landed in front of a massive wooden gate.
A silver lightning crest was carved into the stone wall. This was the Yun Family estate.
Two guards immediately raised their spears.
"Stop!"
One guard shouted.
"Who goes there?"
Yun Canghai stepped forward into the light. He looked at the young guards.
"I am Yun Canghai,"
He said clearly.
The guards froze.
They stared at his face, then looked at the statues of the ancestors in the courtyard.
One guard dropped his spear.
He turned and ran inside as fast as he could, shouting the name at the top of his lungs.
Sam and Yun Canghai walked through the open gates.
They reached the main hall. The doors flew open.
A pale man sitting in a wooden wheelchair rolled himself forward.
A beautiful woman stood right behind him, her hands trembling.
They were Yun Qinghong and his wife.
Yun Qinghong stared at the old man. His eyes filled with tears.
"Father?"
Yun Qinghong whispered. His voice was completely broken.
Yun Canghai rushed forward and fell to his knees in front of the wheelchair.
He grabbed his son's cold hands.
"I am home, Qinghong,"
Yun Canghai cried.
"I am finally home."
The woman covered her mouth and sobbed.
She knelt down and hugged them both.
For a long time, the hall was filled only with the sound of their tears.
Sam stood quietly near the doorway.
He leaned against the wall and gave them space.
Eventually, Yun Canghai pulled back.
He looked at his son's pale face and his useless legs.
Anger flashed in the old man's eyes.
"What happened to you?"
Yun Canghai asked fiercely.
"Who put you in this chair?"
Yun Qinghong shook his head slowly.
"It has been a terrible hundred years, Father,"
Yun Qinghong explained.
"Duke Ming and the other nobles turned against us. They poisoned me and my wife. They call our family traitors because you vanished with the Demon Emperor's Seal."
Yun Canghai clenched his fists.
"I never betrayed the Empress,"
Yun Canghai said firmly.
"I was trapped in another world. But I still have the seal. I protected it with my life."
Yun Qinghong looked deeply relieved.
Then, he noticed the stranger standing by the door.
"Who is your friend, Father?"
Yun Qinghong asked.
Yun Canghai stood up and looked at Sam with absolute respect.
"This is Sam,"
Yun Canghai told his family.
"He saved my life. And he came here to help us save the Little Demon Empress."
Yun Qinghong tried to bow from his wheelchair.
"Thank you, Senior Sam,"
Yun Qinghong said sincerely.
"If you saved my father, you are a benefactor to the Yun family forever."
"It's alright,"
Sam replied simply.
Sam pushed off the wall and walked toward the center of the room.
"We have a lot of work to do,"
Sam told them.
"Tell me exactly what Duke Ming is planning."
Before anyone could answer, Sam walked over to the wooden wheelchair.
"Before we talk about your enemies, let me fix this,"
Sam said.
He held out his right hand.
A small, glowing green orb appeared in his palm.
It was the Sky Poison Pearl.
A warm green light shot out from the pearl.
It wrapped around Yun Qinghong and his wife.
The dark, cold feeling in their chests suddenly vanished.
The deadly poison that had tortured them for years was completely absorbed by the small green pearl.
Yun Qinghong grabbed the armrests of his chair.
He slowly pushed himself up. His legs shook for a second, and then he stood completely straight.
His wife gasped.
She looked at her own hands. The healthy color had completely returned to her skin.
"I can walk,"
Yun Qinghong whispered, taking a strong step forward.
"My profound energy... it is completely back to normal."
"It is a miracle,"
His wife cried out, hugging him tightly.
Yun Canghai laughed loudly. He was so happy he could hardly speak.
"How did you do this?"
Yun Qinghong asked, looking at Sam in pure shock.
"The best doctors in the realm said we would never be cured."
"I have my ways,"
Sam answered simply.
"Now that you can fight again, tell me about Duke Ming."
Yun Qinghong took a deep breath. His eyes turned sharp and serious.
"Duke Ming is a snake,"
Yun Qinghong explained.
"He was the one who secretly killed the late Demon Emperor. He blamed it on outsiders. Then, he poisoned my wife and me to weaken the Empress's most loyal supporters."
"What is he trying to do right now?"
Sam asked.
"He wants the throne for himself,"
Yun Qinghong said bitterly.
"In three days, our city will hold a massive ceremony to celebrate the reign of the Empress. Every noble family will attend. Duke Ming plans to use this event to trap her."
"He will force her to step down,"
Yun Canghai added, his voice full of anger.
"If she refuses, he will kill her right there in front of everyone."
Sam listened quietly.
*The trap is exactly as I remember,*
Sam thought to himself.
He knew every single detail about Duke Ming's secret army and his hidden traps.
But he did not say a word about it.
He just nodded slowly.
"I see,"
Sam said, looking at the three men.
"Then we have exactly three days to prepare for a party."
Yun Qinghong turned toward the open doors.
"Guards,"
Yun Qinghong called out.
"Gather the elders. Bring my son, Yun Xiao, here immediately."
A few minutes later, hurried footsteps echoed down the stone hall.
Five older men rushed into the room.
A young man hurried in right behind them. This was Yun Xiao.
They all stopped dead in their tracks.
Yun Xiao stared at his father. His jaw dropped.
"Father?"
Yun Xiao asked, his voice shaking.
"You are standing up."
"I am,"
Yun Qinghong smiled proudly.
"My poison is completely gone."
The Great Elder stepped forward.
He looked past Yun Qinghong and saw the older man standing in the center of the room.
The Great Elder immediately fell to his knees.
"Old Patriarch,"
The Great Elder cried out.
"You finally came back to us."
The other elders quickly dropped to their knees as well.
They bowed their heads to the floor.
"Stand up, all of you,"
Yun Canghai told them.
"I am home."
Yun Canghai then pointed to Sam.
"Do not bow to me,"
Yun Canghai ordered.
"Bow to him. This is Sam. He brought me back. He healed your Patriarch. We owe him our lives."
Yun Xiao looked at Sam.
Without a single second of hesitation, the young man knelt on the floor.
"Thank you,"
Yun Xiao said loudly.
"You saved my parents. I will gladly give my life for you."
The elders bowed deeply to Sam.
Sam looked at the kneeling family.
"Get up,"
Sam said calmly.
They slowly stood back up.
"Keep your lives,"
Sam told Yun Xiao.
"You will need them. In three days, Duke Ming will make his move. I need everyone ready."