SGSHE127

“Silly Peach, it’s fake.”

Little Yellow Peach, sobbing until it hiccuped: …

[Waaah…Host, you have no heart.]

Jing Heguang disagreed.

He merely appeared heartless toward Little Yellow Peach.

Besides, hadn’t he taken the time to comfort the little thing right in the middle of a critical moment where he was pulling off a massive deception?

Ignoring the wounded Little Yellow Peach, Jing Heguang, looking suitably ‘frail’, asked to be taken back.

The imperial physicians couldn’t detect any actual brain injury, yet the symptoms were undeniable. They could only voice their doubts with words like ‘possibly’ or ‘perhaps’, convincing the laymen around them.

Seeing that Jing Heguang seemed much better, General Zhao suggested, “Shall we head back?”

Tonight was a pivotal moment, Jing Heguang was the primary hero, and the conferral of rewards would center on him.

Pale-faced, Jing Heguang shook his head firmly. “No, I cannot risk offending his majesty. I cannot take even the slightest chance.”

Moved by this display of loyalty to the sovereign, General Zhao’s eyes reddened. “Heguang, rest assured, I will certainly convey your message!”

Jing Heguang: Suit yourself, either way works.

All Jing Heguang wanted was to return home as soon as possible.

He planned to leave at the Hour of the Rat (midnight), a quick mental calculation showed there wasn’t much time left.

Every passing second was incredibly precious to him now.

At his insistent request, he was indeed carried back.

At the Earl of Dingnan’s manor was startled to see him being carried back.

Yu Xiang was particularly alarmed. Jing Heguang had to assure her repeatedly that he was much better and simply needed to rest before he could finally coax her away.

***

Once the room was empty save for the two of them, Xing Ming gazed worriedly at Jing Heguang, who was lying in bed.

He couldn’t fathom how Jing Heguang had been perfectly fine when he left, only to be carried back after a trip to the palace.

If only…if only he hadn’t let Jing Heguang go to the palace in the first place.

Xing Ming looked at Jing Heguang’s face, his eyes filled with heartache.

But in the blink of an eye, Jing Heguang nimbly flipped over and sat up.

Xing Ming: ???

He was met with a flurry of overwhelming kisses, sensing Jing Heguang’s urgency, Xing Ming wrapped his arms tightly around Jing Heguang’s waist and patted his back.

“W-what is it?”

Xing Ming asked with concern while planting kisses on Jing Heguang’s face.

Jing Heguang’s arms tightened, clasping Xing Ming firmly against him.

He took a deep, ragged breath to steady his emotions.

Gazing at Xing Ming with deep affection, Jing Heguang caressed his face with a large palm. “Young brother Xing.”

“Hmm?” Xing Ming responded softly, his chest still heaving as he caught his breath.

Jing Heguang’s adam’s apple bobbed as various familiar endearments flashed through his mind.

Xing’ger, AXing, Xingxing, brother Xing, Xingbao…

In the end, he voiced none of them. Instead, Jing Heguang took a deep breath and spoke with difficulty: “If I were to die soon…”

Xing Ming cut him off before he could finish. “What nonsense are you spouting?!” He paused, then asked, “Did you do something in the palace? Didn’t you say your headaches were much better? Why are you saying things like that…”

Xing Ming stared intently at Jing Heguang, terrified of missing even the slightest change in his expression.

As he asked the question, his heart was a mix of worry and bewilderment.

He knew that while Jing Heguang was bold, he never acted recklessly. He was daring, certainly, but not foolhardy. He knew exactly where the boundaries lay.

Yet, Jing Heguang was not one to make idle jokes. Hearing him bring up life and death like this felt as though a giant hand had suddenly appeared and gripped his heart tight, leaving him feeling suffocated and heavy with dread.

Jing Heguang exhaled and changed his tack: “I was speaking hypothetically. My head hurt so much earlier that I thought I was dying. But I came back because I knew you were waiting for me at home. I feel much better now, but I’m still a bit shaken.”

Jing Heguang took Xing Ming’s hand and pressed it against his own chest, where his heart was racing.

When Jing Heguang set his mind to coaxing someone, his performance was utterly convincing.

Seeing that he didn’t seem to be lying, and noting the look of aggrieved vulnerability in those clear, dark eyes set in a handsome, heroic face, Xing Ming believed him instantly.

He tilted his head up to plant a kiss on the tip of Jing Heguang’s nose, then let out a breath of relief. “You didn’t explain yourself clearly, you scared me half to death.”

As Xing Ming’s warm breath brushed against his face, Jing Heguang pressed the issue: “You still haven’t told me, if what I said were true, and something were to happen to me at the stroke of midnight, what would you want to do?”

The man’s arms held him fast like a lock. Xing Ming lowered his head and planted soft, lingering kisses across his face.

“You’ve only got that on your mind,” Xing Ming said with a playful, chiding tone, though his actions betrayed nothing but indulgence.

Jing Heguang felt his heart melt completely. He looked up and said earnestly, “I’m not thinking about that, be serious! Come on, think about it: what would you want to do?”

Xing Ming’s mind paused for a moment, and he actually gave it serious thought.

If these were the final moments of his life, what would he want to do?

He looked at Jing Heguang’s face, and the answer came to him instantly.

— As long as he was with Jing Heguang, that was enough.

As for what they did?

Anything would do.

Xing Ming smiled, kicked off his boots, and knelt atop the thin quilt covering Jing Heguang’s body.

“You might not want to, but I do!”

As he spoke, Xing Ming mimicked Jing Heguang’s signature roguish grin.

Jing Heguang’s mind connected the dots of their exchange, he felt both amused and deeply moved.

He held Xing Ming close, rolled over with assertive strength, and together they surrendered to a wild, passionate frenzy. At first, Xing Ming kept an eye on Jing Heguang, worried about his headache, but as his strength gradually ebbed away, even his groans became intermittent.

Yet, Xing Ming was certain that Jing Heguang seemed fine.

As his energy faded, he failed to notice the redness in the corners of Jing Heguang’s eyes.

With about half an hour left until midnight, Jing Heguang called for water to help Xing Ming clean up.

His movements were so gentle that Xing Ming nearly drifted off to sleep.

The two of them lay back down on the bed, now fitted with fresh sheets and quilts.

Xing Ming reached out to hold Jing Heguang’s hand and yawned, asking, “Aren’t you going to sleep yet? Not tired?”

Jing Heguang tightened his grip and said softly, “You go to sleep.”

Jing Heguang was weary too, but he couldn’t bear to fall asleep.

This was the shortest world he had ever experienced, shorter than he had ever imagined.

Xing Ming had been drowsy and on the verge of sleep, but realizing the person beside him was still awake, his sleepiness slowly faded.

Yawning again, Xing Ming turned and snuggled into Jing Heguang’s embrace.

The candle remained lit. In the dim, flickering glow…

They gazed at one another as time slipped away, flowing like water.

Jing Heguang looked at Xing Ming’s face, so close to his own, and planted a light kiss on his lips.

Without blinking, Jing Heguang spoke the thoughts that naturally came to mind.

“Younger brother Xing,” he said, “you are truly beautiful.”

Rousing himself, Xing Ming smiled and replied, “Brother Jing, you are very handsome too.”

“I was captivated by you the moment I first saw you.”

Xing Ming smiled, refusing to admit it: “Clearly, you were just poisoned.”

Jing Heguang smiled as well. After a moment’s thought, he added, “Osmanthus flowers taste astringent.”

Xing Ming lowered his eyes with a chuckle and gave Jing Heguang’s chest a playful punch. “So, you were tricking me.”

Back when they first tasted it, he had remarked on the astringency giving way to sweetness, yet Jing Heguang had claimed his own tasted different.

He had simply assumed Jing Heguang was drinking it carelessly, like a cow chewing grass, and hadn’t actually picked up on the nuance.

Jing Heguang smiled and planted another kiss on him. “You’re the sweet one.”

As their lips met, the sound of the night watchman’s clapper echoed through the alley.

Jing Heguang felt a pang of regret as the sensation of his soul being pulled away took hold.

He saw a faint shimmer of light wash over the body he had inhabited in that world, as if witnessing its farewell.

Yet, strangely, he also saw a similar glow radiating from Xing Ming’s body this time.

But before he could see it clearly, the world disintegrated before his eyes. In the blink of an eye, Jing Heguang found himself beside a galaxy of starlight.

Specks of light danced around him. He grasped a handful of the silvery radiance, his brows furrowed in thought.

He hesitated, wondering whether to ask Little Yellow Peach about the light he had glimpsed at the very end.

Before he could speak, Little Yellow Peach’s voice rang out, sounding flustered and urgent.

[Host, I have an urgent matter to attend to — wait for me.]

“Hey?!”

The only response was the twinkling of starlight.

***

High above in the Nine Heavens.

In the flat Peach Grove, a young boy clad in yellow immortal robes opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air.

The boy had a round, moon-like face with chubby cheeks, beads of sweat glistened on his fair, tender skin.

Before him stood a Jade Peach Tree. Its entire form shimmered with radiance, its branches and leaves lush, and its small fruits plump and delightful. Amidst the foliage, two streaks of seven-colored light stood out most prominently.

A small, chubby hand reached out to catch a fragment of a shattered peach leaf.

The boy’s eyes widened in indignation: “Where did that demonic energy come from?! It’s caused my leaf to shatter!”

Nearby, a beautiful woman, radiating a cool, lunar glow, knitted her brows and spoke soothingly: “Immortal Yellow Peach, pray do not lose your temper. the Heavenly Emperor has already dispatched someone to track it down.”

The boy pouted, aggrieved: “Your Majesty, the loss of a leaf is a trifle, but that sudden intrusion of demonic energy nearly caused a disaster.”

Though the Heavenly Empress was a deity herself, a look of anxiety flashed in her eyes as she gazed at the streaks of seven-colored light upon the Jade Peach Tree.

Those two streaks of light were immortal souls. One of them belonged to her youngest son, Yun Xing.

Countless immortals dwelt in the Nine Heavens. Some had ascended from other realms, while others were born with innate immortal bones. Those born with innate immortal bones possessed superior aptitude, they could achieve great things, and their future prospects were naturally brighter.

The Heavenly Emperor and Empress’s youngest son was, of course, born an immortal. Yet, for some reason, Yun Xing had set his heart on a male immortal who had just ascended, insisting, come what may, on forging a dao companion pact with him.

To form a dao companion pact in the Nine Heavens, however, one had to descend to the mortal realm to undergo trials.

And once one descended to the mortal realm, life and death were no longer within one’s control. Naturally, the Heavenly Empress and the Heavenly Emperor did not want their child to lose his life for no reason.

They devised a compromise: they enlisted the Immortal Yellow Peach, who possessed the ability to create his own pocket dimension, to cast a spell, allowing Yun Xing and the male immortal to undergo their trials within that realm.

This way, should any accident occur, the Immortal Yellow Peach could intervene and save them.

They passed through five lifetimes safe and sound. However, during the sixth lifetime, an unexpected incident occurred high above in the Nine Heavens. A surge of demonic energy suddenly erupted, nearly ruining everything.

With a hint of anger on her face, the Heavenly Empress flicked her jade-like fingers, casting an immortal spell upon the Jade Peach Tree that caused it to shimmer with brilliant, multicolored light.

The young attendant watched as his life-bound tree surged with immortal power, feeling incredibly guilty.

Remembering that his ancestor was waiting, the attendant reached out with his chubby hands to embrace his tree. “Your majesty, there is no need for that. Simply maintaining the protective barrier will suffice. His Highness Yun Xing is waiting, so I must attend to my duties.”

With that, the attendant assumed a solemn expression, bowed respectfully to the Heavenly Empress, and slowly closed his eyes once more.

The Heavenly Empress had no choice but to dispatch additional personnel to tighten the security.

Afterwards, she secretly asked the Heavenly Emperor how the search for the source of the demonic energy was progressing.

The Heavenly Emperor looked troubled. He…he had failed to uncover the ‘true culprit’, managing to capture only two insignificant underlings!

No matter how hard he racked his brains, he would never realize that the information he had received at the start was incorrect, that demonic energy had not originated from the outside at all.

The Heavenly Empress could only sigh. She had effectively conscripted the dignified Heavenly Emperor to stand guard during their child’s final lifetime.

The Heavenly Emperor felt deeply humiliated and furious. “Those damned denizens of the Demon Realm have grown increasingly arrogant of late. They even dare to claim that our Nine Heavens Immortal Realm is hiding one of their supreme treasures, it is utterly laughable! Once my son returns from the mortal realm, I shall lead a force to storm their gates.”

***

As for the Heavenly Emperor’s affairs, the Little Yellow Peach couldn’t care less.

[Host, I’m back!]

Jing Heguang didn’t know how long he had been waiting, but he had done a lot of thinking, including about that beam of light he had seen on Xing Ming.

Precisely because he had pondered so much, Jing Heguang didn’t press the issue of the light. Instead, he deliberately put on a stern face and asked, “Little Yellow Peach, we’re about to enter the seventh lifetime. You need to find a way to get me that memory restoring potion.”

The host was acting a bit arrogant this time.

Little Yellow Peach shuddered and, rather spinelessly, said: [Host, it…it comes as a prize in the lucky draw.]

Jing Heguang: …

Jing Heguang knew Little Yellow Peach was easy to deal with, but he hadn’t expected that a mere stern look would make it this compliant.

Talk about a system with absolutely no integrity!

He liked it.

Jing Heguang maintained his cold expression: “Start the lucky draw.”

[Starting lucky draw.]

[Congratulations, Host, on obtaining four ‘Thanks for Participating’ results.]

[Congratulations, Host, on obtaining one bottle of Memory Potion.]

[The Memory Potion can restore all memories of a bound soul, please use with caution.]

As soon as the system’s announcement finished, a bottle of potion appeared in Jing Heguang’s hand.

But looking at the appearance of the potion, Jing Heguang suspected, Little Yellow Peach was trying to pull a fast one on him.

Jing Heguang shook the bottle, which seemed to contain a galaxy of starlight: “You didn’t just bottle this up right here on the spot, did you?”

[It just looks similar, they aren’t the same thing. Anything produced by the system is top-quality, rest assured, Host!]

[Does the Host wish to proceed with memory erasure and depart for the new world now?]

“Alright.”

Jing Heguang rubbed his chest, hoping his deduction was correct, that when he left the previous world, his lover would leave too, sparing his lover the pain of enduring years of life without him.

…

[Lucky draw complete. Host, go forth and enjoy your life!]

[If you have any doubts, just call out to your thoughtful Little Yellow Peach in your mind~]

Amidst a familiar system notification chime, Jing Heguang, a ‘newbie’, transformed into a streak of light and entered the new world.

***

It was night.

Inside a heavily guarded, sprawling manor, Jing Heguang sat at a desk, holding a wolf-hair brush.

His head throbbed slightly, but hearing hushed voices outside the door, he instinctively held his breath to listen closely.

“The person over there is barely clinging to life, what are we to do?”

“His Lordship has already changed into casual attire and tossed the groom’s robes onto the floor, he must be absolutely furious.”

“Th-then what about tonight’s wedding banquet? Many high-ranking officials from the court have already arrived.”

Jing Heguang rubbed his forehead as he listened, sensing that the situation was far from simple.

But then, a sudden wave of dizziness washed over him, and a flood of memories rushed into his mind, leaving him stunned.

The situation wasn’t just complicated…it was terrifying!

It was the eighth year of the newly established Xu Dynasty, a time when the young nation was still recuperating. Yet, the new emperor was a capable ruler, the country enjoyed relative peace and prosperity — certainly a vast improvement over the chaotic mess of the previous dynasty.

In Jing Heguang’s view, with this new emperor at the helm, the Xu Dynasty was secure for at least this generation.

Yet, the body Jing Heguang now inhabited belonged to the only prince of the fallen dynasty, a man consumed by ambition.

One need only look at his current status as the ‘imperial brother-in-Law’ to see just how ruthless the original owner of this body was. He had actually married off his own younger sister, his only full-blooded sibling, to the new emperor, who was in his thirties, all for the sake of his goal to restore the fallen kingdom.

Had Jing Heguang not arrived, the original owner would have continued to stir up trouble and court disaster. Eventually, amidst his ceaseless schemes, his true identity would have been exposed by the new emperor’s men, leading to a forced suicide.

But those distant matters were of little concern to Jing Heguang for now.

The new emperor was doing a fine job. Jing Heguang had no intention of attempting to restore the old dynasty, nor was that his mission. His mission was to reform the ‘scum-like’ behavior of the original owner.

The original owner’s romantic history could be divided into two phases, the first was his unrequited love for an innocent, talented woman.

Yi Qingxue, the daughter of the Grand Tutor, was a woman of exceptional beauty and wit, an elegant, ethereal figure reminiscent of a fairy amidst the bamboo groves.

The original owner had set his heart on her and forced the Emperor to decree their marriage.

However, the talented lady already loved another. On the very day of the wedding, she hanged herself at home, vowing she would rather die than marry him.

Naturally, the original owner turned bitter and vengeful, thereafter devoting himself entirely to the grand cause of restoring his fallen dynasty.

The second phase involved the person who became a casualty of that very quest for restoration.

Given his status, the original owner had been surrounded by caretakers since childhood. The number of his protectors could be counted in the tens.

Among these protectors was a group known as the ‘Shadow Guards’.

They operated in the shadows, guarding him unseen from the corners and handling unsavory tasks on his behalf.

After a series of reckless escapades that nearly cost him his life, the original owner was rescued from an underground river by Xing Qi, the sole survivor among the Shadow Guards.

While Xing Qi was attending to him personally, the original owner discovered a secret hidden on the guard’s body: Xing Qi was actually the only grandson of the Qin family, a prominent clan that had thrived into the new dynasty.

The original owner seized the token Xing Qi carried but made no effort to reunite him with his family. Instead, he used the token to coerce and manipulate the Qin clan.

Fearing that Xing Qi might eventually harbor thoughts of betrayal, he planted a sinister, venomous Gu in his body to keep him under control.

The Qin family was full of brilliant minds, otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to maintain their prosperity through the transition from the old dynasty to the new.

Yet, such exceptional wisdom came at a price. For generations, the family had produced only a single male heir, and their lineage had suffered great tribulations.

When the fourth-generation eldest great-grandson was abducted during the chaos of war, no other child was born to the family, leaving them to dwell on the past with endless regret.

When the original owner arrived with that token, the Qin family, desperate to reclaim their heir, found themselves completely at his mercy, like fish on a chopping block. Fortunately, the Qin family possessed considerable resources, allowing them to gradually track down their only heir, who was currently in the clutches of the original owner.

They located the heir, but the young man had been afflicted with a Gu-poison that robbed him of his mental autonomy, forcing him to act as a reluctant accomplice.

After several such incidents, and realizing that the original owner’s downfall was inevitable, the Qin family decided to report the situation to the new Emperor. They then collaborated with him to rescue the Qin family’s eldest great-grandson.

Although Xing Qi was rescued, the Gu-poison proved incurable, and he passed away prematurely after living only a few more years.

As for the original owner, he met his end even sooner.

For Jing Heguang, the original owner had lived a life that was ‘too’ successful. His true identity as a prince of the former dynasty was like a ticking time bomb, unsettling to everyone.

As for that hidden guard…

Jing Heguang mused with a headache: the entanglement likely stemmed from the original owner’s shameless use of a ‘peach blossom(love) gu’ on the man. This guy had compelled the guard to develop romantic feelings against his will, an act so egregious that it created a ‘peach blossom debt’, leaving Jing Heguang to settle the score.

While Jing Heguang rubbed his temples at the desk, a pair of starry eyes gazed down at him quietly from the rafters.

Xing Qi, the hidden guard concealed above, clutched the fabric over his chest and gritted his teeth as he watched Jing Heguang, who was clad in magnificent purple robes.

He had returned…

Author’s Note: This is the final arc; I didn’t feel like splitting it up.

T/N: Final Arc! Imperial brother-in-law X reborn shadow guard! (≖ᴗ≖✿)