Upon RuiXue's arrival at the Golden Lotus Kingdom, the massive imperial gates swung open wide to receive her. The royal soldiers stood in rigid formation, their voices rising in a practiced chorus to welcome her return.
"Welcome home, Your Highness!" they shouted. However, their posture was strange. Every man kept his head bowed low, refusing to meet the eyes of their Empress.
"How strange," RuiXue whispered to herself. "Why do they keep their heads down as if in shame?"
Before she could ponder further, the air itself seemed to ignite. A Vajra sword swung through the sky and slammed into the ground with a thunderous impact. The resulting shockwave carried an aura as fierce as the burning sun, causing the stone of the Eternal Gate to crack and shatter. Several palace guards were sent sprawling across the floor, unable to withstand the pressure.
"IMPUDENT FOOLS!" Guang roared, his rage boiling over. "Is this how you treat the Empress of the Golden Lotus? I shall slaughter every piece of trash here tonight!"
"Stop, Guang," RuiXue intervened. She offered a gentle smile to the soldiers, her voice calm and forgiving. "Perhaps they are merely exhausted. You are all like my own children, so let us not hurt one another."
Guang breathed heavily, but the kindness in her voice forced him to lower his weapon. "Forgive my insolence, Your Highness. I acted out of turn."
"It is alright, Guang. I only wish to..."
RuiXue's sentence was cut short as the doors to the Great Altar swung open. A man of peerless beauty stepped out into the night, his golden robes billowing in the wind. His long black hair flowed gracefully behind him, and the gold ornaments on his attire chimed like the sacred bells of a high temple. He radiated an aura so magnificent that he appeared like a god descending from the Ninth Heaven.
It was Feng Haoran.
"My husband!" RuiXue cried out. She ran toward him with pure joy, tears of happiness blurring her vision as she sought the comfort of his arms.
"My wife," Feng Haoran replied. He caught her in a warm embrace, his touch seemingly tender and full of love.
Watching from a distance, Guang felt his heart soften. "They are truly a match made in heaven," he thought. "It is no wonder the entire world envies them. Their love is so..."
Guang's thought stopped abruptly. His eyes narrowed as he noticed something horrifying lurking behind the pavilion. A monstrous shadow was watching them. The creature possessed four arms that carried ancient symbols of death. It wore robes of the deepest black, and its eyes glowed with the eerie brilliance of a blood moon. Most unsettling of all, the creature possessed no mouth.
"The Emperor is in danger! No, the EMPRESS is in danger!" Guang screamed in his mind.
Feng Haoran felt the shift in Guang's energy. He slowly released RuiXue and turned his gaze toward the officer. His eyes were cold and sharp, stripping away the warmth of the moment.
"Guang?" Feng Haoran asked, his voice dripping with a subtle, cynical edge.
The sheer pressure of the Emperor's presence forced Guang back into his role as a soldier. "Salute the Emperor of the Golden Lotus!" the Great Officer barked, trying to regain control.
"All hail the Great Emperor! May Your Majesty live for millions of years!" the soldiers roared, their foreheads hitting the cold stone in unison.
RuiXue stood behind her husband, her joy replaced by confusion. "Guang, what is wrong? Tell me," Feng Haoran demanded. He stood over the officer, his shadow looming large.
Guang remained paralyzed on the ground. He could only stare upward, swallowing hard as he felt the crushing weight of the Emperor's aura pressing down on his soul.
"Deng Rao!" Feng Haoran called out.
The terrifying shadow shifted instantly. The four arms merged into two, and the demonic form transformed into that of a holy priest holding a sacred lotus flower.
"I am here, Your Majesty. May the Emperor live for millions of years," the priest said, bowing with perfect etiquette.
"You fool, do not frighten them like that," Feng Haoran said with an elegant smile.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty. I have been careless and impudent," Deng Rao replied smoothly.
Guang finally managed to stand. "Deng Rao? Are you a new recruit?"
"May you live a peaceful life, Lord Guang. I am merely a humble servant of the Emperor. Only His Majesty knows of my existence," Deng Rao answered with a chillingly polite tone.
"How strange," Guang muttered, though he dared not speak further.
"My children, that is enough," Feng Haoran said, smiling like a divine being. "Let there be peace tonight."
"My husband," RuiXue called out.
Feng Haoran turned away from his men, ignoring Guang and Deng Rao as if they were nothing more than dust. He returned to his wife's side.
"I have something for you," she said, her eyes sparkling.
"Oh? And what might that be?"
"Close your eyes first," RuiXue said with a playful smile.
"Very well," Feng Haoran answered gently, shutting his eyes. "Do not keep me waiting too long." They shared a sweet, soft laugh that sounded like a dream to any observer.
"Alright, open them."
Feng Haoran opened his eyes to see a piece of pure, radiant jade in her palms.
"I give this pure jade stone to you," RuiXue whispered.
In an instant, Feng Haoran pulled her into a tight embrace. Tears began to fall from his eyes as he whispered into her ear. "Thank you, my soulmate. Truly, thank you."
However, deep within his dark heart, a different voice echoed. Good. Excellent. The more you fall for this lie, the easier it will be to use you.
"To be loved by a woman like you, once in a lifetime is simply not enough," Feng Haoran cried out. He sobbed in her arms, putting on a masterful performance of devotion.
Deng Rao watched with a twisted sense of satisfaction. But Guang looked on with a heavy, sinking feeling in his chest. "What is happening here?" he wondered.
"My children, return to your posts," Feng Haoran's voice echoed like a divine decree. The command was heavy with pressure, yet it sounded undeniably holy.
"As you command, Your Majesty!" the guards responded before departing.
"My wife, please go inside first. I shall join you shortly," Feng Haoran said tenderly.
"Very well, my husband. I will be waiting for you." RuiXue turned and offered one last innocent smile before walking into the palace.
"Guang, go and rest. It is very late," Feng Haoran added, dismissing the officer.
"Understood, Your Majesty. I shall take my leave," Guang said, bowing low before retreating into the night.
As soon as the courtyard was empty, the atmosphere turned lethal. The silence was broken only by the wind. Feng Haoran's eyes bled into a deep crimson, and a chilling aura began to radiate from his body, piercing through Deng Rao's very bones.
"DENG RAO!" Feng Haoran's voice thundered, shattering the stillness as he roared at his subordinate.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty! I deserve death! I deserve a thousand deaths!" Deng Rao cried out, trembling.
"You fool! You ruined everything! I was forced to reveal your identity. What now? You useless, senile old man!"
Feng Haoran lunged forward and gripped Deng Rao's throat. He hoisted the old man into the air, his red eyes glowing with predatory malice. The sheer intensity of his killing intent forced Deng Rao to cough up blood, staining his priestly robes.
"Do not play games with me, old man, or I will end your life this very night!"
"Please, Your Majesty, calm down. Release me. I have a solution," Deng Rao wheezed, struggling for air.
Feng Haoran loosened his grip, letting the old man slump to the ground. "A solution?"
Deng Rao slowly stood up, wiping blood from his lips with a twisted smile. "Who said you had to kill her, Your Majesty?"
"What do you mean? Is that not a requirement for the Darkness Path of the Gates of Shadows?" Feng Haoran asked, his brow furrowed in a deadly serious expression.
"If killing her is not a viable option right now," Deng Rao whispered, his eyes gleaming with dark intelligence. "We can lock her away in the Prison of Eternal Darkness instead."
"Eternal Darkness?" Feng Haoran repeated, the idea beginning to take root in his twisted mind.