Sheng Lingyuan had a very long dream.

Generally speaking, unless he was seriously injured, he wouldn't fall into a deep sleep for too long.

But he didn't know if it was because he wasn't familiar with dreaming or because the demonic power that was drained from him in the bronze cauldron hadn't been replenished yet.

This day, Sheng Lingyuan unexpectedly lost control of his spiritual consciousness and tumbled through half of his life in a chaotic dream.

There was no coherent plot, and he vaguely knew that he was trapped in a chaotic dream, but at the same time, he felt like he had returned to the last ten years of his reign and felt very cold.

The chill seeped out from the seams of his bones, and the scent of the Chiyuan Fire seemed to linger around his nose.

He was unable to move, and his limbs were numb, like a puppet on a string, once again pushed by the era towards the rolling magma, once again leaping into it...

Sheng Lingyuan woke up suddenly, his eyes still filled with the horrifying sight of blood.

The lamp, water glass, mirror, and glass window on his bedside were all shattered by the turbulent magic. The cold winter wind rushed into the room with a "whoosh".

Before he could even gather his thoughts, he heard someone beside him hiss, and then his hair was pulled again - Xuan Ji had a bad sleeping habit and had spread himself all over Sheng Lingyuan, pushing away the blankets and curling up at the foot of the bed in frustration.

It was a pretty big bed, but someone couldn't find a place to stay and had to squeeze onto someone else.

Sheng Lingyuan's shoulder was numb from being pressed by him, and his hair was tangled up with Xuan Ji's...

It was neatly arranged when he lay down, but he didn't know how it became so messy.

No wonder he had a cold and felt paralyzed in his dream.

As the cold wind blew, Xuan Ji was startled awake. Just as he moved, his hair was pulled back, causing him to groggily raise his hand.

The shattered glass on the ground flew up in a chaotic mess, hitting the window and turning it into a kaleidoscope.

He then used his foot to pull up the cold blanket, propping himself up and shaking off the long hair that was wrapped around his neck.

Sheng Lingyuan's strands of hair had nowhere to go, so they flowed like water into his pajamas, brushing past his chest.

Xuan Ji suddenly shuddered, feeling a wave of trembling run up his spine, and he woke up.

The sky was just beginning to lighten, and the streetlights were still on. People who wanted to avoid the morning rush hour were already on the road. The light from outside swept in through the crack in the curtains that had been blown aside by the wind.

Unlike the wind lamps and candles in Sheng Lingyuan's memory, the light here was sharper and more vertical, not flickering or jumping. Although it was dazzling and uncomfortable, it highlighted the fullness of life on earth.

Sheng Lingyuan was lost in thought for a moment before his mind returned to the present.

He remembered where he was.

Oh right, he was at...home.

Once Sheng Lingyuan had regained his body temperature and breathing, and was able to maintain a longer period of consciousness, he refused to stay in the sanatorium any longer.

The sanatorium was so peaceful that it seemed to be untouched by the hustle and bustle of the world, even the smog refused to drift over. It reminded him of the desolate and quiet Du Ling Palace.

The Emperor was a man who could endure a lot, and he didn't care about anything. But when he felt that something was unnecessary or simply didn't want to compromise, his spoiled behavior, which was nurtured by the corrupt feudal aristocracy, would emerge.

He said he wanted to leave immediately without explaining why.

Everyone, including Chief Huang, was very nervous because of him.

Xuan Ji was not born only last year, but this person had only just faked his death last year.

They hadn't have time to get to know him, and for the first time, they felt the live version of "the Emperor's mind is hard to read."

Sheng Lingyuan, this person, would say everything was good when asked, and when asked where improvements were needed, he would say there was no need to change anything - everything was fine.

But he just didn't want to stay here.

Even though he couldn't stand up for the moment and had to sit in a wheelchair, in the end, Xuan Ji made the decision to bring Sheng Lingyuan back to the small apartment in Yong'an, despite the worried looks from the others.

He declared that he would take responsibility for anything that the Emperor was unsatisfied with. Besides, the major decisions regarding Chiyuan had already been made, and there wouldn't be any important meetings in the short term. If there was anything urgent, he could always go back.

The small apartment was like a birdcage. The bedroom was so small that a large bed made it feel cramped, and if you opened the window, you could smell what the neighbors were having for dinner. Upstairs, a couple of quarrelsome lovers had just moved in, and they fought every day.

Sheng Lingyuan, with his keen hearing, had already learned all the details of their marital life. But he still enjoyed it there and didn't even let Xuan Ji use his spatial formation.

Sheng Lingyuan wanted everything to be the opposite of the Du Ling Palace, even if it meant being cramped, crowded, and noisy. In this way, he could wake up in the middle of the night and see the slightly cracked ceiling for the first time, knowing that the past has turned a new page.

Xuan Ji felt his irregular breathing and reached out to touch him, finding his hand covered in cold sweat.

He quickly asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable? Do you have a headache again?"

Sheng Lingyuan raised his hand to block the light coming in from outside the window, squinting his eyes and looking at him as if he didn't recognize him for a while.

Then he slowly said, "Hmm...nothing, just startled by an unexpected visitor in the middle of the night, scared me."

Xuan Ji's first reaction was: Who? Where?

His second reaction was: Damn it!

Sheng Lingyuan reached out and pulled him back, smiling as he asked, "When did you sneak over here again?"

This question was because they had another argument the night before.

Strictly speaking, it was Xuan Ji who started the argument, and the Emperor, in order to maintain peace in the family, did not retort.

Unexpectedly, the Vermilion Bird Clan chief got so angry that he locked himself in his study and made a big show of wanting to separate...although it only lasted half a night.

This separation, which lasted for half a night, was all because of the trivial matter at the foot of Biquan Mountain...

Sheng Lingyuan had to wash his hands because of his many affairs, but accidentally revealed his true intentions.

Despite pretending to be dead, his heart rate, body temperature, and newly restored breathing were not fake.

He was like a faulty battery, "charging for twenty-four hours, talking for two minutes," repeatedly going online and offline.

After a few times, Xuan Ji's anger had worn him down completely. Half going with the flow and half deceiving himself, Xuan Ji accepted the explanation that "Sheng Lingyuan knew early on that Dan Li would leave him a way out" and let the matter slide.

Last night, after Xuan Ji finished cooking three dishes, he peeked into the living room and saw the local news playing on TV, while Sheng Lingyuan was sitting in his wheelchair playing with his new phone. The Emperor was very interested in this little gadget and hadn't put it down since he got the SIM card installed.