High Martial Arts: I Travel Through Heaven and Earth Through Dreams

Chapter 16: Devastating News Arrives – Lin Yuan Passes Away

As time goes by, spring comes and autumn goes.

Another thirty years have passed quietly through our fingers.

The Sui Dynasty was running smoothly and rapidly on the track of the "Enlightened Prosperity".

During this period, the world was at peace, and the country was prosperous and the people were safe.

The reforms of the past have long been deeply rooted in people's hearts and have become a matter of course in the eyes of the new generation.

Lin Hanzhou has been emperor for eighty years.

For an ordinary person, eighty years is almost a lifetime.

For Lin Hanzhou, who was at the peak of the Qi Opening Realm, this was more than half a lifetime.

Lin Hanzhou was no longer the same as he used to be; he had become an old man with white hair and beard.

His gaze grew increasingly profound, and his aura as a superior became even more prominent; ordinary people didn't even dare to meet his eyes.

But he was old after all, his blood and energy were depleted, and his meridians were failing, which prevented him from breaking through to the second level of Qi Gathering Realm.

Lin Hanzhou knew that this was a problem that martial artists would encounter in their later years.

Before breaking through to the third-order Qi Sea Realm, martial artists over sixty years old will experience depletion of Qi and blood, making cultivation difficult.

Only by reaching the Qi Sea Realm, which opens up the Qi Sea and adds three hundred years to one's lifespan, can this problem be somewhat resolved.

However, he is still far from reaching the third-order Qi Sea Realm, and he can only endure the problem of declining Qi and blood for now.

Fortunately, it was all just a dream world, and he could recover as soon as he returned to reality.

However, an urgent report from the Seventh Prince's residence shattered his decades-long tranquil state of mind.

His seventh brother, the seventh prince Lin Yuan, is now seriously ill and on the verge of death.

Upon receiving the news, Lin Hanzhou's hand, which was reviewing memorials, paused slightly.

How long has it been since he last heard that name?

Ten years? Fifty years?

The floodgates of memory slowly open.

He recalled that dark night eighty years ago, and his gentle elder brother who, full of concern, urged him to leave at the post station.

That was the first and only genuine family affection he felt after arriving in this dream world.

After ascending the throne, he was grateful for Lin Yuan's kindness and bestowed upon him the title of "King of Anle".

He also bestowed upon him a master of innate skills as his bodyguard and countless riches, allowing him to stay away from court intrigues and enjoy a life of wealth and honor.

For eighty years, he was busy with reforms and spiritual practice, and gradually forgot about his elder brother.

It was only when the news of his death arrived that he remembered his elder brother.

"Prepare the carriage for the Prince of Anle's Palace."

Lin Hanzhou put down his vermilion pen, his voice carrying a complex emotion he himself was unaware of.

When the emperor's imperial carriage returned to the Prince Anle's Mansion after eighty years, the entire mansion was in an uproar.

Lin Yuan's descendants knelt on the ground, trembling with fear and at a loss.

Lin Hanzhou ignored them and went straight into Lin Yuan's bedroom.

The room was filled with a strong smell of medicine.

An elderly man lay on his deathbed.

His hair was completely white, and his face was withered; he was no longer the handsome and refined man he once was.

Hearing the noise, Lin Yuan struggled to open his cloudy eyes.

When he saw the familiar yet unfamiliar figure by the bedside, a glimmer of light suddenly appeared in his eyes.

"Eleventh...no, it's...it's Your Majesty who has arrived..."

He struggled to get up and bow.

"Seventh Brother, there's no need for such formalities."

Lin Hanzhou stepped forward, pressed him down, and sat down on the edge of the bed himself.

Looking at Lin Yuan's aged face, and then thinking back to the refined young man he once was, he couldn't help but marvel at the power of time.

This was the first time he had such a clear and cruel understanding of birth, aging, sickness, and death.

"Your Majesty...you've grown old...and I'm no longer what I used to be..."

Lin Yuan's cloudy eyes revealed a sense of reminiscence and emotion.

"Seventh Brother, you've suffered all these years."

Lin Hanzhou grasped his dry, claw-like hand and channeled a wisp of pure spiritual energy into it, temporarily relieving his pain.

Lin Yuan was in much better spirits, and he grinned, revealing a carefree smile.

"It wasn't bitter... My life has been worthwhile."

"I have more money than I can spend, I have a powerful innate expert as my bodyguard, and I have Your Majesty backing me up. I live a very comfortable life, all thanks to Your Majesty."

He began to reminisce about the past, rambling on and on.

He recalled the days when the two of them were young and depended on each other for survival in the palace.

He recalled that night thirty years ago, a night he thought would be his last.

He recalled the shock and pride he felt when he heard that Lin Hanzhou had ascended the throne, swept away the powerful families, and ushered in a golden age.

"The thing I'm most proud of in my life... isn't being born a prince, but... having a younger brother like you..."

As he spoke, Lin Yuan's voice grew softer and softer, and the light in his eyes began to slowly fade.

"Your Majesty... no, Eleventh Brother, I must go see Father now... please... take good care of yourself..."

He used his last bit of strength to tighten his grip on Lin Hanzhou's hand.

Immediately, Lin Yuan's head tilted to the side, and his breathing stopped completely at that moment.

After seeing his beloved younger brother one last time, King Anle passed away peacefully with satisfaction and contentment.

Lin Hanzhou sat quietly on the edge of the bed, holding that already cold hand, without saying a word for a long time.

As emperor, he could control the life and death of hundreds of millions of people and change an era because of him.

However, he was unable to save the life of his mortal brother.

Although he knew it was all just a dream world, it all felt too real.

For eighty years, he often forgot that this was just a dream world.

Each person here has their own thoughts and feelings, just like the real world.

Lin Hanzhou shook his head, not continuing to think about it; his mindset had already undergone a change at that moment.

He stood up, covered Lin Yuan with the blanket, and turned to leave the bedroom.

"Issue my decree."

He addressed the kneeling descendants of Lin Yuan and the accompanying officials outside the door in a voice imbued with supreme authority.

"Lin Yuan, the Prince of Anle, was posthumously granted the title of 'Prince He' and given a state funeral with the rites due to a prince. His title will be inherited by his eldest son."

"We, your humble servants...kowtow in gratitude for Heaven's grace!"

Lin Yuan's descendants kowtowed with tears of gratitude.

Lin Hanzhou didn't look at them again, turned around and got into the carriage.

On his way back to the palace, he lifted the carriage curtain and looked out at the bustling world outside, feeling a touch of emotion.

He then realized that he had been either cultivating himself or handling state affairs in the palace all these years.

Even the only time he went out was when he personally led an expedition.

Perhaps he really should go and see the world properly, and see the peaceful and prosperous world he created.

Once this idea takes hold, it spreads like wildfire and can no longer be contained.

Returning to that familiar palace, Lin Hanzhou felt for the first time that this magnificent palace was like a splendid prison.