Chapter 1268, The Aggrieved Eldest Prince; Childhood Sweethearts

Translator: Fate

Translation Checker: Silavin

 

Many guests had left way before the party ended.

 

Gu Changge and the Primary Hope Saintess were one of those people. Chu Wushang had been staying in the hall to accompany guests to avoid criticism. As the Eldest Prince of the Land of Celestial Suffering, he would take over the Kingdom in the future if nothing unexpected happened.

 

As such, he could not make any mistakes or lose his manners in front of the guests. Although he had been alive for a long time, it was his first time drinking so much wine. He even needed people to support his weight when he walked.

 

In fact, he did not like to drink wine. He did not like the taste or being intoxicated.

 

That was because he could not control his emotions like he usually did in that state. He could not behave himself and do things that matched his identity. Still, he consumed too much alcohol that day.

 

“I have a far weaker aptitude than Xinyue, and I’m not as carefree as my Younger Brothers. I have to deal with countless things every day and behave myself because of my identity. I have to think carefully before I speak because I cannot tarnish the reputation of the Family. But, Father is still strong and vibrant. I’d rather give up my identity…” Chu Wushang muttered as the other Princes helped him out of the hall. For some reason, many thoughts turned over in his mind that night. There was a tired smile on his face.

 

Outside the hall, the sky was full of twinkling stars. Many maidservants were cleaning up the mess.

 

When a breeze whisked through Chu Wushang, he became more sober. He waved his hand and told his brothers to leave. He did not need them to support his weight.

 

“Go do your tasks. Many things have happened at Father’s birthday banquet. All of you should appease the ministers. If everyone becomes dispirited, the Land of Celestial Suffering will fall apart.” He firmly said.

 

Chu Gucheng married many women after he founded the Land of Celestial Suffering. These Princes were born to Chu Gucheng’s other Wives, so they were not as treasured as Chu Wushang, who was born to Chu Gucheng’s First Wife.

 

“Yes, Eldest Brother.” The other Princes respected him. They soon left the place as they were told.

 

Chu Wushang sighed. He did not ask the nearby maidservants to support him.

 

There was a distance between this place and his palace. At this moment, he just wanted to walk on his own and cast away the thoughts in his mind. Since he was drunk, he might make mistakes and many thoughts he should not have started springing into his mind.

 

He was also worried that if he said anything inappropriate to his Younger Brothers, his reputation would be hurt.

 

His palace was far away from this place, so he decided to walk slowly. This was one of those rare moments that he could unwind.

 

The night sky was full of bright stars. There was not even a single cloud. The moonlight shone on the lake, making the place look beautiful.

 

Many people were moving along the streets. The buildings were engulfed in a mist. It was as though they were in a paradise. Anyone could tell that this was a flourishing Kingdom.

 

Seeing how bustling this place was, Chu Wushang was emotionless.

 

He was not sure if it was because he was intoxicated. Many fragments of his memories flooded through his mind. Things that he had deliberately tried to forget about started attacking him aggressively, making it impossible for him to calm down.

 

“Qing Lan…” An alluring figure appeared in Chu Wushang’s mind.

 

All of the other party’s expressions unfolded before his eyes like a scroll, making him walk down memory lane.

 

“I knew something was off about you. Although you look worried, you still told all the servants to leave you alone.”

 

Suddenly, an old voice sounded from behind Chu Wushang. He was startled for a moment before coming to his senses and turning around. He saw an old man with white hair and a hunched back looking at him with a smile.

 

“Uncle Fu.” When Chu Wushang saw the old man, he put on a helpless smile. “Why did you appear behind me all of a sudden? I got shocked.”

 

Uncle Fu replied with a smile, “You were too deep in thought. I had been standing behind you for a while, but you didn’t notice my presence. Are you thinking about some past events?”

 

Chu Wushang knew that he was in a dazed state. He was walking down memory lane. Otherwise, Uncle Fu could not have approached him without him realising it, given his cultivation.

 

“Why are you here, Uncle Fu?” Chu Wushang forced a smile. He did not answer his question. He still respected this old man who had watched him grow up.

 

Chu Wushang was an authoritative figure among Chu Gucheng’s children. He was like their leader. When his younger siblings were kids, they would surround him and listen to him talk about what Chu Gucheng had achieved when he was young.

 

“I was at the King’s birthday banquet, but I wasn’t anywhere near the main table. Perhaps you were busy and didn’t notice me.”

 

Uncle Fu kept a smile on his wrinkled face. He seemed like an amiable person.

 

Upon hearing that, Chu Wushang felt sorry for him. He knew that because of Chu Xiao’s death, there had been rumours saying that Uncle Fu abandoned Chu Xiao and ran for his life because he was afraid of death.

 

For this reason, Chu Gucheng started staying away from him and let Star King Bai Mei handle the important matters.

 

At the birthday banquet, Uncle Fu was not even seated near the main table. If he never brought it up, Chu Wushang would not have known that he was at the birthday banquet.

 

“I’ll explain to Father that all the rumours are false. Don’t be too concerned, Uncle Fu. Father is only doing this to avoid criticism.” Chu Wushang explained, trying to defend Chu Gucheng.

 

In his opinion, it was impossible that Uncle Fu had done what was described in the rumours. There was no doubt he was loyal to the Chu Family.

 

Chu Gucheng surely understood that as well, but he had no choice but to stay away from Uncle Fu to avoid criticism.

 

Upon hearing that, Uncle Fu put on a hearty smile. “Well, I don’t really care about the rumours. I’m old, so even if the King gives me some important tasks, I’m unable to complete them. Moreover, the Land of Celestial Suffering is facing a crisis now, and the problems have to be resolved by capable people. If the King let me handle those matters, it would do more harm than good.”

 

When Chu Wushang saw that Uncle Fu was still worried about Chu Gucheng and the future of the Land of Celestial Suffering in his current state, he felt sorrowful.

 

Uncle Fu had made huge contributions to the Kingdom. If he was discarded just like this, it would have a huge impact on the morale of the people from the Land of Celestial Suffering. Did Chu Gucheng not know the consequences of his actions?

 

Uncle Fu approached him and sat down beside him before saying amiably, “I see something has been bugging you tonight. You are drunk, and you just called out the name ‘Qing Lan’. It seems that you still can’t forget about what happened in the past. Unable to let go.” He sounded worried.

 

Chu Wushang sighed with a helpless and bitter expression. He did not want to talk about this matter, but he knew that he had to tackle it. Otherwise, this matter would keep haunting him.

 

He was not inebriated that night, but he could not help but think about past events. He could not forget about what had happened.

 

The matter happened a long time ago. The woman named Qing Lan was now a Wife and a Mother. This remained a knot in this heart.

 

“Don’t blame your Father. You have to look at that matter from the King’s perspective and take the big picture into consideration.” Uncle Fu tried to placate him.

 

“I know. I’ve never blamed my Father.” Chu Wushang looked away and shook his head.

 

A helpless Uncle Fu shook his head with a smile. “You’re stubborn. You’ve always been a good child. I watched you grow up, and I know your temperament fully well. Although it’s disrespectful to say that you’re like my child, I’ve always regarded you as my Son. I know the grievances you’ve suffered. Even though you’ve been avoiding that matter, you must be frustrated deep within. You’re resentful of your Father for separating you and Qing Lan. After all, you two were deeply in love, and many felt that Qing Lan would surely become your Wife one day.”

 

At the mention of this, he sighed sorrowfully.

 

Chu Wushang listened to all this in a dazed state while feeling bitter. It was for this reason that he had never gotten together with anyone else over the years.

 

It was pointless, though. Chu Gucheng had decided to let Qing Lan and the Champion General get married. She was now his Wife.

 

The Father Chu Wushang respected the most took the woman he loved the most away from him.

 

He, Qing Lan, and the Champion General had been friends since a young age.

 

The Champion General’s name was Du Heng. He was an orphan. Chu Gucheng brought him back to the Land of Celestial Suffering and renamed him Chu Heng. He had given him a lot of guidance.

 

Chu Heng had an amazing aptitude and was a Fortuitous One just like Chu Gucheng.

 

Chu Gucheng even said that, given enough time, Chu Heng might achieve the same height as him in the future.

 

On the other hand, Qing Lan was the Daughter of an old minister in the Land of Celestial Suffering. She was close to Chu Wushang. They played and cultivated together since they were kids. It could be said that they were childhood sweethearts.

 

After Chu Heng came, Chu Wushang took good care of this taciturn person. He even regarded him as his Younger Brother.

 

Chu Heng was upright and respected Chu Wushang. He never dared to disobey his orders. Also, he had always believed that he would become Chu Wushang’s trusted aide in the future.

 

That period was Chu Wushang’s happiest time as the Eldest Prince.

 

Nevertheless, everything changed when he discovered that Chu Heng had some feelings for Qing Lan.

 

Qing Lan was much older than Chu Heng. She was regarded as a prodigy in the Land of Celestial Suffering.

 

She was soft-spoken, demure, knowledgeable, and alluring. She also took good care of Chu Heng. If not for the fact that she was close to Chu Wushang, her suitors would’ve flooded her home and proposed to her.

 

Chu Heng also realised the change in their relationship, so he decided to leave the palace and head to the border to get some training.

 

During that period, all sorts of news about Chu Heng came from the border, which shocked the entire the Land of Celestial Suffering.

 

He was like a young War God who could always lead his army to destroy the enemies. No one was a match for him.

 

Under his leadership, the army of the Land of Celestial Suffering could be said to be invincible.

 

His enemies were terrified of him. On many occasions, he was able to defeat his enemies even though his army was on the weaker side. He had made a lot of contributions. Despite his young age, he showcased his incredible talent and became the most brilliant star of the Land of Celestial Suffering.

 

In comparison, Chu Wushang, who had been cultivating in the capital, looked ordinary.

 

Although Chu Heng had left them, Chu Wushang still felt that he was everywhere.

 

Every time Qing Lan heard of Chu Heng’s news, her eyes would brighten. She was truly happy about his achievements.

 

At that time, Chu Wushang was jealous. Not only had Chu Heng surpassed him when it came to his cultivation and reputation, but his childhood sweetheart also seemed to be fond of Chu Heng.

 

As such, Chu Wushang decided to leave the capital and venture into the outside world, hoping to make a name for himself just like Chu Heng.

 

He went to dangerous places like Carefree Valley and Mountain of Nine Spirits. He had ventured into many life-threatening Forbidden Areas and he was growing stronger. He initially thought that he could surpass Chu Heng.

 

However, he soon heard that Chu Heng had led his army to destroy the Races around the Land of Celestial Suffering. During that period, he even led a small number of people to barge into the hinterland of a Race and captured their Patriarch. His contributions were so incredible that all the ministers and generals in the Land of Celestial Suffering complimented him.

 

Chu Wushang was shocked when he heard of news like this. He initially thought that he had improved rapidly, but compared with the other party, he had basically made no progress.

 

The huge gap between them was preordained. He could never catch up to the other party.

 

Disappointed and dejected, he barged into a Forbidden Area during the night and came across a very rare Time Hole. He accidentally fell into it. The inside of the Time Hole was made of many broken Spacetimes. He was in one Spacetime at this moment, but the next moment he would appear in a Spacetime during ancient times.

 

Chu Wushang had a Protective Amulet given to him by his Father. With the item in his possession, he was able to stay in the Time Hole for a long time.

 

He had no idea how long that was, though. Perhaps he had spent a year there, but it was also possible that dozens of epochs had passed.

 

When he broke free from the Time Hole, he discovered that he was only one step away from the Dao Realm.

 

Elated, he went to a quiet place and tried to achieve a breakthrough.

 

After he made it to the Dao Realm and returned to the Land of Celestial Suffering, he discovered that his Father had decided to let Chu Heng and Qing Lan get married. He was rooted to the spot upon learning the news.

 

During the period when he was missing, Chu Heng became the Champion General as he had made the most contributions. He was a powerful figure who was in charge of several armies. He also made it to the Dao Realm many years ago, and his power now was inscrutable.

 

Although Chu Wushang had accidentally fallen into the Time Hole and gotten some opportunities, he still could not catch up to Chu Heng.

 

“You’ve wrongly blamed your Father. We should’ve told you about the truth long ago, but your Father is worried that you’ll do something silly, so he’s been hiding it from you. You’re his Son, so why would he separate you and Qing Lan? You believe that your Father knew Chu Heng loved Qing Lan and decided to let them get married to strengthen his Kingdom. That’s not true. Qing Lan had approached your Father and asked him to let Chu Heng and her get married.”

 

When Uncle Fu saw how devastated Chu Wushang was, he sighed helplessly and patted his shoulder.

 

“What?” Chu Wushang was rooted to the spot. He could not believe what he had heard.

 

He had always believed that his Father was ruthless enough to separate him and Qing Lan. But now, Uncle Fu told him that it was not the truth. Instead, Qing Lan approached his Father and asked him to let Chu Heng and her get married. Why was that? Why did she betray him?

 

“I don’t want you to be resentful of your Father over this matter. He feels sorry for you and is proud to have a Son like you. Although he knows you’ve suffered a lot of grievances, he pretends to not care and tells you that it’s for the sake of the Land of Celestial Suffering.” Uncle Fu sighed again and tapped on his shoulder before turning around to leave.

 

Upon hearing his words, Chu Wushang was rooted to the spot, unable to come to his senses. He did not notice that when Uncle Fu tapped on his shoulder, a wisp of black fog vanished along with the wind.

 

He looked in the Champion General Mansion’s direction in a dazed state. All of a sudden, a hint of ruthlessness flashed across his eyes.