Chapter 335: Chapter 335 : Goodbye, Fengxi (3)

In the aftermath of Xie Jianyu’s untimely passing, the palace fell into a state of somber stillness, the usual hum of activity replaced by a hushed reverence for the departed.

The mourning staff moved about with a sluggish gait, their faces etched with the profound grief that gripped their hearts.

Amidst this atmosphere of profound sorrow, Mingyu and Head Servant Zhou did not have the time to curl up and cry. They bore the weight of an additional responsibility for they had to take care of two little princes who just lost their mother.

Judging by the look of it, they might have lost their father too.

Since his return from Wuyang Palace, Zhang Fengxi had been an immovable figure, his body a steadfast sentry guarding the lifeless form of his beloved wife.

Clad in the very armor that bore the blood and grime of his fallen foes, he cradled the Crown Prince’s empty and cold shell, pouring his spiritual energy inside to shield it from decay.

Amidst the flurry of activity that swirled around him, the General remained impervious to the world’s clamor.

The world around him had faded into a muted blur, the voices of those who sought to offer solace mere whispers lost in the tempest of his grief. Their words, like pebbles tossed into a vast ocean, failed to leave even a ripple on the surface of his sorrow.

General Zhang Fengxi only had eyes for the Crown Prince, whose eyes were tightly shut, and whose silent lips could no longer offer him any sort of consolation.

Xie Jianshen passed out after standing vigil over his younger brother’s body on the fourth day. Jiang Rufeng made use of his wife’s unconscious state to drag him back to Shuiran Palace.

"Fuxi Palace is not the right place for him now," he said.

After five days of standing vigil, Jiang Muchen could not take it anymore.

He grabbed Zhang Fengxi by his lapels and screamed at the mourning husband’s face.

"ZHANG FENGXI, WAKE UP! WAKE UP, I SAID! GET A GRIP ON YOURSELF! LITTLE UNCLE IS GONE! STOP DESECRATING HIS CORPSE! WE NEED TO... WE NEED TO BURY HIM!!!"

A spark of unknown light ignited in the depths of Zhang Fengxi’s grief, a sign of life that burst forth from the dark abyss of sorrow that had consumed him.

Sensing a shift in the atmosphere, Jiang Muchen’s instincts screamed at him, sending a shiver down his spine as the fine hairs on his arms stood on end.

With a swift and practiced movement, the Fire Guardian released Zhang Fengxi and retreated just as a surge of raw, untamed energy erupted from the general’s body. The shockwave of power sent Jiang Muchen flying backward, his feet barely touching the ground as he skidded to a halt.

"You...!"

Jiang Muchen held his staff in front of him. He stood poised for a battle, his senses heightened, ready to counter Zhang Fengxi’s next move. Yet, the expected attack never came.

Instead, Zhang Fengxi’s eyes dimmed, their fire within extinguished and replaced by stark emptiness.

He returned to his mournful vigil, devoting himself to Xie Jianyu’s lifeless body as before.

It was as if Jiang Muchen never raised a hand against him and he never retaliated.

Staff lowered and head bowed in dejection, Jiang Muchen gave up and went to find the twin babies instead.

As he walked the path heading to the nursery, Jiang Muchen could not help but wallow in sorrow.

Xie Jianyu personally designed the nursery room in preparation for the arrival of his babies.

Unlike his elder brother, Xie Jianyu was more adept at swinging swords than making room decorations. And yet, he did his best to create a safe, warm, and cozy place for his children to grow up in.

"Little Uncle," Jiang Muchen softly whispered. "Why did you leave so soon? How could you leave my little cousins behind? Who will fill the huge void you left behind...?"

Jiang Muchen’s sentimental thoughts were quickly driven away when he heard several voices coming from the nursery room.

When he pushed open the door to the beautifully decorated nursery room, he came upon a hectic argument.

Lady Song, Mingyu, and Head Servant Zhou were all present.

Three pairs of hands were tightly clutching the sturdy handle of the wooden baby basket.

Inside the basket, the twin babies were gurgling cutely while cuddling into their pillows.

"I am their grandmother," Lady Song insisted. "I am more than capable of taking care of them."

"We do not doubt that, Lady Song, but these princes... One of them is a dragon prince," Head Servant Zhou argued.

"Dragon or tiger, both of them are my grandsons. I wish to take them back with me."

"I am sorry, Lady Song, you can’t. The princes should stay here for now, until... Until..." Mingyu was unable to finish her sentence.

"Until what???"

Lady Song stemmed her hands against her hips.

"Who is going to decide where the babies will stay?"

The Heavenly Emperor was no longer there.

His heir, the Crown Prince and the mother of the twins, had recently passed away.

The father of the twins was practically a shadow of his former self. No one knew when he would come around. He had not even registered his sons’ birth yet, let alone looking at them.

Jiang Muchen came just at the right time to join the argument.

Or not, because he was an alpha and he was not in the mood to argue with anyone.

"My apologies, Lady Song, Mingyu, and Head Servant Zhou," the Fire Guardian politely quipped before he summoned several fireballs between his hands. These fireballs were harmless, but the three people in the room still cried out in panic when the fireballs flew at them.

Lady Song, Mingyu, and Head Servant Zhou moved away from the baby basket, granting Jiang Muchen full access to his little cousins.

Quick like a seasoned thief, Jiang Muchen grabbed the handle of the baby basket and escaped from Fuxi Palace on his spiritual lion.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay