Shen Nuo did not know how much time he had been tortured. Maybe it was hours and hours. Or may be it as just a minute... He did not know. His senses were already scattered. His view was extremely blurry. He did not clearly see anything. He only felt pain...
But -
Suddenly there was a bright flash of golden light. Shen Nuo was blinded by the light and a strong wave of wind hit through passing them. It was such a powerful burst of spiritual energy that Shen Nuo's body went immediately numb.
But he vaugely felt Zhanhua's bite upon his neck loosen. With that, he was vigorously pulled up to a side. His back slammed onto a sturdy chest. The strong smell of Sandalwood hit his nose...
The Emperor held Shen Nuo tightly in his arms and did not know what to feel. His heart sank when he saw the deep teeth marks that had burrowed into Shen Nuo's neck. He gulped. Shen Nuo must have lost a lot of blood. He checked Shen Nuo's pulse in the wrist. It was very faint. Li Yan's heart was in a mess. How did Shen Nuo loose this much blood? He was only a few seconds late.
By this time, Zhanhua wasn't actually in his senses. He only felt his comfort getting disrupted, his only source of energy getting forcefully removed. His amber eyes shone with a vicious light. He shook his head furiously, bore his blood stained fangs and attacked.
It was when Zhangsun, the personal bodyguard of Li Yan returned in search of him, hurrying through the trees. But Zhangsun's eyes widened. He froze stupified. "Your Majesty! Watch out!" Zhangsun was too far to help.
Li Yan did not know how or when, because when he looked back, over his shoulder, he suddenly saw that there was a sharp dagger in Zhanhua's hand. His eyes widened. Zhanhua drew towards the both of them at lightning speed.
Li Yan's heart stopped beating for a moment. Blood left his face. "Zhanhua!!!" He yelled. But it was too late. Li Yan could only cover Shen Nuo with his body, shielding him from the deadly attack from behind.
The dagger pierced right through the back of Li Yan's left shoulder. Li Yan's eyes teared in pain. Blood flowed down covering his shoulder and stained his golden robe red.
He turned around and kicked Zhanhua's chest with his boot, triggering his terrifying martial spiritual energy. Waves and waves of spiritual energy rippled off his foot like molten glass. Zhanhua was thrown away in the pressure. His back slammed onto a pine trunk and he slid down to the foot of the tree. He groaned in pain.
Zhangsun looked lame. "Your Majesty! The wound!" He hurried to the side of Li Yan immediately.
Li Yan slowly pulled out the dagger off his shoulder, gritting his teeth. The pain was piercing. "It's fine!" He said looking at Minister Zhanhua who was also in pain.
Li Yan's eyes were furrowed as he stared at Zhanhua in disbelief. He indeed realized what was wrong with Zhanhua. It was that this happened too quickly in a moment he expected it to happen in the least. And he never expected Shen Nuo to get messed up in this.
The actual power that Zhanhua wielded as a half human and a half dragon was too much for him to control at times. At such moments when he loose control, his powers would naturally tend to run amok and he would loose his senses completely... Specially on full moon nights...
Zhanhua got up again, his whole body releasing some kind of a dark murderous aura. Blood flowed down the corners of his mouth and the twisted veins at his forehead bulged and convulsed. His amber eyes flashed in a dangerous light. It was a frightening sight. No one would have believed that this person was that calm and patient minister who always wore a gentle smile...
Li Yan knew that at this moment, no matter how much he try to draw Zhanhua back to his senses, he couldn't do it without suppressing the evil energy inside him... Zhanhua attacked again.
Li Yan pushed unconcious Shen Nuo towards Zhangsun and met Zhanhua's blows head on. So there started a fight that none of them expected. Though the Emperor was a mortal unlike Zhanhua, still he was the Emperor. His powers were still shocking. The entire glade broke into waves and waves of spiritual energy.
But Li Yan only dodged or blocked his attacks. "Zhanhua! Wake up!" He shouted in a hard voice. He only wanted to draw Zhanhua back to his senses. He did not want to kill his subject...
Zhanhua, however didn't seem to give up. His moves became ferocious with every second. The evil energy around him was getting stronger and stronger. If it goes in this phase, Li Yan did not know how he should calm him down. Zhanhua would only go crazier.
So unable to take it any longer, Li Yan hit the side of Zhanhua's neck with the side of his palm.
Zhanhua lost conciousness and felled onto the hard ground. His body twisted and twitched. He growled in pain. The black mist that was emitted by his body became thick.
"He can't control his powers, Your Majesty, his internal energy is going berserk!" Zhangsun said furrowing his brows. "His cultivation is going to get ruined..."
Li Yan's face was pale. His mouth slowly opened. His eyes had emotions that were hard to read. Zhanhua needed help. If he did not help Zhanhua now, Zhanhua will die. If he save Zhanhua now, one-day he'll die.
Zhangsun saw the fluctuations in Li Yan's eyes and spoke genuinely. "Your Majesty, you can't be lenient. Look how he just injured Your Majesty!"
Li Yan shook his pale face. "You can't blame him Zhangsun, he's already out of his mind!"
Zhangsun narrowed his eyes. "Your Majesty waited for many years for him to come and admit his identity but he didn't. It's obvious that he definitely harbors ill intentions. Why are Your Majesty still reluctant? Your Majesty also runs a state! You must be careful!"
Li Yan gritted his teeth. "He served me whole heartedly for many years. Personal grudges cannot be counted. He still loves his people."
Zhangsun was also looking pale. "Your Majesty, he won't be the same once he gets his claws disclosed. Not everyone thinks like Your Majesty! Please listen!"
Li Yan gulped. He knew it. He actually knew it from the very beginning what Zhanhua's true identity was. He knew Zhanhua was but the son of his worst enemy, the Crown Prince of Xian Yan. But Zhanhua was true to his people and never harmed a life. He never cheated or betrayed his trust in him...
Zhangsun saw that his master's reluctance. He did not want to let go. In this lifetime, he swore to protect his master and serve him wholeheartedly. He did not want his master to get hurt. His master's enemy was his enemy. He was genuinely concerned. So he did not let go and used the last reasoning to stop Li Yan.
"Your Majesty! He's not human! Please think twice! Your Majesty will be severely injured if you forcefully try to unseal his dragon core!"
Li Yan smiled slightly. It was very pale and painful. "Zhangsun, take Nuo Nuo away. Nuo Nuo must be safe!"
Then without waiting for further reply, he stepped forward to Zhanhua who was shivering on the hard ground and sat cross legged behind him. He pulled Zhanhua into a cross legged position too and banged his palm upon the Zhanhua's back.
Pure golden spiritual light gathered in his palms, revealing his true powers and strengths. Zhanhua's weak lifeless body that was bent, straightened up at once. His entire body went stiff as the strong waves of pure spiritual energy entered into his body with force.
Zhanhua did not shiver anymore. He did not move. He sat cross legged like a statue while Li Yan repeatedly passed him his energy.
Li Yan did not know how much time he spent there suppressing the evil energy that was steaming off Zhanhua's body. Sweat beads formed on his temples. His face drew paler and paler. His entire body ached. It was his energy that he had cultivated painstakingly through many years that he was now using to save his subject. But he did not regret it...
Color returned to Zhanhua's pale face with time. His tightly closed eyes relaxed and his stiff arms loosened. His breath gradually became steady. He slowly opened his eyes. But his eyes were unfocussed. He was too muddle headed to realize what was happening.
"Concentrate!" Li Yan said sternly. "Don't let your mind loose senses! Your powers would go berserk again!"
Amid the heavy but mind calming fragrance of Sandalwood, Zhanhua did not know whose voice it was. But he felt no enmity in that voice. He tried hard to concentrate on the flow of energy inside his body. It was pain... He clearly felt the strong energy enter his body forcefully. His cracked core was reforming in it's power. His torn spiritual veins were merging back. He was slowly recovering...
Zhanhua was confused at first. He had not felt such a menacing martial spiritual aura from anyone except... Emperor Li Yan...
His face drew pale. He did not know what to say. He slightly remembered everything he did to Shen Nuo. He also faintly remembered that he had stabbed the Emperor.
His heart was in a terrible turmoil. His entire body convulsed.
"Concentrate!" Li Yan said again in a hard voice. "Don't waste Zhen's energy!"
Zhanhua shut his tear stained eyes and those tears dropped down his cheeks slowly. He harassed that person's beloved. Not only that, he stabbed that person. But still that person not only helped him to recover from the episode, he even willingly helped him break through and unseal his dragon core.
Zhanhua felt lost. That means the Emperor already knew he's no pure human... He did not know what to do.
As he concentrated, he felt Li Yan's spiritual flow getting heavier and deadly. His entire body ached. Sweat drooped down his forehead. His eyes gradually lost it's focus before he passed out and dropped down onto the ground unconsciously.
Li Yan pursed his thin lips. A thick trail of blood slid down the corner of his mouth. He was suddenly weak and weary. He was exhausted. He checked Zhanhua's pulse and felt the steady beat. Zhanhua had almost recovered... His dragon's core was unsealed. Thankfully he won't suffer from that certain disease again anymore.
So Li Yan looked at Zhangsun.
"Drag him to his manor!" He said coldly. His eyes were moist. Zhangsun didn't wait even for a second. He silently bowed and bent to do his work and took Zhanhua away. He wasn't too much polite with Zhanhua.
Li Yan sat on the leafy floor and pulled Shen Nuo onto his lap, leaning Shen Nuo's lifeless and sweat drenched head to rest on his sturdy chest. That beautiful face of Shen Nuo was almost bloodless and pale. Those beautiful pale pink lips were now white and chapped. His left shoulder was entirely drenched with his own blood that had gushed down the deep cut by the side of his neck.
Li Yan pursed his thin and pale lips. His hands tightened more and more onto Shen Nuo and snuggled him warmly. His face was cold and expressionless. But tears left his eyes and felled down Shen Nuo's pale cheeks. If that cold face had emotions, it would have been very painful.
He silently pressed his lips against the top of Shen Nuo's head. No one knew what he was thinking.
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