Chapter 462 - 461: War Rekindled
Lu Jingming was dressed in finely tailored black casual clothes, his short white hair glowing softly under the sun, and a lazy smile played on his handsome face. After he appeared, he paid no attention to Weina, who had stood up for the first time, nor did he look at her again. His gaze fell straight on the small bed in the corner. The sudden increase in breath in the room made him frown slightly, as if there was a small child about to wake from sleep.
He took a step forward, quietly walking to the edge of the simple bed. Bending down, he moved with gentle care. His fingers, slender yet strong, softly pinched the plump, pink little face of his son, Lu Xingtong.
Perhaps it was the familiar breath of his father that he sensed, or something else, but Lu Xingtong's furrowed brows relaxed. His small mouth puckered twice, he turned in his sleep, and kept sleeping, the corners of his lips rising into a cute little arc.
Lu Jingming gazed at his son's pure sleeping face, and in that moment, all the depth and indifference in his eyes melted away. The scene was quiet and warm. The big and the small watched each other for a long time, and unconsciously, a happy and contented smile spread across his face.
Meanwhile, Weina stood there in a daze, staring at the scene before her, her heart filled with complicated emotions. She saw a side of Lu Jingming she had never known—not the decisive Lord of Haiyuan City, nor the ruler of the Star Lou Empire, but a gentle father immersed in the joys of family.
This warmth, at this very moment, pierced her heart like the sharpest needle, stabbing into a heart already full of holes. Once, she too had a father who watched her with gentle eyes. Once, she too had the best vision for a normal, happy future. But now, all of that was gone.
Her country had vanished.
Her home was shattered.
And the cause of it all was right here, basking in the fruits of victory.
An indescribable sorrow and bitterness welled up from the depths of her heart, threatening to drown her.
At this moment, Lu Jingming slowly straightened his back, finally turned his face, and looked at Weina.
"Princess Weina, I accept your request."
"Ah, Xiao Ming…"
After a while, she tried to speak, but stopped.
Lu Jingming just gently shook his head, saying nothing for a while. He knew well what she had been thinking—the hatred was better thinned out than bottled up. Now, Weina was like a barrel of gunpowder: the more her vengeance was suppressed and denied, the more energy would build up inside, until one day she would explode and scatter herself to pieces.
Better to let her go, give her a channel for catharsis, and present her with a clear goal. Even if this path was dangerous, at least it would help her find meaning in living.
Moreover, Weina's banner was still useful. The remnants of the Heavenly Soul Empire needed a core to gather around. Rather than letting them scatter across the continent as destabilizing elements, it was better to keep them under control, and use them as pawns for future unification of the mainland.
Lu Jingming's mind raced through several layers of thought in an instant. He accepted Weina, and considered much. Furthermore, Weina's relationship with Robin and March 7 was not bad. In the complex family politics of Haiyuan City, maintaining relationships was necessary. For the sake of those people, it was convenient to give Weina a chance, so she would not sink into despair.
He looked again at Weina, said nothing more, and quietly waited for her choice. He had given her a chance, but in the end, the path had to be walked alone.
Weina gazed into Lu Jingming's deep eyes. The tangled emotions swirling in her heart seemed to settle, mysteriously, at this moment. She knew that in front of this man, all pretense was meaningless.
A bitter smile, uglier than crying, appeared on her face.
"I'm no longer a princess."
She shook her head softly, her voice hoarse but strangely clear. "Xiao Ming, just call me Weina."
With those words, she made clear that she was no longer a princess, had let go of the past, and now accepted the broken reality of her country and family.
In this moment, she was no longer the pearl of the Heavenly Soul Empire. She was just Weina—a vengeful spirit with blood-deep enmity.
She bowed deeply and solemnly to Lu Jingming.
"Thank you, Xiao Ming. For giving me this chance and your kindness. Weina has nothing left. If I can defeat my enemies in the future, my life will be yours."
Her words held no hint of transaction or pretense—only the purest gratitude, and a resolve to stake everything on herself. She understood well that in her current situation, only her life and the ethereal banner of Heavenly Soul orthodoxy remained.
But Lu Jingming had pulled her back from the brink of despair. Whatever his reasons, this kindness weighed on her like Mount Everest.
"There's no need for this."
Lu Jingming's tone was flat. He neither accepted nor refused her loyalty.
"Do what you must. The Star Lou Empire's intelligence network will fully cooperate."
"Yes."
Weina straightened her back, stood watching for a long time, her eyes full of complex emotions. Then, without hesitation, she turned and strode out of the warm, luxurious palace. She did not pause for even a moment.
A path of vengeance, a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood unfolded before her.
She would gather the remaining loyalists to the Heavenly Soul Empire, hiding in every corner of the continent. She would seek out the surviving members of the Existential Faction who hated the Sun-Moon Empire to their bones, survivors of the Heaven Dou City battle. She would contact them.
She had been silent for a year, and the Sun-Moon Empire had spent a year recovering too. She could sense that the terrifying beast of war could no longer be restrained, and was ready to open its bloody jaws once again.
Before that happened, she had to gather every force that could unite.
Watching Weina's lonely figure disappear at the edge of the palace, Xu Jiujiu could not hold it in any longer, and let out a long sigh.
"Is this… really the right thing to do? Ah, it's so dark…"
Xu Jiujiu turned, leaned against Lu Jingming's arm, and spoke in a worried voice.
"She's started down this path. There's no turning back. I fear she'll… end up destroyed."
"Everyone has their own fate and choices."
Lu Jingming reached out, gently wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close, his chin resting on her forehead as he comforted her.
"We cannot walk her life's path for her. Forcing her to live in false peace, suffering daily in hatred and powerlessness—that would be crueller to her than anything."
A long silence followed.
Xu Jiujiu knew Lu Jingming was right. But reason was one thing, emotion another.
"I understand."
She buried her face in his chest, her tone heavy.
The Star Lou Empire today was no longer the Star Lou Empire of a year ago.
Lu Jingming was the uncrowned king of this empire. Her brother, Xu Jiawei, had gradually, almost unconditionally, handed over the empire's military, political, and economic power to Lu Jingming, step by step. He himself was content to be a salted fish, playing in the mountains and rivers with the queen and their grandchildren every day, completely letting go of the burden of power.
Did the conservative opposition within the empire not see the situation clearly? Of course they did. How could those ancient dukes and marquis houses, passed down for ten thousand years, willingly give up power to an outsider?
But most were pragmatic. After a few cautious protests, they were ruthlessly suppressed by Lu Jingming's thunderous methods, their heirs replaced by various 'accidents.' The wise chose silence.
And then there was that small, most stubborn, radical opposition…
For a long time, Xu Jiujiu thought of that cold, ruthless girl—Ji Yingying. The Wuchang Division she led had replaced the original imperial surveillance and intelligence agencies, now serving as the Sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of all nobles.
The most restless enemies would quietly disappear one night, with evidence of their crimes placed on the emperor's desk by morning.
Before Lu Jingming's absolute authority and ruthless political acumen, all schemes and plots seemed pale and ridiculous.
That was why Xu Jiujiu knew that every decision Lu Jingming made required deep consideration. And all she could do was support him unconditionally.
"I understand. Don't overthink it."
Lu Jingming patted her back lightly and smiled.
"Weina joining us is a good thing."
"A good thing?"
She raised her head, a little puzzled.
"Of course," Lu Jingming smiled. "The Heavenly Soul Empire may have fallen, but it has a legacy spanning thousands of years, and a deep foundation. The forces loyal to the royal family, especially the Existential Faction survivors, are not to be underestimated. Many Douluo-level titleholders must have survived among them."
"If left unchecked, these forces would become lawless bands of vengeance, hard to control. But now, with Weina's banner, we can rightfully unify them all."
"Accepting her is also a signal to the entire continent."
A meaningful smile appeared on Lu Jingming's lips.
"When all is over, when the Sun-Moon Empire is defeated and a new order is built, Weina can integrate part of the Heavenly Soul's strength into ours. If possible, I hope she can have a relatively happy ending."
Hearing Lu Jingming's thorough analysis of all the advantages and disadvantages, Xu Jiujiu's last lingering doubts finally vanished. She looked at the man before her, filled with inner peace.
He was always like this—behind every seemingly random decision, countless layers of meaning and structure overlapped.
"I see."
She rose on tiptoe and kissed him on the lips.
"Thank you, Xiao Ming."
….
Silence was broken.
After a year of uneasy digestion and precipitation, the terrifying war-beast of the Sun-Moon Empire finally opened its hungry eyes.
This time, it set its sights on the rich but weak land in the east—Dou Ling Empire.
The clouds of war engulfed the entire Douluo Continent almost overnight.
Tens of thousands of soul-powered flying battleships crossed the sky's borders. On the ground, the merged and expanded Mecha Corps, Antimatter Corps, Brigade Corps, and countless Soul Engineer units formed an unstoppable steel torrent, advancing with overwhelming force deep into Dou Ling Empire.
Panic spread like a plague throughout Dou Ling Empire.
Dou Ling's strength was already a level below the former Heavenly Soul Empire. Over the past year, they had watched their neighbor collapse, felt the cold dread of lips and teeth, hastily strengthened defenses, expanded armies, and prepared for war day and night. But before the war machine that was the Sun-Moon Empire, all these efforts seemed too feeble, too powerless.
Battle reports from the frontlines flew into Dou Ling Palace like snowflakes, every letterhead soaked in the blood of defeat and despair.
"The first defensive line was completely breached within three hours."
"The important western city of Moonwatch fell, and its 30,000-strong garrison was wiped out."
"The Sun-Moon Empire's Antimatter Corps… they're all monsters. We can't resist them."
"Defeat… more defeat… every line of blood is broken…"
Dou Ling Palace, main council hall.
The air was as heavy and gloomy as frozen lead.
The aged Dou Ling Emperor, long having lost his imperial dignity and now left with only a face full of exhaustion and terror, sat weakly on the golden throne, listening blankly to the generals' tearful reports below.
"Where are our reinforcements? Where are the Star Lou Empire's reinforcements?!"
Suddenly, he let out a hoarse roar, as if clutching at his last hope.
"What about the envoys I sent? What did they say?!"
The Minister of Foreign Affairs replied in a trembling voice.
"Your Majesty… Your Majesty, the Star Lou Empire… Their reply said they're mobilizing troops, but… but it will take time…"
"Time? Time! Time is what we lack the most!"
The Dou Ling Emperor suddenly slammed the battle reports in his hand to the ground, falling into a kind of hysterical madness.
"By the time they muster, our empire will have long since fallen!"
The hall was gripped by a deathly silence. No one dared reply.
The emperor gasped for breath, his bloodshot eyes darting desperately, searching for a way out like a trapped beast.
Suddenly, a thought struck him. He abruptly looked at the Prime Minister and sharpened his voice with urgency:
"The Xuanming Sect! Send someone to the Xuanming Sect immediately, beg for their aid!"
As soon as these words left his mouth, the entire court exploded into an uproar.
Who didn't know? The Dou Ling royal family's relationship with the Xuanming Sect—located in what was formerly Heavenly Soul territory—had already collapsed to the point of near freezing.
Back then, the Xuanming Sect's master had even dared to abduct the emperor's beloved daughter, Princess Xue Lingxun. That scandal had humiliated the Dou Ling royal family, enraged the emperor, and led him to formally blacklist the Xuanming Sect as an unwelcome force in the empire.