Chapter 21 — The Abyssal King Returns

One month after order was restored, the council of elders and all civil and military officials held a special audience, officially requesting Bách Uyên to receive back the Heavenly Mandate Seal, returning to the position of Venerable Lord that he had abandoned seven years ago. Huyền Khương's Great Hall was filled with people that day, from the old gods who had followed him since the first days of the war, to the young faces who had just been promoted after the royal purge.

"Your Majesty, please take back your legitimate throne." The elder at the head of the council knelt down, his voice echoing throughout the great hall filled with urgency. "During the past seven years, the Underworld has suffered too much under misrule. Only people, with wisdom and virtue proven through many challenges, are capable of leading this world into a new era of peace and prosperity."

All the ministers simultaneously knelt down, the words "Please, Your Majesty, take back your throne" echoed throughout the main hall like an earnest request from a whole world longing for a worthy lord. Bách Uyên stood silently in the middle of the main hall, his eyes swept over each face kneeling in front of him, feeling the weight of responsibility pressing on his shoulders once again.

"Everyone please stand up," he said, his voice was low but full of authority. "I need time to think carefully about this request. This is not a decision that can be made hastily."

The audience ended without a definitive answer, leaving many ministers in a state of anxious anticipation. Bách Uyên returned to his private palace, sat alone in his study for many hours, flipping through old notebooks about the policies he had issued while in office, recalling both the glorious times and the unnamed burdens that had oppressed him during his years on the throne.

Thục Di, now fully recovered after weeks of recovery, went to the study room and gently placed a cup of warm tea in front of him. "Have you thought about anything yet?"

"I do not know." Bách Uyên sighed and gently rubbed his temples. "Part of me feels a responsibility to return, to make sure what I just regained is not threatened again. But another part of me misses the simple days in the human world, where I could be myself, without having to carry the burden of an entire world."

"Do you think that the position of Lord and personal happiness are necessarily mutually exclusive?" Thục Di asked, sitting down next to him.

"When I was in office, I used to think so," he replied, his eyes distant and reminiscent. "Every decision of a Supreme Master affects millions of lives, there is no room for selfishness or personal desires. Nguyệt Hinh had to sacrifice a lot for my position, and in the end, even her life was caught up in political plots that she never wanted to be involved in."

Thục Di remained silent, holding his hand, letting him continue his thoughts without interrupting. She understands that this is a decision that only he can make for himself, and her role at this time is just a strong fulcrum, not someone who imposes opinions.

"Whatever you decide, I will support you," she said after a moment of silence. "But if you ask my sincere opinion, I think, a person who has proven that he can live well, live usefully, and live happily without the need for ultimate power, is the one who truly understands the value of who that power should be given to."

Bách Uyên looked at her, his eyes filled with understanding and gratitude. "She always has a strangely simple yet profound way of looking at problems."

"I'm just saying what I think is right." She smiled, resting her head on his shoulder. "And the final decision is still up to you."

A few days later, Chu Bách Thành came to meet Bách Uyên privately, bringing with him a different perspective from the position of a general who had devoted his whole life to the court. "Your Majesty, I know you are wondering between responsibility and personal desire. But I want to ask you one thing - over the past seven years, who is truly suitable to lead the Underworld into a new era, you or your brother?"

Bách Uyên pondered that question, in his mind gradually appeared the image of Nhiếp Bách Khương in recent days, dedicated to handling each court case with remarkable fairness and care, a person who had learned a painful lesson about autocracy from what he himself had to endure during seven years of unjust imprisonment.

"What are you suggesting, General Zhou?" He asked, even though he already vaguely guessed the answer.

"I just want to remind Your Majesty that a wise king is not necessarily the only person who can sit on that throne, but more importantly, the one who chooses the most worthy successor," Chu Bách Thành replied, his eyes full of understanding. "Your Majesty has sacrificed too much. Perhaps, it's time for you to live for yourself."

Those words seemed to remove a large rock that was weighing heavily on Bách Uyên's heart. He looked out the window, where Tiểu Yên was playing with a few children of the old gods in the palace courtyard, his daughter's clear laughter resounded loudly, a sound that he had longed to hear for seven long years in the human world.

"I need a few more days to think things through, but thank you, General Chu, for helping me see the problem more clearly," he said, a sense of relief began to creep into his heart, as if the path ahead was gradually becoming clearer than ever.

Chu Bách Thành retired, leaving Bách Uyên alone in the study room with a series of thoughts that were gradually crystallizing into a clear decision. He walked out into the yard, raised his head and looked at the wide sky, silently feeling the maturity of the Venerable Lord whom he had followed all his life, a maturity that did not come from magic power or authority, but from the suffering and loss that had trained him to become a person who knew how to put the happiness of others above his own ambitions.

The next morning, Bách Uyên came to see Nhiếp Bách Khương in the study room where his cousin was still diligently processing the chapter. Although his face was somewhat tired, his eyes always shone with dedication to his work. He stood quietly observing for a moment before speaking.

"You handled everything very well," Bách Uyên said, causing Nhiếp Bách Khương to look up in surprise.

"You're too complimentary, I'm just trying my best not to disappoint the trust of the people and the elders," he replied, quickly standing up to bow.

"No need to be polite." Bách Uyên sat down opposite him, his eyes serious. "Have you ever thought about taking on this role long term?"

Nhiếp Bách Khương was stunned by that unexpected question. "Brother... what are you talking about? The position of Supreme Master originally belongs to you, I'm just temporarily shouldering it until you officially take it back."

"But what if I say, I want you to be the official successor to that throne?" Bách Uyên asked directly, his eyes gauging his cousin's reaction.

Nhiếp Bách Khương was silent for a long time, his heart filled with many mixed emotions - surprise, touching, but also equally worried. "I... I don't dare to accept such a great responsibility. I just got out of the dungeon not long ago, and my experience in governing the country is still lacking compared to yours."

"Experience can be learned over time, but the virtue and fairness that you have shown over the past month are the most valuable things a wise lord needs," Bách Uyên said, his voice sincere. "I'm not saying I have completely decided, but I want you to think seriously about this possibility, because I believe you have enough capacity to shoulder that responsibility."

Nhiếp Bách Khương bowed his head, his heart was filled with hundreds of thoughts, but it was undeniable that, deep in his heart, he had begun to feel a sense of responsibility and love for this world, a feeling that had silently grown throughout the days he diligently dealt with every problem of humanity.

In the following days, Bách Uyên spent time observing more closely how Nhiếp Bách Khương ran the court, attending a few court meetings as a silent advisor standing in the background, not directly intervening but only giving private comments when necessary. He realized that his cousin, although he still had much to learn, possessed a quality that even he himself, in his youth when he first succeeded, was unlikely to have possessed - a deep sympathy for the suffering of the common people, stemming from what he had experienced in the dungeons.

That night, Bách Uyên stood on the highest balcony of the palace, looking up at the starry sky of U Minh Giới, where he was born, raised, ruled, then gave up everything, and now stood at the most important crossroads of his life once again. This time, he knew, his decision will not only determine his own fate, but also the future of the people he loves most.