The Twelfth Prince broke out in a cold sweat.
His spine rigid, he said coldly: “Fifteen, what are you shouting about!”
The Fifteenth Prince rubbed his eyes, saying in surprise: “Eh, I seemed to see someone crouching behind you just now… ah, Fourteenth Brother is already dead, I must have seen things!”
A cold wind blew past, making the Twelfth Prince’s back feel cold.
The guards behind him also heard the conversation between the two princes, their faces immediately turning pale as they exchanged glances.
“Twelfth Brother seems a bit cold. How about a drink to warm up?” the Fifteenth Prince invited again.
The Twelfth Prince was silent for a moment, then took the wine pot and sat down on the bridge railing.
The Fifteenth Prince immediately sat beside him without ceremony.
The bridge was small, and the guards couldn’t all crowd onto it, so they filled both ends below the bridge.
With so many people watching, there was no fear of anyone poisoning the wine. The Twelfth Prince took a sip and grunted approvingly.
The Fifteenth Prince grinned: “Didn’t lie to you, did I…”
The Twelfth Prince gave a cold laugh, then suddenly said in a low voice: “You saw.”
He spoke with certainty. The Fifteenth Prince turned his head to smile at him.
“Speak up, what do you want?”
“Twelfth Brother.” The Fifteenth Prince stroked his wine pot, speaking slowly: “You usually live like an ascetic, looking like a monk, not close to any brothers, yet who would have thought you were hiding such big matters in your heart.”
The Twelfth Prince said indifferently: “Murong Yi gave me conditions—kill Fourteenth and he’d spare me. Probably he gave Fourteenth the same conditions. Fourteenth struck at me first, I was merely protecting myself.”
“Tsk tsk, Little Eighteenth is formidable—without even showing his face, he made you kill each other.”
“Stop the nonsense. What do you want?”
The Twelfth Prince prepared himself to be blackmailed.
But he heard the Fifteenth Prince say slowly: “Me? I want you to jump off this bridge.”
The Twelfth Prince: “…”
He leaned over to look down at the bridge. It was very low, purely decorative, and naturally the water below was also just a shallow pool, only reaching a person’s calves. There were even some fake lotus leaves made in the water—stiff and awkward-looking, quite ugly.
Though the water was frozen, it was so shallow it couldn’t drown anyone.
The Twelfth Prince looked at the Fifteenth Prince as one would look at a drunkard.
The Fifteenth Prince smiled cheerfully: “Why are you looking at me? Jump.”
“Stop fooling around! Say what you want!”
“I’m not fooling around.” The Fifteenth Prince took a drink. “You’re overthinking. I don’t have the kindness to avenge Fourteenth Brother. I don’t want to meddle in your affairs at all, but you disturbed my sleep that night, so I want you to jump in the ice water to compensate me.”
The Twelfth Prince asked suspiciously: “You won’t report me?”
“Report to whom? Father isn’t awake yet, and even if Father wakes up, who would he believe—you or me?” The Fifteenth Prince tilted his head back for another gulp.
The Twelfth Prince thought about it and felt relieved.
Indeed, Fifteen was addicted to wine and women, his body hollowed out early, unloved by the King. If not for hearing that some place they were passing had good wine and pestering to come along, he wouldn’t have had a share in this trip at all.
Once he reported, when confronted before Father, who would believe this drunkard’s words? He could completely turn the tables and bite back.
But though Old Five seemed drunk all day, his mind was quite clear.
A flash of killing intent passed through the Twelfth Prince’s eyes, though his expression remained flat: “Fine.”
“Brother is straightforward.”
“Agreed. Brother will compensate you this once, and from now on this matter is over.”
“Naturally. When you jump, brother, please make up your own excuse. Don’t implicate me.”
“Done.”
True to his word, the Twelfth Prince removed his shoes and socks and with a splash, jumped into the water.
The guards below the bridge all craned their necks to look, dumbfounded, not knowing whether to rescue someone in such shallow water, much less understanding why the perfectly fine Twelfth Prince had jumped down.
Even if he was afraid of being killed and wanted to commit suicide, he couldn’t jump into such shallow water.
The Fifteenth Prince laughed heartily on the bridge, pointing at the Twelfth Prince: “Good! Twelfth Brother honors his bets—a true man!”
The guards were relieved.
So it was just being in a bad mood and losing a drinking game with the Fifteenth Prince.
This was human nature. Everyone relaxed and laughed: “The Twelfth Prince keeps his word, but this river water is cold. One jump is enough—Twelfth Prince should come up quickly.”
The Fifteenth Prince leaned down and reached out to touch the ice water: “Oh my goodness, this water is so cold it bites the hand. Twelfth Brother, I was just joking with you—come up quickly!”
The Twelfth Prince also wanted to come up.
But he discovered he couldn’t.
The moment the Fifteenth Prince reached his hand into the water, a thread of lightning bloomed from his fingertips. Hidden by those stone fake lotus leaves, it instantly pierced through the entire water area like a venomous snake, and pierced through his body as well.
His feet felt as if struck by a sharp sword, followed by numbness spreading upward from below, also moving like lightning in an instant. Even the muscles in his throat lost control. He opened his mouth, thinking he was shouting loudly, but only beast-like low moans emerged from his throat.
Something wet flowed out from inside his body, dripping into the pool, but was hidden by his robes so no one could see.
The Fifteenth Prince withdrew his hand and laughed with the guards behind him: “Twelfth Brother is being stubborn now.”
Everyone laughed awkwardly. Someone wanted to go pull the Twelfth Prince up, but the Fifteenth Prince blocked them with his hand: “Don’t, let me go instead, so Twelfth Brother doesn’t get angry with me.”
He swayed down from the bridge. Everyone watched nervously, thinking that if no killer came, he might knock his own brains out from drinking too much. But they saw the Fifteenth Prince sway but not fall as he made his way over, standing by the pool to reach out and pull the Twelfth Prince.
Just then a little maid holding a lantern and carrying a food box came over, apparently bringing a late-night snack. From afar she raised the lantern high, its light swaying and shining right on the Twelfth Prince’s face.
The man stood rigidly in the water pool, face ghastly pale, eyes staring straight, a thread of drool glistening at the corner of his mouth.
No matter how you looked at it, it wasn’t a human expression.
The maid shrieked: “Dead person!” threw down the lantern, and fled.
Here the Fifteenth Prince was stepping onto a fake lotus leaf to grab the Twelfth Prince, when suddenly flashed by this light and startled by this scream, he staggered and nearly fell in.
Below were fake lotus leaves and many sharp broken stones—if he hit his head going down, he would certainly be seriously injured.
The Fifteenth Prince remained calm in the emergency. His finger stabbed toward the Twelfth Prince’s lower back to steady himself, his body tilted, and he righted himself at a strange angle. When he pulled his hand out, it was already covered with blood from the Twelfth Prince’s lower back. The Twelfth Prince, pushed by him, swayed and fell straight down, smashing several fake lotus leaves and splashing water onto the small bridge.
Screams arose everywhere.
The Fifteenth Prince rushed over and, before anyone else, dragged the Twelfth Prince out of the pool: “Twelfth Brother, what’s wrong… Twelfth Brother!”
Moments later, everyone had gathered. Soon after, the pale-faced An County magistrate dragged over a doctor, both panting from their rush.
The Twelfth Prince’s corpse was laid out by the pool. The doctor examined it for a long time with a bitter expression, unable to determine anything. The An County magistrate tentatively suggested using a coroner, but was firmly refused by the Tiger Guard leader.
To further desecrate a corpse after death—he couldn’t bear that responsibility.
The Tiger Guard leader was almost unable to control his emotions.
Another prince had died.
This time the death was even more bizarre.
Under the eyes of everyone, jumping into a shallow pool that could only cover one’s ankles, then dying.
Dozens of people were present, all saying nothing had happened. The Twelfth Prince suddenly jumped down, and during this time no one had approached him.
The Tiger Guard leader’s gaze swept over those faces. With his years of experience, these people were confused, shocked, puzzled, their gazes frank—they weren’t lying.
There was no such thing as so many people lying simultaneously without leaving traces.
Given the Fifteenth Prince’s status, he had no way to make so many people lie for him.
He said irritably: “Then what exactly happened!”
The doctor hesitated, then mumbled: “Perhaps this person had some unknown chronic illness. In the bitter cold, suddenly jumping into ice water triggered the hidden ailment…”
The Fifteenth Prince suddenly said: “Oh my, Twelfth Brother seemed to often take Nine Gall Heart-Nourishing Pills.”
This wasn’t a secret—the Tiger Guard leader knew it too. This medicine was one of the common supplements among Liaodong nobility, protecting the heart and nourishing the liver, and also an essential medicine for heart ailments.
If he had heart disease, having recently endured fear and pressure, then suddenly subjected to extreme cold stimulation, it was indeed possible to die from it.
Speaking of pressure, there naturally was some. Everyone in this convoy had it these days, not to mention the princes with swords constantly hanging over their heads.
Thinking now of how such a steady person as the Twelfth Prince would suddenly jump into ice water, it became understandable.
Who didn’t need an outlet for venting?
It was just that this venting under heavy pressure actually cost him his life—truly heartbreaking.
The matter seemed to be concluded thus.
The Twelfth Prince’s corpse was simply prepared for burial and moved to an empty room in the back courtyard to stay with his brothers.
Now, of the five princes, only one remained.
Everyone’s gaze fell intensely on the Fifteenth Prince, their expressions complex—worry, anxiety, and sympathy all mixed together. An ordinary person under such scrutiny would surely collapse, but the Fifteenth Prince acted as if he didn’t see it. He actually lifted his wine pot for another drink, murmuring: “Life and death here are fated, better to sleep forever in wine country…” and swayed away.
Everyone stared blankly at his retreating figure, seeing some desolate bleakness. The Tiger Guard leader shouted: “Follow him!”
Immediately a large group of guards followed, even more than had followed the Twelfth Prince before.
The Fifteenth Prince just snorted with laughter, not looking back. This laugh made everyone’s faces burn, and the Tiger Guard leader gritted his teeth.
But just then, he heard a scream.
The Tiger Guard leader turned and saw that because of this incident, the Embroidered Uniform Guard leader and most of the commanders were all in the garden.
His face changed dramatically: “Not good!”
…
In the corridor, someone was running, footsteps pounding on the wooden floor.
It was the maid who had earlier held the lamp to illuminate the corpse and thrown down the lantern in fright.
Now she was holding up her skirt and running urgently through the corridors. Whenever she met anyone, she screamed “Dead person!” causing those she encountered to also scream, get startled, either run to investigate or hide in their rooms. Wherever she went, chaos ensued.
Countless people were alarmed, running from their guard posts toward the incident site.
This conveniently allowed the maid to run all the way to the deepest part of the inner courtyard.
The magistrate’s family members who originally lived in the inner courtyard had moved out. Now living there was the recovering Prince Da’an.
The Tiger Guard leader had left this place. There were still guards, but they were obviously panicked, constantly turning to look toward the incident site.
No one had expected that even after moving into a deep mansion compound, Murong Yi could still sneak in to kill.
This made everyone feel the crisis.
When the maid approached the courtyard, she took a detour through the kitchen. When she came out, she was carrying a tray, her panicked expression had vanished. She straightened her clothes and walked calmly toward the inner courtyard.
The guards at the gate were discussing the incident up front. The maid said: “This servant has been ordered to bring medicine soup to the Great King.”
The guards tested her medicine soup with silver needles—no poison. An old woman came to search her body, feeling all over. When she touched the lower abdomen, the maid shyly dodged with a red face. The old woman laughed: “Little girl eats too much snacks daily—look how big this little belly has gotten.”
The maid hung her head with a red face. The old woman indicated she carried nothing on her body. The guards were still discussing, absent-mindedly waving her through.
As the maid passed, the old woman glanced at her hair ornament. She wore a circular chignon with a dark red hairpin faintly visible inside, the pin glinting with slight golden light, appearing both elegant and luxurious. The old woman couldn’t help taking another look.
The maid gracefully entered. There were also people guarding inside. The guard stationed before the bed curtains reached out to take the medicine soup. The maid lowered her head, slightly dodging, and said softly: “This medicine soup is thick and hard to feed. Would the General like this servant to help?”
The man was just a guard—being called “General” pleased him. Thinking that when the Great King traveled he only brought some old women to serve soup and water, not young women, and big men weren’t good at this serving work, he nodded and ordered the maid to follow him into the curtained area.
If the Tiger Guard leader were here, he naturally wouldn’t allow such a thing. The person would have been stopped at the courtyard gate.
Unfortunately, at this moment the person in charge was all in the front garden. The Tiger Guard leader hadn’t expected anyone would dare enter the tiger’s den directly after entering a county town surrounded by the army, nor had he warned the guards to be extremely careful. Seeing a weak maid before them, the guards had no wariness.
Inside the room, shell lamps flickered dimly. Prince Da’an appeared to be sleeping, his expression peaceful, his complexion still passable.
The maid entered, her gaze flowing over him, particularly looking down below, then smiling with pursed lips.
The guard sat by the bed, supporting Prince Da’an, indicating for the maid to come forward and feed the medicine.
The maid sat by the bed, picked up the silver spoon, blew on the medicine soup, her eyes flying over the top of the spoon.
Only then did the guard notice that the maid before him had phoenix eyes and emerald brows, a delicate nose and cherry lips, with slightly upturned eye corners—naturally alluring and passionate, a rare combination of beauty and charm.
His spirit swayed.
Then silver light flashed before his eyes.
The silver spoon flew up, stabbing straight into his throat. The sharp edge of the spoon quickly turned a circle and pressed down, forcibly suppressing his cry of alarm and scream in his throat.
Murong Yi withdrew his hand. The silver spoon remained in the other’s throat, cutting through the throat from inside. He tore off a section of bed curtain and stuffed it into the man’s mouth. Large amounts of blood were blocked back into his stomach—not a single drop flowed out.
Then he lowered his head to look at Prince Da’an.
No emotion, no sentimental reflection, no unnecessary movements in this tense moment. He reached out, just as when he had attempted to assassinate his father, drawing a strand of abyssal iron wire from his hair. The abyssal iron wire was extremely thin like thread in the middle, slightly flattened at both ends—it could be inserted into a hair bun without injuring oneself, and was convenient to grasp. He held the slightly flattened ends and pressed the abyssal iron wire against Prince Da’an’s neck.
The abyssal iron thin wire, sharp enough to cut through hair, could silently slice through a person’s throat just by being lightly stretched taut and pressed down.
His hand was very steady, his eyes showing no fluctuation.
Footsteps sounded outside, someone screamed, wanting to rush over but unable to arrive in time.
But at this moment, Prince Da’an suddenly opened his eyes.
Simultaneously, the bed collapsed.
Prince Da’an’s body suddenly fell downward, dropping into a hidden layer beneath the bed. But the pillow he had been resting on didn’t fall—it shook slightly, then suddenly exploded. Countless black small arrows shot out like poisonous wasps, whistling through the air.
Wherever they passed, hissing sounds continued as bedsheets and mattresses were torn, fragments flying like chaotic butterflies.
But Murong Yi just gave a light laugh.
He said: “As expected!”
He kicked up the footboard in front of the bed, blocking it in front of him. Thudding sounds continued as the footboard was immediately turned into a honeycomb.
Noisy sounds came from outside the door, faintly including the Tiger Guard leader’s voice ordering the exits sealed.
Murong Yi didn’t linger to kill. He glanced down at the space beneath the bed. Below was just a mezzanine, not a tunnel. Prince Da’an manually pulled up a protective board, leaving only a crack that revealed the Liaodong King’s calm but complex eyes.
Father and son’s gazes met.
Murong Yi’s eyes showed no ripples.
That crack quickly closed, cutting off their intersecting gazes. Footsteps sounded as someone rushed in.
Murong Yi stepped on the footboard, flipped up, broke through the skylight, and leaped outside.
When the Tiger Guard leader rushed in, what he saw was flying clothing strips and a series of wind sounds on the roof. Just from the sound, he knew that with his poor lightness skills, he couldn’t catch up.
He could only shout loudly: “Guard Leader, please!”
The Embroidered Uniform Guard leader responded from far outside and gave chase.
In the room, the protective board slowly opened again. Prince Da’an lay inside looking exhausted.
The Tiger Guard leader knelt to ask forgiveness, feeling very ashamed.
He had been lured away, nearly committing a grave error. In the end, it was the Great King who saved himself and survived.
He was secretly startled, thinking the Great King had awakened, yet even he who constantly guarded his side didn’t know.
But perhaps only this way, keeping everyone in the dark, was it possible to escape alive from that demon’s hands.
This father and son competing in schemes—there really was no place for others to participate.
It was just a pity they couldn’t keep that demon here—an endless source of trouble.
Prince Da’an waved his hand wearily. The Tiger Guard leader hurriedly helped him out, changing the bed and bedding, bustling about for quite a while. The Tiger Guard leader didn’t dare leave again, staying close and supporting the quietly sitting Prince Da’an.
Still Prince Da’an remained silent throughout. Only after a long time did he say: “Go rest for a while. He won’t come again in the short term.”
The Tiger Guard leader immediately withdrew respectfully, walking outside.
The snow light was cold, reflecting a uniformly cold sky.
His boots stepped on accumulated snow, each step of unknown depth, only echoes monotonously responding.
Only when he reached where no one was did he slowly open his palm.
His palm was full of sweat.
It was what he had absorbed earlier when supporting Prince Da’an.
He hadn’t dared move or wipe it, fearing the Great King would notice.
When a fierce beast ages and grows weak, it doesn’t want others to know. Anyone who glimpses this is not far from death.
He looked up at the dark sky with floating clouds and hidden moon, exhaling a long breath from his heart.
The Great King… was indeed old.
He would fail, become dejected, feel fear, and after developing these fearful emotions, inevitably continue declining.
Like an avalanche, like a mountain collapse, like torrential floods rushing downward, never to return to the former peaks.
Beside this fierce beast emanating an undisguisable aura of age, a more ferocious and sinister young male beast had appeared, lingering and silently crouching on the mountain peak, casting a huge shadow.
Victory and defeat seemed still uncertain, but when two heroes meet, all followers become ants.
When that time comes, where should these ants go?
…