Xie Wei’s Adam’s apple rolled slightly, his voice somewhat hoarse as he extended his hand toward her: “Come.”

Jiang Xuening was pulled up by him.

With one arm around her waist, he drew her into his embrace. Yet he didn’t do much else, only sitting beneath the window, simply holding her like this. It was as if he wanted to use this restrained motion to suppress some surging emotion within that seemed about to overflow.

Her face pressed against his chest.

She could hear the powerful beating of his heart inside.

During their recent time trapped within the Heavenly Doctrine, they had done countless more intimate things, yet that didn’t include this kind of embrace. It seemed this was something more intimate than intimacy itself, and Xie Ju’an had never dared cross this boundary.

Not until this very moment.

Jiang Xuening originally wasn’t accustomed to being so close to another person, to such an intimate posture. However, Xie Ju’an’s motion of embracing her was so careful, even carrying a trace of barely perceptible trembling.

In the end, she didn’t resist.

After a moment passed, she gradually relaxed as well.

Xie Wei said: “You are mine.”

Jiang Xuening pressed her lips together without speaking.

Xie Wei gazed at her, considered for a long while, then smiled: “Then I am yours.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xuening only felt this person was both absurd and childish. Yet in her heart she knew that debating these matters with him would yield no results—more likely she’d end up entangling herself. So she simply ignored him. The corners of her lips curved in a smile as she slowly closed her eyes.

Xie Wei then took it as her tacit agreement.

He looked out the window. The flowering trees of spring all swayed and rocked gently between the clear breeze and heavenly light. Yet never before had he felt them filled with such vibrant life force. It turned out every flower and every leaf was different, just as time flowed silently—each moment made him acutely aware that he was living plainly and ordinarily among the mortal world.

After a very long time, he finally said: “I’ll take it that you’ve agreed. From now on you cannot go back on your word, cannot not want me.”

Jiang Xuening lay quietly in the crook of his arm.

Xie Wei didn’t hear her answer for a long while. Lowering his head to look, he discovered this little swindler had actually fallen asleep. He froze momentarily, then couldn’t help but laugh. However, as his gaze wandered, he saw that faint trace of weariness beneath her eyelids.

These past two days, just how much had she thought about, how long had she persevered, before finally walking into this room and saying those words to him?

He actually felt something blocking his heart.

Countless emotions all pressed together, yet it was difficult to find an outlet for release. He wanted to hold her more tightly with force, even crush her and knead her into his bones and blood, yet he feared that with the slightest force he would wake her.

There was tremendous strength in his arms.

Yet when it fell upon her, it was only that restrained and forbearing amount.

In the end, Xie Wei couldn’t suppress it. His lashes trembled lightly as he bent down to gently kiss her temple.

There was no turbid, tense desire.

Only deep, intense, burning affection.

Their two figures overlapped beneath the window. Scattered heavenly light fell upon her hair, while her soft black tresses spread across his falling sleeves. The hazy scene was like peaceful, gentle rainbow light after a storm, as if they were snuggling against each other, with an ineffable tender affection.

When Lu Xian arrived, the courtyard was perfectly quiet.

Jian Shu stood guard outside.

Lu Xian looked toward that half-closed door and frowned, asking: “We agreed on late afternoon. I waited over there forever. Why hasn’t your gentleman come?”

Jian Shu said in a low voice: “Miss Ning is inside.”

Lu Xian then said nothing more.

However, this place was quiet, and though the door was closed, Xie Wei could hear his voice. At this moment he moved extremely lightly to lay Jiang Xuening down, placing a soft pillow beneath her head and moving the small table to one side. Though it was late spring, he still feared she might catch a chill sleeping like this. So he pulled over the thin quilt from the other side of the arhat bed, bit by bit gently covering her with it, then carefully tucking in the corners of the blanket.

Her sleeping face was truly extremely beautiful.

Xie Wei stood beside the bed, gazing at her delicate lips. Suddenly he recalled from childhood those cherry-like red jade fruits hidden beneath green leaves outside Qingyu Hall in the marquis manor. So once again he couldn’t resist, bending down to kiss her.

When he emerged from the room, he didn’t speak. He only turned back to slowly pull the door shut, saying to Xiao Bao at the side: “Watch over her. Don’t let anyone disturb her.”

Xiao Bao said softly: “Yes.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Xian also didn’t immediately speak. Instead, he walked with Xie Wei all the way out of the courtyard. Only when they were far away did he say: “According to your instructions, everything has been taken care of.”

Xie Wei donned a crane cloak.

Walking out from the courtyard, that earlier depth of tranquil gentleness had already disappeared completely like wind-scattered clouds. His eyelids lowered, he was quite cold: “None died, I hope?”

Lu Xian said: “Three committed suicide. Stubborn bones.”

Hearing this, Xie Wei’s ink-painted long brows didn’t move one bit. He only said: “Good that they didn’t all die cleanly. I still have some use for them.”

Since the Heavenly Doctrine was a jianghu sect, conflict was naturally inevitable—whether dealing with people outside or inside the sect, there had to be a place for it. However, the imperial court forbade private punishment and didn’t dare do things openly, so they were all established as dungeons.

Dark and cramped, damp and oppressive.

When Xie Wei arrived, the floor beneath his feet had already been washed once, clean and tidy. Were it not for the faint scent of blood still floating in the air and pale bloodstains remaining in some wall corner indentations, perhaps no one could tell what cruel scenes had played out in this dungeon over the past two days.

Those Heavenly Doctrine branch leaders and hall masters who had previously been at Wan Xiuzi’s side, every single one, were all hung on the wall with iron chains. Dripping fresh blood still occasionally fell.

Many people were already barely breathing.

Others still retained some strength. When they heard footsteps and raised their heads to see Xie Wei, their eyes split with fury as they shouted: “Dog thief! Du Jun, you dog thief! If you have the guts, let your grandfather down to compete fair and square!”

A soldier at the side almost immediately lashed out viciously with an iron whip, leaving another bloody mark on that person’s body that had few patches of good skin left. The whip’s tip even curled up and swept across his eye corner, making him look even more ferocious and terrifying.

Xie Wei stopped and turned his eyes, but didn’t recognize this person. He asked Jian Shu: “Who is he?”

Jian Shu glanced and said: “It’s Lu Tai.”

Xie Wei gazed at him for a moment, thinking this person needn’t be kept. He gave a light order: “Chop off his hands and feet and throw him to feed the dogs.”

He continued walking forward.

Before long, terrifying screams came from behind.

The bloody smell in the dungeon seemed to intensify several degrees.

In the innermost cell, Wan Xiuzi heard those echoing miserable screams and could hardly suppress his chattering teeth. Locked to the wall with iron chains, he didn’t have much room to move either.

Yet his body bore few wounds.

These past days he was the only one in the dungeon who hadn’t suffered punishment. However, he didn’t feel fortunate about this—instead, from the depths of his heart arose even deeper and more severe fear. Day after day listening to those people being tortured, he was practically roasted on a griddle, suffering immensely, unable even to sleep, only fearing that one day it would be his turn.

He knew this was deliberate torment.

The footsteps from outside gradually drew closer.

His body’s trembling grew even more violent, causing even the chains locking him to make slight collision sounds. His pair of already somewhat clouded, aged eyes stared fixedly at the right side of the corridor.

Xie Wei had finally come.

No longer that child wearing prince’s robes, falsely seven years old—over twenty years had passed, and he had already become a terrifying monster, a demon lurking in the Heavenly Doctrine, who had finally silently placed that butcher’s blade against his throat!

In this instant, Wan Xiuzi was even furious.

He gripped the iron chains tightly, lunging forward, glaring viciously with his eyes, as if he couldn’t wait to go up and grasp his throat, strangling this enormous mistake made in a moment’s thought back into oblivion!

But ultimately he couldn’t break through.

He was filled with hatred, a roar emerging from his throat: “I should have killed you with one stroke back then, let you freeze in the snow with those three hundred righteous children—that would be better than today’s disaster of nurturing a tiger! This seat saved your life, this seat saved your life!”

Jian Shu pulled over a chair from the side, wiped the dust from it, and placed it behind Xie Wei.

Xie Wei flicked his sleeves and sat down.

To Wan Xiuzi’s words, he remained unmoved, only waving his hand lightly.

Two soldiers immediately walked in and pinned Wan Xiuzi down.

He struggled frantically.

Yet he couldn’t break free.

On the dirty long table against the wall were already neatly arranged a row of long iron nails as thick as a small finger, with a hammer still wet with blood beside them.

Jian Shu then stepped forward and took one.

Wan Xiuzi sensed what was coming, his pupils contracting sharply. Where was the dignity he’d had as Heavenly Doctrine Sect Leader two days ago? He only shouted hoarsely with all his might: “What do you want to do? Release this seat!”

Both his hands were pressed firmly against the wall.

Jian Shu came before him, only aligning that long iron nail with Wan Xiuzi’s palm, hammering bit by bit with force, driving it deep into tendons, bones, blood, and flesh, even penetrating completely through, nailing into the wall behind!

That horrifying agony made Wan Xiuzi scream instantly, his body even convulsing as if in spasms. For a moment his struggling strength was extremely great, yet he was still held down by those two soldiers.

Immediately after came the second nail, the third…

Blood gushed down. The long iron nails, one after another, nearly filled his two palms with nails!

As early as the third nail, he could no longer endure it and began begging for mercy from the Xie Wei he’d been cursing earlier: “Spare me! For the sake of sparing your life back then, spare me! Whatever you want, take it all! The Heavenly Doctrine—do you want it? There’s also a lot of money stored in the banks. Prince Pingnan—I also know information about Prince Pingnan’s remaining party! Don’t you also want to be emperor? Don’t you also want to take revenge on the court? Spare me, spare me, ahhh—”

Someone below placed a table at the side, offering freshly brewed clear tea.

Xie Wei took it and drank a mouthful.

His left palm was still wrapped in a layer of silk cloth, the pain unbearable.

Raising his head to gaze at Wan Xiuzi, watching his palms filled with long iron nails and already a bloody mess, his heart felt no stirring whatsoever. He only scoffed: “The Heavenly Doctrine? A bunch of wine sacks and rice bags, useless pastries. If you could accomplish things relying on them, you wouldn’t be here now. Give them to me? Even raising them costs grain—you really think highly of yourself.”

Wan Xiuzi finally couldn’t struggle anymore.

On these two hands there was finally no extra space left.

He hung on the wall barely breathing, already unable to speak a single word.

Such a cruel scene made people’s hearts tremble to see it.

Yet Xie Wei throughout remained as if unseeing. Setting down that teacup, he rose and slowly walked closer. In the depths of his profound eyes passed a dark radiance, actually seeming to carry several parts of magnanimous mercy.

He said: “However, that you spared me back then does count as half a favor.”

Wan Xiuzi was nearly about to faint.

A ladle of cold water splashed him awake.

He heard Xie Wei’s words clearly. Though knowing full well it was impossible, when someone is in desperate straits and suddenly grasps a thread of hope, he still couldn’t help raising his eyes, staring fixedly at him.

At the corners of Xie Wei’s lips then floated a peculiar smile as he slowly said: “Don’t you want to be emperor? I’ll spare you one path to survival, give you an opportunity.”

Wan Xiuzi’s entire body began trembling.

Xie Wei lowered his eyelids, continuing softly: “The Heavenly Doctrine is still yours, the righteous army is still yours. Feel free to attack northward—the dragon throne is placed at the highest point of the Forbidden City.”

In this instant, Wan Xiuzi actually felt all his body hair standing on end!

He was also someone of deep schemes and calculations—how could he not understand Xie Wei’s words?

However, there was no other choice—

Leaving from here to campaign across this vast realm, there might still be a thread of survival. Otherwise today his head would be separated from his body!

Those upper-level Heavenly Doctrine leaders who had previously been captured, including Wan Xiuzi, were all released by Xie Wei.

No one knew why.

But half a month after Wan Xiuzi was released, the originally subdued Heavenly Doctrine righteous army rallied and regrouped. As if gone mad, they wielded troops northward! All along the way, they captured every city they encountered, took every stronghold they met, almost regardless of consequences, using human lives and fresh blood to fill the gaps and make exchanges!

The realm was already in chaos, heroes competing for supremacy.

The imperial court issued a proclamation denouncing the rebels.

The Xinzhou border army that had originally won battles at the frontier and trampled the Tatars, supporting former Marquis Yongyi’s heir Yan Lin as commander, proclaimed to the realm that they acted on the princess’s edict. Under grand pretense, they raised the banner of loyally defending the king. Simultaneously assembling forces from both Xinzhou and Huangzhou, they would annihilate the Heavenly Doctrine and protect the imperial court!

The Heavenly Doctrine’s righteous army fought in front, while their “loyalist army” pursued from behind. Often the cities the Heavenly Doctrine had expended tremendous effort and countless deaths to capture, before they could even stop to catch their breath, the pursuing troops were already approaching the city walls.

They simply couldn’t win battles, so they could only continue fleeing north.

Fighting while fleeing, fleeing while fighting—they were simply like wolves released from cages, afraid of being caught and returned yet starving viciously, unable to guard both head and tail. For that thread of survival they could only charge forward madly!

The hunter followed behind, neither hurried nor slow.

Picking up the cities they dropped, pacifying the people they disturbed—almost without expending a single soldier, he occupied half the realm and won countless hearts among the people.

The Shen clan’s kingdom teetered on the brink of collapse.

In less than five short months, the Heavenly Doctrine righteous army, their eyes already reddened with desperation, attacked Zhili, their swords pointing at the capital!

Following close behind was Xie Wei’s so-called “loyalist army.”

Even at this time, the capital as precarious as stacked eggs still had people naively believing that the Xinzhou army had truly come to defend the king loyally. Moreover, leading the army was none other than the current Imperial Tutor, Lord Xie Wei. When the time came, attacking from front and back with the eighty thousand Imperial Guards in the capital, they would surely annihilate all the Heavenly Doctrine rebel traitors!

Little did they know—

The butcher’s blade to slaughter the deer had already been raised high in secret!