The young boy was completely stunned, unable to believe that the “Ghost Big Brother” he looked up to would treat him this way.
As his clothes were stripped away, his body was exposed to the cool air, sending a chill through him—only for him to grow burning hot in the moments that followed.
His snow-white shoulders trembled slightly. His originally flawless, pale skin gradually stained with an ambiguous crimson flush.
The youth’s lips were occupied; teeth and tongues clashed in a fierce, hurried kiss that fell like a violent storm. It carried punishment, jealousy, and a twisted, destructive rage that seemed intent on ruining everything.
The boy could only endure it passively, his pupils shrinking like a small boat tossed in a tempest.
It wasn’t until that scorching, moist heat left his lips and impatiently began to bite its way down… [omitted]… like a wild beast marking its territory.
The youth suddenly snapped back to his senses. He raised a trembling hand to deliver another harsh slap—but mid-air, his hand was suddenly seized by a large grip.
Ji Wuyuan braced himself up. His deep, blood-shot eyes carried a predatory, gore-flecked smile. He grabbed both restless small hands and pinned them directly above the boy’s head. Now, nothing could stand in his way.
He could do whatever he wanted to him…
Make this entire person belong to him…
Wonderful. Isn’t it?
…
However, abruptly, he froze.
In the depths of his crimson eyes, swirling with intense desire, was the reflection of the youth’s deathly pale face. The boy was shaking all over, yet he no longer resisted, as if realizing that no matter how much he fought, he could not escape.
Yet, those dazzling eyes that used to gaze at him with constant trust were now filled only with sheer terror…
He… was afraid of him?
No…
Ji Wuyuan suddenly stumbled back a step, unconsciously releasing his grip on the youth. Now, on the boy’s body… [omitted]… many chaotic marks had been added…
In some places, the pressure had been extremely heavy… [omitted]…
His slender, elegant neck was also a disaster zone… [omitted]…
He did all of this?
Ji Wuyuan’s expression was dazed. But when he looked up, he met the youth’s eyes—eyes that watched him with horror, no longer colored by trust. There was only panic and a total sense of “stranger.”
Ji Wuyuan suddenly clutched his sharp, throbbing forehead and stumbled off the bed again. His fingers hooked a discarded quilt to cover the youth before he hurriedly fled the bedchamber.
He was afraid that if he stayed any longer, the situation would spiral completely out of control…
As the master departed, the vast, luxurious palace gradually fell into a silence so deep a needle could be heard dropping.
After a long while, the pale and terrified youth lying on the bed slowly retracted his expression and sat up.
He looked toward the closed doors. Once certain no one would return for a while, he arched an eyebrow.
[I didn’t expect him to actually hold back.]
The System was terrified watching this. Hearing this, it said speechlessly: [Host, why do I feel like you were actually looking forward to it?]
[Was I?] Chu Ling did not admit it.
[But how did you know he would stop at the last second?] The System was curious. This wasn’t something a human could normally control, right? What if he played himself?
Chu Ling lowered his eyes and remained silent, his thoughts unknown. He rarely ignored the System’s words.
Then, he curled his lips slightly and finally said: [Because the dragon slayer eventually becomes the dragon… no, it’s that the hunter suffered a Waterloo and accidentally jumped into the prey’s pit…]
[Huh?] The System still didn’t quite understand.
[That’s why, Little System, don’t ask so many questions. You’re just a kid.]
[I can shield my own senses.]
[Fine, fine, you’re the best.]
…
Tang Zhen woke up from his coma, his eyes dazed as if he didn’t know what day it was.
Suddenly, he seemed to remember something. He bolted upright, but the movement aggravated the wound on his chest, making him knit his brows in pain.
However, he didn’t care at all. Clutching his chest—which was wrapped in white bandages—he got out of bed. His movement startled the servants waiting nearby, who rushed to support him, shouting things like “Your Highness must rest.”
Tang Zhen’s expression was cold and frozen. The servants, who had never seen their usually gentle and jade-like Prince look this way, were stunned, feeling a sense of heart-pounding dread.
He hadn’t walked many steps before an old servant entered the door. Looking at his appearance, it was clearly the old eunuch who had appeared at the Demonic Sect that night to rescue Tang Zhen.
Tang Zhen stopped and stared straight at the old servant. His voice was raspy: “Where is he?”
The old eunuch lowered his head, paused, and then replied: “Young Master Chu is still within the Demonic Sect.”
“You—”
“Your Highness, would you like to look at the letter Young Master Chu gave you? It must be an extremely important item.”
As he spoke, the old eunuch took a letter from his robe and offered it with both hands to the furious Tang Zhen. He kept his head bowed, exposing his vulnerable neck, neither denying his actions nor regretting what he did that night.
If the enraged Tang Zhen wanted to blame and punish him, he would accept it calmly.
But now, there were clearly more important matters. That youth had risked everything to meet the Prince privately behind the backs of the Demonic Sect and personally delivered this letter—it likely contained the youth’s hidden secrets.
As an outsider, the old eunuch saw things quite clearly.
Tang Zhen’s fingertips trembled. He gave the old eunuch a deep look before taking the letter. His mind flashed back to that night, remembering the youth’s solemn expression and words when he handed over the letter.
“I’ll have to trouble Brother Tang to make a trip. Deliver this to Jun Yichen of the Martial Arts Alliance. It must reach his hands!”
The Martial Arts Alliance. Jun Yichen.
Tang Zhen took a deep breath and quickly tore open the letter. He pulled out the rice paper covered in handwriting and scanned it…
His fingers gripped the paper so hard they turned white!
A greater rage appeared on his face, but it wasn’t directed at the youth.
Now, he finally understood. Why the youth had mysteriously run away from the Sword Casting Villa, why he could talk and laugh with members of the Demonic Sect despite his situation, and the recent anxious movements of the Villa and the Alliance…
It turned out the youth had approached the Demonic Sect of his own accord, harboring the secret intention of infiltrating them…
Tang Zhen closed his eyes. The scene from that night played back in his mind, from the moment they were discovered by Ji Wuyuan to the words he spoke…
“Ling’er… is this the person you like?”
The Martial Arts Alliance! Jun Yichen!
Tang Zhen’s chest heaved violently. Streaks of blood seeped through the white bandages, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the inevitable fury and aching jealousy in his heart.
This is the person you like?
Yet he allowed you to enter such a dangerous place?
To steal intelligence for him?
He. Does. Not. Deserve. It!
“Your Highness, you must not agitate yourself further.”
The old eunuch was alarmed. He didn’t understand what was in the letter to cause such a reaction—Tang Zhen was even angrier now than he was moments ago.
Tang Zhen glanced at him. That single look contained such terrifying killing intent that the old eunuch reflexively backed up half a step. He then realized the killing intent wasn’t aimed at him.
Though he looked calm on the surface, the old eunuch’s heart was in turmoil. How long had it been since he’d seen the Prince like this? Even during the struggle for the throne, when a certain prince sent assassins out of fear, Tang Zhen had never looked like this. But now…
Tang Zhen retracted the coldness in his eyes. The fire wasn’t extinguished; it was just buried deep in his heart.
He threw the opened letter back to the old eunuch. The corners of his mouth slowly curved into a smile—a smile that was as gentle as jade as always, yet lacked even a hint of warmth.
“I heard the position of the Martial Arts Alliance Leader has changed recently, and the new leader is named Jun Yichen. We haven’t sent a gift yet.”
“Let this letter be the gift. And while you’re at it, ask him one thing: Has he ever considered the consequences of Young Master Chu’s constitution being exposed in the Demonic Sect?”
…
Tang Zhen is indeed a fox; his surface gentleness is just a facade.
He was angry to the extreme, mixed with sour jealousy—
The youth was willing to go into the tiger’s den for his beloved, enduring Ji Wuyuan’s harassment just to get intelligence, even being unaware that he possessed the “Pure Yin Constitution” that martial artists craved, disregarding his own life so resolutely.
And the person he likes?
Sitting comfortably on the throne of the new Alliance Leader!
Good. Very good.
Whether Jun Yichen knew about this or not, the matter started because of him. Tang Zhen wouldn’t hesitate to pin all the blame on him.
Using his status as the Third Prince of the Yan Kingdom to send a letter filled with Chu Ling’s handwriting—and the content being Demonic Sect secrets—along with the verbal message about the “Special Constitution”…
Whoa!
One can imagine what a massive depth charge this would be when it exploded within the Martial Arts Alliance!
It was enough to make the recipient of the letter—Jun Yichen, whom Tang Zhen wanted to punish first—dizzy and nearly unable to stand.
The letter was written by Chu Ling himself;
Yet it was delivered in a way no one could have imagined;
Furthermore, Chu Ling’s secret constitution was already exposed to the Third Prince, Tang Zhen!
And most importantly, the implication in that verbal message: The consequences of the constitution being exposed in the Demonic Sect…
Was it exposed? Or was it not?
No one knew for sure.
But every sign seemed to point toward a certain cruel, devastating answer.
The air felt heavy enough to suffocate, like a mountain pressing down.
The letter written by Chu Ling passed from one pair of hands to another, quickly completing a round.
The old Master of the Chu Villa looked like he was about to faint. His eldest son, Chu Xiangtian, had to press his palm against his back to transfer inner energy just to keep him upright.
Chu Xiangtian’s face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He roared: “How does Tang Zhen know about this!?”
The Alliance, which dealt with the Demonic Sect year-round, naturally knew about the murky relationship between Tang Zhen and the Sect. If even he knew, then the Demonic Sect…
Jun Yichen nearly ground his teeth to dust. His eyes were terrifyingly dark.
The only person on the scene who remained somewhat calm was likely Jun Qing. Although his brows furrowed with worry after reading the letter, he also fell into a brief daze, as if connecting some dots.
Then, he tilted his head slightly to look at the ice-cold Jun Yichen. He recalled the youth’s subtle affection, combined with the way this letter repeatedly told “Brother Yichen” to watch out for the Sect’s plots…
It wasn’t hard to guess. That beautiful youth had voluntarily stayed in the Demonic Sect just to… steal information for his beloved?
So foolish.
So purely and sincerely foolish.
Jun Qing’s heart couldn’t help but tremble slightly. He suddenly wanted to personally ask that boy: …Was it worth it?