Chapter 4: and

Dongling, Shengjing City, Crown Prince’s Mansion.

Night had fallen. The study remained brightly lit, and the Crown Prince’s trusted ministers were gathered. Crown Prince Chu Yuncang was making arrangements in an orderly fashion.

Two days ago, a secret report from the Emperor’s Shadow Guards revealed that Cai Zhen, the commander of the southwestern garrison, had colluded with Huang Dai, the Prefect of Jiazhou, to manufacture supernatural phenomena, incite the populace, and destabilize the empire.

Because this concerned the stability of the Dongling dynasty and was a matter of great importance, the Emperor had dispatched Crown Prince Chu Yuncang to investigate in secret, with orders to nip the trouble in the bud.

To avoid prying eyes, the Crown Prince claimed to have been injured during a hunt and closed his doors to all visitors.

Matters such as the Crown Prince’s body double within the mansion, contingency plans for emergencies, the guards accompanying him, and the route to be taken had all been meticulously deliberated and arranged.

Xie Tingyu, the eldest son and heir of Marquis Jing’an, was a close confidant of the Crown Prince. He was alert, sharp, and highly skilled in martial arts, having trained under his maternal grandfather, General Jiang. Having recently returned to Shengjing, he volunteered to escort the Crown Prince to Jiazhou.

Everyone felt that the arrangements for this journey were foolproof and without a single flaw.

As the first light of dawn appeared, the group dispersed.

Chu Yuncang returned to his room, intending to take a short nap. Before he even reached the bed, a flash of blue light crossed his vision. He then collapsed straight to the floor, falling into a deep, dreamless slumber, completely unaware of his surroundings.

In the dream, Chu Yuncang followed the plan and set off for Jiazhou. They disguised themselves as a merchant caravan, traveling day and night.

For the first few days, everything was calm. But soon after, wave after wave of assassins began to emerge. Sometimes they were bandits reeking of villainy, sometimes martial artists with bizarre techniques, sometimes death-sworn warriors who feared no death, and even well-trained soldiers—they were as numerous as carp crossing a river.

Chu Yuncang realized his itinerary had been leaked and that multiple factions were hunting him simultaneously. He had to change his plans rapidly, yet sporadic assassins still managed to track them down. By the time they reached the borders of Jiazhou, their men had been exhausted, with only a few remaining.

On the day of the Cold Food Festival, Chu Yuncang’s group finally arrived at Jiazhou City and checked into the Yunlai Inn. As they entered, a handsome youth in flowing white robes walked toward them.

Chu Yuncang recognized him instantly; it was Wang Yan, a playmate he had met when he snuck out of the palace at the age of twelve.

Back then, the two had met on Mount Yunwu outside Shengjing, spending several days playing wildly, catching birds and fish. They had become confidants and even sworn brothers, but had never had the chance to meet again since.

Wang Yan also recognized Chu Yuncang. He was overjoyed, remarking on the fate that had brought them together again.

However, when he learned that only Chu Yuncang’s merchant caravan was staying at the inn, Wang Yan’s expression shifted. From that moment on, he remained in a state of inner conflict.

That night, Wang Yan came to Chu Yuncang’s room, where Xie Tingyu happened to be present.

Wang Yan hesitated for a long time, looking at Xie Tingyu, but stopped himself from speaking.

Chu Yuncang said, "This is Brother Xie, my closest friend, a man to whom I can entrust my life. Brother Yan, speak freely; there is no need to avoid him."

Wang Yan opened his mouth, then asked tentatively, "Is Brother Yun truly surnamed Yun, or is it Chu?"

Chu Yuncang knew his identity had been exposed, but he felt no anger. Instead, he felt ashamed of his past deception. He trusted his own judgment; Brother Yan was a person worth befriending.

He confessed, "I am Chu Yuncang, the Crown Prince of Dongling. Concealing my name back then was for a reason, but it betrayed the friendship we shared. I hope you can forgive me, Brother Yan."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yan’s face turned deathly pale, his expression pained. "You truly are the Crown Prince of Dongling. And I am not Wang Yan, but Xiao Yan, the Second Prince of Nanjing."

Before Chu Yuncang could react, Xiao Yan cupped his fists solemnly. "It was my fortune to have befriended you, Brother Chu. If only we were still just Yun Cang and Wang Yan. But now that our loyalties differ, I must offend you!"

With that, Xiao Yan drew his sword. Just as he was about to strike at Chu Yuncang, a group of black-clad assassins burst into the room.

Chu Yuncang had assumed these assassins were Xiao Yan’s accomplices, but the killers attacked all three men in the room, each strike lethal. Seeing the assassins, Xiao Yan immediately turned his offensive toward them.

The assassins were highly skilled and numerous. After resisting for a long time, all three were covered in wounds, yet no reinforcements appeared—it was clear their men had already been dealt with.

In the chaos, an assassin’s blade slashed viciously toward Chu Yuncang’s back. Chu Yuncang could not dodge in time, and Xie Tingyu was unable to intervene. At the critical moment, Xiao Yan threw himself in the way. A gaping hole was carved into his chest, and he died instantly.

Seeing this, Chu Yuncang felt his heart tremble and ache with unbearable pain. In his distraction, he sustained new wounds, his body reaching its limit.

Xie Tingyu’s right wrist tendons had been severed. Seeing Chu Yuncang’s dire situation, he carried him on his back, wielding his blade with his left hand, and fought with all his might to carve a path of blood, escaping the inn.

The two fled to the outskirts, but the black-clad assassins pursued them relentlessly. Chu Yuncang was in urgent need of medical attention, and the situation was critical. Xie Tingyu had no choice but to hide Chu Yuncang in a dilapidated temple and go off alone to lure the assassins away.

In the ruined temple, Chu Yuncang lay dying, waiting in vain for Xie Tingyu to return. Before long, a group of people in black robes, wearing black hats and black veils, entered the temple.

The black-robed figures moved in perfect unison, silent as ghosts. They walked straight to where Chu Yuncang was hiding and bound him tightly.

The atmosphere was eerie.

Chu Yuncang wanted to resist, but he was powerless. He felt like a lamb waiting for the slaughter.

The black-robed figures found a table in the temple and placed it in the center of the room. They laid Chu Yuncang face-up on the table and covered his body with talisman papers. Instantly, Chu Yuncang was unable to move or make a sound.

Then, the figures stood in a circle around the table, chanting in unison. After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the chanting stopped abruptly.

One of the figures stepped forward and plunged a dagger straight into Chu Yuncang’s chest. The figures began to chant again in unison.

Chu Yuncang first felt a heart-piercing pain, and then his soul began to be pulled from his body. The moment his soul completely detached, all the talisman papers erupted with white light, striking his soul directly.

It felt as if his soul were being torn apart by countless hyenas; the pain was excruciating. In an instant, his soul scattered, disappearing without a trace. The talisman papers turned to dust.

After a moment of silence, the black-robed figures cleaned the scene in silence and took away Chu Yuncang’s corpse.

About an hour later, a refined and elegant Taoist priest arrived in a hurry.

He circled the ruined temple and sighed; he was too late.

The priest seemed unwilling to give up and walked slowly around the temple once more. When his eyes swept over a spiderweb in the corner, they brightened slightly—a fragment of a soul was caught there.

The priest took out a jade vessel, carefully collected the fragment, and placed a talisman over the opening.

Chu Yuncang’s dream neared its end; he felt as though he had spent a very, very long time in a vast, white void...

By now, the sun was setting, and the Crown Prince’s Mansion was in total chaos.

The Crown Prince had suddenly collapsed into a coma that morning. The mansion physicians had diagnosed him repeatedly, confirming he was merely in a deep sleep, yet they could not wake him.

The Crown Prince was supposed to have departed for Jiazhou today. Xie Tingyu had waited at the rendezvous point for a long time, but instead of Chu Yuncang, he received news that the Crown Prince was unconscious.

Now, he sat by Chu Yuncang’s bedside, filled with worry.

Chu Yuncang slowly regained consciousness. The first thing he saw was Xie Tingyu’s furrowed brow. Recalling the scenes from his dream, he felt dazed, wondering if Xie Tingyu had managed to escape.

Seeing Chu Yuncang wake up, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Chu Yuncang stared at them; their anxious expressions did not seem fake. Among these people, who was the traitor?

Yes, Chu Yuncang believed in the events of the dream. Although it was supernatural, the pain had been too real for him to dismiss. He needed to be alone to think, so he dismissed everyone.

First, there was a mole in the Crown Prince’s Mansion, someone he trusted deeply. Among all those who knew the plan, everyone except Xie Tingyu was a potential suspect.

His supposedly secret itinerary had been leaked to multiple factions simultaneously. It was unlikely that a single party could mobilize so many forces to hunt him down.

Perhaps the entire Jiazhou affair was a massive conspiracy, a trap to lure him in. If so, even the Emperor’s Shadow Guards were unreliable. If that were the case, the person behind this had terrifying influence.

Should he still go to Jiazhou?

Of course he had to! If the person behind this was targeting him, with such a meticulous layout, he couldn't hide forever. It was better to go along with the flow; perhaps he could find clues.

Second, if Wang Yan was truly Xiao Yan, the Second Prince of Nanjing, then Nanjing was also involved, making the situation even more complex. Nanjing had received information about their disguise and their stay at the Yunlai Inn in advance; there must be a traitor in their ranks colluding with Nanjing.

Who were the black-clad assassins at the inn, and why did they want to kill Xiao Yan? It was said that the Nanjing Emperor doted on Xiao Yan. If Xiao Yan died on Dongling soil, war between the two nations would be inevitable. In the dream, Xiao Yan died saving him; he did not want that tragedy to repeat. Thus, for both public and private reasons, he could not let Xiao Yan die in Dongling.

Furthermore, who were the black-robed figures in the temple? Why did they want to scatter his soul? And who was the Taoist who appeared at the end? His strange dream seemed to have been caused by that priest.

For the first time in his life, Chu Yuncang had so many questions, and for the first time, he realized his enemies were as numerous as the hairs on his head, and danger lurked everywhere.

He rubbed his temples, calmed his mind, and formulated a new plan of action that only he knew.

The next day, a Crown Prince disguised as a Shadow Guard led the mansion’s guards and departed according to the original plan.

Meanwhile, Chu Yuncang, Xie Tingyu, and a team of Shadow Guards, disguised as traveling scholars, were already on the road...

(End of chapter)