The Crown Prince was badly startled and, after falling, struggled desperately, causing water to splash in all directions. The sound echoed in the deep well, giving an eerie and sinister feeling.
Chu Xinian was hiding nearby and was splashed in the face by it, and wiped it off with his hand. Xie Jingyuan, on the other hand, watched coldly from the side, and turned away disdainfully, not even wanting to greet him.
After hesitating for a while, the Crown Prince finally calmed down. He instinctively looked around and realized that he was at the black bottom of the well, with Chu Xinian and Xie Jingyuan not far away, watching him.
The Crown Prince was puzzled for a moment, “What are you doing here?”
Xie Jingyuan’s eyebrows furrowed tightly, “We fell in.”
Idiot.
Seeing that there were still people with him, the Crown Prince instantly calmed down. He swam to Xie Jingyuan’s side and asked, ” Well, how do we get out?”
Hearing this, a bad premonition suddenly arose in Chu Xinian’s heart, “Where are your servants, Your Highness?”
The Crown Prince hesitated for a moment, sounding somewhat guilty, “I… thought they were in the way, so I told them to wait by the roadside…”
This statement extinguished his last ray of hope. Xie Jingyuan gritted his teeth silently, “What were you thinking of coming alone? Are you trying to feed the wolves? You didn’t bring your servants and ended up falling into the well. When will you change your reckless nature?”
“Xie Jingyuan!” The Crown Prince, annoyed and embarrassed, slapped the surface of the water, causing it to splash over the three of them, “You two are supposed to be smart, how did you end up falling in too!”
Chu Xinian feared that the two would start fighting, so he reached out and pulled Xie Jingyuan to his side, discreetly separating them. However, he involuntarily withdrew his hand due to the freezing temperature coming from Xie Jingyuan’s body.
He looked at Xie Jingyuan’s pale and bruised lips, unconsciously frowning.
Xie Jingyuan closed his eyes and remained silent. It wasn’t that he was afraid of the Crown Prince, but that he wasn’t in the mood to argue. It would be better to let the other person vent his frustration for a while.
The Crown Prince, however, remained calm and collected, “What is there to be afraid of? When they can’t find me they will come looking for me, do you think we won’t be able to get out by then?”
In theory, it was possible, but they were worried that Xie Jingyuan would not hold out. Chu Xinian scooped up a handful of cold water from the well, self-absorbed, and began to search around the walls of the well. Jiu Niang had crawled some distance with his dying body and happened to be near the mouth of the well. If she wanted to look for help, she should have crawled out of the well. If she wanted to seek help, she should have crawled toward the road. Why did she crawl into the depths of the dense forest?
Was there something hidden in the well?
Xie Jingyuan crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. Seeing Chu Xinian searching, he lifted his eyelids and looked at him, “What are you looking for?”
Chu Xinian shook his head, “I just want to see if there are any clues inside, but I can’t be sure.”
The Crown Prince did not understand what they were talking about. He looked towards the mouth of the well, hoping those damned servants would hurry up and find them. However, he accidentally touched the wall of the well and felt a sudden prick in his lower back. Thinking it was a water snake, he reached back and grabbed it, only to touch a hard piece of paper.
“Huh?”
The Crown Prince pulled it out of the water and, illuminated by the moonlight streaming into the well, saw that it was a wet envelope. He frowned and said, “Why is there a letter?”
As soon as he spoke, both Chu Xinian and Xie Jingyuan looked towards him. They swam to his side and saw that it was a blank, unaddressed envelope, bulging as if it contained something.
Chu Xinian said, “Your Highness, may I have a look at it?”
Before the Crown Prince could reply, Xie Jingyuan had already snatched the envelope from his hand and tossed it into Chu Xinian’s arms, “It’s nothing good. If you want to look, go ahead.”
The Crown Prince looked at Xie Jingyuan, sensing that his behavior was somewhat unusual, and was displeased, “Xie Jingyuan, do you understand what it means to show respect as a subject?”
Xie Jingyuan closed his eyes, “Let’s talk about this when you become the Emperor one day.”
As long as the Emperor was still alive, everyone else would be subjects forever. No matter how close the Crown Prince was by blood, he was still a subject.
The Crown Prince made a contemptuous sound but refrained from replying due to Chu Xinian’s presence. If this comment were to spread, it would imply an intention to compete for the throne, and Emperor Yan was always wary. It could easily cause a disturbance.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Chu Xinian examined the seal on the paper and then opened it. Inside, there was a letter and a hidden piece of jade. The letter was made of oiled paper and had been soaking in the well for a while, but fortunately, the paper inside was still intact.
Ktf Jgbkc Uglcmf egufv, “Yqfc la delmxis jcv gfjv ktja la rjsr.”
Jte Wlcljc mjgfoeiis ecobivfv atf tjio-kfa qjqfg jcv, lc atf wbbciluta, ragjlcfv ab wjxf bea atf lcx rajlcr. Lf vlrmbnfgfv atja la kjr j ifaafg bo mbcofrrlbc. Ktf tjcvkglalcu kjr fifujca, wbra ilxfis j kbwjc’r, vfajlilcu atf fnfcar yftlcv atf rmfcfr:
My name is Jiu Niang. I lost my parents very young and I don’t even know my surname. Originally from Nan County, I wandered around the Capital due to the turmoil of the war. In the sixth year of Qisheng, I was taken in as a foster child by General Qin Daoyan of the Right Guard. He used me for his purposes and I learned martial arts under his control. Later, I hid in the flower world and helped him unmask secret activities in the Capital.
Qin Daoyan is a stubborn and narrow-minded person who only cares about his interests. Since the reign of the Late Emperor, he has devoted himself to military affairs. Over the years, he has achieved great merits and was promoted to the position of General of the Right Guard and granted a thousand residences. In the nineteenth year of Qisheng, he was appointed Minister of War and took part in court debates, receiving much praise.
In the twenty-first year of Qisheng, I suddenly received a confidential letter from Qin Daoyan, ordering me to lure the second sons of the Chu Family out of the Capital and assassinate them, incriminating Xie Jingyuan. However, an unexpected incident occurred and his guards arrived, causing me to fail.
From the sixth year of Qisheng until now, Qin Daoyan has been secretly adopting hundreds of children, harboring sinister ambitions, and engaging in dangerous and treacherous actions. I am increasingly worried, remembering the chaos of the Taian Gate in the past. I fear being silenced, becoming a useless pawn, or a sacrifice. Therefore, I leave this letter hidden as solid evidence.
The paper of the letter was flexible and seemed to have been deliberately treated to be waterproof. It was stained with blood. Jiu Niang, on the verge of death, mustered her last breath to crawl to the edge of the well, probably to lead someone to discover what was inside.
Chu Xinian looked at the letter, his eyes full of contemplation. He finally confirmed his suspicions and muttered to himself, “So it was Qin Daoyan after all…”
It seemed that his guess was correct. The entire Xie Family had been exterminated in the past for being involved in the Taian Gate conspiracy, and Qin Daoyan was one of the people who led the troops to capture the Xie Family.
However, Jiu Niang’s words were mysterious, hinting that there was more to the well than what met the eye.
The Crown Prince held up the jade pendant hidden inside the envelope and examined it again and again, “I seem to have seen this jade pendant before. Qin Daoyan has numerous adopted sons, and each of them wears one. It seems that what Jiu Niang said is true. Why would that old man hurt you for no reason? Could it be aimed at me?”
Xie Jingyuan remained silent. The shadows of the well gave him an even more lifeless statue-like appearance. After a while, he slowly said, “Back then, he and General Xie Bi were colleagues. During a training session, he used a sneaky trick that ended up blinding his eye. From that moment on, a grudge formed, and he constantly caused trouble for the Xie Family.”
Chu Xinian looked discretely at Xie Jingyuan.
Xie Bi was the former head of the Xie Family. According to the hierarchy, he should be Xie Jingyuan’s uncle. Based on rumors in the streets, he led troops to the Palace intending to rebel but was captured and killed. How could Xie Jingyuan, a member of the collateral branch, know about the secret activities of the past?
The Crown Prince scoffed, “I always wondered why he wore an eye patch like a one-eyed pirate. Turns out he’s just a blind man”.
After speaking, he looked down into the mouth of the well and shouted, “Damn it! It’s been so long since I disappeared, why haven’t they come looking for me yet?”
The Crown Prince soaking in the chilling well felt as if time was passing at a snail’s pace. Actually, by the modern reckoning of time, less than eight minutes had passed since he fell in.
Xie Jingyuan remained silent, with pale lips without a trace of blood and a lifeless bluish tint between his eyebrows. He seemed to evoke some long-forgotten memories, lost in his thoughts.
Chu Xinian said, “Qin Daoyan originally intended to kill me and frame you, but failed. So he simply killed Jiu Niang to silence her and dragged the two of us into this. It seems he hates your Xie Family.”
Xie Jingyuan coughed violently a couple of times, and said in a hoarse and disdainful voice, concealing a trace of arrogance, “I have made countless enemies in my life, and he is only one of them.”
The Crown Prince was loyal enough. He rolled up his sleeves slowly, looking full of mischief, “That old man dared to sabotage us in secret. Let’s deal with Prince Jin first and then him. We will kill those two despicable bastards.”
Chu Xinian remained silent. He held Xie Jingyuan’s hand in the water, gripping his wrist, but noticed that his pulse was getting weaker and weaker, knowing it was due to the seeping cold. Hesitating for a moment, he suddenly frowned and hugged Xie Jingyuan.
Xie Jingyuan was startled, “What are you doing?”
The Crown Prince was also puzzled, “Chu Xinian, aren’t you ashamed!”
Chu Xinian remained calm. He put the letter in his pocket, and tightened his arms around Xie Jingyuan’s cold body, seeking a faint warmth, ” Your Highness, don’t you know? He carries a strange poison in his body and is as cold as ice. Prolonged frostbite will be harmful.”
Struggling unconsciously, Xie Jingyuan was held down by Chu Xinian, unable to move.
The Crown Prince stumbled over his words, evidently remembering this fact. He swam to Xie Jingyuan’s side, “Are you cold, why didn’t you say so earlier?”
He tried to squeeze in as if he wanted to join them, but Xie Jingyuan mercilessly pushed him away, he said in a sinister tone, “What are you doing here!”
The Crown Prince, feeling embarrassed for being cold as well, stammered, “Xie Jingyuan, you have no gratitude for good-hearted people!”
Xie Jingyuan frowned and averted his gaze, closing his eyes in silence. Although he looked calm, his mind was a whirlwind. Inadvertently, he tilted his head to the side and brushed Chu Xinian’s chin, causing him to feel a subtle, gentle sting.
Chu Xinian, dressed in white, was as bright as the moon, and now, in dark attire, he looked even more elegant and handsome. The moonlight in the well cast a soft glow on his shoulders. He embraced Xie Jingyuan silently, never loosening his grip.
Xie Jingyuan no longer struggled, his body was rigid. After a moment, he slowly relaxed.
“…”
The Crown Prince looked at them expressionlessly. After a while, he lowered his head to look at the water in the well, then raised his head to look at the opening of the well. He did not understand how he had ended up in this situation.
“Xie Jingyuan, you’re killing me.” The Crown Prince wiped his face and said half-jokingly, “I will become the first Prince of the Great Yan Dynasty to freeze to death in a well.”
Although he was unruly and unbearable, his youthful appearance revealed the ambition hidden in his eyes. When the Crown Prince uttered those words, he had no idea that, in the future, he would probably rebel and end up imprisoned in the Eastern Palace. Later, when the new Emperor ascended the throne, he would be directly ordered to commit suicide.
Xie Jingyuan was also completely defeated.
The moonlight gently descended the well, giving a glimpse of his final fate in the original work.
Chu Xinian looked down and asked the Crown Prince in a thoughtful tone, “Your Highness, what do you think is the most painful way to die in this world?”
Imprisonment followed by suicide or death in a well?
The Crown Prince pondered for a moment and then replied, “Naturally, to die by suffocation”.
Chu Xinian looked up, “Why?”
The Crown Prince nonchalantly revealed a shocking secret, “My mother died by…”
Xie Jingyuan suddenly interrupted, “Crown Prince, be cautious with your words!”
The Crown Prince paused upon hearing this, meeting Xie Jingyuan’s warning gaze. He then shrugged his shoulders with an indifferent smile and remained silent. He did not consider this matter a secret, but Xie Jingyuan did not want him to bring it up.
Chu Xinian’s thoughts surged upon hearing this. He looked towards Xie Jingyuan and saw a pale section of his neck exposed. Faintly visible blue veins covered him as Chu Xinian placed his palm, which still carried a trace of heat, on top.
In a voice only they could hear, Chu Xinian asked him, “Are you still cold?”
Xie Jingyuan’s gloomy eyes looked at him, unable to tell whether he was cold or not. He only felt that his body heat seemed to have recovered a little, coming to a compromise with Chu Xinian.
Unable to distinguish who was cold and who was warming the other.
Chu Xinian rested his chin on Xie Jingyuan’s shoulder, hugging him a little tighter. Silently, he moved his lips and slowly whispered a few words in his ear, “Was the Emperor…?”
The Royal Family publicly declared that the Late Empress had died of illness, but the Crown Prince claimed that she had been strangled by someone. How was it possible that the Empress, a person who was above the masses, could easily die from strangulation? Besides the Emperor, who else could do whatever he wanted?
Xie Jingyuan closed his eyes in silence. He had known from the beginning that he could not hide anything from Chu Xinian. As soon as he discovered the slightest hint, he could quickly deduce the truth of the whole matter, “You don’t need to say it even if you know it. It is better to keep certain things buried in our hearts”.
Knowing too much can easily lead to doom.
The Crown Prince saw them hugging and whispering to each other, not knowing what they were saying. He approached quietly, raising an eyebrow, “Are you talking behind my back?”
This Crown Prince tended to imagine that he was being criticized.
Xie Jingyuan was about to push him away, but in his movements, he accidentally touched Chu Xinian’s chest, feeling something stinging. He frowned and pulled out a dagger from his embrace.
At first, the Crown Prince thought it was something strange, but when he saw that it was a small dagger, he quickly averted his gaze. He was currently not interested in weapons, but rather intrigued by things like ladders and ropes.
Xie Jingyuan didn’t think the dagger would be of any help to them either. He was about to put it away when Chu Xinian suddenly grabbed his hand and said, “I know how to get out…”
Xie Jingyuan froze, staring at Chu Xinian holding his hand for a few seconds. Rarely, he refrained from making sarcastic remarks and simply asked, “…You’re not thinking of using the dagger to dig a tunnel, are you?”
The Crown Prince looked at Chu Xinian and scoffed at the idea, “Idiot.”
Chu Xinian felt that his brain must have been affected by one of them, otherwise, how could he forget that he was carrying a dagger? He slowly let go of Xie Jingyuan, felt along the wall of the well for a moment, and then forcefully scraped a brick twice.
The wall of the well was made of bricks and had aged over time. Chu Xinian did not try very hard and managed to tear off one of the bricks with the dagger, creating a hole in the wall of the well.
He threw the broken brick aside and repeated the process some distance away, extracting another brick. This created a series of holes suitable for stepping and climbing.
Chu Xinian wiped the remains of the dagger with his sleeve and looked at Xie Jingyuan, “What do you think, will you be able to climb?”
Xie Jingyuan smiled in satisfaction and couldn’t help but cough a couple of times, looking utterly sick, “What if I say I can’t?”
Chu Xinian didn’t mind, “Then I’ll think of another way to get you out.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than someone snatched the dagger from his hand. It was Xie Jingyuan, who, using the holes in the wall of the well as leverage, jumped down and quickly dug another brick.
Chu Xinian stood at the bottom of the well, looking up, and exhaled slowly, “We can get out now.”
The Crown Prince remembered his earlier words, his face stiffened as he nodded, “It’s good that we can get out…”
The area around the well was overgrown with weeds, and the ground concealed patches of discolored blood. It used to be a village but had been gradually abandoned due to the migration of the population.
The bright moon hung high in the sky, clearly illuminating the mouth of the well. Xie Jingyuan was the first to climb out of the well, ready to pull Chu Xinian, but instead, the Crown Prince emerged expressionlessly and withdrew his hand.
The Crown Prince struggled to climb out himself, gritting his teeth and cursing, “Xie Jingyuan, you heartless traitor…”
Chu Xinian was the last to come out. After all, the Crown Prince had a prestigious status, and could not rush out before him.
Chu Xinian had not received any martial arts training, so his speed was inevitably slower than theirs. By the time he reached the edge of the pit, he was already exhausted. At that moment, someone grabbed his arm and pulled him upwards. He looked up and saw that it was Xie Jingyuan.
Chu Xinian smiled and said, “Thank you, General…”
Xie Jingyuan turned his head without saying a word.
The Crown Prince brushed the remains of grass off his body, looking disheveled. He muttered angrily, “Those damned servants, daring to abandon me here. Wait for me to come, I’ll deal with them.”
Chu Xinian also found it strange. An event as important as the Crown Prince’s disappearance, and still the servants did not come looking for him? He discreetly glanced at the surrounding bushes and everything seemed normal. However, when they emerged from the dense forest, the footprints outside were chaotic, with at least seven or eight different markings.
“Shh…”
Chu Xinian put his index finger to his lips, indicating the Crown Prince to be silent. Xie Jingyuan also sensed something strange. He listened carefully for a moment and, once he was sure that no one was nearby, he slowly walked to the edge of the road.
Seeing his actions, the Crown Prince could not help but become serious. He held his breath and followed in silence. However, when they arrived, they found the servants scattered on the ground, all dead.
The Crown Prince’s expression turned grim, “Who did this!”
Chu Xinian reached out and touched one of the bodies, finding it still warm. He examined the remaining corpses and found that they had all died from sword wounds, similar to those on Jiu Niang’s body.
Chu Xinian slowly shook his head, “He was the assassin skilled in the use of dual swords. He came here late at night, either to chase us or to get the letter Jiu Niang wrote. However, he didn’t expect us to accidentally fall into the well without a trace. So he killed these servants to eliminate witnesses.”
The Crown Prince clenched his fist and banged it loudly against the carriage, “Damn it!”
Chu Xinian was more concerned about another matter. What if the assassin was still around and hadn’t left? Among the three of them, only Xie Jingyuan was capable of fighting despite being an ill person.
Xie Jingyuan seemed to know what Chu Xinian was thinking and frowned, “There’s no one around. Let’s go. We have to return to the Capital as soon as possible. The longer we stay, the more dangerous it will be.”
They owed thanks to that assassin. Although he killed everyone, he spared the horses pulling the carriage. Otherwise, they would have had to walk back tonight.
Lucky them! The poor servants though.. I’m excited for chu xinian and xie jingyuan to bring down those who would harm them one by one! And hopefully the crown prince lives, he definitely grew on me 🥺
this is stand alone sequel to Demon Fox Cultivation Manual, amazing book that u can read without reading Demon Fox’s but u’ll def enjoy more since characters make cameos!
i didnt want to post this here, why was it posted in another novel lol
Não acredito que tou gostando do príncipe herdeiro kkkkkkk