Chapter 1: Chapter One You Being an Assassin Is Such a Waste…

Chapter 1

"It's a pity for someone like you to be an assassin..."

Lanterns flickered dimly, red silks swayed.

In the Nan Zhi Pavilion, half the lights had dimmed. It was deep into the night; the singing girls were hoarse, yet the dancers in the main hall still twirled, the bells on their ankles ringing crisply. Below, patrons indulged in revelry, leaning against beauties, lost in sensual pleasures.

Some dissolute fellow had doused the courtesan with a jar of ten-year-old liquor. Her robes soaked through, her figure revealed, she pushed the man away and exited amidst the frivolous laughter of the guests, a blush of shyness mixed with a hint of annoyance on her face.

The brothel was thick with a medley of scents: the pungent sting of burning incense, the rouge on the courtesans' faces, and the rich aroma of newly opened wine. All mingled into a cloying, sickly sweet, and nauseating blend.

"Come here, young master~"

A graceful beauty tiptoed lightly, her slender fingers hooking the guest's belt as she leaned backward, hoping to draw the foolish man into a private room. But her back hit something hard—the door was bolted!

The courtesan cursed under her breath, wondering which thoughtless hussy had claimed the room for her tryst.

With no other choice, she forced a smile, tugged at the man's belt, and went off to find another room.

The sounds of wanton breathing faded with their footsteps. Inside the room, Wei San averted his gaze. His fingers suddenly tightened, the fine thread in his grasp pulling taut to its limit, instantly cutting into flesh.

Beneath his knee, the middle-aged man he pinned down had bulging eyes, his face turning blue-purple. His mouth gaped like a fish, but no scream escaped. Wei San expressionlessly wrapped the thread around another time, gave a sharp tug, and with a faint sound of neck bone dislocating, the man went limp and lifeless.

Wei San released his grip, flexing his somewhat numb fingers. He bent down, retrieved a short knife from under the bed, and cleanly sliced off the man's head along the line the thread had carved. Wrapping it in his outer robe, he watched as blood seeped through the fabric, dripping steadily. He added two more layers, then set the head on the dressing table.

After wiping his hands, Wei San tied back his loose hair. The bronze mirror reflected an androgynous face—jet-black hair, pale skin, now stained with blood, giving him an unnervingly beautiful appearance.

"Done?" The lattice window in the outer part of the room was tapped, a hoarse, low voice sounding from outside. It was Wei Jiu, who had been tasked with keeping watch.

Wei San paused, stuffed the robe-wrapped head into a box, then went to the window to hand it over, saying simply and clearly: "It's done. Zhang Xing has been executed."

Wei Jiu didn't even glance at the box, taking it effortlessly, but his gaze remained fixed on Wei San's face.

For today's mission, Wei San had disguised himself as a woman, wearing female attire. Though unmistakably male, his excessively delicate features surpassed even the most stunning courtesan in Nan Zhi Pavilion.

Wei Jiu's gaze was too obvious. Wei San shot him a cold glance: "Seen enough?"

Wei Jiu chuckled: "It's a pity for someone like you to be an assassin."

Wei San gave no reply, and expressionlessly hurled several poison darts.

Wei Jiu's pupils narrowed as he dodged frantically, while muttering under his breath: "Third Brother, you're ruthless. Just a little tease, no need to silence me forever?"

His answer was a sleeve-blade aimed straight at his face. Wei San moved too fast, and with no mercy—a genuine kill strike. Wei Jiu immediately leaned back and dropped down from the windowsill.

Moving like a monkey, he swung to another room's windowsill, gesturing goodbye to Wei San through the dim candlelight filtering through the paper window before disappearing into the darkness.

Wei San silently retracted his sleeve-blade, and with a sweep of his sleeve, the window closed shut.

He turned to glance at the corpse on the bed, pondered a moment, then removed a token from his belt and tossed it under the bed. He changed out of the dress back into the assassin's black night attire, which only revealed his face.

As he put on his mask, he caught a whiff of the cloying scent of cosmetics clinging to him and frowned instinctively. He disliked this cosmetic fragrance, but he couldn't stay longer, so he bore with it.

He quickly cleared all traces from the room, then slipped out through the window.

Wei San's lightness skill was the highest in the assassin camp; within moments, he vanished into the darkness.

Not long after he left, the horizon lightened with the dawn. Early-rising scholars and commoners began to stir, while the pleasure district reached its end after a night of revelry.

The courtesans, after seeing off their patrons, returned to their rooms to rest. The brothel attendants knocked on doors one by one, informing overnight guests that closing time had arrived.

"Lord Zhang, Lord Zhang? Are you awake? It's time to close now; you should return home."

The attendant called out several times with no response. Puzzled, he thought even the deepest sleeper should have been roused by now. Why was Lord Zhang so silent? Had last night's courtesan been too wild, exhausting him through the night?

His thoughts turned vulgar, but he dared not open the door to investigate.

These high-ranking officials held power over life and death with a word; he wouldn't dare offend them.

The attendant resigned himself, waiting dutifully by the door. Only when Lord Zhang's servants came searching at daybreak did he dare push the door open.

It was fine unopened, but once opened, disaster struck.

Lord Zhang, who should have been lost in dreams of tenderness, had been beheaded and killed, lying undiscovered all night.

In less than the time it takes to drink tea, all of Liangjing knew a high official had died overnight in Nan Zhi Pavilion.

The official's background was deeply entangled, and the local magistrates didn't dare intervene. The case was directly handed over to the Dali Temple. Within an hour, Nan Zhi Pavilion was surrounded by officers.

News of the assassination of a court official right under the emperor's nose, and worse, the death of the Crown Prince's confidant, quickly reached various factions. No one could pinpoint who had the audacity to kill the Crown Prince's man under his very nose, delivering a stinging slap to his face.

A Crown Prince who couldn't even protect his trusted aide—who would dare align with him now?

East Palace.

"Useless fools!"

Crown Prince Wei Heng shattered his white jade teacup; a crowd knelt before him.

He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Investigate this for me!"

"If you fail, bring me your heads!"

Meanwhile, the Fifth Prince, Wei Yan, was adding insult to injury.

"Wei Heng, Wei Heng, you've finally met your match."

He summoned his shadow guard: "Go, stir the waters in the capital even more."

The guard acknowledged the order, kowtowed, and silently withdrew.

.

Undercurrents surged in the capital, and the mastermind behind it all, Wei San, was hidden in a tree outside Virtuous Prince's chamber, lost in thought.

Today was his day on duty. Even though he had just completed a mission last night, he couldn't use that as an excuse to rest.

Perhaps due to the sleepless night, Wei San felt waves of dizziness, his mind foggy, and an unbearable feverish heat occasionally surging through his body.

Summer had just begun, and cicadas were already chirping early in the morning, agitating his already troubled mind.

Wei San shot out several silver needles, precisely nailing the cicadas to the tree trunk. The annoying chirping ceased.

He thought the quiet would ease his restlessness, but as time passed, the internal heat only intensified, burning to the point of delirium.

The midday summer sun was fierce. Wei San loosened his collar to cool down, hazily wondering if he should find someone to cover his shift. But then he remembered he was the only one on duty; the prince couldn't be left unwatched. He dismissed the thought.

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind, but it only made him dizzy. His body felt weak and limp from the fever. This was highly abnormal. A single sleepless night shouldn't cause this; it felt more like poisoning.

Wei San had been trained as an assassin since childhood, having endured countless trials in the Assassin Camp. He had tested hundreds if not thousands of poisons, and subconsciously believed he was immune to all toxins. Never did he expect to get caught by one like this.

He carefully recalled everything that had happened the night before and finally remembered the overly sweet perfume he had caught as he left.

The kinds of poisons found in brothels and pleasure barges were mostly lust potions meant to enhance patrons' enjoyment. Common lust potions were not particularly potent, but his severe reaction suggested something stronger—likely *Chunri Yan*, a potent aphrodisiac used in brothels to coerce unwilling courtesans into submission.

He carried antidote pills with him, but they were ineffective against such a fierce poison like *Chunri Yan*. The only remedy was to do the deed...

Wei San pinched his thigh hard, using the pain to sharpen his focus and prevent himself from dwelling on such thoughts.

Though the aphrodisiac was powerful, Wei San had survived the Assassin Camp, and his willpower wasn’t something ordinary people could match.

With only two hours left until his shift ended, he resolved to grit his teeth and endure.

Wei San endured until the end of his shift, his mind foggy but he showed no outward signs of abnormality. After nodding to Wei Er, who came to take over his shift, he hurried away.

Wei Er and Wei Liu watched him vanish in the blink of an eye and exchanged puzzled glances.

Wei Er stroked his chin and clicked his tongue. "Something feels off about Wei San today," he mused.

But then again, what did it have to do with him?

The two quickly brushed off the weirdness and stood motionless like statues, only moving to follow their master when he was escorted out of the courtyard by his maids.

---

Wei San returned to his quarters, grabbed a change of clothes, and headed straight out. Just as he stepped over the threshold, he ran into Wei Jiu, who had just returned from a mission.

"Third Brother, heading for a wash?" Wei Jiu asked, grinning cheekily as he approached, having already forgotten past lessons. Wei San immediately retreated a step as if he’d seen a ghost.

Wei Jiu was hurt by the reaction but didn’t think much of it, assuming Wei San was still upset about the teasing from the previous night.

Pouting, he answered his own question: "The bathhouse is packed with those brutes right now. If you go now, Third Brother, you’ll probably have to wait forever."

The "brutes" he referred to were naturally the other assassins and guards.

Wei San nodded and thanked him but didn’t turn back as advised. Instead, he took his wash basin to the hill behind the Assassin Camp.

There was a small pond there that he had discovered by chance—remote and perfect for avoiding prying eyes.

---

Meanwhile, Wei Zheng was escorted by his maids to the rear garden.

He was devastatingly handsome, with sharp, sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, his bone structure as defined as if carved by a knife. Even the most vibrant flowers paled in comparison to his striking appearance.

Yet, despite his sharp, aggressive features, his eyes held a naive and somewhat foolish innocence.

He examined a hydrangea with curiosity, then reached out to pluck a peony. After sniffing its fragrance, he quickly grew bored and tossed it aside.

The maids watched him fussing about. As the sky darkened and he showed no sign of stopping, the leading Court Lady spoke up to persuade him: "Your Highness, it is getting late. You should return for your meal."

Wei Zheng, who had just torn a petal from a hollyhock, turned around discontentedly. "This prince hasn’t had enough fun yet. I am not going back."

"Your Highness, you can play again tomorrow," the Court Lady said helplessly, as if coaxing a child.

"This prince wants to play now," Wei Zheng retorted, lifting his chin defiantly. Before the Court Lady could respond, he suddenly brightened and declared capriciously, "All of you, leave. I want to play alone."

"But His Majesty ordered this servant—"

The Court Lady hesitated, and Wei Zheng immediately flared up. "How dare you disobey this prince? Who is the master here?"

"I’ll go to Father Emperor and have him chop off all your heads!"

The Court Lady fell silent, not daring to question him further, and could only watch helplessly as he dashed away like a bird freed from its cage.

---

The moment Wei Zheng ran past the garden archway, his face changed in an instant. Gone was any trace of his earlier naivety and willful foolishness.

He quickened his pace and stopped at a secluded courtyard, ensuring no one was around before saying to the empty air: "Come out."

Wei Er and Wei Liu emerged from the shadows and knelt before him.

"What are your orders, Master?" Wei Zheng looked down at them, his gaze finally settling on Wei Liu, who was about the same height as him. "Take off your clothes."