Chapter 26: Chapter Twenty-Six Without This Prince’s Permission, You Cannot Leave the Side Hall…

Chapter 26: Without My Permission, You Cannot Leave the Side Palace at Will...

Wei San's mind was a whirlwind of chaotic thoughts. Driven purely by instinct, he ran forward without thinking, only to realize, upon regaining his composure, that he had stumbled into a courtyard all too familiar.

It was the same courtyard where the fake Wei Liu had brought him twice, each visit leaving him with unbearable memories.

Unbidden, images of the lewd words he had been forced to utter flashed through his mind, intertwining with the memories of the previous night. Together, they formed a terrifying, devouring vortex.

Wei San's vision darkened, his ears buzzed as if pierced by needles. He staggered back a few steps, then turned and fled.

Two covert guards, hidden in the shadows, exchanged glances at his distraught appearance. One melted into the darkness, heading towards the side palace.

The other followed Wei San. Knowing Wei San's martial skills surpassed his own, he kept his distance to avoid detection. Yet, in less than fifteen minutes, he lost sight of him.

When Wei Zheng received news that Wei San had been lost, he showed no anger. He simply ordered the guard to accept his punishment.

Gazing in the direction where Wei San had vanished, Wei Zheng fell into deep thought. From the covert guard's report, Wei San's emotional state seemed unstable, likely struggling to process the events of the previous night. For him, as both the involved party and his master, to appear now would be highly inappropriate.

Perhaps it would be better...

He returned to the courtyard, changed into black attire, donned a human skin mask, and transformed into the rogue impersonator of Wei Liu. Then, he set out to track Wei San.

Wei San had nowhere to go. In the end, he could only retreat to the deserted back mountain of the assassin camp.

He crouched by the lake, cupping cold water and splashing it on his face. The icy temperature stimulated his nerves, finally bringing a moment of clarity to his numb mind.

He trembled uncontrollably, his eyes reddening.

He didn't understand why he had to suffer like this. All he ever wanted was to dutifully serve his master as a covert guard, risking life and limb, with the best outcome being retirement and reassignment as a regular guard.

But now, not only was he entangled with a covert guard, but he had also drunkenly climbed into his master's bed.

How could you be so base?

Wei San covered his mouth with his hand, his stomach churning. He felt increasingly disgusted with himself.

The night was windless and cloudless, the moonlight bright and clear. The lake's surface was like a mirror, reflecting Wei San's strikingly beautiful, androgynous face with perfect clarity.

The reflection was breathtakingly beautiful yet fragile, as if it would shatter at the slightest touch.

Staring at his reflection, he even entertained the thought that it might be better to simply sink into the water.

When Wei Zheng found him, he saw him reaching out to touch the reflection, allowing his body to sink.

His pupils trembled. Without a second thought, he leapt forward and caught the covert guard just as he was about to fall into the lake, pulling him into his arms.

Only after carrying him ten paces from the water's edge did Wei Zheng dare to land. Before he could steady himself, he snapped furiously, "Are you really so desperate to die?"

Back when he had been with the fake Wei Liu, he had been full of life, vowing to fight and kill. How could it be that after one night with him, the Virtuous Prince, he was now trying to kill himself? Was he, the Virtuous Prince, so despised by this covert guard?

Wei Zheng’s eyes reddened with anger. Wei San, snapping back to reality, stiffened before suddenly pushing him away.

Wei San used almost all his strength. Caught off guard, Wei Zheng was pushed back two steps. Once he regained his footing, he saw the covert guard glaring at him with eyes full of disgust and humiliation.

"Whether I live or die is none of your business!"

Wei San actually regretted it somewhat. His master’s grand undertaking was still unfinished, yet here he was, contemplating death. A proper covert guard should die by an enemy’s blade, not by suicide.

He knew he was wrong, but facing the fake Wei Liu’s detestable face, he couldn’t control the surging anger inside him.

It was this covert guard who had brought him to this state. It was he who had relentlessly pestered him and refused to let him go. Why did he have the right to look hurt? Wasn’t he the victim here?

He shouted hoarsely, "What right do you have to interfere with me!"

Wei Zheng laughed angrily. As Wei San’s master, Wei San’s life belonged to him. Everything about Wei San was his. Why couldn’t he interfere?

He was about to speak but suddenly remembered he was still wearing Wei Liu’s human skin mask. Wei San hated this identity intensely. He truly had no right or standing to interfere with Wei San. The words on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back.

In that brief moment, the emotionally overwhelmed Wei San closed in, attacking with vicious, unrestrained moves.

Wei San hated him to the core, holding nothing back, using every ounce of his strength.

Wei Zheng, afraid of hurting him, didn’t dare use his full power, making his movements seem restrained. Fortunately, Wei San was solely focused on venting his anger through violence, his attacks lacking strategy.

They fought for over a hundred rounds, yet Wei Zheng only sustained superficial wounds—nothing serious.

Wei San remained silent throughout, fully aware that the other was holding back. When he kicked Wei Zheng in the abdomen and heard him feign pain, he suddenly calmed down.

Perhaps sensing his emotions had calmed down, the fake Wei Liu immediately started testing the waters, pushing his luck: "Feeling better, sweetheart? If not, hit me a few more times. I promise I won’t fight back."

Even as he spoke, he rubbed his abdomen, putting on a pitiful act.

Wei San watched his performance expressionlessly, his mind, chaotic all night, growing increasingly clear.

If he thought about it, all the fault originated from him. He hadn’t been careful enough and had fallen victim to an aphrodisiac, leading to his entanglement with the fake Wei Liu. He had also been drunk and lost his rationality, resulting in him climbing into his master’s bed.

In the end, it was his own doing. There was no need to deceive himself by blaming others.

Since things had already reached this point, seeking death wouldn’t change anything. It would only make him seem hypocritical and laughable. It was better to accept reality and let himself go.

"You helped me counteract the aphrodisiac, for which I am grateful. But taking my innocence without my consent was wrong. We can call it even. As for what happened afterward, I don’t want to dwell on it further."

He clenched his fingers, thinking it wouldn’t be easy to let go. But once the words were spoken, he realized it wasn’t as difficult as he had imagined.

He looked directly at the fake Wei Liu and said, "From now on, don’t appear before me again."

The covert guard’s expression was too calm, like the dead silence of someone who had seen through the vanity of life. An inexplicable panic surged in Wei Zheng’s heart, and he wiped the frivolous smile from his face.

"What do you mean, sweetheart? Cutting ties with me?"

His eyes turned cold, carrying a trace of anger he hadn’t even noticed.

Wei San pressed his lips together and, ignoring him, turned and walked away.

Wei Zheng thought about giving chase but then reconsidered. Perhaps this outcome wasn’t so bad. It was a good opportunity to abandon this undercover identity, saving him the trouble of figuring out how to maintain the deception in the future.

Wei San didn’t return directly to the Prince’s side palace. Instead, he went to the assassin camp.

He returned to his long-abandoned quarters, expecting it to be dusty from disuse. To his surprise, it was clean and tidy.

He was somewhat astonished. Wei Jiu wasn’t a detail-oriented person, nor would he enter Wei San’s room without permission, so he couldn’t be the one who had cleaned it.

Under normal circumstances, he might have sought an answer, but today, with his troubled thoughts, he had no desire to investigate.

He pulled a chair to the windowsill and sat down, gazing blankly at the bright moon outside without even lighting a lamp.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when Wei Jiu opened the door and entered the room. The rustling sound of him changing clothes finally snapped Wei San out of his thoughts.

Wei Jiu did not stay in the room for long, taking something with him before leaving again.

Only when all sounds had faded did Wei San slowly rise, straightening his sleeves. He climbed onto the windowsill and leaped out, closing the window behind him before walking back to the side hall under the moonlight.

He walked slowly the entire way, and by the time he reached the side hall, half an hour had already passed.

The main room was unlit, and Wei San assumed his master had already retired for the night. But upon pushing the door open, he was met with a pair of keen, penetrating eyes hidden in the darkness.

"Finally decided to return?"

"Where have you been?"

The figure in the darkness stood up and approached him step by step, his footsteps heavy and imposing.

Wei San unconsciously took half a step back, forgetting to breathe, but he quickly composed himself.

Lowering his gaze, he replied calmly, "This humble one just returned to the assassins' quarters for a while."

He had indeed gone back, so it wasn’t entirely a lie.

The approaching man was now right in front of him, his sharp eyes fixed on Wei San’s slightly trembling eyelashes—a telltale sign of guilt. Without confirming or denying, he asked, "What matter required two hours?"

Wei San was not skilled at lying. After hesitating and thinking for a moment, he offered a partially true explanation: "This humble one thought it had been over a month since I last returned, and my quarters were likely dusty from neglect, so I went to tidy up. I didn’t realize I had lost sense of time, which is why I returned late. I beg for your punishment."

Lies!

Wei Zheng narrowed his eyes dangerously. He had people cleaning Wei San’s quarters regularly—there was no way it would have taken two hours to tidy up.

He did not expose the lying assassin. Though annoyed, the memory of Wei San’s earlier loss of composure and pitiable state softened his heart.

Wei Zheng watched as the assassin knelt down, head bowed, pretending nothing was wrong though his fingertips trembled slightly, acting as if submitting to his master’s judgment. Slowly, Wei Zheng said, "Enough, rise. There will be no next time."

If this little assassin wanted to feign ignorance, pressing him further would only drive him away rather than win him over. Better to bide his time and advance step by step.

Wei Zheng let out a light laugh as he helped the assassin to his feet. Under the other’s uneasy gaze, he carefully adjusted his lapels.

"From now on, you are not to leave the side hall without my permission. Understood?"

Wei San was stunned, detecting a weirdly domineering and possessive sense in those ordinary words.

His fingers curled slightly with unease as he replied quietly, "This humble one understands."