Chapter 38: Of Course I Don’t Want You Dead

Chapter 38: Of Course I Don't Want You Dead

Soon, the night fell back into silence.

The top courtesan lay unconscious on the ground, and a whole swath of people lay sprawled outside as well. The remaining people were matter-of-factly cleaning up the scene, leaving only Li Zhiming and Sang Yu standing there, facing each other in silence.

Li Zhiming wanted to say something, but seeing the wound on Sang Yu's chest still bleeding profusely, he used that as an excuse to break the silence.

"Your—your wound—you need to treat it."

Sang Yu looked at him with an expressionless face, asking in a flat tone, "Are you afraid of me?"

"Huh?"

"Are you afraid of me? I kill without batting an eye. Just like that, I've killed so many people. I killed the Fourth Prince with my own hands. I'm a criminal—if they find out, I'll be executed. So, are you scared?"

How could he say he was afraid?

Li Zhiming opened his mouth, but before he could speak, he saw Sang Yu inching closer to him step by step, his slender hands clenched into fists, his brow dark with menace.

It was as if he was waiting for a single word of fear to strangle him.

"Of course I'm not afraid!"

He forced himself to stay calm, trying to look genuinely concerned about Sang Yu: "But killing a prince is a grave offense against the throne. What—what are you going to do? Or else, why don't you run?"

After all, they had already fled the capital.

If this man ran away, maybe he wouldn't drag him into it.

Sang Yu quirked an eyebrow: "Flee?"

"Yeah, just run."

"Ha, why should I run? Even if the Emperor wants me dead, he'd better be able to kill me." He smiled a dark, ambiguous smile, seemingly somewhat satisfied with Li Zhiming's reaction.

"Since the young master isn't afraid, will you report me?"

"No!"

"That's good then."

"..."

Sang Yu cast his eyes down at the woman on the ground: "He'll find out where Li Zhixing is. He set you up—do you hate him?"

Not knowing why he asked such a random, out-of-the-blue question, Li Zhiming mulled it over, shook his head, then nodded: "I don't know. I can understand, but I don't want to be his sacrificial lamb."

Honestly, he had no memories from the original body's owner, so he had no idea at all how close the original owner was to this younger brother.

Regardless, it was clear now that this brother was not as simple as he seemed.

Sang Yu sneered with contempt: "He's trying to kill you—how could you still like him? Two tigers can't share one mountain—it's kill or be killed."

"?" Sensing the killing intent in his words, Li Zhiming quickly asked, "Sang Yu, what are you up to? You can't act recklessly. Killing the Fourth Prince is a serious crime. Even if I don't report you, it's bound to come out. Do you even realize that?"

The wild young man simply looked at him calmly, unable to comprehend his anxiety and alarm.

So what if they're dead?

What does it matter?

Seeing his total lack of understanding, Li Zhiming panicked: "This isn't Nanxun. You killed a prince of our kingdom, Sang Yu. Do you have a death wish? You should leave, get out of here now. Or stage your death—so many people died just now, find someone to pass off as you, and then escape."

He'd seen this in TV dramas—protagonists always fled for their lives this way.

Though he didn't know why he was risking so much, something inside him told him that despite Sang Yu being a dangerous man, he still wanted him alive. Being alive was what mattered.

Clearly, Sang Yu sensed this too, and he could hardly believe it.

"You want me alive?"

"Of course I do! Why would I want you dead? I snatched you back from the jaws of death. Run now, before dawn breaks. Go, go!"

With that, Li Zhiming shoved Sang Yu toward the door.

But as he shoved him, he saw his wound and the large patches of blood, and his heart lurched. Without wasting a second, he pulled Sang Yu to the table, hastily tore some cloth strips, and bandaged him up.

"There. Now flee. Once you're a safe distance away, find a doctor to treat the wound properly. Take care of yourself."

Sang Yu found himself pushed out the door.

He looked at the tightly shut door with a bemused smile, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. At the same time, an unfamiliar warmth and gratitude welled up in his heart.

No one had ever cared if he lived or died—except his mother.

A prince was just a prince—killing one was no big deal. He had already planned everything, had it all figured out. He wouldn't have made a move so recklessly otherwise.

Leaving leverage behind was the mark of a fool.

He turned and vanished into the night.

Li Zhiming was left alone in the room, staring at the unconscious courtesan, torn.

If this woman really had something going on with Li Zhixing, she would technically be his sister-in-law in name only. Having his sister-in-law pass out in his room in the dead of night just didn't look right at all.

And a second ago, she had come to assassinate him.

"Feng Yin!"

No answer.

Of course.

Li Zhiming weighed his options, dragged the courtesan to a chair, and bound her to it. Then he got some water and splashed it on her to wake her, only to be met with her blank expression.

"Where is this? What are you doing?"

Though flustered, she quickly composed herself, showing no sign of being disheveled.

Li Zhiming inwardly admired her composure but directly laid his cards on the table: "So, why did you try to kill me? Was it him who sent you?"

He expected her to deny it, or to be as contemptuous and haughty as the Fourth Prince.

Instead, she looked utterly confused: "Kill? I've never trained in martial arts—how could I kill anyone? Besides, you're Young Master Li's elder brother. Young Master Li has been kind to me. How could I bite the hand that feeds me?"

"??"

"Sir, I'm afraid I don't quite understand what you mean. Moreover, the one my heart belongs to is not Young Master Li."

"Not him?" A lightbulb went off in Li Zhiming's mind. "Could it be another person by his side?"

He didn't know if the Crown Prince had used an alias, but at his words, Miss Mu's face flushed slightly. She pursed her lips and turned her head to the side, without denying it.

Well, well.

It was all a smokescreen.

Li Zhiming didn't know if he'd survive the Fourth Prince's death this time, so he figured he had nothing left to lose. He went out that very night and brought a physician back to the house to examine Miss Mu.

As it turned out, there was indeed no evidence she had ever trained in martial arts, and she had also taken a peculiar medicine.

The physician said this drug could make a person lose their mind, turning them into a puppet, and would grant them extraordinary abilities they didn't possess. But such a drug was hard to find these days—it was a banned substance.

After all that trouble that night, and given that Miss Mu was reasonably well-bred and sensible, even if she withheld some things, she did share the ordinary details.

Li Zhiming became even more certain that the disappearance, the claim that he was the most suitable candidate—it had all been set up in advance. Even the Emperor was likely just one link in the chain, all designed to get him to Liangzhou.

Unlike the capital, Liangzhou was remote. The Crown Prince and his ministers would suffer consecutive disappearances, so it would be perfectly normal for a good-for-nothing like him to die here, and no one would suspect a thing.

"You piece of work, Li Zhixing," he cursed inwardly. "You really want me dead. Calling me 'brother'—screw you."

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

"Miss Mu, I hope you can tell me where Li Zhixing is. He's my brother, and with Liangzhou so unstable now, I'm deeply worried that I can't find him. I can't sleep at night. I hope you can help me in some way."

He spoke with great sincerity, putting on his best performance.