Chapter 38: Borrowing a Knife

Chapter 38: Borrowing the Knife

"Send him to the Third Prince's residence."

That night, the wind was biting cold—a dark, windy night perfect for dirty work. Cheng Yi carefully wiped the blood off his hands as he gave the order in a low voice.

"Yes."

A shadow guard received the order and quickly dragged out a disheveled old man in his sixties.

This man was none other than Duan Hongguang.

Battered and bruised, he paid his injuries no mind. Instead, his eyes gleamed with a strange, manic light as he stared at Cheng Yi. With blood smeared across his face and a wild, excited look, he seemed both grotesque and unhinged.

"Immortal elixir... my immortal elixir, ha ha ha... young master, wait for me... wait for me!"

Mo Zheng stood quietly to the side, but inside, a storm was brewing.

Was the person before him truly just a seventeen-year-old kid?

So composed, so decisive—even the Old Duke himself might not be able to match his edge.

Though rattled inside, his face gave nothing away.

Cheng Yi calmly finished wiping his hands clean before speaking to Mo Zheng.

"Find a way to let it slip to Xie Yuxuan that Xie Yulan plans to present the elixir at the palace banquet."

The Fifth Prince?

So he intended to use the Fifth Prince to take down the Third Prince.

Mo Zheng felt a chill run down his spine, but his expression grew even more respectful.

"Yes."

After a brief hesitation, Mo Zheng still asked the question on his mind.

"Master, aren't you worried that Taoist might go back on his word and expose you?"

Cheng Yi snorted in disdain.

"He won't."

Cheng Yi had no doubt.

Duan Hongguang couldn't care less about gold or power. His only obsession, one that bordered on insanity, was alchemy.

Moreover, the man had no moral compass whatsoever. He would sacrifice anything to refine his pills. You could say he had no weaknesses and no conscience.

Fortunately, Cheng Yi had the memories of his past life. No one understood better than him what Duan Hongguang really wanted.

Duan Hongguang had devoted his life to chasing immortality.

Through some twisted teachings he'd picked up from who knows where, Duan Hongguang firmly believed that a person could ascend to the heavens and become an immortal—as long as they had the right pill.

For years, he had devoted himself to refining pills, desperately hoping to one day create the elixir that would let him ascend.

Outsiders dismissed him as a madman, or perhaps someone who had gone off the deep end. But he was absolutely sure of himself.

Of course, in his previous life, he never succeeded. Or maybe he did.

Because Cheng Yi had sent him straight to the afterlife with a single strike of his sword.

In a way, that was a kind of ascension, right?

Cheng Yi wasn't killing him now, of course, because he still needed him.

And controlling him was simple. The man was obsessed with alchemy, desperate to create the immortal elixir, yet he failed over and over.

So Cheng Yi gave him a secret manual on refining the immortal elixir.

Cheng Yi obviously had no clue how to actually make the pill. But he knew exactly how Duan Hongguang would do it three years down the line.

By handing him his own future methods and research early, it naturally matched everything he believed in. No one was more sure these methods were real than the man himself.

Thus, the madman had only needed a single glance before he was clutching it like a priceless treasure. He was completely convinced that the alchemy Cheng Yi gave him was the real deal.

The madman was so excited he could hardly get his words out. Where he had previously been stubborn and unyielding, he was now practically on his knees, eager to serve Cheng Yi.

At this moment, if Cheng Yi ordered him to assassinate the Emperor himself, he wouldn't hesitate for a second.

——————

On the other side, the Third Prince, Xie Yulan, had been on edge and furious for the past two days.

According to the original plan, Master Duan was supposed to arrive in the capital in the next few days to make the final preparations.

The Mid-Autumn banquet at the palace was right around the corner. He had to get his hands on the item before the banquet to make a stunning impression and win his father's favor.

Perhaps, if his father was overjoyed enough, he might even name him Crown Prince on the spot.

But of all times, Master Duan had to go missing now.

Xie Yulan was fuming.

This weird Taoist was always unpredictable and would vanish for days at a time—nothing new there. But he shouldn't have picked this critical moment to disappear.

Once he became Crown Prince, he'd have that damn Taoist chopped up and thrown to the fish.

"Find him! All of you, go find him!"

Just then, a guard rushed in to report—Master Duan was here.

Xie Yulan's ferocious expression froze for a moment, then turned to pure joy. But when he saw who was coming, he froze again.

The master, who was always so high and mighty, now showed up covered in wounds, soaked in blood, with a few front teeth missing...

"Master, you look so battered... What happened to you?"

Had someone beaten him up? And brutally, at that.

But Duan Hongguang waved a hand. "Forget it, that's not important."

He pulled out an exquisite little wooden box. When he opened it, there were three pills inside.

The rich smell of herbs instantly filled the whole hall. Everyone present felt a jolt, and Xie Yulan's spirits shot up.

He instinctively reached for it, but Duan Hongguang snapped the lid shut with a click.

Xie Yulan: "…"

Duan Hongguang, with his ridiculous getup, gave a smug grin:

"Third Prince, the Longevity Pill is complete. I didn't let you down."

"Good, good, good!"

Xie Yulan, overjoyed, snatched the box up. He wanted to open it for another whiff, but Duan Hongguang stopped him.

The eccentric Taoist said that opening the box would weaken the pill's potency, and once the scent faded, it wouldn't have that soul-striking impact anymore.

Besides, he'd only made these three pills so far—if they got ruined, that was it.

So he had to be extremely careful.

Xie Yulan didn't suspect a thing. He carefully stashed the box away, then had his servants treat Duan Hongguang well. Right after, he started planning to present the pills at the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet.

Meanwhile, at the Fifth Prince's estate.

Xie Yuxuan suddenly got word that the Third Prince had somehow found an old Taoist who knew how to make pills. After years of secret work, the Taoist had finally made the Longevity Pill.

The Third Prince was going to present the pill to the Emperor at the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet.

Xie Yuxuan's heart lurched. He immediately called his advisors together to talk it over.

He'd already prepared gifts he thought were absolute showstoppers for his father and mother, but if the Third Prince really came out with the Longevity Pill, then every rare treasure in the world would look like junk next to it.

Nobody could resist something like that—especially an old emperor sitting at the top of the world.

After talking it over, the advisors all agreed on one thing: they couldn't let the Third Prince pull off presenting that pill.

If that pill was even a little bit real, the Third Prince could use it to hold something over the Emperor later. Wouldn't the Crown Prince position basically be his?

Xie Yuxuan thought for a moment, then sent a message to the Second Prince's place.

If the Second Prince had half a brain, he'd know they absolutely couldn't let the Third Prince win.

Not only did this easily get him an ally, but it also let him do the Second Prince a favor—two birds with one stone.

While the other princes each got the news and started scheming in their own ways, Cheng Yi got back to the Marquis's estate late that night.

Seeing the figure curled up on the bed, he felt a twinge of guilt.

The night air was cold and biting. Cheng Yi changed, warmed up his hands and feet, and only then lifted the blanket to get in.

But Shen Yichen still woke up, looking at him through sleepy, half-lidded eyes—with way less wariness than usual.

"Hubby, you're back?"

Cheng Yi's heart softened. Every time he heard him say "hubby," it was like something grazed his heart, making it tremble uncontrollably, stirring up an itch he could barely resist—a constant urge to do something to him.

So Cheng Yi just reached out and pulled him into his arms.

Shen Yichen felt a wave of cold air hit him instantly, mixed with Cheng Yi's scent. He couldn't help shivering.

"So cold."

"Sorry, something came up."

"It's okay~"

Shen Yichen lay against Cheng Yi's chest—a little cold, a little hard, but strangely reassuring.

It was amazing. Two people who'd had no connection before could get this close in such a short time.

He'd thought he'd need a long time to get used to this, but in just two days, he found Cheng Yi's arms incredibly comforting.

Shen Yichen couldn't help nuzzling into his chest, and even got bold enough to wrap his arms around Cheng Yi's waist.

Little by little, he tested the waters.

Mmm~

Yeah, it felt amazing.

Cheng Yi looked down, a little surprised, at the person pressed against his chest. His face was pressed snug against Cheng Yi's chest, and the hands around his waist stirred something... an almost uncontrollable restlessness.

Cheng Yi naturally slid an arm around his waist.

How could it be so slim?

So different from his own—soft, too.

Shen Yichen was only in his underclothes, so Cheng Yi could feel the warmth of his body through the thin fabric.

It was comfortable, warm—and weirdly gave him a sense of belonging that felt almost unreal.

On impulse, his big hand couldn't help sliding down.

Past the deep curve of his waist.

His thumb landed right on the tailbone.

The pads of his other fingers just happened to rest on the slightly rounded curve below.

So soft.

So smooth.

"Mmm~"

Shen Yichen felt his whole body go numb, like he was losing control.

It was like he'd been dosed with some kind of muscle relaxant—all his strength drained away in an instant, his body going as limp as water.

Like a startled fawn, he quickly buried his head in the man's chest, but the tips of his ears, flushing red, couldn't be hidden no matter what.

God knows why he'd let out such an embarrassing sound.

He really had a death wish.

Cheng Yi was also thrown into complete disarray by that soft sound, his blood surging with restlessness.

He couldn't help tensing up.

In that moment, neither of them spoke. Neither dared to.

After a long while, Cheng Yi finally broke the silence, his voice hoarse.

"Shall I take you out to meet some friends tomorrow?"

Cheng Yi's voice came out hoarse and strained as he spoke, and he swallowed hard without thinking.

Shen Yichen hadn't yet recovered from his earlier embarrassment—his cheeks were burning like crazy, and the tips of his ears were bright red.

So he didn't dare look up, just stayed lying on Cheng Yi's chest, but he couldn't help being curious.

"Friends?"

"Just Zhou Chu, Liu Siming, and the others—you've met them before."

Shen Yichen quickly thought of the few men who had been following behind Cheng Yi at their wedding. Their relationship seemed close, and every one of them was smooth-talking and outgoing. More importantly, none of them were just regular folks.

"Don't worry, they're all easy to get along with."

"Mm."

Shen Yichen could tell right away whether those people were treating him well or badly—over the years, he'd learned to read people like a book.

But he understood even more clearly that their attitude toward him depended on Cheng Yi's attitude toward him.

So he absolutely couldn't let Cheng Yi down or make him look bad.

"I've also found you a martial arts master."

"Really?"

The moment he heard that, Shen Yichen forgot all about being shy. He looked up at Cheng Yi, thrilled and surprised, wanting to confirm it.

They just stared at each other, their breaths tangled together.

"Mm, he's around your age and in the same situation as you, so you should have plenty to talk about."

"But don't underestimate him just because of that—he's trained in martial arts since he was a kid, and he's seriously talented."

The more Shen Yichen heard, the more curious he became, and he couldn't help looking forward to tomorrow.

On the second night of their marriage, Cheng Yi held his young bridegroom close as they slept.

Oddly enough, they both slept like logs—especially Cheng Yi. It was the best sleep he'd gotten since he came back to life.

Today, Zhou Chu and Liu Siming were heading to the northern frontier, and Fang Qingbai was also setting out, so Cheng Yi took his young bridegroom out early to throw them a farewell meal.

But they hadn't expected to run into bad luck the second they stepped outside.

A figure suddenly shot out from around the corner.

His steps were hurried and frantic, like he'd been waiting out there for ages. He was covered in a layer of frost, and his limbs were so numb from the cold they barely obeyed him.

"Ayi! It's me, Ayi!"

Cheng Yi's expression turned grim. The newcomer was none other than Xie Yulin.

But how could the Seventh Prince, who was always so aloof and self-possessed, be this... unhinged right now?

Author's note: Sorry, I got held up by some things these past couple of days.