Chapter 235: A World Of Intrigue

Xie Wei’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, his voice faintly hoarse as he extended a hand to her: “Come.”

Jiang Xuening was pulled to her feet by him.

He wrapped one arm around her waist, drawing her into his embrace, but did nothing more. He simply sat by the window, holding her gently, as if using this restrained gesture to suppress some surging emotion within him, threatening to overflow.

Her face rested against his chest.

She could hear the strong, steady thump of his heartbeat.

During their time ensnared by the Tianjiao sect, they had done far more intimate things countless times, but those moments never included an embrace like this. It was as if this closeness was more intimate than intimacy itself, a boundary Xie Ju’an had never dared to cross.

Until this very moment.

Jiang Xuening wasn’t used to being so close to someone, to such an intimate posture. But Xie Ju’an’s embrace was so careful, even trembling faintly, almost imperceptibly.

In the end, she didn’t resist.

After a moment, she gradually relaxed.

Xie Wei said, “You are mine.”

Jiang Xuening pressed her lips together, silent.

Xie Wei gazed at her, pondering for a while before smiling: “Then I am yours.”

Hearing this, Jiang Xuening found him absurd and childish. She knew arguing with him would lead nowhere and might even entangle her further, so she chose not to respond. A faint smile curved her lips, and she slowly closed her eyes.

Xie Wei took her silence as agreement.

He looked out the window, where spring blossoms swayed gently in the breeze and sunlight. In the past, he had never once felt they held such vibrant life. Every flower, every leaf was distinct, like the silent flow of time, making him keenly aware of his ordinary existence in this mundane world.

After a long while, he said, “I’ll take it as your promise. You can’t go back on it, and you can’t abandon me.”

Jiang Xuening lay quietly in his arms.

When Xie Wei didn’t hear a response, he looked down and realized the little liar had fallen asleep. Stunned for a moment, he couldn’t help but chuckle. But as his gaze shifted, he noticed the faint shadow of exhaustion under her eyelids.

How much had she thought, how long had she stayed awake, to finally walk into this room and say those words to him?

His heart felt heavy.

A thousand emotions piled up, yet he could find no outlet to release them. He wanted to hold her tighter, to crush her into his very bones, but he feared the slightest force might wake her.

His arms held the strength of a thousand pounds.

Yet when they touched her, they carried only a restrained, enduring gentleness.

In the end, Xie Wei couldn’t hold back. His lashes trembled faintly, and he leaned down to place a soft kiss on her brow.

There was no turbid, tense desire.

Only a deep, burning passion.

Their silhouettes overlapped by the window, scattered sunlight falling on her hair, her soft dark strands spilling over his drooping sleeves. It was as if a calm, gentle rainbow glowed after a storm, exuding an unspoken tenderness as they leaned into each other.

When Lu Xian arrived, the courtyard was silent.

Jian Shu stood guard outside.

Lu Xian glanced at the closed door, frowning as he asked, “We agreed on the end of the afternoon hour. I waited there for ages—why didn’t your master show up?”

Jian Shu lowered his voice: “Miss Ning is inside.”

Lu Xian fell silent.

Though the place was quiet and the door shut, Xie Wei could hear Lu Xian’s voice. He gently set Jiang Xuening down, placing a soft pillow under her head and moving a small table aside. Though it was late spring, he worried she might catch a chill sleeping like this, so he pulled a thin blanket from the other side of the luohan bed, carefully covering her and tucking in the edges.

Her sleeping face was truly beautiful.

Xie Wei stood by the bed, gazing at her vibrant lips, suddenly reminded of the ruby-like cherries peeking from lush green leaves outside the Qingyu Hall in his childhood home. Unable to resist, he leaned down and kissed her again.

When he emerged from the room, he said nothing, only turning to close the door gently. To Xiao Bao nearby, he said, “Keep watch. Don’t let anyone disturb her.”

Xiao Bao replied softly, “Yes.”

Lu Xian didn’t speak immediately. He walked with Xie Wei out of the courtyard, and only when they were far enough away did he say, “As per your instructions, everything’s been mostly dealt with.”

Xie Wei donned a crane cloak.

As he stepped out of the courtyard, the deep calm and warmth from before vanished like clouds scattered by the wind. His eyes lowered, cold and indifferent: “None killed?”

Lu Xian said, “Three took their own lives. Tough bones.”

Xie Wei’s ink-dark brows didn’t even twitch. He only said, “As long as they’re not all dead, they’re still useful.”

The Tianjiao sect, being a martial faction, naturally faced frequent conflicts, whether against outsiders or within its ranks. A place was needed for such matters, but since the court banned private punishment and they couldn’t act openly, they used dungeons.

Dark, cramped, damp, and oppressive.

When Xie Wei arrived, the ground beneath his feet had been washed clean, spotless. If not for the faint smell of blood lingering in the air and the pale bloodstains in the crevices of the walls, no one would have guessed the brutal scenes that had unfolded in this dungeon over the past two days.

The helmsmen and hall masters under Wan Xiuzi’s command were all chained to the walls, blood still dripping from their wounds.

Many were barely clinging to life.

Some still had strength left. Hearing footsteps, one lifted his head, saw Xie Wei, and roared with bloodshot eyes, “Traitor! Du Jun, you dog! If you’ve got the guts, release me, and we’ll settle this fair and square!”

A soldier nearby lashed out with an iron whip, leaving another bloody gash on the man’s already ruined body. The whip’s tip even grazed his eye, making him look even more grotesque.

Xie Wei paused, glancing over without recognizing the man. He asked Jian Shu, “Who’s he?”

Jian Shu looked and said, “Lu Tai.”

Xie Wei studied him for a moment, deeming him unnecessary, and said flatly, “Cut off his limbs and feed him to the dogs.”

He continued forward.

Soon, horrific screams echoed behind him.

The dungeon’s bloody stench grew thicker.

In the innermost cell, Wan Xiuzi heard the chilling screams, his teeth nearly chattering. Chained to the wall, he had little room to move.

Yet his body bore few wounds.

These past days, he was the only one in the dungeon spared from torture. But this brought him no relief—only a deeper, sharper fear. Day after day, listening to the others’ tormented cries, he felt as if he were roasting in a cauldron, unable to sleep, dreading the day it would be his turn.

He knew this was deliberate torment.

The sound of approaching footsteps grew closer.

His trembling intensified, the chains clinking faintly. His cloudy, aged eyes fixed on the right side of the corridor.

Xie Wei finally appeared.

No longer the frail seven-year-old in a prince’s robe, he had become a terrifying monster over the past twenty years, a demon lurking within the Tianjiao sect, silently raising a butcher’s blade to Wan Xiuzi’s throat!

In that moment, Wan Xiuzi was even furious.

Gripping the chains tightly, he lunged forward, glaring with venom, as if he could strangle Xie Wei and undo the mistake born of a single misjudgment!

But he couldn’t break free.

His hatred surged, a guttural roar escaping his throat: “I should’ve killed you back then, left you to freeze with those three hundred righteous children in the snow! Better that than raising a tiger to ruin me, falling into your hands! I saved your life! I saved your life!”

Jian Shu pulled over a chair, wiped off the dust, and placed it behind Xie Wei.

Xie Wei flicked his sleeve and sat down.

Unmoved by Wan Xiuzi’s words, he waved a hand lightly.

Two soldiers stepped forward, pinning Wan Xiuzi down.

He struggled wildly.

But he couldn’t break free.

On a filthy long table against the wall, a row of slender iron nails, each as thick as a finger, was neatly arranged, next to a hammer still stained with blood.

Jian Shu stepped forward and picked up a nail.

Sensing what was coming, Wan Xiuzi’s pupils shrank. Where was the dignity of the Tianjiao sect leader from days ago? He screamed hoarsely, “What are you doing? Release me!”

His hands were pressed firmly against the wall.

Jian Shu stood before him, aligning the long iron nail with Wan Xiuzi’s palm, hammering it slowly, deeply into flesh and bone, piercing through entirely and embedding into the wall behind!

The excruciating pain made Wan Xiuzi scream, his body convulsing as if in spasms. For a moment, his struggles were fierce, but the two soldiers held him fast.

Then came the second nail, the third…

Blood gushed down, nail after nail, until his palms were nearly filled with them!

By the third nail, he could no longer bear it, begging Xie Wei, whom he had just cursed: “Spare me! For the sake of sparing you back then, spare me! Take whatever you want! The Tianjiao sect—do you want it? And the vast sums in the banks! I know about the remnants of Prince Pingnan’s faction! Don’t you want to be emperor? To take revenge on the court? Spare me, spare me, ah—”

Nearby, someone set up a small table, offering freshly brewed tea.

Xie Wei took a sip.

His left hand, still wrapped in silk, throbbed with pain.

Looking up at Wan Xiuzi, he stared at the bloodied, nail-ridden palms, feeling nothing. He scoffed, “The Tianjiao sect? A bunch of useless drunks and gluttons. If they were capable, you wouldn’t be here. Give it to me? They’re not even worth the grain to feed them. You really think highly of yourself.”

Wan Xiuzi could no longer struggle.

His hands had no space left for more nails.

He hung on the wall, barely alive, unable to speak.

The gruesome scene was chilling to behold.

Yet Xie Wei seemed oblivious, setting down the teacup and rising. He approached slowly, a dark glint passing through his deep eyes, tinged with a strange, merciful pity.

He said, “But you did spare me back then, which counts as half a favor.”

Wan Xiuzi was on the verge of passing out.

A splash of cold water jolted him awake.

Hearing Xie Wei’s words, despite knowing it was impossible, he grasped at the sliver of hope in his desperation, staring at him intently.

A strange smile curved Xie Wei’s lips as he said slowly, “Didn’t you want to be emperor? I’ll give you a chance, a path to live.”

Wan Xiuzi trembled violently.

Xie Wei’s eyes lowered, his voice soft as he continued, “The Tianjiao sect is still yours, the righteous army is yours. March north— the dragon throne awaits at the pinnacle of the Forbidden City.”

In that instant, Wan Xiuzi felt every hair on his body stand on end!

As a cunning old schemer, how could he not understand Xie Wei’s words?

Yet he had no choice—

Leave this place, fight across the vast world, and there might be a slim chance of survival. Otherwise, today would be his end, body and head parted!

—

All the captured Tianjiao sect leaders, including Wan Xiuzi, were released by Xie Wei.

No one knew why.

But half a month after Wan Xiuzi’s release, the Tianjiao sect’s righteous army, which had fallen silent, regrouped and surged north like madmen! They seized cities and strongholds with reckless abandon, piling up lives and blood without regard for consequences!

The world was in chaos, warlords vying for power.

The court issued an edict to suppress the rebellion.

The Xinzhou border army, fresh from victory over the Tatars, rallied under Yan Lin, the heir of the former Marquis Yongyi, proclaiming they acted on the princess’s decree. They raised the banner of loyalty to the throne, gathering forces from Xinzhou and Huangzhou to crush the Tianjiao sect and defend the court!

The Tianjiao army fought ahead, while the “loyalist” forces pursued. Often, the Tianjiao sect would exhaust countless lives to capture a city, only for the pursuing troops to arrive at its gates before they could catch their breath.

Unable to fight back, they could only flee north.

Fighting as they fled, fleeing as they fought, they were like a starved wolf released from a cage, terrified of recapture, scrambling forward in a frenzy for that slim chance of survival!

The hunter trailed behind, unhurried.

They claimed the cities the Tianjiao sect abandoned, pacified the disturbed populace, and occupied half the land without losing a single soldier, winning countless hearts.

The Shen dynasty teetered on the brink.

In less than five months, the desperate Tianjiao army reached Zhili, their swords aimed at the capital!

Close behind was Xie Wei’s so-called “loyalist” army.

Even at this critical moment, with the capital as fragile as a stack of eggs, some naively believed the Xinzhou army was truly coming to defend the throne. Led by the revered Grand Tutor Xie Wei, they would join the capital’s 80,000 imperial guards to crush the Tianjiao rebels!

Little did they know—

The butcher’s blade for the deer was already raised in the shadows!

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