Chapter 95 Just a Pawn 14
In the illusion, Ren Yi takes on the identity of a prince, a prince of a fallen kingdom, whose circumstances are naturally not good.
This body had not eaten or drunk anything for an unknown period of time, and had just been tortured. It was numb to pain and thirst, and only the cold of impending death remained.
Ren Yi suspected that he had directly fallen into the scene before the remnant soul died.
So... Xuanwei is worried that he can't resolve his obsession, so he's deliberately coming here to get himself killed?
Due to his physical condition, Ren Yi's vision was blurred and his mind was a little dizzy. He could only feel his arm being supported. The person seemed to be trying to carefully avoid his injuries, but his body was already covered in wounds and there was not a single good piece of flesh. The person could only lift him up with very light force.
Ren Yi heard the other person say something, but his ears were ringing and he couldn't make out what was said. However, he heard someone behind him shout in terror, "Your Majesty!" It seemed that the person who had come was the enemy who had destroyed the prince's country.
This is not surprising; a prince of a fallen kingdom would have no one else to hate.
Unlike the deathly coldness of the body Ren Yi was currently occupying, Xuan Wei's body was warm. However, this warmth felt like a burning pain to Ren Yi's current perception.
Even the hottest human body temperature couldn't possibly be this hot. It's clearly not a real sensation; it's just an illusion created by the remnant soul amidst a complex mix of intense emotions—hatred, murderous intent, and fear.
Now that they were so close, Ren Yi was even more certain that Xuan Wei had come to offer himself up for execution. However, he had no sharp weapons at hand; even his fingernails had been ripped off. Although Xuan Wei had picked him up, she hadn't offered him any weapons. This was understandable, given they were in an illusion. If Xuan Wei went too far and did something completely contrary to her character, the illusion would lose its plausibility and likely collapse, making it impossible to dispel the lingering obsession of the remnant soul.
Ren Yi's blurry vision struggled upwards, slowly focusing on his neck above the black and gold collar. He was being held in Xuan Wei's arms, as if he could reach that vital spot with a single hand. But even at that distance, it was still too far for this body that was so weak that it barely had a breath left.
Ren Yi laboriously hooked his arm, trying to get closer. After a slight pause, the person holding him pulled him even closer.
Looking at the neck so close to his eyes, Ren Yi silently thanked Xuan Wei for her cooperation in his heart.
He half-closed his eyes, trying to gather his emotions.
This could have been easily accomplished by simply letting the remnant soul's resentment and murderous intent run rampant. However, because Xuanwei was the one replacing the object of his obsession, Ren Yi had to painstakingly suppress the remnant soul's desperate attempt to escape. Having played various roles for so many years, Ren Yi was actually quite adept at manipulating and amplifying emotions. Before long, the remnant soul's intense hatred gained the upper hand. Under the stimulation of such emotions, the body, which already had little life left, was finally squeezed out of its last bit of strength. Ren Yi struggled forward and bit down hard on the neck in front of him.
Everything seemed to slow down. After a brief silence, he heard terrified shouts not far away. Some were calling names, some were shouting "Protect the Emperor!", and some were sternly ordering him to stop... The noisy sounds made Ren Yi's already buzzing ears even more painful, but he still used all his strength to maintain the biting motion. The gushing blood filled his mouth, and his mouth was filled with the taste of blood. This fishy liquid, which should have made people feel nauseous, made his body, which had not eaten for who knows how long, instinctively swallow.
The moment Ren Yi bit down, Xuan Wei grabbed his neck, but for some reason, he didn't kill him. The body in his arms was so thin and weak that it could be easily pushed away. He even subconsciously loosened his grip after noticing the swallowing motion of the person in his arms.
Ren Yi was also moved by Xuan Wei's cooperation; he had truly sacrificed so much for "Yuan Que"...
Before Ren Yi could finish his thought, he felt a sharp pain in his neck and lost consciousness. Before falling unconscious, Ren Yi was filled with confusion: Wasn't Xuan Wei supposed to be here to be killed? If he knocked him out like this, all his efforts would be wasted!
*
When Ren Yi woke up again, he was still in the same illusion, only the location had changed from the dungeon to a magnificent palace.
His wounds were bandaged, and he didn't feel any burning sensation in his stomach from excessive hunger. It seemed that he had been fed some food and water while he was unconscious.
Ren Yi stared blankly at the familiar patterns on the bed curtains above his head.
This "familiarity" could not possibly be Ren Yi's "familiarity," but rather the "familiarity" of the remnant soul, as this place was where the remnant soul used to live in the palace.
It seemed that because he had arrived at a place where he felt at ease, the intense emotions of the remnant soul calmed down, and Ren Yi finally had the leisure to review what had happened in the dungeon with a slightly calmer attitude.
But after thinking about it for a long time, he still couldn't understand it.
Xuanwei had already come all this way, so why knock him unconscious in the end? Such a good opportunity! If they had just held on a little longer, they could have completely fulfilled the remnant soul's wish!
Ren Yi was completely baffled and was about to discuss it with the system when he heard a "thud" as something fell to the ground. Ren Yi's soul was severely restricted in the illusion, and his perception at this moment was no different from that of an ordinary person, and even more so due to his injuries. Hearing such a loud noise, he finally noticed that someone had entered.
The person who came was a young girl. It seemed that she had not been having a good time lately. Her cheeks, which should have been round, were sunken, and she looked haggard for her age.
The porcelain bowl was smashed at his feet, and the scalding hot medicine splashed onto his clothes and embroidered shoes. The little girl didn't react at all. Her eyes were red and she stared blankly at Ren Yi on the bed. After a long while, she choked out in a trembling voice, "Seventh Prince, you're awake!"
Ren Yi found the other person's name in the remnant soul's memories. She was a palace maid in the original body's palace, just a third-class maid who took care of the courtyard. The remnant soul was not familiar with her, but when they met again in this situation, Ren Yi could feel a subtle touch in his soul.
Following the remnant soul's senses, Ren Yi softly called out, "Xia Lu."
This body's throat also seemed to be injured; the sound that came out was as grating and unpleasant as a metal spoon scraping against a thin porcelain surface. Just two simple words made his throat feel like it was on fire, and a metallic taste of blood welled up in his lungs. Ren Yi hurriedly took deep breaths to barely suppress the urge to cough. If he really coughed now, he didn't know how much his wounds would reopen.
Xia Lu's eyes immediately welled up with tears at that hoarse, soft call, but the palace was not a place where one could cry casually, especially in front of her master. She quickly lowered her head to hold back her tears, but her vision, blurred by tears, caught sight of the medicine bowl lying on the ground. She finally remembered her original purpose and hurriedly knelt down to clean up the mess.
Xia Lu couldn't help but think that if Sister Shuangdiao were here, she would definitely punish her by making her kneel down for being so rash and rude.
Thinking of this, Xia Lu couldn't help but let her tears, which she had just held back, well up again. Compared to the fear of her country being destroyed and her family being destroyed, even the punishments she had received in the past felt warm and comforting.
Xia Lu, suppressing a sob, said, "Your Highness, please forgive me. It was my rudeness. I will go and get you a fresh bowl right away."
The young girl apologized and left, and Ren Yi took advantage of the fact that he was alone to begin sorting through the remnant soul's memories. He had originally thought he could resolve the situation quickly, but the current situation was clearly not so simple, so he could only try to more accurately assess the original owner's predicament.
The remnant soul was originally a prince of the Mu Dynasty in the mortal realm, the seventh in line, named Mu Yuanji.
Born of the Empress, and the Crown Prince's only younger brother, the Seventh Prince was practically raised by his elder brother, the Crown Prince. He was born with a destiny of privilege, destined for a life of visible wealth and honor, and even if the emperor changed, it wouldn't affect his enjoyment of life. However, all of this was predicated on one condition—that the Mu Dynasty would not be destroyed.
When the country fell, the once high-ranking princes immediately became prisoners. There was more than one prince who suffered the loss of his country and family. There were indeed some reasons why Mu Qi became a vengeful ghost.
The one who destroyed the country was a hostage from a vassal state, Mu Qi's childhood friend.
It was this very Seventh Prince who ensured the other's safe return to the country. Before leaving, they bid each other a reluctant farewell and promised to meet again. But Mu Qi never imagined that they would meet again in just a few years. The other party led hundreds of thousands of iron cavalry to trample the capital of the Mu Dynasty, killing his own father, mother, and brother one by one, and even imprisoning himself.
Ren Yi's guess was correct. If he hadn't arrived, that would have been the time when Mu Qi died in prison.
The other members of the Mu royal family all got a quick death, but only Mu Qi, who was delicate and noble and had some connections with the enemy leader, was imprisoned and tortured like this. It must have seemed very strange to outsiders, and even the remnant soul itself could not understand it (although this matter was no longer important to it). However, Ren Yi, who had received the memories, could guess some of the reasons.
Mu Qi felt that he and Ji Jing (who was his enemy who killed his father, mother and brother) were childhood friends with a good relationship. However, after Ren Yi studied Mu Qi's memories, he saw that the latter had deliberately approached him. This friendship was used by Ji Jing from the very beginning, and of course, there was no sincerity involved.
Furthermore, given Mu Qi's vague memory of Ji Jing's arrogant and disdainful attitude, it's easy to guess that Mu Qi must have bullied or taught Ji Jing a lesson in the past, though Mu Qi himself simply doesn't remember. After all, those insignificant figures aren't worth the Seventh Prince's attention. Even if Ji Jing later improved his situation through his relationship with Mu Qi, it's hard to say he had any goodwill towards the latter. After all, given Mu Qi's spoiled nature, very few people could tolerate him, and even unintentionally, Ji Jing suffered countless hardships because of it. Mu Qi was also a very famous and influential figure in the palace, and countless people were envious of Ji Jing's situation. This lonely hostage from a small vassal state probably suffered quite a bit in secret as well.
All these incidents were attributed to Mu Qi, so it was only natural that Ji Jing would hate the Seventh Prince. It was perfectly normal for him to take revenge after gaining power.
However, it was of no use for Ren Yi to understand the cause and effect. After so many years of wear and tear, the remnant soul had little rationality left, only a little bit of unwilling obsession. If it could really be dispelled by reason, it wouldn't be called an "obsession".
In the end, Ren Yi's task was still very clear: to eliminate "Ji Jing" within this illusion.
So the question is, why did Xuanwei knock him unconscious back in the dungeon?!
Ren Yi thought and thought but still couldn't figure it out. However, Xia Lu returned with the medicine again. This time, the girl was pale and the medicine bowl she was holding was trembling because there were other people behind her.
—Ji Jing.
More accurately, it was Xuanwei, who was using Ji Jing's identity.
Although the face used was that of someone from the illusion, the difference between Xuanwei and the original Ji Jing was particularly obvious to those in the know.
Ji Jing endured many hardships in his youth and faced a difficult situation for a long time. Even after he gained power and retaliated against those who had humiliated him, his past experiences inevitably shaped his melancholic temperament. Xuan Wei, on the other hand, was different. After all, he was the Emperor of the Nine Heavens. He simply stood there quietly, possessing both the transcendence of a banished immortal and an aura of majesty that others dared not offend.
For example, right now, Xuanwei raised his hand to wave away the group of people following behind him.
However, Ren Yi, a dangerous individual who had just "assassinated" the emperor, was not someone his attendants trusted to be alone with. Immediately, someone tried to stop them, crying out, "Your Majesty!—"
However, the man had barely uttered half a sentence when Xuanwei glanced at him. The man felt as if he had been nailed to the spot by that not-so-stern gaze, and immediately dared not say another word. He respectfully accepted the order and retreated.
Ren Yi watched as the guards who were protecting Xuan Wei left one by one, and couldn't help but wonder: Is Xuan Wei planning to give him a second chance to assassinate him?
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