Chapter 85 Let You Go
It was midsummer, but the climate in Wuyun was cooler than in Xianling, hot during the day and cold at night. It was said that this was the place where the goddess ascended to heaven, and the people were blessed by the gods. The men were brave and virile, and the women were naturally beautiful. It was quite famous among the four countries.
The Goddess City was bustling with activity that day, but suddenly a group of strange outsiders came. They had swords on their waists and looked impressive. In the middle of them was a nobleman in a black robe, who was so handsome that people would believe he was a god who had descended to earth.
"Sir, should we submit a letter to the king of Wuyun, or do it secretly..."
Before Liu Xuan finished speaking, Lu Yan waved his hand and said, "No hurry, go find an inn first. I'm going to do some things by myself, you don't have to follow me."
Liu Xuan heard the order and said, "Then please be more careful, young master."
As soon as he finished speaking, he led the attendants behind him and dispersed, disappearing without a trace in an instant. This was the good thing about Jin Wuwei, he was obedient. If it was Eunuch He, he would definitely not agree to let him wander around the streets alone.
Lu Yan had specially changed into a brocade robe before coming, and he looked like a young man from a wealthy family. He walked to one of the stalls, picked up a katydid made of bamboo strips, and asked, "Old man, how much is this?"
The old man said, "This katydid is very hard to weave, and it costs five cents each, while the small one next to it only costs two cents."
Lu Yan took out the money and paid the bill, then asked casually, "Old man, I have been away doing business and have not been back to Wuyun for several years. I heard that Prince Yuzhang has ascended the throne. Is that true?"
The old man stroked his beard and said, "This is known to all four countries, so it must be true."
Lu Yan asked again: "Which lord in the court is more favored by the emperor now?"
The old man smiled and said, "Of course it's Prime Minister Shang. He went to Xianling with His Majesty as a hostage. The two of them shared hardships together. I heard that His Majesty gave him a lot of gold and silver mansions after he came back. Look, the first one on East Street is the Prime Minister's Mansion. It's very magnificent, even more luxurious than the prince's mansion."
Lu Yan looked in the direction the old man pointed, not knowing what he was thinking. After a moment, he came to his senses and said, "Thank you."
I mean this from the bottom of my heart.
After nightfall, the streets were empty, with only the guards in charge of the imperial city's security patrolling back and forth. A dark figure quickly leaped across the rooftops, evading their sight, and finally disappeared into a mansion. The plaque outside clearly read three words:
Prime Minister's Mansion.
Lu Yan was wearing a nightgown and leaning against a tree to hide his body. His eyes swept across the neatly arranged rooftops below, and finally he accurately identified the main house in the middle. He tapped his toes lightly and landed silently on the roof.
It was now the Yin hour, the time when people are most sleepy. Lu Yan quietly lifted the tiles and saw that the room was dim, the bed curtains were half-drawn, and a red coat was draped on the screen beside him. It seemed that Shang Junnian had already fallen asleep.
Lu Yan's breathing was stagnant, and he inexplicably felt more timid as he was getting closer to home. Finally, he restored the tiles, pried open the window, and sneaked into the house quietly.
The moon shines through the flower-covered window, and the cicadas’ chirping gradually fades away.
Through the half-drawn gauze curtain, Shang Junnian's face was a little blurry, making people feel that he was a little thinner than before. He seemed to be hiding countless worries. Even in his sleep, his brows were wrinkled and his breathing was rapid and uneasy.
In the previous life, Shang Jun died in his arms with full of regrets. Until now, Lu Yan could not forget the sight of him covered in blood. In that Buddhist temple filled with incense, in front of the late emperor's spirit tablet, he was pierced through the heart by thousands of arrows, and his body gradually grew cold.
The Shang Junnian in front of him was so vivid that Lu Yan could even hear his breathing, see his eyelashes trembling slightly because of the nightmare, and the heart in his chest was beating strongly.
A living Shang Junnian...
Lu Yan subconsciously reached out his hand, as if trying to smooth out the furrow between his brows. His eyes inadvertently moved downwards, but he saw an inch-long scar on the man's neck, and his movements stopped there—
He had never seen such a wound on Shang Junnian, let alone a fatal wound at the throat.
Lu Yan frowned and carefully lifted Shang Junnian's collar, trying to see if he was seeing things. However, his fingertips actually touched the uneven scar.
Warm, rough, deadly...
Lu Yan was so absorbed in his thoughts that he did not notice that the person who was sleeping on the bed had quietly opened his eyes. When he came to his senses, his neck was already tightly gripped by a cold, thin hand, and a feeling of suffocation instantly filled his brain.
Shang Junnian was always alert when sleeping, so how could he not react at all when being touched? He saw the man with a black cloth covering his face, and he attacked him as fast as lightning. Lu Yan struggled reflexively, and the two of them started fighting in this not-so-small room.
Shang Junnian took the Blood Toad Pill and sought treatment from famous doctors. Although his martial arts skills had not recovered to their peak, they had reached 50% to 60%. In addition, Lu Yan deliberately avoided him, and the fight was evenly matched for a while.
With the moonlight outside the flower window, Shang Junnian suddenly caught a glimpse of a dragon eye-sized ghost ball hanging around the black-clothed man's waist. His pupils suddenly shrank: "Who are you?!"
Hearing this, Lu Yan tapped his toes and quickly withdrew from the battle circle. He knew his identity was exposed, so he simply took off the black cloth covering his face, revealing a very familiar face. He looked at Shang Junnian and said in a low voice:
"Master Prime Minister, are you okay?"
Boom——!
Shang Junnian was suddenly struck by lightning and his mind went blank.
At this moment, the guards outside heard the fighting sound coming from the house, and immediately rushed in with torches and surrounded the yard.
The head guard shouted from afar through the closed door:
"Mr. Prime Minister, I just heard a fight coming from inside the house. I'm afraid a thief may have sneaked in. Are you okay?!"
"Bang--!"
A teacup was suddenly thrown against the door, fragments flying everywhere, and Shang Junnian's cold and furious voice came from inside the house: "Thief? If there really is a thief, he would have been killed by the time you guys got here!"
The chief guard was startled. This prime minister was usually gloomy and taciturn, and rarely showed his emotions. He didn't know why he suddenly got angry. He asked again as if to confirm, "Sir, are you really okay?"
In return, he received an angry rebuke from Shang Junnian:
"Get out!"
The guards in the courtyard retreated like a tide, and silence returned to the courtyard. However, it was no match for the dead silence in the house. The air was stagnant and almost suffocating.
"Lu, Yan?"
After a long time, Shang Junnian uttered the name again, inevitably with a bit of hatred. He quietly clenched his hands hidden in his sleeves, his nails digging into his palms. The sharp pain finally made him sober up a little, and his eyes could not hide his sinisterness: "Who asked you to come here?"
No, he still couldn't believe that the person in front of him was Lu Yan. Zhui Ling had clearly said that a person who had captured souls would never be able to have his soul return!
Lu Yan had a complicated mind, but smiled faintly and said, "I saw that Wu Yun sent a letter to the country specifically asking for me. After thinking it over, I decided to come here myself to save the Prime Minister the trouble."
Shang Junnian sneered and said, "I have seen many people who want to live, but this is the first time I have seen someone who wants to die!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly drew out the sword on the bedside, and the sword light was cold, stabbing straight towards Lu Yan's throat. The latter did not dodge or evade, but closed his eyes as if he was ready to be killed. However, after a long time, the imagined pain did not appear.
“…”
Lu Yan opened his eyes and saw that the tip of the sword stopped only half an inch away from him. Looking closely, he saw that it was still trembling slightly. He didn't know whether it was because the swordsman couldn't hold the sword steadily or for some other reason.
Shang Junnian's eyes turned red with anger: "Aren't you afraid of death?!"
Lu Yan smiled slightly: "If I was afraid of death, I would not come. I should stay in Xianling now."
When he finished speaking, he suddenly took a step forward. Shang Junnian subconsciously put away his sword. Seeing this, Lu Yan took another step forward. Shang Junnian retreated step by step and was finally forced into a corner by him.
Lu Yan's eyes seemed to have regained their former clarity and brightness. Under the dim moonlight, they seemed to be filled with some deeper, incomprehensible emotions. He stared at Shang Junnian and asked in a low voice, "Do you still hate me?"
Hate, of course I hate, how can I not hate? !
Shang Junnian had experienced the feeling of falling from a great height to the bottom of the valley too many times. The worst experience was undoubtedly caused by Lu Yan. However, he did not want to show too much hatred, as that would make it seem that he cared too much.
For some reason, Shang Junnian clearly suspected that this Lu Yan was a fake, but when he heard these words, he suddenly felt a soreness in his throat, and even the wound in his throat that had long since healed began to ache.
Shang Junnian closed his eyes expressionlessly, and finally chuckled: "Hate?"
"You're going to be a prisoner soon, why should I hate you?"
Lu Yan paused and said, "Jun Nian, whether you believe it or not, when I was killed by Zhui Ling in the suburbs of Beijing, I don't know what method he used to take away my soul and let an evil spirit take over my body. It was not until last month that I was accidentally pushed down the stairs by King Nanxun and hit my head that I woke up."
"I don't know what happened in the past year, and it was not my intention to hurt you. Do you want to believe me?"
Lu Yan knew that this matter was too bizarre. Although the ancients believed in gods when they offered sacrifices, when something strange and supernatural really happened, few people were willing to believe it.
Shang Junnian did not react at all when he heard this. After a heart-stopping silence, he suddenly asked softly, "Lu Yan, do you think I believe it?!"
Lu Yan lowered his eyes and looked at him: "If you don't believe me, just kill me with your sword."
Shang Junnian: “…”
He slowly clenched his fingertips, gave an ambiguous laugh, and said word by word: "Okay, since you want to die so much, I will grant your wish!"
Shang Junnian attacked Lu Yan without warning, but the latter just dodged and did not fight back. After they exchanged dozens of moves, Lu Yan suddenly used a double grab to strangle Shang Junnian's wrist, then lowered his head and kissed him in the dark.
Lu Yan pried open Shang Junnian's teeth almost roughly, and the latter angrily strangled his neck. The deeper Lu Yan's kiss, the heavier the force on his neck, giving this kiss a strong sense of death.
The suffocation of death is so addictive.
Shang Junnian had clearly learned martial arts, but at this moment he seemed like an ordinary person. He bit Lu Yan's lips hard and struggled violently, but he seemed to have no strength left and could not break free. In the end, he was held by Lu Yan and stumbled onto the bed.
The brocade quilt was embroidered with intricate patterns in gold thread. It was soft yet rough, causing a shudder when it rubbed against the skin.
Lu Yan grabbed Shang Junnian's wrist and stripped off his white pajamas. He gave her a dense stream of warm kisses on her neck and ears, his voice unclear: "How I treat you, don't you feel it? That person wasn't me, don't you feel it either?"
His heart is not fake.
The blood toad pill that I had tried so hard to obtain was not fake.
If you are really heartless, why would you put so much effort into it?
The Lu Yan in front of him looked familiar to Shang Junnian. He raised his head weakly, his eyes suddenly felt sour for some reason, and he was even afraid that he was dreaming.
In the darkness, Shang Junnian's struggle gradually weakened for unknown reasons, and he finally calmed down. Only his eyes were wide open, staring blankly at the tent above his head.
Lu Yan thought that the other party had figured it out, and he kissed his cheek tenderly, then gradually moved down to the wound on his neck, slowly interlocking their fingers: "Jun Nian, have I ever been willing to touch you in the past? It was not me who hurt you, and I will never hurt you."
Shang Junnian finally looked at him after hearing this and asked without any emotion, "Really?"
Lu Yan: “Naturally…”
Before he could finish his words, his body suddenly stiffened, and he fell down heavily, being knocked unconscious by Shang Junnian's palm.
When he woke up the next morning, Lu Yan was tied up on the bed. The whole room was empty and Shang Junnian was nowhere to be seen.
“…”
Lu Yan lay on the bed, his mind confused for a moment. He thought that Shang Junnian might believe in him or not, but what was the situation now?
Lu Yan turned over in bed and tried to break the rope, but found it was made of cow tendon. The more he tried, the tighter it became. Finally, he gave up. He looked around and found a celadon teacup on the corner of the table. He was about to use the fragments to cut the rope, but the noise of the cup breaking was so loud that it attracted attention from outside.
“Squeak—”
A maid in pink shirt pushed the door open and walked in. Seeing this, she quickly stepped forward to clean up the debris and was quite respectful to Lu Yan:
"Sir, you want to drink some water, do you need my help?"
When Lu Yan saw someone coming, he frowned and asked, "Where is the Prime Minister of Shang?"
The maid smiled and covered her lips. "Of course the Prime Minister has gone to the morning court, and he won't be back for a while. But he has said that if you want anything, just tell me."
Lu Yan: "Is it okay if you let me go after I'm tight?"
The maid shook her head in embarrassment: "The Prime Minister has also ordered that no one can untie the prince without his permission."
Guessed it.
Lu Yan could only be thankful that Shang Junnian didn't throw him into prison or the woodshed. He sat back on the bed, ate two pieces of cake with the help of the maid, and drank half a cup of tea: "When will the prime minister leave the court?"
The maid glanced at the dim sky and said, "It's hard to say. If there is nothing serious, he will be back at noon. If there is something urgent that cannot be discussed in a short time, His Majesty may ask the Prime Minister to stay in the palace for lunch."
Lu Yan couldn't help but feel a little worried. Now that the three kingdoms were about to attack, he was still anxious to persuade Wu Yun to withdraw his troops. He was really careless yesterday. How could he be fooled by Shang Junnian? "If the prime minister comes back from court, remember to tell me. I have something important to tell him."
The maid bowed and said, "Don't worry, sir. I will remember to pass on the message."
Recently, the court had been arguing endlessly about the attack on the immortals, and the court was not adjourned until noon. Shang Junnian rejected Zhao Yuzhang's kindness in inviting him to have a meal in the palace, and went directly back to his mansion in a carriage.
The maidservant saw from afar a thin figure in a purple official robe approaching, and hurriedly stepped forward to greet him: "This servant has met the Prime Minister."
Shang Junnian glanced at the tightly closed door, his dark eyes wondering what he was thinking: "Is he making trouble after waking up?"
This "he" naturally refers to Lu Yan.
The maid shook her head and said, "The young master was not making any noise. He woke up early, ate some cakes and went back to sleep. He said he had something urgent to tell you. Please make sure to see him after you leave the court."
Shang Junnian retracted his gaze: "No need to say anything, just keep it closed."
After he finished speaking, he turned around and left, going directly to the side hall to change his clothes. After coming out, he walked towards the direction of the torture room, not allowing anyone to follow him.
Shang Junnian had never been to the torture chamber so often. Every time Zhui Ling was tortured, he had to rest for at least half a month before his life was saved, otherwise he would have died long ago. However, there were some things in his heart that urgently needed to be verified, and he could not wait even a moment longer.
The dungeon was dark and the smell of blood was pungent.
Shang Junnian held the dagger against the bloody wound on Zhui Ling's waist. He lowered his eyes slightly, hiding the anger inside, as if thinking about how to cut off another piece of meat:
"Didn't you say that a person who captures souls will never be able to return to the body? How come Lu Yan's soul has come back?!"
Zhui Ling was speechless, and a horrified cry came out of his throat. He didn't understand why Shang Junnian suddenly asked such a nonsensical question. How could Lu Yan's soul return to the body after he had taken it away?!
Shang Junnian sighed slowly, and suddenly felt a little regretful for pouring a bunch of broken silver needles into the opponent's mouth, which made him unable to ask questions now. With an expressionless face, he slowly stabbed the tip of the knife into Zhui Ling's body, and said lightly amid the opponent's screams of pain:
"I'm asking, you just need to nod or shake your head, do you understand?"
Zhui Ling nodded desperately, wishing he could die immediately.
Shang Junnian asked word by word: "If his soul has returned, will it suddenly disappear again one day?"
“…”
Zhui Ling was clearly howling in pain, but Shang Junnian could only hear a dead silence. All he could hear was the other party shaking his head in pain, and the unclear and difficult words in his throat:
"will not……"
"I am the only one in the world who can capture souls..."
"I... won't do anything..."
"No one...can capture his...soul..."
“Sizzle!!”
It was the sound of the knife tip piercing through the cloth and piercing the heart. The boiling red blood spurted out without warning, making the bloody smell above the dungeon even stronger. Zhui Ling suddenly widened his eyes and looked at the man in front of him who suddenly attacked him in disbelief. His body twitched for a moment, and finally ended this purgatory-like suffering.
After death, hearing is the last thing to disappear.
The man's lips curled slightly, and a deep voice echoed in the air. The tail sound gradually dissipated, inexplicably making people feel cold in their hearts:
"Really? Then it would be more reassuring for me if you died."
It would be more reassuring if anyone who might have taken him away were dead.
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