Saying he'd spare Mu Yunhe's life was a joke, okay? Mu Yunhe was his number one rival and his greatest enemy. He was vengeful and would never let Mu Yunhe off the hook. He had suffered extreme humiliation while inside Mu Yunhe's body. After taking over Mu Yunhe's body, his first act was to kill Mu Yunhe, completely destroy Mu Yunhe's soul, take revenge, and eliminate his greatest threat.
That way, he can truly rest easy when he conquers the world!
But Mu Yunhe was too clever; he simply vanished without a trace. No matter how much he cursed and provoked him, he couldn't detect a single clue. Had this person simply evaporated? The Great Demon King was still uneasy and said in a vicious tone, "So the Divination Priest is actually a coward! I've truly learned something new today. You were upset about a woman the other day, weren't you? Although I don't know what she looks like, isn't she in your residence? If you don't come out, then I'll have to take care of that woman for you. Mu Yunhe, don't blame me for cuckolding you!"
These words were extremely harsh. After the Great Demon King finished speaking, he felt a sense of tension and alertness throughout his body, but he remained completely calm.
The Great Demon King frowned in thought. Could he have guessed wrong? Mu Yunhe's emotional fluctuations a few days ago weren't due to that woman?
Hmph, trying to conserve your strength? Dream on! I'll find a way to force you out of your predicament. You're at your last gasp now. Even if it's just a matter of time, I'll wear you down!
Having taken over Mu Yunhe's body, the Great Demon King naturally controlled it. He manipulated the body, making it stand up, albeit stiffly, but this did not diminish his excitement. He hadn't had a body for three years; now, that feeling of complete control had finally returned! The Great Demon King laughed three times, his arrogance reaching its peak.
Xiao Xizi stared blankly at his master. Why did his master suddenly seem different? Why did he seem so scary?
"What are you looking at, you fool!" the Great Demon King roared, his eyes wide. But because he was in Mu Yunhe's body, his handsome eyes were even more striking when they widened. The ruthlessness and chilling aura emanating from the Great Demon King's soul, on the contrary, caused a dramatic change in Mu Yunhe's demeanor. Evil, chilling, ruthless, and dark!
Xiao Xizi was glared at by those beautiful eyes, and felt a sharp pain in his eyes, as if his internal organs were being crushed. Terrified, he lowered his head and prostrated himself on the ground, saying, "Master, please calm down. This servant was just worried about you."
"Hmph, what's there to worry about? Humans are just troublesome and deceitful." The Great Demon King sneered, then kicked over a chair beside him. Feeling that this body was too weak, he sneered with dissatisfaction, "He's really weak. He looked pretty good, but I only realized how vulnerable he was after he came in? I was only intimidated by his noble and majestic status before, which is why I thought he was so powerful, right?"
Xiao Xizi couldn't understand what her master was saying at all. What did she mean by humans being troublesome? Wasn't her master human? Forgive me, forgive me, Master, I dare not slander or insult you.
"So, what should I, your current self, do now?" The Great Demon King stared at the empty body of Mu Yunhe, excited and eager to integrate into Mu Yunhe's life, to take over everything from Mu Yunhe—reputation, status, wealth, and even women!
Xiao Xizi quickly said, "It's time for breakfast, then we'll go to court."
The Great Demon King's eyes lit up. Attending court? He'd been accompanying Mu Yunhe to court every day for the past few days, and was used to Mu Yunhe's demeanor at the morning court sessions. He'd also seen that gleaming golden dragon throne countless times, and had long coveted it.
"No need for meals, hurry up and go to court!" The Great Demon King rushed out, but he was not very familiar with the human body. He used to fly or float, so in his haste, he stumbled and fell hard forward.
Little Xizi was dumbfounded. His body reacted faster than his brain, and he lunged forward to cushion the fall of the Great Demon King. The impact nearly made his small body cough up blood.
The Great Demon King was no longer his indestructible body, nor his weightless soul. Now, his body was connected to Mu Yunhe's, and he felt Mu Yunhe's pain as well. Once again sensing the weakness of the human body, he felt even more contempt for Mu Yunhe's physical form. However, Mu Yunhe's body possessed too many resources and a significant identity; he couldn't give it up.
"Damn it, you useless piece of trash!" The Great Demon King wasn't grateful to Xiao Xizi for risking everything to cushion his fall. Instead, he thought Xiao Xizi was useless for failing to catch him and causing him so much pain. After standing up, he kicked Xiao Xizi in the chest, making Xiao Xizi pale and coughing up blood. At that very moment, the Great Demon King felt the soul of the vanished Mu Yunhe fluctuate violently within his body.
The Demon King sneered, "Oh, so you've finally decided to come out? I didn't expect that woman wouldn't let you show yourself, but this little eunuch has caught your attention? You care about him, don't you? I'll make sure you never see him again!"
After saying that, the Great Demon King kicked Xiao Xizi in the chest again. This time, the kick was imbued with his soul power, causing Xiao Xizi to lose all feeling in his body. The Great Demon King seemed very satisfied and left without paying any more attention to Xiao Xizi.
Xiao Xizi stared at Mu Yunhe's retreating figure with a sorrowful and shocked look in his eyes. The pain in his heart reminded him that this was not a dream! His master had really kicked him and seriously injured him!
Why is this happening? Xiao Xizi couldn't help but feel puzzled and saddened. Although his master had never said anything, he knew that his master cared about him, the servant who had grown up with him since childhood. His master had never spoken a harsh word to him, let alone hit him!
Lying on the ground, Xiao Xizi's thoughts gradually became chaotic and blurred. He felt he was about to die, because he could no longer see anything clearly. His head was heavy, his chest ached terribly, and even his breathing was becoming uncontrollable. He had risked his life alongside his master, fighting side by side with his master and the little princess, experiencing countless life-or-death situations. He had survived so many hardships and dangers, but he had never imagined that he would die like this, so suddenly and without reason, kicked to death by his master in his master's room?!
Luo Zhiheng arrived at Mu Yunhe's courtyard, hesitating whether to go in. Would going in cause trouble for Mu Yunhe? But she couldn't suppress her longing. He should be having breakfast at this time, before heading to court. Biting her lip, she hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to go in and find him.
Fortunately, no one stopped her. This was her first time stepping into Mu Yunhe's new courtyard. It was very clean, and there wasn't a single woman in sight. Yes, Mu Yunhe never liked being served by other women; he had the capable and clever Xiao Xizi by his side, after all.
Thinking of this, Luo Zhiheng had no more scruples and felt happy. She quickly walked up the steps, only to find the door open. Before she could even smile and call out to Mu Yunhe, the scene before her eyes made her expression change drastically.
523 Investigation!
Updated: 2013-12-29 22:24:54 Word Count: 3498
"Xiao Xizi?!" Luo Zhiheng exclaimed in disbelief. She saw that Xiao Xizi's chest was slightly concave and blood was flowing out of his mouth. However, Xiao Xizi was completely unresponsive and his eyes were closed, and he was at a loss for whether he was alive or dead.
Luo Zhiheng rushed in, not daring to touch Xiao Xizi's body. She grabbed his wrist to check his pulse, and thank goodness, there was still a pulse! She gently patted Xiao Xizi's face and anxiously called out, "Xiao Xizi? How are you? Open your eyes and look at me. Can you hear me?"
Xiao Xizi struggled to open her eyelids for a moment, then closed them again.
Luo Zhiheng was extremely anxious and rushed to the bedroom to check on him. Xiao Xizi was injured, and Xiao Xizi was Mu Yunhe's closest servant, without exception. Now, the cause of Xiao Xizi's serious injury was unknown. What did this mean? It meant that Mu Yunhe might also be in danger!
A bloody incident occurred early in the morning, and Mu Yunhe ignored Xiao Xizi. Luo Zhiheng couldn't even imagine what would happen to Mu Yunhe.
She searched frantically inside and outside the house, but found no trace of Mu Yunhe. Apart from the wounds and bloodstains on Xiao Xizi's body, the rest of the house was clean, without even any signs of a fight.
Luo Zhiheng was completely stunned!
So clean? Where did Mu Yunhe go? For a split second, only two possibilities came to mind: either Mu Yunhe was taken away or…killed before he could even react; or he went out to chase after that person. But the second possibility was unrealistic. If Mu Yunhe were truly capable of chasing the murderer, he wouldn't have let Xiao Xizi be so badly injured. And Mu Yunhe wouldn't have abandoned the seriously injured Xiao Xizi to chase after the murderer, nor would this courtyard be so peaceful.
Luo Zhiheng's mind was a complete mess; she couldn't understand anything. Her heart was pounding with worry for Mu Yunhe, and her disguised black eyes instantly turned red. Her face beneath the hood was deathly pale and filled with anxiety.
Luo Zhiheng forced herself to calm down. The most important thing now was to save Xiao Xizi. She thought of Prince Shi and Lady Huoyun. The kick to Xiao Xizi's chest looked like something that could only be done by someone with extremely strong internal energy. Only Prince Shi and the others might be able to do something about it.
Luo Zhiheng rushed outside the courtyard, grabbed a maid and said urgently, "Go quickly and find Xi Jin and Madam Huo Yun. Tell them something has happened to Mu Yunhe and that they must come over as soon as possible!"
The maid was a little confused, but she asked very warily, "Who are you? How dare you enter the master's courtyard? And you even dare to call the master by his name? Someone come here! Someone come here! Someone has broken into the master's room."
Upon hearing her exclamation, Luo Zhiheng quickly covered her mouth, angrily saying, "What are you shouting for? You know Xiao Xizi, right? His life or death is uncertain. If you don't hurry up and find Prince Shi and Lady Huoyun, Mu Yunhe will definitely not let you off. I am the woman Mu Yunhe brought out from the backyard yesterday. Mu Yunhe is inside right now. He's the one who told me to come out and call for help. Do you want Mu Yunhe to come out and give you orders personally?"
The maid's expression finally softened upon hearing this. The fact that her master had personally escorted her all the way was already widely known throughout the manor. Now that she was being referred to as the woman from yesterday, it wasn't surprising that she had seen Luo Zhiheng in Mu Yunhe's courtyard. Without further hesitation, the maid hurriedly ran towards the Prince's courtyard.
Luo Zhiheng anxiously stayed by Xiao Xizi's side, her mind filled with thoughts of where Mu Yunhe was and how he was doing. Could it be the soul entity that followed Mu Yunhe that did it? Why was he suddenly so high-profile? He even dared to injure Xiao Xizi. Had that soul entity already confronted Mu Yunhe?
Amidst her jumbled thoughts, the steady, familiar footsteps approached. Luo Zhiheng abruptly looked up and saw a stunningly beautiful woman, bathed in the rising sunlight, gracefully come to a stop. Her features were as exquisite as ever, but her composure now carried an added air of authority. The King remained as beautiful and proud as ever.
Following behind the King were Lady Fire Cloud and the reluctant Poison Saint.
"What happened? What happened to Mu Yunhe again?" The King's voice came first, hoarse and low, clearly sad, no longer as unrestrained as it was three years ago.
The moment Luo Zhiheng heard this, tears welled up in her eyes. It was her aunt, the person who had been so kind to her three years ago. Reuniting after three years apart felt like a lifetime had passed. She was extremely anxious, but she could only keep her voice steady and say in an orderly manner, "When I arrived here, I saw this scene. Xiao Xizi is now seriously injured, and Mu Yunhe... is missing."
The King paused as he stepped across the threshold, his sharp gaze landing on Luo Zhiheng's veil, his voice equally cold: "Who are you? Who allowed you to come in?"
Luo Zhiheng suppressed the urge to throw herself into the Prince's arms and pour out the pain of the past three years. She fiercely suppressed the sob that was about to burst out of her throat and said tremblingly, "My name is Xun Jun. I came to thank you. I came in because I saw that the courtyard gate was not closed, but this is what I saw. Please, Your Highness, save Xiao Xizi."
The woman's voice was strange, and her words were quite suspicious. She didn't seem inferior or frightened upon seeing her, and she called herself "Little Xizi" instead of "Manager Xi." The Queen's gaze sharpened even more. If she hadn't sensed no murderous intent or sinister aura from this woman, she would have definitely killed her with a single blow.
"Get out, this is none of your business." The King coldly gave the order, and before Luo Zhiheng could leave, he said to Huo Yun, "Quickly go and check on Xiao Xizi."
Luo Zhiheng did not leave. She simply stepped out of the room and waited quietly to the side. She was worried about Xiao Xizi and hoped that Madam Huoyun could wake Xiao Xizi up quickly so that she could find out Mu Yunhe's whereabouts.
The King ignored Luo Zhiheng and raised his voice, "Guards, come out! Your master is not here, so my words are your master's words. Now I'm telling you to come out."
A dark figure suddenly appeared in the quiet courtyard. Luo Zhiheng raised an eyebrow; she really hadn't expected Mu Yunhe to have hidden guards. It was all her fault for being too hasty earlier. But even if she had, the guards probably wouldn't have listened to her anyway. Fortunately, the Prince remained calm.
"Your Highness." The guard's voice was cold but neither humble nor arrogant; he did not kneel before the prince.
The King said coldly, "What exactly happened here? Why was Steward Xi injured and why are you all doing nothing? Where is your master? Have bandits infiltrated?"
The guard replied, "Your Highness, no bandits entered. The master is fine and has already gone to the morning court. The reason I didn't intervene in the matter of Steward Xi is because the person who seriously injured Steward Xi was the master himself. Since the master did not specifically instruct me to treat Steward Xi when he left, I dared not act on my own."
The guard's words shocked everyone, and Luo Zhiheng looked up in disbelief. How could Mu Yunhe have injured Xiao Xizi and then abandoned him? Although they were master and servant, Mu Yunhe treated Xiao Xizi better than a brother. During Mu Yunhe's darkest years, besides the old princess, only Xiao Xizi stayed by his side, serving him wholeheartedly and devotedly.
The Queen thought so too. She slammed her hand on the table and stood up angrily, saying, "Nonsense! Your Steward Xi has been by your master's side for so many years, and your master has never treated him like this. How could he possibly be so violent? Besides, does Mu Yunhe have the ability to kick someone so hard that their muscles collapse?"
"This humble servant dares not conceal anything, please Your Highness investigate thoroughly." The guard was quite upright and fearless.
The King's gaze quickly swept over Xiao Xizi beside him, sensing something amiss. She had been grieving the loss of Luo Zhiheng and Luo Ningshuang's scheming lately, but now she seemed to have regained her spirits. She ordered her guards, "Investigate immediately: when did Your Excellency leave today, and where are you now? Report back quickly."
After the guards left to carry out their orders, the king asked the secret guard, "You were watching from the side today, did your master do anything wrong?"
"This humble servant dares not speak ill of our master." The guard was somewhat apprehensive at this moment.
The King roared, "I didn't tell you to speak recklessly, I told you to tell the truth! I'm warning you, no matter how noble Mu Yunhe's status is, he still has to respectfully call me 'Aunt' in front of me. Even though your mistress is gone, Luo Zhiheng will never be forgotten in your master's heart. If you try to play tricks on me, I have plenty of ways to deal with you! Tell me, has Mu Yunhe acted strangely today? I'm warning you, if you dare not answer truthfully, you will also harm your master."
Luo Zhiheng sighed. Her aunt was truly formidable; a few words were all it took to keep the situation under control. However, she longed to burst into tears. If she had had such a strong aunt by her side three years ago, supporting and protecting her, she might not have suffered so much back then.
The guard hesitated slightly before replying, "Master said some very strange things, as if he were talking to himself or someone else. But I was too far away and dared not eavesdrop, so I didn't hear clearly."
These few words alone caused Luo Zhiheng's expression to change drastically. Who was Mu Yunhe talking to? It must be that soul entity!
That's right! Maybe Mu Yunhe didn't hit Xiao Xizi intentionally, but rather it was that wretched soul causing trouble! What should we do? Could it be that Mu Yunhe's soul has already been devoured by that soul, just as the demoness said?!
The Prince frowned, unable to figure it out. The atmosphere became somewhat tense. Lady Huoyun walked over and said, "Your Highness, Xiao Xizi's injuries are serious. He was kicked twice, with the second kick being the most severe and likely aimed to kill him."
The king's expression changed, and he couldn't help but suspect Mu Yunhe. The moment he looked up, he saw Luo Zhiheng standing outside the door, and called out, "The person outside, come in."
It's past midnight, that's all for today. It's already very late, and my computer keeps crashing. Oh well, goodnight, my darlings.
524 Siblings Discuss! The Luo Family's Darling!
Updated: 2013-12-31 14:55:39 Word Count: 7855
Upon hearing the summons, Luo Zhiheng naturally wanted to come in and greet him, but she had never had the awareness or habit of kneeling before anyone, so she stood before the Prince. The Prince frowned and said sternly, "Insolence! You, a servant, dare not kneel before me? Who taught you this rule?"
A show of force? Luo Zhiheng looked up, a hint of helplessness flashing through her mind. It seemed her aunt hadn't noticed her. But she couldn't blame her aunt; with her veil and hood covering her face, it was understandable that her aunt wouldn't recognize her. However, for her aunt to make her kneel was a show of force, and it seemed her aunt's next words would likely be directed at her.
Luo Zhiheng was not pretentious. She considered kneeling before her aunt as fulfilling her filial duty to her mother. So she knelt down, but still kept her back straight and was neither humble nor arrogant.
Upon seeing this, a shadow crossed the King's eyes. There was such a composed and dignified woman in Mu Yunhe's mansion. Seeing her kneeling before him without the slightest fear or panic, her demeanor was calm. One could imagine how composed this woman's face must be under her veil.
Curious about the woman's origins, the King asked coldly, "Who are you? Why have you come to Mu Yunhe's courtyard?"
Luo Zhiheng said, "I was bestowed upon you by the Emperor. You saved me yesterday, so I came to thank you today. I never expected to witness what just happened. Because I was afraid that Steward Xi was in danger, I had no choice but to threaten a maid, which is why the maid went to invite you here."
The king narrowed his eyes and said, "How did you know of my existence?"
“How many people in this manor don’t know of His Highness’s existence? I was flustered at the time and could only think of His Highness. Please don’t blame me,” Luo Zhiheng said softly.
"Have you noticed anything strange since you came here? For example, have you seen Your Excellency here?" the King continued to ask.
Luo Zhiheng shook her head and said, "No, that's what I'm most worried about. Steward Xi is your closest relative, but now his life is hanging in the balance, and you've disappeared. I'm worried that something might have happened to you. I'm afraid only you in this manor are qualified to handle this."
The King did not sense anything unusual from Luo Zhiheng, nor did he feel nervous or afraid. Obviously, what this woman said was true. That was strange. What was going on with Mu Yunhe? Why was he ignoring Xiao Xizi?
The atmosphere became tense as the King fell into deep thought. Luo Zhiheng remained silent, her mind a jumble of chaotic thoughts. She was terrified that Mu Yunhe had already met with a terrible fate. What if Mu Yunhe was being suppressed by that soul entity? Or what if Mu Yunhe had already lost? What would that soul entity do to Mu Yunhe's body then?
"You may leave now." Seeing that he couldn't get any information out of her, the Prince dismissed Luo Zhiheng.
Luo Zhiheng didn't dare go too far. She anxiously waited for the person who had been investigating to return and report. Finally, the person returned and said to the Prince, "Your Excellency did indeed leave this morning. There was nothing unusual. You are currently in the morning court session and should return shortly."