"Like lambs being led to the slaughter!" Tian Zhen Xiao, better known as the cursed crown prince, stood at the top of the roof of the ten-story palace and watched the hustle and bustle at the foot of the mountain where he had been sealed away for almost a thousand years. A black snake, a good thirty meters long, slithered across the roofs and floors. It wrapped itself around the prince's slender form and looked down at the stairs with a thousand steps leading up to the imperial palace. The snake was a guardian spirit, created by Zhen Xiao six hundred years ago to keep him company.
"They're coming to kill me!"
The snake hissed angrily, but Zhen Xiao ignored the outburst. Everything inside him was cold; he felt no emotions, nothing but hatred remained. He had even overcome loneliness at some point, solely for the day of his ascension, when he would tear down the sky and burn the world.
That day was not far off. He did not know when his birthday was, for no one had ever celebrated it, yet he felt the surge of power within him, crashing against the barrier of his body, building up, ready to be unleashed.
He watched the offerings brought to him. Some were visibly afraid, while others looked fiercely determined.
The seal around Mount Dai Feng was loosened just enough to allow the lambs to be led inside. Zhen Xiao strode barefoot across the black roof. With a wave of his hand, he gave his guardian spirit a wordless command. The snake Zi Rui detached itself from the roof and disappeared between the mighty buildings of the sprawling palace. Zhen Xiao found a place further down to better assess the incoming heavenly envoys.
Most of them were at the early cultivation level, with only a few having reached the middle fusion level. His attention was drawn to a young woman who was crouching down and sneaking around, looking around frantically.
Zhen Xiao narrowed his eyes. She exuded hardly any magical energy; her cultivation was at the lowest level at most. Was this some kind of joke? He knew they were here to seize the opportunity to kill him before he reached the divine level.
A shrill scream, followed by other exclamations, echoed in his sensitive ears. Zi Rui had reached the crowd of people. Of course, it was the little fool who had screamed the loudest, and although she had just wanted to leave, she now quickly disappeared into the front row. Far away from Zi Rui's monstrous figure.
One of the cultivators on the middle level stepped forward. She curtsied to Zi Rui and asked him in a composed voice to guide them through the palace. But the giant snake only bared its gigantic fangs and hissed angrily.
Zhen Xiao would not receive anyone. The young woman trembled noticeably, but actually curtsied again before continuing.
"We are here to help the crown prince reach the next level and strive for peaceful coexistence."
Zhen Xiao had to laugh. Lie. He could feel the hatred and murderous intent emanating from them, mixed with bottomless fear of him. Zi Rui twisted around the trembling group, which kept retreating, blocking their way into the palace.
"Jie Jie, we are not welcome," whispered one of her cult sisters, pulling her back cautiously. But the young woman brushed off her sister's hand and reassured her.
"If we are not welcome, I can understand that. Please allow us to stay anyway," she pleaded again.
Zi Rui shook his head, unable to believe such audacity. He looked at his master, but he had turned his attention to someone else. Zi Rui followed Zhen Xiao's gaze. One of the young women had crept to the edge and, protected by the huge palace columns, dared to flee. Just as Zi Rui was about to chase after her, another young lady broke through.
"This is ridiculous," she scolded. "I won't let a guardian spirit block my way." She spread her arms and flew over the massive body.
Zi Rui looked back and forth between the two women. Then Zhen Xiao raised his hand again and gave the silent command: Leave her, she won't get far. I'll take care of the fool.
He watched the young girl as she crept uselessly over the railing. Admittedly, her cultivation was so low that he could mistake her for a rat, but her presence would certainly not go unnoticed.
She looked around and made sure no one had followed her before she started climbing a tree.
Zhen Xiao watched her. Was she really that stupid? Did she think it would be so easy to escape this spell? Would he have stayed here for almost a millennium if climbing trees had been enough?
She slipped, scraped her hands on the rough bark, and landed on her backside. Zhen Xiao had had enough. He dropped down from the roof and strode toward her.
The girl scrambled to her feet and brushed the dirt off her robe. She didn't notice him at first, so focused was she on searching the area for a hiding place. Zhen Xiao's patience was wearing thin. Not only was her cultivation miserable, but so was her perception. She turned around and froze when she saw him.
"What exactly are you doing here?" Zhen Xiao asked her coldly. The young woman's eyes widened. Suddenly, she lunged at him. Zhen Xiao raised his hand. With a simple finger gesture, he would slit her chest open and... She put her hands over his lips and looked around frantically.
"Psst," she whispered softly.
"There's a huge, I mean a gigantic snake here. It's better if it doesn't find us."
Zhen Xiao paused. The young woman looked over his shoulder just as Zi Rui appeared in front of him. The guardian spirit reared up, already ready to protect his master.
"Were you also brought here? I didn't see any men," she said, looking at him with her large, dark eyes. Her hands were still on his lips. He could taste the blood on them.
This girl was incredibly stupid, or was he underestimating her? It was the first time in his life that he had contact with other people. There were many things he didn't know. If he didn't want to underestimate his enemies, he had to learn to separate the wheat from the chaff. He lowered his hand and motioned for Zi Rui to quietly disappear. The snake did as she was told. Zhen Xiao knocked her hands away.
"Who are you?" His voice had a cold, emotionless commanding tone.
"Ye Sujie and you?" she asked back with a grin. Zhen Xiao stood in front of her, looking down at her, forcing her to back away.
"Zhen Xiao!" Sujie nodded.
"Zhen Xiao, we should get out of here before the snake finds us," she suggested fearfully, looking around in all directions.
"Do you know a good hiding place?" Zhen Xiao watched her every facial expression and gesture, every twitch of her eyes and every movement. She didn't even know the name of the cursed crown prince. The girl sighed.
"You're not the brightest, are you?" Then she took his hand and pulled him along with her.
The palace was huge. Countless buildings, pavilions, and gardens were built around the ten-story, pagoda-shaped ruler's palace. In the past, the palace provided space for dozens of advisors, high deities, and hundreds of servants. But now it had been empty for almost a thousand years.
Sujie dragged him through dozens of rooms and estates until he had had enough and threw her into one of the furnished rooms. She slipped and bumped into the low table. Everything was neat and tidy. Only the dust glistened in the sunlight. She looked around.
"Oh yes, it's beautiful here." She nodded contentedly. "Zhen Xiao, come here, or do you want to be discovered?" Sujie scolded and pulled him inside before quickly looking around outside and locking the door. Exhausted, she let herself fall onto one of the couches and sprawled out on it in a very unladylike manner.
"I don't even know when I last had so much stress," she whined. Zhen Xiao strode across the room and sat down at the table, still watching Sujie intently. "Honestly, not even my boss ever scared me to death like that, and I'm telling you, she was really scary."
"Worse than the cursed Crown Prince of Dai Feng?" he remarked. Sujie waved him off as she rolled around on the couch with her eyes closed.
"Much worse, a real beast."
Zhen Xiao rested his elbow on the table and rubbed his thumb and index finger together, ready to cast a deadly spell at any moment. If this girl really came from such a terrible clan, perhaps she wasn't taking the danger he posed seriously enough?
"Tsk!" he snorted. So she was here because she already had experience dealing with tyrants? She had survived that monster called the boss, so she probably thought she could survive him as well. Zhen Xiao thought: What means and methods had she prepared? Would she strike as soon as she thought he was feeling safe?
"You can wait a long time for that," he laughed softly. His gaze wandered to Sujie, who was still lying on the couch. He had to be careful what he said out loud; he was no longer alone.
He braced himself for an attack. Then a soft, growling sound filled the air. Zhen Xiao sat up and listened. Sujie's chest rose and fell evenly. Sounds came from her open lips that he recognized from Zi Rui when he was still a tiny black worm and could do nothing but squeak and hiss.
He narrowed his eyes. It took him a moment to realize that she was asleep. He stood up. She was either too good or too stupid. He conjured a small glowing beetle in his hand and let it disappear between the layers of her hanfu, where it hid, invisible. Then he strode out. It had grown dark in the meantime.
"Master?" Zi Rui snaked across the roofs of the estates before taking human form in front of him. He peered past Zhen Xiao into the house.
"Who is that?" he asked curiously. Zhen Xiao gave him a cool look, so Zi Rui swallowed and asked no further questions.
"How does it look?"
asked Zhen Xiao, walking slowly through the small garden with its stone, dried-up fountain. Zi Rui regained his voice. He happily reported.
"The woman who asked me for directions was Fei Lian Hua, daughter of the Fei clan leader. She gathered most of the envoys around her and assigned them rooms and various tasks. The other one, who was so rude, is named Li Ruan Hua. Although she comes from the fifth heaven, her cultivation is very low." Zehn Xiao listened.
"At least the two of them are not hiding their ambitions, although I very much doubt that they are here to help me. Keep an eye on them!" he instructed Zi Rui.
Zi Rui nodded eagerly and then glanced meaningfully at the room from which soft snoring sounds were coming. The surveillance bug had not detected any irregular breathing or other activity. Sujie was not just pretending to be asleep. Or she was simply damn good at it.
"Leave her to me. Either she is extremely stupid or not to be underestimated."