The cell was anything but comfortable. Liu Yan had been sitting cross-legged on the pile of straw for three days and had not touched anything to eat or drink. The whole city stank. Yet they were only here because they needed information about outposts on the border, which was the only reason Liu Yan had allowed himself to be taken away so willingly. A few weeks ago, he had learned something new. He hadn't been able to sleep for nights after what had happened to Xinxin.
How she had been torn from his presence so suddenly, in a matter of seconds. He had thought about all kinds of situations. What if she had been thrown out of the mountain? What if the passage had ended in a glacier or another cave and not at Xueling's? Only then did he truly realize how fragile Xinxin had become. Just a few months ago, she had led the way, showing him the world and its pitfalls as well as its beautiful sides. But now she seemed like a fragile treasure that he had to protect at all costs.
Liu Yan's breathing slowed until he no longer felt the weight of his body. When he opened his eyes, he was standing next to him, still sitting in the lotus position, breathing calmly. In his ghostly form, he was able to transcend the limits of magic. This allowed him to rest his body while still being aware of everything around him. Even the red thread that was continuously connected to Xinxin's heart clung to his ghostly form.
He walked through the narrow corridors, down the winding stairs, until he reached the guard room. There was a lot of coming and going here. A few officials and soldiers were always sitting at the table, bent over maps and chess pieces. Liu Yan let his gaze wander over them before standing in front of the map that stood in the middle of the room. The borders of the Kingdom of Wu were clearly marked on it. No one had bothered to label the Tian Empire anymore. Liu Yan followed the border with his dark eyes.
The further apart the borders of Tian and Wu drifted, the fewer border posts there were. On a particularly long stretch from the city where they were located to where the land bordered the sea, there were only very few or no border posts at all. The empire bordered the wild lands there. A barren wasteland with fluctuating weather conditions, which is why neither country had claimed it for itself so far. There were icy winters and hot summers and hardly anything in between. When it rained, it rained for months on end, making farming and livestock breeding nearly impossible. The anomalies were caused by the corrupted qi hidden beneath the land.
Many centuries ago, a war had raged on this land, and all the blood and hatred it had absorbed had made it uninhabitable for humans. Instead, it was a stronghold for demons. Liu Yan spotted a narrow section of the river that separated the empire and the Wildlands and decided that they would cross at this point. There were no guards for miles, and if he had correctly assessed the width of the river, he should be able to cross without a boat at his current level of cultivation. His gaze fell on a spot that was circled in black. The color was old and faded. Nevertheless, Liu Yan could still decipher the name. Honglou.
"Yichen Gongzi," someone greeted the leader, and Liu Yan turned around. The man greeted the guards.
"How is our prisoner?" he asked. Liu Yan pricked up his ears. That must have been him. In fact, Pian'er's visit had been his last. Since then, everyone had been avoiding him.
"As always. He doesn't eat or drink, he just sits there all the time. What will be done with him?" Report to someone. Yichen nodded.
"We have no evidence of his innocence, but we have a clear eyewitness, the undertaker's testimony, and proof that he practices dark arts. He will be convicted!"
Liu Yan snorted.
"His companion is inconsolable. She cries day and night and doesn't understand how he could have betrayed her like that," Yichen sighed. Liu Yan's gaze turned cold. Even if he had slaughtered the Gao, Xinxin would not turn away from him and she would not be disappointed. He could hardly contain his anger and felt himself being pulled back into his body.
"Xinxin herself will present the evidence. She says that if she confronts him herself, he is more likely to confess. She will appeal to their comradeship," Yichen explained. Liu Yan slowly walked past Yichen.
"I should cut out your tongue for talking about Xinxin like that," he growled.
"When is the trial?" someone asked.
"Tomorrow morning!"
Everything happened as it had to. Liu Yan was led out of his cell shortly after dawn the next morning. He was taken to a large square in front of the courthouse. In front of it stood a stage with three tables and chairs. The city lord sat at one of them, his large belly and expensive silk, which did not suit him at all, giving him away. Yichen sat at one table behind him, and none other than Xinxin sat at another. Her gaze was cool and distant as she looked at Liu Yan.
There was no sign of Pian'er anywhere. "We have gathered here today to uncover the case of the mass murder at the Gao residence. The suspect, Liu Yan, will soon be convicted and confess to his cruel deeds," announced one of the soldiers. Liu Yan looked up at Xinxin. In front of her on the table lay parchments and evidence. Yichen stood up.
"The suspect's name is Ye Meng, his crime: the cruel murder of all members of the Gao family." Liu Yan almost laughed out loud. Ye Meng? He had almost forgotten that name again. No one had asked him his name since they had been here, and he had not told anyone. He turned his gaze away from Xinxin and looked at the floor.
If she hadn't revealed his true identity to Yichen, then she must have suspected what was going on here for much longer. Liu Yan closed his eyes, his fragile jewel. So full of calculation and foresight. He was very curious to see what would happen to him. "Xinxin, I give you the floor," Yichen concluded. Xinxin stood up. Without looking at Liu Yan, she stepped into the middle of the podium. "My name is Luo Xinxin. I have known Ye Meng for a long time and know what he is capable of. After the initial shock, I asked Yichen Gongzi to let me see the crime scene, and what I saw..." She placed her hand on her heart.
"Revealed the cruel truth to me." Liu Yan raised an eyebrow. Who else had used dead bodies without hesitation, arranging them for their own escape? Who else had used one of the prostitutes from Jin Zou's brothel as bait? Cruel, him? Liu Yan looked up. Xinxin looked him straight in the eye, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes.
"I never would have thought how despicable you really are," she whispered dramatically. He suppressed a laugh and just looked at her with his dark eyes.
"I have reconstructed the night, and I hope you can admit your wrongdoing and make a full confession," she said urgently.
"Oh!" Liu Yan bowed his head. "As you wish," he said quietly. Xinxin smiled triumphantly.
"Let's start with the chosen time of the crime. You chose the very night that the Gao's eldest daughter was to be married because..."
Everyone held their breath in anticipation.
"You were in love with her yourself. You were madly jealous of her fiancé," Xinxin exclaimed. The corners of Liu Yan's mouth twitched.
"Is that so?" he replied forcedly.
"Secondly, the method. You were jealous, but didn't know how to express your feelings, so you drugged all the guests, including the dogs, with a strong sleeping pill. Only to then..."
"To then what?" a young lad interjected. He seemed blown away by Xinxin's sensational account.
He didn't seem to realize that it was all far-fetched. Only Yichen was grinding his jaw and looking pale as a ghost. Liu Yan, alias Ye Meng, had only arrived in town the night before, and the bride was with her family at the time. So how could he have even seen her, let alone fallen madly in love with her?
"The sleeping pill was so strong that it was lethal when combined with alcohol. Everyone involved fell asleep peacefully and felt no pain," Xinxin explained.
"Even the dog?" Yichen asked, his voice trembling. Xinxin scratched her head.
"Why aren't dogs allowed to drink alcohol?" she asked innocently.
"Then that must be how it happened," Liu Ya admitted. Xinxin was better at lying. If she wanted to, she could probably prove that he had committed a perfect murder that he never committed. So why did she portray this act as so nonsensical? No pain? The whole thing screamed revenge. Liu Yan's features lit up for a moment; he understood.
"Third, your escape. As a traveler, you wanted to cover everything up and were terrified that someone might find out. That's why you hid in the inn until the poor man discovered you. Out of shame, you then allowed yourself to be arrested in order to confess: These poor, sincere, righteous people..."
"None of them were ever righteous!"
Xinxin turned around. Yichen had jumped up, trembling with rage.
"That's all complete nonsense and in no way corresponds to what you told me in private," he shouted. Liu Yan tensed his bound arms and hands.
The two of them had been alone together? Where the hell was Pian'er? What use was this demoness? Now it was Yichen who was being looked at coldly and calculatingly by Xinxin.
"Do you disagree, Gao Gongzi?" she asked.
"Gao Gongzi? No, Yichen Gongzi. Wait, if our esteemed Yichen grew up with the Gaos, why isn't his name Gao?" A murmur arose. Right, it was unusual to add the title Gongzi after the first name. So Xinxin Yichen had already become suspicious when he introduced himself to them? Liu Yan now laughed out loud. Of course, Yichen Gongzi, how ridiculous that was. Yichen grabbed his sword and gripped it tighter. He exhaled and inhaled heavily. Then he threw it aside.
"I didn't go to all this trouble just to hear such outrageous excuses," he exclaimed angrily.
"The Gao family was neither righteous nor good. They traded in demons and their body parts. Many were tortured and abused for years on their estate," he said, agitated.
"Like you?" Xinxin asked calmly. As Yichen approached her menacingly, a small, flaming lotus flower settled on Xinxin's shoulder and remained there.
"I was held captive in their basement for almost twenty years, repeatedly skinned and the poison drawn from my veins. Love? Have you lost your mind?" he shouted.
"I wanted to turn this family's happiest day into their worst nightmare. I spent a whole year preparing for it. When I was finally able to escape, the walls of this city prevented me from leaving. And when I finally found a loophole and pretended to be an official, invitations fluttered into every major house."
"Including the house of the senior official whom you murdered and whose place you took?" Xinxin asked coolly. Yichen's eyes flashed with anger.
"He helped, they all helped. The soldiers, the officials, even the city lord helped transport the goods through customs, enriching themselves with the blood, bones, and skins of the demons. None of them deserved to survive my revenge," he breathed heavily.
"They suffered.
And how they did. I manipulated the undertaker into arranging their bodies as if they were sleeping peacefully. So that their uninvited guests would not suspect anything."
"But you would have given the city lord the original report, wouldn't you? That it was demonic snake venom, to warn him that he would be next," said Xinxin. The fat, corpulent man looked frightened. His gaze darted back and forth, searching for an opening.
"I brought the whole city under my control, just a few drops of my poison control their minds. That's how I became Yichen Gongzi."
"But since you don't know the customs, you weren't aware that the title is attached to the surname.
All your life, you have been nothing but Yichen the Black Snake. It would never have occurred to you to adorn yourself with the family name." Xinxin had retreated further. Yichen's anger, pent up over years, knew no bounds. "You deserve it," he roared. His sword whizzed toward Xinxin. The lotus began to spin. But Liu Yan was faster.
With his index and ring fingers concentrated with qi, he flicked the blade and shattered it. His gaze was coldly fixed on the man. Xinxin now stood with his back against Liu Yan's chest, his hand outstretched like an extension of her sword arm. Pian'er appeared in a surging, burning lotus flower and flashed Yichen a triumphant smile. Liu Yan stepped forward.
"I can understand your anger and desire for revenge," he said, looking over at the city lord, who was trying to crawl off the podium on all fours.
"I like your way of thinking and the hatred that drives you. Do what you must, we will not stop you," he continued coldly and indifferently. Xinxin had her arms crossed and did not disagree.
"Then you can come with us. I will give your life meaning, and you would be a powerful ally," Liu Yan suggested. Xinxin closed her eyes, and Pian'er's triumphant grin faded.
"He should what?" she asked. But Liu Yan just raised a hand to silence her and waited for Yichen's answer.