Chapter 3

The sharp sword flew past Lin Yu and struck the dying emperor in her arms. He seemed to want to say something more, but he never got the chance, and died with his eyes wide open.

A flood of memories rushed into Lin Yu's mind. This place was an illusion, but it was also the Li Kingdom of twenty years ago.

The previous emperor had passed away, and the throne was supposed to go to the crown prince, Zhang Dian. But on his deathbed, the emperor changed the edict, deposed the crown prince, gave the throne to the unlearned second prince, Zhang Ni, and ordered the crown prince's execution.

As soon as the edict was issued, the deposed crown prince Zhang Dian fled Jincheng that very night with a few trusted followers, winding his way to Liangcheng, a remote border city. The Liangcheng massacre followed close behind.

The new emperor, Zhang Ni, had no firm footing, and neighboring kingdoms watched with greedy eyes. The Jiang Kingdom invaded, and the first place they struck was Liangcheng, killing countless civilians. The new emperor turned a blind eye, which ignited the people's wrath.

Or perhaps, since the emperor was far away, the new emperor might not have known anything at that time.

At that time, Xiao Wen led troops to suppress the chaos. The Jiang Kingdom was routed and sent envoys to sue for peace, offering a princess who was not favored to be sent for a marriage alliance.

The princess was named A Si—a gentle name—but she encountered misfortune as soon as she arrived in Liangcheng and died within the city.

After that, a plague broke out in Liangcheng.

It was common for epidemics to follow major wars, but within a few days, Liangcheng fell, with soldiers killing people everywhere, and the entire city was nearly wiped out overnight.

The body Lin Yu now occupied was called Zhang Han. Zhang Han's family had been massacred in the war, and she herself had contracted a severe illness and was drifting outside the ruined city.

It wasn't until the disaster subsided that she was saved by Xiao Wen and Zhang Dian.

At that time, Zhang Han's eyes were full of hatred, and she didn't wonder why, among tens of thousands of refugees outside the city, Zhang Dian spent countless precious herbs to save only her.

Zhang Dian told her, "The princess sent for peace from the neighboring kingdom was named A Si. She died not long ago. You'll take her place and go to Jincheng to marry the new emperor, serving as our eyes and ears. Together, we'll kill the new emperor and the prime minister, avenging the more than two hundred thousand people of Liangcheng."

And so, Zhang Han took on A Si's identity and entered Jincheng as a peace princess. The first time she met the so-called unlearned new emperor, Zhang Ni, whom Xiao Wen had spoken of, he was only seventeen—two years younger than her.

Over the next six years, she carefully contacted remnants of the former crown prince's faction and sent out troop deployment maps. Zhang Ni didn't seem wary of her, this "peace princess." Instead, he trusted her almost too much. She had even seen all the secrets in the imperial study.

Even when ministers jointly advised that the harem must not interfere in politics, Zhang Ni paid no attention. Lin Yu thought he wasn't suited to be an emperor. With such clumsy schemes, any other ruler would have noticed long ago—he was a bit foolish.

Then Zhang Han discovered the truth of that year from a confidential letter—the previous emperor had been in good health, but the deposed crown prince, Zhang Dian, wanted to ascend the throne sooner, so he poisoned the emperor. The emperor only noticed when he was gravely ill, but by then it was too late. In a rage, he deposed the crown prince and changed the edict to pass the throne to the second prince.

Zhang Dian refused to accept this and plotted to ally with enemy states to kill the new emperor. Liangcheng, being a border city between the two kingdoms, became the gap.

Xiao Wen claimed that many foreigners had mixed into the civilian population of Liangcheng. Using a forged tiger tally, he mobilized fifty thousand border troops to massacre helpless civilians, burying two hundred thousand people alive, and thereby gained control of the army and held Liangcheng alone.

That forged tiger tally was what later became the Feixian Ling.

It was around then that Zhang Han found a dusty painting in Zhang Ni's bedchamber. It was a painting of a celestial maiden, looking quite old, stored in a brocade box and placed on the highest shelf. The maiden in the painting looked exactly like her.

Seeing the painting, she understood why Zhang Dian, with tens of thousands of refugees that year, had saved her after just one look and sent her to marry the prince in her stead.

Because Zhang Dian was certain that Zhang Ni would fall for that face.

So, even though Zhang Han was gravely ill and near death, even if it cost countless precious herbs, Zhang Dian was determined to save her.

But she discovered this too late. By then, Xiao Wen already had a great deal of intelligence and was about to march on the Imperial City. The new emperor was incompetent, the nation was weakened, and neighboring kingdoms were eyeing it hungrily—it seemed that the fall of the state was inevitable.

Half a month ago, Zhang Dian and Xiao Wen had easily broken into the Imperial City, taken the Empress Dowager and the Prime Minister hostage. Neighboring states had also marched their troops to Liang and Wei cities. With internal strife and external threats, the nation was on the brink of collapse.

Zhang Ni paid no attention to these external troubles. He didn't care about the throne or the country. What he cared about was why A Si always seemed weighed down with worry.

He knew A Si was an impostor—the real peace princess had died long ago at the border.

But so what if A Si was fake? He only knew that because of him, two hundred thousand people in Liangcheng had been buried alive, and A Si's family had died in that pit.

So he didn't even dare ask A Si's real name. He felt A Si must hate him.

Until death, he felt he had wronged A Si.

Lin Yu watched Xiao Wen, clad in armor, walk straight toward her without looking aside.

Xiao Wen raised a hand, and the sword that had taken Zhang Ni's life flew back into his palm. He smiled, looking at the blood flowing down the blade.

He waved casually, ordering the officials in the hall to be killed to the last. In an instant, chaotic cries and screams filled the opulent palace.

After six years, Lin Yu finally saw the mastermind. Xiao Wen's face had barely changed. He touched Lin Yu's cheek, wiping away the blood splattered on her face. "Well done. We've succeeded."

"Xiao Wen." Lin Yu didn't know what to say; her throat was hoarse, so she called his name.

Xiao Wen didn't respond, but wrapped an arm around Lin Yu and led her out of the palace. The battle had subsided, and soldiers stood in orderly ranks before the hall. Lin Yu saw the besieged Empress Dowager and Prime Minister, and beside them, the triumphant deposed crown prince, Zhang Dian.

The Empress Dowager and Prime Minister were bound hand and foot and brought before Xiao Wen. Lin Yu met the Prime Minister's gaze. There was no anger or reproach in his face; he gave Lin Yu an almost imperceptible nod and tapped his waist.

Lin Yu looked down at her own waist. In the same place, she had a jade token tucked into her belt.

This is... the Feixian Ling?!

Lin Yu felt for it. The Feixian Ling in her sleeve was still there—the one she had taken from Prince Dai. She had pulled it off and brought it into this layer of the illusion.

Now she had two Feixian Lings on her: one from Prince Dai outside the illusion, and the other from Zhang Han's body, which she had taken over.

Lin Yu met the Prime Minister's inscrutable gaze and immediately understood. Looking at the sea of soldiers before the hall, she guessed that some of them must be the Prime Minister's people.

But now the defeat seemed certain, and even the Prime Minister was captured. If his forces were mixed into Xiao Wen's army, they would likely turn their coats at the critical moment.

She looked at the long night and the army barely visible in the darkness, deciding to gamble.

"The criminal Xiao Wen forged the military tally and usurped power! Seize him!" Lin Yu raised the token high and shouted to the soldiers in the night. Unsurprisingly, no one responded—instead, she drew mockery.

Seeing her act, Xiao Wen laughed as if it were the funniest joke. He laughed so hard he was out of breath. "I was going to keep you alive, but since you've figured it out, it seems you're useless now." With that, he mercilessly shoved Lin Yu down the long steps!

Before Lin Yu could react, she hit the ground hard and tumbled down two more steps, her tender skin scraped against the stone.

She struggled to her feet, and when she looked up, the sword that had killed the emperor was pointed at her again!

The blade pressed against her throat, radiating murderous intent. A single drop of blood slid down the edge onto Lin Yu's neck, flowing down her collarbone.

It was Zhang Ni's blood.

"Today, I slay the demon concubine and support the crown prince Zhang Dian in ascending the throne." His tone was smug, and his once-handsome face seemed twisted to Lin Yu. "Let me think... how should later historians record this meritorious deed of mine?"

Xiao Wen sneered. History was written for the victors, and they had won, so they would be recorded and praised for a thousand generations.

As the sword cut into Lin Yu's skin, drawing blood, she closed her eyes.

"Kill—!"

Suddenly, countless arrows split the night!

Xiao Wen's face changed.

Outside the palace gates, a unit of black-armored guards rushed in. The soldiers, who had relaxed, had no time to react, and the black-armored guard quickly broke through!

Xiao Wen halted his blade, still nonchalant. He sneered, "So what if you have the tally? The defeat is certain..."

Lin Yu used her fingers to push aside the sword pointing at her, almost grabbing the blade to stand. Blood seeped from her palm.

Xiao Wen watched Lin Yu stand, gripping his sword edge, and found her utterly ridiculous. He sheathed the sword and pulled Lin Yu up from the ground. "Then I'll show you how foolish your decision is!"

"Once you see the defeat, I'll kill you then, so you can die with full understanding."

Xiao Wen loved this—watching prey, when all hope is lost, still struggle. The more the loser struggled, the more reluctant they were, the more glorious seemed his victory.

Lin Yu was held captive before Xiao Wen, his sharp sword across her neck, barely able to move.

Ignoring the blade at her throat, Lin Yu raised the Feixian Ling again and commanded: "Those who surrender now may earn military merit by killing enemies. I will forgive your past submission to Xiao Wen."

This time, she held the Feixian Ling she had brought from outside the illusion—the one from Prince Dai.

Sure enough, with her words, the battle lines quickly shifted. The black-armored guards' charge struck the rebels, and among the rebels were the Prime Minister's men, so three sides clashed.

At first, thinking the Prime Minister's defeat was certain, no one dared to step forward. But now, with the black-armored guards joining, the tide had turned, and the situation quickly changed. Soldiers began killing each other.

Lin Yu clutched the Feixian Ling tightly. As expected, no one responded to her first order because she had used Zhang Han's Feixian Ling. This was an illusion, and everything was predetermined, so no matter how hard she tried, nothing would change.

Only by breaking the norm—using the real Feixian Ling brought from outside the illusion—could she turn the game around.

"Swish!" An arrow flew from the high rear, striking Xiao Wen unexpectedly and killing him instantly, embedding deep into the back of his neck!

The grip around Lin Yu dissipated, and she quickly broke free.

Xiao Wen froze, reaching back in disbelief to touch the arrow that had hit him. Blood gushed from his neck. He stood stiff, not yet turning, when dozens more arrows flew at him from behind!

One after another, they struck him, his back bristling with arrows as he began to fall!

"Who said the defeat is certain?" Lin Yu dusted off her clothes, wiped the blood from her hand with her sleeve, and helped the Empress Dowager and Prime Minister up. Behind her, more and more black-armored guards flooded in, and most of the rebels were dead or wounded.

The pain made Xiao Wen's eyes widen. He couldn't believe it. With over a dozen arrows in him, he spat out a mouthful of blood and barely managed to stay upright on the high platform, leaning on his sword.

A black-armored guard rushed from behind and kicked Xiao Wen as he struggled; Xiao Wen fell, rolling down the steps like a stone. The forged tiger tally in his arms fell out.

The water-blue tiger tally hit the ground with a crisp sound. In the chaos, no one noticed Lin Yu picking it up.

The moment she touched the tally, she knew it wasn't the Feixian Ling—it was just a cheap fake.

It was laughable. Xiao Wen had used only this fake to mobilize fifty thousand troops in Liangcheng, bury two hundred thousand people, and march all the way to Jincheng.

"Xiao Wen, did you think the messages I gave you were true? Didn't you ever suspect?" Lin Yu smiled and tossed the tally aside.

"Those ministers you killed in the hall—did you actually look at them? Those were all traitors who supported you and Zhang Dian. How could you kill them all without a glance?"

Xiao Wen stared, his body gradually stiffening as his breath ceased.

"Seize him!" Lin Yu called out to Zhang Dian, who was trying to flee. In an instant, he was pinned and bound in chains. Today, they had failed completely.

Lin Yu seemed to see a flash of light over Xiao Wen's corpse, and then the light flew toward the horizon. Lin Yu frowned, guessing that Xiao Wen had ascended.

She climbed the long steps one by one to where Xiao Wen had stood, placing the fake tally, which had no immortal power yet, and the Feixian Ling she had taken from Prince Dai into her sleeves. She rubbed the two tokens and turned to survey the kneeling black-armored guards.

Before everyone, Lin Yu ordered Zhang Dian to be executed by dismemberment. It was too far and the night too deep for her to see Zhang Dian's panicked expression, but she heard his screams dragging on into the distance.

She remembered Zhang Ni's dying mutterings. He knew the rebels were watching, and he knew he was poisoned by Zhang Dian and wouldn't live long. He had no talent for governance, so when he died, he would hand the throne to someone else and put an end to these absurd years.

He said if he didn't die, Xiao Wen and Zhang Dian wouldn't let their guard down. So he would use his death as a pretext to purge all the traitors in the land and support his younger brother's ascension.

With everything settled, Lin Yu stood before the still-magnificent palace, looking at Xiao Wen's cold corpse.

Seeing everything was over, with Xiao Wen and Zhang Dian both dead, Lin Yu didn't know how to leave this place.

She only knew that before ascending, the Moon God had been a general from a neighboring kingdom, who had once marched into the Imperial City without losing a single soldier and supported the people's favored former crown prince, Zhang Dian, to the throne. But now, it seemed to have become a different story.

The Feixian Ling that the world sought was nothing but a fake military tally. Unlike the glorious divine artifact people imagined, it was dull and lusterless. So even when it hung openly on Prince Dai's belt, no one associated it with a divine tool. Lin Yu found it ridiculous.

Lin Yu saw a water-blue light appearing at the horizon, the same light as after Xiao Wen's death. It seemed dreamlike, encircling the whole land. Lin Yu watched for a moment, and suddenly, she understood.

This was an illusion. Xiao Wen hadn't succeeded in usurping as originally planned, and so the later events didn't occur. But the light in the sky couldn't be faked—he had still ascended.

This was an illusion, not reality, so what happened here had nothing to do with the outside world. No matter how this place changed, the outside world wouldn't be affected.

With that thought, Lin Yu picked up a sword from the ground and, without hesitation, aimed it at herself, slitting her throat before the palace!

In an instant, the illusion scattered like smoke and sand. The noise of the crowd and the panicked people vanished, leaving Lin Yu standing alone in the empty hall.

Blood still remained on her neck, but she felt no pain. She chuckled. It was all fake, after all.

She looked up again, and a water-blue hem caught her eye. Lin Yu's eyes widened slightly—it was the Moon God, Xiao Wen!

The Moon God leaned lazily against a pillar, a smile that didn't reach his eyes assessing Lin Yu. His expression was sinister. After a long moment, he finally spoke: "Your Highness, she destroyed our Li Kingdom illusion. How should we deal with her?"

Lin Yu didn't know where this "Your Highness" was, but sensing danger, she instinctively stepped back—and passed straight through a phantom body!

She saw Zhang Dian, in red robes with white hair, his body a mere shadow, without substance. He had died by dismemberment, so he had no complete body. Zhang Dian had also ascended later...

Looking at his clothes and floating form, Lin Yu tentatively asked, "Crimson God?"

Zhang Dian laughed eerily. "A mere mortal, yet you can resist the illusion's control, not lose your memory, and even destroy the Feixian Ling illusion. A mortal damaging an immortal's artifact—what audacity!"

With that, he hurled crimson flames at Lin Yu! With immortal power against a mortal body, Lin Yu's breath nearly stopped as she watched the red fire draw closer!

"I am the Divine Maiden of the Heaven's Mandate Tower. If you kill me, you will certainly anger the Xianzun and the Emperor!" Lin Yu nearly shouted, her expression resolute. She had given herself a life-saving title, and at a glance, it seemed quite convincing.

Zhang Dian suddenly withdrew the flames and finally looked at Lin Yu properly. "This lord has never heard that, since the Rain Goddess, the Heaven's Mandate Tower has a new Divine Maiden?"

Xiao Wen's eyes darted, as if seizing on a weakness, and he leaned closer to Lin Yu, countering, "You mean to say that the Divine Maiden of the Heaven's Mandate Tower deliberately sabotaged the Moon God's sacrifice, offered up a dead general's daughter as the sacrifice, and let the other living sacrifices go, is that it?"

Sweat soaked Lin Yu. The searing heat invaded her senses, and she couldn't find an answer.

Zhang Dian shook his head with a sneer. "In that case, I'll send you on your way!"

This time, he struck with deadly force—a giant divine flame shooting at Lin Yu's head!