Chapter 204 - Life and Death

The act of giving him the human-skin mask had seemed casual enough, but when Xu Yuan combined it with certain things he knew from his previous life, he felt the thick helplessness behind Xu Yinhe’s gesture.

He even began to understand why the Chancellor’s Manor had been targeted and wiped out by the plot. Enemies on all sides. Even their only ally, the imperial clan and the court, might be a damned turncoat. How the hell were they supposed to play this? 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

Of course, that was only speaking relatively.

The Great Flame Empire’s imperial clan probably saw the Chancellor's Manor in much the same way. Perhaps even more so. After all, a nation could not have two masters. The current state of the Chancellor's Manor could no longer be described as a local warlord faction. It was a central warlord entrenched in the very heart of the empire.

When the birds were gone, the bow was hidden. When the rabbit was dead, the hound was cooked. For the one seated upon the golden throne, the only good Chancellor's Manor was one that dragged the sects down with it until both sides were broken and bleeding.

Xu Yuan put the mask on properly. His eyes were dark, but after a moment, he gave a soft sigh. He was not the sort of man who liked striving. If he had been, he would not have died from staying up all night playing games and ended up in this world.

Compared with struggle, he preferred a life of taking things as they came. Commonly known as lying flat and rotting with style.

He had only ever had one plan. Use the information from his previous life to help the Chancellor's Manor win the coming war. No matter what his old man chose in the end, if Xu Yinhe was content to stay small, then Xu Yuan would be a wastrel heir and wander the mountains and rivers. If Xu Yinhe wanted to go big, then Xu Yuan would be an idle prince with no real duties.

After all, the plot-kill schemes aimed at the Chancellor's Manor in Azure Point had all been rather absurd. Even after learning that the Heavenwatch Pavilion was hiding in the dark, Xu Yuan’s plan had never changed, because the Heavenwatch Pavilion was harmless in the grand scheme of things.

If they were truly so powerful, why would they need to hide? As for their ability to predict the future...

Well, he was the unpredictable variable. More than that, he was the closest legitimate son of the Chancellor's Manor. Everything he did could directly influence Xu Yinhe’s decisions, thereby making the future of the entire Chancellor's Manor unpredictable.

But now, he suddenly realized the situation seemed even worse than he had imagined. Xu Yinhe’s decision felt as though he was trying to shove Xu Yuan onto the stage whether he wanted it or not.

“Third Brother...” Xu Xinyao watched the sea-dark gloom on Xu Yuan’s face and asked tentatively, “Father wants you to inherit the Chancellor's Manor. Isn’t that a good thing?”

Xu Yuan was just about to shake his head and explain, but the words reached his lips and he swallowed them back down. Instead, he sighed and smiled. “It is a good thing. I just haven’t prepared myself for it. This is too much power. I never even dared to dream of it before.”

“Is that really all?” Xu Xinyao asked, faint unease in her voice.

Xu Yuan answered with a question of his own. “What else could it be?”

Xu Xinyao shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“Xu Yuan, is this something I’m not allowed to know?” At that moment, Ran Qingmo suddenly cut in softly. “I can leave.”

Xu Yuan turned his eyes toward her. “I already told you. You’re special. If I didn’t want you to know, I wouldn’t have brought this up in front of you in the first place.”

The look in Ran Qingmo’s clear, secluded eyes did not change, but her heartbeat quickened for an instant.

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone arrived in front of the courtyard, with spectacularly poor timing.

Xu Yuan drew in a deep breath and turned his eyes toward the gate.

“Who is it?”

“Third Young Master, it’s me, Bai Zhao. I’ve brought dinner for you and the two young ladies.”

Xu Yuan glanced at the bright sun hanging high in the sky, motioned for the two women to put on their bamboo hats, then spat out a single word in a rather cold voice. “Enter.”

Creak! With a soft sound, the courtyard gate was pushed open.

Once inside, Bai Zhao immediately glanced around the courtyard with great care. He had not sent a subordinate to deliver the meal because he understood his own position very well.

But it seemed he had come at the wrong time. As an old fox who had spent decades clawing his way through the lowest rungs of society, two words were enough for him to hear the displeasure in the Third Young Master’s voice just now.

And when he saw the unfamiliar man inside the pavilion, Bai Zhao froze for a brief moment. Then his body began to tremble slightly beyond his control. Even so, he did possess the mental fortitude expected of a survivor.

After that moment of shock, Bai Zhao quietly walked up to the pavilion, bowed, and placed the meal tray in his hands down. “Third Young Master, please give me any instructions if there is anything unsatisfactory.”

Xu Yuan nodded faintly. He had seen Bai Zhao’s trembling just now, so he restrained some of his earlier displeasure. “Mhm. You’ve done well. Withdraw.”

Hearing that unfamiliar voice, Bai Zhao’s fists tightened slightly. Then he knelt directly before Xu Yuan, cupped his hands, and spoke in a voice that was both rapid and low. “Third Young Master, this lowly one has served here for 29 years and has been utterly loyal to the Chancellor's Manor. I beg you to spare the lives of my family.”

Xu Yuan glanced at Bai Zhao in some surprise, then understood. Although he himself did not think this was much of a matter, the reality was that to Bai Zhao, a single thought from him could mean either wealth and honor or hell itself.

After a pause, he smiled lightly and comforted him. “You did not interrupt anything important. There is no need to worry. Get up.”

When Bai Zhao heard those words, his cupped hands trembled slightly from how hard he was gripping them. He did not rise. Instead, he slammed his head down against the stone floor with a heavy thud. “Third Young Master, you concealed your identity to come here on business. I know my status is low and that I am unworthy of knowing such things. I only beg you to spare my family. They know nothing about this.”

Hearing this, Xu Yuan fell silent and placed his hand on the stone table. His long, slender index finger tapped lightly against the meal tray.

He suddenly understood what Bai Zhao meant. The middle-aged man before him, with gray already streaking his temples, was certain to die.

It was just like in the movies from his previous life. The protagonist accidentally learned something he should not have known, so someone would want him dead.

But reality was not a movie. Xu Yinhe was not some villain in a film, and Bai Zhao certainly was not the protagonist. So, he would die.

Still, the man had actually managed to notice it, and in such a short span of time, no less.

Xu Yuan waved a hand. “Enough. Get up. I have business with Father today, so I’ll mention your matter in passing. Don’t worry. Withdraw.”

“Third Young Master, thank you for the great mercy.” Bai Zhao very carefully wiped the bloodstain from the stone floor with his sleeve, then slowly climbed to his feet. He said nothing more. Sensibly and efficiently, he left the courtyard.

After Bai Zhao departed, the courtyard remained quiet for a long time.

Xu Xinyao asked with some uncertainty, “Third Brother, why would he act like that?”

Xu Yuan glanced sideways at her, his voice calm. “Didn’t Bai Zhao say it himself? He realized I was hiding my identity.”

Xu Xinyao’s breath caught. “You mean Bai Zhao realized that Father intends to train you to...”

“Of course not.” Xu Yuan smiled and waved a hand. “He doesn’t have enough information yet, so he probably doesn’t know. But if war really breaks out in the town, with his intelligence, he will definitely be able to piece it together. Father will not allow someone like that to exist.”

Xu Xinyao bit her lip. “Third Brother... this man has served our Chancellor's Manor with merit. Just because he knows, he has to be silenced?”

Xu Yuan looked at her and spoke one word at a time. “He dies, or I die. Choose.”

Xu Xinyao’s dark pupils shrank slightly. Something wavered in her beautiful eyes.

Xu Yuan no longer looked at her. He turned his gaze toward Ran Qingmo and asked, “Ran Qingmo. He dies, or I die. Choose.”

“He dies.” Ran Qingmo answered without the slightest hesitation. As she spoke, she picked up her ink-black sword and stood.