Chapter 338

After Royal Physician Mu and her son left, the Third Prince sat quietly, deep in thought. Before she left, Royal Physician Mu had pointed out seven other dangerous items in his palace. This meant many people wanted to harm him, and he couldn’t hold any of them accountable!

"I don’t even want the throne, so why do they..." the Third Prince muttered to himself, unaware that someone had walked up to him.

"Hmm? My child, what did you say? Did I hear correctly that you don’t want the throne?" Concubine Wang grabbed the Third Prince’s arm tightly. Though she smiled, her lips trembled with anger!

"Mother, I..."

"Dear, you may be confused after being ill for so long. However, the throne is rightfully yours. You have the right to become the Emperor like your father. So, why wouldn’t you want it?"

"I... I don’t want to be like Father. I just want to be an ordinary prince."

"Impossible!" Concubine Wang was furious upon hearing the Third Prince’s refusal. She couldn’t control her anger and shouted at him.

Seeing his mother’s demonic expression, the Third Prince understood what Royal Physician Mu had meant earlier... even if he didn’t want it, those around him wouldn’t listen!

"Dear, let me explain why you should aim for the throne. If you don’t... you will constantly face danger and won’t survive. This is for your own good. If someone else ascends to the throne, they will kill you to eliminate any future threats. So, for your safety and everyone else’s, you must claim the throne."

"I believe you are the kindest person. If you don’t want bloodshed and don’t want everyone to die, then you must... blah blah blah."

For over an hour, Concubine Wang stayed in the Third Prince’s palace, trying to persuade him to desire the throne. She was adept at manipulating children, using many tactics to sway him. If it were any other child, they might have believed her, but the Third Prince was different!

He had been disappointed by people before. His mother, who had once looked at him with disdain when he sought help, was now kind to him only because he had recovered. Previously, the Third Prince hadn’t thought much of it, believing people distanced themselves because of his illness. But now, he understood clearly.

People had kept their distance because he was useless. But today... even someone called his mother wanted to use him for her own gain!

"Mother, I understand now," the Third Prince finally replied, making Concubine Wang feel a great sense of relief.

She had a brief flicker of pity in her eyes before hiding it, a performance the Third Prince noticed entirely. Concubine Wang thought he was a fool, easily manipulated, not realizing she was awakening a demon within him!

Fine! If they wanted him to take the throne, so be it! But once he became the ruler, they would learn the consequences of forcing his hand!

As this little demon awoke, becoming a significant shield for Xihao in the future, the small child was being held captive in an abandoned house. The place was terrifying, surrounded by bloodstains and filth, resembling a slaughterhouse.

"Mmph, mmm. Let me go. Sob, sob." The young court lady cried out with tears streaming down her face. She had been eagerly waiting for the next day, excited about what the future held for her. But then, a man had burst in, tied her up, and taken her far away. Although she had been abducted similarly before, the journey had never been this long.

The surroundings were never this terrifying either. As mentioned before, the girl had a keen sense of smell, a talent that had aided her in concocting poisons. She could easily distinguish the scent of human excrement released before death, along with the smells of blood, corpses, and more.

The young girl’s heart sank. She was very scared now.

"Good evening, little court lady."

As the cloth covering her face was pulled away, the little court lady was confronted with the twisted smile of the man in front of her. She instinctively tried to move back. However, what could she do with her arms and legs tied up? She could only retreat a couple of inches before bumping into another large man.

"W-What do you want? L-Let me go. Please, let me go," the girl cried out, understanding her grim fate.

"What’s this? Don’t you want some sweets anymore? Why are you acting like this?" The nobleman ignored her fear, stepping closer while holding up a sweet treat.

The scent of the sweets mixed with the stench of death around her. How could the little court lady have any appetite? Moreover, their demeanor was very terrifying.

"I don’t want it. Let me go. Sob, sob. I don’t want it anymore."

The more she cried, the more they enjoyed it. To them, the little court lady was like a small animal about to be tormented before its death.

"What a pity you don’t want the sweets from me anymore..." he said before tossing the sweet to the ground and walking forward, causing his foot to step on it firmly.

Showing no surprise, he noticed himself crushing the sweet and slowly ground it under his foot. He looked at the little court lady as if to say, "You’re next." This only made her tremble with even more fear.

"P-Please, don’t hurt me. I’m scared."

"Scared? And yet, when you tried to escape, where was that fear?... Sigh. Poor thing, I never wanted to kill you, you know. You were more useful to me alive. I was planning to keep you as my pet, but you betrayed my trust. So, for those who betray me, there’s only one end, which is...death!! Haha."

"T-Trust? You... Did you ever trust me? Don’t talk nonsense."

"What did you say, you little brat?!"

Slap!!

"How dare you defy me? You even have the audacity to talk back!!"

Slap!!

The deranged man slapped the little girl’s face twice with such force that her small body flew back. The little court lady curled up, crying in fear and pain, but refused to silence herself.

The smile of Royal Physician Mu, that precious trust... it was nothing like this!

"Don’t sully the word ’trust’ with your filth. You! You..."

Slap!!

"Look at you, talking high and mighty. So, you want to have some fun, huh?!" He sneered. Then he extended his hand towards his men. Understanding the signal, the other party handed him a small knife. The nobleman’s face grew even more twisted.

"How about you experience some fun that I’m going to give you for the last time? Hee hee hee."

However, before he could act, the roof, already in poor condition, collapsed right between him and the little court lady. A tall figure stood atop the fallen debris. Though covered by a cloak, the little court lady recognized those resolute and determined eyes well.

"That’s enough," the deep voice of the young man above boomed. The others couldn’t see clearly because the sudden full moonlight caused them to squint.

"Who are you?! Stay out of my business!"

"It doesn’t matter who I am, but I suggest you stop now. Even though I don’t want to kill you and cause trouble with the Hu Region, my sword doesn’t have eyes. If you persist, it might just take your head... Prince Hostage from the Wu Region!"

"Hmm? You even know who I am? Not bad," the hostage prince replied in a tone of disbelief.

In truth, he thought he had concealed his identity well. Even people from the Hu Region paid no attention to the weak prince, the one who was always sick, and had no interest in politics like him.

This was an image he had carefully crafted to deceive the people of Hu while secretly manipulating events from behind the scenes. In fact, he had allied with other regions offering good deals and sought revenge for his father’s murder. The skilled Emperor of the Hu Region was his ultimate enemy, whom he must overthrow!

"Who are you? Do you want to tell me your name so I can remember it before you die?"

"No need. We will meet many more times," Mu Heng was indifferent. He used a rope he had prepared to bind the little court lady and rescue her.

Seeing such audacious actions and being unable to stop the girl from being taken, the Wang of the Wu Region immediately gave a deadly order.

"What are you standing around for? Kill him! Bring me his head!"

His command echoed through the forest, but Mu Heng, who had descended from the roof and then disappeared, left no trace for them to follow.

In fact, Mu Heng had anticipated this scenario ever since he saw the shadow eavesdropping on his conversation with the court lady. It was not uncommon to silence those who had previously worked for them, as letting them go would pose a significant risk. He anticipated this easily, so he had prepared to follow the court lady from the start.

When he saw them kidnapping the little court lady, he decided against a direct confrontation to avoid causing the scheming prince’s death.

If another prince were to die, the Wu Region might not remain idle. They could ally with the Wang Region and wage war against the Hu Region, creating chaos that would be hard to resolve.

For this reason, Mu Heng didn’t kill the villain immediately. It wasn’t too late to wait for the right moment to deal with him.

However, as Mu Heng made his swift exit, the slaughter room the deranged prince had prepared became a chamber for him to vent his rage!

"Please, give me a chance to make amends, Your highness"

Slap!!

"Make amends? You fool. Weakling. Do you deserve a chance? Die!"

Slap!!The subordinates who failed to capture Mu Heng had to bear the punishment instead. Although it was pitiful, they had chosen their own path. Choosing a good master brings prosperity, but choosing the wrong one means facing the consequences!