Chapter 108
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The guard at the door remained composed, standing there and not daring to leave. He couldn’t quite hear the commotion inside and was worried about the situation of his companions. Just then, a dancer from the Western Regions walked past him and entered another private room.
The guard didn’t pay much attention.
The dancer who entered the private room was none other than Xinyue.
After closing the door, Xinyue immediately went to find Lin Qingyang. “When I arrived just now, I saw a guard standing at the door. What’s happening here… Oh, what happened to you?”
Xinyue came to a corner of the room and found Lin Qingyang sitting on the ground, unable to move. The expression on his face could only be described as anxious and furious, startling Xinyue.
Lin Qingyang couldn’t speak and could only desperately gesture towards the pill in his hand.
Xinyue was quick-witted this time and promptly opened Lin Qingyang’s hand to take a look. It was a pill.
“You… Are you sick, or what’s happening? Is this meant to be eaten?” Xinyue asked, blinking rapidly.
Xinyue quickly said, “Blink if you want to take it.”
Lin Qingyang immediately blinked, and Xinyue promptly stuffed the pill into his mouth.
The detoxification pill, obtained with 50 points, quickly took effect.
Lin Qingyang suddenly stood up, drew a dagger, and was about to rush out.
“Hey, what are you doing! You’re not planning to rush in, right? Your friend is really in danger, but you, a literary gentleman, can’t possibly… at the door, the guard is a martial artist.”
Not long ago, Xinyue came out to inquire on behalf of Lin Qingyang and discovered that Chu Lishu had already entered Chief Steward Wang’s private room. After reporting back, Lin Qingyang asked if there were any places where they could eavesdrop or peek.
Lin Qingyang was concerned about the progress of the mission but didn’t want to disturb it. He had planned to lurk near the outer windows or even become a nightwalker by climbing onto the roof. Unexpectedly, Xinyue provided him with a solution.
In fact, each private room had a secret surveillance point designed to prevent encounters with abnormal customers who might harm the ladies. Normally, these surveillance points were hidden behind cabinets and were difficult to detect. However, not long ago, a peculiar customer arrived, and Xinyue, out of curiosity, followed the madam to the surveillance room, revealing the existence of this operation.
Lin Qingyang immediately sought Xinyue’s help, even using the promise he made earlier. Xinyue knew that Lin Qingyang was concerned about his friend, and she didn’t take it too seriously. She led Lin Qingyang to the secret surveillance point.
After moving the cabinet, Lin Qingyang stayed behind to monitor, while Xinyue, feeling bored, decided to go out and get some food.
Not long after Xinyue left, trouble indeed occurred next door. However, Lin Qingyang saw that Chu Lishu was managing quite well, so he didn’t intervene for the time being. After all, he was not as capable as Chu Lishu, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to become a hindrance. Moreover, neither Lu Yi nor Lu Shi had appeared yet, so it wasn’t his place to interfere.
But unexpectedly, things took a sudden turn, and there was no support from Lu Yi and Lu Shi. Lin Qingyang realized that something had gone wrong. Chu Lishu was now standing alone, and Lin Qingyang wanted to go help. However, during that moment, he also detected the scent of poison through the peephole. Moreover, the peephole was conveniently close to the window where Du Yu entered. Even though the peephole was small, Lin Qingyang was exposed to a substantial amount of poison, causing him to collapse instantly.
Listening to the commotion on the other side, he sensed that things were bad. Disregarding the issue of points, he quickly retrieved an antidote. However, he never expected that the tricky system didn’t have an automatic feeding function. The medicine appeared out of nowhere but insisted that he consume it himself.
Given his current condition, how could he possibly move?
He helplessly listened to the commotion next door, hearing that they temporarily didn’t take away Chu Lishu but instead plunged him into another even more terrifying situation.
How did the male lead end up becoming a completely mad and tyrannical ruler? Would the values that he had painstakingly protected in the male lead be completely destroyed?
Lin Qingyang stared wide-eyed, unable to believe it, praying in his heart for the protagonist’s halo to activate. Yet, he remembered the various details from the original plot. Weren’t they trying to force him into becoming that kind of insane tyrant? So as long as he didn’t die, no matter what kind of torment he suffered, it wouldn’t affect the outcome?
The thought of this possibility made Lin Qingyang feel as if his chest was tightening, and he could hardly breathe.
He had to save Chu Lishu, he had to…
Xinyue arrived, he took the medicine but sadly found that he couldn’t break through the guard at the door.
Lin Qingyang forced himself to stay calm. He recalled the window that Du Yu had entered just now, immediately changed direction, and took a detour to get inside. Directly entering wouldn’t work, so he circled around. He climbed out of a window, walked along the dangerous edge, found the opened window, and skillfully entered.
Upon entering, he saw three bodies. The young eunuch was almost as exposed as if he wasn’t wearing anything. The scene stimulated Lin Qingyang, making him ignore everything he saw and rush towards the bed in a frenzy.
Xinyue, who had no idea what was going on, saw Lin Qingyang so nervous and followed him. Upon discovering the gruesome corpses, she was shocked but fortunately managed not to scream. Soon, they noticed that there was still someone in the corner, alive, staring at them wide-eyed but not making a sound.
And at that moment, the creepy laughter of Chief Steward Wang echoed, “I really didn’t expect, Your Highness, you’ve got such a beautiful new body… Ah!”
With a heavy thud and a short, miserable scream, everything returned to calm. Only the rapid, panting breaths of Lin Qingyang, as if struggling to emerge from the edge of life and death, disrupted the silence.
Lin Qingyang, holding a chair, let his hand fall weakly. He stood there like a soul being sucked away, staring blankly at the scene before him.
Everything in front of him assaulted his brain, leaving him momentarily unable to react.
Although he had thought about the possible scenarios when he heard the situation earlier, seeing it happen was something he couldn’t accept.
“Why did it turn out like this? Why?” These words echoed incessantly in Lin Qingyang’s mind.
His emotions were boiling and churning like magma, on the verge of a volcanic eruption.
With injured and bound hands, his robe hanging open, his fair skin was marked with purple-red bruises everywhere. Although his trousers were intact, there was a wooden box placed between his legs, containing various-sized jade objects, as if ready to be used on the person lying down in the next second—an overwhelming sense of humiliation.
Lin Qingyang dared not look at Chu Lishu’s face, but he forced himself to lift his head.
In that moment of locking eyes, the eyes that showed almost no emotional expression made Lin Qingyang feel like his heart was no longer in its place. An indescribable sense of pain spread and Lin Qingyang even held his breath, his eyes momentarily blurred.
Chu Lishu, he was Chu Lishu, he was Yuan Ran, he was the male lead! He was so clever, so formidable, plotting against everyone—how could he encounter such a humiliating situation unexpectedly?
Lin Qingyang felt that he couldn’t accept it. It was like a dream. Suddenly, Lin Qingyang realized that if it were the original plot, there wouldn’t be such a storyline. The only one who would succeed in the original was the original owner. The fact that it turned out like this must be because the plot had changed a lot. So… was it his fault? Did he change a lot of the plot, causing unexpected incidents? Otherwise, how could Chu Lishu end up in the hands of this cannon fodder, suffering humiliation?
Chu Lishu… Chu Lishu… He had already transformed so well, hadn’t he? He clearly…
Lin Qingyang finally couldn’t control his emotions. Guilt and hatred tormented him, tears rolling down uncontrollably. He turned around and started punching and kicking the unconscious Chief Steward Wang. The force behind his punches didn’t care if it might be fatal; at this moment, he was overwhelmed by a single thought—anyone who treated Chu Lishu like this deserved to die, and he would kill this person!
With each punch, Chief Steward Wang’s nasal bone was crushed inwards, the pain awakening him only to make him faint again.
It wasn’t until Lin Qingyang’s knuckles were bleeding that he heard Xinyue’s voice behind him, “Young Master Lin…”
Lin Qingyang immediately woke up and said urgently, “Don’t come over!” He reached out and threw away the insulting box, trembling as he untied the belt that bound Chu Lishu’s arm. He pulled out the dagger stuck in Chu Lishu’s palm, hastily bandaged it, fixed Chu Lishu’s clothes, and covered him with a blanket.
Throughout the whole process, Chu Lishu didn’t make eye contact with Lin Qingyang, as if he were a broken doll. Lin Qingyang knew that even if Chu Lishu hadn’t been physically harmed, the humiliation alone would be enough to affect him. Lin Qingyang himself couldn’t bear such stimulation, let alone Chu Lishu.
His heart ached, feeling extremely wronged. Although he didn’t know what he was feeling wronged about, he just wanted to cry and hit someone. Tears fell one by one, and his heart hurt so much.
“He’s poisoned; I need to find the antidote.” The points were already used up, but he remembered that Du Yu had the antidote with him.
After searching, Lin Qingyang found many vials. However, in his state of sorrow and anger, his mind was unusually clear. Taking advantage of a system bug here, he decided that if he tried to ingest any harmful substances, the system would provide a life safety reminder.
In the end, there were only two vials that were not life-threatening. At this moment, Lin Qingyang also noticed the other eunuch who had been motionless, rumored to be the eunuch Hai Gonggong. Lin Qingyang took a gamble, let him choose, fed him one of the vials, and instructed Xinyue to watch him. If he dared to make any suspicious moves, he would be knocked out with a stool.
As expected, Hai Gonggong, just like in the original story, understood the situation. He cooperated well, and the effects of the medicine quickly took hold. He was able to speak, but instead of shouting, he calmly digested the information he had just heard. He had a speculation, but he dared not confirm it, as the situation seemed too unbelievable.
On Lin Qingyang’s side, he administered medicine to Chu Lishu, and the room at the Golden Phoenix Pavilion was stocked with basic healing medications. With Xinyue’s help, Lin Qingyang found golden wound medicine and carefully treated the injuries on Chu Lishu’s hands.
“What happened to him? Were they…?”
“Nothing happened. Go help me watch the door.”
“Oh, okay…”
After Xinyue left, Lin Qingyang helped Chu Lishu put on his clothes. Seeing Chu Lishu’s blank expression and lack of response, Lin Qingyang felt even more distressed. Speaking in a low voice, he said, “I’m sorry, I came too late. Lishu, it’s okay now. You’re safe. I will protect you.”
Not knowing if the medicine had taken effect yet, Chu Lishu showed no signs of response. Lin Qingyang held his wrist, trembling uncontrollably.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Xinyue immediately became tense.
Lin Qingyang rushed out with a dagger in hand, seeing that Hai Gonggong hadn’t called for help. He relaxed and brought Chief Steward Wang over, laying him on the table, and then gestured for Xinyue to hide while giving a few instructions. Xinyue stared wide-eyed, possibly a mix of nervousness and excitement due to her adventurous nature.
The person knocking on the door received no response for a long time. Suddenly, he pushed the door open and rushed in, only to find Chief Steward Wang lying face down. He quickly approached and nervously checked.
Just then, the martial artist sensed the murderous intent and immediately turned around, catching the dagger that Lin Qingyang thrust at him. With his other hand, he grabbed Lin Qingyang’s neck and slammed him onto the table. Lin Qingyang’s attempt at a sneak attack failed, and though he was dazed from the impact, he instinctively held onto the martial artist’s arm, denying him the chance to escape.
At this moment, Xinyue suddenly jumped from behind and, taking advantage of the martial artist’s lack of turning, smashed a vase heavily on his head.
Unfortunately, even though it injured the martial artist and allowed Lin Qingyang to break free, this opponent wasn’t as susceptible as Chief Steward Wang to being knocked unconscious. Despite the injuries, the martial artist stood up again, displaying a fierce expression. Lin Qingyang quickly pushed away the alarmed Xinyue and confronted the opponent.
The life-and-death struggle was a first for Lin Qingyang. When he was kicked down and felt his entire body aching and powerless, a guard pulled out a knife and was about to approach him. The warning signals were already sounding in his mind when, at that critical moment, a blade pierced through the guard’s chest, and blood sprayed directly onto Lin Qingyang.
The guard looked at the blade in disbelief, now protruding from his chest. When he turned around, he was met with a pair of beast-like crimson eyes.
As the guard fell, Lin Qingyang joyfully climbed to his feet, exclaiming, “You’re okay!”
But the next moment, Lin Qingyang felt that something was wrong because the look in Chu Lishu’s eyes was filled with murderous intent.
Before Lin Qingyang could react, Chu Lishu drew his blade and swung it towards him.
“What are you doing!” Xinyue was bewildered by this sudden turn of events and shouted in panic.
Lin Qingyang dodged in a hurry, and the alarm bells in his mind kept ringing. Why did Chu Lishu… want to kill him?
Is it because he suspected that his identity was exposed, and he wanted to eliminate him to keep it a secret?
Due to Lin Qingyang’s evasion, Xinyue stepped forward to intervene. As a result, Chu Lishu’s attention shifted, and, driven by some instinct, he turned to attack Xinyue.
His hand, holding the knife, was still bleeding, and the wound made his movements less smooth.
“Chu Lishu! Stop, are you really going to kill us?” Lin Qingyang rushed up in disbelief and pushed Chu Lishu away.
But Chu Lishu acted as if he hadn’t heard anything, and after regaining his balance, he charged again. Xinyue shouted to rush out, but Chu Lishu couldn’t catch up to kill him. Instead, he grabbed the wine jug on the table and smashed it over. Xinyue was immediately knocked unconscious.
Lin Qingyang was stunned, watching Chu Lishu about to go after Xinyue for a follow-up attack. He hurriedly rushed up to intervene.
Chu Lishu, with his attention diverted, turned to target Lin Qingyang.
“He… Hadn’t he gone crazy?” Even Hai Gonggong, who had been in the corner the whole time, sensed the danger. Chu Lishu in front of him was clearly about to kill everything around him.
This statement alerted Lin Qingyang. Now, the male lead’s actions seemed unconscious, as if he was killing on instinct, similar to the state of frenzy when the Tianxuan Pill’s side effects occurred.
Moreover, Lin Qingyang’s subconscious refused to believe that the male lead would directly kill and silence everyone after the exposure of his identity, without giving them a chance to surrender.
Thinking quickly, Lin Qingyang exchanged the Refreshing Pill in the system Exchange Shop, using 2 points.
Now, he only had 4 points left.
Lin Qingyang grabbed the pill and tried to approach Chu Lishu to make him swallow it.
However, facing the current Chu Lishu was like facing a hunting tiger, making it impossible to get close, let alone perform the challenging task of feeding medicine. Even though he was currently unconscious, it didn’t mean he was defenseless; he would eat anything if forced.
Several times, the pill in Lin Qingyang’s hand was nearly knocked away.
Forced to retreat into the room, Lin Qingyang, realizing that he couldn’t forcefully make Chu Lishu take the medicine, gritted his teeth. He decided to take matters into his own hands, biting down on the pill himself. Grabbing the blanket on the bed, he covered Chu Lishu. When Chu Lishu emerged from under the blanket, Lin Qingyang immediately pounced on him, pinning him down on the bed.
A warmth spread over their lips as the pill was forcefully shoved into Chu Lishu’s mouth, melting between their teeth.
Lin Qingyang felt the person he was pinning down becoming weaker in their struggle, thinking that the medication was taking effect. He prepared to step back.
Suddenly, Chu Lishu, taking advantage of the distraction, withdrew his wrist, grabbed a dagger and reached it towards Lin Qingyang’s back.
In that fleeting moment, time seemed to slow down. Lin Qingyang sensed the danger, realizing that it might be a fatal strike. However, he was already unable to avoid it.
He was going to die? After all that effort, he was going to die, but he would prefer a different way to die, not at Chu Lishu’s hands.
Stunned, he used the last moments to gaze at Chu Lishu beneath him. Truly… he felt a bit reluctant.
In those familiar eyes, it seemed like something flashed. Lin Qingyang didn’t have time to discern it before feeling a weight on the back of his head. It wasn’t a blade piercing through but someone pressing down with their hand.
The dagger slipped away from the side, his head was pushed down, and once again, a warmth spread over his lips. The scorching breath enveloped him.
His body flipped, and everything turned upside down.
In the moment his teeth were pried open, Lin Qingyang was dumbfounded.
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ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT WITH THESE TURN OF EVENTS WOah