Defeat the system! Kiss my little monster!

The protrusions on it are intertwined and coiled, like the ferocious face of a wild beast, deeply carved into the fragile flesh.

Luo Yuxuan kept backing away, wondering if he was hallucinating, and kept turning back to look ahead again.

The two people who looked almost identical stood not far from him, one pair of eyes calm, the other pair of eyes weathered by life's trials.

"Lan Yu... Lan Yu..."

Luo Yuxuan didn't know where to retreat. His expression was dazed. He only glanced at the man in the palace maid's clothes before quickly shifting his gaze forward.

"You're not him, you're not him...none of you are him!" Luo Yuxuan pulled out the arrow that had pierced his chest, blood splattering everywhere, and he staggered to his feet.

Another whooshing sound rang out as a sharp arrow pierced through his arm from behind, pinning him to a nearby stone pillar.

Wen Yu pulled back the bowstring forcefully. He stood still, his brown pupils darkening with a hint of sinister ruthlessness and hatred.

He nocked another arrow, its fletching thick, and aimed the tip at Luo Yuxuan.

This time, Luo Yuxuan didn't scream. His arm was pierced by a sharp arrow, and blood was flowing down the gap.

Luo Yuxuan trembled, but only stared ahead, chuckling softly, "Lanyu... look at you, what have you done to yourself? This is treason... do you know that? Do you know that!"

The main hall was empty, with the fallen red candles igniting the constantly fluttering curtains beside it. Luo Yuxuan's low laughter filled the room, swirling and stimulating the eardrums.

Shen Yu stood silently to the side, raising his eyes to look ahead, his gaze landing on the figure at the doorway.

He resembled him yet was not quite like him. Dressed in military uniform, he seemed to have undergone a complete transformation in just a few dozen days, completely losing his previous stooped and difficult posture.

Wen Yu seemed not to hear him and shot another arrow, piercing Luo Yuxuan's left thigh bone.

“My country perished long ago.” Wen Yu threw down his bow and arrows, his eyes fixed on Luo Yuxuan, a sarcastic smile playing on his lips for some reason. “It perished by your hand.”

Luo Yuxuan had four or five holes pierced by sharp arrows all over his body. He saw Lan Yu, who had half a ghost face, getting closer and closer to him. After saying a few words, his face suddenly changed color.

"Lan Yu! I am Xuan Lin! I am the Emperor! You have committed regicide and betrayed the country, and you will be remembered as a sinner for all time!" Luo Yuxuan said in a deep voice, "Even if I die, you will not have a good end. Do you think Sheng Guo will let you go? No! No..."

Wen Yu stared coldly at him, drawing the sword from his waist. The cold light emanated from the blade, reflecting a hint of his sharp features.

"No need for you to worry about that." Wen Yu strode forward, his eyes icy, and pressed an arrow against Luo Yuxuan's throat.

Luo Yuxuan's voice abruptly stopped. The tip of the longsword had already pierced the skin of his neck. He stared wide-eyed at Wen Yu, his Adam's apple bobbing as he said hoarsely, "Lanyu, on Chengyuan Mountain, nine thousand stone steps..."

Wen Yu froze.

He looked at the figure in front of him, the face he had cursed and hated countless times in the dead of night, a face he had often seen years ago.

They had overcome so many hardships together, from icy mountains and snowy plains to desolate deserts. They had traveled countless miles together before finally reaching the throne.

But now, they will all be burned to ashes and turned into emptiness.

"On Chengyuan Mountain, there are nine thousand stone steps. That is Xuan Lin, not you." Suddenly, a force appeared behind Wen Yu. A pale hand with blue veins gripped Wen Yu's wrist. The calluses rubbed against her skin, and Wen Yu's eyelashes trembled. Then, the force on her arm increased sharply.

The resistance in front of him increased several times over. The sword pierced through his neck and through the stone pillar, making a heavy sound like a heavy object falling to the ground.

Wen Yu's fingers were stiff. He looked ahead and saw Xuan Lin still looking incredulous when he died, his bloodshot eyes staring intently at him.

"Lanyu, don't be afraid." Shen Yu hugged Wen Yu from behind, his nose gently touching the back of Wen Yu's neck.

His hot breath irrigated Wen Yu's slightly cool skin. He lifted his eyelids and gazed quietly at Xuan Lin's face. The throbbing discomfort gradually subsided, eventually ceasing as certain lights faded.

"...Come back with me."

The surrounding fire intensified, blocking the main hall's doors and the only passage inside. Outside, the soldiers' voices were chaotic, screaming and shouting, all mixed together in a frenzy of disorder.

Wen Yu leaned back, closed his eyes, and after a long while said, "I won't let you live a hard life."

Shen Yu paused, his gaze burning for a moment before he quickly lowered his eyelashes and smiled faintly: "Okay."

The creature, clinging to life, floated silently in the air, gazing at the sky. It dispersed the fire snakes that kept darting in, and slammed a ball hard into Shen Yu's back, urging him to leave through the secret passage quickly.

Shen Yu wasn't unaware of the situation. He exchanged a few words with Wen Yu, then turned and led him away. Xuan Lin's body remained in the same spot. As Shen Yu left, he glanced at him and casually tossed the phoenix hairpin from his sleeve to the ground.

The fire climbed upwards, and thick smoke billowed from the palace gates, forcing back the Sheng Kingdom army that came to their aid. They were blocked outside the gates, only able to vaguely see a few blurry figures inside through the thick smoke.

Those figures flashed past them and vanished without a trace.

*

In the eleventh year of the Cheng'an era, the Sheng Kingdom conquered Yue. This battle ended nearly a century of division and completed the unification of the country.

Emperor Xuan Lin's body remained inside the main hall. Because the fire inside the hall was so intense, by the time the soldiers extinguished the fire and entered, Xuan Lin's body had already been charred, becoming a blackened corpse whose face was indistinguishable.

The King of Sheng Kingdom paid no attention to the news of the Yue Emperor's death. He ordered a thorough investigation of the entire Yue royal palace in search of any trace of the wicked Queen Wen Yu.

Wen Yu once led his troops to break through the strategic pass of Yue. Along the way, the King of Sheng followed closely behind and witnessed many unknown deeds. He also wanted to recruit Wen Yu into his ranks.

However, Wen Yu was cold and taciturn, and despite the king's repeated attempts to get closer to him, he ultimately failed to find an opportunity to have more contact with him.

After the death of Emperor Yue, one of Empress Wen Yu's phoenix hairpins fell to the ground. The later king sent people to search tirelessly, and eventually found another corpse in a secret passage. That corpse also had burn marks, and half of its cheek was covered with scars, but the outline of Wen Yu's facial features could still be vaguely seen.

The king was deeply saddened by the sight. He thoroughly investigated the matter between Xuan Lin and Wen Yu, focusing on arresting palace maids and eunuchs to inquire about the details of what happened back then.

Those palace servants who had not yet escaped Kunning Palace all knelt on the ground. Under torture, they tremblingly told the whole story that had been buried deep in the palace for so many years.

The king remained silent upon hearing this.

After pondering for several days, he wrote a petition to plead for Wen Yu's innocence.

From then on, Wen Lanyu's name was engraved on the merit stele in Liyuan Garden, ranking alongside other sages of Sheng Kingdom.

He is also the youngest Grand Secretary in the past century.