My Years in the Jianghu with the Prince: A Time of Unethical Conduct

Today, probably only a handful of people can still recall it.

In Yongcheng, it was not Shi Hanxi who was famous in his early years, but his twin brother Shi Hanyu.

The two Shi brothers showed amazing talent in painting from a young age.

So, while they were still young, they were sent to study painting under a renowned painter.

Both of them were exceptionally intelligent, and were even praised by this highly respected teacher as unparalleled talents.

But only the two brothers knew the truth. The teacher's words about "a talent beyond compare" were actually directed at Shi Hanyu.

But when it came to Shi Hanxi, he only said one thing: "She is beautiful, but unfortunately she has no spirit whatsoever. Given time, she will probably become mediocre and blend into the crowd."

This sentence was like a spell, constantly echoing in his ears, making him think of it every time he painted.

Shi Hanxi was unwilling to be inferior to his younger brother, who shared the same mother, and unwilling to accept the different attitudes the teacher showed towards the two of them, as well as the pitiful and contemptuous looks from others.

So he began to paint as if possessed. But the more he painted, the more chaotic his strokes became. In the end, he himself no longer knew what he was painting.

Not long after, the highly respected teacher died of illness, and the two brothers had no choice but to return to Yongcheng.

But just as the teacher said, Shi Hanyu indeed made a name for himself and became famous in Yongcheng.

Moreover, his good younger brother not only paints very well, but also somehow learned how to repair paintings and calligraphy behind his back.

During that period, the Shi family's house was always bustling with visitors, who came in droves to ask for paintings or request repairs to their calligraphy and paintings.

Wherever he went, as long as Shi Hanyu was present, everyone's eyes would involuntarily focus on him, completely forgetting about Shi Hanxi.

Shi Hanxi is a person with a stubborn and sensitive nature. Over the years, his heart has been tightly bound by jealousy and resentment, and his inner demons have become increasingly severe.

Until one day ten years ago, he heard someone mention the phrase "mediocre person" again.

These four words were like a sharp dagger, piercing straight into his heart.

When he came to his senses, he found that his younger brother, with whom he shared blood, had fallen lifelessly at his feet.

Fresh blood gushed from Shi Hanyu's wound, staining the ground red and stinging his eyes.

However, unexpectedly, at this moment, what welled up in his heart was not fear and panic, but an indescribable joy and satisfaction.

This feeling was like a surging torrent, instantly washing away the inferiority and repression that had accumulated in his heart for many years.

In an instant, inspiration surged forth like a spring. He disregarded the still-dry blood on his hands and hurriedly began to wield his brush.

That day was the day he killed his younger brother, and it was also the day he surpassed his brother for the first time.

Since that day, Shi Hanxi was pleasantly surprised to find that the bottleneck that had been troubling her for many years and was difficult to overcome had shattered instantly, as if gently pushed by an invisible hand.

He finally replaced Shi Hanyu and became the genius in people's eyes.

In order to prevent others from noticing anything amiss, he announced that Shi Hanyu was seriously ill and could not be seen by anyone.

Over time, people's attention gradually shifted to themselves.

However, this good fortune didn't last long. In just a few years, Shi Hanxi was shocked to discover that his once increasingly refined and highly praised painting skills had begun to decline significantly.

The skill that used to be able to easily create beautiful lines and vivid images seemed to have abandoned him overnight.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recapture that feeling of effortless mastery he once had.

I'm not willing to give up like this.

So he began to stay indoors and paint day and night. When he saw no results, he even consulted a doctor to see if there was something wrong with him, but the final results were not satisfactory.

Gradually, Shi Hanxi began to realize why she had suddenly broken through her bottleneck.

"What exactly happened?" Ning Liang asked hastily, looking at the man lying on the ground in a state of madness.

Shi Hanxi did not answer, but instead looked at Ning Liang with a mocking expression and said, "Prefect, after hearing this, don't you still understand?"

Ning Liang paused, recalling Shi Hanxi's words. Realizing that his previously "mediocre" painting skills had suddenly improved after killing Shi Hanyu, he immediately felt a chill run down his spine and asked, "Did you improve your painting skills by killing people?"

"Ugh……"

Shi Hanxi lay on the ground, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled, as if she wanted to expel all the emotions in her heart with this breath.

“At first I didn’t believe it either,” Shi Hanxi said calmly, “but it was clear that if things continued like this, someone would soon notice something was wrong.”

"So I tricked a courtesan who was in love with me into coming to me."

Actually, now that he thinks about it, Shi Hanxi can no longer remember what the courtesan looked like or how old she was.

But he still remembered the surging, turbulent emotions that welled up inside him when he tightly gripped the woman's slender, fragile neck.

There was also the surge of inspiration that came from witnessing firsthand how that originally beautiful and delicate face gradually became incredibly grotesque and distorted due to pain and despair.

From then on, he discovered that his superb painting skills would only return when he killed these beautiful women.

Ning Liang, standing to the side, was pale and could not believe what he had just heard.

He stared wide-eyed at Shi Hanxi in disbelief, and said, "You...you actually took the lives of so many innocent women just for something like this?! Are you even human?"

“There’s nothing I can do.” Shi Hanxi chuckled, her tone filled with helplessness. “If they don’t die, I will become an ordinary person again. If they don’t die, I will lose everything.”

"Besides, weren't they in love with me? To die for my paintings is a fitting end."

Hearing Shi Hanxi's nonchalant tone, Ning Liang felt a surge of anger.

He clenched his fists, wishing he could rush forward immediately and tear this heartless madman to pieces.

But he ultimately suppressed his anger because he knew he had to investigate the case thoroughly and bring justice to the innocent women who had died.

"Then why did you dress those women up as flower goddesses?"

"Oh, this."

Shi Hanxi said casually, "Don't these courtesans all dream of becoming flower goddesses? Considering the great contributions they have made to me, I'm just expressing my gratitude to them a little."