In the novel "Joy of Life," the protagonist wakes up at Li Chengze's residence.

Fan Xian looked at Li Chengze and saw that his eyes had regained some of their luster and were full of expectation. He then looked away somewhat guiltily.

In the end, I still didn't dare to say that sentence:

"A person in a vegetative state is someone whose brain has been damaged, so they can only think and cannot move, just like a plant," he said.

Firstly, even Fan Xian himself didn't believe that a perfectly healthy person could suddenly and inexplicably suffer brainstem damage.

Secondly, he was afraid that if he revealed the truth, Li Chengze would go crazy and would no longer be able to summon Xie Bi'an to kill him.

Xie Bi'an is truly no match for me; even Wang Qinian dared to call me a complete weakling...

"By the way, Fan Xian, before she fainted, she wanted to tell me where she came from."

But before she could even speak, she collapsed without any warning. As Li Chengze said this, the scene from yesterday flashed before his eyes again.

They conveniently overlooked the fleeting shock that crossed Fan Xian's face.

Fan Xian secretly calculated in his heart:

So, it's said that real identities will be forcibly logged out?

Thankfully, when I told Wan'er, she was already asleep...

Otherwise, if I were to faint in Wan'er's room in the middle of the night, it would be really hard to explain.

"Your Highness, if what you've said is true... then there's probably nothing to worry about."

Fan Xian carefully considered his words before delivering his analysis.

"how do I say this?"

"It's hard to explain, but... he should have been able to wake up before Tao Jingyang 'died'."

"Fan Xian, are you kidding me?"

Li Chengze's brow twitched involuntarily, and he slowly pulled at the corners of his mouth, revealing a half-smile.

Fan Xian quietly moved towards the door, his mouth never stopping:

"There's a high probability she'll wake up, but I really can't say for sure how long it will take."

At the same moment he headed towards the door, Li Chengze slowly turned around and faced him.

His body was slightly bent while standing, and his hands were no longer crossed in front of his chest as usual, but hung down at his sides.

It seemed as if he was surrounded by an aura of death, a stark contrast to his former confident and dignified demeanor.

Fan Xian suddenly didn't want to escape anymore; he felt there was nothing to escape from.

After all, such a person has lost all his energy and spirit, and doesn't seem threatening, does he?

For some reason, he felt he couldn't bear it.

"If she still doesn't wake up within three days, I will write to my master and ask him to return to the capital to take a look at Tao Jingyang."

After all... perhaps my medical skills are lacking, and I misdiagnosed.

Li Chengze lowered his eyes, turned away from him, and said only, "Then I thank you in advance, Lord Fan."

His eyes and tone were devoid of any emotion.

"She is also my friend, and I am heartbroken that she has suffered such a misfortune. Perhaps what I said just now was not appropriate."

But I genuinely believe she will wake up, so Your Highness, you don't need to be so anxious.

The sky outside was overcast again, and the doors and windows inside were tightly closed, not a single ray of light could get in.

A swaying red candle by the bedside left its place and went to the lamp to light another red candle.

The firelight flickered, illuminating only a small area in front of them.

Li Chengze faced the candle, his back to him, and shook his head:

"I have only one question, Fan Xian: what exactly is this secret, and why would it cause such a reaction?"

Fan Xian remained silent for a long time before saying, "Your Highness, I dare not say it. Perhaps I will faint after I do."

"I understand." Li Chengze nodded with his eyes closed.

"If you need any help on your journey to Northern Qi, please don't hesitate to ask."

He sat back in the round chair, showing his back to the world, looking lonely and desolate.

Fan Xian stared at his back, then glanced at Tao Jingyang who was still motionless, lowered his eyes, and said, "Then... thank you, Your Highness."

Having said all that, Fan Xian felt it was time for him to leave.

But before leaving, he seemed to remember something:

"Your Highness, on the way out of the palace just now, Eunuch Hou asked me a question."

"what?"

"Eunuch Hou asked me, 'Why didn't you come to the palace last night?' I always felt he was asking on behalf of His Majesty."

Li Chengze turned around, pressed his lower back against the edge of the bed, and saw him looking like he was racking his brains to analyze the situation, which he found very strange.

Having already formed a bold guess in his mind, he softly called out to him, "Fan Xian."

The latter snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at him: "What?"

"Don't you know that you are also His Majesty's son?"

Upon hearing this, the room fell silent; even the falling flowers made a sound.

To be honest, Fan Xian was a little shocked.

He stood there stunned for a moment, then roared in a voice an octave higher: "What???"

"That's all I know. I don't know if it's true or not. You can check it yourself."

Judging from the man's reaction, Li Chengze basically understood everything.

Seeing that he was completely confused about his identity, she "kindly" offered a reminder:

"Aren't you leaving? Do you want to stay here and take care of her with me?"

...... ...... ...... ......

Fan Xian was thus driven out of the gate, still filled with questions. No, he was driven over the courtyard wall.

He walked along the road, lost in thought:

So, according to him, we are half-brothers, and I've become a prince!?

Could it be that Li Chengze helped me time and time again because of this?

Filled with questions but unable to find a solution, he returned to his residence to find his "biological father," Fan Jian.

Fan Xian's questions can be answered by Li Chengze.

Dressed in red, he was still sitting in front of Tao Jingyang's bed.

He stroked the face of the unconscious person and gently brushed his fingertip across the corner of her mouth.

"I'm sorry, I told everyone about this."

"It's just that Fan Xian is going to Northern Qi, and if I tell him this, I'll probably gain his trust more."

A gust of wind suddenly blew in from outside the window, making the window paper rustle.

Then, the wind blew the window open, ruffled Li Chengze's hair, and extinguished the candles in the room.

The room returned to its dim state.

The Dead Manor.

A secret manor hidden deep in the mountains, inhabited by assassins who serve only one person.

Xie Bi'an had originally received orders from Li Chengze to sneak into the countryside to recruit and train another group of assassins.

This place is home to many fugitives with blood on their hands, displaced people whose families have been destroyed by natural disasters and man-made calamities, homeless orphans, and warriors who have retired from the battlefield without receiving any compensation.

Just as Xie Bi'an had recruited enough talent, he received another secret order:

"Be sure, return quickly."