A flash of hatred flickered beneath Chen Ning'an's calm expression.
"He must have received it by now."
That venomous glare looked especially jarring on his otherwise simple, good-natured face.
Back when Chen Ning'an first arrived at the academy, Lu Chao and Zhou Qingyuan had been deeply wary of him. But they soon discovered that despite his hulking frame, the man was surprisingly timid.
No matter how much they provoked him, he never got angry or fought back. The moment someone raised a hand, his instinct was to cover his head—utterly submissive, never resisting.
Yet no matter how obedient he was, he was still a member of the Chen family. To Prince Kang, his presence was like having a live surveillance device planted nearby, making covert operations difficult. So, the group hatched a plan to bring him under their control.
One moonless night, they tried to ambush him with a sack, but before they could even begin their intimidation, Chen Ning'an dropped to his knees with a thud.
He spilled everything—every word Prefect Chen had ever told him.
"Tell me what messages you want me to pass on, and I’ll do it. I won’t resist at all. I only have one request—don’t send me back. Please?"
His excessive cooperation left them stunned, their fists hesitating mid-air.
"Why can’t we send you back?" Zhou Qingyuan nudged the kneeling Chen Ning'an with his foot.
"If I’m sent back, my little sister will die."
Chen Ning'an closed his eyes, images flashing through his mind—a blood-soaked bed, his sister’s terrified face.
"Don’t worry. I hate the Chens more than any of you."
His voice was restrained, but the veins bulging on the back of his hands betrayed his fury.
For a moment, Lu Chao wondered if this burning hatred was the only thing keeping Chen Ning'an alive.
Awkwardly, they loosened their fists.
Chen Ning'an was the most contradictory person Lu Chao had ever met. He had never seen someone embody so many conflicting traits at once.
Tall and broad, he usually appeared simple and good-natured, always smiling, never disobeying orders. When Lu Chao was crafting weapons, Chen Ning'an would even help him carve wood. But the moment danger arose, it was as if some survival instinct kicked in—he’d flee instantly, as if escape was his life’s philosophy.
That was, unless the Chen family was mentioned. At the mere mention of them, his demeanor shifted—icy, venomous.
Lu Chao sometimes wondered if the man had multiple personalities. Just being around him gave him chills.
After testing him for a while, they confirmed Chen Ning'an was true to his word—he couldn’t care less about the messages sent back to the Chen family.
Xiao Youcheng also gathered intel on Chen Ning'an’s background.
"Chen Ning'an, illegitimate son of a Chen family concubine. His birth mother died in the 44th year of Great Yuan."
"What about his sister?"
Xiao Youcheng shook the letter.
"Raised by another concubine in the residence."
Remembering the hatred in Chen Ning'an’s eyes, Lu Chao asked,
"And his mother’s death?"
Xiao Youcheng shook his head.
"Couldn’t dig that up. All the maids who served her were sold off. Only he knows the truth."
A double agent was useful, but if the plan backfired, the losses would outweigh the gains.
Without absolute certainty, no one dared trust him fully.
Prince Kang kept Chen Ning'an at arm’s length for three months. During that time, Chen Ning'an kept busy—rising early to practice martial arts, shirtless and fierce, then sweeping the academy spotless before filling every water vat in the courtyard. Lu Chao finally understood where those muscles came from.
In his free time, he’d even carve wood alongside Lu Chao. Noticing the shape of the piece in Chen Ning'an’s hands—an exquisite peach blossom hairpin—Lu Chao teased him about who it was for. Chen Ning'an scratched his head sheepishly and said it was for his little sister.
When Chen Ning'an’s day off arrived, Lu Chao and Zhou Qingyuan disguised themselves and tailed him.
Chen Ning'an first stopped at a pastry shop, haggling painstakingly over a few treats. After a long back-and-forth, the shopkeeper, exasperated, threw in an extra mung bean cake for free. Satisfied, Chen Ning'an tucked the pastries into his robes and headed toward the Chen Residence.
Lu Chao and Zhou Qingyuan couldn’t exactly waltz in after him, so they lurked outside. To pass the time, Lu Chao struck up a conversation with a servant exiting through the side gate, handing him a handful of sunflower seeds.
The servant, surprised but pleased by the unexpected gift, eyed Lu Chao curiously.
"Brother, you seem like a straight shooter, so I’ll be honest. A cousin of mine claims he’s got connections in the residence—says if I pay this much, he can get me a job as the Third Young Master’s attendant. What’s the young master like?"
"Ah, you’ve been scammed! The Third Young Master may be a master in name, but in the eyes of the family, he’s lower than a servant. Why would they assign him an attendant?"
"Have you ever seen a young master fetching his own water? It’s a miracle he’s even alive."
Lu Chao hadn’t expected Chen Ning'an’s life to be so harsh.
"That bad?! My cousin must be swindling me! If things are that dire, why doesn’t he just run away?"
"Ha! Think of him like a kite—the string’s held tight in the madam’s hands."
"What do you mean?"
"His sister—same mother—is still in the residence. Controlling him is child’s play."
Lu Chao feigned sympathy and pressed further.
"And his mother?"
The servant grew wary. "She’s long gone. Why the interest?"
Lu Chao grinned disarmingly. "Just curious. Poor guy. Glad I checked first—almost lost my silver. Thanks, brother!"
Regrouping with Zhou Qingyuan, they compared notes. The intel matched. Maybe Chen Ning'an really could be their double agent.
As night fell, the two sneaked over the wall into the Chen Residence for a closer look. Suddenly, they spotted Chen Ning'an standing by the well, face twisted in rage, clutching a paper packet.
Lu Chao’s heart nearly stopped. Damn it! That was the rat poison he’d bought—no wonder it had gone missing!
A swift chop to the neck later, Chen Ning'an collapsed. They dragged him behind a rockery. Lu Chao sniffed the packet—definitely rat poison. He and Zhou Qingyuan exchanged uneasy glances.
When Chen Ning'an came to, he was still frantic, muttering, "Let me kill them! Let me kill them!"
"Chen Ning'an, calm down! What happened? Tell us—we’ll help. And if you really want the Chens dead, this poison won’t cut it."
The dose was barely enough to half-kill a rat. Diluted in a well this large, it’d be useless. He’d only be signing his own death warrant.
Chen Ning'an broke down, his massive frame crumpling to the ground, his sobs enough to wrench anyone’s heart.
"I’ve obeyed them in every way, so why won’t they spare my sister? She’s only ten years old! Those beasts! They deserve to die!"
"Please, save her—I’m begging you. I’ll do anything you ask from now on!"
...
That night, Lu Chao and Zhou Qingyuan located Chen Ning’an’s sister.
She and several other young girls were being kept in a secluded courtyard. A woman with a seductive figure was teaching them to dance, while an elderly, cold-faced matron stood nearby holding a willow branch, ready to strike any girl who faltered in her steps.
The two men, crouched on the rooftop, exchanged a glance before silently retreating.
...
Upon their return, Lu Chao’s frown never eased. He hadn’t expected the Chen family to be so devoid of morality—raising their own illegitimate daughters as entertainers.
Seeing Chen Ning’an’s lifeless expression, Lu Chao gripped his shoulder.
"Chen Ning’an, you’re the only one who can save your sister."
"Only when you become powerful will they dare not touch her."
Lu Chao locked eyes with him. "No matter how strong your fists are, they can only fight ten men. What if there are a hundred? A thousand? You must learn to wield this instead."
Chen Ning’an’s bloodshot gaze bore into him.
"What?"
"Power."
