Only then did Fu Xin realize that something was wrong. The blood she had vomited today was a sign that she was unwell.
She had practiced martial arts for many years, after all, and the martial arts of the Xianluo Mountain sect were unrivaled throughout the world. Although Fu Xin was not particularly bright, the power she had amassed through the cultivation of the entire Xianluo Mountain sect was by no means insignificant.
By any measure, she was one of the most formidable experts of her generation. Unfortunately, she had run into Pei Liang and been beaten half to death.
She had nearly recovered over the past few days. Given her formidable constitution, even vomiting blood twice in one day should not have left her in this state.
The blood flowing from her nose grew heavier, and a salty, metallic taste welled up in her throat. Recalling Fu Jue’s earlier words, Fu Xin finally arrived at an unbelievable conclusion.
She looked up at Fu Jue, her eyes filled with horror at how someone so familiar could become so strange and terrifying overnight.
“You—you did something to me? What are you trying to do?”
As she spoke, the burning pain in her organs grew even more intense.
Fu Jue merely gave a cold laugh instead of answering her question.
“Does it seem unbelievable?” he asked his elder sister in return. “But you should know, Elder Sister, that this is something I have wanted to do ever since I was seven.”
Fu Xin spat out a mouthful of blood. Realizing there was something wrong with the medicine, she hurriedly said, “Quickly, summon the imperial physician.”
“Are you insane? If something happens to me, do you think you’ll have an easy life?”
Fu Jue smiled. “That’s right. From the moment we were born, Mother and Father drilled it into both of us: because you are a woman, because you are the elder sister, you are my support and the future pillar of Xianluo Mountain.”
“Even though you have never fulfilled any of that, your entire family still used it as an excuse to exploit my blood and flesh with a clear conscience.”
“After Mother passed away, at the ceremony to select the next sect master, Father ordered me not to reveal the slightest hint of my abilities as the heir. Instead, he took the results of my deductions and used them to make a figurehead out of a fool like you.”
“From childhood to adulthood, when it came to talent and intelligence, you and I were as far apart as the clouds and mud. It was only because you received so much preferential treatment—so much that you actually came to believe, with a clear conscience, that you were the indispensable one.”
“You thought yourself above ordinary people, Elder Sister, yet you have lived a despicable life. You are no different from those useless men who rely on being born male to lie at home and suck the lifeblood out of their families.”
At last, Fu Jue looked at Fu Xin. The murderous intent and madness he had suppressed for years erupted together in his eyes.
“To be honest, given your stupidity, it is somewhat unfair for me to vent all my resentment on you.”
“But who can blame me, when Father happened to die first?”
As Fu Jue said this, he spoke of his biological father not as a family member, but as though he were someone utterly insignificant.
“You depended on Father far too much, treating every one of his poisonous, foolish words as divine truth. Father wanted the two of us to marry as soon as possible and produce heirs for Xianluo Mountain. But the thought of marrying you made me sick, so I could only make Father quiet.”
A child was naturally required to observe mourning for three years after a parent’s death. That was why Fu Xin and Fu Jue had not yet married.
Fu Xin’s scalp went numb, and cold sweat broke out across her back.
With trembling fingers, she pointed at Fu Jue. “Father clearly died of a cold—”
Fu Jue only sneered. “See? This is the difference between a counterfeit and the true heir.”
“You will never understand how glorious the legacy of Xianluo Mountain truly is.”
Fu Xin’s breathing quickened. If her body had allowed it, she would have run from Fu Jue without a second thought.
She shouted, “Someone! Someone come here! Seize this poisonous wretch!”
But the only response was an oppressive silence.
Fu Jue sat down beside the bed and calmly watched her struggle in terror, as though she were a rat that had scurried around his home for years and had finally swallowed poison and was about to disappear from his sight.
Terrified beyond measure, Fu Xin dragged her increasingly powerless body backward, desperately trying to retreat farther into the room.
She tried to reason with Fu Jue. “Little Brother, I had no idea you harbored such resentment toward me. If you were dissatisfied with something, you could have simply told me. Why go this far?”
“If I die, Xianluo Mountain will have only you left. Forget the internal struggles within the sect—even as a man, you are bound to become someone else’s puppet. In the future, you may not fare any better than you would have under my protection.”
“Take the Pei imperial family, for example. They are already watching Xianluo Mountain like a tiger stalking its prey—from the Emperor to the Crown Princess and even Prince Liang. Which one of them has not already reached an understanding to eliminate Xianluo Mountain?”
“Once I die, Xianluo Mountain will inevitably fall into turmoil. Wouldn’t that be exactly what the Pei family wants?”
“Hahahaha…”
Fu Jue burst into laughter, even applauding Fu Xin in spite of himself. “As expected, when life and death are on the line, even a fool like you can come up with endless possibilities.”
“You are surprisingly quick-witted now, Elder Sister. You have truly made me see you in a new light.”
With that, the smile vanished from Fu Jue’s face. He seized Fu Xin by the hair and yanked her entire head toward him.
He looked down at her from above, his posture brimming with menace. “Elder Sister, why do you think not a single person in this hall can hear your cries for help?”
Fu Xin froze for a moment before understanding.
Fu Jue had not suddenly turned against her.
To avoid suspicion and demonstrate the exalted, transcendent status of Xianluo Mountain, the imperial family had built a palace for the sect’s representatives to stay in. The people of Xianluo Mountain were free to arrange all the attendants within it, and inside the palace grounds, their own rules even took precedence.
Everyone serving there had come from Xianluo Mountain with them. Naturally, the imperial family had no opportunity to plant spies.
Those people should have been entirely loyal to Fu Xin. She had never imagined that her seemingly detached, desireless younger brother possessed his own power base within Xianluo Mountain.
But now, it appeared that the authority Fu Jue had controlled right under her nose was far more terrifying than she had ever imagined.
Fu Xin hurriedly said, “If you kill me, the bloodline of Xianluo Mountain will be severed. You may gain everything, but you will also bring an end to the sect’s legacy. The Fu family has spent hundreds of years building this power, standing above worldly affairs and even refusing to take the imperial family seriously. Do you truly intend to let it end with you?”
Then she took a step back in her demands. “If you resent me, I can give you the position of sect master. I only ask that you spare your elder sister’s life.”
“You have harbored this grudge for so many years. Wouldn’t it be a waste to simply let me die? In the future, we could reverse our positions and let me taste the suffering you endured. Wouldn’t that be better?”
Fu Jue laughed. “So you knew all along that you were unworthy of your position?”
Otherwise, Fu Xin’s mind would not have worked so quickly at a moment like this, suddenly allowing her to understand the situation from his perspective.
As the only female descendant of this generation of Xianluo Mountain, Fu Xin should have been the rightful heir. Yet Heaven had played a cruel joke on her—she possessed none of the power inherited by the sect.
That had always been her deepest wound, the matter she had been unable to let go of.
But Fu Jue continued, “You really are hopelessly stupid, Elder Sister. Xianluo Mountain forbids the contamination of its bloodline by ordinary blood, to prevent the dilution of divine power. It was always a strategy to guard against the imperial family annexing Xianluo Mountain. How could you have actually believed it yourself?”
“Still, you can rest assured. Although your death will be sudden, your bloodline will not be severed.”
“I will take your posthumous child and continue the bloodline in your name.”
Fu Xin was both shocked and enraged. “I have never even been with—”
She suddenly remembered something and sucked in a sharp breath. Blood went down the wrong way, choking her.
“You intend to pass off that Liang scoundrel’s bastard as my own blood?”
Fu Jue laughed with a sickly delight. “Sister, you care far too much about your dignity. Since you can neither have me executed nor do without me to carry on the family line, the humiliation of seeing your husband abused today must have been more than you could bear.”
“And so you silenced me completely.” Fu Jue twisted the knife with a smile. “Rest assured, Sister. This secret will never be revealed.”
Of course it would not. The few people in Xianluo Mountain who knew the truth had already been executed. Among the imperial family, the only ones present at the time had been members of the Pei family and one of the Empress’s personal attendants.
Naturally, they were more than happy to see the imperial bloodline enter Xianluo Mountain. They certainly would not go around drawing attention to it.
Fu Xin had painstakingly tried to preserve her dignity, never realizing that she was only hastening her own death.
Her vision had already begun to blur. The last words she heard before leaving this world were spoken by Fu Jue.
“Sister, next year during the Qingming Festival, I’ll bring your child to your grave to pay our respects.”
Fu Xin spewed out a mouthful of blood. The final image that flashed through her mind was of a bastard carved from the same mold as that Liang scoundrel—living in her home, inheriting her estate, and throwing his weight around in Xianluo Mountain.
Eighteen years later, Fu Jue and that Liang scoundrel would be living happily together, while the bastard would finally learn the identity of his birth mother. The whole family would be reunited in perfect harmony.
Fu Xin died with her eyes wide open. Truly, she had died with profound grievance.
Because of the gruesome circumstances, Pei Liang did not even attend the morning court session the next day. She was summoned to the imperial palace first thing in the morning.
She was rather annoyed. These days, she was genuinely busy. Su Yue and Consort Zhou had been frightened out of their wits yesterday, and Pei Liang had spent quite some time comforting them.
Then Fang Jiu had learned what happened and paid a secret visit to Prince Liang’s residence in the middle of the night. It had taken ages to send her away.
Pei Liang had been looking forward to sleeping in that morning, only to hear that Fu Xin had died.
As she sat in the carriage, she muttered, “She really picked the wrong time to die.”
Still, Fu Jue had acted with remarkable decisiveness. His actions were quite close to those in the original novel, though that sense of incongruity had grown even stronger.
By all rights, this was not the best time to make a move. Yet Fu Jue had chosen to act now.
As for the motive…
While pondering this, Pei Liang entered the imperial palace. Since the matter was of great importance, all the members of the imperial family had already gathered.
Even the Empress had dragged herself from her sickbed to attend. Clearly, Fu Xin’s death had caused a tremendous shock.
When Pei Liang arrived, the Empress looked at her with an indescribable expression.
How should one put it? There was even a faint hint of solemn respect in her gaze. Naturally, it could not possibly be because of Fu Xin’s death.
For a moment, Pei Liang was completely bewildered.
But the people from Xianluo Mountain lost their composure the moment they saw her. Several of Fu Xin’s followers immediately drew their swords and pointed them at Pei Liang.
“Liang scoundrel! Prepare to die!”
They actually ignored the fact that they were in the Empress’s presence and attempted to assassinate a prince—a crime punishable by death.
Pei Liang dodged the blades, counterattacking as she said unhappily, “Has ‘Liang scoundrel’ really become my official title now?”
As she spoke, she forced the several attackers back. They were about to charge forward again when Fu Jue shouted, “Stand down!”
With Fu Xin dead, Fu Jue was naturally the highest-ranking leader of Xianluo Mountain. Though unwilling, the others retreated, glaring at Pei Liang as if they wanted to devour her.
Fu Jue offered the Empress a brief apology. Naturally, the Empress had no intention of making an issue of it at a time like this.
She waved a hand, then said to Pei Liang, who had arrived last, “Sect Master Fu died suddenly in the middle of the night. I imagine you heard the news on your way here.”
“What are your thoughts on the matter?”
Pei Liang replied, “I use my eyes to look at it.”
She seemed completely unconcerned. “Wasn’t she perfectly fine when I left the palace yesterday?”
“Could it be that she was so enraged by what happened that, after returning home, she brooded over it and came up with this scheme to frame me?”
“How outrageous! Our sect master was secretly murdered by the Liang scoundrel, yet you dare insult her even now. I beg Your Majesty to render justice!”
Pei Liang looked at her as though she were an idiot. “What does that have to do with me? Fu Xin died in the imperial palace. Are you suggesting that I’m capable of extending my reach into the palace and taking someone’s life? What utter slander.”
As she spoke, she turned toward the Second Imperial Daughter. “If we’re talking about the last person who saw Fu Xin, wasn’t it Second Sister? I heard that this spineless weakling even went to see her when she was carried back.”
The Second Imperial Daughter was furious that the eldest princess was hurling such humiliating insults at her without the slightest regard for the occasion. She was so angry she nearly vomited blood.
She hurriedly defended herself. “Sister, mind your words. I have always been on good terms with Sect Master Fu. We’ve shared tea and meals countless times, and every meeting ended amicably. Why would I harm her?”
“Besides, Your Highness, your martial prowess is unrivaled. You could come and go freely even amid a thousand troops, let alone within the imperial palace. Who knows where you were when Sect Master Fu died?”
Pei Liang answered without hesitation, “Oh, although I don’t know the exact time of Sect Master Fu’s death, I should have been in my brother-in-law’s room.”
“Indeed, my brother-in-law is considerate and attentive. After you, you fool, filled me with anger yesterday, he comforted me.”
Pei Liang gave a derisive laugh. “He even cleaned up after your useless wife.”
“You—” The Second Imperial Daughter nearly vomited blood again.
The people from Xianluo Mountain could no longer stand watching this sordid imperial family drama and interrupted them. “Is Prince Liang trying to change the subject?”
“What subject am I changing?” Pei Liang replied. “Can’t you see that I’m establishing evidence that I wasn’t there?”
“If you don’t believe me, every man in my household can testify on my behalf.”
The people from Xianluo Mountain were so furious they nearly choked on their own blood. She was still behaving so flippantly at a time like this.
“Our sect master was first brutally beaten by the Liang scoundrel, suffering multiple internal injuries. Before she had fully recovered, she was angered by her several times to the point of vomiting blood.”
“Originally, our sect master endured again and again because she understood that this villain had been assassinated and was prone to violent outbursts. Who could have imagined that she would not survive it, but instead die suddenly like this?”
“Your Majesty, never before has the leader of Xianluo Mountain suffered such a humiliating and unjust death. This is disrespect toward the Immortal, and a loss to the entire realm. Your Majesty can no longer shield this Liang scoundrel!”
Pei Liang impatiently asked, “Have you determined Fu Xin’s cause of death?”
“Who else but you would have killed our sect master?”
In truth, that was not an entirely unreasonable conclusion. Whether because of matters of faith and tradition or because of their interests, no one besides the Pei imperial family truly wished to see Xianluo Mountain destroyed.
After all, Xianluo Mountain’s predictions had always been uncannily accurate. Anyone without a direct conflict of interest would rather believe them than dismiss them outright.
Moreover, among the ruling class, it was more advantageous for them to have Xianluo Mountain and the imperial family restrain each other.
In terms of motive, the imperial family really was the only suspect.
But Pei Liang had no desire to keep arguing the same point in circles. Instead, she looked toward Fu Jue.
Fu Jue was dressed entirely in mourning white. He normally wore white as well, but today his clothes were noticeably plainer and more austere. Anyone could distinguish him at a glance from the immortal-like man he usually appeared to be and the grieving widower he now seemed.
The man certainly had good acting skills. The helplessness and melancholy between his brows were performed with breathtaking realism.
People said that a person looked especially attractive dressed in mourning clothes. At this moment, Fu Jue was even more alluring than usual, enough to make one itch with desire.
She spoke up. “Master Fu, what have you learned about the situation?”
Fu Jue glanced at her, as though the pair of shameless lovers who had reached a tacit understanding yesterday had never been the two of them.
His voice was low and solemn. “Elder Sister died of poisoning.”
“We found poison in the medicine bowl she drank from yesterday.”
At those words, the people from Xianluo Mountain looked even more grief-stricken.
Pei Liang looked toward the others and arched a brow. “As far as I know, the people of Xianluo Mountain are granted full freedom to make their own arrangements within the palace assigned to them—even to the extent of maintaining a private kitchen.”
“Not to mention me—even Her Majesty has never sent anyone to interfere. Other than the people of Xianluo Mountain themselves, who else could have had access?”
“Given Fu Xin’s exalted status, of course she would have been cautious about anything that entered her mouth. If I truly had eyes and hands everywhere—”
Her gaze shifted to the Empress. The implication was obvious: if her control over the imperial palace had truly reached such a degree, the Empress would have become the Retired Empress by now.
The Empress was momentarily speechless, then said, “Would Second Daughter still be alive?”
The Second Imperial Daughter drew a sharp breath. In her heart, she too had ranked Pei Liang as the prime suspect.
If Fu Jue, that adulterous scoundrel, had colluded with her from within, killing Fu Xin would hardly have been difficult.
She was still in shock. Had Eldest Sister really made a move? Was she not afraid that Fu Xin’s death would cause Xianluo Mountain to turn completely against the imperial family?
Yet when she heard Eldest Sister’s words, she could not suppress her fear. If Eldest Sister could kill someone as important as Fu Xin without hesitation, then what about her?
Seeing Eldest Daughter frightening Second Daughter into actually believing that Fu Xin had been killed by her, the Empress was enraged by the idiot’s trembling, terrified appearance.
She snapped, “Sect Master Fu’s body should not be left here. Since she had a good relationship with you while alive, you will be responsible for handling her funeral arrangements.”
After sending Second Daughter away, the people of Xianluo Mountain began pressing their case again.
“Prince Liang is being far too modest. By now, who in the world does not know that Your Highness possesses extraordinary influence and ability?” That person glanced at the Crown Princess, making the implication clear.
The Empress was seriously ill, the Crown Princess was under Prince Liang’s control, and the Second Imperial Daughter had been suppressed until she was barely a presence at all. Naturally, the imperial palace could not possibly keep Pei Liang out.
Pei Liang, however, seemed to suddenly understand. “So you wanted me to uphold justice for you? You should have said so from the beginning.”
After a moment’s thought, she said, “Fu Xin’s death was indeed suspicious, especially given the timing.”
“It happened on the very night I was attacked, and she had even clashed with me earlier that evening. It is only natural that I became the prime suspect and that you were so enraged just now.”
“But if you think it through carefully, only an idiot would fall for a trap made to look this obvious.” She even sounded rather proud as she continued, “If I killed someone and still managed to get myself covered in chicken feathers, that would be far too stupid. Do you take me for a fool?”
The people of Xianluo Mountain were stunned by her shamelessness. In the past, Fu Xin had always shouldered everything alone, so they had rarely had to deal with Prince Liang’s brazenness firsthand.
Now, seeing a suspect openly switch roles, pretending to be the victim while accusing others of being the thieves, they felt even more strongly that Pei Liang was treating them all like idiots.
One of them said coldly, “What if the murderer did it deliberately? What if they knew the motive would appear too obvious and deliberately acted in the opposite manner?”
Pei Liang waved a hand. “No, no. If it were me, the moment I saw that Xianluo Mountain was being led by someone like Fu Xin, I would never have overestimated your intelligence.”
“You—” The Xianluo Mountain representative flew into a rage.
But Prince Liang cut her off. “Everyone, we are discussing a serious matter. This concerns not only Xianluo Mountain, but the stability of the entire realm.”
“The murderer chose this particular moment to strike. We can infer at least part of the motive by examining the consequences.”
“First, I was attacked. Had my martial arts not been peerless, I would likely have lost my head yesterday as well. Then Fu Xin suddenly died. She was simply a little less fortunate than I was.”
“It is clear that someone wants to destabilize the foundations of the state. They were willing to assassinate both of us in order to provoke a conflict between the imperial family and Xianluo Mountain.” She spread her hands. “If the two sides truly turn against each other, the realm will inevitably descend into chaos. What benefit would that bring to my Pei family?”
The people of Xianluo Mountain saw at once that she was trying to shift the blame onto some nonexistent “traitor.” After all, they knew perfectly well who had attempted to assassinate Prince Liang the previous day.
That point could not withstand scrutiny, and Pei Liang had trapped them with it.
Knowing that continuing to argue with this scoundrel would only put them at a disadvantage, they turned to the Empress and applied pressure. “Your Majesty, our Sect Master died unjustly within the palace. If Your Majesty does not promptly provide an explanation sufficient to satisfy the people, I fear the common folk throughout the realm will not accept it.”
Xianluo Mountain was, in effect, an object of faith to the people. This was a warning to the Empress: if she continued protecting Prince Liang at all costs, they would begin inciting the people and challenging the authority of the imperial family.
These were already turbulent times. The Empress was gravely ill, the Crown Princess was weak, and the ambitious Prince Liang was herself stained by suspicion. If someone with ulterior motives took advantage of the situation, the Pei dynasty could easily be plunged into utter ruin.
Unexpectedly, before the Empress could speak, Prince Liang declared with righteous conviction, “Quite right. Xianluo Mountain has suffered a devastating blow, and the continuation of its lineage is now in grave danger. The imperial family naturally has a duty to uncover the true culprit and reassure the people of the realm. Rest assured, we will spare no one connected to this matter. We will investigate thoroughly and meticulously.”
Her words made the others stiffen.
Only then did they remember that when it came to manipulating public sentiment, this woman was a genius who had once forced Xianluo Mountain into retreat after retreat.
But that was not the most important thing.
The most important thing was what Fu Jue had told them before they came.
Fu Jue was already carrying the Sect Master’s child. It was, at least, a blessing amid the misfortune.
Yet given Prince Liang’s ruthless nature, if she learned of this, she might well try to secretly kill the child in Fu Jue’s womb to eradicate every last threat.
Before they came, Fu Jue had analyzed the advantages and disadvantages with them. With the Sect Master dead, Xianluo Mountain was inevitably in a passive position, no matter how loudly they protested as the aggrieved party.
If they completely broke with the imperial family now, it would be Xianluo Mountain that was ultimately destroyed.
Fortunately, the imperial family did not know that Fu Jue was the true inheritor of the divine power. Now that she was also pregnant, it was best to take advantage of the imperial family’s false sense of security, quietly gather their strength, and give birth to the next heir.
At first, everyone had been indignant when they heard this plan. But now, it seemed that every word Fu Jue had spoken had been wise.
They absolutely could not let this Liang scoundrel know that the Sect Master’s bloodline had already been continued.
Only then did Fu Jue speak. In her capacity as the Sect Master’s widower, she bowed to Prince Liang and said, “In that case, I shall entrust everything concerning my elder sister to Your Highness.”
“I hope Your Highness will certainly restore justice to my elder sister.”
Xianluo Mountain’s concession made the imperial family appear, at least for the moment, to have achieved a complete victory.
The Empress was in a good mood. After offering Fu Jue and the people of Xianluo Mountain some more words of comfort, she finally could not hold herself up any longer and left.
As expected, once news of Fu Xin’s death spread, the entire realm was shaken.
As the only surviving member of Xianluo Mountain’s bloodline, Fu Jue had to return and take charge of the situation, even though he was a man.
What was more, in the eyes of the elders, his conduct after Fu Xin’s death had been impeccable. He was more than a hundred times better than Fu Xin, and this greatly reassured the people aligned with Xianluo Mountain.
Before leaving, Fu Jue arranged to meet Pei Liang once more.
Since Pei Liang had just been attacked—and it was obvious to anyone with eyes that the attack was connected to Xianluo Mountain—General Liu did not feel at ease. She insisted on accompanying Pei Liang.
They arranged to meet at a residence on the outskirts of the capital, one of Xianluo Mountain’s properties.
Fu Jue had already left the palace and was preparing to return to Xianluo Mountain.
When he saw General Liu arrive with Pei Liang, a flicker of knowing amusement passed through his eyes.
The three exchanged greetings and chatted idly for a while. Then Fu Jue used the excuse that he had a confidential matter to discuss and invited Pei Liang alone into the adjoining room.
General Liu was left by herself in the guest room, feeling rather bored.
Meanwhile, the moment Fu Jue entered the room, she turned around and said to Pei Liang without preamble, “I told them that ten months from now, I will give birth to my elder sister’s child.”
Pei Liang was hardly surprised. No wonder the moment the subject had been raised that day, the one who had been the first to back down had suddenly lost her nerve.
At first, Pei Liang had only meant to bluff them. It seemed Fu Jue had indeed told a small lie in order to take power smoothly.
Fu Jue looked at Prince Liang, a hint of amusement in her eyes. “But the truth is, my elder sister and I have never been intimate. So where would this child come from ten months from now?”
Only then did Pei Liang realize that, although the incident that day had caused quite a stir, not many people actually knew about it. If Fu Xin had wished, she could have completely suppressed the news.
She had done all this for the sake of her reputation. Yet after her death, whatever Fu Jue said became the truth. What bitter irony.
But Pei Liang’s heart gave a sudden leap. She had a feeling she knew where this was going—and sure enough, Fu Jue’s final words seemed to carry a teasing hook:
“Prince Liang, would you be willing to help me?”
