Chapter 30#

Kill That Emperor (30)#

Shen Jue carried Ni Xinyan for a long distance without seeing any signs of human habitation, so he had to find a cave to rest temporarily.

Ni Xinyan had long since fainted. Shen Jue carefully set him down, then ran out to gather some dry firewood. Along the way, Shen Jue unexpectedly discovered some medicinal herbs that could treat external injuries.

Perhaps it was destined that Ni Xinyan would survive.

After returning, Shen Jue began to treat Ni Xinyan’s wounds. The arrow that had pierced through his abdomen needed to be pulled out. Shen Jue first heated the blade of his dagger over the flame, then cut open the flesh around the arrow.

Ni Xinyan was jolted awake by the pain. He struggled to open his eyes and, in the flickering firelight, saw Shen Jue with his head bowed, tending to the wound. Shen Jue’s face was still stained with blood, looking terribly dirty. Ni Xinyan suddenly remembered that Shen Jue was usually a clean freak—on any other day, he would have bathed long ago. Now, he didn’t even have time to wash his face. Thinking of this, Ni Xinyan let out a quiet laugh.

Shen Jue heard Ni Xinyan’s laughter but didn’t look up. “You’re still in the mood to laugh. Guess it doesn’t hurt that much.”

With that, he dug the blade a little deeper into the flesh. Ni Xinyan gasped sharply and said with a wry smile, “Xiao Jue, go easy. If you’re any rougher, there might be no one left to talk to you soon.”

Shen Jue grabbed a wooden stick nearby and shoved it directly into Ni Xinyan’s mouth. “Bite down tight.”

Ni Xinyan guessed what was coming next and only blinked wearily. In the next moment, his hands, resting at his sides, clenched tightly, and the stick in his mouth was nearly bitten through.

Shen Jue carefully and quickly pulled the arrow out of Ni Xinyan’s abdomen. As soon as he tossed the arrow aside, he hurriedly applied the crushed medicinal herbs to the wound, then tore a long strip of cloth from his own clothes and wrapped it tightly around Ni Xinyan’s injury.

Throughout this process, Ni Xinyan only frowned and bit down on the stick, sweat pouring from his forehead. Only when Shen Jue stopped did he gently spit out the stick, too exhausted to even speak.

“If you make it through tonight, you should be out of danger,” Shen Jue said quietly. “So you have to hold on.”

Ni Xinyan turned his head to look at the silvery moonlight at the cave entrance, his expression weary. Seeing this, Shen Jue fell silent. He knew Ni Xinyan’s heart must be in turmoil right now. The events of last night were clearly suspicious. The soldiers who died had lived, eaten, and trained alongside Ni Xinyan. In a single night, he had lost so many of them. His grief must be immense.

But this was only the beginning.

Thinking this, Shen Jue stood up and walked outside. After dealing with Ni Xinyan’s wound, he could no longer ignore the sticky sensation on his own skin. He had heard the sound of flowing water while gathering firewood earlier, so there must be a water source nearby.

Shen Jue even brought a waterskin with him.

When he returned after bathing, Ni Xinyan had already sat up, half-leaning against the wall at the cave entrance. He smiled when he saw Shen Jue coming back.

Shen Jue found this scene rather remarkable—Ni Xinyan was truly lucky to be alive. He walked over, uncorked the waterskin, and handed it to him. “Drink some water.”

Ni Xinyan tried to lift his hand to take it, but it trembled violently halfway up. Seeing this, Shen Jue had to bring the waterskin to Ni Xinyan’s lips and helped him drink. Though Ni Xinyan was in distress, he still carried himself with the air of a nobleman—he drank without looking disheveled, even if he lacked the strength to drink on his own.

After he drank, Shen Jue took out a few wild fruits. “This is all I could find. Eat a little. I’ll catch a rabbit tomorrow.”

Ni Xinyan glanced at the few shriveled wild fruits in Shen Jue’s palm and raised an eyebrow. “I’m not eating.”

Shen Jue stared at him, then suddenly reached out and squeezed Ni Xinyan’s jaw, forcing the wild fruits into his mouth one by one. Ni Xinyan tried to resist but had no strength, and could only look at Shen Jue helplessly.

“I’ve already eaten. Don’t worry about me,” Shen Jue said after he finished feeding him.

Ni Xinyan licked his lips and gave a soft “mm” in acknowledgment.

In the middle of the night, Ni Xinyan developed a low fever. Shen Jue barely slept, running back and forth to the water source to fetch water and wipe Ni Xinyan’s body, then covering him with all the straw he had gathered.

Only as dawn approached did the heat on Ni Xinyan’s body gradually subside.

Shen Jue breathed a sigh of relief. No longer caring about being fastidious, he lay down beside Ni Xinyan and fell into a deep sleep.

When he woke up, Ni Xinyan was still unconscious.

Shen Jue went out to wash his face, then searched for food.

Thus, they endured several days of exposure to the elements before Ni Xinyan could barely stand and walk. As soon as he could walk, he wanted to return to the military camp. But Ni Xinyan had no sense of direction, and though Shen Jue was familiar with the palace, he was just as lost outside. They walked for a long time, only to find themselves in increasingly unfamiliar surroundings.

Ni Xinyan stood with his hands on his hips, gazing at the distant sky with a look of pure confusion on his pale face.

Shen Jue stood beside him, the corner of his mouth twitching. He now understood why Prince Yong had struggled for three months and still couldn’t get Ni Xinyan to show up.

In his previous lives, Ni Xinyan had mostly survived alone. Setting aside his injuries, just relying on his sense of direction, he probably could never have found his goal.

It had been a full fifteen days, and they still hadn’t seen a single person. Fortunately, it was summer—the clothes they washed at night would dry by morning, or Shen Jue would have lost his patience long ago.

“What do we do now?” Ni Xinyan turned his head to look at Shen Jue.

Shen Jue was silent for a moment, then took a dagger from his waist. “We’ll go in whichever direction the blade points.”

“That’s ridiculous. What if we go the wrong way?” Ni Xinyan disagreed.

Shen Jue shot him a cold glance. “Then do you have a better idea?”

Ni Xinyan: “…”

After a moment, he weakly shook his head.

Shen Jue tossed the dagger into the air.

When the dagger landed, both of them fell silent—the blade had stuck into the ground.

Ni Xinyan coughed lightly. “Maybe I should try.” He took off one of his boots and threw it into the air as well. The toe of the boot pointed back in the direction they had come from.

Ni Xinyan: “…”

Shen Jue: “…”

Though Ni Xinyan had grown up in military camps, he was still a nobleman’s son—he never needed to figure out directions himself. And Shen Jue, as an immortal, had always flown everywhere; when had he ever paid attention to the terrain on the ground?

Another ten days passed before they finally saw signs of human habitation. They arrived at a small village. Before entering, they deliberately removed their armor, wearing only their undergarments. Ni Xinyan claimed they had been ambushed by bandits on the road, barely escaped, and lost their way. He traded a jade pendant for food and clothes, and gathered some information. To their surprise, they had ended up within the borders of Yong State.

Ni Xinyan handed a piece of dry flatbread to Shen Jue, lowering his voice. “We’ll eat and leave right away.”

Shen Jue nodded.

Before leaving, Ni Xinyan also exchanged the pearl from his jade crown for a donkey. That way, they wouldn’t have to walk the entire way. But the donkey was old and couldn’t carry both of them at once, so they took turns riding.

After another month and a half, Shen Jue and the other finally reached the border of Murong State. Ni Xinyan frowned at the tightly closed city gate. “Something’s off.”

Shen Jue hummed in agreement. “No guards outside the gate, none on the walls either. Very strange.”

Ni Xinyan pursed his lips and was silent for a long time before walking forward. Even when they reached the bottom of the city gate, no one shouted at them to stop. A sense of unease crept into Ni Xinyan’s heart. He placed both hands on the city gate, took a deep breath, and pushed it open with force.

As soon as it opened, a heavy stench of blood hit him.

His pupils dilated. Everywhere he looked, there were corpses.

Shen Jue stood behind him, frowning at the sight. It wasn’t yet three months, and back then only Prince Yong had died. Now the entire city was filled with corpses, as if not a single living soul remained.

Ni Xinyan walked forward with a furrowed brow. The more corpses he saw, the darker his expression became. On the ground lay not only the bodies of soldiers but also many women and children, their faces frozen in expressions of terror.

Ni Xinyan crouched beside the body of a young child. Looking at the rattle lying next to the child, his breathing grew heavier, and the corners of his eyes reddened. After a long moment, he reached out, picked up the dusty rattle, and placed it back into the child’s hand.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps not far away.

Ni Xinyan’s head snapped up. Seeing a figure at the corner, he immediately gave chase. “Who is it?”

The person, panicked at being pursued, turned and ran back the way they came. But it wasn’t long before Ni Xinyan caught them by the shoulder. He held the person firmly and barked, “I am the Prince Yong’s heir. Who are you?”

The moment the person heard Ni Xinyan declare his identity, they let out a shriek. Half-turning, they pointed a finger at Ni Xinyan’s nose, eyes blazing with fury. “Traitor! It’s all because of you traitors!”

Ni Xinyan was stunned by the accusation. His hand involuntarily loosened its grip. The person continued to curse viciously, their spittle nearly spraying onto Ni Xinyan’s face. “People like you—you’ve killed so many civilians! We respected you so much—why did you betray your country?”

“Betray… my country?” Ni Xinyan repeated in disbelief. “You’re saying we betrayed the country?”

“Yes, you and that Prince Yong! You betrayed the nation, and you still have the nerve to come back?” The person let out a mournful wail, collapsing to the ground in tears. “Our homes are destroyed—all because of you! We trusted the Ni family army so much. You murderers! One day, heaven will repay you!”

Ni Xinyan crouched down, his expression grave. “Tell me clearly. Who betrayed the country? What happened here? Why are there so many dead?”

The man looked at Ni Xinyan with hatred in his eyes. Suddenly, he grabbed a stone from the ground and hurled it at Ni Xinyan. Shen Jue saw this and quickly shouted Ni Xinyan’s name. But Ni Xinyan didn’t even dodge. He let the stone hit him on the head, drawing blood.

Blood trickled down from his temple. Ni Xinyan merely wiped it away with his hand and said to the man, “Alright. Now will you talk to me properly?”

The man, probably not expecting to actually wound Ni Xinyan, looked momentarily panicked. After a moment, he dropped the stone and spoke in a trembling voice. “This place has become a hell on earth. A month ago, the city ran out of food. We common people gave all our grain to the army. My family handed over almost everything we had. We thought that as long as the soldiers were fed, we could win this war and hold out until reinforcements from the court arrived.

“But seven days ago, Prince Yong fled with his personal guards. He abandoned us—the common people—here. The soldiers lost their leader, and the men from Yong State crushed them without mercy. In just three days, the city gates fell. When the Yong soldiers entered, they demanded that we hand over Prince Yong. But he was long gone. So they went on a killing spree. They killed everyone they saw. I only survived by hiding in a cellar.

“Today, I was too hungry to bear it anymore, so I crawled out of the cellar to find something to eat.” The man glared at Ni Xinyan again, burning with fury. “If Prince Yong hadn’t been such a coward, we could have held out until the imperial reinforcements arrived!”

Ni Xinyan opened his mouth but couldn’t speak for a long time. His eyes reddened as he looked at the man before him. Finally, he forced out a sentence through gritted teeth. “You’re lying. My father is not that kind of person!”

Shen Jue stood behind him, silently watching the scene.

The reborn Murong Xiu had still changed some things. The hero who had sacrificed himself for the people in the previous life had now become a traitor and a coward in their eyes.

Ni Xinyan took a deep breath and stood up. He bit his lip, wiped the blood off his face, and said stubbornly, “I don’t believe what you said. My father would never run away.” As he turned around, a stone struck his back—the man had thrown another one at him.

“You’re just like your father—all talk! Get out of here!” the man shouted loudly.

Ni Xinyan paused mid-step. He blinked, holding back the tears in his eyes.

Shen Jue watched him. After a moment, he walked up to Ni Xinyan and reached out to take his hand. “Don’t listen to him. You have to believe in your father.”

Ni Xinyan forced a smile, but it was painfully ugly.

He said softly to Shen Jue, “But what if he’s telling the truth? What do I do then?”