Chapter 10, mutual disdain

I looked at the North Emperor lying in a pool of blood, then at the calm man before me, and a chill ran through my heart. The one who died was his father, how could he remain so composed? Yet, I seemed to have forgotten who it was that had so aptly placed this knife beside me.

"Hmm, I will secretly send him into the Emerald Water Palace." After saying this, Beitian Fan left without looking back. This was our first meeting; he thought I was a courtesan, and I found him utterly insane. We both loathed each other to the utmost degree

"Wait a moment, help me carry the person back."

"You say the knife was placed by me, who would believe that?" He laughed, his tone cold and icy, the warm smile he had just shown when jumping down from the tree seemed like an illusion

Li Zongwen is in charge of the imperial physicians in the palace. He is my mother's cousin and is one of my people. Right now, there is no one in the entire Bishi Palace. You take the person back and clean them up; I will make the arrangements. His tone suggested that the dead creature on the ground was merely a rat or an ant, having nothing to do with him. What kind of person is this?

"Everyone in the world believes it." He looked at me with certainty, his expression calm, neither warm nor cold.

"Good," he replied, as brief as could be. However, upon hearing this word, I felt a slight sense of relief, yet my tense heart remained unrelaxed. What should be done about the corpse of the North Emperor? Dawn is not far off now.

Yet it was precisely at this moment that I saw a glimmer of hope. Bei Tianfan handed me a sharp knife in my time of peril, not out of pity for my plight, but to decisively eliminate kin for the sake of righteousness. He did this for only one reason: to use my hand to kill the Northern Emperor, thereby coercing me to assist him in ascending to the esteemed position of the Nine-Five, while he would not have to bear the guilt of patricide. His plan was indeed well thought out.

This knife was thrust by me, but the knife was placed by you; you are the one who is using the knife to kill. At most, I am merely an accomplice. Once I calmed down, I realized that the appearance of this knife was too coincidental, conveniently within my reach, and this guy just happened to be present at the scene. This matter must be closely related to him.

Wait, I want to see Mo Feng

"Who would believe that a frail woman like me killed an emperor skilled in martial arts?" Although I felt guilty, I still stood tall.

"You assist me in ascending to the throne, what is your basis for doing so?"

The faint moonlight spilled over the handsome, unblemished man, as well as over the blood-stained figure of the Northern Emperor. One stood and the other lay, silently sharing the night. No matter from which angle this scene was viewed, it was profoundly chilling. In the days to come, this scene would appear countless times in my dreams, refusing to fade away.

"You dare to kill anyone, so what is there for you to fear? Remember to keep your promise; I have the ability to let you live, and naturally, I have the ability to make you die. If I break my promise, I will surely devour you alive." He said this with a smile, but I felt as if a knife was cutting into me. I was stepping into the tiger's den with one foot and into the wolf's lair with the other. However, at this moment, I could not afford to think about so much; I had to survive, as I did not want to die yet

Although the Northern Emperor is a beast deserving of death, he is after all his biological father. It is truly insane that he would even plot against his own father. At first, I found his face pleasing to the eye, but now it appears increasingly hideous and grotesque.

After the fear subsided, I suddenly realized that I was standing before a strange man completely unclothed. I let out a low cry and hurriedly used my hands to cover my body, but it seemed that my hands were insufficient to shield it completely.

"Do not look at me like that; I did not kill anyone. Even if I do not speak, you cannot escape death. Do you not know that as a consort, one is to be buried with the deceased?" He looked at me, his gaze devoid of any compassion, even tinged with a hint of glee. Like father, like son; if the father is a beast, the son is a wolf.

My heart rises and falls, my steps are unsteady. When I reach the pavilion, sweat and blood have soaked the clothes I just put on. No one understands the extent of my panic. I keep telling myself to stay calm, I must stay calm, yet my hands continue to tremble

I am Beidi's fifth son, Beitianfan. The calm and unremarkable voice struck my heart like a heavy stone, and I couldn't help but take a few steps back. What did he say? He is Beitianfan?

I put on my clothes and immediately returned to the pavilion. The thought that the Northern Emperor was now lying in a pool of blood, and that the one who killed him was me, made my legs go weak. The Dragon Guard was originally established to protect the Emperor, yet now I have killed the Northern Emperor. Are my subordinates here to protect me, or to kill me as a sacrifice for the Northern Emperor? If this matter is exposed, will my Li family be exterminated because of me?

As the master of the Dragon Seal, and with nearly half of the military forces of the world at my command, I will not sit idly by. If it comes to the point where I must be buried alongside my cause, then our Dragon Guard will fight to the bitter end with you. In that case, both sides will suffer heavy losses, and the fall of the nation will not be far off. However, I do not wish to see such a scenario, and the Fifth Prince should wish for it even less. Moreover, if the one to ascend the throne in the future is the First Prince, Beitianqi, do you think you and your brother, Beitianhong, will still have your lives?

"Courtesan | Woman, what pretense of virtue is there left?" He slightly furrowed his brows, revealing a hint of disgust, likely misunderstanding my earlier flirtation with the Northern Emperor as lewdness. However, at that moment, I had no time to explain to him; an overwhelming sense of embarrassment drove me to rush down, fortunately, my clothes were still intact.

I am still young, I do not want to die, I said to him

This is the backyard of the palace, who are you? How dare you intrude into my Bi Shui Palace? In fact, if I were not so flustered and lost in my thoughts, it would not be difficult to guess who he is. After all, there are not many men in the world who look like him. Even though I have encountered many men over the years, in the moment of our first meeting, I was still struck by his brilliance.

"You are borrowing a knife to kill today, isn't it just to ascend to the throne and control the world? If that is the case, why don't we make a deal today? I will assist you in ascending to the imperial throne, and you will guarantee my life, how about it?" I slightly raised my head to look at him.