Since the day the entire Wei family was wiped out, Wei Yun had been alone.
The Wei family used to be large, with many people.
But eventually, only Wei Yun remained.
From the moment his father erased Wei Yun’s name from the Wei family genealogy, Wei Yun had vanished from the once seemingly unshakeable and deeply rooted family, leaving no trace.
In the years that followed, he tasted the bitterness of solitude.
Until he was drugged by traffickers, awakening to find himself sold to a mysterious figure.
He was locked in a wooden cage with many other boys of similar age.
Later, Wei Yun learned that the mysterious figure belonged to the largest assassin organization in the martial world.
They bought boys like Wei Yun and, through inhumane torture, molded them into killing machines.
Those bought in the same batch of boys would undergo rigorous training and ultimately face the most dangerous and brutal fights, with only one survivor in the end.
In such extreme circumstances, everyone, in order to survive, would completely crush any conscience within them, turning into demons, devouring everything.
There, Wei Yun experienced betrayal, slaughter, and trampling… Every evil of human nature was torn apart from the surface, laid bare.
Countless trials and torments of bloodshed eventually wore away Wei Yun’s weaknesses, innocence, and even the purest goodness of his youth, ruthlessly discarded.
Wei Yun was the only one from that group to survive in the end.
He climbed over the corpses of those who were once his friends but ultimately betrayed him and sought to kill him.
Later, he spent several years finally causing the darkest place in the world to collapse and perish.
In the final battle, Wei Yun almost lost his life.
At that time, he had also thought about ending it all, thinking that this world was dirty, and he had nothing to hold onto.
But then, he met Qi Ji.
His father was the renowned Marquis of Nanping, and as the heir to the Marquisate of Nanping, he was always esteemed and honored, yet he chose to be friends with Wei Yun.
Qi Ji saved Wei Yun, but never asked about his past.
He knew that Wei Yun was not a person of great evil deeds, and he admired Wei Yun’s talent. It was just because of their similar interests that Qi Ji unilaterally befriended him.
Wei Yun also found that Qi Ji seemed different from many other young people of noble status.
As the heir prince, Qi Ji did not regard entering officialdom as the primary goal of his life as his father expected.
He seemed to dislike the intrigue and scheming in the court.
Compared to those, he preferred calligraphy and painting, and was more willing to study ancient books, collect precious artifacts, minerals, or write about various landscapes, strange stories, classifying them as miscellaneous books.
In addition, he was very particular about “eating”.
Unless it was a dish that was delicious in taste, fragrance, and appearance, he would not take a bite.
In his words, “life is short, enjoying the present moment is the most important.”
Although Marquis Nanping always had a displeased expression towards him and always talked to him about the proper way to enter officialdom, he still couldn’t bear to push his only son, born from his deceased wife, too hard.
Although Qi Ji was unwilling to enter officialdom, he was not unaware of the changes in the court.
In Wei Yun’s eyes, he had always been someone who could pretend to be ignorant.
Wei Yun never wanted to involve Qi Ji in those whirlpools, but Qi Ji often intervened in matters that he could have ignored, just to protect Wei Yun from harm.
Such a sincere young man died on the eve of the palace coup.
In this struggle he should have escaped from, he lost his life because of the selfishness of the Prince Xin.
Wei Yun was never reconciled, always enduring torment in his heart.
He also never wanted to believe that his dear friend, who often called him “Yanchen”, was now buried underground, silent forever.
How could such a lively young man in splendid clothes lose his life like this?
Killing just one Prince Xin, is that enough?
So many damned people are still alive.
But, they won’t live for long.
Sitting in the study, Wei Yun’s knuckles were bent, tightly gripping the edge of his sleeve, with faint veins showing.
On the table lay a spread of dishes, still steaming with light heat, but the jade chopsticks in front of Wei Yun remained untouched on the chopstick rest, showing no intention of being used.
“Wei Yun… Uncle Wei said you haven’t eaten in two days. Please eat a little.” Xie Tao sat across from Wei Yun, watching him sitting at the table motionless, and spoke up.
When she had just arrived, Sheng Yueqi had already told her about Qi Ji’s death.
At that moment, Xie Tao’s mind suddenly flashed the image of the prince who often wore a green robe, with gentle eyes and always smiling, saying jokes. She couldn’t believe that such a good person could suddenly… be gone?
Xie Tao still remembered how he had taken her out of that uncomfortable plum garden and often brought her many delicacies she had never eaten before.
Sometimes, when they got a good cook, he would even let that cook go to the Imperial Advisor’s residence for two days, under the pretext of improving the bland food in the “Temple of Monks” for the Miss of the Imperial Advisor’s residence.
Starting from the plum garden to the later cook, or the small trinkets and snacks he often brought her, rumors even began to spread outside that the prince of the Southern Ping Marquis’s residence seemed to have taken a liking to the Miss of the Imperial Advisor’s residence.
For this matter, Qi Ji had explained to Wei Yun with great determination many times, even swearing, “I won’t have any crooked thoughts about the girl you like.”
“Wei Yun, please eat a little.”
Xie Tao simply stood up and sat down next to Wei Yun, picking up the chopsticks from the rest and putting them in his hand.
But when Wei Yun looked up at Xie Tao, his slender eyelashes trembled slightly, and there seemed to be some uncontrollable emotions in his eyes in an instant.
The jade chopsticks in his hand fell to the ground, making a crisp sound, breaking into pieces.
Wei Yun hugged the girl sitting next to him.
His chin rested on her shoulder, his eyes still bloodshot and faintly red.
“Tao Tao…”
As he spoke, his voice was low and hoarse, with a hint of choking.
When did Xie Tao ever see Wei Yun like this?
In her eyes, he had always been strong, as if he could do anything, and had never shown such a fragile side in front of her.
But she didn’t know,
In this world, there were few people who mattered to Wei Yun.
Since the day his mother died, and later when his father was beheaded, from the time when he was betrayed and ambushed in a place that was like hell, he had no one to care about in this world.
But later, there was Qi Ji.
Qi Ji was in his heart, a benefactor, and more importantly, a true friend.
Although he never explicitly stated it.
Now, there is no chance anymore.
Even though Wei Yun used the most extreme methods, torturing Prince Xin to death one by one, even though he killed all the private soldiers guarding Prince Xin’s private prison, he still couldn’t dispel the pain in his heart at this moment.
“Now, I only have you left.”
Wei Yun tightly gripped Xie Tao’s arm.
In a place where Xie Tao couldn’t see, there were transparent drops of moisture falling on her shoulder, leaving a dark trace.
He seemed, to have never been so desperate before.
In that moment, Xie Tao couldn’t help but shed tears too.
The death of Qi Ji was equally unacceptable to her.
Until the food on the table cooled down, the two embracing figures still hadn’t let go of each other.
On the night Xie Tao returned, Wei Yun went to the forbidden palace and saw Emperor Qi He who had just awakened.
The emperor lay on the dragon bed. In just a few days, he seemed to have aged a lot again. His face was almost filled with wrinkles, and his eyes were even more turbid.
His breath was very weak now, and there were some chaotic sounds in his chest when he breathed.
Anyone who saw the emperor in this state would know that his end was near.
“Imperial Advisor…” Emperor Qi He called out laboriously upon seeing Wei Yun.
“Your Majesty.” Wei Yun stood aside, responding lightly.
“I… can’t hold on much longer.” This emperor, who was unwilling to grow old, finally recognized reality at this moment. “Indeed, the path to immortality… was just my fantasy.”
But he realized it too late.
For the sake of his dream of immortality, the entire Great Zhou dynasty had paid for his delusion for more than twenty years.
During this period, he governed lazily, neglecting his duties.
He embarked on grand construction projects, building Taoist temples, almost emptying the national treasury.
When there was no money, he increased taxes; when there were no people, he forced labor to build what he called the place of enlightenment, to worship the Supreme Immortal.
Also for his dream of immortality, how many useless Taoist priests died in this world?
Because of taking elixirs, he often became insane.
So in the forbidden palace, how many more enslaved souls were added because of Emperor Qi He’s obsession?
Observing Emperor Qi He’s rule over the years, in the first few years, he governed diligently and loved his people. Perhaps because he sat on the throne for too long, listened to too many flattering words, gradually he began to be reluctant to let go of power, and even more unwilling to be bound by the inevitable cycle of life and death.
He wanted to forever remain at the pinnacle of power, forever be the first person in this world.
But how is that possible?
“I never thought that in the end, the only one I could rely on would be you, Imperial Advisor…” Emperor Qi He suddenly sighed.
From the very beginning, Emperor Qi He had coveted the Dragon Cavalry Order in Wei Yun’s hands.
But he never expected that when Prince Xin instigated the palace coup, it would be Wei Yun who ultimately sacrificed himself to save the emperor.
Perhaps facing death, Emperor Qi He now treated this young Imperial Advisor with a bit more kindness. “I hope that after my death, Imperial Advisor can assist the Crown Prince well.”
Now, he was finally willing to hand over the dragon throne to the Crown Prince.
“The Dragon Cavalry Army may be under your control for a time, but you cannot control it forever. Imperial Advisor, it’s better to return it to the royal family.”
Emperor Qi He thought that his words of entrusting the future would move the young Imperial Advisor before him.
But Wei Yun, upon hearing his words, only curled his lips slightly, his expression somewhat cold.
Indeed, even at this moment, Emperor Qi He still couldn’t forget about retrieving the Dragon Cavalry Order from him.
“The Crown Prince has committed serious crimes and has been ordered by His Majesty to be detained in Dali Temple. Does Your Majesty forget?” He said calmly.
Emperor Qi He was stunned upon hearing this sentence.
Wei Yun continued, “A prince who breaks the law is equal to a commoner who breaks the law. How can such a person inherit the throne?”
At this moment, Emperor Qi He widened his eyes as if he had guessed something. After a while, he trembled and reached out his hand, his expression becoming very excited. “You, could it be…”
Eunuch De Yu, who had been standing aside, seemed to have also guessed something extraordinary. His face changed drastically, trembling with fear, but he dared not utter a word.
Wei Yun looked coldly at the old emperor lying on the dragon bed, who even struggled to extend his hand. “Your Majesty, do you still remember that there was once a Wei family in Yingdu?”
Wei family?
Upon hearing this, Emperor Qi He remembered the Wei family, whom he had exterminated years ago due to a major case involving them.
“You… are from the Wei family?” Emperor Qi He couldn’t believe his eyes.
Back then, he had ordered the entire Wei family to be executed, so how could there still be a survivor?
Emperor Qi He remembered Wei Yun being just a child at that time.
But how exactly did he manage to escape?
When Emperor Qi He thought about it, he felt particularly horrified.
Deliberately revealing the news about the Commander of the Cavalry, intentionally drawing his attention—was even the rescue of the Emperor back then done on purpose?
“Are you trying to avenge the Wei family?”
Finally, Emperor Qi He spoke with difficulty.
He stared tightly at the Imperial Advisor in front of him, who was still young and had an extraordinary appearance, as if he had never truly seen through him before.
He had thought he was the one who controlled the overall situation, he thought he had Wei Yun squeezed in his hand like an ant.
But he never thought he had already let the wolf into the room?
When Wei Yun heard his words, it seemed as if he had heard something funny.
He shook his head, his voice deep and cold, “How could a Wei family be worth it?”
“I just want to stand up and see what the highest point in this world looks like.”
It is undeniable that the main and second branches of the Wei family did commit serious crimes.
But those Emperor Qi He ordered to be killed were the entire Wei family.
Many people who were not involved, including Wei Yun’s father, who was always cautious and weak by nature, could not escape.
The crime of implicating others is truly the most absurd responsibility in this world.
Throughout his life, Wei Yun hated implicating others the most.
So no matter when Wei Yun killed someone, he never harmed his family.
The reason why Wei Yun climbed up step by step was to stand at the highest point in this world, to gain the most power, and to control his own life and death.
Not for the entire Wei family.
But also for his innocent and tragically deceased father, for himself.
On this night, Emperor Qi He was so angry that he spat blood and once again fell into a coma.
As for Prime Minister Song Jinian, a supporter of the Crown Prince, he was killed in the Prime Minister’s Mansion by Grand Tutor Xu Dian on the day the Crown Prince failed to seize the palace.
Consort Song, furious and shocked, knew that the situation was hopeless and chose to drink poison and commit suicide.
Princess Helan had already died at the hands of Empress You before the palace coup.
Because the Crown Prince had never been released, Xu Dian had failed to negotiate with Wei Yun multiple times. He secretly contacted Emperor Qi He in the Hidden Dragon Hall, but was eventually intercepted by Princess Heyu, Zhao Shuwei, who killed several military commanders secretly in contact with Xu Dian, burned their provisions, and sabotaged their supplies, preventing Xu Dian from reaching Yingdu as Xu Dian had expected.
Xu Dian died, and the Crown Prince remained locked in the Dali Temple, never seeing the light of day.
Upon hearing this news, Emperor Qi He knew that the Crown Prince’s fate was sealed, and Emperor He immediately spat blood in anger.
Now, all the power rested in the hands of the Imperial Advisor, Wei Yun.
The capital city seemed to finally have its first sunny day in these past few days.
The sky was a deep blue, with scattered clouds and pale golden sunlight falling on Wei Yun’s shoulders.
On that day, he rode his horse to Qi Ji’s grave.
He stood there for a long time, until dusk approached, and the smoke and clouds burned into scattered red on the horizon.
Finally, he turned his wrist and poured the wine that Qi Ji had loved in his lifetime onto the ground.
“Mingxu, rest well here.”
He tightened the grip on the dagger in his hand.
It was the fine iron blade he had given to Qi Ji, meant for his protection, but Qi Ji… always used it to slice roasted lamb.
Remembering many of the mischievous things his good friend had done in the past, Wei Yun curled his lips into a faint smile, but a slight mist appeared in his eyes, almost imperceptible.
“Life is but fleeting for a few decades, I’ll be joining you soon.”
He flipped off the lid of the wine jar and gulped down a mouthful.
The transparent liquor slid down his chin to his throat, staining his clothes with deeper marks.
He wiped the water stains off his chin, stood up, and smashed the wine jar in his hand into pieces on the ground.
Placing the dagger in front of the tombstone, Wei Yun turned and walked away.
The gateway of time and space, enveloped in the colors of nebulae, suddenly appeared before him.
Wei Yun stepped into it, and in an instant, the light curtain along with his figure vanished.
When he appeared in the living room, Xie Tao, who was sitting by the dining table, reflexively stood up.
Wei Yun remained silent, quietly staring at the girl in front of him.
As Xie Tao approached him, unguarded, he lifted her off the ground and half-sat her on the back of the sofa.
His chin rested on the top of her head, as if in that moment, she was his entire reliance.
“Wei Yun, it’s time to eat,” Xie Tao couldn’t see his expression, so she tugged at his sleeve instead.
She understood his pain and knew his current helplessness.
All she could do was to accompany him well.
To entrust herself to him for a lifetime, just like this.
Even though time was an invisible net, and even though there might be many challenges in the future.
But she had never been so resolute.
