"Prince Qi, stop!" The Emperor had barely spoken when Fang Zhiyi's sword shot forward. Liu Xian's eyes went wide—he never expected to die here.
Then Fang Zhiyi dropped the sword.
"My apologies for startling you, Imperial Brother."
The Emperor looked at Fang Zhiyi, who clasped his hands in a bow, momentarily confused about what he was trying to do.
"You..."
"I told you. I'm purging the court of corrupt influences." Fang Zhiyi straightened up. "Don't worry—I've already killed every last one of the eunuch faction's men."
"Prince Qi, you..."
"Relax. I've also wiped out all the spies in my manor today." Fang Zhiyi spoke as calmly as if he had just killed a few chickens.
The Emperor stared at him. "Prince Qi, are you trying to take my throne? If so—"
Fang Zhiyi shook his head like a rattling drum. "No way. Whoever wants it can have it. I'm not interested."
The Emperor was stunned.
Fang Zhiyi spotted the imperial robe in his hands and grinned. "See that? I worked hard to make this thing. Look at you—patches on your dragon robe. An Emperor like you must be a rare sight in a thousand years."
The Emperor awkwardly tugged at his sleeves.
"Since we're speaking plainly here, I'll get straight to the point." Fang Zhiyi gave another casual bow. "I was actually planning to come beg for your forgiveness today."
"Forgiveness?" The Emperor had now steadied himself.
"Yeah, I killed a lot of people today. Even that schemer Ye Chengtian from my manor—I chopped him down too."
"You—"
Fang Zhiyi's face twisted into indignation. "That bastard tried to destroy me! He embezzled money behind my back, colluded with local officials, and—worst of all—raised private troops under my name! He was setting me up to fall into a pit!"
The Emperor gaped at Fang Zhiyi.
"Of course, I know I don't have the right to kill anyone. So I was going to come and confess. Since you showed up yourself, I figured—kill one, kill a bunch. Might as well take out that eunuch faction leader too. You can decide how to punish me."
With that, Fang Zhiyi raised both hands in surrender, as if ready to face any consequence.
But the Emperor stared at him for a moment, then suddenly laughed.
"Second Son, you... ah, you're too impulsive." The Emperor shook his head. "Killing Liu Xian isn't the end of it. I was counting on him to spar with those court officials. Now that he's dead, trouble is probably coming."
Fang Zhiyi lowered his hands. "Not necessarily."
"Oh?"
"I may love money, but I'm not stupid." Fang Zhiyi glanced at the still-open eyes of Liu Xian. "If you, Imperial Brother, spread word that Liu Xian was assassinated, who would the eunuch faction blame?"
The Emperor paused. "You mean..."
"They can't exactly say I, Prince Qi, killed Liu Xian, can they? What would I gain? Everyone in the world knows you and I don't get along. If I killed Liu Xian right in front of you, would you let me off?"
The Emperor looked at Fang Zhiyi, a glint of admiration in his eyes.
"If I were you, Imperial Brother, I'd arrest me and claim that Liu Xian uncovered Ye Chengtian's rebellion, led you to search for evidence, and that I, Prince Qi, knew nothing. Ye Chengtian, seeing his plan exposed, fought Liu Xian—and both died."
"Perfect, isn't it?"
The Emperor studied Fang Zhiyi. This prince was as unpredictable as ever, but his reasoning was sound.
"But if we do that, it might intensify the conflict between the Ningxi faction and the eunuch faction..."
"Is there a worse outcome than this?" Fang Zhiyi looked at him. "You know what I hate about you? You inherited a complete mess—corrupt officials, endless factional strife—and you still try to play the benevolent ruler. Bah!"
Anyone else would have been executed for such words, but coming from Fang Zhiyi, the Emperor didn't take offense.
"Let them clash! The more they fight, the more we can profit from the chaos!"
Li Zizai, gripping his sword hilt by the door, had grown anxious. The prince had been inside for ages. Should he side with the prince or the Emperor? He couldn't decide.
Until he saw the Emperor and the prince walking out arm-in-arm. Li Zizai was dumbfounded.
"Ahem." The Emperor spotted Li Zizai and quickly withdrew his hand. "Let it be done as you said! Guards—take Prince Qi into custody!"
A few guards exchanged glances.
Fang Zhiyi waved impatiently. "Can't you hear the Emperor? Get on with it."
"Forgive us, Prince!" Li Zizai reacted first, stepping forward to grab Fang Zhiyi's shoulder.
That day, a shockwave rocked the court: Liu Xian and Ye Chengtian had clashed fatally, both dead! Prince Qi had been thrown into the imperial prison!
The news worsened the political turmoil. The eunuch faction pointed fingers at the Ningxi faction, while the Ningxi faction panicked over their failed plot—though Ye Chengtian's death meant no one else could be implicated.
At court, the Emperor lost his temper for the first time, berating everyone. Anyone could see his fury, but no one cared—a powerless Emperor held little threat.
Prince Qi became the Ningxi faction's abandoned pawn. Who bothers with a prince locked in prison?
So no one noticed that Fang Zhiyi had practically turned the prison into his home.
"Take this away. Tell them—next time, don't bother. Can't even stew a chicken properly!" Fang Zhiyi grumbled. Li Zizai watched his carefree master with growing worry. "Prince, you may not know what's happening outside, but it's chaos—the Ningxi faction and the eunuch faction are tearing each other apart..."
"Do I need to be told? I could figure that out with my ass!" Fang Zhiyi casually wiped his greasy hands on Li Zizai's clothes.
Li Zizai could only sigh helplessly.
"Listen carefully. Do these three things."
"First, find Ye Chengtian's assassin squads and recruit them."
"Second, find my private army and have them await my orders."
"Third—bring enough silver! Pay everyone a reward!"
"Prince... are you serious?" Li Zizai looked up at Fang Zhiyi.
Fang Zhiyi frowned. "Do you think I'm joking? I've got plenty of money! I don't care how Ye Chengtian kept his men—every man has his weakness. I bet they love gold! Throw enough cash at them and win them over!"
"Yes, sir!"
"And one more thing. Have a few reliable people do something for me."
"Your orders, Prince."
Fang Zhiyi flashed a sly grin. "Assassinate some Ningxi faction members. Doesn't matter who."
"Hiss..." Li Zizai felt a chill run down his spine as he stared at his master.
"Don't actually kill them, though. Just scare them a little."
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
nce】【Lighthearted Comedy】【Ultimate Gentleman's Novel】【Viewer Discretion Advised for Under 16】 The mightiest human hero, Sharen Morian, is resurrected after a thousand years by his wife—the Demon King. This is not your typical hero-vs-demon-king tale.
