[Duke of Zhenguo's Residence · Study · 11 PM - 1 AM, Next Day]
Yin Wuwang stared at the glowing screen hovering in the void before him.
[Feigned Death Pill] Effect: Suspends all vital signs for 6 hours. Undetectable by mortals. Price: 500,000 points
He reached for the "Purchase" button—and froze.
Wait.
He pulled up his account balance. The number staring back at him was a fat, round zero.
"...Where are my points?" He growled.
Little Deer Assistant 9527's voice piped up cheerfully: "Host has not completed any missions in this world yet! Current point balance: 0!"
Yin Wuwang's eye twitched. "Then how the hell am I supposed to buy this?"
"Host can exchange cultivation resources for points! Exchange rate: 100 low-grade spirit stones = 1 high-grade spirit stone = 1 point!"
One high-grade spirit stone for one measly point?
In the cultivation world, that was highway robbery. High-grade spirit stones were precious resources that took centuries to form. Using them as currency for this broken system's shop was like burning gold to light a candle.
But Yin Wuwang didn't hesitate. He waved his hand, and a small mountain of high-grade spirit stones materialized from his storage ring—500,000 of them, glittering like frozen starlight.
"Convert them all."
Little Deer sounded almost surprised: "Host is certain? This amount of high-grade spirit stones could sustain a mid-tier sect for a hundred years—"
"Did I stutter?" Yin Wuwang's voice was cold. "Convert. Now."
The spirit stones vanished. 500,000 points appeared in his account.
He tapped "Purchase" without a second thought.
Those spirit stones were meant for Fuguang anyway. He had been hoarding them for three thousand years, skimming the best resources from every conquest, every raid, every territory he claimed. Not for himself—he had never cared much for wealth. But someday, he had always thought, someday when Fuguang finally looked at him, he would lay everything at his feet.
Might as well start spending them now.
An exquisite jade bottle appeared in his hand, containing a single pale gold pill. The pill glowed faintly in the dim candlelight of his study, like a captured star. Such a small thing, yet it held the power to suspend the very boundary between life and death.
"One more thing." Yin Wuwang's eyes narrowed at the empty air where Little Deer's presence lurked. "If this pill doesn't work exactly as described—if anything goes wrong with Fuguang—I will find a way to drag you out of whatever void you're hiding in and crush you into dust. Understood?"
Little Deer was silent for a moment. "...Understood."
"Good." He paused, then added, almost reluctantly: "Can this pill... make it hurt less?"
"Pardon?"
"The stab wound." His voice dropped. "When I stab him. Will this pill make it hurt less for him?"
Another pause. "The Feigned Death Pill does not have analgesic properties. However, Host can purchase a Pain Suppression Talisman for an additional 50,000 points—"
"Buy it."
"Host's current balance is 0. Host would need to exchange more spirit stones—"
Another 50,000 high-grade spirit stones materialized and vanished.
A small paper talisman appeared beside the jade bottle.
Little Deer Assistant 9527's voice echoed in his mind: "Warning! This is not the original plot! In the original story, the Regent and the Duke of Zhenguo were supposed to genuinely kill each other and both die! Host is severely deviating from the plot!"
Yin Wuwang let out a cold laugh. "Deviation is deviation. You broken artifact spirit—don't you know what garbage the original plot was?"
Little Deer fell silent.
He held the jade bottle and talisman in his palm, gazing at them for a moment.
550,000 spirit stones... worth it.
As long as Fuguang wakes up alive and unhurt, forget 550,000—I'd pay everything I have.
He tucked both items away, threw on his outer robe, and headed for the Regent's residence under cover of night. The streets were empty at this hour, the city sleeping. Only the occasional patrol guard passed by, paying no attention to the cloaked figure moving through the shadows.
[Regent's Residence · Study · 1-3 AM]
Xie Qingyan was studying a seating chart at his desk when he heard movement and looked up.
Yin Wuwang walked in and placed the jade bottle on the desk. Then, after a moment's hesitation, he added a small paper talisman beside it.
"Got them. 550,000 spirit stones total."
Xie Qingyan raised an eyebrow at the talisman. "What's this?"
"Pain Suppression Talisman." Yin Wuwang's voice was gruff. "Slap it on before taking the pill. It'll make the stab wound hurt less."
Xie Qingyan looked at him for a long moment.
"...That wasn't necessary."
"I know." Yin Wuwang sat down across from him, not meeting his eyes. "Just take it."
Xie Qingyan picked up the talisman and examined it briefly. "We're mortals now. No spiritual energy, no demonic qi. How does this activate?"
"It's a special product from the Transit Station." Yin Wuwang said. "Fold it and place it over your heart. When the blade penetrates, it activates automatically." He paused, then muttered, "Would've been easier if we still had our powers. This mortal business is so troublesome."
Something flickered across Xie Qingyan's expression—surprise, perhaps, or something harder to name. Then he simply nodded. "Mm."
He picked up the jade bottle next. "Sit."
Yin Wuwang sat down across from him, his gaze falling on the seating chart. "What's this?"
"The seating arrangement for the banquet in two days." Xie Qingyan pointed to several positions on the chart. "The Prime Minister sits here, Prince Huai sits here, you sit here."
His finger tapped a spot beside the main seat. "I sit here."
Yin Wuwang frowned. "I'm seated that far from you?"
"Distance is normal." Xie Qingyan said mildly. "You're there to demand an explanation, not to enjoy the feast."
"Demand an explanation?"
"Have you forgotten?" Xie Qingyan looked at him. "The other day in court, I seconded the motion to take your military tally. You should hate me to the bone."
Yin Wuwang finally remembered the act they were playing. "Right. I should hate you."
"So at the banquet in two days, you need to act—"
"Furious, aggressive, like I want to tear you apart?" Yin Wuwang raised an eyebrow.
"More or less." The corner of Xie Qingyan's mouth curved slightly. "Add some grievance too."
"Grievance?" Yin Wuwang nearly jumped up. "I'm the mighty Demon Sovereign—why would I act grieved?"
"The Duke of Zhenguo was falsely accused of treason, forced to surrender his military tally, and confined to his residence for three days." Xie Qingyan enunciated each word. "Anyone would feel aggrieved."
Yin Wuwang opened his mouth, then realized he couldn't argue.
"...Fine." He said irritably. "I'll reluctantly play a wrongfully accused loyal minister."
"Not just wrongfully accused." Xie Qingyan looked at him. "You also need to play someone pushed to the brink by the Regent, unable to endure any longer, flipping the table in public."
Yin Wuwang's eyes lit up. "Flipping the table?"
"How did you think the assassination would happen?" Xie Qingyan stood and walked to the window. "Halfway through the banquet, I'll say some things to provoke you."
"What things?"
"Something like—" Xie Qingyan thought for a moment. "'Since the Duke has already surrendered his military tally, he should keep his place and not harbor any more delusions.'"
Yin Wuwang sneered. "That's harsh enough."
"Then you'll be unable to take it anymore," Xie Qingyan turned to face him, "and draw your blade in public to confront me."
"Confront? Not stab directly?"
"Too fake." Xie Qingyan shook his head. "You and I are both top-tier fighters. With so many people watching at the banquet, if you stabbed me the moment you rushed up—who would believe it?"
Yin Wuwang nodded. "So we need to fight first."
"Right. We exchange a few blows, I'm overpowered, and you stab me." Xie Qingyan walked back to the desk, picked up a brush, and drew a simple human figure on the paper. "Stab here."
He drew a circle on the left side of the figure's chest. "Half an inch from the heart."
Yin Wuwang stared at that circle, his brow furrowed deeply. "Half an inch? What if—"
"What if what?" Xie Qingyan looked at him, his gaze calm. "We've crossed blades no fewer than ten thousand times. Don't I know your swordwork by now?"
Yin Wuwang started.
All those years, Xie Qingyan had hunted him countless times. Every time, Xie Qingyan's sword had missed his vital points by just a hair—a genuine "just a hair," never a mistake.
Back then, he had thought Xie Qingyan was toying with him. Playing with his prey before the kill. It had infuriated him, driven him to train harder, fight fiercer.
Looking back now, he wondered if it had been something else entirely. Not cruelty, but... precision. The kind of precision that came from knowing your opponent so well you could control every exchange down to a hair's breadth.
Did he always hold back? All those years, all those battles—was he always in control?
"You can catch my blade." Xie Qingyan's voice was mild. "Naturally, you can also hit your mark precisely."
Yin Wuwang's heart lurched.
Hit your mark precisely on my heart...
What does Fuguang mean by that?
He drew a deep breath, suppressing the surge of emotion. "...Fine. Half an inch it is."
Xie Qingyan nodded and continued. "After you stab me, I'll collapse. You need to act—"
"Panicked? Regretful?"
"No." Xie Qingyan shook his head. "You need to act... satisfied."
Yin Wuwang frowned. "Satisfied?"
"You hate me to the bone. You've finally slain your enemy with your own hands. Of course you're satisfied." Xie Qingyan said mildly. "Then you escape in the chaos. The shadow guards will transfer my 'corpse' to a hidden room."
"Wait." Yin Wuwang suddenly thought of something. "That feigned death pill—how long does it last?"
"Six hours." Xie Qingyan picked up the jade bottle and looked at the golden pill inside. "Within fifteen minutes of taking it, pulse and breath will stop completely—indistinguishable from true death. You wake automatically after six hours."
"Six hours..." Yin Wuwang did the math. "If we act at the banquet around 5-7 PM, you should wake up around—"
"11 PM to 1 AM or so." Xie Qingyan said. "Before midnight, or shortly after."
Yin Wuwang nodded, then suddenly asked: "Are there any... side effects?"
"Side effects?"
Little Deer Assistant 9527 suddenly chimed in: "Query detected from Host. Feigned Death Pill side effects: May cause brief sensory dulling after taking. Wake time may vary by up to half an hour."
Yin Wuwang's expression changed. "Half an hour variance?"
"Meaning," he stared at Xie Qingyan, "you might wake up half an hour early or half an hour late?"
"Correct." Xie Qingyan's tone was calm. "This was expected."
"Expected?" Yin Wuwang shot to his feet. "What if you wake half an hour late? It'll be daylight! What if someone comes to collect the body by then—"
His voice was rising. He caught himself and forced it down, but his hands were clenched at his sides.
Six hours of not knowing. Six hours of watching him lie there like a corpse. And now there's a margin of error?
"That's why I need you to stand guard." Xie Qingyan looked at him, unperturbed by his agitation. "Until I wake, don't let anyone near me."
Yin Wuwang opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out.
He paced back and forth in the study, his expression agitated.
Xie Qingyan watched him silently without speaking.
"Aren't you worried?" Yin Wuwang finally stopped, staring at him. "What if something goes wrong—"
"It won't." Xie Qingyan cut him off. His voice was soft but firm.
"How do you know it won't?"
"Because you'll be watching over me." Xie Qingyan looked at him. "You said so yourself."
Yin Wuwang froze, remembering what he had said the night before.
"..." He was silent for a moment, then said irritably. "You—how do you remember everything?"
"What should be remembered, I remember." The corner of Xie Qingyan's mouth curved slightly. "Yin Wuwang keeps his word. That much I know."
Yin Wuwang was rendered speechless by this. He could only sit back down in his chair, sulking.
The study fell quiet, broken only by the occasional crackle of the candle flame.
After a long while, Yin Wuwang suddenly spoke. "Fuguang."
"Mm?"
"At the banquet in two days, when I stab you..." He paused, his voice softening. "Don't be afraid."
Xie Qingyan looked at him without speaking.
"I know what I'm doing." Yin Wuwang stared at the candle flame, not daring to meet his eyes. "Half an inch means half an inch. Not more, not less."
"I know." Xie Qingyan said mildly.
"You know everything." Yin Wuwang muttered.
Xie Qingyan didn't respond, lowering his head to continue studying the seating chart.
After another while, Yin Wuwang spoke again. "Fuguang."
"Mm."
"For six hours, you'll be unconscious the whole time." His voice was a bit dry. "Will you... have nightmares or anything?"
Xie Qingyan looked up at him, a flash of surprise in his eyes.
"According to Little Deer, the body enters a death-like state, but consciousness remains." He said. "You can hear sounds from the outside, but you can't move or speak. No dreaming—just awareness in darkness."
"That's..." Yin Wuwang's brow furrowed. So Fuguang will be aware of everything? He'll hear me talking to him, feel me holding his hand... His face grew warm. "That's good." He said awkwardly, then immediately felt he had said something stupid.
Yin Wuwang, what are you doing? Asking if he'll have nightmares? Are you his mother or his father? What's next, asking if he wants a bedtime story?
He silently cursed himself and stood up. "It's late. I'm heading back."
"Wait." Xie Qingyan stopped him.
Yin Wuwang turned. "What?"
Xie Qingyan looked at him, was silent for a moment, then suddenly said: "With you there, I'm not worried."
Yin Wuwang froze.
"'Xie Qingyan plans for everything, never fights a battle he's not certain of'—that's what you said." Xie Qingyan's voice was mild. "But this time, I'm not fighting an uncertain battle."
"I'm fighting a battle with Yin Wuwang on my side."
He looked at Yin Wuwang. "So I'm not worried."
Yin Wuwang's heart skipped a beat.
In all the time he had known Fuguang, he had never heard Xie Qingyan say anything like this. The Sword Deity trusted no one—that was common knowledge throughout the Three Realms. He fought alone, planned alone, relied on no one but himself.
And now he was saying he trusted Yin Wuwang. Trusted him enough to put his life in his hands.
This is what I wanted, Yin Wuwang thought. To be someone he could rely on. To stand beside him instead of against him.
Three thousand years, and I finally have it.
"..." He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found his throat blocked.
Finally, he just nodded heavily. "Alright."
"At the banquet in two days, I'll play my part well." His voice was slightly hoarse. "Then I'll watch over you until you wake."
"Mm." Xie Qingyan nodded. "Go."
Yin Wuwang turned and walked to the door, then suddenly stopped again.
"Fuguang."
"Anything else?"
"...Nothing." He paused. "Get some sleep."
With that, not waiting for Xie Qingyan's response, he pushed open the door and walked into the night.
Xie Qingyan stood alone in the study, watching the door swinging in the night breeze.
Get some sleep...
He shook his head, a faint smile touching his lips.
This man. Still that awkward manner of his.
Three thousand years as enemies, and he had never seen this side of the Demon Sovereign. The man who had terrorized the Three Realms, asking if he would have nightmares, reminding him to sleep early. It was almost... endearing.
It occurred to him that he had never had a partner like this before. Someone who matched his intellect, anticipated his strategies, and worried about him with such transparent sincerity. In the cultivation world, allies were temporary and trust was a liability. But here, in this strange broken world, he had found something unexpected.
A reliable partner. Perhaps the first real one I've ever had.
He walked back to the desk and put away the seating chart and jade bottle together.
In two days, it would be time to rewrite the ending. And for the first time in three thousand years, he wouldn't be facing the crucial battle alone.
[End of Chapter 23]
Next Chapter Preview:
The stage is set. The actors are ready. The blade is sharpened.
All that's left is the performance of a lifetime.
Chapter 24: Tonight's Script: The Duke of Zhenguo Storms the Banquet and Flips the Table