In the quiet of his private chambers, Third Prince Xuan Jingyan sat with a book open on his lap. The candlelight flickered, casting soft shadows across his sharp, handsome face as he turned a page. He seemed lost in the words, calm and focused. Outside, the palace was a mess, servants whispered in fear, guards rushed through the halls, but here, in his peaceful room, nothing disturbed him.
Until the door burst open.
"Your Highness!" His servant stumbled in, panting, his face pale with shock. He dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead to the cold floor. "Terrible news! The Second Prince has been murdered!"
Jingyan didn't move at first. His fingers paused on the page. Slowly, he lifted his eyes to look at the servant.
"Murdered?" His voice was calm, almost bored, like he was asking about the weather.
"Y-yes, Your Highness!" the servant stammered, his voice shaking. "The Emperor has ordered Princess Lu Hua's bodyguard to be executed at dawn! They say he—"
"That's enough." Jingyan's voice cut through the air, sharp but lazy, as he waved a hand. "Leave me."
The servant froze, confused by his master's calm reaction. But one cold glance from Jingyan's dark eyes sent him scrambling backward, bowing over and over before he shut the door with a soft click.
Silence filled the room again.
Then, slowly, Jingyan's lips curled into a smirk.
He closed his book with a gentle snap and set it on the table. Standing, he moved to the window, his steps slow and graceful. He gazed out at the moonlit palace, its towers glowing under the night sky. His smile grew, a quiet chuckle escaping his lips.
"Dexiu is dead," he murmured to himself.
And Lu Hua's bodyguard was taking the blame.
How convenient.
Jingyan stretched his fingers, then flicked his wrist. A glowing blue screen appeared in the air before him—his System. It was sleek and advanced, far better than Lu Hua's. The screen shimmered with his stats and abilities, clear and bright.
Name: Xuan Jingyan (Li Shen)
Level: 47
Title: Hidden Blade
Mission: Survive. Eliminate threats.
His smirk deepened as he read the words.
Li Shen. That was his true name. Not Xuan Jingyan. Not the Third Prince.
He is a transmigrator.
And not just any transmigrator.
He was Renshu's older brother.
A memory flashed in his mind. Lu Hua, from their past life. Back then, she had been his student, her eyes bright with hope and promise.
Until Renshu destroyed everything.
His younger brother, obsessed and unhinged, had killed her.
And now, here she is again, alive, in this new world.
Jingyan's chuckle faded, but the glint in his eyes remained. He stared out at the palace. The game is just beginning.
Jingyan let out a slow breath, his hands tightening into fists. He had been living as the Third Prince for years, always playing the part of the quiet, harmless prince. He never thought he would see her again, not here, not in this world. But life had a weird way of bringing things back around.
Now, Dexiu, the Second Prince was dead. One less problem to deal with.
His eyes grew darker as he stood by the window. He didn't know if his brother Renshu had also transmigrated into this world. He really hoped not. That would make things messy.
But Lu Hua… she is here.
And she had no clue who he really was.
This is perfect.
As long as she didn't suspect him, didn't realize he was just as obsessed with her as Renshu had been, though in a calmer and more controlled. She wouldn't be scared of him.
Jingyan flicked his wrist, and the glowing blue System screen vanished. He turned back to the window, watching the far-off torches of the palace guards moving in the dark. They were getting ready for the execution at dawn.
A small smile spread across his face.
One rival gone.
Now, he just had to wait for the right moment.
When the time came, he'd make sure Lu Hua was his. No one else would take her away this time.
---
The hours after Jiang Chen's arrest felt like a nightmare Lu Hua couldn't wake up from. Dawn was coming fast, like a dark cloud she couldn't escape. She sat by her window, frozen, the Emperor's words echoing in her head: "Execution at dawn. Unless the truth comes out." But telling the truth meant she'd die a horrible death. Zihao's words, "He got what he deserved" and "Never tell anyone", felt like a weak shield against the guilt crushing her.
Jiang Chen wasn't just her bodyguard. He'd saved her from the cellar, from Lei Jun's creepy stares. And when they dragged him away, he looked her in the eyes, silently taking the blame for what she did. He was going to die because she killed Dexiu. Because she had been too scared, too weak to do anything else.
She couldn't save him. If she confessed, she'd be tortured and killed, and Zihao would probably go down with her for knowing the truth. But staying quiet meant an innocent man would die at dawn for her mistake. The palace walls, which once felt like a strange kind of home, now felt like a suffocating trap built on her guilt.
A cold, desperate calm settled over her. She had to end this, end the cycle, end the pain she caused just by being here. She waited until the middle of the night, when even the guards were half-asleep. Slipping past Beihe, who was dozing by the door, she moved quietly through the empty palace halls. Her feet, almost on their own, took her back to where it all started: the palace pond.
The moonlight made a silver path across the dark water. It looked calm now, nothing like the chaotic splashing when she'd first woken up here, choking and drowning. She stood at the edge, the stone cold under her bare feet. Her reflection in the water looked pale and tired, like a ghost.
"Jiang Chen," she whispered in her mind, his name like a heavy ache in her chest. "I'm sorry."
She closed her eyes, not to block out the water, but to avoid picturing the dawn light glinting off the executioner's blade. She took one last shaky breath, smelling the damp earth and lotus flowers.
Then she stepped off the edge.
The water hit her like a shock, icy cold. It filled her nose and mouth, stealing her breath. She didn't fight it. She let herself sink, the muddy bottom pulling her down like it wanted to hold her forever. The weight of the water pressed in, muffling everything. Her body wanted to panic, to fight for air, but she forced it to stay still. This was the only way. The only way to make things right for Jiang Chen. To end the curse. To let the poison die with her.
Her vision started to fade, darkness creeping in. Her lungs burned, begging for air she wouldn't give them. The cold turned to numbness. Her heartbeat slowed, each thud weaker than the last.
Just as the darkness was about to take her completely, a sharp blue light flashed behind her eyes. It was cold and bright, cutting through the calm blackness.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION:
PLAYER VITAL SIGNS CRITICAL.
PLAYER DESIGNATION: LIU LU HUA (CLONE 4)
MISSION STATUS: FAILED.
CAUSE OF FAILURE: SELF-TERMINATION.
ANALYSIS: INCOMPATIBLE PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE. EXCESSIVE GUILT PARAMETER.
INITIATING PROTOCOL DELTA...
TERMINATING CURRENT PLAYER CONNECTION...
SCANNING FOR NEW COMPATIBLE PLAYER CONSCIOUSNESS...
FOUND.
TRANSPORTING
The words glowed in the strange blue light, cold and robotic. 'Clone 4. Failed. Self-Termination.' They didn't mean anything to Lu Hua as she faded. The freezing water was all that mattered now.
Then, everything went completely blank.