Chapter 37: The Cenotaph (Please Keep Reading!)

Winter gave way to spring, and the old pagoda tree at the entrance of the village sprouted new buds.

Yu Xian gazed into the distance, beginning to reminisce about his life at the Prince’s estate.

The mountain village was picturesque, but it was only suitable for a brief stay; as time dragged on, he found it rather tedious.

Damn it, I spent half a lifetime farming in the cultivation world, and now that I’ve reached the mortal realm, I’m still stuck in the fields? What was the point of coming here then?

Moreover, the people living here were ordinary villagers, busy chasing three meals a day, their lives consumed by the petty calculations of daily necessities. Whenever the weather was decent, the villagers had to go out to work. The entire Gu family village was filled with the sounds of chickens and dogs, yet it felt exceptionally desolate.

There was no one to provide any fresh amusement for his dull life.

He missed the light melodies and dancing; he missed the cooks at the Prince’s estate, and the medicinal wine of Dr. Huang...

There was a severe lack of entertainment here.

"Damn the Lin family. I’ve already cleared the way for you; if you’re going to make a move, do it already."

Yu Xian sighed, thinking that Prince Fu truly lived up to his name—he had been targeted time and again, yet he had managed to survive every disaster.

He wondered if it was time to find a new employer.

The Prince’s estate was fine. As the uncrowned king of Changning County, even as just a retainer, he could enjoy many conveniences. He had assumed that if he stayed away for two or three months while the Lin family cultivators took action, the situation would calm down, and he could return to his life as a high-ranking retainer. Once the young prince succeeded to the title, he would become a veteran official serving two generations, gaining the seniority to coast through life, and perhaps even getting a chance to dip his fingers into the true power of the estate.

Yet, after waiting and waiting, he heard nothing.

Nothing good, nothing bad.

"One more month. If there’s still no news from the Prince’s estate, I’ll go back, collect my gold, and head somewhere else—somewhere that must be a major city."

Yu Xian silently made up his mind.

As for why a major city, it was naturally because they had more talent and more entertainment. In a place like Gu family village, even with silver, there was nowhere to spend it. Here, it was all about buying land and becoming a local squire; even a pretty girl was treated like a treasure. Though Yu Xian was a bit of a scoundrel and fond of women, he wouldn't go out of his way to ruin the reputation of an innocent village girl.

"Sigh, is he going to die or not?"

...

Perhaps Yu Xian’s muttering had an effect.

Less than half a month later, he finally received the belated news from the estate: Prince Fu had been assassinated, the entire city was in seven days of mourning, and all entertainment was prohibited.

Gu family village was only fifty or sixty miles from Changning City, a day's journey, so the spread of such major news was quite rapid. Even the eighty-year-old ancestor of the Gu family, who loved to tell old stories, sighed, remarking that living a long life meant seeing everything—that in this day and age, even a Prince could be assassinated.

"Good!"

Yu Xian clapped his hands, but seeing Yulan’s surprised expression, his face immediately collapsed, and he barely managed to squeeze out a few crocodile tears.

"...How tragic!"

"To think our parting before the New Year would be the last. That assassin is truly detestable. If I ever come across them, I will surely capture them to avenge the Prince."

Yulan wasn't particularly saddened by the Prince’s assassination; she wasn't close to him. She was worried about the Princess.

"With the Prince gone, how heartbroken the Princess must be? And the young Prince is still so small."

Yulan had always been grateful to the Princess. Although she was just an inconspicuous maid in the Princess’s courtyard—which was why she had been so easily gifted to Yu Xian—she was able to escape a grim fate after being sold, all thanks to the Princess’s rescue and arrangements. Even if the Princess had only used her as a pawn to draw in or monitor Yu Xian, the kindness was real.

"Master, let’s go back," Yulan pleaded. "I want to see the Princess."

"Very well."

Yulan’s request hit the mark; there was no reason for Yu Xian to disagree.

Prince Fu was dead, and Changning County was temporarily without a master. The Lin family’s rivals were the Jiang family and the entire Yue Kingdom; they wouldn't waste further attention on a desolate estate left with only a widow and an orphan. The greatest threat was gone.

Moreover, with his current strength, even if that late-stage Qi Refining cultivator from the Lin family came, he might not be without a chance to fight. His breakthrough in cultivation and the forged magical tool embryos gave him a bit more courage.

His gaze fell to the bottom of his vision.

[Name: Yu Xian]
[Cultivation: Eighth Level of Qi Refining (4/340)]
[Dao Companion: Yulan (1/1)]

...

The Prince’s estate.

Large white lanterns hung before the gates. The guests coming and going all wore solemn expressions, unable to hide their sorrow. The entire estate was draped in mourning white; even the air seemed permeated with the scent of grief.

Yu Xian returned, dusty and tired, and went straight to the mourning hall. The hall was filled with guests, and the estate’s chief steward, Eunuch Li, was presiding as the master of ceremonies.

"Your Highness!"

Yu Xian pushed through the crowd and wailed toward the coffin placed in the hall: "It is my fault for returning too late!"

His voice was full of grief, drawing everyone’s attention. One couldn't help but wonder which noble house this young master belonged to, to be putting on such an excessive performance.

Ignoring the guards trying to stop him, Yu Xian threw himself onto the coffin and pounded on it.

"Your Highness! Oh, Your Highness!"

Hm?

Yu Xian immediately sensed something wrong.

The coffin was empty, containing only some clothes and personal belongings. His spiritual sense could penetrate even jade; with his recent breakthrough, its power had greatly increased, and a mere wooden coffin could not block it. He was a man who paid attention to details. If the Prince were dead, he had to see the body to confirm it.

Upon investigation, he discovered something amiss: this was a cenotaph!

"Retainer Yu, please accept my condolences. If the Prince’s spirit in the afterlife knows you are so devastated, he would surely be comforted."

Eunuch Li looked inexplicably pained, his voice turning hoarse.

Yu Xian’s expression turned stern. He pulled Eunuch Li into the back hall.

"Who was it?!"

"Eunuch Li, when I left, the Prince was in good health. It was certainly not the look of someone dying of natural causes. Someone must have murdered him. Who is the murderer? I will avenge the Prince myself!"

Yu Xian’s eyes were bloodshot, his voice filled with killing intent.

Eunuch Li looked puzzled. Since when had Retainer Yu and the Prince become so close? However, he dared not provoke the man, who was a genuine martial arts master. The Princess had told him more than once that if Retainer Yu had been there, the Prince would never have been in danger that day.

"No one knows who the murderer is."

Eunuch Li sighed. "That night, the Lantern Festival, the Prince suddenly felt the urge to mingle with the people, so he took the Princess and the young Prince out on a boat to enjoy the lanterns. I followed to serve them. When the pleasure boat reached the middle of the river, explosions suddenly erupted all around, and the water was shrouded in mist.

"The boat was blown apart, and the cabin caught fire. We all fell into the water. I saw with my own eyes the Prince being taken onto a small boat by the Great Retainer, but before they had gone far, that boat exploded too. Later, we only found some tattered clothes of the Prince and a few limbs in the nearby waters. The Great Retainer disappeared as well.

"Everyone says the Prince was blown to pieces. The Princess couldn't accept it and ordered people to dredge the river for days, but they found nothing. She has already fainted from crying several times. Sigh..."

Eunuch Li let out a long sigh. "The Prince was always generous to us servants. If I could trade my old life for a glimmer of hope for the Prince, I would gladly do so."

Yu Xian, however, sensed something strange. His experience from countless dramas in his past life told him—if there is no body, the person isn't dead. And since no body was found, they could have treated it as a disappearance; was there any need to rush the funeral so quickly?

But Eunuch Li’s grief did not seem fake. He was, after all, a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator with heightened senses; Eunuch Li’s emotions could not be hidden from him.

Yu Xian feigned indignation: "Eunuch Li, since the Prince’s body has not been found, why declare his death so widely? If the Prince happens to be alive and returns, how will he be placed? Whose decision was this? This is far too rash!"

Eunuch Li replied: "It was the Princess’s decision. The rebels of Guangnan are rampant, and the rebel army has already reached Cangnan County, just a stone's throw from our Changning County. An estate cannot go a day without a master. As long as the Prince is missing, Changning County has no sovereign. So we had to cut the Gordian knot and have the young Prince succeed to the title to stabilize the situation.

"However..." Eunuch Li shook his head. "The imperial envoy from the capital has yet to arrive, so the young Prince’s title cannot be formally bestowed. Since the Prince went missing, the County Governor’s office has also repeatedly shirked the estate’s orders. Fortunately, you have returned, Retainer Yu."

Eunuch Li looked relieved. "They say a long road tests a horse's strength, and a long time reveals a person’s heart. Now that the estate is in such turmoil, your return to help proves that the Prince did not misjudge you."

Yu Xian said calmly: "I am merely doing my share for the estate."

"You continue to preside over things here, Eunuch. I will go pay my respects to the Princess and inform her of my return."