15: End of Second Time

[Year 26,]

[Your parents suddenly came from Longyang Town to visit you.]

[The two elders' hair had turned completely white, and your heart felt as if it were being stabbed by a knife.]

[They mistook Qing'er for your wife, and upon realizing their mistake, they were so angry they vomited blood on the spot—it turned out that your bragging about finding a sweetheart in the Imperial Capital was all a lie!]

[Watching your parents' hunched backs as they left, you stood at the doorway, tears streaming down your face.]

[The disappointment in your parents' eyes was enough for you to remember for a lifetime.]

[Year 27,]

[Your parents' hunched backs lingered in your mind, unable to be shaken off.]

[Every time you thought of it, it felt like a heavy stone was pressing on your chest.]

[The extermination of the Qin Family made you re-examine everything, and you suddenly thought of the clue regarding the Liu Family Medicinal Materials Firm.]

[You couldn't mobilize the secret sentries of the Imperial City Guard, so you could only turn to the Vermilion Bird Tower.]

[They not only accepted assassination bounties but also sold intelligence.]

[You put on a mask and spent ten thousand taels of silver to place a bounty for an investigation into the Liu Family Medicinal Materials Firm in Longyang Town.]

[Three months later, you arrived at the Vermilion Bird Tower again, and the news you received made your entire body turn cold—]

[The investigators had died mysteriously, and even the Master of the Tower, Ye Wuhen, who was in the Grandmaster Realm, had gone missing!]

[Terrified, you turned and ran, hiding in the Imperial City Guard for another half a year, not daring to step outside.]

[Year 28,]

[The Imperial Capital had become increasingly chaotic over these years; the Martial Alliance and the Dukes Residence didn't even bother with superficial pleasantries anymore, spending their days fighting and killing to eliminate dissenters.]

[However, you also figured it out—they didn't care about a small fry like you at all. So, after living in the Imperial City Guard for half a year, you simply moved back to your small courtyard to hide and find peace.]

[You also recently heard big news: the Martial Alliance and the Dukes Residence were planning to force the palace, wanting the Emperor to cede the throne to his third brother.]

[This third brother was no simple character; he had suddenly disappeared when the young Emperor ascended the throne, and now he had returned as a king!]

[However, no matter how chaotic it was outside, your small courtyard remained peaceful.]

[Year 29,]

[Sure enough, something happened!]

[A coup broke out in the Imperial Palace; that night, the sound of killing shook the heavens throughout the Imperial Capital, and the common people were so terrified that they kept their doors and windows tightly shut, not even daring to light their lamps.]

[This bloody battle lasted for a full seven days and seven nights, and the stench of blood in the streets didn't dissipate for half a month.]

[In the end, as expected, the Third Prince stepped over a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood to take the throne.]

[But the Imperial Capital was still under martial law—the new Emperor was searching the entire city for the fleeing the deposed Emperor.]

[Your heart was pounding: "I hope that unlucky the deposed Emperor doesn't run into my place!"]

[As it turned out, the thing you feared the most happened!]

[As you just entered your courtyard, you saw an injured man wearing eunuch clothing staring straight at you—although you hadn't seen the real person, the majesty in those eyes made you understand seven or eight parts of it instantly.]

["Damn it! Why did he have to flee to my house?" you cursed inwardly.]

[At this moment, Qing'er returned from buying groceries and was also dumbfounded by this strange man.]

["Get out!" you said, drawing your blade directly.]

[The man sneered, "Escort Me to the Luoyin Temple outside the city."]

[Your whole body jolted—this man was actually the little emperor, the deposed Emperor!]

["No time!" you replied resolutely.]

[He suddenly narrowed his eyes: "Back when you were locked in the Imperial City Guard, if I hadn't spoken up, you would have long since become a lonely ghost in the mass grave."]

["Why did you save me?" you couldn't help but ask.]

["Escort me to the Luoyin Temple and I will tell you," the deposed Emperor said, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.]

[You asked again: "Isn't the Imperial City Guard your dog?"]

["They only recognize the Dragon Throne, not the person," the deposed Emperor said with a sarcastic laugh.]

[You suddenly realized—no wonder the Imperial City Guard hadn't been purged until now.]

["Have you decided?" the deposed Emperor continued to urge.]

[Only then did you realize: this foolish emperor was likely bluffed by your pretentious actions back then and really thought you were a hidden big shot!]

["None of my business!" you turned to leave.]

[the deposed Emperor suddenly said in a sinister tone: "If I am caught, the first person I will betray is you, this 'hidden piece'."]

[You didn't expect to be set up by the emperor for no reason.]

[You were so angry that your teeth itched—this bastard was trying to drag you down with him!]

[You turned and instructed Qing'er: "Lock the door well, don't go out."]

[Qing'er nodded seriously.]

[You casually put a uniform of the Imperial City Guard on the deposed Emperor and dragged him toward the city gates.]

[This was a hot potato; getting rid of it quickly was the right thing to do!]

[Fortunately, the people of the Imperial City Guard hadn't been purged recently, and even less attention was paid to low-level minions like you.]

[Seeing the city gate right in front of you, you just breathed a sigh of relief—]

["Swish! Swish!" A troop of people suddenly surrounded you from all directions!]

[Your pupils constricted, and the familiar figure in the troop made your whole body turn cold—Qing'er?!]

[Damn! It turned out this girl was a secret agent planted by the Imperial City Guard!]

[This kind of thing was truly impossible to guard against, and the infiltration of the Imperial City Guard was truly admirable—this kind of secret agent, trained from a young age, was the hardest to detect.]

[Even if you hadn't taken her in, she would often beg near your home and monitor you.]

[Perhaps there was more than just her near the courtyard at the time.]

[You sighed—as expected of the Imperial City Guard, to survive, they would use any means necessary.]

[You stared fixedly at Qing'er, the warmth of the past shattered instantly.]

[Her eyes dodged for a moment, and she whispered: "Uncle Chen... I'm sorry."]

[After speaking, she retreated to the side, her pretty face as cold as ice.]

[The leading man grinned: "Qin Chen, right?"]

["Who are you?" you narrowed your eyes.]

["The Duke of Zhenguo, Fang Chen," he said, slowly drawing his saber, "I just flipped through the files and discovered that the reason Cheng Rongrong would rather die than marry me was because of you, you bastard."]

[So this Fang Chen was already the current Duke of Zhenguo.]

[Time really flies!]

[Your heart skipped a beat—this was a love rival here for revenge!]

[You didn't expect that even though you hadn't provoked Fang Chen this time, you would still meet him.]

[Fang Chen waved his hand: "If I had known it was you earlier, the grass on your grave would already be three feet high."]

["Boom!" A Grandmaster Realm expert suddenly darted out from behind him, the terrifying pressure making your knees buckle.]

[You tried desperately to use the Mizong Step, but found it difficult even to lift your feet—]

[You cursed inwardly—damn, the difference between a Grandmaster and the Innate realm is truly heaven and earth!]

[The next second, the Grandmaster's palm wind crashed down!]

["With a crisp "crack," your head exploded like a watermelon, and your headless corpse fell heavily to the ground."]

[Your vision went black, and your Soul floated lightly out of your body.]

[The familiar scene reappeared—countless Souls flew toward the sky like fireflies, swallowed by that bronze ancient mirror that blotted out the sky and sun.]

[This time you didn't struggle, letting the bronze mirror suck you in.]

[After five breaths, your consciousness completely dissipated...]

[You died.]

[Ding! Simulation ended, please select rewards:]

[1. Personal strength: Innate Late Stage cultivation, Mizong Step at Major Achievement, Void-Piercing Sword Technique at Major Achievement, Eighteen Needles of Soul Chasing at entry level.]

[2. External items: sixteen taels of silver, Seven-Star Sword.]

[3. Special rewards: Cultivation insights, combat experience, detailed memories.]