When Tantai Jin said this, Lan An couldn't help but overthink.
She returned to her room with a heavy heart. Despite being mentally prepared, witnessing Tantai Jin swallowing the inner core still left her with a sense of powerlessness.
A maid came over to massage her temples. "Madam, are you feeling unwell again?"
Lan An replied hoarsely, "Lately, I often think of Yue Kongyi."
The maid was momentarily stunned, not daring to respond.
She was Lan An's trusted confidante, having served her for over a decade, watching Jing Lan'an transform from a palace maid into the wife of the Yiyue tribe leader.
Back when Tantai Jin was sent to Great Xia as a hostage from the defeated Zhou Kingdom, Lan An knew that if things remained as they were, His Highness wouldn't survive.
Outwardly, she severed ties with Tantai Jin and stopped caring for him, begging the Zhou emperor to release her from the palace.
After a journey of hardship and displacement, she reached Yiyue territory. Young and beautiful at the time, Lan An was renowned throughout the land for her exquisite embroidery.
She taught the Yiyue tribe weaving, silkworm rearing, and food preservation, eventually marrying the tribe leader Yue Kongyi.
Yue Kongyi doted on Lan An, and after marriage, the couple lived in perfect harmony.
Unfortunately—
The maid lowered her head.
Madam Lan An personally caused her husband's demise and took control of the Yiyue tribe's power.
Over the years, the leadership of the Yiyue tribe had shifted from Yue Kongyi to Jing Lan'an. The Yiyue tribe excelled in poisons and gu sorcery, with fierce and battle-hardened members. Jing Lan'an secretly established trade routes, trained soldiers, and developed the Night Shadow Divine Guards.
Few knew that Jing Lan'an's obsession stemmed from Consort Rou, who had saved her from desperate circumstances.
The gentle woman who taught her everything and protected her as she grew up.
With Consort Rou dead, what drove Jing Lan'an forward was Consort Rou's child.
Jing Lan'an treated Tantai Jin as her own. During Tantai Jin's years as a hostage in Xia, he trained Blood Ravens and maintained correspondence with Jing Lan'an.
They secretly turned Zhou court officials against the crown, waiting for Tantai Jin to grow up and become strong enough to return to Zhou.
Unexpectedly, the Zhou emperor died suddenly, and the third prince Tantai Minglang ascended the throne, forcing Tantai Jin to return to Zhou earlier than planned.
The maid kept her eyes downcast, minding her own business.
Madam Lan An occasionally mentioned her deceased husband Yue Kongyi, but the maid knew her response wasn't needed.
Back then, a six-year-old child and an eighteen-year-old woman—neither of them could have become what they were today through gentle means.
Whether Madam Lan An regretted her choices remained unknown, but with Yue Kongyi dead, even if she did regret, it was too late.
"You may leave. I wish to be alone for a while."
After the maid departed, Jing Lan'an took out a child's peace locket.
The trinket was adorable and charming.
Jing Lan'an touched her own face, no longer young. Time had mercilessly passed by. Those who raised a little fiend would eventually rot away themselves.
She closed her eyes and sighed softly.
This was retribution.
Inevitable retribution.
On the third day of their voyage, they were approaching Jiayu Pass.
Jing Lan'an stepped out and saw Tantai Jin sitting at the bow of the boat. He wore a black cloak, his skin pale to the point of appearing sickly.
The youth's lips were thinly red as he bowed his head, intently polishing a sharp, small crossbow. The weapon was tiny and looked quite delicate.
When Jing Lan'an approached, Tantai Jin paid her no mind. His cloak billowed in the strong wind as he aimed the crossbow at the water's surface. The moment he released his finger, an arrow shot out, staining the water with a vivid red color.
Blood spread through the water.
Noticing the strange shape beneath the surface, Jing Lan'an asked, "What kind of fish did Your Highness kill?"Tantai Jin smiled. "What do you think, Aunt?"
Jing Lan'an thought to herself, it wasn't the sea after all, just a river channel—it couldn't possibly be something like a whale. Yet the size didn't resemble a small fish either.
As she pondered, a maid behind her screamed: "It's... Qi Shuang!"
Jing Lan'an focused her gaze and indeed, what floated to the surface was actually a person.
He looked somewhat familiar—probably one of the attendants who had come to Great Xia to escort Tantai Jin.
"Shh, quiet," Tantai Jin said.
The maid trembled with fear, falling to her knees with a thud. "Your Highness, spare me! Your Highness, spare me!"
Tantai Jin ignored the maid, watching as the spreading blood gradually turned pale red.
"Aunt Lan'an, from now on, have the Night Shadow Divine Guards conduct periodic screenings."
Tantai Jin spoke while coughing, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.
Jing Lan'an was horrified. "Your Highness!"
Then she realized: "That wolf demon had problems?"
Qi Shuang had captured the wolf demon, which was covered in poison. Tantai Jin had swallowed its highly toxic inner core and had been suffering abdominal pain since last night.
At dawn, he had ordered Qi Shuang seized and thrown into the water, while he leaned against the ship's rail, carefully cleaning his bow and arrows.
"Your Highness, how are you feeling!"
Tantai Jin seemed unconcerned. "Manageable."
He wouldn't live long, yet couldn't die either. This had been his reality since childhood—even the Zhou Kingdom's monarch couldn't kill him by throwing him down. His life was abnormally tenacious.
Jing Lan'an urgently ordered someone to administer antidotes to Tantai Jin.
When Su Su was pushed out, she happened to witness this scene: Tantai Jin with blood at his mouth, playing with a crossbow.
The black cloth covering her face was removed, finally allowing her to see Jing Lan'an.
Su Su froze—this person looked very familiar.
Upon careful recollection, she had seen this person in Tantai Jin's dream—the palace maid who had abandoned him, or perhaps a female official.
A woman who tried to teach Tantai Jin to be good, but failed.
Jing Lan'an wasn't as young as in the dream. Now she appeared about thirty, but well-maintained, with only fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.
When Jing Lan'an saw Su Su, her expression became complicated.
As Su Su emerged, she couldn't help glancing at Tantai Jin.
Tantai Jin accepted a handkerchief from an attendant. While wiping blood from his mouth, he stared at Su Su.
"Ye Xiwu, I'll give you a chance to leave."
Su Su looked at him expressionlessly, her face smudged with dirt. "Thank you. Does that mean I can leave now?"
He said, "You can try."
He raised the crossbow, aiming it at Su Su.
Su Su: "I don't think I want to try right now. I'll try another day."
Tantai Jin's hand remained steady as he threw aside the bloodied handkerchief. "Ye Xiao probably didn't tell you that the garrison general at Jiayu Pass recently became Ye Qingyu. Your eldest brother is foolish and rigid, so this decision falls to you. Of course, that doesn't mean you're any less stupid."
When he called people stupid, mockery filled his eyes.
Paper and brush were placed before Su Su.
"Write to your eldest brother. If he lets us pass, you may leave. If not, eternal rest in icy waters seems like a pleasant way to die."
Su Su's face changed color. She hadn't expected her eldest brother to be stationed at Jiayu Pass. If Ye Qingyu let Tantai Jin pass, it would be treason—he wouldn't survive!
If she didn't write, Tantai Jin would probably kill her directly.
Tantai Jin was making her choose: her death, or Ye Qingyu's death.Though he was smiling, his eyes were exceptionally cold—colder than ever before. Like a lion inexplicably provoked, he seemed determined to defend his territory by tearing her apart.
Su Su couldn’t understand why, after just a few days apart, his attitude had become so extreme.
A flicker of complexity passed through Lan An’s eyes.
With their forces, they could have crossed Jiayu Pass with some effort—after all, a small checkpoint was hardly an obstacle for the Yiyue tribe’s soldiers.
Yet His Highness had playfully forced Third Miss Ye to make the decision.
It was a cruel dilemma: either die herself or let her brother die.
Most people weren’t that selfless.
So—
His Highness seemed hopelessly intent on watching Third Miss Ye abandon her brother to save herself.
He appeared to wish for her to be despicable.
Lan An’s expression turned peculiar as she glanced again at Tantai Jin.
The young man’s pitch-black pupils were fixed on Su Su.
It seemed that from the moment Su Su appeared, he had been watching her—icy and mocking, disgusted and impatient, rejecting the disheveled girl.
Yet… even hatred for someone wouldn’t warrant such intense focus.
It was more fervent than polishing cold steel or slaughtering demonic creatures for their inner cores.
In contrast, Su Su remained much calmer. At first, she seemed bewildered, then tightly furrowed her brows, looking at Tantai Jin with an expression that said, “Have you lost your mind?”
“If Miss Ye hasn’t written it in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, chop off her useless hands and send them to Ye Qingyu.”
Su Su received this threat just as a cold, sharp blade was held above her wrist.
The curved jade sensed the danger and began to tremble faintly, as if about to activate forcibly.
Su Su pressed down on the jade bracelet on her wrist, soothing the curved jade in her heart—
“Don’t be afraid, it’s not that dire yet.”
The curved jade knew Su Su wouldn’t harm her elder brother to save herself. It feared its young master might truly sacrifice her life to protect a mere mortal.
Su Su said, “Let’s take a gamble.”
The wind over the river rustled her disheveled clothes. She paused, then picked up the brush.
Not far away, Tantai Jin rested his chin on interlaced fingers, his expression disdainful.
Su Su glanced at him and began to write.
The blade shifted slightly. Moments later, Su Su finished. A soldier picked up the paper and handed it to Tantai Jin.
He took it.
But the smile on his lips lasted only a moment before visibly freezing over.
Jing Lan’an saw his hand clench the paper.
Su Su smiled brightly. It was early morning, and a hazy mist rose from the water’s surface.
Jing Lan’an instinctively glanced at the paper in Tantai Jin’s hand—it was a drawing.
In it, a figure with a woman’s outline skewered a man with a sword.
Beneath it were bold words:
“Think you’re so pleased with yourself? One day, I’ll stab you to death—just you wait!”
Jing Lan’an stared at Su Su as if seeing her for the first time, utterly astonished.
Tantai Jin’s reaction was far more violent.
He raised a crossbow and shot at Su Su.
Su Su swiftly stepped back, spreading her arms to maintain balance.
Unbeknownst to anyone, she had grabbed a handful of medicinal powder at some point. Those who approached her were knocked out with a flick of her hand.
Jing Lan’an recognized it as their Yiyue tribe’s powder—when had Third Miss Ye stolen it?
Su Su took off her embroidered shoe and hurled it at Tantai Jin.
“Stop being disgusting! Thinking I’d harm my elder brother? You’d have better luck dreaming!”Su Su's pearl-white, adorable toes stepped on the deck as she ran swiftly. By the time Tantai Jin caught the shoe, she was already sitting on the gunwale.
She looked down—the winter water appeared freezing enough to kill, and the shore was so far it seemed hopeless.
Before she could hesitate, the whooshing sound of an arrow cutting through the air came from behind.
Just as Tantai Jin's crossbow bolt shot toward her, Su Su decisively plunged into the river.
The cold water made her groan softly.
Around her, the sharp sounds of arrows slicing through the air followed one after another, carrying a blade-like sharpness as if determined to keep her there.
Enduring the cold and fear, she dared not look back or see how furious Tantai Jin was. Nimbly dodging the crossbow bolts, she swam forward recklessly.
Like a fearless little fish, she swam farther and farther without turning back.
Ten crossbow bolts were fired consecutively, all sinking into the water.
Tantai Jin watched expressionlessly as she drifted farther away, until even the hem of her clothes vanished from sight. He bit his lip hard, turning it pale, then let out a harsh laugh.
He raised his hand and threw the crossbow into the water.
It splashed, creating ripples.
On the deck lay a delicate mint-green embroidered shoe, conspicuously out of place.
Tantai Jin stepped on the shoe and walked into the cabin without a word.
His gloomy expression made everyone keep their distance.
Everything happened so suddenly that what lingered in everyone's memory was Su Su's final smile.
She had looked at Tantai Jin with a scornful, disdainful expression. Against the vast river behind her, she had drawn a picture, cursed him, and fled.
Not even crossbow bolts could force her to turn back.
Jing Lan'an stood on the deck for a long time, gazing in the direction where Su Su had disappeared.
In such cold weather, Third Miss Ye likely wouldn't survive. She had chosen her elder brother Ye Qingyu, abandoned herself, and even humiliated His Highness in the process.
Though Jing Lan'an and Su Su were on opposing sides, she had to admit—Su Su was dazzling.
Like light no one could evade.
So beautiful.
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