Young Jiang Ziya

In the evening, the wooden frame for the burning at the stake was being erected in the square.

Lu Shang hid in the shadows at the far end of the alley, watching the gradually taking shape execution platform with resentment.

Could he use psychic powers to save Shi Yuan? Was he confident he could abduct him right under the noses of the guards and Luo Xuan?

If they fail, Mr. Shi Yuan's sacrifice will be meaningless. But if they stand idly by...

He was struggling when he heard the sound of an iron door opening from the direction of the dungeon.

Luo Xuan's figure appeared in the sunset, heading straight for the cell where Shi Yuan was imprisoned.

In the cell, Shi Yuan sat against the wall, closing his eyes to rest.

He didn't even lift his eyelids when he heard footsteps.

"Shi Yuan." Luo Xuan's voice echoed in the stone chamber, carrying the composure unique to a victor. "After tomorrow, Xiqi will return to purity."

Shi Yuan remained silent.

"However," Luo Xuan took two steps closer, a hint of amusement flashing in his gray-blue eyes, "there's something you should know—my investigation has only just begun."

Shi Yuan's eyelashes trembled.

"Regarding Lü Shang... and Princess Daji," Luo Xuan said slowly, "I feel that there are still many aspects of them worth exploring."

Especially Daji, her "nightmare," her "constitution"... isn't that interesting?

Shi Yuan suddenly opened his eyes, his anger blazing: "We had an agreement beforehand! I plead guilty, you stop!"

Luo Xuan laughed, a cold and cruel laugh: "You said something beforehand? Shi Yuan, have you forgotten—I never make deals with sorcerers. Especially... sorcerers who confess."

He turned and left, leaving Shi Yuan in the prison, panting heavily, his face as pale as paper.

***

In Daji's room, she anxiously gazed out the window towards the square. The outline of the execution platform gradually became clear in the twilight.

"Miss Daji."

The sudden sound made her tremble and turn around sharply—Luo Xuan was already standing in the middle of the room, hands behind his back, as casually as if he were in his own home.

"Master..." Daji took a half step back, her fingers gripping the window frame tightly.

She had never been so afraid of anyone; it felt like being stared at by a venomous snake, cold and slippery.

Luo Xuan simply smiled gently: "No need to be nervous, I was just passing by and checking if you were alright. Tomorrow's scene might not be very pleasant... so it would be best if you stayed in your room."

He nodded slightly, turned and left, as if he really had only come to offer a word of "concern".

After the door closed, Daji slumped into the chair, her back soaked with cold sweat.

***

"Lü Shang!"

Yi Jiang ran breathlessly into the back alley of Shi Yuan's courtyard and found Lü Shang hiding in the shadows.

Her face was anxious: "Luo Xuan went to see Princess Daji again! Just now!"

Lu Shang slammed his fist on the earthen wall, sending dust and plaster flying. "I should have known... How could he possibly stop?"

"What do we do now?"

Lu Shang took a deep breath, his eyes gradually sharpening: "The fact that Mr. Shi Yuan was framed is just the beginning."

The Marquis of Xibo hired Luo Xuan to capture sorcerers, but Luo Xuan didn't care who was truly guilty.

He only needed the heads of the "sorcerers"—the more the better—to extract more bounty from the Marquis of Xibo and solidify his legend.

He looked at Yi Jiang, his voice low and firm: "We must fight back."

***

As night fell, the guest rooms in the Marquis's residence were completely silent.

Lu Shang made his way down the corridor and arrived at the room where Luo Xuan was staying.

He listened intently—there was no sound of breathing.

With a slight shift of psionic energy, the latch slid open silently from the inside.

The room was simply furnished, with almost no personal belongings.

Lu Shang's gaze fell on the black wooden cabinet in the corner.

He walked over, lightly touched the cabinet lock with his finger, and his spiritual energy probed into the lock cylinder like a fine needle.

"Click".

The cabinet door opened.

Inside were several neatly folded pieces of clothing, a leather tool bag, and... a palm-sized sandalwood box.

Lu Shang carefully opened the wooden box—inside were a few dried, deep purple petals, oddly shaped, emitting a very faint, almost sweet fragrance.

He had never seen this flower before.

Just as I was about to take a closer look, footsteps came from the end of the corridor—steady and rhythmic, it was Luo Xuan!

Lü Shang quickly picked up a few petals and stuffed them into his sleeve pocket, closed the wooden box and cabinet door, and looked around.

The room was empty; there was nowhere to hide.

He gritted his teeth, a surge of psychic energy coursed through him, and pressed his body against the shadow of the beam in the corner of the ceiling, merging with the darkness.

The door opened.

Luo Xuan entered the room but did not immediately turn on the lights.

He stood at the door for a moment, his gray-blue eyes scanning the darkness.

Lü Shang held his breath, his heart pounding like a drum.

He could feel Luo Xuan's gaze sweep over the beam where he was hiding several times.

But in the end, Luo Xuan walked to the table and lit the oil lamp.

He seemed oblivious to anything amiss and began tidying up the files on the table.

On the crossbeam, cold sweat slid down Lü Shang's forehead.

***

The next morning, in a side room of Shi Yuan's courtyard.

Lü Shang and Yi Jiang sat facing each other amidst the mess on the ground, with several medical books they had taken from Shi Yuan's collection spread out between them.

The deep purple petals were carefully placed on a white cloth.

"Found it!" Yi Jiang lowered her voice and pointed to a yellowed illustration. "Look at this—belladonna. The whole plant is poisonous, especially the fruit and rhizome."

But it says here... "If dried flower petals are specially treated, the smoke produced by burning or steaming them can cause strong hallucinations."

Lü Shang's eyes lit up: "An illusion!"

"Let's look at the previous witness testimonies again," Yi Jiang quickly flipped through another notebook, "The reflection in the well, the fire spirit, the toad at the alley entrance...aren't these all typical hallucinogenic symptoms?"

The two looked at each other and suddenly understood.

"But why did only women see it?" Lu Shang frowned.

Yi Jiang pondered for a moment: "The witnesses are all women... what does that mean?"

"That means they all use the same thing," Lu Shang said slowly, "something... that only women would buy."

"Cosmetics!" Yi Jiang blurted out, "Eye cream, rouge...or—" Her eyes suddenly widened, "Eye drops! The kind that makes eyes brighter!"

Lü Shang suddenly stood up: "Let's go!"

***

The only decent cosmetics shop in Xiqi City, "Yu Rong Zhai," had few customers in the afternoon.

The shop owner was a thin, middle-aged man. Seeing Lü Shang and Yi Jiang enter, he quickly put on a smile: "What would you two like to see? We have some newly arrived snail-shell ink and pearl powder from the south..."

Lu Shang interrupted directly: "Have you sold any special eye drops lately? The kind that can make your eyes look...extra bright?"

The shop owner's smile froze for a moment: "Eye drops? Our shop only sells ordinary stuff..."

"We're not here to buy anything." Lü Shang stepped forward, his imposing aura intimidating. "Shopkeeper, you'd better tell the truth—Master Luo Xuan sent us."

Upon hearing the name "Luo Xuan," the shopkeeper's face turned deathly pale, and his legs went weak, almost causing him to kneel down: "M-My lord, spare my life! It was...it was him who forced me to do this!"

He said if I didn't sell, he'd kill me as an accomplice of the sorcerer! I'm innocent!

"Where did the medicine come from?" Yi Jiang pressed.

"It's...it's the formula and ingredients given by Master Luo Xuan...I was only responsible for packaging..." the shopkeeper said with a mournful face. "He said this potion could make women's eyes more beautiful, and there would be a reward for good sales...I really didn't know it was something harmful!"

Lü Shang and Yi Jiang exchanged glances and breathed a sigh of relief.

We have witnesses.

***

On the way back to the Marquis's residence, Lü Shang held the bottles of "special eye drops" that he had found in the store, his fingertips turning white.

He wanted to rush to the main hall immediately to expose Luo Xuan's conspiracy and exonerate Shi Yuan.

"Wait a minute." Yi Jiang stopped him. "If you go directly like this, what are your chances of success?"

Lei Kai is now so ruthless with sorcerers that he would rather kill the innocent than let the guilty go free, and Luo Xuan is as cunning as a fox.

We must strike decisively, making sure the Marquis of Xibo witnesses it firsthand, leaving Luo Xuan with no room for excuses.

Lü Shang calmed down. Yi Jiang was right. Acting rashly would only alert the enemy, and might even lead to Luo Xuan turning against them.

If you're going to make a move, you have to deliver a fatal blow, leaving the opponent no chance to recover.

***

Late at night, in Luo Xuan's room.

Ji Fa personally led a patrol in the vicinity to ensure the safety of the area around the execution ground.

As he passed by Luo Xuan's room, he heard even snoring coming from inside—Luo Xuan was fast asleep.

He nodded and continued forward.

Inside the room, Lü Shang emerged from the shadows.

He walked to the black wooden cabinet, touched it with his spiritual energy, and the cabinet door opened again.

He looked at the empty cabinet and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

As the spiritual energy flowed, a subtle "tinkling" sound rang out from inside the cabinet.

A moment later, a small pile of things appeared at the bottom of the cabinet—seven or eight spirit marrow bracelets exactly the same as Shi Yuan's, and more than a dozen bottles of eye drops labeled "Yu Rong Zhai".

After doing all this, Lü Shang was about to leave when he suddenly stopped.

He turned to look at Luo Xuan, who was fast asleep on the bed, a sly glint in his eyes.

After doing all this, Lü Shang disappeared into the night with satisfaction.

***

Its daybreak.

The square was packed with people. The execution platform stood tall, and the pile of firewood was already stacked.

Yi Jiang paced anxiously at the entrance of Shi Yuan's courtyard. Finally, Lü Shang's figure appeared at the alley entrance.

"How is it?"

"Everything is ready." Lü Shang's eyes were firm. "Now we need to buy time—we can't let the fire start."

The two headed to the square.

***

In the center of the execution ground, Shi Yuan was chained up and led to a pile of firewood.

He was dressed in rags, but his back was straight. His gaze calmly swept across the crowd, finally landing on the high platform—where Ji Chang sat with his face turned to the side, unable to bear looking directly at him.

Luo Xuan drove a black carriage slowly into the arena.

Today he was dressed in formal dark gray hunting attire, with a sword at his waist and a grease-soaked torch in his hand.

He just frowned slightly and coughed occasionally, as if his throat was not quite comfortable.

Yi Jiang squeezed through the crowd and finally found Ji Fa, who was maintaining order.

"Ji Fa! Stop him!" She grabbed Ji Fa's arm. "Lü Shang has a way to prove Shi Yuan's innocence! Give him a little more time!"

Ji Fa looked at Shi Yuan on the execution platform, then at his father on the high platform, his face showing struggle: "Yi Jiang, this is Father's order, this is the law of Xiqi..."

"The law?" Yi Jiang stared intently at him. "You can choose to do the right thing, Ji Fa."

You can have a little trust in a friend who has been loyal to your family for decades.

Or you could stand idly by and watch an innocent person die, just as they did to my father.

Ji Fa was startled.

"Do you really want all of this to happen again?" Yi Jiang's voice softened, but every word was like a knife.

On the high platform, Luo Xuan had already raised his torch. The flame flickered in the morning breeze.

Ji Fa suddenly looked up and shouted, "Wait!"

All eyes immediately turned to him.

Luo Xuan, holding the torch, turned to look at Ji Fa, his brows furrowed slightly: "Young Master Ji Fa, what is the meaning of this?"

Ji Fa strode up to the execution platform and stood in front of the pile of firewood: "Before the execution, someone has presented new evidence, accusing this case of having other hidden secrets."

"Absurd!" Luo Xuan's voice turned cold. "The evidence is conclusive, Shi Yuan confessed himself, what secrets could there be?"

"it's me."

Lü Shang stepped out from the crowd.

He walked step by step onto the execution platform, stood beside Ji Fa, and faced Luo Xuan directly: "I accuse you—Luo Xuan, the true sorcerer, the mastermind behind framing and persecuting loyal officials!"

The entire audience erupted in uproar!

Luo Xuan's pupils contracted slightly, then he sneered, "You little brat, spouting nonsense!"

"Whether it's nonsense or not, let the witnesses speak for themselves," Lü Shang said, looking down at the audience.

Yi Jiang led three women to the execution platform—the same women who had previously testified about "seeing the vision."

Their faces were filled with fear, and under Lü Shang's encouraging gaze, they spoke in trembling voices:

"My lord...we...we used 'Yu Rong Zhai' eye drops before..."

"My eyes are brighter after using it, but sometimes my vision feels... blurry..."

"The face in the well, the little man in the fire... maybe we're just seeing things..."

Then, the owner of the rouge shop was brought in by the guards and knelt down with a thud: "Master Luo Xuan forced me to sell those eye drops! He provided the formula and ingredients! I'm innocent!"

Luo Xuan's expression finally changed, but he still forced a smile: "Nonsense! A frame-up! These people colluded with this servant to disrupt the execution!"

"Is that so?" Ji Fa stepped forward, his eyes blazing. "Then please, Master Luo Xuan, let us search your room—if you are innocent, you have nothing to fear."

Luo Xuan's throat bobbed, and he coughed twice more, but he straightened his back: "An upright person has nothing to fear. Your Highness may search!"

His composure, however, stirred a flicker of doubt in Ji Fa's heart.

But the arrow was already on the bowstring, and it had to be released.

A squad of guards quickly departed. Silence fell over the entire area; everyone waited.

Time passed little by little.

Luo Xuan's hand holding the torch was as steady as a rock, but his cough became more and more frequent.

Finally, the garrison captain returned to the execution platform carrying a small wooden box.

Open the box—inside were seven or eight spirit marrow bracelets and more than a dozen bottles of eye drops!

"Found it in Luo Xuan's room cabinet!" the captain reported loudly.

Luo Xuan's composure crumbled instantly: "Impossible! I don't have any of these in my cabinet—"

He suddenly looked at Lü Shang, his eyes flashing with shock and anger. "It was you! You framed me!"

Lü Shang met his gaze without flinching: "The evidence is irrefutable, with both witnesses and physical evidence. Luo Xuan, what else do you have to say?"

"I—" Luo Xuan was about to argue when a sudden tickle in his throat caused him to cough violently and uncontrollably.

He bent over, coughing violently, his face turning bright red.

Then, under the gaze of hundreds of eyes in the audience—

A fist-sized, bumpy toad was spat out of Luo Xuan's wide-open mouth with a "whoosh" and fell onto the wooden board of the execution platform.

Dead silence.

Then came an even bigger uproar!

"Sorcery! He's the sorcerer!"

On the high platform, Ji Chang suddenly stood up, his face ashen. He drew his sword from his waist and pointed it at Luo Xuan: "So... you're the sorcerer!"

Luo Xuan clutched his throat, both shocked and furious.

He instantly understood—it was last night! That kid had tampered with it!

His gaze swept across the area, then he suddenly sprang up, grabbing Daji, who was closest to him, and pressing a sharp dagger against her neck!

"Back off!" Luo Xuan roared, forcing Daji to retreat step by step. "Let me go! Or I'll kill her!"

Everyone froze. The guards drew their swords, but dared not advance.

Daji's face turned deathly pale, and she trembled all over.

At this stalemate, Luo Xuan suddenly screamed and abruptly released Daji.

The palm of his hand holding the dagger emitted blue smoke, and his skin instantly turned red and blistered!

The dagger clattered to the ground.

No one noticed that Lü Shang, standing in the corner of the execution platform, had just withdrawn his slightly twitching fingertips.

Luo Xuan stumbled backward in pain, lost his footing, and fell straight down from the high execution platform, crashing heavily onto the stone floor with a dull thud, and then stopped moving.

***

Shi Yuan was released.

But his courtyard is no longer the same as it used to be.

Ji Chang stood amidst the chaos, watching Shi Yuan silently tidy up the broken pieces, and remained silent for a long time.

"I want to say," Ji Chang's voice was hoarse, "that if you have ever suffered under his rule, I am sorry."

Shi Yuan stopped what he was doing, without turning around, his voice calm and utterly unwavering: "But I did not suffer at his hands, Your Majesty. I suffered at your hands."

Ji Chang was taken aback.

"He serves you, Your Majesty."

Shi Yuan turned around and looked at the monarch he had served for thirty years. "He was merely carrying out your orders—your orders to exterminate sorcerers."

"But I was deceived!" Ji Chang raised his voice.

"No." Shi Yuan shook his head, his eyes filled with profound sorrow. "You were already deceived long before Luo Xuan."

Because you have blinded yourself. You regard your friends as enemies, and your loyal servants as sorcerers.

In your war against all “abnormalities,” I was not the first to be wrongly judged—”

He paused, his voice softening:

"Not everyone is as lucky as me."

Ji Chang stood still, watching Shi Yuan bend down and continue picking up the fragments.

Sunlight streamed in through the broken window, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air, and also the invisible yet insurmountable chasm between the two.

The trust between three decades-old friends vanished in an instant.

Only ruler and subjects remain; close friends are no longer there.