Film and Television: The Villain's Life Begins with Joy of Life

As night deepened, the hoarse sound of a night watchman's clapper echoed from the distant alleyway.

"The Prince Cheng's Mansion?"

Fan Xian and Teng Zijing's eyes met, and both were startled. Neither of them had expected the clue to be like this.

"How could it be the Prince Cheng's residence?" Teng Zijing's voice tightened, and he subconsciously clenched his fists. "When did Prince Cheng take my wife and children away? And why did he do this?"

His first reaction was disbelief.

Considering he was just a lowly soldier in the Fourth Division of the Observation Bureau, his only redeeming quality was his seventh-rank strength.

But what merit or ability does a seventh-rank martial artist possess to warrant such treatment from Prince Cheng?

Wang Qinian shrugged with a wry smile: "How would I know? I went through a lot of trouble to find a clue, and after confirming it again and again, I finally determined that it was Prince Cheng's personal guard who took the person away. As for the reason, that's not something I should ask you, it should be."

Teng Zijing fell silent.

Yes, you should ask him about this.

But after thinking it over, he himself was not worth mentioning, so the only possibility was that it came from someone close to him.

Before he could speak, Fan Xian patted him on the shoulder:

"Although we don't know why Prince Cheng took your family away, we've met him twice. While we're not close, his words and actions don't seem like those of a ruthless person. Let's not think the worst; perhaps... he, like Wang Qinian, felt compassion?"

compassion?

Teng Zijing smiled bitterly to himself upon hearing this.

Will the prince... have any compassion?

He had met some high-ranking people, but which of them would treat those below them as human beings?

Seeing his somber expression, Fan Xian said sincerely, "I had a pleasant conversation with Prince Cheng. It's too late tonight; I'll accompany you to his door first thing tomorrow morning to get to the bottom of this!"

"...Okay." Teng Zijing replied in a hoarse voice.

At this point, this is the only way.

This night was a rollercoaster of emotions for him. Compared to the despair he felt when he thought his wife and children had been murdered by Guo Baokun, at least he now had a clue whereabouts, and he could still hold onto a sliver of hope.

"Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, I'll take my leave." Wang Qinian rubbed his hands together, clasped his hands in a worried gesture, and said, "Sigh, I need to think carefully about how to explain this to myself when I get back after sneaking out tonight..."

Fan Xian and Teng Zijing both returned the greeting with serious expressions.

Although Wang Qinian's "good intentions" caused them a lot of trouble, they were ultimately motivated by goodwill.

And now they've even provided clues.

Wang Qinian disappeared into the night, and Fan Xian breathed a sigh of relief.

Turning to Teng Zijing with a smile, he said, "I have to hurry back too. Right now, 'I'm still sleeping with the courtesan at Zuixianju. If I get back late, it won't be easy to cover up the matter of beating up Guo Baokun."

"Drunken Immortal Abode? The most beautiful courtesan?" Teng Zijing suddenly turned his head.

"Don't overthink it," Fan Xian chuckled. "I just used some medicine to put her to a deeper sleep. Sigh, Old Teng, I've sacrificed so much for you. Such a beautiful day, yet I'm leaving my beauty alone in her empty room..."

"Are you sure it's Zuixianju? Could that courtesan be Si Lili?" Teng Zijing's pupils contracted slightly.

Fan Xian was taken aback, then raised an eyebrow: "Wow! You're quite something, Teng Zijing! You even know so much about the most beautiful courtesan at Zuixianju! Everyone says Si Lili is famous, but I didn't believe it. Now... I really have to believe it."

Teng Zijing's face turned somewhat pale: "Is it really Si Lili?"

Fan Xian noticed something was off about his tone and asked curiously, "So excited? What's wrong? You wouldn't happen to... have a crush on this Miss Si Lili, would you?"

This statement is tantamount to confirmation.

Teng Zijing's heart sank, and she gave Fan Xian a deep look, but the latter looked completely bewildered.

Teng Zijing understood that Fan Xian had no idea that Si Lili was someone Prince Cheng had taken a liking to.

He opened his mouth, wanting to tell the truth, but forcibly held back.

Now that things have come to this, there's no point in saying anything; it will only add more trouble to Fan Xian.

His clenched knuckles turned slightly white.

At this very moment, countless eyes in the capital are watching Fan Xian spend the night in Si Lili's room.

Whether Fan Xian was faking it or really doing it, he had already seriously offended Prince Cheng.

Fan Xian has offended Prince Cheng; how can he possibly go to his door to demand his release tomorrow?

If he were to actually visit, it would be a testament to Prince Cheng's magnanimity if he weren't beaten to death.

Teng Zijing forced a smile, her lips twitching slightly. "It's nothing, I'm just so surprised. Si Lili is the most beautiful woman in the entire capital, her name is famous throughout the capital. You're incredibly lucky to have her by your side for a night!"

"Hey! Why do you sound so sarcastic? I already said it's just acting. It's our first meeting, how could I really do anything to you!" Fan Xian waved his hand, a hint of embarrassment on his face.

Then Fan Xian hurriedly clasped his hands in a fist salute: "I have to go! Remember to come find me early tomorrow morning, and we'll go to Prince Cheng's residence together!"

"Okay!" Teng Zijing nodded emphatically.

Before turning around, Fan Xian grinned and raised his hand in a fist bump gesture. Teng Zijing was taken aback, but reluctantly raised his fist, and the two knuckles lightly touched.

The next moment, Fan Xian's figure had already darted several feet away, and disappeared around the street corner in a few leaps.

Standing alone in the cold night, Teng Zijing's forced smile vanished instantly.

His family was taken to Prince Cheng's residence, most likely because they were implicated by Fan Xian.

But Fan Xian is a good person, so this kind of thing can't be forced onto him.

Now, Fan Xian has unknowingly offended Prince Cheng. If Prince Cheng takes his anger out on him...

He dared not think too deeply about it.

Since it concerned his wife and children, he dared not gamble with Prince Cheng's moral bottom line.

"We can't wait until the rumors spread tomorrow..."

Teng Zijing's eyes were serious. Tonight, he would sneak into Prince Cheng's mansion.

The reason for not telling Fan Xian the truth is that they don't want to involve him anymore!

......

In the Prince Cheng's mansion, Zhou Cheng cursed under his breath as he rose from his boudoir, wearing only a light robe as he stepped out of his bedchamber.

"That damn Fan Xian! Staying up so late, disturbing the peace, huh?!"

Glancing at the negative notifications from both Fan Xian and Teng Zijing that popped up on the system panel at the same time, he couldn't be sure what had happened, but he could roughly guess some of it.

"Summon Chen Quan," he ordered the night guard.

In a short while, Chen Quan, dressed in light armor, stood solemnly outside the door.

Zhou Cheng rubbed his temples and, without beating around the bush, said directly, "On a whim, I had a premonition in my dream that some treacherous people are going to harm me. You take men and keep a close watch. If anyone does come, 'invite' them to see me."

"Yes!" Chen Quan clasped his hands in acceptance, showing no surprise at Zhou Cheng's casual use of the word "朕" (zhen, meaning "I, the emperor").

In his mind, Zhou Cheng, as a grandmaster of martial arts, was a sure thing and a matter of course to inherit the throne of Qing Kingdom.

Let alone referring to himself as "I" in private now, even if he puts a dragon throne in his residence, that would be considered low-key!

After Chen Quan turned around to make arrangements, Zhou Cheng yawned and walked back.

.......

Fan Xian took off his night clothes and changed back into his original clothes. Avoiding the lights on the shore, he used his light-footed skills to return to the painted boat using a plank.

Carefully avoiding the boat attendants, Fan Xian quietly returned to the door of Si Lili's room. He only needed one glance to realize that someone had been there.

When he left the room, he deliberately left a crack in the door, about half a finger's width, but now the door is tightly shut.

Fan Xian's expression remained unchanged as he slowly pushed open the door without making a sound.

He slowly approached the bed. Si Lili was still lying quietly, her dark hair spread out on the pillow, like a sleeping begonia.

Fan Xian spoke softly, "When I left, I tied a knot in your hair and placed it on my shoulder. Your posture didn't change, but the knot is gone. You were awake!"

Si Lili remained completely still.

Fan Xian gently shook his head: "You can control your breathing, but you can't control your pulse. I can tell whether you're awake or not with a simple check. Miss Li Li, do you really want me to take your pulse myself?"

Si Lili finally opened her eyes, sat up slowly, and there was no sign of sleepiness in her eyes.

Fan Xian stared at her: "Once someone is drugged by my sedative, they absolutely cannot wake up unless they have been taking the drug for a long time and developed a resistance. What exactly is your identity?"

"Drug resistance?" Si Lili smoothed her long hair, seemingly finding the term intriguing. Instead of answering, she asked, "Where did you go late last night, young master?"

The two stared at each other in silence.

After a moment, Fan Xian withdrew his gaze and said, "How about this, I won't ask about your background, and you won't know I left. That way, neither of us will cause trouble, okay?"

Si Lili scrutinized Fan Xian, making him feel uneasy under her gaze, before saying with a half-smile, "Not causing trouble? The moment you stepped onto this pleasure boat, you've already caused me and you a lot of trouble! And now you say you're not causing trouble? How amusing!"

Fan Xian frowned, puzzled. "Why do you say that, young lady?"

Si Lili sighed: "Still pretending to be stupid? Who doesn't know that I'm the woman Prince Cheng has his eye on? I was foolish back then and rejected Prince Cheng."

No one has made a move on me for so long, but you dared to send a poem to the pleasure boat, and a really good one at that!

I'm caught in a dilemma and have to make a choice. Now that things have come to this, won't you, sir, be frank and open about the matter?"

Fan Xian was dumbfounded: "What? The woman that Prince Cheng has taken a fancy to?"

Si Lili stared at Fan Xian, who nearly jumped up, and was taken aback: "You don't know?"

"What do I know? Should I know?"

"Well... almost everyone in Kyoto knows about this, right?"

"I... I've only been in Kyoto for three days! It'll only be four days after tonight! How am I supposed to know?"

Fan Xian paced back and forth in front of the bed, pulling hard on his hair.

He had originally planned to bring Teng Zijing to their door tomorrow to demand their return, but he realized that he had unknowingly offended them quite badly!

Si Lili was dumbfounded!

"You dare to come to Zuixianju and sleep with girls when you know nothing?"

"I...I've been scammed!"

Fan Xian was practically spitting blood!

He thought of Li Hongcheng! It was Li Hongcheng who had invited him to the Liujing River!

Thinking back on Lee Hong-sung's performance throughout...

That damn bastard, he looks all tough, but his heart is black too!

Si Lili was speechless. She realized that this guy had no background at all and couldn't afford to offend Prince Cheng. He was just being played!

Si Lili looked grave. Suddenly, she stood up, considering whether she should run away under the cover of night.

"Everyone in Kyoto knows, but I don't!" Fan Xian muttered to himself as he spun around.

Suddenly, it was as if a bolt of lightning struck his mind!

Everyone in Kyoto knows! Teng Zijing, who has been secretly gathering intelligence lately, couldn't possibly be unaware.

Recalling the moment they parted and the other person's unusual reaction, he instantly understood Teng Zijing's thoughts!

Fan Xian panicked!

"Miss Lili, I have to go out again! I'll be back before dawn, so please be sure to cover for me!" Fan Xian hurriedly cupped his hands and looked up: "After all, we're in the same boat!"

After saying that, Fan Xian jumped out of the window and disappeared into the night in a few leaps.

Si Lili stretched out her hand, then put it down.

She couldn't concern herself with Fan Xian's affairs. What she cared about now was her own safety and whether she should continue staying in the capital!

Si Lili stood still for a moment, then called over a spy disguised as a waiter: "Go and keep watch at the entrance of Prince Cheng's residence. Report to me immediately if there is any unusual activity!"

The spy accepted the order and withdrew.

Si Lili sat back down on the edge of the couch, gazing at the still slightly swaying beaded curtain. She couldn't help but rub her forehead and chuckle wryly to herself, "What kind of mess is this?!"

..........

Outside the high walls of Prince Cheng's mansion, a dark shadow swept past like a night owl, silently landing on the eaves.

Teng Zijing bent down to examine the area closely and found that most of the mansion was pitch black, with only a few teams of guards patrolling with lanterns. The firelight was dim and unusually sparse.

"The defenses are so lax..." he thought to himself.

I had long heard that after Prince Cheng established his own residence, he was not good at managing it and was fond of luxury and extravagance. Soon, his residence was in dire need of funds and he could not make ends meet.

In order to save expenses, most of the guards in the mansion were laid off, and other ceremonial items were also reduced as much as possible. Only the number of servants serving Prince Cheng increased rather than decreased.

He hadn't believed it before, but seeing the state of security at the Prince's residence, those rumors didn't seem entirely unfounded.

"Let's find a few servants to gather information first."

After quickly assessing the layout of the Prince's mansion, Teng Zijing leaped into the air and quietly slipped inside, heading straight for the courtyard where the servants lived.

Little did he know, just as he leaped off the high wall, a pair of eyes in the shadows had already silently locked onto him.

Chen Quan, hidden among the trees, watched Teng Zijing's figure and sighed inwardly, "Your Highness is truly a master of foresight! A Grandmaster is indeed worthy of the title; this ability to predict the future is almost supernatural!"

Chen Quan's admiration for Zhou Cheng grew stronger.

He was familiar with all the rumors surrounding the four grandmasters.

But no one possesses Zhou Cheng's extraordinary abilities.

He believed that, given time, Zhou Cheng's exceptional abilities would eventually surpass the four Grandmasters and become the supreme ruler of the world!

Therefore, for every task Zhou Cheng gave them, even the smallest one, they would do their utmost to ensure perfection.

Tonight, in order to avoid any oversights, he sent people to keep a close watch on several high places that could observe the Prince's residence.

Teng Zijing's whereabouts were discovered as soon as he appeared.

Chen Quan made a light gesture, and the surrounding guards closed in like a net.

In the outer courtyard, Teng Zijing suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He turned around abruptly and saw more than a dozen figures blocking his retreat.

Chen Quan, an eighth-rank cultivator, pressed down on him head-on. He was only a seventh-rank cultivator. Considering his wife and children, he dared not use his full strength. In just ten moves, his arms were twisted and he was forced to the ground.

"Send someone to inform His Highness that this assassin should be taught a lesson first," Chen Quan ordered coldly. Then, remembering that Zhou Cheng had used the word "please," he added, "Be careful not to kill him."

......

The candlelight flickered softly in the outer study. Zhou Cheng, dressed only in a single garment, sat behind his desk, bleary-eyed as he watched Teng Zijing being escorted in.

"Just you? I thought Fan Xian would come too..." he muttered to himself, waving his hand casually. "Let go."

The two guards hesitated for a moment, then obediently released Teng Zijing.

Teng Zijing immediately stood up, and before he could speak, Zhou Cheng said with his eyes half-closed:

"You are Teng Zijing, the bodyguard by Fan Xian's side. I know why you've come here."

I won't waste any more words and will get straight to the point: I invited your wife and children to my residence to threaten you and force you to help me monitor Fan Xian.

If you agree, your wife and son will be safe and sound; if you disagree, you can guess the consequences.

Teng Zijing's fists clenched until they turned white, his eyes fixed on Zhou Cheng.

Instead of making a decision immediately, he suppressed his anger and asked, "Where are my wife and children? Are they alright?"

"They're in the inner courtyard, eating and living well." Zhou Cheng seemed to recall something, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Speaking of which, your wife is quite a strong-willed woman. Knowing that I was going to use her to threaten you, she even had dangerous thoughts."

Unfortunately, she also had a child with her. I only needed to say three sentences to get her to obediently serve me. To be honest, your wife is not only beautiful, but also very skilled at serving others!

[Negative emotions from Teng Zijing +999!]

The system notification sounded, and Zhou Cheng's frustration at having his dream disturbed finally dissipated.

He wasn't lying.

Mrs. Teng Zijing is indeed quite beautiful, and she has been serving him recently.

The hot water he prepared for his bath before and after each day was all made by Mrs. Teng Zijing.

Zhou Cheng was telling the truth, but it was easy for others to misunderstand him.

Teng Zijing's eyes were bloodshot and his temples were bulging with veins, but when he looked at Chen Quan beside him and then at Zhou Cheng two zhang away, he could only grit his teeth and swallow all his emotions.

"Why did you choose me?" he asked hoarsely.

"Because secretly sending people to monitor Fan Xian is too troublesome and too expensive. It's better, more convenient, and more efficient to use the people around him directly," Zhou Cheng said casually.

"Fan Xian is merely an illegitimate son raised in Danzhou by the Marquis of Sinan. Even if he is engaged to the princess, whether it will come to fruition is another matter. What merit does he have that warrants Your Highness's hostility?"

Zhou Cheng smiled and shook his head slightly: "Hey, even at a time like this, you're still trying to trick me into talking?"

However, he didn't care: "I can tell you clearly that Fan Xian's identity and background are far more complicated than you imagine."

If you consider the entire capital city as a large chessboard, then Fan Xian is the chess piece placed at the center.

The entire chess game in Kyoto will revolve around him. To grasp Fan Xian's movements is to grasp the changes in the chess game.

Now you understand, right?

Teng Zijing was stunned, not expecting Zhou Cheng to value Fan Xian so much.

Zhou Cheng yawned: "I've said everything I should and shouldn't have said. Now that I've answered so many of your questions, you should answer mine, right?"

Teng Zijing hesitated for a moment, then finally lowered his head, stepped forward, and knelt on one knee: "...Teng Zijing is willing to serve Your Highness and keep an eye on Fan Xian."

"Very good!" Zhou Cheng stood up and straightened his clothes. "You can go back to Fan Xian's side now and let him continue to pay you. Just think of yourself as an outsourced employee. The salary Fan Xian gives you is paid by me."

"...Yes." Teng Zijing simply lowered his head.

"Get out of here. Remember, unless the sky falls, don't disturb my peaceful sleep again." Zhou Cheng waved his hand at him and turned to leave.

Zhou Cheng had only taken two steps when Teng Zijing suddenly looked up:

"Your Highness! Regarding Fan Xian... this humble servant has another matter to report."

Zhou Cheng paused and looked back.

Teng Zijing looked to the left and right, her face showing hesitation.

"Chen Quan, stay. The rest of you, leave." Zhou Cheng gave the order, and only three people remained in the study.

Teng Zijing glanced at Chen Quan, quietly took half a step forward, and lowered her voice: "Your Highness, Fan Xian went to Zuixianju tonight and gave a poem to Miss Si Lili."

"What?!" Zhou Cheng was taken aback at first, as if he thought he had misheard. Then his eyes widened, his face showing a mixture of shock and anger, and he subconsciously took a step forward, now less than ten feet away from Teng Zijing: "How dare he—"

In that instant, a cold glint flashed in Teng Zijing's eyes, and he gritted his teeth!

With a burst of seventh-grade true energy, Chen Quan's guards were caught off guard. In one swift step, he circled behind Zhou Cheng, a cold glint flashing in his hand, and the short dagger hidden in his sleeve was placed against his neck.