AMBTMS Chapter 29

[Ah, the male protagonist arrived so quickly.] 1314 watched the imposing figure standing at the door and sighed, [Did the male protagonist install a radar on you, host? Once he senses that the host is in trouble, he rushes over to help.]

It was the same in the previous instances. Anyone who provoked or caused trouble for the host, this person resolved the issues before the host even had a chance to act. The court has been in chaos lately, and the host had enemies to the left and right. Normally, there should be many people wanting to cause trouble for the host during this time, but, surprisingly, the host remained undisturbed, not a single person bothered him.

In this storm that almost engulfed the entire court, the host stood unaffected. It wouldn’t believe that this was because of the male protagonist’s interventions.

[I have Qi Mingxuan’s people around me, don’t you know?]

[What?!] 1314 exploded. It thought highly of the male protagonist, seeing how different he was in front of the host compared to the original plot. Unexpectedly, the male protagonist sent someone to monitor the host!

Li Shu was now used to 1314’s ever-changing mood, it was sometimes gloomy, sometimes happy. He calmly dropped a bigger bomb, [It’s not just Qi Mingxuan; I have spies planted by the Emperor, the Left Prime Minister, the Eldest Prince, the Fourth Prince, and many others around me. How about it? What, you don’t know any of the spies placed around me?]

1314 truly had no idea. It only paid close attention to those near the host. When issues arose with these individuals, the host swiftly handled them, usually without him needing to report them. It now felt disappointed. It boasted that it was an outstanding graduate of the System Academy but it was unable to contribute to its first mission. In the new mission, the host was too powerful, and it couldn’t be of much help.

[Host, since you know they have ulterior motives, why let them stay around you?] 1314 was puzzled. Shouldn’t they resolve issues with people harboring ill intentions as soon as possible, just like the few spies dealt with earlier?

[Even if I got rid of this group, new ones would come sooner or later. I know their identities, so I naturally guard against them. If this group is gone, I’d have to reconfirm everyone around me for potential issues. Too troublesome.]

Knowing who the spies were, the information that came out of their mouths was naturally what Li Shu wanted to circulate. As long as those people didn’t cross his bottom line, he could turn a blind eye.

As for Qi Mingxuan placing people around him, Li Shu had already noticed it. However, these people remained quiet, not making any moves or leaking information, so Li Shu went along with it.

But…

Recalling the system’s words earlier, Li Shu snorted in his mind. It seemed like these people had not spread any news to their master, but he was different from others. Unlike other spies who were eager to report every detail to their masters, Qi Mingxuan’s people only reported to their master when they felt he was in danger.

That’s why Qi Mingxuan was able to rush to him so promptly every time. He used to think it was all a coincidence, but now it seems those coincidences were intentionally created.

It was really… baffling.

It was probably the same this time. Li Shu’s eyes fell on the man standing against the light.

‘Why?’ Li Shu couldn’t understand. Qi Mingxuan was the Chosen One, the proud son of heaven recognized by the world consciousness. Even though he was young and faced difficulties, as long as he got through it, a bright and magnanimous future awaited him. Power, money, and beauty, as long as he wanted, he could get. With a wave of his hands, a lot of people would send them on their own initiative.

Not to mention other things, when the Emperor hinted at arranging a marriage for him, countless individuals in the capital vied for the opportunity. Yet, among the countless beauties, none caught Qi Mingxuan’s eye.

The nine-tailed fox understood people’s hearts. Even though he currently inhabited an ordinary mortal body without cultivation, he could still utilize this innate ability to some extent. Because of this, he could sense Qi Mingxuan’s feelings deepening day by day, and they hadn’t diminished in the slightest because of his cold treatment.

There are obviously so many choices, why was he determined to be with him?

Upon introspection, did he truly have no feelings for him? Not entirely. If he really had no affection for Qi Mingxuan, he wouldn’t have let Qi Mingxuan test him repeatedly.

However, cultivators are generally more clear-headed than ordinary people. Li Shu knew the unbridgeable gap between them was not about status or position but the world and time. Thus, he wouldn’t allow his emotions to run unchecked.

He would rather not have and not lose, than have and lose. He didn’t want to experience the pain of loss a second time.

All thoughts only happened in a moment. In the study, both sides refused to give in to each other.

Seeing Prince Qin and the armored soldiers behind him, cold sweat dripped down Li Cheng’s back. He calmed down and said, “Your Highness Prince Qin, this is a matter of the Left Prime Minister’s mansion. Even if you are a prince, it’s inappropriate to intervene, isn’t it?”

“A family matter? The attempted murder of a government official’s life is a significant matter. Prime Minister, do you really consider this just a family matter? It seems you don’t take our Great Zhou’s laws seriously.” Qi Mingxuan sneered. Only the heavens knew how infuriated he felt after learning about Li Shu’s past sufferings.

“Your Highness must be mistaken. There are no such audacious individuals in the Left Prime Minister’s mansion.” This pot could not be accepted. Looking at the tall and graceful Li Shu, Li Cheng’s eyes flashed with malicious intent. Since this chess piece was uncontrollable, it was better to destroy it sooner.

It seems that the earlier indifference was the right choice. This child had the blood of that woman, how could he obediently follow orders? He regretted sparing this offspring!

“Whether a mistake or not, one investigation will reveal the truth. However, if I’m mistaken this time, I will personally apologize to the Prime Minister. Please wait, I have sent someone to apprehend the suspected person.” Qi Mingxuan calmly stated.

Since taking the position of Left Prime Minister, Li Cheng had never experienced such humiliation. He didn’t think much about the relationship between Qi Mingxuan and Li Shu, and assumed it was merely Prince Qin’s attempt to suppress him.

“Okay! Okay! Since Prince Qin……”

“I believe His Highness Prince Qin will be able to help me seek justice.” Li Shu cupped his hands, interrupting Li Cheng’s unfinished words.

“Master Li, rest assured, I will ensure justice is served in this matter. I won’t let criminals off easily.” After saying this, Qi Mingxuan deliberately glanced at Li Cheng and the meaning was self-evident.

Li Cheng suppressed his anger. Unable to explode at this moment, he could only close his eyes to hide the viciousness in his eyes.

Naturally, the interrogation would not be carried out here. After being informed that the suspect had been captured, Qi Mingxuan waved his hand, “The person has been captured. Master Li, please accompany me for a moment.”

Fearing Li Shu would be reprimanded by Li Cheng after he left, Qi Mingxuan directly stated they would leave together. With him protecting Li Shu, Li Cheng should be more restrained.

Li Xinuo hurried over, only catching a glimpse of Li Shu’s departing figure.

“Big brother—”

Hearing the voice, Li Shu turned around.

Li Xinuo rushed over. Her clothes were disheveled, but she couldn’t care about tidying them up now. She stubbornly stared in the direction of Li Shu, and the huge stone in her heart finally fell. Finally, it all happened.

She should be sad, right? But there was no sadness in her heart at all, she just felt empty. The call was a natural reaction, but after calling out, she began to regret it. Her big brother had already severed ties with the family, so he probably wouldn’t pay attention to her anymore.

After the events of her past life, there was no contact between her and her elder brother. Would it be the same this time? She was reborn but she still couldn’t change anything. What was the point of reliving her just to watch those tragedies happen again?

“Don’t cry.”

She heard her elder brother’s voice in her ear. When she came to her senses, she found her elder brother standing beside her, his eyes still gentle. As for herself, she had burst into tears at some point.

“Big brother.” Li Xinuo called out softly. She stretched out her hand, trying to grab her eldest brother’s sleeve like she did when she was a child. Her hand reached halfway and fell down.

Things can’t go back to how they were.

At this moment, she realized with absolute clarity that everything was irreversible.

“Take care of yourself.” After saying this, Li Shu left without any nostalgia.

Li Xinuo wanted to follow, but found her feet seemingly rooted, firmly keeping her in place. She could only watch as her elder brother walked towards Prince Qin who was waiting ahead, saw Prince Qin lower his head and whisper something to her elder brother, and the two of them left together.

She stared blankly until the figures in front completely disappeared.

[Host, the female protagonist is so pitiful. Host, won’t you take the female protagonist with you?]

[It’s not the right time now.] Some of the hidden truths about the Li family must be unearthed by Li Xinuo herself; otherwise, the family matters would forever remain a scar in her heart.

People trapped in the cage of the past can never open their hearts to embrace the future.

Only Li Xinuo herself could heal the scar on her heart that was brought from her past life.

“Zi Shu, are you okay?” Qi Mingxuan looked at the young man beside him with a worried look on his face.

Li Shu’s move undoubtedly tore apart the connection with the Left Prime Minister’s mansion. The larger the household, the more they valued face. In their view, for the sake of appearances, some sacrifices were negligible.

Qi Mingxuan understood Li Shu’s choice. If he directly sought justice from the Left Prime Minister, judging by Li Cheng’s attitude just now, it would be challenging to get the desired outcome. Perhaps it was because he realized this, Li Shu skipped his biological father and reported the matter directly to the Ministry of Justice.

He didn’t trust the Left Prime Minister. How much damage could a child endure to lose faith in even their own father? It seemed the young man had experienced countless disappointments, expecting and being let down time and again, until finally, even the expectation was gone.

He himself wasn’t much different. He had long stopped expecting anything from so-called family.

He was just worried about Li Shu. He could endure such things himself but thinking about the young man’s past sufferings, he felt a deep pang of heartache.

He hoped that the person he cared about would have a smooth life, leaving him to face all storms and setbacks for him.

“Your Highness, are you referring to today’s events? Don’t worry about me. There was never a father-son relationship between me and the Left Prime Minister. Even if the relationship is completely severed, it won’t affect me much.”

Li Shu didn’t know what the original owner of this body felt, but he himself felt no emotional impact from this matter. The Nine-Tailed Fox clan naturally had few members, and since his birth, he had always been alone. Except for that man, he hadn’t experienced any affection from anyone. After that man left, he wandered alone for a long time. At that time, he was afraid of loneliness. He wanted to find that man who suddenly disappeared and also his few clan members.

He was very young then, and didn’t understand why others had parents and clan members, why other little foxes had big foxes to care for them, while he was always alone. When hungry, he had to find his own food; when injured, he could only hide in a corner and lick his wounds alone.

He once thought it was because he wasn’t good enough that no one loved him, that he was abandoned by his family because he wasn’t outstanding. So, he desperately cultivated, hoping to return to his clan one day.

Only when he cultivated the second tail and unlocked inherited memories did he realize that his thoughts were wrong from the beginning. The Nine-Tailed Fox clan was rare, and most spent their entire lives without finding another clan member. From then on, he gave up searching for clan members, focusing on cultivation.

As he grew stronger, he no longer feared loneliness or being alone. He got used to doing everything alone, solving every difficulty by himself. He traversed forbidden lands, reached abysses, pursued the Dao, hoping that one day, when he reached the pinnacle of cultivation, the mysteries buried deep in his heart would be unraveled.

Unfortunately, he was brought here just after cultivating the ninth tail, and he didn’t know if those mysteries would ever be completely unraveled.

“Zi Shu, don’t be afraid.”

Suddenly, Qi Mingxuan reached out and held Li Shu’s hand that was on his knee.

Reeling back his thoughts from past memories, Li Shu glanced at the hand held by the man. “Your Highness?”

Qi Mingxuan knew that he was being reckless. He should have proceeded slowly, and this small action could likely ruin all his plans. But, he had no regrets.

“I will always be by your side.”

‘So, Zi Shu, don’t be afraid and don’t show that expression. I wasn’t part of your past, but from now on, I will always be by your side. You won’t be alone anymore.’

“Your Highness!” Li Shu tried to withdraw his hand but failed. The force the man used wasn’t strong, just enough to prevent him from pulling away.

Qi Mingxuan looked at him, his eyes no longer concealing the infatuation in his heart. It broke through layers of barriers to strike directly at his heart. This feeling was so sincere, and it surrounded him like an ocean, like a voice in his heart was tempting him:

Immerse yourself in this beautiful emotion. If you miss it this time, you will never encounter it again.

Lowering his gaze, Li Shu asked softly, “Your Highness, do you know what you’re saying?”

“I know, Zi Shu. I understand you may need time to accept this. I’m not pressuring you, but please don’t reject me, okay? Let me be by your side.” He looked at the young man, his eyes seemingly filled with countless stars.

Seeing that the young man lowered his head and said nothing, he gently brushed the young man’s cheek with his other hand, lifting his face and asked in a voice so gentle it seemed capable of wringing out water, “I’m just staying by your side. Don’t reject me, okay?”

“Why does Your Highness insist? Your Highness is destined to rule the world. What kind of person can’t you find? Perhaps Your Highness thinks I’m outstanding now, but when you meet more people, you may not think the same.”

“Zi Shu, you’re not me. How can you make decisions for me?” Qi Mingxuan stared directly into Li Shu’s eyes, showing no ripples even after hearing such questions.

It was like this again. Qi Mingxuan was a little frustrated. From the first time they met up to now, no matter what happened, he hadn’t sensed any significant emotional fluctuations in the young man. The young man didn’t care about worldly matters or his own safety.

Qi Mingxuan was curious about what could evoke different emotions in the young man’s eyes. He originally thought that expressing his feelings would stir some waves in the young man’s heart.

However, reality disappointed him.

“Zi Shu, I know you won’t believe me now, but time will prove everything. I don’t want anyone else in my life except you.”

No one had ever made him this way. Even though he himself didn’t know where his feelings for the young man came from, he only realized it one day and sighed: Oh, it turns out it’s because I like him.

He accepted the matter without any resistance. Afterwards, he started contemplating how to be with the young man, and how to occupy both his eyes and heart.

“As Your Highness said, I don’t believe in any promises in this world. Hearts change easily. When hearts change, so-called promises become meaningless. Therefore, Your Highness should not waste time on me.” He planned to leave after completing the mission, so it was better not to give Qi Mingxuan any hope.

“If Your Highness likes men, there must be plenty of men willing to be with Your Highness in this world.”

“Zi Shu is really… so cruel. You know that I don’t mean that.” Knowing there wouldn’t be a result today, Qi Mingxuan let go and spoke one last sentence before leaving the carriage, “I won’t give up. I’ve said it, I don’t want anyone else except you!”

In the last sentence, Qi Mingxuan deliberately emphasized the tone.

‘What is going on?’ Li Shu sighed while holding his forehead. [1314, did I accidentally use the charm skill on Qi Mingxuan?] Qi Mingxuan’s behavior seemed like he had fallen under some kind of spell.

[Host, you have charm skills?!] Clearly, 1314 was completely off track.

[Do you want to experience it?] He was obviously the same person, but the tone had completely changed. It was a mix of seven parts indifferent and three parts charm, as if every word had hooks, making it irresistible.

[No… no…] 1314 couldn’t even speak properly. At this moment, it became crystal clear that its host’s true identity was a Nine-Tailed Fox Demon. Any fox demon would possess the charm technique.

[Host, I can guarantee that you never accidentally charmed the male protagonist.] Not even an inorganic life form like it could resist, let alone the male protagonist who already had improper thoughts about the host. If he really fell under the spell…

~~

With Qi Mingxuan’s intervention, revenge for the original owner progressed smoothly.

Concubine Luo wasn’t particularly intelligent. With irrefutable evidence, her attempts to escape punishment were futile.

“You say she wants to see me?”

“Yes, Master Li. The prisoner claims this matter is related to your mother. Despite using various methods, I couldn’t get her to talk. This…”

With Prince Qin watching behind, they couldn’t afford to be careless. Even though Prince Qin instructed them to avoid bothering Li Shu with this case, since it involved the deceased mother of the person concerned, they had to make this trip.

Unlike Li Shu’s previous special treatment, Concubine Luo was kept in the most ordinary cell. All kinds of criminals were imprisoned here. It was dirty, messy and smelly. As soon as you walk in, you can feel the smell of decay.

Concubine Luo had changed a lot. The prison life turned her once glossy and silky hair into dry, yellow strands. Wrinkles appeared on her face, and her skin became rough, making her look more than ten years older.

“Li Shu!”

Seeing the visitor, Concubine Luo rushed from the corner to the cell gate. “I knew you would come, Li Shu. How are you still alive? No matter what methods I used, I couldn’t kill you.”

Midway through her words, Concubine Luo burst into laughter. “But what can you do now that you’re still alive? As long as I die, you won’t live much longer. Don’t you know? Your mother didn’t have to die back then. As long as she was willing to give up on you, hahaha.”

“Back then, your mother was poisoned by a strange poison in order to save Li Cheng. The poison could have been transferred to the fetus to preserve her life. However, your mother refused to agree,” Concubine Luo cursed in a malicious tone. “Why don’t you just die, Li Shu? If you died, my sister wouldn’t have had to die!”

After finishing, she looked up, eager to see regret and pain on Li Shu’s face. Unfortunately, his expression was calm, without a hint of disturbance.

‘How is this possible?!’

“Very disappointing, isn’t it?” Li Shu broke her last fantasy with a calm voice. “You probably don’t really think that, do you? Let me guess. You hated my mother for taking what should have been yours—parents, men, children. You couldn’t accept it, so you conspired with others, poisoned and killed my mother. Even after all that, you were still unsatisfied. After everything calmed down, you changed your identity, got close to Li Cheng again, re-entered the mansion, and were shocked to find that the child who should have died was still alive, right?”

“How did you know?! But even if you know the truth, my current identity has nothing to do with that incident.”

“Concubine Luo, do you know, sometimes, death is a kind of relief.”

For what she did to the original owner and the original owner’s mother, there must be repayment.

After walking out of the prison, the bright sunlight outside made Li Shu squint, and he raised his hand to shield his eyes.

“Zi Shu.”

A man’s calm voice came from behind. Li Shu turned around and saw Qi Mingxuan standing not far away, looking at him with a heavy gaze.

“His Highness Prince Qin.” Li Shu bowed to the man.

After that day, he started to distance himself from Qi Mingxuan and no longer accepted the man’s private invitations. Several days had passed since they last met.

After the bow, Li Shu turned to leave.

“Zi Shu,” Qi Mingxuan walked towards him with long strides, blocking Li Shu’s way. “You…”

“Your Highness,” Li Shu raised his eyes, “I think Your Highness should calm down first, and then we can talk, alright?”