26 Everything is Fake

One incense stick of time[1] passed after XuanRong left the cave, the man who was lying unconsciously on the ground opened his eyes.

He scanned his surroundings before he slowly sat upright. His eyes darted towards the corner where XuanRong was hiding previously but when he saw nothing, not a single soul was present, his eyebrows furrowed, creating a deep crease on his forehead. A deep displeasure suddenly immerged inside his heart. Whatever he was thinking, only the man knew.

The man touched the left part of his chest where XuanRong jabbed her elbow when she was struggling to escape from his embrace. The area where her elbow landed was still aching. If he was in his peak condition, that measly action would have not escaped from his detection. Unfortunately, he was currently tormented by his own poison blood, thus, he was unable to successfully prevent XuanRong from escaping.

The man, using the help of the wall beside him, stood up and moved slowly to the entrance of the cave. He was almost near at the entrance when something caught his attention. A few meters away from him, something shiny sparkled, reflecting the moonlight. He immediately maneuvered his entire body toward the direction of that shiny object.

He bent his body and picked the object on the ground. When he opened his hand, he saw a hair ornament used by females. It was a simple butterfly-shaped hairpin decorated with pearls. Although the hairpin was ordinary looking, if once could see it clearly, one would be able to tell that the head ornament was not common. The craftsman was very talented and was able to bring his craft to life. The butterfly seemed life-like and if one was observant enough, one could also tell that the hairpin was a pair.

When his poison blood acted, he was unable to control his body properly. Although he knew that the person who entered the cave where he was currently resting was a woman, a very young woman who only reached his shoulders, he was unable to see her facial features clearly and could only see two deep eyes glaring at him like a cautious animal.

Although he was irritated by the way she acted when she noticed him, almost stabbing his chest, he was still grateful towards her for pulling him back to the inner side of the hidden cave when he fainted.

When he thought that the hairpin he picked belong to that woman, the man unceremoniously placed the hairpin inside his robe, safely keeping it near him. After he was done, he once again strode toward the entrance of the hidden cave.

Although he was in a weakened state, all of his senses were still functioning properly, hence, he was able to hear the deafening silence outside the cave, very opposite with the commotion few shichen[2] ago.

He knew that the fight ended a long time ago. He had to leave before those people who were hired to kill him return and find this hidden cave where he was hiding.

He was traveling to Lu Shan, planning to visit the Royal Hot Spring in order to 'recuperate'. However, his dear Imperial Brother sent waves of assassins to kill him. On the seventh day of his journey, before the last batch of assassins were killed, his incurable illness flared. He had no choice but to leave and temporarily hide in order to avoid mishaps.

The man's eyes darkened when he recalled the assassination plot prepared by his Imperial Brother. That person whom the people placed on a high pedestal and was worshiped as the Monarch of their country was crueler than a devil. For the sake of power, that person who was entitled as the Son of the Heaven, the one who was sitting on the Dragon Throne was even merciless towards him, his younger brother. Because of power, that person was willing to forsake the Imperial blood running through his veins.

"Hehh."

The man sneered. He already expected this much. Then again, if that person was not cruel enough, how could he kill his other royal siblings and their Imperial Father without blinking an eye?

The man usually did not put that person, his Eldest Brother, in his eyes. For him, that person was not capable to contend with him. He, the Moon Emperor, neither desire the Crown nor plan to usurp the Throne of a puny little country. What he wanted was the entire continent, not just Qian Zou.

If not for the fact that he had to conceal everything, like a tiger hidden within the vast grassland, waiting for the right opportunity to kill his prey, he would not have painstakingly hid behind his false identity, appearing weak and ignorant.

One must protect oneself if one wants to survive.

But due to a single mistake, because of his carelessness and arrogance, he was caught by surprise.

The Moon Emperor already arrived at the entrance of the cave. Looking around, he saw corpses scattered everywhere. Limbs and other internal organs were sprinkled like sand on the ground. No corpse was intact, all the dead bodies were dismembered beyond recognition. It could be seen how horrible those people's death were based on the degree of mutilation on the corpses. It was disgusting to the point that if one had a weak stomach, one would definitely puke his guts out.

He pulled a special type of bottle and uncorked the cap, releasing small fireflies carrying a red-colored light, different from the normal ones living in a forest.

*swish!*

Few seconds later, as if the shadows moved on its own, dark colored men slowly gathered towards him, kneeling on the ground, unmoving. A man wearing a silver mask immediately went forward and knelt in front of him. He then opened his mouth and spoke.

"This slave greets His Lordship!"

The men who were kneeling around the Moon Emperor spoke in unison, their voices echoed loudly, slightly disturbing the deep silence.

"This subordinate greets His Lordship!"

The Moon Emperor's eyes narrowed when he saw the person kneeling in front of him. He was still weak but the imposing aura around him was still enough to make the men kneeling on the ground shake with fear.

When the silver-masked man noticed His Lordship's pale countenance, he felt as if his heart was gripped tightly, he was full of worries and self-blame, but he could only lower his head and did not speak anything, not even asking forgiveness for his incompetence.

"Yue Shin."

The sliver-masked man inwardly shook when he heard His Lordship utter his name. His Lordship's voice was hoarse, and although he could not see any changes in His Lordship's expression, he could still sense that His Lordship's body was already on its limit. His Lordship was clearly over-exhausted and weak, but His Lordship was still overbearing as ever.

The silver-masked man looked at the Moon Emperor with high reverence. His eyes never left the Moon Emperor's face as he responded to his call.

"This slave is here, Your Lordship."

"What happened to the assassins?"

When Yue Shin heard the Moon Emperor's question, his face went rigid, then, a malicious glint passed inside his eyes, making him look sinister and evil.

"This slave personally killed the last member standing."

"Good. Dead men tell no tales. Those assassins must be killed since they already found out that This Lordship was only faking everything."

The Moon Emperor turned his body to walk away and leave when he suddenly started coughing.

*cough*

*cough*

*cough*

The Moon Emperor's back was still firm and upright, like a huge tree, towering the whole mountain but the silver-masked man noticed that The Moon Emperor was still suffering from his poison blood. The silver-masked man was amazed to see His Lordship able to stand and talk without drinking the medicine to suppress the poison blood running through his veins.

His Lordship, the Moon Emperor's perseverance and will were beyond human recognition. If he was in His Lordship's situation, he would've already succumbed to the illness, unable to persevere and could only live without any hope.

"Your Lordship, please allow this slave to give you the medi---"

"No need. I no longer need it... for now."

Facing his back towards his subordinate, the Moon Emperor took a glance at the hidden cave before walking away. There was something in that woman that was able to suppress the violent attack of his poison blood.

[1]. Equivalent to five minutes.

[2]. Equivalent to two hours in modern time.

Author's Side Note:

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