Chapter 0247: Xie Chengze Returns, Xie Chengze’s Dominant Declaration

If he died, would he be lonely?

Probably not, because there were many people here who loved him—he wouldn’t be missed.

That was just as well.

Hold on a little longer.

He had to stall until Sheng Shihai was beyond saving, so Xie Chengze could stay here without worries in the future.

With great effort, he lifted his head and looked at Sheng Shihai. “Are you satisfied now?”

Sheng Shihai hadn’t expected Shen Yuan to strike so decisively, but this was exactly what he wanted. One of his missions this time was to ensure Shen Yuan’s death by any means necessary.

Shen Yuan was undoubtedly the biggest obstacle to his ascension to the throne.

Killing him would eliminate countless troubles.

His gaze shifted to Wuhen and Wuji. Their earlier actions had proven they didn’t care about Shen’s father and mother’s lives at all. Using Shen’s parents to threaten them was clearly impossible.

So he said, “Make those two retreat a hundred meters.”

Wuhen and Wuji immediately turned and walked away without hesitation.

Sheng Shihai then looked at Xie Jinyu.

The Crown Prince had deliberately taken a palm strike from him to lure him into the trap. Although the blow wasn’t fatal as it missed vital points, he was now defenseless. Confident, Sheng Shihai tossed Shen’s father to a black-clad subordinate behind him and strode toward Shen Yuan.

He had to kill Shen Yuan with his own hands.

Blood seeped anew from the wound on Sheng Shihai’s chest, but he stubbornly advanced toward the barely conscious Shen Yuan, raising his blade to aim at Shen Yuan’s throat.

“Don’t blame me.”

He uttered these inexplicable words, then with a ruthless glare, thrust the knife fiercely toward the back of Shen Yuan’s neck.

Just as the blade was about to pierce Shen Yuan’s throat, Shen Yuan abruptly twisted his neck aside. The Azure Sword hidden in his abdomen was suddenly drawn, slicing through the air with two sharp, piercing sounds.

His movement was extremely swift, but Sheng Shihai had anticipated it. As he instinctively rolled to dodge, he suddenly sensed something amiss—but it was too late. The faint twang of an arrow, masked by the two jarring sword sounds, had already reached his ears, piercing through his flesh and transfixing his throat.

The arrow quivered slightly, its black tip engraved with an Imperial Guard Number, unmistakably military issue.

Yet, he no longer had the strength to turn and see who had fired the arrow. He collapsed to the ground, clutching his throat and convulsing, blood spraying from his mouth and splattering across his face.

Martial artists could sometimes detect incoming arrows by sound alone, deflecting attacks from any direction. To disrupt Sheng Shihai’s hearing, Shen Yuan had deliberately created two loud sword strokes to confuse his judgment.

“Shen Yuan!”

From the palace wall not far away, Xie Chengze could no longer restrain himself. He leaped down, tumbling twice to break his fall, then rushed toward Shen Yuan in a panic.

He was too late!

Seeing the situation turn sour, several black-clad figures moved to slit the throats of Shen’s father and mother. But suddenly, more arrows whistled through the air, striking precisely through their foreheads and throats.

Cao Que and Xie Shoujun also jumped down from the palace wall. The one holding the bow was Cao Que.

No one knew that Cao Que was not only highly skilled in martial arts but also a master archer—a talent that had earned him the Empress’s favor and his current position as the head of the Cao family.

It was precisely because he had kept this skill hidden that Sheng Shihai had let his guard down, arrogantly believing no hidden arrow could harm him.

Sometimes, staying low-key could save your life.

“Shen Yuan!” Xie Chengze kicked aside the struggling Sheng Shihai, scooping Shen Yuan into his arms as he shouted, “Physician! Where is the physician! Fetch a physician at once!”

“Shen Yuan, hold on a little longer, don’t you dare die!”

Watching the blood soaking Shen Yuan’s white robes, Xie Chengze’s expression grew increasingly frantic. He clutched the man tightly against his chest, pressing his hands against the abdominal wound to staunch the bleeding. “I came too late! I came too late!”

“How could that be? Your Highness returning after leaving took this subject by surprise… Besides, it is fortunate you were here…”

To save my parents.

Shen Yuan’s consciousness grew increasingly hazy. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, raising a trembling hand with a gentle smile to touch Xie Chengze’s face. But upon seeing the pristine complexion and his own blood-soaked hand, his fingers slightly recoiled, unwilling to stain that pure countenance.

With his nature so averse to sacrificing human lives, he must fear blood—how could Shen Yuan frighten him with these filthy, bloodstained hands?

Seeing this, Xie Chengze hastily cupped the back of Shen Yuan’s hand, pressing it against his own cheek as he pleaded, “Shen Yuan, don’t die, I’m scared…”

He had prepared for casualties during the palace coup, but he had never prepared for Shen Yuan’s death. Therefore, Shen Yuan was not allowed to die!

“Don’t be afraid…” Shen Yuan weakly closed his eyes, leaning against the young man’s chest and listening to the frantic heartbeat. His voice grew fainter. “This day was always inevitable… It’s just… this subject can no longer accompany you in the future…”

“Shut up!” Seeing his eyes close, Xie Chengze panicked and desperately tried to pry them open. Tears streamed from his eyes as he roared, “Don’t close your eyes! Don’t fall asleep! If you sleep, you won’t wake up! If you dare close your eyes, I’ll slap you! Don’t think I won’t do it!”

Shen Yuan: …

Xie Chengze, you truly ruin the atmosphere.

“Where is the physician! Why hasn’t he arrived yet!” Xie Chengze screamed hoarsely, his eyes bloodshot as he scanned the surroundings.

Finally, the first physician stumbled over in a panic. After assessing Shen Yuan’s injuries, he checked his pulse and frowned deeply.

The wounds were too severe.

The chest injury, though deliberately off-center, had caused catastrophic blood loss. The abdominal cavity was a mess—had the Azure Sword remained embedded, it might have slowed the bleeding, but its removal had worsened the situation. The Imperial Hospital was too far, and too much time had already been wasted…

It could be said there was no hope.

Seeing the physician’s grim expression, Xie Chengze snapped, “Why are you standing there? Do something!”

The physician hastily complied, placing ginseng slices under Shen Yuan’s tongue before applying pressure to the wound and sprinkling medicinal powder from a vial onto the bleeding areas.

Yet Shen Yuan’s complexion worsened. The physician broke into a sweat. “Y-Your Highness, Lord Shen’s injuries are truly too grave.”

“What do you mean?” Xie Chengze seethed at the physician’s half-spoken words.

“Lord Shen…” the physician forced out, “is beyond saving.”

“Bullshit! Think! Think harder! I refuse to believe you have no solutions!” Clutching Shen Yuan’s body tightly, Xie Chengze roared in fury, “If he dies, I’ll have every last one of you buried with him!”

“Y-Your Highness, Lord Shen’s injuries are indeed critical, but not entirely hopeless unless…” The physician hesitated. “Unless we obtain the Life-Preserving Pill—the Life-Preserving Pill from Yu Fu Palace.”

Xie Chengze’s gaze froze momentarily before growing distant.

That Life-Preserving Pill… had already been fed to Emperor Jian.

“Besides the Life-Preserving Pill, what other methods are there?” Xie Chengze snapped back to reality and immediately pressed for answers, his eyes bloodshot as he stared fixedly at the physician.

The physician hastily knelt and kowtowed. “Your Highness, this humble official truly has no solution. Perhaps we could consult other imperial physicians?”

If only he had known he’d be tasked with such an impossible mission, he would have walked much slower on his way here!

Just then, other imperial physicians arrived one after another, each stepping forward to check Shen Yuan’s pulse, yet all they could do was shake their heads and sigh.

“Useless fools!” Xie Chengze’s hand slammed violently onto the ground, though it was unclear whether he was cursing the physicians or punishing himself.

If only he had known earlier…

But what could he have done even if he had known?

Could he truly have chosen between Shen Yuan and Emperor Jian?

Whomever he gave the Life-Preserving Pill to would mean he had indirectly killed the other.

“Shen Yuan, don’t fall asleep…” Seeing Shen Yuan close his eyes again, Xie Chengze tried prying his eyelids open, but this seemed ineffective now. He could only resort to ruthlessly pressing Shen Yuan’s wounds, forcing him to reopen his eyes from the pain.

“Keep thinking! Think about which noble household might possess miraculous medicine! No matter what it takes, you must save him!”

The physicians exchanged uneasy glances, their faces filled with anxiety as they racked their brains for any family that might have extraordinary medicine. They feared that failure to produce an answer would cost them their heads. A few elderly physicians recalled the Life-Preserving Pill that Consort Hua had once taken and tentatively suggested, “Perhaps… we could ask Consort Rou of Yu Fu Palace to relinquish her Life-Preserving Pill?”

The first physician looked toward Xie Chengze, suddenly remembering that he had just proposed this very idea, yet the Second Prince seemed unmoved.

Could it be that the Second Prince didn’t actually want to save Lord Shen?

At that moment, Doctor Zhang spoke slowly, unraveling the mystery in everyone’s minds. “That Life-Preserving Pill… has already been fed to His Majesty.”

Unfortunately, the pill had only extended the Emperor’s life for a few days before he met a sudden demise…

The physicians suddenly understood, their faces once again clouded with worry.

Watching the physicians’ timid and helpless expressions, Xie Chengze began to tremble uncontrollably. Though he knew he shouldn’t vent his frustration on them, feeling the body in his arms growing colder by the moment made it impossible to suppress his anguish and fear.

Don’t leave him alone here…

He was truly terrified—terrified that after losing Shen Yuan, he would never again have anyone to confide in about his origins, forced to conceal all his secrets alone while cautiously navigating this world that wasn’t his.

People always gravitate toward their own kind, and wasn’t the reborn Shen Yuan exactly that—his kind?

Losing his only companion was something he refused to accept.

Just as Xie Chengze teetered on the brink of despair, a clear, youthful voice suddenly rang out.

“Let me do it—!”