Heavenly Judicial Prison was dark and damp.
It was as if the air was forever filled with a mouldy smell, and within this mouldy smell, there was a faint scent of blood.
There were lanterns placed along the long corridor, the dusky light of the flames shone upon the granite walls. There were many shadows, looking very sinister.
In the innermost cell, hoarse shouts could occasionally be heard.
“That lowly Lu Xiao actually framed this prince! On what basis did that slave-born sit on that position, what basis?!
Qiu Yutong slightly paused in his footsteps and couldn’t help but frown.
The jailer leading the way smiled mockingly, “This person will be executed by death of a thousand cuts in two days and became insane from fright.
“En,” Qiu Yutong nodded. Even though he didn’t say much, he was extremely unhappy inside.
Lu Xiao’s birth mother was a palace slave in charge of supervising laundry. In Daning Palace’s innumerable beauties, her position was like dust. By chance, she slept with the drunk old emperor in the fake mountain in the flower garden. Seven months later, she gave birth to a premature baby, who was Lu Xiao.
This pitiful girl became constantly sick after birth, and was pushed aside by the people in the palace, and before two years passed, died silently.
After a period of time, the solitary and impoverished Lu Xiao was taken in by the Imperial Consort, Jiang-shi*. However, it was a pity that Jiang-shi was not a kind opportunity. Those years spent in Jiang-shi’s courtyard, Lu Xiao suffered all kinds of inhuman torture.
[T/N: For those who forgot, -shi suffix is just to indicate maiden name, so Jiang is the Imperial Consort’s maiden surname.]
Prince Jin and the previous emperor were borne from the same womb, the Empress Dowager, and naturally looked down on Lu Xiao who was borne from a palace slave.
Even though Lu Xiao had never gone into detail about his childhood in all these years, but the criss-crossing burn and whip scars on his body in addition to the unrestrained insults shouted at him by Lu Yande after he fell apart, Qiu Yutong could imagine the kind of experiences Lu Xiao had in those days.
His heart felt it difficult to bear. He closed his eyes to steady his mind before continuing to move along the corridor and stood in front of the water cell.
Passing by many wooden pillars that were as thick as an arm, he could see that the water prison was a pond measuring about three metres by three metres. Prince Jin, Lu Yande’s arms were chained to the ceiling, with the greater part of his body being immersed in the ice-cold water. He was wearing prison clothes with dishevelled hair, and there were a few scars on his face. He cut an extremely sorry figure and was completely without his previous bright and neat appearance.
Even though he was in such a sorry state, he still shouted insults until he was hoarse, “Lu Xiao that low-born! A low-born to be hacked into pieces!”
Qiu Yutong endured it and said to the jailer, “Open the door.”
The jailer spoke awkwardly, “Young Master, that’s not too good… His Majesty said that Young Master’s safety was paramount.”
“With his state now, he’s unable to harm me. Just wait for me in the corridor.”
The jailer hesitated for a moment before fishing out the key and unlocking the door. “Young Master, this one will wait in the corridor. Only a quarter of an hour.”
Qiu Yutong nodded and walked into the water prison.
He stood by the pond and looked over, “Lu Yande.”
Lu Yande stopped his cursing and opened his blood-shot eyes wide, glaring at Qiu Yutong, hoarsely saying, “It’s you?”
“It’s me,” Qiu Yutong looked at him silently.
Lu Yande gasped for breath and suddenly spoke, “You ungrateful two-faced sl*t*, you actually still have the face to come see this prince…”
[T/N: The actual term here is 贱人, which can mean a variety of things like low-born or easily bought, depending on the context.]
He spoke and spoke and suddenly became agitated, “You sl*t, were you already working with Lu Xiao since before? Working together to frame this prince? Were you?! My household has around a hundred and fifty mouths in total, you, you people couldn’t even let two-year-old toddlers off, exiling all of them to the quarry…”
“You attempted regicide, and that’s a capital offense that will result in the execution of your entire family. Banishing the women and children to the quarry is already lenient,” Qiu Yutong said lightly.
“Attempted regicide? This prince attempted regicide? Hahahahahaha…” Lu Yande laughed uproariously.
“What are you laughing for?” Qiu Yutong frowned.
“Xue Rong ah Xue Rong, are you acting ignorant or are you really so?” Lu Yande shouted lowly, “This damned case was the cover that low-born Lu Xiao gave me! This was all done by that low-born! That contemptible son of a b*ch!!”
He seemed to have gone crazy,
Qiu Yutong looked down and gave free reign to his insults, his face was expressionless.
Lu Yande had even scolded until his throat became hoarse, which made him stop.
He stared at Qiu Yutong blankly. After a moment, tears fell from both his eyes as he said with a trembling voice, “Xue Rong, take it as this prince is begging you, save this prince, okay?”
Qiu Yutong was silent for a moment before saying lightly, “Why should Xue Rong save you?”
The “Xue Rong” he said was naturally referring to the dead “Xue Rong”. Only, Lu Yande would hear it as referring to himself in third person.
“Have you forgotten? It was this prince that bought you from the brothel. If not, a pure person such as you would have been bought by the perverted Qu family’s brothers for your first night and wouldn’t even know how you died! You and your life, both belong to this prince!”
Qiu Yutong’s heart was filled with extreme loathing and was too lazy to even speak.
Lu Yande pleaded with Qiu Yutong for a very long time, with tears and mucus overflowing from his face. Qiu Yutong remained unnmoved.
Lu Yande panted, expression becoming more despaired as he suddenly shouted hoarsely, “Do you think that after this prince has died, you can live happily and freely with Lu Xiao? Don’t forget the cold poison in your body. The Ice Jade Bloodworm Gu, nobody on this earth can resolve it. Immortal Cultivator Tu has already left, so you have to accompany this prince to death!”
Qiu Yutong sighed inwardly and couldn’t help shaking his head. “Xue Rong, in order to save you, fought to take the Ice Jade Bloodworm, and you wish for Xue Rong to die just like this?”
Lu Yande laughed nastily, “With your identity, being able to accompany this prince to death is already a huge fortune. If not for this prince, you would have already been played to death by the brothers of the Qu family; would you still have today?”
Qiu Yutong looked at his unremorseful face and his heart suddenly felt unhappy for this Young Master Xue Rong.
“Actually, he didn’t endure until today,” Qiu Yutong said lightly. “He had died much earlier. The day he entered the palace, he had already died.”
Lu Yande was stunned then laughed loudly. “Little Xue Rong ah, are you crazy?”
Qiu Yutong gently lifted the corner of his mouth up, yet his pitch-black eyes lacked any smiling intent, “Lu Yande, do you really not recognise me?”
“What do you mean?”
“Six years ago, the loss you suffered at Wuye forest, have you completely forgotten?” Qiu Yutong stared at him, his voice both soft and light. “I remember, that one strike, scared you so much you wet your pants, and you lay in bed for a full three months.”
Lu Yande’s smile froze.
He stared dazedly at Qiu Yutong as if he had seen a ghost.
After a long time, he finally understood something and his entire body started to tremble violently. “No, this is not possible, it’s impossible… Qiu Yutong had definitely ascended…”
Qiu Yutong looked silently at him without saying a word.
“You, you…” Lu Yande said roughly, “Are you really Qiu Yutong?”
“What do you think?” Qiu Yutong replied.
Lu Yande muttered, “No wonder, no wonder! No wonder that day, I felt that you were a little strange… You, for Lu Xiao, you actually borrowed a corpse to come back to life? What, you came to laugh at me after your disciple managed to tear me down?”
“I’m not that bored,” Qiu Yutong shook his head. “I came here today in place of Xue Rong to see you one last time. I want to use his pair of eyes and let him look at you in your final stage, to break out of this karmic cycle for him and allow him to smoothly reincarnate.”
“Karma, karma…” Lu Yande muttered a few times before he suddenly paused and continued, “Qiu Yutong, then what is the karma between you and Lu Xiao? Helping Lu Xiao like this, what exactly is the reason for it?”
Qiu Yutong was slightly stunned. He had never thought about this question before and was actually unable to answer in that moment.
After a moment, he hesitated, “Naturally, it is because he is a good emperor and my good disciple.”
Lu Yande suddenly smiled strangely. “A good emperor? A good disciple? Qiu Yutong, do you know how my royal brother died?”
“He hung himself, everyone knows this.”
“No, this prince will tell you today.” Lu Yande stared at Qiu Yutong and enunciated each word, “My royal brother was strangled to death at the hands of his own flesh and blood, Lu Xiao, using a three shi* bow.”
[T/N: shi here is a measurement of weight, like kilogram or gram. The weight changes with each dynasty which is why I don’t convert it to the modern equivalent.]
“What did you say?” Qiu Yutong was stunned.
“You don’t believe it? At that time, I was hiding behind the pillar in the side palace and didn’t dare to come out. Royal Brother kept imploring that low-born, but he was unmoved… The creaking of the bowstring from the hard bow, I will never forget for the rest of my life.”
“After that low-born strangled Royal Brother, he casually tidied up and walked out calmly. He told the people outside that Royal Brother hung himself. His voice was completely calm and filled with grief, without a single tremor. Qiu Yutong, did he tell you that too? Do you really feel that you understand that disciple of yours?”
Qiu Yutong said coldly, “There is no evidence, why should I believe you?”
“Whether you believe it or not doesn’t matter,” Lu Yande smiled. “Right, did he also tell you that because the previous emperor’s funeral and the third prince also fought and died in Bailu Pond*, so Jiang-shi went crazy and throttled the eleventh prince with her own hands?”
[T/N: A location, but not yet specified in the novel]
“Lu Yande, just speak straight, stop beating around the bush,” Qiu Yutong’s heart was fidgety.
“Then this prince will tell you. Jiang-shi’s oldest son, Third Prince Lu Lin, was sent to Bailu Pond by Lu Xiao. While Jiang-shi’s younger son, the eleventh prince Lu Wen, was strangled to death right in front of Jiang-shi,” Lu Yande said softly. “At that time, he was already in a position of power. Lu Lin and Lu Wen were not a threat to him at all… But he still did that. These things, has he told you?”
“…” Qiu Yutong didn’t reply. He pursed his lips gently, his mind in chaos. The things Lu Yande was saying was completely different from what Lu Xiao had told him.
He steadied himself then said, “Lu Lin and Lu Wen are both dead. Naturally, everything is according to your drivel.”
Lu Yande smiled slightly. At that moment, he had already gradually calmed down. He regained a little of his previous noble air. “Immortal Master Qiu, this prince previously thought that the things Lu Xiao did were vicious and merciless, and he insisted on putting on a hypocritical appearance in order to deceive the world and have a good reputation. However… this prince thinks differently now.”
He stared at Qiu Yutong and said slowly, “He only wants to act in front of you.”
Qiu Yutong knitted his eyebrows. “Why does he want to act in front of me? I’ve watched him grow up. How can I not know what his character is like?”
‘Immortal Master Qiu, there will be a day that you understand,” Lu Yande appraised Qiu Yutong from top to bottom and suddenly smiled mysteriously. “Also, with your frail appearance today… I reckon that this is to his desire.”
His strange gaze made Qiu Yutong feel uncomfortable, as if a slimy tongue was slowly licking all over his body.
Qiu Yutong frowned and still wanted to ask more, but Lu Yande suddenly closed his eyes and his jaw bit strongly!
Following the ruthless bite, this previously incomparable noble Prince Jin, gave a hoarse and hair-raising gurgle, dark red blood streaming from the corner of his mouth and his head hung powerlessly.
He bit his tongue to kill himself.
Qiu Yutong blinked and felt that in between heaven and earth, there was an extremely mysterious feeling —— the karma of this body was finally resolved.
It was reasonable to say that with the karma resolved, he should feel extremely relaxed, but he didn’t know hy, his heart was in a mess.
Maybe, it was because of the Ice Jade Bloodworm in the body; maybe it was because of Lu Yande’s inexplicable words, what exactly did Lu Xiao…
Qiu Yutong shook his head, doing his best not to let his thoughts run wild as he turned and left the water prison.
At this time, a few jailers finally discovered Lu Yande’s suicide and the Heavenly Prison was a scene of chaos and turmoil.
“The convict as committed suicide!”
“What happened?”
“How would I know?!”
“Young Master…”
Qiu Yutong didn’t pay any attention to them and slowly walked out of the Heavenly Judicial Prison.
Night had just arrived outside and bits of snow was floating in the sky.
Lu Xiao was quietly standing outside the doors of the prison, on the snowy ground. In his hand was a sky-blue oil-paper umbrella. He was dressed in black, his figure was slim.
He saw Qiu Yutong come out and a gentle smile bloomed on his handsome face, “Shizun.”
Qiu Yutong suddenly had the urge to ask this little disciple, how exactly did the previous emperor die? And how did Lu Lin and Lu Wen die? And did Prince Jin actually have any intention to kill the monarch?
He was silent for a moment but didn’t speak in the end.
Lu Xiao took off his black cape with a dark golden dragon on it and carefully helped him put it on. “Let’s go, it’s too cold here.”
Qiu Yutong looked down and watched as he helped him connect the clasp of the cloak, remaining silent.
This pair of hands closing the clasp were slender and stable, yet also extremely nimble. The tips of his fingers also had a few callouses. Qiu Yutong also knew that thispair of hands could pull a three shi bow and hit the bulls-eye on the target a hundred li away.
“Did Lu Yande say anything?” Lu Xiao smiled understandingly. “People who are about to die are able to spout all kinds of nonsense. Just take his words as a joke.”
Qiu Yutong pursed his lips. “En.”
Lu Xiao helped him tuck the fur collar in. “Shizun, let’s go hunting in Wuye forest tomorrow, okay? There has been heavy snow recently, so there are a lot of deers and snow rabbits, which have all come out of their holes; it’s very lively.”
“Let’s talk about that next time,” Qiu Yutong hesitated slightly before he finally decided to tell Lu Xiao anyway. “Xiao-er, I want to tell you, I… I want to go to Bao province’s Hanya Crossing*, go the Medicinal Monarch Manor there.”
[T/N: Think I TL’d this as Hanya Ferry Crossing previously. I added an extra word by accident lol.]
