Joy of Life: Me, the Second Prince? Summon Yuan Tiangang!

The night was so deep it seemed to drip ink.

The night sky over Kyoto was shrouded in thick, dark clouds, and a long-brewing downpour finally poured down.

The raindrops pounded against the bluestone slabs, splashing up countless droplets, which also concealed the crimes and killings taking place in this ancient city.

Outside the Princess's residence, in a secluded courtyard.

Several officials from the Ministry of Revenue lived here. They usually depended on the Princess and managed some shady accounts for her. At this moment, they were gathered together, raising their glasses and celebrating their recent windfall.

"Damn! Although there was a bit of a mishap with the inner treasury this time, we brothers still managed to make quite a bit of money..."

Before he could finish speaking, a flash of cold light appeared.

The official's head, still bearing a laughing expression, had been severed from his neck and rolled onto the table, gushing blood that stained the dishes.

"ah--!"

The others screamed in terror and tried to run away, only to find that the corners of the room were now filled with masked men in black.

There was no nonsense, no interrogation, just a one-sided massacre.

Within moments, there were no survivors in the house.

The lead assassin pulled out an ink-stained brush from his pocket and drew a huge, ferocious black spider on the valuable landscape painting on the wall.

Meanwhile, the Second Prince's residence and the Crown Prince's residence.

This was a more covert and precise cleanup.

Inside the Second Prince's residence, the stewards, guards, and even the servants who seemed loyal but were actually Emperor Qing's spies had their mouths covered by cold hands in their sleep.

"Well……"

The brief cries of struggle were drowned out by the thunder.

The sound of a sharp blade slicing through a throat was exceptionally clear in the rainy night.

The same scene was playing out at the Crown Prince's residence.

Those spies who were monitoring the crown prince were also purged by the Luo Wang organization.

That night, the rain in Kyoto seemed to carry a faint fishy smell.

……

The next morning, the rain stopped and the sky cleared.

However, the atmosphere in the imperial court was even more oppressive than the torrential rain of the previous night.

Several officials were found dead in their homes, their deaths gruesome, with horrifying black spider markings left on the walls. Even more terrifying, the residences of the Second Prince and the Crown Prince were both burglarized last night. Although the two princes escaped unharmed, the servants in their residences suffered heavy casualties, and those who died… were all people sent by the palace!

The Imperial Study.

Emperor Qing looked at the thick list of deaths in his hand, his face terribly grim.

His spies, sent to monitor the second prince and the crown prince, were completely wiped out overnight! Not a single one was left!

"Your Majesty..." Eunuch Hou knelt on the ground, barely daring to breathe, "The Forensic Bureau has investigated. The methods were clean and swift, all fatal with a single blow. The markings left at the scene... were from a net."

"The Net..."

Emperor Qing's fingers tapped lightly on the table, making a "tap-tap" sound, each tap seeming to strike the hearts of everyone present.

If it were anyone else, the Emperor Qing would have been furious and wiped out the entire martial world if anyone dared to kill him.

But this time, he remained silent.

In his view, this was not just an assassination attempt, but also a warning.

"He just saved Fan Xian, then turned around and killed Yun Rui's men, and even removed the spies I had planted around the princes..."

A flicker of apprehension and complexity crossed Emperor Qing's eyes. "Is this a message to me, not to overstep my bounds? Or a warning to the Second Prince and the Crown Prince, not to harbor any ill intentions towards Fan Xian?"

In his mind, the image of "the net left by Ye Qingmei" grew ever stronger. .

This is an extreme way for a mother to protect her son: whoever dares to touch my son, I will touch them! Even if you are the emperor, I will pull out your teeth!

"What a clever web of schemes! What a clever Ye Qingmei..."

Emperor Qing, enraged, laughed and threw the list into the brazier. "Issue my decree: this matter... be suppressed. Tell the public it's a feud between江湖 (jianghu, martial arts world) figures, and let the Kyoto Prefecture investigate. Don't let the Forensic Bureau get too involved."

He didn't want to break ties with that "ghost" right now; at least until Fan Xian had fully matured, this knife could still be used.

Guangxin Palace.

Li Yunrui was slumped on the soft couch, his face as pale as paper.

The deaths of several of her capable lieutenants certainly pained her, but what terrified her even more was the feeling of being targeted by death.

"The Net...they're warning me..."

Li Yunrui's fingers gripped his sleeve tightly, his knuckles turning white. "Because I messed with Fan Xian, they killed my men... If I dare to make another move, will the next spider painted on the wall be on my bedside table?"

She's crazy, but she's not stupid.

Faced with this invisible and intangible terrifying force that possessed the combat power of a ninth-rank or even a grandmaster, she felt fear for the first time.

"Lately... everyone better behave yourselves." Li Yunrui gritted her teeth and ordered the empty hall, "Without my order, no one is allowed to target Fan Xian again!"

……

The Eastern Palace.

Crown Prince Li Chengqian was shivering under the covers, while the imperial physicians rushed in and out, busy as bees.

"I was so scared... I was so scared..."

The crown prince's face was deathly pale, and his lips trembled.

Last night, the body of a dead spy lay at the entrance of his bedchamber, his unseeing eyes seemingly still staring at him.

He was genuinely frightened into illness.

Although he had some ulterior motives, he was, after all, a flower grown in a greenhouse, and had never seen such a scene before.

The infamous reputation of the Net now sounded more terrifying to him than ghosts and monsters.

The Second Prince's Mansion.

Unlike the genuine illness in the story of the Crown Prince, the "illness" here is portrayed with exceptional realism.

The bedroom was filled with the strong smell of medicine.

Li Chengze lay on the bed, his face pale, with a wet towel on his forehead.

"Your Highness, are you alright?"

Xie Bi'an held his sword and stayed by the bedside without leaving for a moment, his eyes full of worry.

"Cough cough..." Li Chengze coughed weakly twice, his voice trembling, "Bi'an...it's terrifying...those assassins last night...were right outside the window..."

As he spoke, he secretly pulled a grape from under the covers, popped it into his mouth, chewed it quickly, swallowed it, and then continued to pretend to be in shock.

"Your Highness, rest assured, with Bi'an here, no one can harm you!" Xie Bi'an gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his killing intent palpable.

"Yes, I feel at ease with you here." Li Chengze looked at him with emotion. "From today onwards, you must stay by my side for twelve hours a day and you are not allowed to go anywhere."

"yes!"

Just then, Yuan Tiangang's masked figure appeared silently behind the screen.

Xie Bi'an's eyes narrowed, and he was about to draw his sword when Li Chengze stopped him.

"One of our own."

Li Chengze sat up, the paleness on his face instantly fading, replaced by a shrewd look.

"General, is the matter settled?"

"Your Highness," Yuan Tiangang's voice was deep, "all the spies in the manor have been eliminated. New servants and guards have been assigned to the manor; they are all elites from the Bad People, with clean backgrounds, and no flaws can be found."

"very good."

Li Chengze stretched and jumped off the bed, stepping barefoot onto the carpet. "Taking advantage of this 'assassination attempt,' we'll pluck out Father's eyes and replace them with our own. From now on, this Second Prince's residence will truly belong to the Li family—the Li of my name, Li Chengze."

He walked to the window and looked at the newly renovated courtyard outside. The servants who were sweeping and pruning the flowers and plants all seemed ordinary, but in fact they were all scoundrels with special skills.

"My father thought this was a warning from the Net, but little did he know, it was my 'blood transfusion'."

Li Chengze smiled slightly, "This play was truly enjoyable to watch."

Xie Bi'an, standing to the side, stared wide-eyed like copper bells. The prince, who was lying on the bed just a second ago, was sitting up the next. And who was this person who made him feel the sense of death with just one glance?

……

The Fan residence.

Fan Xian locked himself in his study for a whole day and night.

The table was covered with various slips of paper, with words such as "Niulan Street", "Cheng Jushu", "Luo Wang", "Second Prince", "Crown Prince", and "Eldest Princess" written on them.

His brows were furrowed as he drew intricate relationship diagrams on the paper.

"The Net saved me, killed the Eldest Princess's men, and even attacked the Second Prince and the Crown Prince..."

Fan Xian muttered to himself, "This looks like...helping me get revenge? Or protecting me?"

He recalled Teng Zijing's words: that Hei Bai Xuan Jian was ridiculously strong.

"If the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) really has something to do with me, why don't they just come to me directly? Why are they being so secretive?"

Countless thoughts flashed through Fan Xian's mind, but finally settled on a bold conjecture.

"Could it be... related to my background? Related to the woman who left me the box?"

He stood up abruptly, a resolute glint in his eyes.

"No, I can't just sit here and wait to die. The enemy is in the shadows while we are in the open; this feeling is terrible. Now that the Net has revealed itself, I must go see them and get to the bottom of this!"

Having made up his mind, Fan Xian pushed open the door and went straight to Fan Jian's study.

Inside the study, Fan Jian was reading a book. He didn't seem surprised when Fan Xian entered.

"Have you figured it out?" Fan Jian put down his book and asked casually.

"Father," Fan Xian took a deep breath, "I want to know about the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven). You are the Vice Minister of Revenue, in charge of the nation's finances and grain, and you are well-informed. You must know something."

Fan Jian was silent for a moment, then sighed: "Xian'er, the Net... is a taboo. Even the Investigation Bureau can't find out anything about them. It's too dangerous for you to make contact with them rashly."

"But they saved me!" Fan Xian said urgently, "and their actions are clearly aimed at those who want to harm me. I must figure out who's friend and who's foe!"

Looking into his son's determined eyes, Fan Jian seemed to see the shadow of that woman from years ago.

"That's enough."

Fan Jian stood up, walked to the bookshelf, pulled out an inconspicuous account book, and took out a yellowed slip of paper from it.

"This is one of the strongholds of the Luo Wang in Kyoto, a restaurant called 'Heianju'."

Fan Jian handed the note to Fan Xian, his expression grave. "It's said that if you order a pot of 'Forget-Worry Wine' there, you can meet the people from the Luo Net. But Xian'er, remember to be careful in everything you do. If you sense anything amiss, retreat immediately and don't be reckless."

"Thank you, Dad!"

Fan Xian took the note as if it were a priceless treasure and turned to leave.

"Wait," Fan Jian called after him. "Before you go, clean up the mess on Niulan Street. Cheng Jushu is still in the Censorate's jail. Don't you want to know who wants to kill you?"

Fan Xian paused, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes: "Of course I want to. I'll go right now."

Watching Fan Xian's departing figure, Fan Jian's worry deepened.

He returned to the table, spread out the letter paper, picked up his pen, and wrote a line:

"Pingping, Xian'er is going to contact the Net. That power... might really be something she left behind. Keep a close eye on things over there."

After finishing writing, he summoned his trusted aide and whispered, "Send it to the Forensic Institute immediately and personally deliver it to Director Chen."

……

The Forensic Institute, the dungeon.

The dark, damp cell was filled with the smell of decay and blood.

Cheng Jushu was chained to the wall with huge iron chains, his body covered in wounds, from the shock of Hei Bai Xuan Jian and the torture instruments of the Detective Academy.

"Clang!"

The iron gate opened, and Fan Xian walked in.

He didn't carry any instruments of torture; he simply moved a chair and sat down in front of Cheng Jushu.

"Cheng Jushu, an eighth-rank master from Northern Qi."

Fan Xian's voice was calm, so calm it was frightening. "I know you've been used as a pawn. I also know that someone like you isn't afraid of death or pain."

Cheng Jushu raised his head, his murky eyes fixed on Fan Xian, and let out a beast-like growl: "Kill me if you want, stop talking nonsense!"

"I don't want to kill you, at least not now."

Fan Xian took out an oil paper package from his pocket, opened it, and inside were two steaming hot meat buns.

The aroma filled the cell.

Cheng Jushu's Adam's apple bobbed.

"Eat up." Fan Xian handed over the steamed bun.

Cheng Jushu was stunned. He hadn't expected that the person he had almost killed would give him food. He hesitated for a moment, then opened his mouth wide and swallowed the two buns in one gulp.

"Is it delicious?" Fan Xian asked.

"...Delicious," Cheng Jushu muttered.

"It's delicious, that's all that matters." Fan Xian smiled, but his eyes gradually turned cold. "This is the last good meal of your life. Now, I'm going to ask you a question. If your answer satisfies me, I might let you die a quick death. If you don't..."

Fan Xian took out a slender silver needle from his waist and heated it over the candle flame.

"I'm a doctor, and I know the human body very well. I know where to prick you the most, where to prick you to the point where you wish you were dead but can't die."

"Tell me, who let you into Kyoto? Who ordered you to kill me in Gyulan Street?"

Cheng Jushu looked at the silver needle, then at Fan Xian's emotionless eyes, and a chill inexplicably rose in his heart. He wasn't afraid of death, but he was afraid of this unknown torment.

"It's...it's a woman."

Cheng Jushu finally spoke, his voice hoarse, "I've never seen her face, only heard her voice. She gave me a lot of money and promised to send me back to Northern Qi after the deed was done."

"A woman?" Fan Xian frowned. "What kind of woman?"

"Her voice was very seductive, and she had a strong scent of incense on her body..." Cheng Jushu recalled. "Oh, right, I heard the people next to her call her... Ling Shi."

"The clerk?"

Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat. A clerk was an official position, but usually a low-ranking official. Could a low-ranking female official really mobilize an eighth-rank expert?

No, this is just a smokescreen.

"What else?" Fan Xian pressed.

"And... the person who helped me into the city had a token." Cheng Jushu gasped for breath. "Although I can't read, I remember the pattern... it was a... a..."

"What?!"

"A... phoenix."