C1 The Youth's Spirit

The Abyssal Demon Prison lay within the borders of the Southern Yuan Kingdom, plunging a thousand feet into the earth like the gaping maw of a monstrous beast eager to swallow everything around it.

Perpetual darkness reigned within its walls—dank and oppressive. The further one descended, the darker and colder it became, until at its deepest point, water froze upon contact with the air and visibility was reduced to nothing. Even the light of a candle seemed a mere glimmer, ready to be snuffed out by the encroaching shadows at any moment.

Amidst this gloom, a thin, piercing voice echoed through the pitch-black corridors, its intermittent wails reminiscent of a ghastly nocturnal lament or a blood-curdling cry of a cuckoo, sending shivers down the spine.

"By the mandate of heaven, the imperial edict proclaims...

"The Crown Prince ascends to the Eastern Palace, and a general amnesty is declared...

"Chu Yan, the convicted, is to be reinstated as a prince... Sent to Persia... to enter into a marriage alliance...

"Departure is set for the morrow...

"Let it be known..."

Having delivered the decree, the eunuch gazed smugly at the young man before him, his arms suspended by iron chains. His smile was insincere as he said, "Your Highness, my sincerest congratulations. For a crime as grave as treason, you were destined for execution. Yet, a year later, you've been granted a reprieve. Your fortune is indeed enviable."

His words dripped with feigned respect and false well-wishes, the derision and scorn clear for anyone to hear.

"Oh? Is that so?" Chu Yan's voice emerged from the shadows, his head bowed, long hair veiling his face, obscuring any glimpse of his expression. Yet his tone was clear and unwavering, "Why would I plot treason, Eunuch Wu Xiaoming? Surely you're well aware of the reasons."

"What did you say? Silence!" Wu Xiaoming's face contorted with alarm, his voice rising to a screech as if he were a cat with its tail caught underfoot. He leapt up, his shrill reprimand cutting through the air, while his eyes darted nervously to the accompanying jailers and guards, fearful they might have caught wind of something amiss.

Chu Yan let out a light chuckle and spoke in a calm voice, "At six years old, I reached the first level of the Genuine Martial Realm. On Cyan City Mountain, with nothing but my bare hands, I killed twenty-six wolves, ensuring the safety of the local people."

"By eight, I had advanced to the second level of the Genuine Martial Realm. Alone in the Valley of the Fallen Moon, with just my sword, I wiped out three bandit strongholds, cutting down a total of seven hundred and sixty Black Wind Bandits. This opened up the trade routes to the northwest for the Southern Yuan Kingdom, benefiting countless families."

"At eleven, having entered the third level of the Genuine Martial Realm, I wielded a spear to suppress the rebellion in the northwest, slaying three thousand four hundred and eighteen insurgents. From that point on, the Southern Yuan Kingdom was free of internal strife, enjoying peace and prosperity. That year, I was named the Crown Prince."

"At fourteen, upon reaching the fourth level of the Genuine Martial Realm, I led the Southern Yuan Kingdom's fierce army to confront the enemy beyond our nation's gates amidst rising border tensions. After capturing enemy flags and defeating their generals, I led our forces northward. In a desperate situation, we crushed the four armies of the Persian Kingdom, killing three hundred thousand foes. We then stormed the Persian capital, forcing their emperor to abdicate and submit to our rule."

"Now, at sixteen, I'm still alive despite the conspiracy against me. As you've said, Eunuch Wu, my luck is indeed quite remarkable."

During Chu Yan's recounting, Wu Xiaoming's face turned ashen. He shouted repeatedly, demanding Chu Yan to stop talking, but his shrill scolding was futile against Chu Yan's indifferent voice and tone, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

As Chu Yan continued, Wu Xiaoming's expression grew increasingly grim.

After Chu Yan's last word echoed in the cell, a deafening silence fell.

Despite being shackled, dressed in tattered prison garb, and emaciated from a year of confinement, Chu Yan's presence was like that of a mighty tiger, paralyzing everyone in the cell with awe.

Wu Xiaoming's face twisted with distress, his chest heaving with agitation, and his eyes wide with panic, he stuttered, "Chu Yan, stop your wild accusations. You think just because you've reclaimed your princely title that I'm afraid of you? You who have committed treason, sown chaos, and defiled the court..."

Before Wu Xiaoming could finish his blustering words, Chu Yan, who had been silent and head bowed, suddenly lifted his gaze to meet his.

His eyes shone like stars, deep as the night. In a fleeting moment, they seemed to light up the darkest cell of the Demon Prison.

That look was as piercing as a blade to the throat, and in an instant, Wu Xiaoming found himself gasping for air.

Fear instantly turned to bone-chilling cold, crackling like lightning up his spine, freezing his blood and leaving his limbs ice-cold.

"I am adored by the masses, revered by court officials, and unmatched in military prestige. I've already been named Crown Prince; the throne is destined to be mine. Given all this, why would I assassinate the king and my father at a victory banquet, scheming to seize the throne? Wu Xiaoming, surely you understand the true motive behind this!"

The final words were not a question but a fierce rebuke, booming like spring thunder, leaving Wu Xiaoming and everyone present with ringing ears and dazed minds.

As the crowd was still reeling, Chu Yan slowly rose to his feet.

In that moment, he exuded an aura of unyielding strength, his spine as straight as a javelin thrusting into the heavens.

It seemed that a year in the Abyssal Prison had not broken him but had honed his edge even sharper, as if ready to pierce the very sky.

"Unlock me!" Chu Yan commanded with a low growl, sending shivers down the jailer's spine. Without a thought of resistance, the jailer fumbled for the key to the iron chains.

"No, don't —" Wu Xiaoming stammered, his panic so intense it was as if his soul was trying to escape his body.

Before he could finish, the clinking of iron chains echoed as the shackles binding Chu Yan's limbs were released.

"People say I'm lucky, but even the best luck pales in comparison to yours, Eunuch Wu." Chu Yan flexed his limbs and advanced toward Wu Xiaoming, "After all, it was you who rose from obscurity to the heavens by exposing my so-called treason."

As Wu Xiaoming watched the other man's smile and the icy glint in his eyes, terror contorted his face. He stumbled backward, step by agonizing step, "No, no, it was the Emperor and the Second Prince —"

Before he could finish his sentence, he clapped a hand over his mouth, eyes twitching uncontrollably, wishing he could retract every single word he had just uttered.

If such a grave secret were to leak from his lips, he wouldn't even know how he met his end.

Chu Yan cracked a slight smile, as if he had anticipated this all along, and in the next instant, his hand shot out in a swift slap.

Wu Xiaoming was caught in a haze as a gust of wind rushed at him, nearly choking him.

As he turned his head, a palm loomed larger and larger in his vision until it filled his entire field of sight.

Bang!

The sound was thunderous, like a hundred-pound hammer striking the earth.

Wu Xiaoming's face contorted as it hung in midair; half his teeth dislodged, spewing a mix of blood, saliva, and broken teeth like a celestial blossom scattering in the wind.

His body slammed against the wall, sticking briefly before sliding down.

A shocking burst of blood painted the damp and slick wall.

The jailers and guards, poised to advance, now stood frozen, their eyes bulging, breaths sharp and cold. Their faces blanched, and their steps involuntarily retreated.

Looking down at Wu Xiaoming, now with most of his face obscured by blood, Chu Yan's lips still curled in a faint, almost pleased smirk. "If it weren't for the poison that's weakened me to less than one percent of my strength, you'd be dead by now. Tell me, Eunuch Wu, do you consider yourself lucky?"

At that moment, Wu Xiaoming's head was swathed in blood, his mind buzzing as if swarmed by a thousand maddened bees, stars dancing before his eyes, his mouth filled with a pungent, sweet taste.

Through his blurred vision, he barely made out Chu Yan ripping off his prison garb, draping on a black cloak handed to him by a guard, and in an instant, blending into the surrounding darkness.

Then he felt a foot press down on his face, as if intent on crushing his skull into the earth.

Fear and remorse swelled within the old eunuch's heart.

"Eunuch Wu, I'm sparing your life. Go back and deliver a message to the one seated on the throne."

Consumed by hatred for his own offspring and paranoid about a threat to his crown, he stooped to framing his child. That man no longer deserved the title of 'father' in my eyes.

Chu Yan's voice remained calm and detached, as it always had been.

"Just a year ago, I conquered the capital of Persia. I have no interest in its current state, but if I am to be the one sent for a marriage alliance, then three conditions must be met."