Chapter 114: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind

"You are merely a subject! Dai Huang! I am of royal blood, the Emperor of the Palace!" the Emperor shouted, though inwardly he was shocked. He had not expected the conferment of the general to provoke Dai Huang so quickly, forcing him to act prematurely.

"The Emperor of the Palace was also created by this humble subject," Dai Huang replied, neither hurried nor annoyed, smiling. "Since I could create one, I can certainly create a second."

The Emperor of Tianjue gasped. How arrogant Dai Huang was! To be so frank in his presence meant he was certain the Emperor had no strength left to fight back.

It seemed tonight, there was no escaping his fate.

"Does Your Majesty have any more questions?" Dai Huang waved his hand, and his soldiers took a synchronized step forward.

"Audacious!" the Emperor of Tianjue cried out in anger. "Who dares!"

As if in response to his voice, a sharp command rang out from the doorway: "Audacious!"

With a rustle, a group of guards in golden armor stormed in, surrounding the soldiers. Dai Huang widened his dim, aged eyes, staring in astonishment at the sudden turn of events, unable to adapt to the situation.

Behind the golden-clad guards, a man strode in, his armor gleaming, his dark phoenix eyes sharp. It was the Superintendent of the Imperial Guards.

"Ji!" The Emperor of Tianjue was overjoyed. "You finally arrived in time!"

"I am late. I have caused Your Majesty alarm," Ji bowed to him.

Dai Huang was dumbfounded. "Ji! Have you gone mad or what? You are actually helping the enemy! And where is Heng? Why didn't he come?!"

"Young Master Dai," Ji curled his lips into a sinister smile, "won't be able to make it for a while."

A sense of foreboding rose in Dai Huang's heart. He looked at Ji, then glanced at the Emperor of Tianjue, his voice trembling. "Could it be... you... you planned this all along..."

The Emperor of Tianjue sneered. "Tonight's events were not part of my plan. It was Minister Dai who stumbled into this trap. Although it happened a few days early, everything remained under my control."

"You... you..." Dai Huang was at a loss, pointing at the two of them, unable to speak.

The Emperor of Tianjue hardened his face and commanded, "Take him!"

The golden guards swarmed forward, swiftly subduing the armed soldiers, while two others stepped up to pin down Dai Huang.

Dai Huang panted heavily, glaring at the Emperor with intense resentment. "I don't believe it! How could I be defeated by the hands of a boy like you!"

"It is precisely because you always viewed me as a child that you have been utterly defeated!" the Emperor of Tianjue said coldly. With a wave of his hand, the guards dragged the men out of the room.

Ji stepped forward and bowed to the Emperor. "I apologize for the delay in deploying the troops, Your Majesty."

The Emperor waved his hand. "You have performed a great service in protecting me; how could I blame you? Dai Huang's accomplices must all be rounded up tonight!"

"I have already dispatched troops to monitor every location, waiting only for Your Majesty's order to close the net."

"Well done!" The Emperor of Tianjue let out a long sigh of relief and patted him on the shoulder. "Tonight depended entirely on the timely intervention of the Superintendent. Otherwise, I fear my life would have been lost to that old thief, Dai Huang."

Ji looked at him and smiled faintly. "Your Majesty naturally could not die at the hands of Dai Huang. Your Majesty's life... is mine..." As he finished, he suddenly leaned forward, pressing against the Emperor's back.

As the last word left his lips, the Emperor of Tianjue froze, his muscles stiffening. His beautiful eyes widened in disbelief as he tried to look behind him to see the face of the man at his back.

Ji stepped back, releasing his right hand from the Emperor's lower back. A cold, gleaming dagger was buried deep into the Emperor's body, piercing through his abdomen, with blood trickling down the stained blade.

The Emperor of Tianjue turned slightly, his eyes filled with extreme shock as he stared at Ji’s smiling face. "Why? Why is this happening?"

A soft chuckle came from the doorway. A young nobleman entered gracefully, fanning himself. "That is because Ji chose me."

The Emperor of Tianjue struggled to keep his eyes open, his body, drained of warm blood, swaying until he crashed heavily against the pedestal, causing the pearl on top to spin wildly.

"You chose Dai Yuheng? Was everything just now just a performance for my benefit?..."

"Not at all," Dai Yuheng said, his smile as delicate as a flower. "The old thief Dai Huang deserved to die. Using Your Majesty’s hand to remove him was perfect. Ji and I simply took advantage of the time and place tonight."

"Taking advantage, are you?" The Emperor of Tianjue slowly slid to the floor, looking at Ji in a daze. "I sent you into the Dai household, and you actually defected to them? You used me... How ridiculous, haha, truly hilarious! I calculated everything, but I never calculated that the person by my side was a wolf in my own bed! Hahaha~"

The series of harrowing laughs caused the blood to drain from his body even faster. The Emperor of Tianjue coughed a few times and stared fixedly at Ji. "Why? Did Dai Yuheng offer you better treatment?"

Ji looked at him silently. "Do you want to know the reason? Young Master Dai is sharp-witted and possesses great foresight. Wouldn't following him be more promising?"

The Emperor of Tianjue gave a mocking laugh. Ji stepped forward and knelt before him. "Your Majesty, do not hold a grudge. Fate plays tricks on people. You have been the Emperor for a few years, after all; you have enjoyed all the blessings you were meant to have. Go in peace!"

The Emperor of Tianjue glared at him, unable to speak. Ji leaned in close, whispering into his ear, "The true Tianlang is me..."

The whisper was low and light, like a breeze, but it made the Emperor of Tianjue widen his eyes in terror, staring at him in horror. The face before him wore a calm smile, his phoenix eyes slightly narrowed, watching the dying emperor with what looked like pity, or perhaps, mockery.

Ji, who had always been by his side, unfailingly loyal—not only was he Dai Yuheng's lackey, but his other identity was the true Tianlang! The Emperor's chest heaved violently, his breathing growing rapid. Why had he never noticed anything strange about Ji? Why had he never seriously investigated his background? Why?

So many "whys" transformed into small fragments of memory before his eyes.

"Where did you come from, you dirty brat? Why are you blocking my path?" He remembered that year, when his sedan chair was blocked, and he pulled back the curtain to see a dirty little face.

The face had shown clear indignation: "I came here to find my father. Someone said you could help me find him!"

He had found it amusing: "I don't know your father, so how can I help you find him?"

"Whatever, that's what someone said, I don't care!" A dirty hand had grabbed his sedan chair and wouldn't let go.

"That brat wants to die! Daring to block a prince's sedan!" The guards had shouted, but no matter how they beat or drove him away, he wouldn't let go.

Sitting in the sedan, watching the boy endure the beating for a long time, his body covered in wounds, yet still shouting and refusing to let go.

He had smiled; the kid was quite stubborn. "Fine, bring him along, let him follow me!"

That single phrase, "follow me," had lasted for years.

"Ji, that is the young master of the Dai household, Dai Yuheng. Get close to him; from now on, you will be my secret agent."

"Yes."

The delicate young master had approached him, his eyes sparkling with provocation. "Is this the new Superintendent of the Imperial Guards? I am Dai Yuheng, the new official in the palace."

"I am Ji," Ji had replied with a faint smile.

Returning to reality, cold sweat streaming down, the Emperor of Tianjue felt a clarity he had never known before. Dai Yuheng walked around his body, reached out, and picked up the pearl from the pedestal, laughing, "That's right, this is the one."

Ji remained silently watching the Emperor of Tianjue.

Dai Yuheng looked at him. "I leave the cleanup to you."

"Yes." A faint smile appeared on Ji's lips, just like the smile in his memory.

Dai Yuheng did not look back at them and walked out the door.

The Emperor of Tianjue looked at Ji in despair as his consciousness slowly faded.

"Your Majesty, I never thought we would recognize each other under such circumstances, heh." Where was that voice coming from? It sounded so far away.

"Your Majesty always wanted a brother, didn't you?"

Yes, I did want a brother. When did I say that?

"I truly want a brother who can support me... to cry together when we want to cry, to laugh together when we want to laugh, and to face difficulties together..."

"Royal brothers can never be like those among the common people."

I remember now. On the palace terrace, I was leaning against the railing, and he was standing to the side.

"Sometimes, I really want to see him..."

At the time, I had said such foolish things. The brother who was right by my side, the half-brother I could only recognize once a dagger was plunged into my body—the moment of reunion was also the moment of eternal parting.

I am not reconciled! I am truly not reconciled!

Ji slowly reached out and covered the Emperor of Tianjue's eyes, closing them gently.

"Why I chose Dai Yuheng—now you should understand. Because there was no other choice..."

He stood up abruptly, stepping over the bloodstains, and turned to leave. The candlelight in the room was extinguished by a bone-chilling gust of wind.

In the general's residence, a large tree was struck by lightning amidst the thunder, its trunk split in half, branches scattering across the ground.

Dayin's hand trembled for no reason. Her finger, while wiping her sword, was cut, and a stream of blood gushed out, dripping onto the ground like tears of blood.

She uneasily put down the sword, sucked on her finger, and looked out the window. The fierce storm continued, the pouring rain making her heart restless.

"General! General, it's bad!" The door was pushed open without warning, and the cold wind rushed in.

The hairs on her body stood on end; she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

The man standing at the door was drenched in rain, his face indistinguishable between tears and rainwater. He cried out with a sob, "Dai Huang has rebelled! Your Majesty, His Majesty he..."

Boom! A loud thunderclap left Dayin’s face deathly pale.

"Speak clearly!" She gritted her teeth and pressed toward the man, not daring to blink, fearing she might miss a single word. "Is His Majesty hurt? Is the injury severe?!"

The man wiped his eyes and cried aloud, "General, His Majesty, His Majesty has been driven to his death by Dai Huang!"