The Blood Crown - Chapter 246

Feng Ye’s hangover didn’t improve until the afternoon, but when he summoned Yan Sikong, it was still clear that he wasn’t in good spirits—his face was pale and swollen, and his eyes looked extremely weary.

Yan Sikong stood quietly by the side, his expression neutral as he waited.

Feng Ye slowly took a sip of hangover tea before raising his eyes to look at Yan Sikong. His tone was cold. “I heard you went to see Que Wang last night.”

The group Feng Ye had sent to monitor Yan Sikong naturally reported every little movement.

Yan Sikong replied, “Yes, I wanted to have a drink with him.”

“Then why did you leave?” Feng Ye scrutinized Yan Sikong’s face carefully, trying to see something, but he noticed nothing unusual.

“I saw the Wolf King was there, and I didn’t want to disturb him.”

Feng Ye nodded. “Coincidentally, I also wanted to have a drink with him.”

Yan Sikong said nothing.

Feng Ye placed the tea bowl down with a sharp click. In the quiet room, it sounded a bit jarring, and one could tell from the sound that the owner of the hand was not at ease. He spoke bluntly. “Your request from yesterday, I can grant it. Once the task is done, I’ll spare Chen Mu’s life, but he’ll be confined to his home for the rest of his life.”

“No.” Yan Sikong rejected without hesitation.

Feng Ye squinted, his lips twitching slightly.

Yan Sikong looked directly at Feng Ye, speaking firmly but without arrogance. “Imprisoning him is no different from killing him. You want to grant him land and wealth so he can live out his days peacefully.”

Feng Ye clenched his fists. “I’m sparing his life out of respect for you. Don’t push your luck.”

“I don’t need respect. You and I are conspirators. I give you what you want, you give me what I want. Without military power, he is nothing. What are you still afraid of?” Yan Sikong, having let go of his hopes for Feng Ye, felt more at ease when facing the Wolf King. At least, that was how it appeared on the surface.

“You really are deeply attached to him,” Feng Ye mocked. “He was the grand prince, the former crown prince. Now he’s turned his back on me and plans to ally with the court against me, and still harbors inappropriate thoughts toward you. I have a thousand reasons to kill him. I can spare his life for your sake, but I will never let him go free.”

Yan Sikong cupped his hands. “The Wolf King will make his own decision. I have no more words to say.”

“What do you mean by that?” Feng Ye’s tone turned sharp. “If I don’t spare Chen Mu, are you going to oppose me?”

“I wouldn’t dare. I only ask the Wolf King to spare me,” Yan Sikong replied calmly. “The Wolf King has countless capable subordinates, now holding great power. You already look down on the world, and you no longer need me.”

“Whether I need you or not is not for you to decide.” Feng Ye’s breath grew uneven, his teeth grinding. “Even if I don’t need you, I won’t let you go looking for Chen Mu.”

It seemed his heart had grown numb from the pain, and now he could no longer feel much. Yan Sikong remained silent.

Feng Ye stared at Yan Sikong’s indifferent expression. The man was right before him, yet he felt as if he couldn’t grasp him, as if Yan Sikong was steadily and resolutely distancing himself. This feeling of panic, though illusory, was so real, and he didn’t know how to make sure Yan Sikong stayed in his grasp. It drove him nearly insane. He spoke in a low voice, “Do you still remember the promise you made all those years ago? You said you would never leave me. You said you would belong to me, Ah Live or dead.”

Yan Sikong paused for a moment before speaking softly, “Everyone has moments of naivety. Didn’t the Wolf King also once trust me so easily?”

“You!” Feng Ye felt his blood surge, his heart filled with hatred, but he didn’t know how to vent it.

Yan Sikong didn’t want to confront him; there was no point in exhausting himself. He cupped his hands again and said, “Wolf King, tomorrow is my father’s memorial. I want to go to the north to pay my respects. Could you grant me some extra time, and allow your subordinates to refrain from following so as not to disturb my father’s peace?”

Feng Ye took a deep breath and coldly snorted, “Is this how you beg for favors?”

Without hesitation, Yan Sikong knelt down. “I beg the Wolf King.”

Feng Ye looked down at Yan Sikong. “For your father’s memorial, you’re willing to kneel. What would you do for Chen Mu?”

“I’m willing to help the Wolf King get what he desires.”

Feng Ye leaned forward. “What I want is not just your mind, but your body.”

Yan Sikong raised his head, his expression indifferent. “I’ve already submitted myself to the Wolf King’s orders.”

Such obedience only made Feng Ye feel more out of control. His face turned ashen, his fists cracking with tension. He coldly said, “Let Que Wang go with you. Now leave.”

Yan Sikong once again bowed and, head lowered, retreated.

As soon as the door was closed, Yan Sikong heard the sound of the tea bowl shattering on the floor. He sneered inwardly, thinking to himself how foolish Feng Ye was. Why keep him around to torture each other, always trying to find ways to make things difficult? He no longer believed that Feng Ye had any real affection for him—what remained, perhaps, was only an obsession that he couldn’t let go of.

Obsession, it seemed, only harmed people.

(im crying)

—

Back at his courtyard, Yan Sikong saw Ah Li standing outside, seemingly waiting for something.

When Yan Sikong saw him, Ah Li gestured toward his study, his face full of reluctance.

Yan Sikong frowned, walking over quickly and pushing the door open, only to find an unwelcome guest sitting inside—Yuan Shaoxu.

Yuan Shaoxu was fiddling with the sandalwood paperweight on his desk. When he saw Yan Sikong, there was no change in his expression. He spoke in a flat tone, “You’re back.”

Yan Sikong closed the door and said cautiously, “Big Brother has come.”

Ah Li knew about the relationship between Yan Sikong and Yuan Shaoxu, so he didn’t dare to stop him. If it had been anyone else, Ah Li would have prevented them from entering.

“Mm, just arrived,” Yuan Shaoxu said. “Your ugly servant’s face is quite frightening, so I didn’t want him in the room. I sent him away. Hope that’s fine.”

“It’s fine.” Yan Sikong stepped forward and poured a cup of tea for Yuan Shaoxu. “Big Brother, please drink.”

Yuan Shaoxu reached out and took the cup, taking a sip. He then glanced at Yan Sikong sideways. “Aren’t you going to ask what I’m here for?”

“If Big Brother had nothing important, he wouldn’t have come to see me,” Yan Sikong replied as he sat down in the guest seat. His gaze subtly swept across the study, looking for any signs that Yuan Shaoxu had tampered with anything, though he couldn’t find anything unusual at the moment.

“Do you know what tomorrow is?”

“It’s Father’s memorial day.”

“You remember, that’s good.” Yuan Shaoxu said. “I was afraid you might forget because of your busy schedule, so I came to remind you. I just came from Yu’er’s place. For the first time in years, we’re all gathering together on Father’s memorial day. Tomorrow, the three of us will go up the mountain to offer our respects.”

Yan Sikong felt suspicious. Was Yuan Shaoxu here just for this?

Yuan Shaoxu saw through his thoughts and sneered. “I do have some grievances with you, but after thinking about it, I also owe you some things, so let’s call it even. Anyway, the two of us have never gotten along, so there’s no need to pretend to be brotherly, but you know how to repay kindness. You were always filial to Father, and he truly cared for you when he was Ah Live. Tomorrow is Father’s memorial day, and we should pay our respects together, that’s all.”

Yan Sikong cupped his hands. “Big Brother speaks correctly.”

Yuan Shaoxu stood up. “I’ve already arranged with Yu’er. We’ll leave at first light tomorrow. I’ve prepared the offerings for the ritual. To keep it low-key, it will just be the three of us.”

“Of course.”

Yuan Shaoxu got up and left without looking back.

As soon as he left, Ah Li hurried in, gesturing to explain, “Young Master, I wasn’t sure whether I should stop him.”

Yan Sikong reassured him, “It’s fine. He is both my older brother and a general. You couldn’t stop him, and it would only cause trouble. Go out, I need to check the room.”

Ah Li sighed and quietly withdrew.

Yan Sikong opened all the drawers and cabinets in the study and inspected them. It wasn’t that he was overly suspicious, but Yuan Shaoxu’s sudden appearance made him uneasy, especially since he had been deAh Ling with military affairs for Feng Ye and had access to many confidential documents. He didn’t believe Yuan Shaoxu would betray him, but it was better to check and ease his mind.

In the end, he didn’t find anything unusual and quietly let out a sigh of relief.

Perhaps he was just too paranoid, especially with everything that had happened recently…

Looking at the night sky, it was already quite late. His hangover from last night still hadn’t fully subsided, and his head throbbed. Since he had to get up early tomorrow, he decided to go to bed.

—

The next morning, just as the sun was rising and the sky still a cold grey, the three of them gathered outside Feng Ye’s manor, all dressed in solemn black.

The early departure was due to two reasons: first, the ritual required an early start, and second, their relationship had to remain a secret, and they didn’t want too many people to see them.

When Yan Sikong saw Yuan Nanyu, though his face was hidden behind a mask and his expression unreadable, his eyes seemed somewhat different, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Yan Sikong’s expression remained unchanged, as if everything that had happened the day before was nothing but a dream. He took the initiative and said, “I did go looking for you that day, but seeing the Wolf King there, I decided to leave.”

“Oh, I see. Sometimes, when he’s feeling upset, he’ll come to me for a drink.”

Yuan Nanyu’s explanation seemed unnecessary, almost as if he were trying to cover something up. But Yan Sikong understood—it was because he was someone who didn’t keep things hidden, trying to test whether Yan Sikong had seen anything. It was both a strength and a weakness.

Yan Sikong nodded. “You two built your relationship from nothing. During the hard times, you must have supported each other.”

“Yes,” Yuan Nanyu said, somewhat emotional.

Yuan Shaoxu watched them from the side, a thoughtful look on his face.

“The Wolf King trusts and values you. It’s only natural,” Yan Sikong remarked, looking at Yuan Nanyu. “With someone like you by his side, the Wolf King must be invincible.”

“Just doing my duty,” Yuan Nanyu said.

“Just doing your duty…” Yan Sikong thought bitterly, but he didn’t let it show. He squeezed his horse’s sides and said, “Let’s go.”