SWHCBB 77

Chapter 77: Zhiyu’s Past Life / Changning’s Death

The man in the cage wore filthy, tattered clothes. His long hair was in disarray, and he curled up in a corner, his dark eyes void of life, expression vacant. If not for the faint rise and fall of his chest, one might mistake him for a corpse.

His cheeks were sunken, his skin waxy yellow, and he was as thin as a skeleton. His face was streaked with dirt, only a few spots still clean.

This “Wen Jue” no longer held any trace of his former brilliance. Only the outline of his features hinted at the stunning beauty that once captivated the world.

He gave no response to anything around him, or perhaps he simply no longer had the strength. His body had withered so much that it was clear he had little time left. The Third Prince didn’t even bother with shackles; even if the cage were opened, this man wouldn’t make it far.

Wen Jue watched, terrified, yet also strangely reassured.

At this point, his royal sister must already hold supreme power, one step away from ascending the throne. The Third Prince had clearly lost the advantage. Though he’d seized control of Jiang Chuang’s army, for some reason he couldn’t breach the capital and had resorted to imprisoning “Wen Jue” as a bargaining chip.

Which meant: his sister was winning.

But Changning…

Wen Jue looked toward him anxiously. Changning was still holding on, gritting his teeth. He’d been trained in the blood-soaked pits of war, a killer forged in carnage, his endurance unmatched.

Zhuge Qing spoke again. “Your Highness, may I open the cage and take a look?”

The Third Prince glanced at him. “Oh? What for?”

“Nothing in particular,” Zhuge Qing said with a malicious smile. “I just want to see, if he were to witness his trusted follower die right before his eyes, would he still remain so calm?”

The Third Prince grew intrigued. He waved a hand. “Go ahead! Pull the cage to the entrance. Let them all see what kind of man they’re risking their lives to save. In my eyes, he’s not even worth a dog!”

Zhuge Qing chuckled and folded his fan away. He pushed the cage to the doorway and unlatched it, sneering at “Wen Jue.”

“So this is the Fifth Prince? I thought he was some great beauty. Turns out, not much to look at.”

“Wen Jue” didn’t even twitch. He remained curled in the corner, motionless.

Wen Jue wanted to shut his eyes, but he couldn’t. For the first time, he realized how painful it could be to see. He almost wished he were still blind.

He could understand what “Wen Jue” was feeling now. To be humiliated like this, death would almost be a mercy. Why even bother saving him?

Alive, he was a burden to everyone. Without him, his sister could ascend the throne unimpeded.

If he died quickly, maybe Changning could escape this chaos too.

But he was blind, trapped in a cage like livestock, not even free to die. All he could do was starve himself.

When “Wen Jue” didn’t react, Zhuge Qing raised his voice to the outside. “Look! This is the man you came to save! I opened the cage, and he still can’t move. What a useless piece of trash!”

Changning turned and saw the scene in the cage. His eyes were blood-red, on the verge of bursting tears. He screamed hoarsely, “Your Highness!”

“Wen Jue” seemed to react faintly, turning his head slightly, trying to locate the direction of Changning’s voice, but he couldn’t see.

“Wen Yu! Even if I die, I’ll take you with me!” Changning roared, cutting down two more men. His fury was so intense, his voice drowned out even the sounds of battle. “Let His Highness go now, and I’ll spare your life!”

The Third Prince, Wen Yu, sneered and drew his sword. He reached through the cage and pressed the blade against “Wen Jue’s” neck, shouting back, “Don’t worry. Before I die, I’ll make sure to take your prince with me.”

The words drove Changning into a frenzy. “Wen Jue’s” lips moved, mouthing the same word over and over.

Go…

Wen Jue also wanted to cry out: Changning, go!

But neither the “Wen Jue” in the cage nor the real Wen Jue, trapped in this dream, could make a sound.

All he could do was watch, helpless, as Changning was cut down in a storm of blades, his heart shattering in grief.

Changning!!!

Even as he died, Changning was still reaching toward the cage, stretching out his arm, wanting to bring Wen Jue home.

This dream felt too real. So real that Wen Jue couldn’t bear it. He was even afraid, if this was reality, what was he supposed to do?

The Third Prince clicked his tongue and withdrew his sword. Looking into the cage, he said, “He’s dead. Tch. Not bad, that one. Took a lot of my men with him!”

“Wen Jue” trembled all over. His teeth bit down on his lip, and at last he couldn’t stop the sobs. Tears fell, one after another.

The Third Prince watched with amusement, grinning. “Hurts, doesn’t it? When you ordered him to kill the Fourth Prince, did you ever think he’d meet this kind of end?”

He turned to Zhuge Qing. “Close the cage and push it back. I’ve got a whole lot of games prepared for my dear little brother.”

Zhuge Qing nodded, but moved slowly. The Third Prince frowned, impatient, just about to urge him on.

Suddenly, arrows whistled through the air. In the blink of an eye, one pierced the Third Prince’s left shoulder. With a cry of pain, he fell to the ground, then another sword flashed toward him.

Zhuge Qing shouted, “Your Highness, watch out!”

He dove forward, shielding the Third Prince, pinning him down to the ground.

A heavy fog rose, and the Third Prince could no longer see anything, only Zhuge Qing beside him. The footsteps of panicked soldiers rang out all around, mixed with strange, unfamiliar sounds.

The Third Prince’s expression twisted in realization. He roared in fury, “The cage! Push it back, now!”

But they were a step too late.

When the fog cleared, all that remained was Jiang Chuang’s figure leaping across the rooftop, and an empty cage.

The Third Prince broke the arrow off at his shoulder, face expressionless, teeth clenched. “Jiang Chuang… You dare ruin my plan!”

Zhuge Qing had also been wounded by a stray arrow, his back bleeding. He struggled to his feet, grimacing, and rushed to the prince’s side. “Your Highness, are you all right? This… maybe it’s a misunderstanding? General Jiang already severed ties with the Fifth Prince. Why would he come to rescue–”

Before he could finish, he heard a sudden swoosh. Zhuge Qing’s eyes widened. He looked down. A sword had pierced straight through his chest, right over his heart.

The man holding the sword, was the Third Prince.

The next moment, the blade was wrenched out. Blood gushed from Zhuge Qing’s chest as he collapsed to the ground.

The Third Prince stared coldly. “You all betrayed me. You all deserve to die!”