Chapter 3
“Hey, wake up! Hey!”
Song Beiyao heard someone calling him, sounding like Ling Feng. He slowly opened his eyes and immediately looked at the number in the bottom left corner of his vision: -196.
Not bad.
“Hurry up, I’ll get you out, we’ll leave the Crown Prince’s residence tonight.” Ling Feng started pulling Song Beiyao up from the ground without any explanation.
“Wait.” Song Beiyao sat up slowly and looked around. It looked like a prison cell, dimly lit, with the smell of blood in the air.
“Ling Feng, tell me what happened first.” He only remembered seeing Pei Ji.
Ling Feng spoke urgently. “Pei Ji seems to know something. He said he would personally interrogate you tomorrow.” He crouched down, looking at Song Beiyao. “Do you know how Pei Ji interrogates people? He can pry open the mouths of even the dead.”
Song Beiyao raised an eyebrow slightly. “I know.” The original text had extensively described Pei Ji’s ruthlessness, including but not limited to his cruel interrogation methods for various spies.
“Good that you know. I finally managed to sneak into the dungeon, so hurry up!” Ling Feng reached out to pull him.
Song Beiyao held his hand. “I can’t leave.”
“Why!”
Because I need to stay by Pei Ji’s side to absorb his luck.
Of course, Song Beiyao wouldn’t answer like that. He curved his lips and said softly, “Ling Feng, if I leave, wouldn’t it be admitting that there’s a problem with my identity? What would happen to the relations between our two countries then? What would become of Zhao?”
After these words, only silence remained in the dungeon. Ling Feng, by the light of the oil lamp hanging on the wall, saw the flickering flames reflected in Song Beiyao’s eyes. He had never realized someone’s eyes could be so beautiful, filled with both smiles and earnestness, making it impossible to look away.
He hadn’t expected the Fourth Prince of Zhao to be someone with such a sense of patriotism. He silently released his hand and asked hoarsely, “If you don’t leave, what will you do tomorrow? You won’t be able to withstand Pei Ji’s methods.”
“Don’t worry, I have a way. Besides, my identity as a prince is real.” Song Beiyao put a hand on his shoulder, comforting him. “Thank you for coming to save me, Ling Feng. If something really goes wrong tomorrow, remember to escape from the Crown Prince’s residence as soon as possible.”
Ling Feng stared into his eyes for a moment, then slapped his hand away. “Don’t flatter yourself. I came to save you because I was worried you’d be a burden.” He then got up and left.
…
The dungeon was cold and damp at night.
Lying on the pile of hay, Song Beiyao was so uncomfortable that he couldn’t sleep. He decided to analyze the current situation.
In the original text, the spy wasn’t suspected by the male lead in the early stages, let alone being thrown into the dungeon on the first day. The current events deviated from the original plot, so something must have happened.
Song Beiyao had two main impressions of the male lead, Pei Ji: ruthless and cautious.
Pei Ji’s caution didn’t make him hesitant in the face of major events, but rather made him more prudent in handling details.
Yet this time, facing the prince who came for a political marriage from an allied nation, Pei Ji disregarded the alliance and directly imprisoned him.
Therefore, it could be concluded that the problem lay with Pei Ji; some unknown event had occurred.
“Cough, cough, cough…” Mid-analysis, Song Beiyao suddenly started coughing violently, curling up into a ball.
“Now you know the importance of collecting luck, host.” The system’s annoying voice slowly emerged. “-196 is too low! A normal person’s body can’t handle this value at all. You’re a tough one!” The system clicked its tongue repeatedly.
Song Beiyao’s face was pale. He tugged at the corner of his lips. “Stop with the sarcastic remarks. I gained 3 points when I touched Pei Ji today. How exactly is this value calculated?”
“Ahem.” Speaking of this, the system became energetic. “As you know, gaining luck requires physical contact with the Child of Luck. For example, touching limbs adds 1 point, touching the torso adds 2 points, touching the cheek adds…”
Song Beiyao interrupted him. “Just tell me the high-value ones.”
“High-value ones,” the system said faintly, “a hug is 10 points, a kiss is 20 points, and having sex is 50 points.”
“The highest value is sex?” Song Beiyao mused. “Having sex with Pei Ji might be a bit difficult.”
System: “???” What are you talking about, my dear lord!
“Are you sure you wouldn’t be the one being topped?” the system muttered softly.
“Me, being topped?” Song Beiyao’s tongue flicked over his upper canine, a chuckle escaping his throat. “Is that possible?”
System: “…”
“Let’s not talk about who’s topping who. Your current physical condition simply can’t handle having sex with Pei Ji,” the system confessed honestly. “With his intensity, your luck value needs to reach 100.”
Song Beiyao narrowed his eyes slightly. “Then let’s not consider that option for now.”
System: “…” Even if you consider it, would he be willing?!
“Forget it.” Song Beiyao put a hand on his forehead. “I’ll sleep for a while.”
—
The interrogation room in the dungeon had no windows. The surrounding walls were mottled stone, stained with blood of varying shades. No outside light could penetrate, only the oil lamp on the wall illuminated this small space.
When Pei Ji entered, he immediately saw the person tied to the wooden cross. The young man’s red robe was dirty, his head hanging weakly, his hair disheveled, looking utterly miserable.
“Wake him up,” Pei Ji said coldly.
“Yes.” A guard brought a bucket of cold water and poured it over him. The young man shuddered, gasped sharply, and began to cough violently.
“You may leave.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Song Beiyao opened his eyes abruptly. His hair was completely soaked, strands clinging uncomfortably to his face. He tried to move, only to find himself firmly bound to the wooden stake, his hands tied up, the ropes cutting painfully into his wrists.
Pei Ji stood not far away, his back to the light, his wolf-like gaze fixed on him, radiating an intense pressure.
“Your Highness, what is the meaning of this?” Song Beiyao had just finished a violent coughing fit, his chest heaving. His voice was weak. “Treating your newly arrived Consort like this isn’t normal, is it?”
“Normal?” Pei Ji seemed to have heard something amusing. His voice was deep and magnetic, but at this moment, it sounded particularly cold. “Normal would be if you were actually the Fourth Prince of Zhao.”
Song Beiyao smiled palely, his voice like water flowing over pebbles, clear and gentle. “Your Highness, if you have something to say, please speak directly. Beiyao is dull and doesn’t understand what you mean.”
Pei Ji didn’t bother beating around the bush. He walked to the torture table and picked up a dagger. Its edge wasn’t a normal blade but two rows of barbs, incredibly sharp.
He said, “A few days ago, I received a secret letter about you.”
Song Beiyao raised an eyebrow imperceptibly. So this is the unknown event that caused the change?
He didn’t directly ask about the contents of the letter, but instead expressed surprise. “So Your Highness is treating me like this because of that secret letter?”
Pei Ji gave a cold laugh and didn’t answer the question. He slowly turned around, his eyes devoid of emotion as he stared at Song Beiyao. “I’ve interrogated many people here, and none of them have been able to withstand it. In the end, they all confessed everything, whether they should have or not.”
These words were like a final warning.
The weak flame of the oil lamp flickered, casting the tall man’s shadow on the wall, stretching and magnifying it infinitely, as if it would engulf the entire wall.
Song Beiyao met his oppressive gaze, his voice slightly weak, his tone slow and soft. “I’ll say it again, Your Highness, please speak directly. Since I’ve married into the Crown Prince’s residence, I am now yours. I will naturally tell you everything I know.”
Pei Ji was slightly taken aback by these words. This weak and sickly display of submission could indeed lower one’s guard effectively. And with such a bewitching appearance, he did possess some capital for evoking pity.
He quickly snorted inwardly. This cunning assassin was quite different from the ruthless killer he would become in the future. He was truly skilled at disguising himself.
“Why don’t you guess what the letter said?” he said.
“I won’t guess,” Song Beiyao smiled gently. “Your Highness, instead of believing what’s written on a piece of paper, why not try to understand me, believe in the me you see before you.”
Not only cunning, but also sharp-tongued.
A cold glint flashed in Pei Ji’s eyes. He slowly approached, using the tip of the dagger to lift the young man’s chin, looking down at him, his thin lips parting slightly. “The letter says you are an assassin.”
The tip of the dagger didn’t pierce the skin, but it still caused a stinging sensation. Song Beiyao, having prepared himself mentally, wasn’t surprised to hear these words. However, he feigned shock. “How could anyone make such baseless accusations? Does Your Highness believe such nonsense?”
After speaking, he began to cough violently again due to his feigned emotional distress. His pale cheeks flushed red, the color even reaching his neck.
Pei Ji narrowed his eyes slightly and withdrew the dagger. At such close proximity, every subtle change in Song Beiyao’s expression was visible to him, and the shock and astonishment didn’t seem feigned.
For a moment, he even felt a flicker of hesitation.
But that dream was clearly a prophecy of the future, it couldn’t be false. Pei Ji’s expression grew colder. “I know the credibility of the intelligence. If you confess the forces behind you, I will consider sparing your life. If you insist on pretending…”
The tip of the dagger suddenly landed on the young man’s throat. “I have my ways.”
It seemed he intended to extract a confession through torture.
“Your Highness, I am not an assassin.” Song Beiyao gave a pale smile, his voice weak. “I don’t even know martial arts, how could I be an assassin?”
Hearing this, Pei Ji placed two fingers on Song Beiyao’s wrist, his brow furrowing slightly.
The pulse was weak and erratic, not only devoid of internal energy, but also indicating an extremely frail body, barely clinging to life.
But this didn’t necessarily mean anything. There were many pills that could suppress internal energy and martial arts skills. There was no guarantee that this pulse wasn’t caused by such a pill. It was even possible that this frail body was a deliberate deception.
If that were truly the case, this spy had gone to great lengths. His expression darkened as he turned and walked towards the torture table.
During this interval, Song Beiyao saw the numbers in the bottom left corner changing in real-time. One point had been automatically deducted upon waking up, and now one point was added. The deduction and addition cancelled each other out, leaving it at -196.
Pei Ji retrieved a small black wooden box and said cruelly, “This is the Soul-Devouring Gu of the Yun Kingdom. Once the Gu enters the body, one will experience the excruciating pain of their meridians being severed, but they won’t die immediately. The Gu will slowly devour your internal organs, a process that lasts about seven days. If you remember anything within those seven days, there’s still a chance for you.”
The box was very close, and Song Beiyao smelled the decaying odor emanating from it, involuntarily coughing up blood.
Pei Ji, you’re truly ruthless!
Once this man made up his mind about something, there seemed to be no room for negotiation, no leeway.
The dungeon was cold and dark, Song Beiyao’s clothes were soaked through, and he was chilled to the bone. His wet hair clung to his face, and blood continuously trickled from the corner of his lips.
Pain, discomfort, yet he still wanted to live. He wanted to return to his original world, he had to go back!
“Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…”
Pei Ji heard the young man suddenly let out a series of low, chilling laughs. He reached out, grabbed the wet hair, and lifted Song Beiyao’s head. “Did you remember something?”
Song Beiyao looked up at him, his exceptionally beautiful face now a mess, his eyes half-open, his slender neck arched at an angle as if it would break with a snap.
“Pei Ji, you can’t kill me.” Pei Ji heard Song Beiyao’s almost seductive voice, his eyes like poisoned poppies, even the tear mole at the corner of his eye was captivating.
For a moment, Pei Ji was lost in thought.
The young man smiled gently. “Because, only I know Peng Yu’s whereabouts.”
His hand suddenly loosened, and Song Beiyao’s head drooped. Before losing consciousness, he thought, That was an Oscar-worthy performance.
After a while, Pei Ji asked in a deep voice, “What do you mean by that?”
However, he received no reply.
Pei Ji looked down at the unconscious young man, a dark glint flashing in his eyes.
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Translator’s note: Bonus chapters 4, 5 and 6 are available in my Patreon~
