YNRHPCYC Chapter 106

After Wen Chan finished reading the letter, his eyelids kept jumping, and he read the words over and over again before finally igniting the paper.

Xie Zhaoxue had been in Yanxiang Temple for two days and had not returned. Zhong Wenjin was worried that he had encountered some danger, so he went there too. But before he left, he at least passed a message to Wen Chan before leaving and prepared a backup plan.

Wen Chan opened the window and saw that the snow outside had still not stopped and was floating all over the sky. And the cold was biting.

It had been snowing heavily these two days, and Yanxiang Temple was built on a mountain. Perhaps Xie Zhaoxue could not come down because the mountain road was blocked by heavy snow. But Zhong Wenjin was so anxious. How could he go up the mountain in such heavy snow? 

The letter had just been delivered not long ago. If he went to stop him now, he didn’t know if he would be able to stop him.

After thinking for a while, Wen Chan called Ah Fu and asked him to prepare a carriage.

Ah Fu was stunned for a moment, “Your Highness, it’s snowing heavily outside. It is not advisable to go out……”

“The situation is urgent; there’s no time. Go quickly.” Wen Chan insisted on letting him prepare despite the dissuasion. 

Because Wen Chan always liked to go outside the palace, Ah Fu always kept a carriage prepared. Not long after the order was issued, the carriage was ready. Wen Chan got on the carriage wrapped in a thick cloak.

After leaving the palace gate, he went straight to Yanxiang Temple. The snow on the road was not thin, and the speed of the carriage was not fast. Wen Chan could only pray in his heart that Zhong Wenjin was also hindered by the snow.

He did not send anyone to notify Liang Yanbei. After all, it was a small matter. If he didn’t manage to stop Zhong Wenjin at Yanxiang Temple, he would return to the palace and think of another way and wouldn’t put himself in danger.

The wheels left traces in the snow. Due to the blizzard, there were not many pedestrians on the road. Everyone was in a hurry. When they arrived near Yanxiang Temple, there was no one, and it was very deserted. 

The carriage stopped at the foot of the stone steps leading to Yanxiang Temple. The snow here was very thick. When Wen Chan got off the carriage, one step, and he lost his calf. It was obvious that no one had set foot here. 

Ah Fu shivered and held up the umbrella. His nose and ears were red with cold, and he asked tremblingly, “Your Highness, what are you looking for?”

“It seems that no one has been here before?” Wen Chan looked around and did not see any footprints left by anyone. When he looked at it, it was all snow.

“On this cold day, with such a thick snow cover, naturally, no one will come to Yanxiang Temple.” Ah Fu said.

“Could it be that we were one step faster than Zhong Wenjin?” Wen Chan asked himself in surprise. Xiao Xie Mansion was obviously closer to Yanxiang Temple than the palace. It took a long time from the time the letter was delivered to the palace to the time Wen Chan prepared the carriage. Unless Zhong Wenjin walked here by himself, it would be impossible for him to fall behind.

Shu Hua said, “If Your Highness is waiting for someone, you should get in the carriage and wait. Be careful not to catch a cold.”

Qin Qi echoed in agreement from the side.

Wen Chan did feel cold, but he still looked around carefully to confirm whether anyone had been here before.

But he really couldn’t see any footprints, so he turned around and wanted to go back to the carriage to wait.

As soon as he turned around, the surrounding scenery suddenly changed. The first thing Wen Chan noticed was that the carriage in front of him was gone. He looked up and immediately broke into a cold sweat.

The snow had stopped, and there was a slight cold wind blowing.

The place where the carriage was originally parked turned into a white snowfield, as if nothing had ever existed there. 

He looked around in surprise but saw that Ah Fu, Qin Qi, and Shu Hua had disappeared without a sound too, and there was no one around. 

Faced with such a strange phenomenon, Wen Chan was a little panicked, but he managed to keep it under control on the surface and calmly looked around the environment he was in.

The place where the carriage was originally parked turned into an endless snowfield, and the place where the stone steps should be turned into a narrow winding path. There was snow on both sides of the road, and at the end of the winding road, there was a house with a red-tiled roof.

Clearly, there was a path to take.

Wen Chan stood still and pondered for a while. He did not want to take risks. So he walked forward along the narrow, winding path. After walking a dozen steps, he turned around on a whim and saw a horrifying scene.

The road he had walked on had turned into a snowfield. 

This was a road with no way back.

Wen Chan took a deep breath and continued to walk forward, walking very slowly and paying attention to every move beside him.

He was getting closer and closer to the house. When he could see the red-roofed house completely, Wen Chan realised that what was in front of him was the Yanxiang Temple. 

The three big, bright, golden characters printed on the plaque made Wen Chan stop in his tracks all at once, and he dared not move forward. 

There was a demonic aura inside and outside this Yanxiang Temple. Once you step inside, it’s hard to say what strange things might happen.

The gate of Yanxiang Temple was closed, which made him feel it to be eerie and terrifying for no reason.

The wind was getting stronger and stronger, and the cold air stung his face, causing him pain. Wen Chan almost couldn’t help but shiver with cold, but he still refused to move forward. Until he felt something strange on his feet. 

Looking down, he found that the snow had buried his feet at some point, and there seemed to be something squirming inside, desperately drilling into Wen Chan’s boots, trying to get in.

Wen Chan was startled and hurriedly jumped forward twice to shake off the snow on his shoes. Before he stopped, he saw the snow slowly crawling towards him as if it had life.

Not daring to stop still, Wen Chan had to bite the bullet and move forward. But this time, something was chasing him from behind, so Wen Chan’s steps became much faster, and he soon reached the door of Yanxiang Temple.

He calmed his scared state of mind and raised his hand to knock on the door.

The sound of knocking on the door seemed extremely abrupt in this silent and awful situation. Wen Chan took two steps back and took a defensive posture. His heart was in a knot, fearing that the one who would open the door for him would be a hideous monster.

But it was not.

After he knocked on the door a few times, the door opened quickly, and a short little monk poked his head out. After seeing Wen Chan, he suddenly smiled brightly and opened the door completely.

Wen Chan breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that, fortunately, he still looked like a normal person.

The little monk’s smile was weird, and he said in a childish voice, “Your Highness, you are finally here.”

He asked, “Who are you?” Or what kind of monster are you?

The little monk didn’t answer him but only said, “Your Highness, go in. The master has been waiting for a long time.”

“What will happen if I don’t go in?” Wen Chan asked very bluntly.

The little monk continued to smile and pointed at the snow behind him, “If you don’t go in, those things will catch up with you.”

He looked back, and sure enough, he saw that the snow was already very close to him, almost rushing in before him.

There was no choice for Wen Chan but to sigh and step through the door.

As soon as he entered the door, a strong wind blew in his face. Wen Chan raised his sleeves to block the wind and squinted his eyes slightly, wondering where this evil wind came from. 

The wind was just a gust, and after it blew through, it slowly diminished. Wen Chan put down his sleeves and looked, and his heart suddenly sank.

He knew there was something strange in Yanxiang Temple.

He saw that the surrounding scenery had turned into a wasteland, with withered yellow grass on the ground and a large open space around him. The whole wasteland surrounded him in the centre.

What place is this?

The sun was hanging high in the sky, but the sunlight was not warm. Instead, it made Wen Chan feel a little cold. He didn’t know whether to walk around or stay still on the spot for a while.

“Your Ninth Royal Highness.” A woman’s voice came from behind.

Wen Chan recognised this voice, and suddenly his whole body stiffened. He prepared himself mentally.

“Why doesn’t Your Highness dare to look back?” The woman called again. 

Wen Chan knew that he couldn’t avoid it. After repeatedly preparing himself mentally, he looked back. Even though he had prepared himself mentally, he was still frightened by the scene in front of him.

There were two women standing in front of him, dressed cleanly.

One of them had a face covered with horrible scars, as if her flesh had been severely cut by a blade so deep that the bones were visible, revealing the glaring blood-red flesh, and her face was unrecognisable.

The other one’s face was as white as snow, without a trace of life. Her eyes, which should have been black, were now grey. She stared at Wen Chan with resentment on her face.

The woman with scars of all sizes on her face laughed and said, “Does Your Highness still recognise me?”

This laugh was full of gloom. Wen Chan endured the goose bumps and answered seriously, “I can’t recognise you just by looking at your face. But I can recognise you by listening to your voice.”

After a pause, he tentatively asked, “Concubine Mei?”

She laughed loudly when she heard it, and her whole face became more hideous and ugly. The flesh on her face was even shaking, which looked disgusting. She said fiercely, “That’s right! Do you see my face? It’s all thanks to you!”

Wen Chan immediately retorted, expressing his innocence, “How can it be all thanks to me? It’s obvious that it was you and Zhong Wenting who were having an affair and were discovered by my father!”

“If you hadn’t designed to frame me, how could the matter have been exposed?” She stretched out her hand and pointed at Wen Chan angrily. There were also dense wounds on the back of her hand, and she was like a filleted fish, shaking its blood-red scales.

Wen Chan felt more and more uncomfortable the more he looked at her, so he simply turned his gaze aside, “That wasn’t my plan either.”

Liang Yanbei, I’m sorry. You have to take over for now.

When he turned his eyes, Wen Chan realised that the woman who had been staring at him coldly was actually the maid he had intended to send out before.

As soon as he met her grey eyes, the maid spoke, “Your Highness, how can you be so cruel? Didn’t you also praise my eyes as being like crabapple flowers?”

Wen Chan was silent for a moment and decided to tell the truth,”Your eyes are bloody. Isn’t that just what crabapple flowers look like?”

“I’m really curious, how did Your Highness find me?” The palace maid asked. 

He only felt that the two women would first question him in turn and then pounce on him together to attack him. In order not to be killed by surprise, Wen Chan grabbed the dagger hidden in his sleeve while speaking.

He said calmly, “You and the assassin are sisters, right?”

The maid was a little surprised and didn’t answer.

“Your eyes are so similar. The assassin who tried to assassinate me that day had covered her entire face, leaving only a pair of eyes. When I saw you, I immediately thought of her. I had originally thought it would take a lot of effort to find out the mole in the palace, but your eyes saved me a lot of trouble.” Wen Chan explained to the maid patiently, like a teacher answering questions for his students. 

At the end, he even asked, “Do you understand?”

The maid’s expression suddenly became distorted after hearing this, “Sister, it was my sister…… My sister was killed by you. She was going to kill you but ended up with her body and head separated…….”

“She deserved it.” Wen Chan muttered in a low voice.

“Oh! That’s right!” The maid’s face became happy, as if she remembered something, “Your Highness, I want to show you something!”

Wen Chan thought to himself: Can I refuse? I don’t really want to see it.

However, without waiting for him to speak, the palace girl stretched out her hand and pulled her collar apart, revealing her pale skin. There was a hideous scar hidden in her collar, which ran across her entire neck and was sutured with thread in a clumsy way. It looked terrifying.

“I was beheaded too! But I survived, but my sister didn’t!” The maid became a little crazy, “Why! Why!”

Wen Chan saw the glaring sutured wound and quietly hid the dagger, thinking to himself: Why fight? Escape is the best strategy. These two people in front of him were not human at all! 

The maid’s emotions became crazier and crazier. Her voice was sharp, and later it turned into a shrill and strange cry, which was harsh and unpleasant. Concubine Mei beside her also started screaming at the top of her voice as if she were infected.

Wen Chan was tortured enough by these voices, covered his ears, and shouted, frowning, “Stop screaming!”

As soon as this sound fell, the two women suddenly flew over, their whole bodies off the ground, with blackened nails stretched out, one rushing for his neck and the other for his chest.

As expected, they were going to attack him together! 

Wen Chan was already on guard. So he stepped back slightly and, at the same time, drew out the dagger, intending to cut off the pairs of palms first.

However, something strange happened. Just as the two of them were about to rush in front of Wen Chan, a faint golden light flashed by, and the two women suddenly seemed to have been thrown away by a huge force, and they let out blood-curdling screeches at the same time. 

Wen Chan was also a little stunned and put down the raised dagger.

As soon as the two women fell to the ground, they bounced straight up again. Concubine Mei was still afraid and did not dare to rush up again. However, the palace maid looked like she hated Wen Chan so much that she had lost her reason and rushed up again. 

But this time, a black iron scimitar flew straight from Wen Chan’s behind and stabbed the palace maid’s chest.

The scimitar carried great force and instantly knocked the palace maid’s body away. She screamed again as black smoke came out of the wound on her chest, and she then stopped moving after rolling on the ground once.

Concubine Mei’s expression instantly became distorted. Wen Chan didn’t know what her expression was, but he guessed that it might be fear.

A black robe flashed by, bringing a gust of cool wind when passing by Wen Chan, and it went straight to Concubine Mei, so fast that they had no time to react. 

The black-robed man drew out his scimitar as he passed by the palace maid and came to Concubine Mei in the blink of an eye. He then raised the knife and inserted it neatly into Concubine Mei’s heart.

There was also a plume of black smoke, and Concubine Mei’s body fell softly to the ground as if her bones had melted and she had no life left.

The noisy voice disappeared, and only the sound of the wind was left.

The black-robed man bent over and took back the scimitar, turned around, still wearing the cold mask, and the eyes under the mask looked straight at Wen Chan.

A hoarse voice sounded, “Why are you here?”

Wen Chan paused and hid the dagger, “I don’t know either.”

The black-robed man said, “I’ll take you out.”

With that, he turned around, stepped over Concubine Mei’s corpse, and walked off in a certain direction.

Wen Chan knew that he had no ill intentions, so he hurried to follow. In order to prevent the palace maid and Concubine Mei from suddenly sitting up and grabbing his feet again, he also deliberately bypassed the bodies of the two.

He and the black-robed man were very silent on the road, and there was no communication between the two.

After walking for a while, they actually walked through the desolate forest, and the red-roofed Yanxiang Temple appeared in front of them.

When the two walked to the front of the temple, the black-robed man directly stretched out his hand and opened the door. There was a misty blur outside the door, and he couldn’t see the scene clearly at all.

He turned slightly to the side and said, “Let’s go.”

Wen Chan only hesitated for a moment. The man in the black robe didn’t look like he would harm him. If we can go out, we will go out. If we don’t go out, could it be worse?

Thinking about it, he resolutely crossed the threshold.

Translator’s corner

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