Chapter 031: He Would Accept This Kindness
—"Don’t be afraid."
Even with Wei Wanlan’s slow reactions, he could still sense, from the Regent's words and actions, a comforting strength beyond mere mutual use.
Su Jingzhi was comforting him.
Once, he had regarded the Regent as a villain, standing firmly against him.
But now, unexpectedly and without warning, he was met with the Regent's show of goodwill.
Wei Wanlan stiffened even more.
**[Why haven't you acted yet? If you let Qin Zhen kill the Regent later, you’ll lose your chance to offer your loyalty!]**
**[Host, you’re not seriously thinking that the Regent came here just to save you, right? What are you even thinking? He’s here for the Emperor. He has to secure the Emperor. This has nothing to do with you.]**
The system, fearing Wei Wanlan might mess things up again, ruthlessly shocked him twice.
*Crackle, crackle!*
"I understand."
He looked up again.
At this moment, facing the Regent, Wei Wanlan saw Su Jingzhi’s pale, weary appearance for the first time, with his eyes devoid of light.
He couldn’t possibly resist such a deadly poison.
Wei Wanlan activated the hidden weapon.
The poison needle was only half a foot away from Su Jingzhi’s body. The gap was closing, inch by inch, even closer now.
Wei Wanlan felt immense psychological pressure, as if something was blocking his throat, making it hard to breathe.
But Su Jingzhi didn’t notice the poison needle. Instead, he mouthed the words again, even more clearly: "Don’t be afraid, Xiao Wan."
Wei Wanlan’s tears could no longer be held back.
He had always been timid, very timid. Even though he knew that the Regent saving him might have ulterior motives, in this moment, he truly wished someone would come to comfort him, to gently tell him not to be afraid.
So, the Regent’s words of comfort were exactly what he needed. Whether true or false, they struck his heart.
The fact that the Regent came alone to save him was undeniable, and for that, Wei Wanlan was willing to accept this kindness, even if it was self-deception.
**[Is the Regent dead yet?]**
But Wei Wanlan retracted the mechanism on the assassination ring.
"I don’t want to side with Qin Zhen. The East City gang almost sold me out."
**[It’s because Qin Zhen is an idiot that I wanted you to side with him! Otherwise, once the Regent recovers, when have you ever gotten the better of him?!]**
404, the system reopened the mechanism on the assassination ring.
Wei Wanlan now held the poison needle in his hand.
The click of the mechanism finally caught the Regent’s attention. Su Jingzhi lowered his gaze and saw that Wei Wanlan was pointing a sharp needle at him, the tip glinting coldly. The poison needle was between the two of them, hidden from everyone else’s view.
Su Jingzhi’s pupils contracted.
His look of disbelief made Wei Wanlan’s heart ache with guilt. He couldn’t move forward anymore, his hand trembling.
**[He’s already seen the weapon. Whether you kill him or not, you must do it. Otherwise, he’ll surely kill you to eliminate any future threats. Host, this is a power struggle story.]**
"But Qin Zhen has a scar. I don’t like men with scars."
**[Nonsense.]**
"In any case, I hate Qin Zhen! I’ve already decided—I bet that the Regent will win from the start, and I won’t change my mind. This time, I’m standing with the Regent. Please step back."
With that, Wei Wanlan clicked the mechanism on the assassination ring shut again.
**[You fool!]**
If Wei Wanlan was just throwing a tantrum, the system could shock him.
But the system's role was to analyze the pros and cons and guide the host to become a wise ruler, not to make all the decisions for him.
The emperor's temper, personality, and the unique governance style he would develop in the future were things 404 could not deny or erase.
In reality, whether to heed 404’s advice was up to the emperor. The Great Wei Empire needed an emperor with his own will.
404 fell into silence.
It realized that despite Wei Wanlan’s odd thinking, clumsiness, and tendency to cry like a fragile flower—less resilient than even some strong-willed girls—he did, in fact, have a temper. There had been many instances before where the system couldn’t change his mind.
**[As you command.]**
Wei Wanlan sighed and met Su Jingzhi’s gaze. The villainous Regent grabbed the hand wearing the assassination ring.
His hand was held tightly by Su Jingzhi, the cold fingers of the Regent clutching his knuckles, gripping the spiked ring.
"Your Majesty..."
Wei Wanlan’s fingertips trembled.
If canceling the assassination could ease his guilt towards the Regent, he still didn’t know how to explain his initial intent to kill him. Surely, the villain would be furious?
Would he, in a fit of rage before the final battle with Qin Zhen, kill him first?
Even if he didn’t kill him, would he break his fingers?
No, no, I don’t want to lose a finger, *QAQ*.
Wei Wanlan gave Su Jingzhi a pleading look. "Regent, don’t act rashly. Let’s think about how to deal with them, wuwu..."
But Su Jingzhi simply pinched his finger, slipping the ring off, and whispered in a voice only Wei Wanlan could hear:
"What are you thinking? I’ll act. You don’t need to watch."
Wei Wanlan: "???"
---
"—Kill them!!!"
Qin Zhen’s rebels charged forward.
The blades in their hands were sharp, glinting like frost as they slashed at the carriage. The ornate wood of the carriage broke apart, revealing clean-cut surfaces.
Wei Wanlan was grabbed by the Regent and tossed to the side of the alley, the relatively safest spot.
Su Jingzhi drew his sword, dodging four or five lethal strikes from the rebels.
The blows were so heavy that the blades got stuck in the cracks of the wall, making a dull thudding sound as dust rained down from above.
The rebels hesitated for a moment before trying to pull their blades free. In that instant, silver light flashed, and screams echoed. The blades and arms of the rebels were left embedded in the wall, while the rebels, now missing arms, stared in terror and madness.
"Ah—"
With one slash, Su Jingzhi cut through, and blood splattered the ground in an arc.
Wei Wanlan, terrified, instinctively covered his face with his hands, wishing he could shrink into the wall itself. Then, he heard another blade unsheathed.
It was Qin Zhen himself, stepping forward:
"Su Yan is gravely injured. He won’t last much longer. Kill the Regent! Capture the little emperor, and we’ll win!!!"
Rebel footsteps approached Wei Wanlan.
He shrank further into the corner.
But the footsteps stopped abruptly as Su Jingzhi spun and swung his sword in an arc, forcing the rebels back. Two rebel bodies fell in front of Wei Wanlan.
A bloodied hand nearly touched his foot.
Wei Wanlan’s heart nearly leapt out of his chest!
At that moment, Qin Zhen advanced, his expression dark and his sword striking fierce. He knew that Su Jingzhi, in his current state, couldn’t fight him for much longer, so every move was delivered with deadly force.
The heavy clashes echoed in Wei Wanlan’s ears.
He feared that in the next moment, he would hear the sickening sound of someone being cut down, blood splattering and bones cracking.
Then, a sharp metallic clang rang out—a sword had been knocked away. The blade embedded itself in the ground, still vibrating and humming loudly.
Wei Wanlan opened his eyes, stunned—Su Jingzhi’s sword had been disarmed by Qin Zhen!
Subconsciously, he knew that this coup was dangerous.
But he had never imagined that the Regent would lose. Even when the Regent was struck by an arrow earlier, he had a strong premonition that the villain wouldn’t lose to Qin Zhen.
Yet the outcome was beyond his expectations—the Regent was now without a weapon.
Wei Wanlan could feel the looming threat of death.
Qin Zhen revealed a menacing smile, rotating his wrist as he prepared for another deadly strike:
"Su Yan, how does it feel to be at someone’s mercy? From now on, I will take your place!"
The blade cut through the air, heavy and oppressive.
But the sound of a strike landing never came.
Wei Wanlan opened his eyes.
He saw Qin Zhen’s once triumphant face gradually freeze, his eyes widening as his pupils shrank to trembling dots. His throat emitted a final, unwilling gurgle:
"Su—Yan—"
Su Jingzhi had abandoned his sword, freeing his hands to grab Qin Zhen’s wrist at just the right moment. Hidden in his hand was the assassination ring, the poisoned spike piercing through a gap in Qin Zhen’s armor.
The Regent twisted the venomous spike within Qin Zhen’s skin.
"Mm."
"..."
Qin Zhen’s eyes never closed, remaining half-open. Whatever he wanted to say, he would never say again.
---
With Qin Zhen dead, the remaining rebels scattered in panic.
Su Jingzhi retracted the faint red glow from his palm, resetting the mechanism on the assassination ring. He turned and removed the ring, his gaze sweeping over the trembling Wei Wanlan in the corner, and walked toward him.
Wei Wanlan became even more frightened.
He lowered his head and bit down hard on his lip. Great, now that the villain had killed Qin Zhen, was he going to settle the score and take revenge for the assassination attempt?
Su Jingzhi approached, lifting Wei Wanlan’s hand. "I didn’t expect you’d have a hidden weapon for self-defense."
Wei Wanlan: "..." Actually, it wasn’t for self-defense; it was meant to kill you.
Of course, he didn’t dare say that to the Regent’s face.
Wei Wanlan bit his lip and nodded, a fleeting look of guilt and confusion passing through his eyes. But to an outsider, it appeared as nothing more than a shy and docile expression.
"Hmm."
"Next time, pick a different self-defense tool. This one is too tricky to handle—you might accidentally stab yourself."
Is he mocking me?
Or is he genuinely concerned?
Wei Wanlan couldn’t quite grasp the hidden meaning behind Su Jingzhi’s words.
**[At that moment, the Regent thought you were demonstrating how to use the assassination ring.]**
Wei Wanlan: ??????
—Then this misunderstanding is way too big!!!
The Regent held his small hand aloft. Wei Wanlan lowered his eyes, watching as Su Jingzhi’s cold fingers gently squeezed the soft skin around his finger, trying to slip the assassination ring back on.
Wei Wanlan nearly exploded into a ball of nervous energy.
"No, no, no, no! Wearing a ring is not okay, *QAQ*..."
Wei Wanlan’s face was tear-streaked, filled with terror.
But in Su Jingzhi’s eyes, this was utterly baffling.
The Regent’s hand, poised in midair to put the ring back on, hesitated. He couldn’t understand what the little emperor was thinking, so he just assumed that Wei Wanlan was still traumatized by the earlier bloody scene. After all, the little one had always been a bit dim-witted.
Su Jingzhi, for once, showed rare patience and gently asked, "Is there something wrong with giving you back the ring?"
"No, no, no, no!" Wei Wanlan was scared to death. This must not be exposed, or with the way Su Jingzhi had just handled Qin Zhen, the next second that poison needle would be piercing through his own skin, and the emperor of the Great Wei would be in grave danger.
He had no choice but to extend his trembling hand: "Go ahead, put it on..."
So Su Jingzhi turned the ring, adjusting its angle until the ruby was perfectly aligned, the red gem contrasting sharply with Wei Wanlan’s pale skin, making it seem almost luminous.
Su Jingzhi paused for a moment, then slowly slid the golden band back onto his finger.
But sensing that Wei Wanlan still had some psychological hurdle, making him uncooperative, Su Jingzhi had to hold his hand steady, keeping him from moving. While putting the ring back on, he noticed the little thing’s trembling nose.
He really did resemble a small animal.
The kind that looked alert and clever, but was actually clumsy and a bit dull.
Su Jingzhi’s lips curled ever so slightly.
What he didn’t know was that, inside, Wei Wanlan was filled with pure terror:
—A thousand years ago, dear Regent of the Great Wei, do you know that placing a ring on someone’s ring finger in our modern world has a very significant meaning?
*Wuwu.*
My finger’s purity is now lost, *QAQ*.
😂 finger's purity
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