I Just Wanted To Live but I Somehow Became Better Than the Protagonist

“Um…” Qin Shiming’s voice was barely a whisper, like a mosquito’s buzz.

Didn’t she just say it was only once? How could there be another?

—

Ye Yong was poised to tease her, to ease her troubled spirit, when suddenly the voice of a eunuch rang out from beyond the door.

“Lord Ye Wen has arrived.”

Qin Shidream sprang up like a startled cat, hastily smoothing her rumpled clothes as she darted into the room.

Ye Yong too straightened his attire, rising to step into the courtyard outside. The yard was ablaze with torches, illuminating the many elite soldiers standing guard.

Ye Wen’s expression was grave, his steps hurried. Upon seeing Ye Yong, he lowered his voice, “The elder of the Blood Flame Sect we brought has just been found dead in the dungeon.”

At these words, Ye Yong’s gaze flickered with alarm. “Is there a traitor among us?”

“For now, we cannot say. All I know is that this is a blatant provocation against the Great Zhou Dynasty.”

The news of the capture of the Fifth Elder of the Blood Flame Sect had already spread during the day.

To capture a high-ranking elder of a demonic sect was a rare feat, stirring the righteous cultivators’ spirits and bolstering the Great Zhou’s momentum. Yet, barely a day had passed since their triumph, and now, the elder lay slain in a heavily guarded dungeon—this was undoubtedly a slap in the face for the Great Zhou.

Regrettably, the novel offered little insight into the affairs of the Great Zhou, and Ye Yong could not immediately fathom who might have struck the blow.

“Eh?” Ye Wen suddenly twitched his nose in Ye Yong’s direction, narrowing his eyes with a mischievous grin. “You little rascal, you’ve been busy, haven’t you?”

Cultivators possessed keen senses, and Ye Yong was enveloped in the fragrance of Qin Shidream. How could Ye Wen not guess what had transpired? In fact, he had likely overstepped in his assumptions.

The murder of the demonic elder was indeed significant, but to Ye Wen, it paled in comparison to Ye Yong’s newfound happiness.

“Seventh Master, you’ve misunderstood.”

“Ah, yes, yes, I’ve misunderstood.” Ye Wen chuckled heartily, not wishing to pry too deeply into the affairs of the young. Yet, he discreetly gave Ye Yong a thumbs-up. “They say those with the Ice Heart physique keep their innermost feelings frozen and locked away, never opening up. I encountered one in my youth, and they were truly aloof. Yong’er, you’ve got it made.”

“Ahem, Seventh Master, can we discuss the matter of the demonic elder? What was the cause of his death?”

When it came to serious matters, Ye Wen immediately reined in his earlier jesting, his demeanor turning solemn. “He was stabbed eighty-one times, bleeding to death. Zhou Suren has urgently ordered the entire imperial city to be sealed off, and tomorrow’s state banquet will be postponed. I’m here to protect you. To kill the elder in such a secure dungeon, the assailant must possess formidable cultivation, at least at the fifth level of transformation.”

Ye Yong nodded. As a rising star in the realm, if the one who could slay the demonic elder and thwart the Great Zhou’s momentum could come for him, then the Ye family’s prodigy might very well be assassinated within the palace. Such an event would surely create a rift between the Ye family and the Great Zhou, turning the dynasty into a complete laughingstock.

—

65 Suicide?

“I want to see the body, if that’s possible.” Ye Yong had no particular thoughts on the matter; he simply felt it resembled a locked-room murder from a detective drama. Although the suspicious areas had long been searched by those powerful in the Transformation stage, as a mere Stone-level cultivator, he was unlikely to uncover any new clues. Yet, that did not stop him from indulging in a bit of detective fantasy.

“Of course, no problem.” Ye Wen nodded in agreement. After all, the elder of the Blood Flame Sect had been cold for quite some time. Zhou Suren and the others had checked everything they needed to, finding nothing particularly noteworthy. What if his dear Yong’er had a unique insight, able to see things others could not?

“Let’s bring Shi Meng along.” With an unknown danger lurking in the palace, Ye Yong felt it safer to have the female lead by his side.

Upon returning to the room, Qin Shi Meng sat neatly in her dress, as if nothing had happened, reading a sword technique. She greeted Ye Wen with a nod as he entered.

Ye Yong recounted the murder of the Blood Flame Sect elder, and Qin Shi Meng was taken aback.

Breaking into the secret prison of the Great Zhou Dynasty, stabbing the prisoner so many times until he bled to death—clearly, the murderer was very confident in their actions, undoubtedly provoking the authority of the Great Zhou.

Curiosity piqued, Qin Shi Meng decided to follow Ye Yong and the others to the secret prison of the Great Zhou.

The secret prison could be said to be the second most heavily guarded place after the royal treasury, surrounded by layers of restrictions. Not to mention outsiders, even princes needed the Emperor’s permission to enter.

Though Ye Wen held a special status as the Emperor’s closest friend and had captured the demon sect elder himself, the guards still required the Emperor’s consent. When stopped, Ye Wen showed no displeasure; he simply tossed a communication stone to the captain of the guards. Upon hearing the Emperor’s voice, the captain immediately granted them passage.

From the dramas Ye Yong had watched, secret prisons were typically dark and damp, with the occasional sound of dripping water and scurrying rats, a stench of decay lingering in the air. But this place was different—brightly lit, both the corridors and cells constructed from high-quality materials.

The cells were transparent from the outside, allowing a clear view of the interior, yet from within, nothing could be seen outside.

Ye Yong was a traveler, not a reborn soul. He knew the script and many peculiar items, but all were mere textual descriptions. Having never seen the real thing, he couldn’t help but marvel.

A high-tech, one-way mirror of the cultivation world.

Each cell was flanked by four dedicated guards, with patrolling soldiers in the corridors. With so many moving “cameras,” even a mosquito flying in would be seen clearly. The elder of the Blood Flame Sect, Mei Renxing, had been killed in such a mocking manner in this environment—indeed, it was a slap in the face for the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Deep within the prison, the guiding guard led Ye Yong and the others to their destination, bowed, and stepped aside, ready to answer any questions.

As soon as Ye Yong entered the cell, he was hit by a strong smell of blood.

Cultivators did not need to touch the body to examine it; they could use their spiritual sense to see through it inside and out, complete with an anatomical effect.

Ye Yong did the same. The first time he had looked inward at his own meridians, he had felt quite nauseous. But since beginning his cultivation, after several internal examinations, he had grown accustomed to it.

The robes worn by the cultivators possessed the ability to prevent divine thoughts from penetrating; otherwise, the female cultivators would never need to step outside.

Mei Renxing had long since changed into the ordinary garb of a mortal prisoner, his hands and feet bound by chains of dark iron. He sat in the corner, his face as pale as paper, blood pooling around him. Ye Yong swept his divine sense over the scene and indeed discovered numerous deep gashes on Mei Renxing’s body, the most fatal being those that had severed arteries.

A being of the Transformation stage, even when gravely injured, with their cultivation sealed, their life force remained remarkably resilient. From the moment of injury to the point of bleeding out, it would take at least half an hour. Yet, none of the guards had noticed anything amiss; this was truly astonishing.

“Who found the body?” The ominous theme of a grim reaper echoed in his mind as Ye Yong’s expression turned serious, his gaze fixed on the guards.