Chapter 47
Fate, however, had never been kind to them.
The morning after their quiet confession, the small hidden house was no longer hidden.
Someone had found them.
The attack came without warning.
A sharp whistle cut through the air.
“Zhou Yichen!”
Before Zhuo Yichen could react, Zhao Yuanzhou moved.
An arrow streaked toward Yichen’s heart.
Zhao caught it with his bare hand.
The impact forced him back a step.
Blood immediately dripped from his palm.
Yichen’s face changed.
“Zhao Yuanzhou!”
But the demon’s expression had already darkened.
The arrow itself wasn’t ordinary.
Its tip was covered in countless tiny barbs.
The moment it pierced Zhao Yuanzhou’s skin, a sinister seal activated.
In the distance, Wen Zongyu emerged from the shadows.
“It is finished.”
Zhao Yuanzhou looked down at his bleeding hand.
Then froze.
He couldn’t feel it.
His sense of touch had vanished.
The final seal.
The fifth sense.
Gone.
For a heartbeat, the world became terrifyingly quiet.
Then something inside him ignited.
The Undying Wood.
The fire that had slept within him for thousands of years.
Without the restraint of his five senses, rage erupted from the depths of his soul.
Spiritual energy exploded outward.
The earth cracked.
Trees shattered.
The sky darkened.
Yichen immediately stepped forward.
“Zhao Yuanzhou!”
Golden eyes met his.
For a moment, Yichen couldn’t recognize them.
The anger.
The endless fury.
All of it surged together.
A terrifying force burst from Zhao Yuanzhou’s body and rushed toward Wen Zongyu.
The ground split beneath his feet.
Wen Zongyu remained calm.
As if he had anticipated everything.
Suddenly-
a figure appeared between them.
Zhen Mei.
His blade blocked Zhao Yuanzhou’s attack.
The collision shook the valley.
For several breaths, neither side moved.
Then Zhao Yuanzhou looked toward Yichen one final time.
A single glance.
Painful.
Conflicted.
Almost apologetic.
And then-
he disappeared.
Vanishing into the distance.
Leaving only scattered spiritual energy behind.
“Zhao!”
Yichen’s voice echoed across the mountains.
But the demon was already gone.
Gone before he could lose himself completely.
Gone before he could hurt the people he wanted to protect.
Gone before Yichen could reach him.
The court moved quickly.
The Prime Minister’s death had already shaken Tiandu.
The bloodied carriage.
The false evidence.
The accusations.
Everything pointed toward him.
Within days, Zhuo Yichen found himself imprisoned beneath Tiandu.
Cold iron bars.
Stone walls.
A dungeon built for criminals.
The former Commander sat quietly inside.
Across from him sat another prisoner.
Pei Sijing.
She laughed bitterly.
“We really have terrible luck.”
Yichen leaned against the wall.
“You noticed that now?”
She sighed.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then her expression grew serious.
“What about Zhao Yuanzhou?”
The question lingered heavily between them.
Outside, rumors spread like wildfire.
The great demon had escaped.
The great demon had lost control.
The great demon would bring disaster.
Pei Sijing lowered her voice.
“If his rage takes over completely…”
She didn’t finish.
She didn’t need to.
Both understood.
The consequences would be catastrophic.
Yichen closed his eyes briefly.
Then answered.
“Not yet.”
Pei Sijing looked up.
“The power Ying Zhao left behind is still suppressing him.”
“And the jade elixir is helping stabilize the Undying Wood.”
❄️❄️❄️❄️✨✨✨✨✨⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️
Pei Sijing sat against the stone wall, arms folded.
“If Zhao Yuanzhou is still conscious… where would he go?”
Zhuo Yichen lowered his gaze.
There wasn’t even a moment of hesitation.
“Taoyuan Residence.”
Pei Sijing looked up.
“The hidden residence?”
Yichen nodded.
“He set up barriers there himself.”
“Ordinary people can’t enter.”
“Even cultivators would struggle to find it.”
His expression slowly darkened.
Then another thought surfaced.
Something that had been bothering him since his arrest.
“No…”
Pei Sijing frowned.
“What?”
Yichen looked toward the prison bars.
“How did they find us?”
Silence.
“We never told anyone.”
His brows knitted together.
“The location was hidden.”
“The barrier concealed it.”
“Only Zhao Yuanzhou and I knew where we were.”
Pei Sijing’s expression became serious.
Someone had leaked it.
Or someone had been watching them all along.
Neither possibility was reassuring.
Far away, hidden among mountains and forests, Taoyuan Residence stood quietly beneath the morning mist.
Inside the courtyard, Zhao Yuanzhou sat cross-legged beneath a peach tree.
Blood stained his sleeves.
The wound on his palm had long since healed.
But the damage remained.
His five senses had been sealed.
The Undying Wood burned fiercely within him.
Dark energy swirled around his body.
Whispers echoed endlessly.
Destroy.
Kill.
Burn.
Let the world suffer.
Let it hurt as you have hurt.
His fingers trembled.
The temptation was overwhelming.
A single lapse in concentration and everything would be lost.
The dark energy surged again.
Visions flashed before him.
Blood flooding streets.
Mountains collapsing.
The human realm screaming beneath his wrath.
His breathing became uneven.
Then-
he remembered Yichen.
The image appeared suddenly.
Clear as daylight.
Yichen standing in the kitchen.
Complaining.
Scolding him.
The memory almost made him laugh.
Another followed.
The two of them brewing wine together.
Yichen insisting he knew exactly what he was doing.
Then accidentally spilling half of it.
Blaming Zhao afterward.
Naturally.
A faint smile appeared on Zhao Yuanzhou’s face.
The darkness faltered.
Just slightly.
“Yichen…”
His voice was hoarse.
The whispers became louder.
But he ignored them.
Instead, he clung to every memory.
The fireworks in Sinan Water Town.
The sword dances.
The arguments.
The late-night conversations.
The cliff beneath the stars.
The kiss.
The promise.
For the first time in centuries, Zhao Yuanzhou had something stronger than despair.
Something stronger than guilt.
Love.
The dark energy crashed against his mind once more.
He gritted his teeth.
“No.”
The peach blossoms trembled.
The ground cracked beneath him.
But he refused to yield.
Because if he lost himself now-
everything Yichen had fought for would disappear.
❄️❄️❄️✨✨✨✨⚔️⚔️
Back in Tiandu, the prison doors suddenly opened.
Several ministers entered.
Their expressions were full of contempt.
One of them laughed.
“Commander Zhuo.”
Another sneered.
“Or perhaps we should call you the Prime Minister’s assassin?”
The group burst into laughter.
Yichen remained seated.
The oldest minister smirked.
“They say you were found in his carriage.”
“Covered in blood.”
Another added loudly:
“Perhaps that’s how you killed him.”
The room filled with ugly laughter.
“Well…”
The minister shrugged.
“What else can an omega do?”
“Seduce.”
“Manipulate.”
“Cause trouble.”
More laughter.
Pei Sijing’s expression immediately darkened.
But before she could speak-
Yichen calmly raised his head.
Sharp enough to silence anyone with actual courage.
Unfortunately, these men had none.
“You speak of morality.”
“But every word from your mouths smells rotten.”
“You cover yourselves in lies.”
“You close your eyes to truth.”
“You condemn people before hearing facts.”
His gaze settled on each minister one by one.
“And yet you call yourselves righteous.”
“Still trying to defend yourself?”
Another laughed nervously.
“We won’t fall for your beauty, Commander Zhuo.”
This time Yichen actually looked confused.
Then mildly offended.
“Good.”
The ministers blinked.
Yichen folded his arms.
“I wasn’t trying to impress any of the filth like you.”
The ministers looked ready to explode.
But Yichen merely turned away.
“The truth will prevail.”
His voice echoed through the dungeon.
“Whether you like it or not.”