Book One: Intrigue in the Imperial Capital - A Millennium-Old Wish (Part Two)

"Cough, cough..."

Si Nan Cheng walked through the somewhat empty Si Nan Main Family, his face slightly flushed and coughing incessantly, clearly having caught a cold.

This wasn't an act; it was real. He deliberately caught a cold so he would have a legitimate reason to stay home while his two older brothers left for the palace.

It must be admitted that killing Si Nan Feng was indeed a bit too hasty; given his cunning, he shouldn't have been in such a rush.

But what's done is done, and this is the beginning— Si Nan Cheng felt he couldn't delay any longer and had to act quickly to eliminate his eldest and third brothers!

Among the four young masters, Si Nan Cheng was undoubtedly the most mature.

He understood the adage "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down," and that the more capable a person is, the more others will fear them. He had known this principle for a long time.

So from the age of seven, he began to feign stupidity, ignorance, and cowardice, enduring all kinds of frustration and humiliation.

The effect was remarkable; his reputation as a good-for-nothing spread far and wide. His three older brothers firmly believed that "Si Nan Cheng is a useless good-for-nothing" and were completely unguarded against him. In particular, Si Nan Ganming even wanted to use him to cultivate a good puppet for himself.

Whenever Si Nan Ganming smugly deceived him, Si Nan Cheng couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

Who is using whom? Who is whose puppet?

Thanks to his elder brothers' disdain, Si Nan Cheng had the opportunity to secretly collude with various forces and win over people from the other three young masters' camps. Gong Yan was one of the talents he recruited.

Now that his two older brothers aren't around, he needs to quickly make some arrangements.

"What are you doing, Ah Cheng?"

Si Nan Cheng trembled. It was an extremely familiar voice, so familiar that he loathed it.

"You have a cold, why aren't you staying in bed?"

Si Nan Ganming questioned.

"G-G -Gan Ming?" Si Nan Cheng instantly adjusted his facial expression, reverting to his timid baby face. "I read in a book that it's not good to stay still when you have a cold, so I wanted to go for a walk..."

"Heh, that does sound like something you would do."

"Compared to this Gan Ming, didn't you go to watch the clan competition?"

"I turned back halfway because, for some reason, I felt very uneasy."

"Disturbed?"

"Yes... I had a strange dream last night, a dream that made me think about another possibility, although the possibility is extremely slim..."

"Another possibility?"

"It was about my second brother's murder that made me realize that both my eldest brother and I have a blind spot."

"Blind spot? What blind spot?"

"Is that even a question? Of course it's—" Si Nan Ganming suddenly pointed at Si Nan Cheng, his eyes turning cold and sharp, "You!"

"Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh!? Me? How could this be? I, how could I dare to kill my second brother! It's simply impossible!"

Si Nan Cheng's comical round face was covered in sweat, and he was flailing his arms and legs wildly—of course, this was all acting.

"Can't do it? Yeah... You have no power, no connections, and no ability. It would be strange if you could do it. Looks like I was overthinking it."

Si Nan Ganming shrugged and turned to leave.

"Haha, I knew it Gan Ming, stop joking with me!"

Si Nancheng smiled honestly and turned away.

One step, two steps, three steps.

The two stopped at the same time, as if by unspoken agreement.

Then, a hidden door in the corridor opened, and their men rushed out, lunging at their opponent.

Victor Cleon.

The most dazzling genius in the Cleon Family in a hundred years. After returning from studying at the Central United Academy in his youth, he firmly held the position of the strongest in the family. In the entire capital, only Si Nan Changzheng of the Si Nan Family could rival him.

Forty years ago, the Si Nan Family and the Cleon Family had an irreconcilable conflict. In the end, the two super strong people engaged in a decisive battle, which turned the capital upside down. Si Nan Changzheng finally succeeded in killing Victor on the outskirts of the capital.

Since then, the Cleon Family's strength has greatly diminished. Already lacking in intelligence, they have also lost their strongest member and were finally completely suppressed by the Si Nan Family.

And now--

"Victor ...it really is you...why, I clearly thought it was you..."

"You clearly—what did you do to me? Killed me?"

Si Nan Changzheng clutched his chest and collapsed to the ground, barely managing to conjure a "pump" in the hole in his chest using mimicry mass, temporarily replacing his heart to maintain blood flow.

Haiton —no, it should be Victor —walked expressionlessly toward Si Nan Changzheng, surrounded by the four elements of lightning, fire, ice, and wind, radiating a world-destroying pressure.

"That's right, I killed you, right outside the capital! I even confirmed your body! There's no mistake!"

"--However, it turns out you were wrong, Nagamasa. Haven't you ever heard of 'twins'?"

Si Nan Changzheng was taken aback.

"Twins? No, impossible! The intelligence from back then never mentioned that you were a twin! You never mentioned it when we were classmates either!"

"Yes, I was surprised too—it wasn't until the night before our final battle that the Patriarch told me—that I actually have a twin brother, and that so-called brother is my... best substitute!"

"Substitute..."

"I was shocked when I first found out. It turns out everything was arranged when I was born. Twin brothers, one of them had to go! The talented older brother received the best resources and the best education; while the mediocre younger brother was not raised like a human being. He had no name, no power, and not even the most basic personality. He existed only to be a substitute for his older brother! Can you imagine how I felt when I found out about this!?"

"Victor ..."

"Thousands of years of struggle have taught the Cleon Family one thing: never try to defeat the Si Nan Family head-on! A head-on battle will not end well! Not to mention that I was indeed slightly inferior to you in combat power back then. If I were to fight you head-on, I would most likely lose. Even if I won, I would be severely weakened and unable to fight again. Therefore, it is wise to avoid trouble for now!"

The former Patriarch began planning this a long time ago! The key to the plan lies with four people—me, my twin brother, Connie, and Haiton!

When I fought you, I went to the outskirts of the city not to escape, but because the Patriarch had left my younger brother there beforehand! After I successfully faked my death, I underwent a full plastic surgery, from my face to my body! In the end, I became this pathetic mess! And that's not all. Even if strong people like us honestly hide, we still can't help but emit energy fluctuations, so disguise alone won't fool you!

And so came Connie and Haiton! Connie's power was to swap souls, while Haiton was a truly mediocre person. According to the plan, she swapped my soul with Haiton's! In this way, Haiton's soul entered my body. He still used the identity of Haiton, only the body was mine. He used my body to enter the court and become prime minister! As for my soul, it hid in Haiton's body, deep within the Cleon Family, recuperating and resting!

And so, my 'body' was taken into the palace, while my soul remained safe—those whose souls are swapped are unable to use supernatural abilities because their spirit and body are out of sync. If they can't use supernatural abilities, even the Si Nan Family won't be able to find me!"

"You... I see! The Cleon Family's constant provocations and trouble-making weren't just to divert our attention from the palace, but also to—draw me out!"

"Indeed! The Beast Tide in Winter Arrival City, the conflicts between various forces in the capital, and the provocations during the clan competition—all of these were designed to create a sense of crisis for the Si Nan Family! Especially under the cover of the Shielding Device, you can't detect any intelligence, which will greatly intensify your sense of crisis. When it reaches a certain point, they will definitely ask you for help, wanting you to step forward and intimidate everyone! In this way, we have successfully lured you, who was hiding in the Si Nan Main Family's main residence, to the palace, to this place where my body is hidden! The moment you revealed a weakness, Connie swapped my soul back, so that my soul also entered this battlefield, able to deliver a fatal blow to you when you revealed a weakness! So much effort, so many sacrifices, all for this moment of success!"

So much effort,

So many sacrifices,

This is all for the sake of achieving this moment of success!