The Barbarian Prefecture Massacre

Half an hour later.

When Su Qingyang leisurely made his way back toward his eastern courtyard, he had already questioned three eunuchs.

The answers he received were almost identical, with no real differences.

"First, it was certain that he had indeed come from Barbarian Prefecture. Second..."

"Everyone in the palace believed that the war in Barbarian Prefecture had already been settled. The White Lotus Cult was merely a rabble, incapable of stirring up any great waves."

"In the vast court of Great Jin, no one cared about this tiny rebellion."

"After all..."

"Even the reports sent by Six Doors were enough to prove that Barbarian Prefecture was peaceful and secure!"

"But how were the deserters from Spirit Peak County and Spirit Peak Mountain to be explained?!"

"Could it be that they had simply been unlucky, encountering incompetent commanders or generals sent there merely to gild their résumés, suffering defeat after defeat before fleeing in panic...

While Barbarian Prefecture as a whole had actually swept all before it and won a resounding victory!"

"It did seem to provide a reasonable explanation..."

"But that young man just now... how was the Red Hair covering his body to be explained..."

Su Qingyang slowly raised his eyes. At some point, his pitch-black pupils had transformed into dazzling golden eyes.

Just now, in his vision,

faint blood-red hair had surged wildly all over that richly dressed young man's body, crimson as blood and utterly sinister!!

The curse on him seemed even heavier than the one on Lin Muqian.

"Something has definitely gone wrong in Barbarian Prefecture..."

"The White Lotus Cult is not right either. They must have come into contact with something, something that allowed them to deceive the entire Great Jin court!"

"And that bandit leader among the Spirit Peak Mountain deserters—the curse on him was likely not, as I had previously thought, from... Lin Muqian!"

At that thought, a flash of golden light flickered through Su Qingyang's brilliant golden eyes.

At that moment, his footsteps happened to turn left, and the lavish eastern courtyard came into view.

Looking at the courtyard before him, the golden light in Su Qingyang's eyes flickered, then quickly vanished. His eyes returned to their usual depths and calmness.

The night grew deeper, yet Purple Pavilion Manor remained brightly lit.

Su Huai returned to his own courtyard. He set the jade token into the groove on the door, gave it a gentle twist, and the heavy wooden door slowly opened inward with the mechanism.

"As expected of the Imperial Capital."

Though he had already lived in the Imperial Capital for several days, such exquisite mechanisms still filled him with amazement.

Barbarian Prefecture and Central Province truly differed like clouds and mud.

One had barren land, crude dwellings, and an air of desolation and barbarism everywhere; the other was filled with ingenious mechanisms and skilled craftsmen, its towers, pavilions, and terraces flourishing in utmost splendor.

It was like the difference between wild savages and a thriving dynasty.

He slowly entered his residence and looked around the elegant, spacious rooms. His resolve to remain in the Imperial Capital grew firmer still.

His thoughts drifted uncontrollably back to his homeland, Barbarian Prefecture.

The name Barbarian Prefecture had existed for a long time. As its name implied, it was a prefecture of barbarians!

Even among Great Jin's twelve prefectures, it ranked near the bottom.

The reason was that this land had once been a place where foreign barbarian tribes lived generation after generation. Back then, they had risen as an entire people and fought Great Jin bitterly for years, leaving deep-seated resentment behind.

Though it had now been incorporated into Great Jin's territory, the barbarian customs within the prefecture remained unchanged. Mountain bandits and heretical cults emerged one after another.

The conditions for survival were exceedingly harsh!

Whenever Su Huai thought of Barbarian Prefecture's poverty and chaos, a trace of disgust flashed through his eyes, and he grew ever more enamored with the peace and prosperity of Purple Pavilion Manor.

"Sixth Prince... Sixth Prince... I must be the Sixth Prince!"

Su Huai prayed silently.

All the glory and wealth he now possessed stemmed from his as-yet-unconfirmed identity as a prince.

If the true Sixth Prince was not him,

then in the next instant, he would fall from the clouds into the mud.

He craved everything here. A single courtyard came with a clear pool of emerald water and Misty Cloud Bridge painted like a scene from a landscape scroll. Such scenery was something one would not even dare dream of in poor, chaotic Barbarian Prefecture...

Hm?

Su Huai suddenly froze. There was a figure on Misty Cloud Bridge.

At some unknown moment, a figure had appeared atop the arched bridge, sitting lazily and leaning against its railing in a relaxed, unhurried posture.

It was Su Qingyang.

"Who are you?" Su Huai's heart lurched in terror as he shouted.

Purple Pavilion Manor was guarded with utmost strictness, yet this man had silently infiltrated his private courtyard and even sat openly atop the arched bridge. It was truly strange and frightening.

Su Qingyang cast him a cool sidelong glance.

Then he casually reached out and grabbed!

In a daze, Su Huai seemed to see a mighty Azure Dragon extend its claw. The next moment, heaven and earth spun around him, and he found himself on the arched bridge.

Thud!

Su Huai collapsed limply onto the ground, trembling all over.

A strange, bone-chilling fear rose in his heart!

"I ask. You answer!"

A cold voice entered Su Huai's ears, making him feel as though he had fallen into an icy hell.

He understood in an instant.

A figure like this likely did not even regard the Great Jin court as worthy of notice.

He lowered his head, not daring to peek in the slightest. Countless thoughts raced through his mind, and at one point, he even faintly felt that he truly was the Sixth Prince.

That was why a great enemy had come to snuff him out in advance.

"Please speak. I will tell you all I know and hold nothing back."

"Where did you come from?"

"Barbarian Prefecture Prince's Manor."

"Has there been any war in Barbarian Prefecture lately?"

"Yes." Su Huai thought for a moment before answering honestly:

"A few months ago, the White Lotus Cult raised an army in rebellion, but it was swiftly extinguished by the Barbarian Prefecture army."

"Was that truly so? Then why did I hear that deserters were routed and scattered in every direction, even bringing calamity in their wake!!"

Su Huai looked shocked. "...I never heard of that!"

"The White Lotus Cult was utterly incapable of withstanding a blow. Our Barbarian Prefecture army swept all before it, driving straight into Eaglestep County and Wolfreach County. In only two days and two nights, we wiped out every last rebel bandit."

"The wails spread across the wilderness. I once heard..."

Halfway through, Su Huai abruptly shut his mouth. His gaze darted away, unwilling to reveal any more.

Su Qingyang's eyes flashed. A terrifying presence pressed down from above, freezing and chilling the air until even the sounds of flowing water and wind were cut off.

"What did you hear? Continue!"

Every muscle in Su Huai's body tightened. After a long silence, he finally let out a heavy sigh and revealed the secret. "I heard that, to intimidate the entire prefecture and make an example of them, after taking the two counties, the army carried out...

a massacre.

In Eaglestep and Wolfreach Counties, all living things were reduced to ruin, not even a blade of grass left standing."

"Later, the army that suppressed the rebellion returned and rested at the Prince's Manor.

I saw that army with my own eyes. Their entire bodies were soaked in blood, their murderous aura soaring to the heavens. How could they have looked like a victorious army? They were more like a group that had crawled out of a sea of blood...

evil ghosts."

Su Qingyang also fell silent. After thinking for a moment, he continued asking:

"Other than suppressing the rebellion, after the White Lotus Cult was wiped out, did any other strange phenomena occur within Barbarian Prefecture?"

"What counts as a strange phenomenon?" Su Huai asked with a confused expression.

"For example, did anyone suddenly go mad for no reason, or die without cause!!" Su Qingyang stared inscrutably at Su Huai and asked coolly.

"This... I have not heard of anything like that." Su Huai shook his head, growing ever more confused.

This man had sought him out in the dead of night, yet rather than ask about the struggle over the prince's identity, he questioned him about Barbarian Prefecture. It was utterly baffling.

"Then what about you!"

Su Qingyang spoke softly. Boundless vitality surged forth, and his eyes instantly turned pure gold.

"Me!"

As those words fell, Su Huai uncontrollably jerked his head up. The instant he met those golden pupils,

his pupils suddenly contracted violently, his face filled with horror as if he had seen the most unbelievable thing in the world.

"You..."

Su Qingyang swept his sleeve, and Su Huai immediately seemed to lose his mind, standing there blankly like a puppet.

Who knew how much time passed!

The evening breeze brushed across the lake, shattering the moon's reflection across the pool. Su Huai suddenly came back to himself.

He scratched his head blankly and looked around. It felt as though he had merely lost focus for a brief moment, and he could not remember anything of the questioning just now.

Filled with doubts, he shook his head, turned, and walked into his bedroom to rest.

Su Qingyang stood atop the arched bridge, watching Su Huai's departing back. The gold in his eyes slowly receded, and suddenly, his figure vanished from where he stood.