Marked by the Tyrant After Transmigrating into a Book - Chapter 1

The moon hung high and the night breeze was cool.

Inside the royal autumn hunting grounds of the Changlu Kingdom, several squads of elite iron cavalry held torches aloft as they searched the woods surrounding the campsite.

Half an hour ago, the King of Changlu had been assassinated in his own tent. His current status, whether dead or alive, was unknown.

The camp was in an uproar; cries and shouts of reprimand rang out in a chaotic chorus. In another tent not far from the King’s, a handsome young man sat upright at a desk, holding a book and reading quietly.

“Young Master, are you really not going to take a look?” Beside him, an attendant serving tea asked in a low voice.

The youth did not even look up. “No.”

“But in case something happened to His Majesty,” the attendant began.

Before the sentence was finished, the youth lifted his eyelids and gave him a cold, sidelong glance.

The young man was still quite young, with delicate and elegant features that appeared somewhat frail. He seemed to have been preparing for bed, wearing only a thin inner robe that emphasized his slender, lean frame. His face was fair and flawless, save for a tiny cinnabar mole just below his earlobe. It was bright red, catching the eye strikingly under the glow of the charcoal fire.

But when he looked over like that, it sent a chill down one’s spine, making them dare not meet his gaze.

The attendant broke into a cold sweat and immediately shut his mouth.

“You’ve been with me for a long time. You shouldn’t need me to teach you what should and shouldn’t be said.”

The youth turned a page of his book. “There won’t be a next time. Get out.”

“Yes! Yes!”

“Wait,” the youth suddenly stopped him. “Take the charcoal brazier away. It’s too hot.”

The attendant startled slightly and looked at him.

Unbeknownst to anyone, a faint scent of fruitwood had begun to permeate the air. Perhaps because of the heat from the fire, a visible pink flush had risen from the youth’s cheek to the base of his ear, making that cinnabar mole look even more vivid and adding a touch of unintended charm.

He tugged at his loose collar, his expression impatient. “What is it?”

“Nothing.”

The attendant suddenly found it difficult to breathe. Daring not to say more, he quickly removed the brazier and hurried out.

It wasn’t until he was outside, shivering from the night wind, that he felt something was wrong. The Young Master was usually extremely sensitive to the cold. It was late autumn and the night was chilly; why would he be hot?

Silence returned to the tent. The youth sat upright, but his gaze drifted over the top of his book toward the exit. Seeing that there was no more movement outside, he let out a long sigh, tossed the book onto the table, and collapsed against it as if he had no bones.

“Finally gone.”

About fifteen minutes ago, Ye Shu had transmigrated into this world.

This was a political intrigue novel. In the book, the three dynasties of Great Yan, Changlu, and Western Xia were locked in a stalemate. The male lead, Jin Wang, was the new Emperor of Changlu.

This male lead was different from others.

Jin Wang was extremely petty, cold-blooded, and vengeful. Deprived of the late Emperor’s favor, he had calculated every step, eventually killing his father and brothers to seize the throne. At his coronation, the eunuchs who had bullied him in his youth had their limbs severed and were thrown into tiger cages to be eaten alive before the public.

After ascending the throne, Jin Wang used ruthless methods to execute corrupt officials and eliminate opposing factions. Then, he instigated wars and led personal expeditions, flattening Great Yan and Western Xia in just three years, eventually unifying the world.

Ye Shu had transmigrated into the “cannon fodder” character of the same name.

The original Ye Shu was the son of a disgraced official. Relegated to a servant in his youth, he met Jin Wang and became his study partner. They grew up together, and after Jin Wang took the throne, he made an exception to appoint Ye Shu as the Left Prime Minister.

However, the original Ye Shu’s political views clashed with Jin Wang’s, and a rift soon formed. In the third year of Jin Wang’s reign, Ye Shu conspired with foreign enemies to assassinate the King during the autumn hunt. Unexpectedly, the assassination failed, the plot was exposed, and Ye Shu’s entire clan was executed. He became the first named cannon fodder to be brought down by Jin Wang.

In short, he was a tool used to provide the male lead with “experience points.”

“What a mess,” Ye Shu thought as he slumped dejectedly on the desk, listening to the crying outside with a massive headache.

It was noisy outside, but no one knew that Jin Wang wasn’t even in the camp tonight.

Jin Wang had anticipated the assassination long ago. The person currently in the King’s tent was just a body double. Once the assassins struck, the plot would be fully exposed. Three days later, Jin Wang would personally lead troops to surround Ye Shu’s estate.

He would face imprisonment, seizure of assets, and death by a thousand cuts.

The original character only lived for three chapters. At the end of the third chapter, he was sliced until only a skeleton remained, pushed off the city walls by Jin Wang himself, and then trampled into dust by thousands of iron cavalry.

This was a true case of having one’s ashes scattered.

Ye Shu shuddered violently, unable to sit still any longer. That death was far too miserable. It was bad enough transmigrating for no reason; he did not want to die like that.

No, he had to run.

Whoever wanted to be this “tool” could have the job, but he was quitting!

The camp was in total chaos. No one noticed a figure quietly slipping away.

Ye Shu knelt by a stream, scooping up water to wash his face while his fingers trembled slightly. Droplets slid down his neck into his collar, leaving a winding trail of water.

He tugged at his collar restlessly. Why was it so hot?

The royal hunting grounds were set in the mountains outside the capital. It was late autumn and gusts of mountain wind blew through the night, yet Ye Shu could not feel even a hint of coolness.

Earlier, he had been so consumed by the panic of transmigration that he had not noticed the abnormality of this body. Now, hit by the night wind, he cleared his head slightly. An indescribable, parched heat was spreading like a prairie fire. A thin layer of sweat soon broke out on his forehead, and even his breath became scorching.

Ye Shu looked down at his hands, a suspicion suddenly surfacing in his mind.

Could he be poisoned with an aphrodisiac? He wondered who could have poisoned him.

“Not a single one caught?”

The high canopy of the trees blocked the moonlight as a figure dressed in black stood in the forest.

Behind him, the man at the front spoke tremblingly, “Majesty, those rebels are extremely cunning and had planned this long ago. We really,” he stammered.

“Is it that you cannot, or that you do not want to?”

Jin Wang’s tone was light and steady. The Imperial Guards behind him knelt in unison. “Your Majesty, forgive us! Your subordinates would never dare betray you!”

“Never dare?” Jin Wang finally turned his head. His handsome eyes were bone-chillingly cold in the moonlight. His gaze fell flatly on the leader of the guards. “This one. Drag him away and slice him.”

“Majesty, mercy! Majesty, have mercy!”

The screams and pleas echoed through the woods. The others looked at each other, not daring to move for a moment.

“Hmm?” Jin Wang narrowed his eyes. Everyone trembled under his gaze, and two men immediately stepped forward to drag the leader away.

As the screams faded into the distance, the forest became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Jin Wang said calmly, “If you do not find them before he stops breathing, you know the result.”

The crowd hurriedly answered “Yes” and scrambled away in a panic.

Jin Wang walked through the forest. Suddenly, an unusual sound came from the darkness behind him. He paused, a gold needle instantly appearing between his fingertips.

A sweet, fruity fragrance began to spread through the woods.

Jin Wang’s expression changed slightly. This scent was unmistakable.

Before he could react, a figure crashed into his arms. Jin Wang was pushed back half a step, his back hitting the rough bark of a tree. At the same time, a piece of black silk was tied over his eyes, blocking his vision.

“Don’t move,” the voice whispered in his ear. It was low, hoarse, and shaking uncontrollably.

The sweet fruit scent filled his nose. It was faint, like green plums after a rain, teasing and elusive in the dark, making one’s mouth water.

Ye Shu was in agony.

After realizing he might have been drugged, his first instinct was to escape before the effects fully took hold. But the forest was massive and the paths were rugged; he had gotten lost almost immediately. He had walked for a long time as his body grew hotter.

Furthermore, he could not soothe himself. He wanted, he needed someone to help him.

“I’ve been poisoned,” Ye Shu inhaled softly, sounding aggrieved. “Can you save me?”

There was a long silence.

The body in his arms was terrifyingly hot. Jin Wang wordlessly retracted his gold needle and reached out to encircle the other’s slender waist. His thumb brushed lightly over the small of the back, causing a shudder.

The sweet fragrance instantly intensified.

“You want me to help you?” Jin Wang seemed to find this amusing as he asked softly. “Do you know who I am?”

“You, you’re wearing the uniform of the Imperial Guard.”

Ye Shu grabbed the man’s arms, holding on tight like a drowning man to a lifeline. “Help me find someone to neutralize the poison. I can reward you. Five days from now, go to the tea house ten miles outside the city. Under the table in the private room at the end of the second floor, that money will ensure you never have to work a life-threatening job again.”

The original Ye Shu was powerful and immensely wealthy. Since he planned to flee, he could not take those assets, but giving some to this man would not be hard. This was the only solution he could think of in his delirious state.

But the man only gave a low, soft chuckle. The sound was deep, like a small hammer striking Ye Shu’s heart.

“I do not want money.”

Ye Shu’s legs were so weak he could barely stand, and his eyes were red. “Then what do you want?”

The man countered, “You are the one begging me. Shouldn’t you figure that out yourself?”

“I don’t know.” Ye Shu’s consciousness was fading. He leaned his forehead against the man’s shoulder and whispered, “Please help me. You can have whatever you want.”

Ye Shu was too close. With his eyes covered, Jin Wang’s other senses were sharper than usual. The fruitwood scent was a hundred times more potent than before, a cloying sweetness that seeped into everything, pulling at his most primitive instincts.

Jin Wang had never imagined that the young Prime Minister, the one who dared to argue with him in court and rebel against him, would actually differentiate into a Kunjun.

In this world, some people underwent a second differentiation upon reaching adulthood. Qianjun were mostly rulers, powerful and high-status, while Kunjun were relatively weaker and more prone to pregnancy.

Given Ye Shu’s personality, Jin Wang had assumed he would be a Qianjun.

This was getting interesting.

The sharp corners of Jin Wang’s lips curled slightly. Amidst the sweet plum scent, a new fragrance began to spread through the forest.

The Information Scent of a Qianjun was cold and fierce, highly aggressive, like a fine, strong liquor that had been sealed away for ages, mellow yet intoxicating.

Ye Shu let out a restless moan. He seemed to finally sense the dangerous aura of the man. He stumbled back half a step, only to be forcefully pulled back.

Clothing rustled against the grass as the two tumbled onto a patch of greenery. The black silk covering Jin Wang’s eyes finally slipped off, revealing his handsome, dark eyes.

Jin Wang looked down at the person in his arms.

The fall had completely shattered Ye Shu’s remaining consciousness. His brows were knit tight, and he was instinctively burrowing into Jin Wang’s chest. His head was tilted to one side, and the small mole by his ear had turned a deep, blood-red.

This was a unique mark of a Kunjun. He had not even realized he had entered his differentiation period; he was still so muddled.

Jin Wang used his thumb to cruelly rub that vivid mole, forcing out several sweet moans.

Ye Shu could not endure the torment and struggled feebly in his arms. “Don’t,” he pleaded.

Jin Wang’s tone was flat. “Does tonight’s matter have anything to do with you?”

“No,” Ye Shu whispered.

Jin Wang increased the pressure of his hand. “Speak.”

“Not telling you.” Ye Shu was delirious from the heat. He buried his head in the man’s chest and murmured, “Leaving me to die, you’re a bad person. Why should I tell you?”

Still so self-righteous.

Jin Wang was almost amused by his anger. Over the last three years, Ye Shu had seemed like a different person, opposing him at every turn. But tonight, he felt like the old Ye Shu was back, the one who once granted his every request and stayed by his side for years.

The youth’s collar had mostly fallen open during the struggle. Jin Wang finally placed his hand over it. “There is no one else here, only me. What do you say we should do?”

Ye Shu let out a soft whimper. His only answer was the increasingly dense, sweet plum fragrance. He gave up all resistance, like a ripe plum overflowing with scent, waiting to be plucked.

Jin Wang stared deeply at him and finally smiled with satisfaction. “Very well.”

The moonlight filtered through the canopy, casting mottled shadows over the two figures locked in an embrace.

Jin Wang tightened his grip on the other’s waist, turning the whispers in his ear into broken, weak gasps. “Ye Shu, Ye Qi’an, you’d best not have truly betrayed me.”

He lowered his head, catching that small mole by Ye Shu’s ear with his teeth, nibbling and kissing as he injected his potent Information Scent.

Ye Shu could not stop trembling as he was pulled into Jin Wang’s embrace. They were as intimate as lovers.

“Otherwise, I will certainly make you pay the price.”

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