Marked by the Tyrant After Transmigrating into a Book - Chapter 4

After finishing breakfast, the eunuch quickly brought in the medicinal soup.

The medicine perhaps contained sedative components, for after Ye Shu obediently drank it, he was soon overcome by weariness and drifted back into a deep, groggy sleep. When he woke again, it was already afternoon.

Jin Wang was no longer in the bedchamber. Just as Ye Shu finished dressing, a maidservant arrived with lunch. She bowed to him and said, “His Majesty has commanded that after Lord Ye finishes his meal, he is to meet the King at the martial arts arena.”

“The martial arts arena?” Ye Shu wondered what kind of trouble the man was stirring up now. He asked, “For what purpose does His Majesty require me there?”

“This servant does not know.”

The maid waited quietly by the side after delivering the message. Ye Shu glanced at her but did not ask further. Most people sent by Jin Wang were unlikely to reveal anything. Ye Shu found the meal tasteless, and after hurriedly filling his stomach, he let the maid lead him out.

Only after leaving the bedchamber did he realize that this was not the Imperial City in the capital. This was Jin Wang’s summer palace on the outskirts of the city. The palace was no smaller than the Imperial City itself; a large lake sat just outside the bedchamber where Ye Shu had stayed. He followed the maid along the lakeside corridor, winding through the grounds for over ten minutes. Before they even reached the arena, a thunderous boom erupted.

It was the sound of a gunshot.

Ye Shu’s footsteps faltered, and he instantly felt the urge to run. He knew Jin Wang was up to no good. The maid beside him paused. “Lord Ye?”

“It is nothing,” Ye Shu replied, his face pale as he shook his head.

When Ye Shu entered the arena, he immediately saw Jin Wang standing on a high platform ahead. Jin Wang held a delicate silver flintlock pistol, similar in shape to a handgun yet slightly different.

Bang.

The shot hit the bullseye dead center. Jin Wang lowered the firearm and turned to Ye Shu with a smile. “What are you waiting for? Come here.”

Ye Shu walked forward. A small table had been set on the platform, and Jin Wang pulled Ye Shu down to sit beside it as a eunuch served tea. Jin Wang looked at him and noted, “My dear official appears to be in much better spirits.”

“Imperial Physician Feng has a miraculous touch. I thank Your Majesty for your concern,” Ye Shu replied.

Jin Wang nodded. “Since your health has recovered, let us continue where we left off.”

Ye Shu thought, Is there no end to this? Though a storm raged in his heart, his face remained calm as he met Jin Wang’s gaze, waiting for his next words. Jin Wang signaled to the eunuch beside him. Soon, the sound of footsteps approached from a distance. Ye Shu looked toward the sound, and his expression shifted instantly.

At the other end of the arena, over a dozen men and women appeared, their hands bound and their eyes and mouths covered.

Jin Wang’s voice carried a hint of a smile. “My dear official said before that all your plotting was to draw out the spies planted in the capital by enemy nations. It seems you were not lying. Look, have I not found them all?”

Ye Shu’s lips pressed into a tight line as he realized what was coming. Sure enough, Jin Wang continued, “Since you are the great hero of this endeavor, I shall give you the opportunity to execute them personally. How about it?”

Below the platform, the spies were driven into the center of the arena. A eunuch presented a firearm.

“This silver flintlock is a rare treasure. I have only just received it, and it has yet to be stained with blood,” Jin Wang said, leaning his chin on his hand with a leisurely air. “Let us use this.”

This tyrant is actually forcing me to kill, Ye Shu thought. He looked at the firearm in the eunuch’s hands and then at the young men and women below. His fingers trembled. Even in a book world, these were living people.

“What are you waiting for? Did Lord Ye not wish to prove himself to me?” Jin Wang stood up, took the firearm, and placed it solemnly into Ye Shu’s hand. His gaze was fixed on Ye Shu’s face. “Kill them, and I will believe you.”

The barrel was still hot from the previous shot. Jin Wang placed his palm over the back of Ye Shu’s hand, guiding him to grip the weapon tightly. The muzzle was turned, pointing directly at the captives. The guards escorting the prisoners took the hint, loosened the chains, and withdrew. The captives immediately began to scatter in a panic.

“No,” Ye Shu’s body began to shake. “I cannot do it.”

Jin Wang looked down at him. “You are still so soft-hearted.” Slowly, he reached out and brushed a stray hair behind Ye Shu’s ear. His voice was tender yet icy. “When you sent people to assassinate me, were you in this much pain? Or is it that you feel no guilt as long as you do not do the deed yourself? Or perhaps, my life is simply worthless in your eyes.”

“It wasn’t me,” Ye Shu said, looking into those dark eyes, his voice trembling. “You still don’t believe me.”

“Correct. I do not believe you.” Jin Wang released Ye Shu and took a half-step back. “Do it.”

The arena fell into a heavy silence. Ye Shu felt as though the firearm weighed a thousand pounds, so heavy he could barely hold it. The captives realized there was nowhere to run and gradually grew still, leaving only the sound of faint, muffled sobbing. Terror spread silently.

At that moment, the scent of green fruitwood began to drift through the air. The scent was lighter than before, a sweet and sour aroma that made the mouth water, quickly permeating the entire arena.

Jin Wang’s expression was the first to change. Ye Shu had just experienced his differentiation the night before. After being marked by a Qianjun, his Information Scent should have been temporarily suppressed. Perhaps the stress of the day had caused his scent to spiral out of control again.

The imperial eunuchs, whether male or female, were all “Beta” types who could not smell the unique scent of a Kunjun. However, the spies in the arena were different. Many among them were Qianjun. Though blindfolded, they all turned in unison toward the high platform.

Under the influence of tension, the enticing scent gradually turned cloying and sweet. The atmosphere in the arena became restless. Only Ye Shu, in his state of extreme anxiety, failed to realize what was happening.

It wasn’t until Jin Wang snatched the firearm from his hand that the silence broke. His voice was slightly hoarse. “Enough. You are coming with me.”

He tossed the gun to a eunuch and pulled Ye Shu away. Jin Wang ignored the crowd of attendants and prisoners, his pace hurried as he led Ye Shu back to the sleeping quarters.

“Why are you—” Before Ye Shu could finish his question, Jin Wang suddenly pushed him, pinning him hard against the door.

Ye Shu winced in pain and looked up into Jin Wang’s reddening eyes. Their breaths instantly became scorching. Perhaps from walking too fast, Ye Shu’s body began to feel hot, and the small mole by his ear began to tingle with a strange, itchy sensation. He felt a desperate urge to be touched. He tilted his head, but just as he raised his hand to do something, Jin Wang seized his wrist and pressed it firmly to his side.

“Do not move,” Jin Wang’s voice was low and raspy, carrying a suffocating pressure. No man could bear his own marked Kunjun releasing Information Scent in front of others, especially someone with Jin Wang’s temperament.

Ye Shu’s shoulders shook slightly. He did not know why he was like this. The palm holding his wrist felt burning hot, like a flame searing through to his heart. An unprecedented impulse surged within him, a craving for touch and for even more intimate contact.

And he wanted it from this man. It could only be this man.

The unfamiliar sensation left Ye Shu deeply unsettled. He struggled, but he could not break free. “Jin… Jin Wang…” he murmured restlessly.

A flash of emotion moved through Jin Wang’s eyes. The youth in his arms had misty eyes and trembling lashes, his expression full of vulnerability and helplessness. Was this also an act? Ever since Ye Shu woke up, Jin Wang had been testing him at every turn, yet the more he tested him, the more uncertain he became. Even though all the evidence pointed to this man, he still felt it didn’t seem right. How could it be this muddled person? And why would he betray him?

Jin Wang had been a ruler for years and understood the principle of executing one to warn a hundred, yet for this person alone…

It was this person who had held him all night in the freezing Cold Palace to keep him warm. It was this person who had braved beatings to steal a bowl of hot soup for him. It was this person who had knelt outside the Imperial Academy for three days and nights to beg a physician to save his life.

And it was this person who, during his heat, had crashed into his arms and begged for salvation. He simply could not bear to let him go.

Jin Wang leaned in closer, his breath fanning against Ye Shu’s ear, carrying the heavy scent of strong liquor. The scent sent tremors through the body in his arms. “Ye Qi’an, I will ask you one last time. Did you truly not betray me?”

He was a Kunjun. A Kunjun could never tell a lie while under the influence of the Qianjun who had marked them.

Ye Shu’s consciousness was hazy, his vision blurring as his lashes grew wet. “No. It wasn’t me. It really wasn’t.”

Jin Wang let out a long sigh of relief. Fine. Whether it was true or false, he would leave it at that for now. By keeping him alive, he would eventually find the truth. Even if it turned out that it really was him, it wasn’t as if there were no other options. What could a Kunjun, who didn’t even realize he had been marked, possibly achieve?

Jin Wang kneaded the back of Ye Shu’s neck, his thumb brushing lightly over the cinnabar mole. The Information Scent immediately grew much calmer. Soothed by the scent, Ye Shu’s tense body gradually relaxed, and his head lolled onto Jin Wang’s shoulder. Jin Wang picked him up, strode into the inner room, and placed him on the bed.

“You only know how to bully people,” Ye Shu murmured with his eyes closed, his mind drifting. “Faint-headed tyrant.”

Jin Wang: “…”

By the time Ye Shu woke again, it was almost dark. The King’s dragon bed was perfectly soft and comfortable, but sleeping for nearly the entire day had left his body aching. Ye Shu stretched and sat up, only to be met by a handsome face. Jin Wang sat by the bed, holding a memorial and reviewing it. Seeing him awake, he tilted his head and smirked. “My dear official is awake.”

“Why are you here?” Ye Shu asked.

Jin Wang countered, “Do you not remember what happened earlier?”

Ye Shu truly did not remember. He only recalled Jin Wang suddenly bringing him back to the palace from the arena and seemingly questioning him further. After that… how did he faint?

Ye Shu thought for a long time before a sudden realization struck him. “You drugged me?!”

“…”

The more Ye Shu thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. He demanded, “There was definitely something wrong with the food at noon. What… what did you do to me?”

Jin Wang was nearly incensed enough to laugh. He rubbed his brow. “Yes, I drugged you. It is a secret medicine newly developed by the imperial palace. After taking it, one can only speak the truth and cannot lie. Do you want to know what you said?”

Jin Wang tossed the memorial onto a small table and leaned over, looking down at Ye Shu. Ye Shu swallowed and tried to stay calm. “What did I say?”

Jin Wang toyed with a lock of Ye Shu’s hair, a half-smile on his face. “You called me a faint-headed tyrant forty-three times, a dog of an Emperor thirty-seven times, and twenty-five times you said…”

Ye Shu’s face turned deathly pale. He asked with a trembling voice, “Twenty-five times what?”

“Jin Wang is a total bastard.”

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