With Xie Jianyu's death, the battle came to a bitter end. Zhang Fengxi's and Liu Yichen's soldiers subsequently went to raid the fallen Fuxi Palace.
An unsettling feeling spread in Zhang Fengxi's heart as he held on to Xie Jianyu's corpse.
Was it guilt, because he killed the legitimate heir to the Dragon Throne?
Or was it something else?
Zhang Fengxi furrowed his brows in displeasure. He dropped Xie Jianyu's body to the ground and shot the bloody corpse an icy glare.
Even in his death, this hateful man managed to annoy Zhang Fengxi!
Xie Jianyu's body was collected by Grand Chancellor Liu's men.
"I am going to cut him into a thousand pieces. His soul will scatter away. He can never again be reincarnated," the old man shared his vicious plan with the supreme general.
It was appalling even for Zhang Fengxi, but so what. It didn't matter. If taking Xie Jianyu out of the reincarnation cycle was enough to comfort Liu Wenyuan's father, then nothing was wrong with it.
The Fuxi Palace was mostly empty, save for several of Xie Jianyu's most loyal servants. They did not offer any resistance at all when they were found and seized.
An inexplicable forlorn look glazed their reddened eyes. Even without looking at the aftermath of the battle outside of the palace, they knew that their master was no longer among the living.
Zhang Fengxi crossed the Fuxi Palace gate and swept the surroundings with his cold eyes. Memories of his younger years flooded his mind. He quickly drove them away. It was no longer important. Xie Jianyu was dead. He finally avenged Liu Wenyuan.
"Wenyuan, I sent Jianyu to serve you in the afterlife," he whispered to the lover who was unable to hear him. "Let him kowtow to you every three steps to beg for your forgiveness."
Until his soul scattered away.
That's it.
It was over.
The sound of hurried footsteps behind him caused the supreme general to whip around.
Five of the soldiers who were assigned to watch the secret tunnels' exit holes managed to catch a few rats, it seemed.
They had two women with them. One of them was fairly young, the other was quite old.
In her trembling arms, the young maid held a bundle of something.
"Reporting to the Supreme General, these two women are trying to escape from one of the secret paths."
Zhang Fengxi pointed his spear at the young maid and forced her to look up.
"Who are you?"
"My... my name is Mingyu," she said. She was shaking from head to toe.
"I am Midwife Chen," the old woman introduced herself.
A midwife?
In Fuxi Palace?
Zhang Fengxi lowered his spear and pointed at the bundle in Mingyu's arms. Mingyu shrieked when she saw the bloody end that was unmistakably coated with her master's blood. She hugged the bundle to her chest, shielding it with her arms.
"What are you holding in your arms?" Zhang Fengxi demanded to know. "Show me."
Mingyu shook her head fervently.
"Please," she begged. "Please, don't."
Zhang Fengxi's face darkened. The more Mingyu refused to show him the content of the bundle, the more he wanted to know.
Just when he was about to stab into the bundle to reveal its content, the bundle started to cry.
"..."
Even the soldiers were surprised.
It was a newborn baby.
"Sssh, sssh... be good, sweet prince," Mingyu coaxed the baby while she bit back tears.
"Sweet prince?"
Zhang Fengxi's facial expression became worse and worse.
"Did a concubine give birth to Xie Jianyu's son?"
Zhang Fengxi was boiling with anger. He dropped his spear to the ground and put both hands on the bundle.
Mingyu shrieked in terror. "No, please! PLEASE!"
"Let go, or I will tear the baby into pieces," Zhang Fengxi growled.
In order to not harm the baby, Mingyu eventually let go. She and Midwife Chen huddled together and cried.
Zhang Fengxi took the bundle in his arms and uncovered the baby's face.
The little boy blinked at Zhang Fengxi cutely, unaware that the man killed his mother.
The baby shared Xie Jianyu's almond-shaped eyes. That was the only discernible feature that he could detect on the baby. There was no doubt, Zhang Fengxi decided. The baby was definitely Xie Jianyu's son.
But then, the sign on the baby's forehead glowed and told Zhang Fengxi another story.
The sigil that reflected in the supreme general's eyes was unmistakably the one of his own palace!