Chapter 26: Blood Recognition

Chapter 26: Blood-Binding

"Your Highness."

Shen Lian returned the sword to Yan Huaixuan with a beaming smile, and showed off a painting, "So, how's my painting?"

Yan Huaixuan glanced at it, and could only call it mediocre.

He said flatly: "Passable."

Shen Lian's eyes crinkled, and right in front of the system, he handed the real Ling Yun back to Yan Huaixuan after swapping it back, "Your Highness, here's your sword back."

Yan Huaixuan fixed his gaze on the red tassel on the sword.

He didn't take it. Instead, he looked at Shen Lian, "Shen Lian, are you hiding something from me?"

Shen Lian froze, and a chill of cold sweat ran down his back. He said, forcing a smile, "Nope, nothing."

He pouted and started being all clingy with Yan Huaixuan again, "Did someone tell Your Highness something?"

"If not, then I'll go get Your Highness's lunch ready," Shen Lian smiled and stood up.

He was just about to step out the door.

Yan Huaixuan spoke out of nowhere.

"Shen Lian."

Shen Lian turned around on reflex, "What's up, Your Highness?"

Yan Huaixuan's eyes bore straight into him.

"Have you ever planted Yuru flowers?"

Shen Lian's expression faltered for a split second, then he shook his head, "No, I don't know the first thing about flowers."

Yan Huaixuan didn't say anything else.

Shen Lian rushed out, and the moment he was outside, a flicker of shock surfaced in his eyes.

Why would Yan Huaixuan suddenly ask about Yuru flowers?

Could he know about Ye Zhang's matter?

Shen Lian dug his nails into his palm.

That day, Yan Huaixuan had tossed Ye Zhang into a mass grave, but what he didn't know was that Shen Lian had also made his move on Ye Zhang.

One of the herbs in Yan Huaixuan's medicine, when combined with Yuru flowers, could produce a toxin.

He always kept this on him for self-defense.

That day Ye Zhang came, and he was afraid Ye Zhang would actually attack him, so he used it ahead of time, but the effects were slow to kick in.

Once Ye Zhang was sent away, the poison should have taken effect.

But why would Yan Huaixuan suddenly bring this up?

Did he know Shen Lian was the one who did it?

Would Yan Huaixuan think he was cold-blooded?

Shen Lian didn't know what to think.

And he also didn't know that after he left, Yan Huaixuan's face was swallowed by the shadows.

At that same moment, Ling Yun burst in, "Master, guess what I found in the pond?"

Yan Huaixuan raised his gaze.

Standing at the edge of the pond, he spotted the corpse sunk at the bottom without any trouble.

The face was beautiful, but the water had bloated it into something horrifying.

But Yan Huaixuan recognized who it was at a single glance.

His ex-fiancée.

Ling Yun was stunned too, "This person died the night before your wedding! So who exactly is this Shen Lian now? How does he know so much about Your Highness's fortunes?"

Yan Huaixuan stared at the reflection on the pond's surface.

After a long pause, he let out a cold, thin smile.

"So it wasn't to curry favor with me to ascend."

But to rob him of his destiny.

Ling Yun said sharply, "Your Highness, you must kill him!"

But he saw Yan Huaixuan turn around.

"Master, where are you going?"

Shen Lian was in his room, trying to figure out how to get rid of the fake. He'd fooled the system, but he couldn't let Yan Huaixuan find out about the fake either.

As he was thinking, a sense of dread crept over him like a premonition. He furrowed his brow and went to find a box to stash the sword in.

But Yan Huaixuan showed up out of nowhere.

Shen Lian froze at the sight of him, and hastily shoved the fake behind him onto the bed.

"Husband, what are you doing here?"

Yan Huaixuan fixed his eyes on him, "Shen Lian, I'm asking you one last time. Are you hiding something from me?"

Shen Lian forced a stiff smile, "Your Highness, what do you mean?"

Yan Huaixuan tossed a sword down in front of him, "Is this the real Lingyun Sword?"

A flicker of shock flashed in Shen Lian's eyes, "Your Highness, what are you talking about? This is Ling Yun."

Yan Huaixuan advanced on him step by step, "Oh, really? I don't remember this sword having this scratch on it yesterday."

On the sword's hilt, there was now a faint knife mark.

Shen Lian was taken aback. He remembered that this was supposed to be the fake's flaw.

But hadn't he swapped the tassels on the two swords last night?

The system suddenly sneered in his mind. "You fool, did you really think I'd fall for such a simple trick? You seem to have forgotten—this sword came from my space. Do you think I can't tell which one is real?"

Shen Lian's expression turned grim in an instant. "You swapped it back?"

The system smirked. "Of course. Otherwise, how would I have known you betrayed me?"

Shen Lian wanted to say more, but Yan Huaixuan interrupted. "Ye Zhang was killed by you, wasn't he?"

Shen Lian's lips moved. "I—"

"You said you never planted Yuru flowers, but what is this?"

He grabbed Shen Lian's hand, took the sachet from his waist, and with a tug, opened it, revealing the Yuru flower petals inside.

Shen Lian met Yan Huaixuan's icy gaze, his lips quivering. "Husband..."

But this time, no matter how much he played the victim, Yan Huaixuan didn't budge.

Yan Huaixuan merely lowered his head and asked him, each word deliberate. "Shen Lian, why did you swap Ling Yun?"

He threw back the blanket, and the real Ling Yun lay quietly on the bed.

"So, is it because Ling Yun can help me start cultivating?"

Both Shen Lian and the system were taken aback—how did Yan Huaixuan know?

The thought instantly flashed through Shen Lian's mind: "Could you also be—"

Yan Huaixuan said coolly, "No one knows that my mother has the blood of an ancient immortal flowing in her veins. She can foresee the future and predicted that the Lingyun Sword could help me cultivate."

Shen Lian opened his mouth. So that's how it was.

"Then why did you swap my Lingyun Sword?" Yan Huaixuan's eyes were ice-cold.

Shen Lian had no way to explain. Meeting Yan Huaixuan's piercing stare, he only felt a sharp pain stabbing through his heart.

For a second, Shen Lian wanted to just blurt out the system's existence.

The system sneered. "You think you can say it out loud?"

Sure enough, the moment Shen Lian opened his mouth, he felt a stabbing pain in his skull.

"Shen Lian, if you dare betray us and skip your tasks, then nobody's getting off easy."

Shen Lian's body trembled, but he bit his lip hard to keep from making a sound. He clutched the table, struggling, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes.

"Fine, then—if nobody gets to live, then nobody will!"

He whirled around to grab Ling Yun from the bed. "Yan Huaixuan—"

If he could just cut Yan Huaixuan's palm, he'd naturally have a chance to cultivate.

But the system caught on first. "Shen Lian, how dare you!"

It went ballistic, then suddenly intensified the electric current. After the current was fully discharged, it visibly weakened.

Shen Lian felt excruciating pain wrack his entire body. He lost control and collapsed onto the bed, his palm pressing down on the Lingyun Sword.

The sharp blade immediately sliced open his palm.

He watched as his own blood was absorbed by Ling Yun.

Shen Lian froze.

And behind him, the aura around Yan Huaixuan grew colder and colder.

"So, seeing that things had gone south, you couldn't wait to blood-claim the sword?"

Yan Huaixuan suddenly let out a cold laugh.

Shen Lian, enduring the searing pain, clutched at his robe. "Yan Huaixuan!"

"I didn't mean it—please, let me explain."

But Yan Huaixuan simply cut off his sleeve. "Since you want this sword so badly, then it's yours."

Shen Lian shook his head desperately. "Yan Huaixuan!"