It's as dark as that cave halfway up Storm Mountain. The difference is that there was still a fire fold in his hand at that time, and there was no light here. There is no day and no night. It's just pitch black. and death in one color.

He opened his eyes, but they were as indistinguishable as they had been when they had closed. There is no light, no time, no direction. But he knew where he was. When he woke up, he found himself lying on the ground in a tummy position, and with a slight movement of his head, he felt his face rubbing against the stinking dirt, and his neck was very sore. Fortunately, my sense of hearing was still and still keen, and I could hear the sound of rustling somewhere in the pitch black. Like a mouse.

In fact, it's rats. He could already feel the big thing crawling over him, turning over a few times, and once or twice trying to try what he tasted like. He thought it might be the only reason he was still awake. He had fantasized that he might die in many ways in the future, but he never imagined that he might die under the sharp teeth of a mouse.

It's just a joke. He wanted to laugh out loud. But he soon found that he didn't even have the strength to do that. He didn't know how long he had been lying here, and he hadn't been a feast for rats. With difficulty, he tried to move his lower body and braced himself up with his arms. With shackles in his hands, of course, he knows where he is, of course there will be shackles, and there will be ankles. Even if he were beaten like this, and locked up in this black rumbling place, those men would bind him in heavy chains. He endured the pain in his arms and the tingling in his wrists, and finally sat up, his back against the slippery wall.

He remembered the peculiar taste of bitter vine. Bitter and sweet, he thought he had drunk that wine to become like this. The problem should not be in the wine, but in the glass. Everyone drank bitter vine. They were ready to go the first time. They carefully planned every link, and then just waited for him to get on the set. These people waited a long, long time, and were patient enough.

Previously, they seemed to be the pillars of the country. Actually, that's their mask. Each of them wears an elaborate mask, hiding their true appearance and true intentions under the mask.

You can't trust anyone.

He had known for a long time. But he never thought about it seriously - he thought he did, but in the end he had to admit with frustration that he still hadn't.

The dragon is dead. The crown prince is dead.

- Now it's my turn.

What about Dailan? Is it her turn, too?" he imagined the answer to the question in fear. Fear made him despair. Despair made him angry. These terrible emotions filled every breath of air around him, filling his chest through his breath, suffocating him to the point that his whole body felt like he was going to explode. He wanted to yell for catharsis, but his voice was so weak. He was covered in pain, and the strength he had used to be exhausted had been rapidly draining from his body. Now it's hard to even lift your arms. This great frustration caused him to fall into a sluggish weariness.

He let his mind wander wildly, and he felt he couldn't actually control it. He imagined Purple Star standing on the observation deck, and then he was pushed down by someone. Dai Lan was right, she had to stumble and fall over the guardrail, unless she climbed up, and it would be more reasonable to say that someone pushed her down.

No, there is also a question about this, who would hide there? There was no hiding place on the viewing platform, and he was always very careful, and when he withdrew, only the prince was on the stage, and there was absolutely no other person. So who pushed the prince?

Legend has it that at the end of the Inkiramo Mountains, in the territory of the Kamon Kingdom of the Eta Federation, there is a mysterious Lost Forest, where the oldest race of elves lives, who hold the mysteries of magic handed down from ancient times. Perhaps stealth is among those mysterious magics.

Crossing the Immaculate Sea to the Isles of Splendour, some of the mysterious places in the sea world are inhabited by musesters who have mastered the art of mystery, and who are rumored to be invisible.

The Abyss of the Dead in Donghu Province and the Whispering Forest in Chishan Province are also rumored to be extremely dangerous places, inhabited by terrifying monsters with some strange abilities, one of which may be stealth.

Most of the important ministers in the Hall of the Seven Sons hired someone who knew stealth to carry out this evil murder. The killer waited silently in the shadows, waiting for them to exit one by one, leaving the prince alone...... Seize the moment and take the killer.

But this is still in doubt. If there was a hidden power in the observatory at that time, he could have sensed it. Neither the Eta nor the islanders hide their qi, they do not know this technique, which is unique to the art of the Dragon Fist.

Well, perhaps his knowledge of magic is too superficial, and there is a deep spell in the Lost Forest that can completely hide himself.

Thinking about these questions made him feel a cracking pain in his head.

It doesn't matter anymore.

It doesn't matter what the truth is. It's like whether Anqing's recipe has been changed or not, just like whether he lied or not, it doesn't matter anymore.

Everything is already irretrievable. He could easily imagine that the cabinet would revoke Dailan's inheritance for ruining the honor of the royal family, and then, what would they do? They would send Dailan to prison and use her to blackmail the little princess Biyue. Biyue loves her sisters deeply, and she will give everything for them, including giving up the inheritance.

The Great General will ascend to the throne as he wishes. He swept away all obstacles that stood in his way. It is clear that the day of the dragon face is coming, and it is such a day that he is pursuing, and before that, he will complete the enthronement ceremony and become the new dragon monarch. And I, I'm going to die.

Before he was taken out for torture the last time, the jailer told him that he would be punished by a car split. He laughed and laughed maniacally. All my life, I have been loyal to my oath, to His Majesty the Dragon King, and to the Dragon God. I recited the Sutra of Tranquility and prayed day and night, I escorted my beloved to the end of the path of the virtuous king, I risked my life to cross the great wilderness to the top of the storm, I even came face to face with the legendary immortals, and in the end what awaited me was a car split. Castration, five horses, corpse exhibition. That's where I belong.

The jailer responded with a crazy slap to his maniac laughter. They slapped him so hard that when they were tired of the beating, they struck him on the cheek with thick sticks and stomped him on the chest with tin boots—the reason why they didn't kick him in the head was because they didn't want him to die before the execution, and if he died early, the jailers would all be put to death.

It's not so much easy. When the jailer takes him to a black cell, and when the jailer tortures him, it is called real pleasure. He had heard all kinds of dark rumors in the dungeon, and the Iron Judge and his prison officers had mastered countless torture tricks that could make every prisoner tied to the black prison rack suffer so much that they regretted coming to this world.

They pinched his fingers with clamps, they pressed red-hot iron to his chest, and then ordered the jailers to step on the brand a few times at regular intervals, they smeared salt on his wounds, and then poured soju on him, and they pricked him with steel needles in the soles of his feet, and they placed him on the edge of the blazing coal-burning stove, and then kept him from the water for hours......

It's a real pleasure. Thankfully, they didn't dare to let him die early. In fact, these punishments can only be regarded as pediatrics, and they cannot be compared with the terrifying paths he has heard, perhaps the iron judge has mercy on his subordinates, after all, he is the son of Xia Lao. Or maybe it's just because it is necessary to meet the execution requirements of car splitting: no castration in advance, no early abolition of joints, no disfigurement. After all, he still wants to let the people witness it in the execution square, how can the terrifying rumors in the black prison make the people discuss it in broad daylight?

He fell asleep and woke up, and the jailer pushed open the heavy iron door and handed in the food. Stinky rice balls, without any dishes, sewage in broken bowls, and the smell of sewer when drunk. He wanted to drink, and he missed the taste of shochu in the pot hut.

Thinking of the pot house, he thought of Lao Cheng's beggar friend Mao Yuan. Lao Cheng died, but he still sent a message to them through Mao Yuan. In fact, the news of Lao Cheng's death is a strong reminder, but he is so ignorant that he doesn't realize that danger is coming. He thought that he could wait until the day of the dragon's face, and the dragon god would judge the sinner. He was so naïve.

He was just a samurai, having spent so many years in the palace and had sat in on many court meetings, but he was still just a samurai, not a politician. He doesn't know how to play with those tricks and design those conspiracies.

He didn't even think much about it, how did Lao Cheng's itinerary get leaked? He thought it was the eyes and ears of the palace, after all, those pillars of the country had their hands and eyes all over the world, and there were their people everywhere. It is normal for Lao Cheng to leave the palace and be discovered by them, and then he was watched.

However, he ignored one point, Lao Cheng had been a Dragon Monarch guard for a longer time than he was the chief guard, twenty-eight years, Lao Cheng had been a Dragon Monarch guard for twenty-eight years, how rich his knowledge and experience were, how could ordinary eyes and ears stare at him to death?

The reason why he has been stared at all the time and finally died in the secret city is probably only one possibility.

Lao Cheng's itinerary is predetermined, where to go first and then where to go, the swordsman brothers all know that Lao Cheng does not seem to have changed his itinerary plan. His last stop was the Secret City, where an ambush had been arranged, as it had been learned in advance.

I am afraid that someone in the Saber Brothers betrayed Lao Cheng. At least one of the eight of them is an inner ghost. Yan Ji, Wan Cheng, Tian Pan, Guo Xuan, Qi Shaoyu, Duan Zhenyue, who are the traitors?

Yan Ji didn't smile, he just became a father. Wan Cheng is the oldest guard, serving as two dragon kings, and the celebrities of loyalty are well known. Tian Pan attaches great importance to honor, every action and every word is extremely cautious, and he will never compromise and slack at any time. Guo Xuan has a strong personality and is jealous and hateful. Qi Shaoyu is gentle and elegant, the fourth son of the former Dazai, who is very particular about etiquette and is the most well-behaved person among the sword wielders. Duan Zhenyue is a martial arts maniac, and all his free time is spent practicing boxing and swordsmanship.

These six men were all his brothers, and none of them were money-grubbers, and he trusted them immensely. Suspicion of anyone makes him feel pain, just as those punishments are inflicted on the body. Maybe even more.

He crawled to the iron door, tremblingly picked up the broken bowl, and before it could reach his mouth, the water overflowed halfway. The sewage has a strange smell and a fishy smell, but as long as it is water, it can make him taste sweet, and he has not drunk water for a long time. They thirsted for him and laughed at his desire for water, which they regarded as a means of pleasure.

A smug laugh floated into the window: "First Samurai, how does my urine smell?"

When he heard this, he immediately vomited, his stomach was almost empty, he retched incessantly, and vomited out what he had just drunk, and more uncomfortable than urine was shame. He is the holder of the dragon mark, he has the special power to slash first and then play, he is the first warrior of the kingdom, and these people usually look at him with envy and awe. Now he is drinking their urine.

My dignity can be trampled on, I am just a mortal, born in a peasant family, although I inherited a surname with a long history, but for many generations, the glory of the Yu family has long been dust, and I will never see it again.

My identity can be humiliated. But not the king's. I have made a blood oath before the dragon god, and the emblem is in the palm of my hand, and I will defend the safety and glory of the dragon king with all my might. The dragon mark was created by the order of the former king, it is not my glory and power, it represents the first king. Now that the dragon marks are in the hands of the traitors, and they are playing with them at will, the usurper is about to hold the divine weapon, raise his dirty feet, step on the royal steps, and put his filthy ass in the position of the former king.

That's what humiliates me.

Death looms. This was not the first time he had felt the taste of death, which had been parasitic in memories since childhood.

I had an older brother. Distant and hazy memories. His brother was nine years older than him. It was a rare year of famine, his mother died because he gave birth to him, and three years later his father was also recruited by the dragon god with illness*, and they became orphans, and it was his brother who brought him up. When he was so hungry that he fainted, his brother, who had no other choice, searched for slippery earthworms in the mud. He was then taught to dig up the mud beneath the trees, dig up their roots, beat them with stones, and remove the inedible parts. Even the brother who eats the bark has a trick, you can't just dig up the trunk and eat it all, you have to keep the part under the bark, otherwise the tree may die next year, and you won't be able to eat it again next time.

Hunger is the earliest Death Mentor. But it was his brother who really made him face death.

At the age of fifteen, his brother took him out of his hometown and moved to a neighboring town, where he worked for a minor nobleman and was responsible for watering and fertilizing a wheat field. Because his elder brother was born tall and powerful, by chance, he was favored by a small nobleman and promoted to a family member equipped with a wooden stick.

When my brother was sixteen years old, the nine-year-old young master of the little aristocratic family went out to play and was kidnapped by bandits and demanded ransom. The bandits specified that they could only send one person to ransom them, and when they saw two people, they tore up the tickets. The elder brother volunteered to take on this task, and he rushed to the ground with the ransom according to the bandits' demands, but after the bandits took the ransom, they refused to release the little master. The elder brother did not comply, and asked the other party to fulfill his previous promise, the bandits beat him and asked him to get out, but the elder brother always insisted on bringing back the little master according to the promise, and was unwilling to leave, and finally the elder brother was beaten to death by the bandits.

Death left him truly orphaned, helpless. Death also made him dry of tears, and he vowed to learn to be strong. Because he has only one thought in his young heart: to live and avenge his brother.

Later, the bandits were arrested, and one of them confessed that his brother had been chanting "why don't you keep your promise" before he died.

The little nobleman remembered what his brother had done, and supported him from the age of seven to the age of twelve, until a middle-aged man in silver armor came and took him away and sent him to live in a splendid house where he served as a chamberlain for a group of warriors in silver armor. Later, he learned that when he arrived at the palace, the middle-aged man who came to pick him up was called Chen Jingxian. At that time, Long Xingtian had just ascended the throne, and when he heard about his brother's deeds, he was greatly moved, so he took the younger brother of the young hero to the palace and trained him as the future Dragon Monarch's guard. The little nobleman was rewarded by the Dragon King for providing for him. And he has lived in the palace since then, and has become a personal disciple of Chen Jingxian, the chief guard of the Dragon Monarch......

From now on, my life belongs to the Dragon King. And I will follow the path that my brother has walked. The Yu family's family motto is "one promise is the most strong", nothing is more important than keeping promises, and the ancestors of the Yu family taught future generations.

What is there to fear from death?

The dragon monarch he swore to protect is dead, his heir, the crown prince, is dead, and the second heir is imprisoned in the heavenly prison, and he is about to be tortured by the chariot. His oath was turned to dust in the wind, and it was no longer valid. Life is boring.

The crown prince distressed him. Zixing must have liked that girl very much, so he ordered him to send the embroidered bag. Although the prince is young, he knows the taste of longing, and he can look at his sweetheart in pairs.

And how I envy this little happiness. This kind of happiness may never be there. The realization tingled his heart. But maybe it's not too bad, at least before you die, you always recognize what your most secret pain is.

He was immersed in his own sad little world, and he didn't notice the footsteps in the corridor outside the door, and even if he did, he wouldn't notice how many of them were here. What else can they do? It's just another torture, and they want to torture this death row inmate again before the car breaks.

He laughed when he heard the screeching sound of rusty metal grinding against the dark door being opened.

Come on. I was a miserable orphan, but it was a great honor to be able to one day train my martial arts and become the Dragon King's guard. My wish is sufficient.

Come on. I have nothing to lose. There is no joy in life, and there is no fear in death!