Zhong Shenxiu, feeling unusually cheerful today, strolled out. He had already arranged things with Pa Ji, so no one stopped him or questioned where he was going, even as he wandered near the Imperial Palace.
Drifting along, Zhong Shenxiu had exited the "Dongyue Palace." The moment he stepped out, he noticed several figures lurking suspiciously, looking as if they were monitoring every move within the palace.
However, Zhong Shenxiu paid them no mind. It was their internal affair, and he was too lazy to involve himself in such trivialities. Yet, before he had walked much further, several individuals approached him with hostile expressions. Leading them was a youth of about fourteen. A wicked smile suddenly curved Zhong Shenxiu's lips. It was quite enough that he didn't seek trouble with others; now, someone was coming to find him—a classic case of "asking for a beating when there's nothing better to do!"
"My Prince, that's the child," one of the subordinates pointed at Zhong Shenxiu and said to Aixiao, his expression brimming with unconcealed excitement.
This was a golden opportunity for servants like them to demonstrate their loyalty. Judging by the attire of the boy before them, he seemed to be someone without status or backing. Bullying such a person would not only please the Prince but also ensure no repercussions—truly killing two birds with one stone!
These servants had all heard about the Princess being struck. They knew Aixiao must be in a foul mood, and if they could use this moment to vent his anger, they might receive substantial rewards!
Aixiao didn't even need to give the order. These sycophantic servants, emboldened by their master’s authority, immediately surrounded Zhong Shenxiu, each wearing a sinister grin, looking as if they meant to devour him whole.
If Aixiao desired it, these men wouldn't hesitate to kill Zhong Shenxiu, regardless of cruelty. They might even hang the body up as a warning to deter others—they had certainly done such things before, and more than once!
But they could never have imagined that the boy they encountered today was no ordinary person. If he didn't hang them up, they would count it as sheer dumb luck!
Past experience proved that anyone who provoked Zhong Shenxiu met a terrible end. Who knew what fate awaited these men this time!
"Halt! Kneel and pay respects to the Prince when you see him!" one of them suddenly shouted at Zhong Shenxiu, clearly aiming to curry favor with Aixiao.
Zhong Shenxiu neither spoke nor moved. He simply watched them with a smile that looked profoundly odd.
Aixiao scrutinized Zhong Shenxiu from head to toe. Though he couldn't discern anything extraordinary about the boy, Zhong Shenxiu's expression unsettled him. He couldn't understand why this boy could smile upon seeing their group. Was he an idiot? Couldn't he see they intended him harm?
"Little brat, what is your name?" Aixiao asked in a low voice, adopting an intimidating posture designed to provoke fear.
He expected the boy to show some sign of fright. But he was mistaken. Not only did it fail, but the boy’s smile broadened, his expression seeming to mock them all as fools.
"Is the Prince asking you a question? Didn't you hear?" another servant barked out.
Zhong Shenxiu ignored him, his gaze fixed directly on Aixiao. He could instantly tell who held the authority among this group.
Aixiao frowned. He felt his dignity had been slighted. He hadn't expected a child from the "Dongyue Palace" to be so arrogant, daring to disregard a Prince. If this insolence went unchecked, it would become intolerable; the boy needed to be taught a lesson about the Prince’s power. So, he curtly ordered a nearby subordinate, "Open your mouth for me!"
His tone was utterly flat, suggesting this kind of action was merely routine.
The subordinate chuckled, rolling up his sleeve and stepping forward. He relished this kind of work; the feeling of striking someone never failed to satisfy him, especially the look of helplessness when the victim couldn't retaliate.
"Boy, remember, this is the dignified Prince," he said, already swinging his palm toward Zhong Shenxiu's delicate cheek. Judging by his form, he held nothing back; a normal child taking that blow would surely be knocked unconscious.
However, after a long moment, the expected sharp slap never landed. Had he missed?
The group looked, and an involuntary gasp escaped their lips. The face that moments before had been smugly confident instantly turned deathly pale.
A brief silence was shattered by a pig-like scream: "Aaaargh! My hand, my hand! Ahhh!"
The subordinate who had been so ready to strike was clutching his severed arm in agony, blood already staining half his body. Lying grotesquely at his feet was a limb slick with gore.
Who could have anticipated such a bizarre event? A perfectly healthy man, and in the blink of an eye, an arm was gone!
Even stranger, despite their close proximity, none of them saw how the arm had been separated. How could this not inspire terror?
But what truly horrified them was Zhong Shenxiu’s expression—his smile had grown even more sinister, now looking utterly spine-chilling.
"Wh-what is happening?" Aixiao had never encountered anything so inexplicable.
Usually, he and his entourage bullied others, and no one ever dared to resist. But this time, although there was no apparent resistance, it was precisely the lack of struggle that terrified him! If an arm could vanish without even seeing the motion, couldn't a head do the same? A formless dread suddenly gripped his heart. He, a mighty Prince, felt the impulse to flee.
But could he escape now? Clearly, that was wishful thinking. The moment he ordered someone to "open their mouth," he forfeited any chance of retreat!
The severed-arm subordinate continued to howl in pain. Someone as thoroughly wicked as him deserved to meet Zhong Shenxiu sooner, saving countless innocent victims from harm!
The others just stood there, stunned, not one moving to help their comrade.
Perhaps finding the noise grating, Zhong Shenxiu thought a single notion. The flagstones beneath the wailing man abruptly shifted, and before anyone could register what happened, the man plunged beneath the ground, vanishing as smoothly as a fishing bobber disappearing beneath water.
The sound stopped, but the atmosphere grew even heavier! The expressions on the onlookers’ faces were beyond pale now; their eyes were nearly bulging from sheer terror, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably.
Staring at the lone severed arm left on the ground, a cold numbness crept up their scalps. The image of the man sinking into the earth replayed relentlessly in their minds, violently impacting their very souls!
The irony was they still hadn't grasped what was happening, let alone realized that this seemingly harmless little boy was the architect of it all!
What had just occurred felt like a nightmare, but this nightmare had only just begun!
Perhaps readers wonder if Zhong Shenxiu's reaction was too severe—killing one of them outright right at the start?
In truth, death would have been too kind. Given these men's crimes, the fitting punishment would be a fate worse than death! Although Zhong Shenxiu had only just met them, he could see exactly what kind of people they were and the countless atrocities they had already committed!
"Hey, brat, what's your name?" Zhong Shenxiu's voice suddenly cut through the silence. Though youthful, it carried a distinctly sinister quality!
When Zhong Shenxiu addressed him directly, Aixiao involuntarily flinched. An indescribable chill crept up from his core.
He couldn't answer. It wasn't that he refused to lower himself to the status of a Prince, but rather that he was completely paralyzed by fear, unable to form words.
Zhong Shenxiu smiled again, unhurriedly stating, "I recall now. According to your logic, if the other party doesn't speak, they must 'open their mouth,' right?"
As his words finished, Aixiao launched into the air. If the moment his feet left the ground were played in slow motion, one could even see three teeth flying from his mouth, and the left side of his face unnaturally distorted.
With a loud thud, Aixiao finally landed, flying nearly forty meters before rolling another ten before coming to a stop!
The remaining servants were beyond shocked. It wasn't merely that their Prince had been struck; they had a dawning realization that this little boy was almost certainly responsible for everything!
"Hey, you, go drag him over here!" Zhong Shenxiu suddenly commanded one of the remaining servants.
"Me?" The servant looked at Zhong Shenxiu with wide, horrified eyes.
"Yes, you!"
The servant instinctively shook his head, unwilling to carry out any disrespectful action toward the Prince.
"You refuse?" A fierce light flashed in Zhong Shenxiu's eyes, complemented by that sinister smile—the perfect picture of a reborn little demon king.
The servant startled, but still didn't move. Just then, he shot skyward like a firework rocket and vanished in a blink.
Zhong Shenxiu didn't even bother watching where that man landed. He turned his attention to another servant, repeating the same command.
This servant reacted quickly. Not daring to wait for a second instruction, he scurried over to Aixiao's crumpled form and dragged him back.
Aixiao's face was swollen on one side like a yurt, and he was semi-conscious, his eyes half-open and unfocused.
The servant looked nervously at Zhong Shenxiu, his expression pleading, I brought him back, you won't kill me, will you?
Zhong Shenxiu didn't kill him; in fact, he smiled at the man. But the next sentence he uttered was enough to utterly shatter the servant’s composure...