chapter 5

Xie Kai waited in silence, letting the young man finish his frantic ramblings. He supposed he had more patience today than usual. After all, it felt... nice. Someone was worried about him. Someone was speaking to him after so long. Even if this man started cursing at him, Xie Kai felt he wouldn't mind. He might even savor it.

At last, the young man looked at him again, his eyes brimming with unspoken emotion. It was almost laughable—Xie Kai had never been particularly skilled at reading people, let alone deciphering something as subtle as emotions in a gaze.

Instead of responding, he simply lifted a hand, his slender finger pointing toward the porcelain tea set on the low table ahead.

Li Feng followed his gesture but hesitated, a flicker of confusion crossing his face. Xie Kai motioned again, this time curling his fingers as if grasping an invisible cup before mimicking the motion of drinking.

Realization dawned on Li Feng. His eyes widened.

"Ah! How foolish of me! I should have known—such negligence on my part, Gongzi!" He hurriedly poured a cup of cold tea and offered it with both hands, his movements careful, almost reverent

Xie Kai stared at the tea, its amber surface still and unbroken. It reflected nothing in particular—yet a strange nostalgia crept in. When had he last seen liquid this clear? After the world fell to ruin, even clean water had become a rarity. The rivers and lakes had turned dark with decay, poisoned by the corpses of the undead. The rot had seeped into everything—the fish, the soil, the very air.

Tea? He hadn't seen it in years. It was something that had ceased to exist in his world, a relic of a past life.

But here, in this unfamiliar place, the tea was fragrant, untouched by ruin. Such a luxury.

He was grateful.

Slowly, he drank. His throat burned with every swallow, but he wasn't in a hurry. There was no need to rush—it was unnecessary.

When the ache in his throat finally eased, he spoke, his voice hoarse, as though he had been screaming for a long time.

"Can I take a bath?"

"A bath? Of course! I'll have someone prepare it right away!" Li Feng exclaimed before hurrying out of the room.

Xie Kai simply closed his eyes and rested.

Not long after, Li Feng returned, his voice carrying a sense of urgency. "Gongzi, I've ordered a hot bath for you. Your clothes will arrive soon. Once you're dressed, we should leave this place—my lord and lady must be worried sick about you."

Xie Kai raised an eyebrow. Leave? Was this not his place?

He scoffed inwardly. Right... if it were, why would my own personal attendant not be allowed to enter?

A fleeting thought crossed his mind—was he being... grounded? He frowned, the events swirling in his thoughts as he tried to piece together what had led him here.

Where was he, truly?

Xie Kai's mind sifted through the fragments of the previous evening. The grand banquet hall, filled with young nobles. Elegant ladies and beautiful young men, all exuding wealth and power. The young masters—tall, imposing figures—commanded attention as they walked, their presence nearly regal. And the eyes—those eyes—lingering on him, sharp and appraising. He could feel their weight, their silent judgment.

Food. He had eaten and drunk. Yet, suddenly, his stomach had turned. A sickness, a dizziness. Li Feng's concerned face had appeared, followed by a handsome figure—someone who had spoken to him with care, though the words had blurred in his mind.

Where was he now, exactly?

His thoughts returned to the towering grandeur of the Imperial Palace. The gleaming walls, seen only as a fleeting glimpse when the curtain of his carriage had lifted.

Ah, yes, the invitation. The elegant invitation that had arrived with such formality—what was it about again?

The Third Prince's birthday banquet—of course. He had been invited, as was customary for someone of his standing. But now that he thought on it, the invitation carried more meaning than he had realized at the time. The Third Prince had long shown interest in him, courting him in subtle ways, making grand gestures in private. The invitation to his birthday banquet had been a natural extension of that interest. He would have been invited regardless, given his father's position as imperial censor.

Wait. Courting him? The words felt foreign, yet the more Xie Kai recalled, the clearer the truth became.

Of course, he was being courted. No, not him, but the previous owner of this body. Now, he was the recipient of this attention. Why wouldn't he be? After all, he was the second most beautiful in the entire kingdom, a Tèzhēn.

In the Qianhua Dynasty, there was a unique classification: men, women, and the Tèzhēn. This rare and precious group, neither fully man nor woman, existed as a distinct gender. To be born as a Tèzhēn was a rarity, and they were treasured for their unparalleled beauty, unmatched by any woman in the kingdom. The previous owner of this body had ranked as the second most beautiful, with the first being the Grand Imperial Concubine, the Emperor's Consort—renowned not only for his beauty but also for his esteemed status.

The Tèzhēn were capable of bearing children, but only once in their lifetime. Afterward, they returned to being like ordinary men. Some even married women later in life, though they could no longer father children. It was said that marriage to a Tèzhēn was a blessing, for any child born from them—regardless of gender—was believed to possess immense potential. Such a child was destined to achieve feats beyond what ordinary children could even dream of.

But with this blessing came a dark side. As the rumor went, Tèzhēn had once been numerous, but over time, many were abandoned, exploited, or even killed by those who sought only to possess their child. Abandoned, they were left to fend for themselves, fragile and defenseless. Without their child-bearing potential, they were no different from ordinary men—but no one desired to marry or protect them once their ability was gone. These individuals, once pampered and spoiled, had no way of surviving the cruel world after their purpose had been fulfilled. They became vulnerable, exploited for their beauty and abilities, until they were left to wither in neglect.

This vicious cycle, though whispered about in the deepest corners of the kingdom, was known to only a few. Those who understood its true depths knew the tragic fate of the Tèzhēn—beautiful and rare, yet bound to a life of eventual loneliness and exploitation.

To protect the Tèzhēn, a new rumor was spread. It was said that, even after bearing a child, the Tèzhēn retained the ability to bring health and fortune to their partners. This belief provided some semblance of protection against the harsh reality of their fate. The Emperor, for example, cherished his consort—the Grand Imperial Concubine—even after he had borne the Crown Prince. His status and beauty were unmatched, but it was this rumored power, this ability to bring prosperity and luck, that kept him in the Emperor's favor.

Such rumors, though hard to verify, spread through the court like wildfire, offering a glimmer of hope for the Tèzhēn.

Xie Kai still had lingering doubts. He glanced at Li Feng, who was busy arranging the freshly delivered clothes. He wanted to ask something but hesitated—he wasn't one to hoard his words like gold, yet he had long since lost the habit of idle chatter.

If he had to ask one question that might answer all his concerns, it would be this.

His voice was so low that even he wasn't sure if it reached the young man.

"Why were you not allowed entry?"

Li Feng's footsteps halted abruptly. It seemed his words had reached him after all. With a confused expression, Li Feng turned to him, blinking as if caught off guard.

"Huh? How would I know?" he said, his voice utterly clueless.

Xie Kai suddenly felt foolish. Far from answering all his questions, he had somehow managed to make Li Feng stop talking altogether.

But he wasn't ready to give up just yet.

"Then why are we in such a hurry to leave?" he asked.

This time, his words seemed to hit the mark.

Li Feng's eyes widened, and he rushed closer, still holding onto the belongings. His voice dropped to a cautious whisper, but there was an urgency in his tone, as if he were revealing a secret. His hands moved animatedly as he spoke, and Xie Kai listened with interest.

"Gongzi, what are you saying? Of course, we should hurry!" Li Feng's voice was both urgent and indignant. "You don't know, but the lord specifically instructed me not to eat anything here and to stay away from anything that could threaten your safety! And this is the imperial palace—you were only allowed to bring one attendant with you. If not for that, we could have brought more, and nothing would have happened! But—"

His voice wavered with frustration as he continued.

"You remember how you suddenly felt ill? It wasn't anything serious—you could still walk and talk, just a little lightheaded. So, His Highness, the Third Prince, suggested you rest in the side chamber assigned to you for today. I heeded his advice. After all, this is His Highness's Northwest Palace—what could possibly happen to you here? But the moment I brought you to your chambers, I noticed something was wrong—you seemed to be losing consciousness. I was terrified, so I rushed to find a physician.

But before I could reach one, I blacked out. The next thing I knew, I woke up in the servants' quarters—far away from you! They told me I was drunk and had been celebrating with them all night! Gongzi, you tell me—how is that possible?!"

Xie Kai, enjoying the explanation more than he probably should, nodded thoughtfully.

"Right."

"Right? Exactly!" Li Feng's voice lowered again as if afraid someone would overhear. "Gongzi, the moment I realized what had happened, I knew it was a disaster! I wanted to kill myself right then and there, but instead, I rushed back here as fast as I could."

Xie Kai asked, "Just now?"

Li Feng shook his head.

"No, not now! This whole back-and-forth just to get inside—I've done it twice already!" Li Feng's voice carried both urgency and frustration. "I arrived at the fifth watch of the night, just before dawn, but there were guards stationed outside—His Highness's personal guards—ones that weren't there before. They refused me entry, claiming you had only just arrived and gone to rest. How was that possible?! I personally brought you here before midnight—and you were unconscious yourself!"

Xie Kai remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

Li Feng let out an exaggerated sigh before lowering his voice. "Gongzi, I know you don't like His Highness, the Third Prince. You've made it clear to him—sometimes subtly, sometimes outright. But do you remember what you did recently?"

Xie Kai arched a brow but said nothing.

"You went as far as claiming to have feelings for the Great General's third son—just to put an end to His Highness's courtship," Li Feng said, shaking his head.

A small smirk tugged at Xie Kai's lips. Interesting.

Li Feng, however, was far from amused. He exhaled sharply and leaned in, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "That's when I knew things had gone south." His fingers clenched into fists. "There's no way it's a coincidence."

Xie Kai tilted his head, watching him with mild amusement. "Go on."

Li Feng took a deep breath, his expression darkening. "I knew nothing about your situation, so I gritted my teeth and went to seek out His Highness. But when I arrived, I was told he was bathing."

Xie Kai's eyes narrowed slightly.

Li Feng swallowed hard. "At that hour?" He shook his head. "It was too strange, but I still waited, hoping—praying—that my suspicions were wrong. But..." He hesitated, his hands tightening around the fabric he held.

"But?" Xie Kai prompted, his voice soft.

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