Silence lingered within the chamber long after the memories settled.
The candles near the walls flickered quietly, their golden light dancing across the polished floor and carved wooden pillars. Thin trails of incense smoke drifted lazily through the air, mixing with the faint scent of medicine and blood that still lingered inside the room.
Li Xuan stood beside the bed in silence.
His breathing had gradually stabilized, but weakness still spread throughout his body like hidden fire beneath the skin. The poison had not been fully removed yet. Even now, dull pain pulsed through his meridians whenever he moved too quickly.
Still—
he was alive.
Outside the window, the first light of dawn had begun to appear beyond the palace walls. The sky carried a pale gray hue, and distant bells echoed faintly somewhere within the imperial palace as servants began their morning duties.
Then—
Knock. Knock. Knock.
A cautious sound interrupted the silence.
"Your Highness… may this servant enter?"
Li Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly.
Not Xiao Lan.
The voice was unfamiliar.
He glanced toward the closed doors, his expression remaining calm.
"…Enter."
His tone sounded deliberately weak, as though he was still struggling to remain conscious.
The heavy wooden doors creaked open slowly.
A middle-aged servant stepped inside with careful movements, dressed in neat gray robes embroidered with the insignia of the prince's residence. His posture was respectful, his head lowered properly as he entered the chamber.
The moment his gaze landed on Li Xuan standing beside the bed, surprise flashed across his face.
A very small reaction.
Gone almost instantly.
"This servant greets the Fourth Prince."
He bowed deeply before raising his head again, his expression now filled with concern.
"Your Highness, this servant heard your condition worsened last night. How are you feeling now?"
Li Xuan did not answer immediately.
Instead, he observed him silently.
Every movement.
Every expression.
Every slight shift in breathing.
The memories inherited from the original owner surfaced once more.
This servant had personally delivered the wine last night.
Inside the imperial palace, every ingredient entering a prince's residence underwent strict inspection. Ordinary servants could not obtain poison capable of harming a Cave Manor cultivator.
Which meant there were only two possibilities.
Either this servant had powerful backing—
or someone higher above had ordered him to act.
Li Xuan already knew which answer was more likely.
He came here to confirm whether I survived.
Li Xuan coughed lightly, leaning one hand against the table as though struggling to remain standing.
"…Still alive," he replied weakly.
The servant lowered his head respectfully.
"That is fortunate, Your Highness. This servant was deeply worried throughout the night."
His words sounded flawless.
Respectful.
Concerned.
But his eyes betrayed him.
They were too focused.
Too alert.
He was not looking at Li Xuan like a worried servant checking on his master.
He was observing him carefully.
Trying to determine how much he remembered.
Li Xuan almost smiled.
Interesting.
Without warning, he spoke casually.
"I drank the wine you brought last night."
For the briefest moment, the servant's shoulders stiffened.
Very slight.
Most people would have missed it completely.
"Yes, Your Highness," the servant replied carefully. "It was prepared by the palace kitchen as usual."
Li Xuan tilted his head slightly before asking in an almost idle tone,
"Was there poison in it?"
The room instantly became quiet.
Even the flickering candle flames seemed to freeze.
The servant blinked once before quickly lowering his head.
"Your Highness jests. How could poison appear within the prince's residence?"
Li Xuan slowly began walking toward him.
His movements appeared somewhat unsteady, weakened by the remaining poison, yet every step carried an invisible pressure that gradually filled the chamber.
The servant unconsciously stepped backward.
Li Xuan stopped only a short distance away.
Close enough to clearly see the thin layer of sweat forming along the man's forehead.
"Then explain something to me," Li Xuan said calmly.
His voice was soft.
Controlled.
Far more frightening than anger.
"Why did I nearly die after drinking it?"
The servant's breathing became uneven.
"This… this servant does not know…"
Li Xuan stared at him silently for several seconds.
The pressure within the room became heavier.
The servant suddenly felt as though the person standing before him was no longer the gentle Fourth Prince he remembered.
The old Li Xuan would never look at someone this way.
Cold.
Sharp.
Like a predator examining prey.
Instinctive fear began rising within the servant's chest.
Then—
Li Xuan moved.
His hand shot forward instantly.
The servant's eyes widened in shock as Li Xuan grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the nearby pillar.
Bang!
The wooden pillar trembled violently.
"—Ghk!"
The servant clawed desperately at Li Xuan's wrist, panic flooding his face.
He had not even seen the movement clearly.
Even weakened by poison, Li Xuan remained a Third Stage Cave Manor cultivator.
For someone at his level, overpowering an ordinary servant required almost no effort.
"You don't know?" Li Xuan asked quietly.
His grip tightened slightly.
The servant's face turned red almost immediately.
"Y-Your Highness—!"
"Let me ask again."
Li Xuan's gaze remained calm and icy.
"Who ordered you to poison me?"
Fear completely overtook the servant's expression.
"I—I didn't poison you!"
The grip tightened further.
Pain shot through the servant's neck as the sounds of creaking bone echoed faintly within the room.
"You have one chance," Li Xuan said calmly.
The servant's will finally collapsed.
"I was only told to deliver the wine!" he cried desperately. "I swear! I don't know who prepared it!"
Li Xuan studied him silently.
His heartbeat.
His breathing.
The panic in his eyes.
A mixture of truth and lies.
He probably never met the mastermind directly.
Someone higher above had used him as a disposable pawn.
Still—
that made him useless.
Li Xuan sighed faintly.
"…Worthless."
The servant's eyes widened in terror.
"Your Highness, please spare me! I can still serve you! I won't speak a single word about tonight! I—"
Crack.
The sound echoed sharply within the chamber.
Then silence returned.
The servant's body went limp instantly.
His eyes remained wide open, frozen with fear even in death.
Li Xuan released his grip.
The corpse collapsed heavily onto the polished floor.
For several moments, the room remained completely still.
Only the soft crackling of candle flames could be heard.
Li Xuan looked down at the body without emotion.
"Begging for mercy inside the imperial palace…"
His voice was quiet.
"People here really never learn."
Before his thoughts could continue—
Footsteps suddenly echoed outside the chamber.
Fast.
Heavy.
Several guards rushed toward the doors.
"Your Highness!"
The doors burst open violently.
Armed guards entered the room with drawn weapons before instantly freezing in place.
Their eyes locked onto the corpse lying on the floor.
Then slowly shifted toward Li Xuan standing beside it.
Blood stained the servant's collar.
The air inside the chamber felt unbearably cold.
No one dared to speak.
No one dared to move.
Li Xuan calmly met their gazes.
His expression remained composed, completely unaffected by the scene before him.
"He attempted to assassinate me using poison," Li Xuan said plainly.
A simple statement.
No anger.
No panic.
Just certainty.
The guards exchanged uneasy glances.
Shock filled their expressions.
But beneath the shock—
was fear.
Something about the Fourth Prince felt different.
The pressure he gave off no longer resembled the calm and gentle prince they remembered.
Li Xuan turned away from them and walked back toward the bed.
His movements were steady despite the poison still lingering within his body.
"Remove the corpse," he said calmly.
Then after a brief pause, he added,
"And investigate everyone who entered this residence yesterday."
The guards stiffened slightly.
"…Yes, Your Highness."
Li Xuan sat down slowly at the edge of the bed, his gaze drifting toward the pale morning light outside the window.
The palace had already made its move against him.
Which meant one thing.
The struggle for the throne had begun long before he realized it.
And from this moment onward—
he would no longer remain a passive piece on the board.