Chapter 154: Pavilion of Immolation

## Witching Grass

There's chill in the autumn air, with slight scent of blood everywhere. You get out of the tower and see Si Yan coming toward you.

**Si Yan**: There you are! Are you okay? All of Prince Jin's men have been subdued. [Smiles] We did it.

**MC**: Did you poison Prince Jin?

**Si Yan**: [Eyes widen and laughs] Did that work? Is he dead? Where is he? Never mind, there's no antidote for it and I don't want to see him again, anyway!

**MC**: He has food tasters, so how did you manage it?

You realize this is why she was so sure he won't stand a chance. But you wonder what is she thinking now with the peculiar smile.

**Si Yan**: I went through a lot of trouble getting the hallucinogens to put into the censer to make him think I was Yan Er. She made him soup every day so he would finish it no matter what. The toxicity for each dose was low enough as to be undetectable.

**Si Yan**: But if you take it long enough, it will be lethal. I told you I would never let him live! Do you believe me now?

## Vengeance is Had

You nod, which makes her laugh happily out loud.

**Si Yan**: He's lucky to think Yan Er killed him. Too bad I didn't get to witness his suffering before he died!

**MC**: Now that you got your revenge, what are your plans?

**Si Yan**: [Tilts head] Well, why don't I stay here with you? You're the emperor's trusted confidant now, and I can be your handmaiden!

* I'm just a civilian
* Let her live her own life
I'm just a civilian, I don't need servants.

**Si Yan**: But you're certainly in line for countless perks for what you did! Too bad you're a woman, or a government office wouldn't be out of reach.

**MC**: You scored merits yourself and that entitled you to an audience with the emperor.

**Si Yan**: I don't care about that. If you're not comfortable with the idea, I'll find a quiet town and settle down.**MC**: I have no need for that. Just live a good life rather than with hatred from now on.

**Si Yan**: I know. I'll find a quiet town and settle down, then. Maybe we'll run into each other again sometime down the road.

Shadow pops out of the grove ahead and scares Si Yan.

**Shadow**: [Frowns] Are you hurt at all? I've been looking for you and so has the emperor.

## Black Smoke Billows

Xiao Ze relaxes after learning Jin is poisoned. He sends men out to search lest Jin escapes.

As Xiao Ze gives his orders to find Jin, there's commotion ahead.

**Eunuch A**: Fire, fire, Your Majesty!

**Eunuch B**: Prince Jin lit it on fire with himself inside!

You look and see the tower Jin took you to is engulfed in flames.

**Xiao Ze**: [Stunned] He set himself on fire?

**MC**: (Proud as he was, Jin would never want anyone seeing him perish so miserably, and chose this way to go...)

Looking at the thick, rising smoke, Si Yan laughs again and wiped a tear off her face.

**Si Yan**: I've avenged you, sister. He never truly loved you. He took you for a seductress and not the innocent girl you were...
I thought he was cold, emotionless, but he coveted you... So to exact vengeance, I pretended to be you. But at last, I played another role. Under the effect of hallucinogens, he finished the mildly toxic soup every day and finally... died!

In the moon's soft glow and autumn breeze, the blaze consumes the tower and turns it into a heap of ashes.

## Book Search

Jin's death strikes the knell for his cohorts and their plot too. The problem gets much simpler from now on.

You've finally completed the first task, but the next one remains difficult. You don't know where to begin, even.

You sigh as you face the tens of thousands of books in the Imperial Library. The Weapon Manual wouldn't be here. You're just hoping to get lucky and catch a relevant passage or two.

**Xiao Ze**: I heard you're here checking out the books lately.

Xiao Ze's voice makes you turn around in surprise. He is right behind you, smiling.

**MC**: I got nothing else better to do. What are you doing here?

**Xiao Ze**: Taking a break from uprooting the last of Prince Jin's co-conspirators and just happen to come by.

He casually flips through a book and asks.

**Xiao Ze**: You're not from Western Liang, are you?

## Out of the Ordinary

You startle and look his way, but he keeps his eyes on the book so you can't tell what he meant by that.

**MC**: I have no idea where I'm from.

You stop at that. You can make up stories if you want to, but you don't.

**Xiao Ze**: It's easy to tell whether you're from Western Liang or not. However, not only are you not, but you must have an interesting background.

**MC**: You're wrong. I'm not particularly interesting. I came here because I had to.

**Xiao Ze**: What, just to oust Prince Jin?

## Princess of Western Liang

He now looks at you. You nod. He smiles and relaxes.

**Xiao Ze**: We all have our troubles, so I wouldn't pry, especially since I owe you one. I don't know if I could have done it without you.
Back then, I promised you honor and glory. I don't have a sister, Afu... Would you be my sister and the Elder Princess and the sole princess of Western Liang?

Xiao Ze is as serious as he is sincere. You truly believe he sees you as a big sister.

**MC**: I appreciate it, but I can't stay and don't need any reward.

**Xiao Ze**: Not staying? Where are you going? [Sigh] Forget it. You're looking for the Weapon Manual, aren't you?

**MC**: [Chuckles] You knew?

**Xiao Ze**: A lucky guess. Even Jin sought it out, let alone many others... Is that why you spent a lot of time here lately, trying to find out more about it?

**MC**: [Nod] Yes. I admit I want to know more about the manual.

**Xiao Ze**: I can tell you that it was destroyed many years ago. But it's part of the Western Liang mystique so it was covered up.

**MC**: [Surprised] So it doesn't exist?

**Xiao Ze**: Correct. You won't find it anywhere, anyhow.

You didn't anticipate this turn of events... Since the manual no longer exists and there's no point to fulfill the second task, does that mean you can leave Western Liang now?