From the time Sheng Huai'an could remember, there had always been a brother by his side, one year older than him.
But this brother did not share the same surname.
His name was Xie Jing.
Sheng Huai'an learned this from his mother.
He heard his mother always call him, "A Jing."
The people in the palace seemed unaware of Xie Jing's existence, but those in their mother's consort's courtyard, though aware, dared not speak much about it.
Because those who gossiped carelessly were all executed by their father, the Emperor.
There had been such instances more than once.
"Brother, this is a gift from Father, isn't it beautiful?" Sheng Huai'an, though young, was more lively and clever than Xie Jing.
Xie Jing was usually quiet and rarely spoke.
Therefore, Sheng Huai'an's favorite thing was to assert his presence in front of Xie Jing.
Because he was not favored in this palace at all.
In the Emperor's eyes, there was only their mother; in their mother's eyes, there was only Xie Jing.
Although he was often scolded by his mother, Sheng Huai'an felt that his mother treated him better than she treated herself.
But he, Sheng Huai'an, was the legitimate fifth prince of this palace. Why should such a wild child snatch all of his mother's attention?
As Sheng Huai'an expected, Xie Jing did not acknowledge him and was about to leave.
A faint smile played on Sheng Huai'an's lips, and he suddenly drew a dagger, slashing his own wrist.
It was quite deep.
"Clang!"
The dagger fell to the ground instantly, and Sheng Huai'an's eyes immediately reddened, tears streaming down uncontrollably.
"Brother, why are you trying to kill me?"
Xie Jing looked coldly at the youth before him, and a voice suddenly echoed in his heart.
"See how wicked he is? It's clearly him who's been bullying you, but he always frames you in front of your mother. Isn't that hateful? Grab that knife on the ground and stab him in the heart, and it will all be over!"
"Isn't it simple?"
Xie Jing's eyes turned blood red, and a faint black aura coiled around him.
Almost instantly, Yun Yaoyao's figure appeared in his eyes.
"Take the Fifth Prince to be bandaged. Xie Jing, follow me!"
"Creak!"
Yun Yaoyao led Xie Jing into the room, and soon, the sound of a whip striking flesh could be heard.
Sheng Huai'an looked at the closed door, seemingly unfazed by the pain, a sinister expression on his face.
Even so, his mother's eyes held no trace of him.
He had been observing his mother's gaze just now; she had not looked at him from beginning to end.
That bastard, how dare he!
That time, Xie Jing was beaten black and blue and developed a high fever.
Yun Yaoyao confined him to his room, forbidding anyone from attending to him.
But Sheng Huai'an personally witnessed his mother entering Xie Jing's dilapidated room in the dead of night, her eyes holding a look he had never seen before.
It was like heartache, regret, and bewilderment.
"A Jing... Mother has wronged you..."
She carefully applied medicine to Xie Jing, and only left as dawn approached.
Sheng Huai'an had sat outside the door all night.
If he fell ill, would his mother treat him the same way she treated Xie Jing?
As expected, he sat outside all night and caught a chill.
A group of imperial physicians surrounded him, but his father and mother only glanced at him before leaving.
After waiting all night, his mother did not come.
She always seemed to call him the Fifth Prince.
A Jing?
He suddenly became so jealous of that bastard!
At that time, Sheng Huai'an did not understand why his mother was so harsh towards Xie Jing on the surface, yet so loving towards him in private.
It wasn't until later, when Xie Jing disappeared from the palace.
He saw a man in his father's secret chamber.
They called him Xie Qing.
He hid nearby and watched as the man was sliced to death by a thousand cuts.
That night was a nightmare.
But it also made him understand the truth.
His mother did not love his father; giving birth to him was only to ensure Xie Jing's survival.
The reason for treating Xie Jing so harshly was merely to put on a show for the Emperor, and also for Xie Jing's survival.
It seemed that from the moment Xie Jing existed, his mother had meticulously planned everything for him.
Including his own birth.
Sheng Huai'an realized for the first time how laughable his own existence was.
...
The Xie Family of Huayang.
"Hey~ Are you called Xie Jing?"
The blue-clothed boy looked at the white-clothed youth before him, who walked past him as if he were invisible.
Even though they had just said he was his brother.
Xie Jing had forgotten many things; he had forgotten where he had lived before and the names of his parents.
When he opened his eyes, he was in the Xie family, and everyone around him called him a bastard.
They all avoided him, saying he was an inauspicious person from birth.
"Xiao Jing, I am your elder brother, would you like to play with me?"
Xie Yun grabbed his hand and, without waiting for Xie Jing's reaction, pulled him out to play.
Later, Xie Jing realized that what Xie Yun called playing involved climbing trees, catching insects, and fighting crickets...
But from time to time, he would be locked in a dark, stuffy room.
Darkness swallowed him, and though he was alone, it felt familiar.
There was an uncontrollable force within him, and that familiar voice constantly urged him to kill.
Xie Jing resisted with all his might, but in the end, he committed murder on one occasion.
It was a burly man he had never seen before.
But that day, he was forcibly dragged into the woodshed by that man.
The man's eyes were filled with greed, making him feel sick to his stomach.
As a result, he grew to dislike looking into people's eyes, hating it intensely.
The man groped him, his hands roaming over his body, making his skin crawl and almost causing him to vomit.
Fortunately, that mysterious power suddenly appeared, and at that moment, he became one with the darkness.
He did not struggle, allowing the darkness to consume him.
Then he heard the man's pleas and screams.
His face, body, and hands were all covered in blood.
For a moment, he was covered in the smell of blood, and his nostrils were filled with it.
He actually hadn't liked it before, but now, he had grown accustomed to it.
It seemed only the smell of blood could wash away the filth of that moment.
"The monster killed someone!"
That time, he was nearly locked in the punishment chamber by the Xie family to die.
It was Xie Yun who rescued him.
"A Jing, you are my brother, I believe you are not a monster!"
But he was a monster, wasn't he?
Xie Jing's lips curved into a slight smile.
If becoming a monster could protect him and wash away the filth, what was wrong with that?
...