(next day : morning 8:40 AM)

  Jiyin sits at the window in his room, a look of intense annoyance on his pale face. His mind is still fuzzy from the ritual, and his body feels weak. He glances around his luxurious quarters... and a childish pout forms on his lips as he glares at the locked door.

  He mutters under his breath, "I don't need to be watched like a little kid..."

  Jiyin leans out the window, his dark eyes glinting with mischief. He spots Wang Lee below—graceful as always, heading toward dance practice. A smirk tugs at Jiyin's lips.

  "Hey, Wang Lee..." he calls down, crumpling a small piece of paper before flicking it with surprising force—only for the wind to betray him mid-air.

  The note flutters... and lands squarely on Master Liu's bald head.

  "Ai-ya.." Jiyin freezes. His pupils shrink to pinpricks as he yanks himself back into hiding behind silk curtains

  *{"Aiya...": is the universal Chinese sound for "Oops," "Oh no," or "I messed up".}

  Mater liu look up for second, confused but then leave.

  Wang Lee is passing by when suddenly—a barrage of paper-balls smacks him in the face. He jerks backwards, one hand coming up to shield his face from the unexpected attack.

  "Hey, What...?" he splutters—only for the words to die in his throat as he spots Jiyin, leaning out of the open window above with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

  Jiyin gestures for Wang Lee to be quiet, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He holds up one hand, a finger to his lips in a hushing motion... before making a 'catch me' motion with the other.

  Wang Lee's eyes widen in disbelief. "You're crazy! You can't jump from three floors up."

  Before Wang Lee can utter another word, Jiyin launches himself from the window, a graceful arc through the air as he falls towards the marble floor.

  But at the last second, Wang Lee moves with supernatural speed—his body a blur as he catches Jiyin in his arms. The impact jars through his limbs, and he stumbles back a step, both arms wrapped around Jiyin's body.

  "You pig head." Wang Lee hisses, his face inches from Jiyin's. "I told you not to jump..!"

  Jiyin grins, unperturbed by the sharp rebuke. His arms loop easily around Wang Lee's neck, a lazy smirk on his lips. "You caught me just fine. I knew you would."

  Wang Lee scowls at him, irritation sparking in his gaze. "That's not the point. You shouldn't have jumped in the first place."

  With a huff, Wang Lee complies. He lowers Jiyin gently to his feet, one hand still supporting the other man's weight as he looks over him. The frown still hasn't left his face.

  Master Liu's voice rings through the air, calling for Wang Lee to come to practice. But before Wang Lee can respond, Jiyin pipes up in a perfect imitation.

  This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

  "Master! I ate too much. I got loose motion."

  Wang Lee's eyes widen in disbelief. He turns to the prince, his jaw almost dropping at the absolute audacity of the man in front him.

  "You didn't just—han zi!"

  *{"Han zi" : idiot}

  Master Liu falls silent, clearly a bit taken aback. Then his voice takes on a note of understanding. "Alright, take your time..."

  He turns and retreats, leaving Wang Lee in sheer disbelief—his eyes flicking from the retreating figure back to his grinning companion.

  Jiyin smirks at him, a sly twinkle in his eyes. His words are teasing, almost playful. "He bought it hook, line, and sinker."

  Wang Lee's face flushes a furious red—first from sheer outrage, then from the horrifying realization that Jiyin is mimicking his voice again.

  "Pig heac—" he chokes out, fingers twitching like he wants to strangle the prince right there. But Jiyin just leans in closer with a smug grin, undeterred by Wang Lee's murderous glare.

  "Relax," Jiyin purrs, "I only said it because you were taking too long."

  Jiyin grabs Wang Lee's hand, pulling the assassin along. Wang Lee splutters in surprise at the sudden movement, but can't do much except let himself be dragged across the corridor and all the way into his own chamber—which is thankfully empty at the moment.

  He wrenches his hand away the moment the door closes, whipping around to fix the grinning prince with an unamused glare. "What. Are. You. Doing."

  Jiyin nudges Wang Lee with a playful smirk, his eyes dancing with mischief. "Come on, drop the act."

  Wang Lee blinks—genuinely confused now. His brow furrows as he takes an instinctive step back. "What... what act?"

  Jiyin's grin widens. He leans in closer again, voice lowering to a conspiratorial whisper: "Ohhhh? We kissed that day! Do you want me to say it out loud?"

  A flicker of panic crosses Wang Lee's face before he schools it into cold indifference... but Jiyin already sees right through him.

  Wang Lee opens his mouth. Closes it. Opens it again. But all that comes out is a strangled noise. His cheeks are as red as a tomato in harvest season, and Jiyin's grin only widens at the sight.

  Finally, the spy manages to find his voice, his words coming out in a strangled hiss. "You shameless pig!"

  Wang Lee's eyes narrow, his voice sharp with disbelief. "Why haven't you told your parents? You know I'm a spy. One word from you and my head rolls."

  Jiyin just shrugs, the ghost of a smirk tugging at his lips. "...."

  Wang Lee's senses sharpen instantly at the sound of approaching footsteps—Master Liu's unmistakable, gruff stride echoing down the hall. His body moves on pure instinct.

  In a flash, he lifts his hand and flicks two fingers toward the door. A thin strand of spiritual energy whips out like an invisible thread—wrapping around the lock mechanism with terrifying precision.

  Click. The door seals shut in an instant just as Master Liu reaches for it from outside.

  "Leave," wang lee hisses in a low, urgent tone.

  Jiyin pouts dramatically, his grip tightening on Wang Lee's sleeve as he leans in closer. "Okay... but only if you give me one kiss first."

  Wang Lee's entire body locks up. His eyes widen—disbelief and something far more dangerous flickering across his face. "You—what?! No! You idiot, I will throw you out the window right now!"

  A smirk tugs at Jiyin's lips. He raises an eyebrow, voice dripping with mocking sweetness: "Ohhh? Spy is so cruel~"

  Wang Lee throws open the door to see Master Liu, hand frozen mid-air about to knock. He's pretty sure he looks extremely disheveled—face red, clothes rumpled, hair messy. Master Liu's gaze flits between Jiyin leaving and Wang Lee with the disheveled clothes.

  Master Liu raises an eyebrow at the quick change in Wang Lee's demeanor. His eyes take in the disheveled clothing and the slight flush in the dancer's cheeks... then he shakes his head with a sigh.

  "You seem... awfully flustered for someone who's supposedly doing nothing important."

  Wang lee says calmly "I am okay master, we should go to practice now"

  As Wang Lee returns to dance practice, the other dancers don't notice the nail he pin on the corner of the room. It blends in perfectly with the surroundings, completely invisible to the naked eye.

  Wang Lee thinks "over the course of 1 year, has slowly and carefully placed tiny nails at strategic points around the palace. Each of these nails is carefully positioned in a seemingly ordinary place, but in reality, each one serves as a crucial point for his spying mission."

  Wang Lee snaps out of his thoughts as a small dancer, no older than ten, tugs gently on the hem of his sleeve. The child looks up at him with wide eyes—concerned but trying to be brave.

  "Are you okay?" they ask in a tiny voice.

  Wang Lee blinks down at them for half a second before nodding stiffly. "...Yes. I'm fine."

  [Meanwhile In a grand hall in the Xian Tian dynasty - 6 PM]

  chaos erupts as the emperor—Yuan Shi—roars in anger, kicking the table in front of him in a fit of rage. The ministers in the room all flinch, their eyes widening in terror at the furious display of temper.

  The emperor snarls, his enraged voice echoing off the marble walls. The veins in his forehead look nearly ready to pop. "Get that traitor Wang Yuzé here now!!! How dare he help that bastard prince!!"

  The cup hits the ground, shattering with a loud crash as red wine spills out across the floor. The emperor roars, his words spitting out between clenched teeth as he slams his fist onto the armrest next to his throne.

  His eyes blaze with fury. "Didn't he want his mother back alive? That backstabbing bastard."

  The ministers flinch again, glancing at each other nervously. One of them dares to step forward, a respectful but anxious expression on his face.

  "M-my majesty, perhaps Wang Yuzé has some plan... Maybe he is trying to win the trust of the Kai Fu e

  mperor."

  Another minister, trying to find a silver lining in the situation, chimes in with a hopeful tone. "Yes, maybe his purpose in helping the prince is strategic. Perhaps he has a plan we have not yet seen."