Chapter 58 Withholding the Truth

"Right..."

The woman in red stared at Lin Jiangnian, intending to say something, but as the words reached her lips, she suddenly stopped.

"Never mind, let's wait a little longer..."

She murmured to herself.

Lin Jiangnian gave her a perplexed look.

"By the way, I've uncovered some things."

The woman in red looked at Lin Jiangnian again, her eyes narrowing slightly as she spoke in a serious tone, "It concerns that Third Prince."

"What is it?"

Lin Jiangnian perked up slightly. "What did you find out?"

"This recent assassination attempt on the Heir of Prince Lin is indeed connected to him!"

The woman in red said flatly.

"He is the mastermind?"

"Probably not."

The woman in red gently shook her head. "Although he is not the mastermind, he was nonetheless involved. I found out that he has been exchanging letters with certain individuals inside Linjiang City for the past few months... He knew about the assassination attempt on the Heir of Prince Lin long in advance."

"However, he is certainly not the mastermind!"

"Why are you so certain?"

"He lacks the capability!"

The woman in red said indifferently, "He is merely an imperial prince. He might hold some influence in the capital, but when it comes to assassinating the Heir of Prince Lin in Linzhou, he simply doesn't measure up!"

Lin Jiangnian was taken aback, but that made sense.

"Then why would he want to assassinate the Heir of Prince Lin?"

Lin Jiangnian muttered thoughtfully, "Does he hold a grudge against the Heir?"

"As to that, I am not entirely certain myself..."

The woman in red shook her head slightly, a look of doubt crossing her face. This was precisely the part she couldn't figure out.

Logically speaking, the Third Prince should have had no intersection with the Heir of Prince Lin. Why would there be a feud?

Furthermore, even if the imperial court wanted to curtail the power of the feudal princes, he was only an imperial prince with the Crown Prince standing above him.

Why would he get involved in this matter?

"The truth will come to light eventually."

The woman in red glanced at Lin Jiangnian. "They will try to assassinate you again."

Catching her gaze, Lin Jiangnian felt a slight chill in his heart.

They would try to assassinate him again?

And the target of that assassination wasn't anyone else, but him?

"They're going to come to Linzhou to assassinate me again?"

"Not necessarily!"

The woman in red shook her head slightly. "After the last experience, the Prince of Lin's Estate will no longer lower its guard. At least within the borders of Linzhou, you shouldn't face any more danger."

Lin Jiangnian remained silent.

He didn't entirely agree with that.

"Therefore, the only thing you need to do right now is stay here in peace and play the role of the Heir of Prince Lin. Within the Prince's Estate and Linjiang City, you are safe, at the very least."

"Then..."

Lin Jiangnian thought for a moment, then looked at her. "What on earth is your purpose in making me impersonate the Heir of Prince Lin?"

"What do you want me to do for you?"

The woman in red glanced at him. "Let's talk about that after you get your hands on the Xuanyang Mental Art."

Lin Jiangnian was startled. "It has to do with the Xuanyang Mental Art?"

"You could say that..."

The woman in red nodded slightly. "I need to confirm a few things first."

Lin Jiangnian fell silent.

So she really *was* after the Xuanyang Mental Art!

"Then I'll do my best..."

The oil lamp on the table gradually dimmed as the night outside grew darker.

Weariness began to show on the faces of the two people sitting by the table.

Except for the few days she had been away, the woman in red appeared in Lin Jiangnian's room every single night. Sometimes she reminded him of things, sometimes she just sat quietly for a while, and occasionally she would chat with him about random trifles.

It seemed she was quite bored as well?

At times like this, she resembled an ordinary woman, completely devoid of that cold, unapproachable aura. She was like a completely different person from the woman in red he had first met in the temple amidst the torrential rain...

To this day, Lin Jiangnian still didn't understand what her true purpose was. Impersonating the Heir of Prince Lin and infiltrating the Prince's Estate... what was she plotting?

This woman in red remained an enigma—both beautiful and mysterious!

"It's getting late. I should go!"

The woman in red stood up and stretched lazily. Her movements were languid yet graceful, her delicate figure faintly visible beneath the scarlet dress.

"Right, there is one more thing."

Before leaving, as if remembering something, the woman in red stared at Lin Jiangnian for a moment before speaking. "That night..."

"In the temple, apart from the people of the Prince's Estate and the assassins targeting the Heir, there was a third faction!"

"A third faction?"

Lin Jiangnian was stunned, his gaze tightening instantly. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know." The woman in red shook her head, her eyes fixed on Lin Jiangnian.

Lin Jiangnian frowned. "What is the background of that third faction?"

"Unclear."

"You couldn't find out?"

"Mhm."

After staring at Lin Jiangnian for a moment longer, the woman in red finally withdrew her gaze and said indifferently, "Whether that third faction is friend or foe, and whatever their origins might be, it remains unknown for now. However..."

"It might have something to do with you!"

Lin Jiangnian's heart suffered a violent jolt.

It had to do with him?

Could it be...

"What could it possibly have to do with me?"

Lin Jiangnian forced himself to remain calm, a look of perplexity appearing on his face. "I don't even know any factions."

"That remains to be seen."

The woman in red shook her head gently, cast another glance at Lin Jiangnian, and warned him, "However, if I can uncover this matter, *she* can too..."

"You had better be careful!"

Lin Jiangnian fell silent.

The "she" the woman in red referred to was naturally Zhiyue.

If Zhiyue could investigate that third faction, what would she be able to find out?

Would it implicate Lin Jiangnian?

"I will find a way to figure out who they are!"

The woman in red put her hands behind her back, nodded slightly, and glanced at Lin Jiangnian once more. "However, you must get your hands on the Xuanyang Mental Art as quickly as possible."

The woman in red left.

Yet the information she left behind weighed heavily on Lin Jiangnian's mind.

He sat quietly by the table for a long while, until the oil lamp was nearly extinguished, before finally lighting a fresh one.

Then, Lin Jiangnian stood up, walked over to the door, and carefully bolted it from the inside. He proceeded to the window, latching the shutters tight as well. Only after confirming everything was secure and that no one could break in silently did he let out a slight breath of relief.

His mind settled somewhat.

Following that, Lin Jiangnian turned around and walked over to the bed behind the folding screen. He lifted the pillow, beneath which a book rested quietly.

"The Xuanyang Mental Art!"

Four bold, flying calligraphy characters greeted his eyes.

The brushwork was sharp, and an intangible imposing aura emanated from the cover.

Lin Jiangnian picked up the manual, turned back, and returned to the table to sit down.

Earlier today on the seventh floor, Lin Jiangnian had found this copy of the Xuanyang Mental Art inside a desk.

However, when the woman in red asked about it tonight, Lin Jiangnian had chosen not to tell the truth.

The reason was self-evident.

Lin Jiangnian didn't know what the woman's true intentions were, and the Xuanyang Mental Art was far too important; he dared not leak it easily.

Therefore, he had chosen to temporarily conceal it and play it by ear.

And his earlier probing had confirmed his suspicions—the woman in red's objective truly was tied to the Xuanyang Mental Art.

So then...

Lin Jiangnian's gaze fell upon the manual on the table. Was this Xuanyang Mental Art truly as miraculous and powerful as she claimed?

What secrets were hidden within it, and how did they connect to the woman in red's goals?

harboring these thoughts and doubts, Lin Jiangnian opened the manual in his hands.

The very first thing that met his eyes was a preface.

"In the thirteenth year of Tianqi, amidst a heavy snowfall, I lost my way in the Taihang Mountains. Stumbling into a labyrinth by chance, I grasped the profound mysteries and comprehended the secrets of Xuanyang..."

Lin Jiangnian gradually realized that the Xuanyang Mental Art in his hands seemed to be... a handwritten copy?

It looked as though it had been transcribed by someone else.

And this preface on the opening page introduced the origins of the Xuanyang Mental Art.

Heavy snow, deep mountains, a labyrinth, a fated encounter... why did this narrative trope look so terribly familiar?

As for this "thirteenth year of Tianqi," what year was that?

Lin Jiangnian pondered carefully for a moment. This didn't seem to be the era title of the current Emperor of the Great Ning Dynasty?

Not dwelling on it for long, Lin Jiangnian turned the page, and the contents of the Xuanyang Mental Art finally unfolded before his eyes.

As the inner cultivation incantations of the Xuanyang Mental Art gradually presented themselves, an entirely new world slowly unrolled before Lin Jiangnian.