Chapter 161: The Long-Cherished Wish of the Shen Family

Half an hour later, the sounds of shouting and killing within the prison gradually subsided.

A jailer came forward to report, "Young Master, there is no sound left inside."

Shen Yinglong smiled slightly. "Oh, then our anti-enemy hero has finally given up his life here. He had just become a hero in the eyes of the people of the Northern Frontier, only to meet such an end. It is truly sigh-worthy!"

He put on a look of profound melancholy, and anyone unaware would think how close the two had actually been.

In truth, Shen Yinglong was inwardly bursting with pride over his flawless scheme. Jiang Chen's appearance had almost ruined the Shen family's grand plan of a century, and now he had finally rid himself of the thorn in his side.

Ji Bei smiled and remarked, "This Jiang Chen is indeed a rare talent, yet it is a pity he could not be used by us. Had we tried to persuade him with kind words from the start, perhaps we could have drawn him into the XuanYan Mansion."

"Even if he were merely a chess piece, he would be the most dazzling among them."

"Since you managed to escape from Jinyang City thanks to him, I can understand you saying this. But the Northern Frontier has no need for grand talents; you and I are more than enough. What we require are merely countless pawns, ready to be utilized at any moment and discarded just as easily."

Shen Yinglong boasted unreservedly, "Looking across the entire Northern Frontier—nay, the entire Great Qian realm—no one can match our seamless partnership and mastery over the universe."

Ji Bei nodded in agreement, while taking care to afford Shen Yinglong ample face, modestly claiming that compared to him, he was merely like a firefly in the night, unworthy of being mentioned in the same breath as the bright moon in the vast sky.

Shen Yinglong accepted the flattery without modesty and let out another triumphant laugh.

"Right, hurry inside and bring out Jiang Chen's head. I fear that if we delay, even his complete corpse will not be preserved."

The jailer acknowledged the order and immediately hurried back into the prison.

This place was a small courtyard outside the dungeon, lacking any notable scenery, but Shen Yinglong's mood at the moment was exceptionally fine. He fancied himself the most refined and transcendent person in the Northern Frontier, and everything here was entirely under his control.

Whether it was Jiang Chen, the Flag Mountain, or the aged emperor deep within the palace at Jinyang, none of them should dare to covet the Northern Frontier. The Shen family had its own ancient, unchanging path that he was destined to pioneer.

Before long, the jailer crossed the courtyard. Ji Bei was no longer there, and Shen Yinglong, pouring drinks for himself, remained in high spirits.

"Hold on! I told you to bring back Jiang Chen's head, why do you return empty-handed?" Shen Yinglong demanded, stopping the jailer in his tracks.

The jailer replied, "Reporting to the Young Master, those Northern Yan prisoners of war harbor a deep hatred for Jiang Chen. By the time I returned, his corpse had already been mutilated, especially this head..."

"Ah... it is completely unrecognizable, and I knew not what to do."

Shen Yinglong smashed his wine cup to the ground and scolded angrily, "Who on earth did this? Did those captives not know how important Jiang Chen's head is to me?"

"Take me to see!"

Thus, the jailer led Shen Yinglong into the prison. The moment the heavy doors were thrown open, a horrific scene of corpses strewn haphazardly across the floor came into view.

The place was an utter mess with blood flowing freely, making it easy to imagine the bloody slaughter that had taken place here earlier. Every single one of these Northern Yan captives was a warrior from the Northern Yan army, battle-hardened and utterly untamed.

Yet Jiang Chen had stood alone against them. It was unimaginable how he had managed to kill so many, but in the end, he too had perished—a death both tragically heroic and deeply pitiful.

Shen Yinglong searched among the corpses on the ground, but they were all Northern Yan prisoners of war; the body of Jiang Chen, whom he eagerly anticipated, was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is Jiang Chen's body?"

"Inside."

The jailer led Shen Yinglong further through the gloomy corridor, finally stopping before an open cell door.

"Right in here."

Shen Yinglong stepped inside and saw a corpse sprawled face down in a pool of blood, its face completely concealed, making identification impossible. However, the clothing on the body did indeed belong to Jiang Chen.

"Jiang Chen, you are nothing special after all. Did you truly think I would treat you like an honored guest? It was all merely part of my plan. To tell you the truth, the Northern Frontier is about to break free from the shackles of the Great Qian court. One day, this icy wasteland will present a brand-new face to the world."

"Whether it is Great Qian or Northern Yan, neither shall ever enslave the Northern Frontier again. Generations of the Shen family have poured their blood and sweat into achieving only one thing: founding a nation!"

"When the great enterprise is accomplished, I, Shen Yinglong, shall certainly burn a stick of incense for you. After all, your death has helped me take another step forward on the path to my goal. Very well, now I must borrow your head."

With that, Shen Yinglong leaned down to flip the body over, only to be struck with utter astonishment.

Realizing too late that this was a trap, he turned to find that the jailer behind him had already locked the cell door shut and revealed his true appearance.

Looking at Jiang Chen, who slowly raised his face, Shen Yinglong said with a hint of resentment, "Jiang Chen, my momentary carelessness allowed your clumsy trick to succeed. This is truly a major blunder on my part."

"It seems wine brings trouble; I was simply too lax just now."

Even at this point, Shen Yinglong attributed his downfall merely to his own oversight, stubbornly refusing to admit that Jiang Chen's maneuver was virtually impossible to guard against.

After dealing with the jailer, Jiang Chen had swapped clothes with him, thereby faking his own tragic death at the hands of the Northern Yan captives. Sure enough, Shen Yinglong, consumed by his own triumph, had walked right into the trap without a shred of suspicion.

The situation had now taken a fascinating turn: Jiang Chen, who had originally been locked inside the cell, and Shen Yinglong, who had plotted to trap him, had completely swapped places.

Shen Yinglong, who had thought the overall situation was safely in his grasp, shook his head with a smile and said, "Jiang Chen, do you really think that by locking me in here, you can escape unscathed?"

"Why don't we sit down and talk this over? We can surely find a resolution that satisfies us both."

To his surprise, Jiang Chen turned and walked away without looking back, completely ignoring Shen Yinglong's words. This extreme disdain sent a surge of fury through Shen Yinglong, and the sound of heavy blows battering against the cell door echoed behind Jiang Chen.

Forged from refined iron, the cell door was exceptionally sturdy, more than enough to keep Shen Yinglong occupied inside.

"You should have let me snap his neck directly."

The Northern Frontier Bear stood outside the prison gates, several jailer corpses lying at his feet. Now, no one remained to stop them.

"Brother, let's leave this place immediately. Although there are no suitable clothes for you to disguise yourself, with your formidable skills, leaving Wangchuan City should pose no problem at all."

Jiang Chen spoke with utter sincerity to the Northern Frontier Bear, and the latter responded with equal frankness.

Having shared a life-or-death trial together, a profound bond had been forged between them.