Chapter 682: Stolen

　　Jiang Yucheng’s voice floated over. “I’m just here to take a look as usual. You may leave.”

　　“Yes!”

　　By the sounds of it, it seemed that the guards who were manning the zither room had left.

　　Jiang Yucheng took out a key to unlock the doors.

　　Creak!

　　He entered the room and turned around to close the doors. Then, he looked around the zither room, which was as quiet as usual.

　　Everything looked about the same as if nothing had happened here. His gaze then shifted to the antique zither.

　　The broken string hadn’t been repaired to date.

　　As countless memories replayed in his mind as if they had just happened yesterday, Jiang Yucheng’s face slowly darkened. He retracted his gaze, walked over to the table at the side, and sat down. He then closed his eyes and slowly let out a long breath.

　　He failed to catch a good night’s rest again with nightmares haunting him all night. Unlike the previous dreams—where he felt excruciating pain as if he was engulfed in a sea of fire—the weather was good in his dream this time. It would’ve been a pleasant dream had that person not said those words to him—She said that she had someone she liked.

　　In that dream, Jiang Yucheng heard himself asking who that person was and saying that their engagement couldn’t be called off over and over again. But at that time, they weren’t formally engaged yet. They merely had the intention, but nothing was done about it.

　　The Crown Princess had to ascend the throne sooner or later and thus needed to be engaged. Countless young and talented men in the entire Tianling Dynasty adored her, but she ultimately chose him. Although it might’ve been because of his father’s status or even his overall outstanding traits.

　　Everyone thought they were in love with each other, but he knew that wasn’t the case. That person was born noble and flawless, except she didn’t love him. She treated him very well, but that applied to everyone else as well.

　　Thus, he didn’t think that it was anything special. In fact, he hated it a little.

　　No matter what he did, there would always be an invisible barrier shielding her. Although it couldn’t be seen or touched, it was there at all times. He thought nobody could get close to her, so he took comfort at the thought that he was ultimately a little closer to her than anyone else if they got married.

　　He was proven wrong one day. Someone in this world had easily entered her heart, but that person wasn’t him.

　　Although he kept questioning her non-stop in the dream, he didn’t do that in reality. He got over his shock in no time and calmly asked her who that person was. That said, he still didn’t know that person’s identity even now.

　　At the end of that day, he only said smilingly, “Okay.”

　　They were still engaged to one another in the end though.

　　…

　　Jiang Yucheng rubbed his glabella before taking a look at the zither. But the next second, his eyes widened at the sight, and he shot up to walk over to it.

　　At a glance, nothing seemed wrong with the zither, but he continued staring at a certain corner of it. Since when was there a purplish-gold mark on it? I come here to take a look at the zither every now and then, so nobody is more familiar with it than me. From what I remember, this mark didn’t exist! It wasn’t even here on my last visit!

　　Just as he extended his hand toward the zither, a cold blast of wind hit him from behind.

　　Alarm bells went off in his head, and he immediately turned around, only to see a huge black figure swooping in to knock him aside. Before he could even get a clear look at the other party, he was flung to the ground.

　　Meanwhile, a black figure suddenly appeared from behind the side cabinet.

　　I didn’t even notice that someone was in this room! His eyes widened in shock when he saw that person holding the zither in their arms. “Don’t you dare!”

　　Holding his breath, he did a flip, brandished his knife, and slashed it toward the intruder. However, his knife cut through the air instead, for that person vanished from the spot.

　　He looked back in shock, only to see a pair of huge wings flying past and disappearing into thin air as well.

　　Everything happened in just an instant. By the time Jiang Yucheng came back to his senses, he was alone in the zither room.

　　Blood rushed up his lung cavity because of the huge black shadow’s heavy impact, but he couldn’t be bothered about that now, for the zither was stolen right in front of him.

　　Incredulous, he shouted angrily, “Guards! Guards!”

　　The guard outside rushed in at once. “What’s wrong, Eldest Young Master?”

　　“What’s wrong? What do you think?!” Jiang Yucheng swallowed the blood in his mouth. His face was flushed, and his veins were bulging out of anger. Even his expression looked a little sinister. “How did you guys even watch the zither room? How could you allow someone to slip inside here? What’s the use of having you people here then?!”

　　Bewildered, the guards immediately went down on their knees. “Eldest Young Master, we’ve been standing guard outside all the while and have never left our spot. We didn’t let anyone else enter the room!”

　　It was then that Jiang Yucheng recalled how the intruder vanished from the scene earlier. There weren’t any ripples in the air at all, and they disappeared at once. By the looks of it… they must’ve used a special method to get in and out of the room.

　　“So you’ve been standing guard outside without letting anyone inside, nor have you all sensed any movements?” asked Jiang Yucheng harshly.

　　The guards were in trepidation. “W-we’re speaking the truth!”

　　Jiang Yucheng believed them somewhat when he saw the bewildered and fearful looks on their faces. However, it also meant that it would be much harder to find out who the intruder was. There was a huge pair of black wings too… I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a fiend before…

　　“You may leave! Make sure to keep your lips sealed about what happened here!” barked Jiang Yucheng.

　　The guards exchanged looks with one another. Eldest Young Master flew into such a huge rage, but he’s letting us go just like that?

　　Jiang Yucheng gave them a look. “What, can’t you understand my order?”

　　“We understand!” The guards then hurriedly took their leave.

　　Once they left, Jiang Yucheng turned his gaze to the spot where the zither originally sat—it was empty now.

　　It was a well-known fact that Thousand View Garden’s zither room was one of the late Crown Princess’s favorite places. Should the news of the zither being stolen spread, someone would definitely make an issue out of this matter.

　　When that happened, he—who had been tasked to watch over the zither room—would surely become the target of all criticisms. Therefore, he had to investigate this matter on his own.

　　At the thought of this, he glanced in the direction the guards left, his eyes gleaming murderously.