"The throne was never mine to claim... until they took everything from me."*
– Xie Lan, Seventh Prince of the Eastern Empire
---
There was no silence in death only fire.
Xie Lan remembered the taste of blood as it filled his mouth, warm and metallic. The cold marble of the imperial throne room beneath his knees. The laughter of his half-brothers. The shocked, tear-filled eyes of the woman he once trusted, the Crown Princess Li Meiyan.
"You… betrayed me," he whispered, voice shredded from screaming.
A blade shimmered, then plunged through his chest.
"Your ambition went too far, Lan-ge," Li Meiyan said softly. Her hand trembled on the sword's hilt. "You left us no choice."
His vision dimmed.
---
But death was a liar.
---
Gasp.
Air slammed into his lungs like lightning. He jerked upright, drenched in sweat, muscles locking in agony.
He was alive.
Again.
He stared at his surroundings: a cracked jade ceiling, dusty walls, and a rotting wooden bed. Familiar. Too familiar.
"Where…?" he rasped.
> DING <
> Villain System Binding… Complete.
> Host: Xie Lan.
> Age: 18.
> Royal Status: Seventh Prince (Disgraced).
> Timeline: Year 985 – 10 years before death.
> Initializing mission panel…
A chill shot down his spine.
This wasn't a dream. This was rebirth.
He scrambled to his feet and staggered toward the bronze mirror propped in the corner. His reflection stared back a younger version of himself. Sharper cheekbones. Unscarred skin. Eyes still bright with fury.
And the mark on his neck, the Cursed Sigil of House Xie, gifted to him the day he was born to a concubine of low rank. A mark of shame in the royal bloodline.
"Ten years… before everything," he whispered.
> Welcome back, Host.
> Would you like to reclaim your future?
Xie Lan's lips curled into a cruel smile.
"Yes. But this time… I'll burn the empire down first."
---
[Location: Prince's Quarters – Imperial Martial Academy, Outer Compound]
A fist pounded on the door.
"Get up, bastard prince! You're late for training again!"
Zhao Heng. Son of the Minister of War. Loud. Entitled. The kind of noble brat who thought punching a prince born of a concubine was a personal right.
Xie Lan took a slow breath.
He remembered Zhao Heng's death in the original timeline, crushed under the hooves of an imperial war beast during a border skirmish. No one even recovered the body.
Xie Lan opened the door.
Zhao Heng stood with two lackeys at his side, smirking. "Still alive, huh? I could've sworn we heard screams. You're not pissing yourself again, are you?"
Xie Lan tilted his head, calm.
"No," he said. "But if I was… I'd aim for your face."
Zhao Heng's smirk faltered. "What did you say?"
Without a word, Xie Lan stepped forward and slammed the door shut in his face.
> [DING!]
> Villain Reputation +10
> New Title Unlocked: Petty Royal Scum
> Reward: Shadow Lotus Technique – Level 1
He exhaled. The system wasn't just real—it was already giving him tools to climb back to the throne.
But rewards implied risk.
> Warning: System Penalties Active.
> Failure to complete assigned missions may result in reputation loss or spiritual backlash.
He opened the panel.
Rain pattered softly on the jade-tiled roof of the Eastern Palace, the sky dim with morning mist. Servants scurried like frightened mice, their gazes lowered, their voices hushed. Something had changed.
Within the secluded Hall of Silent Wind, the scent of incense lingered faintly in the air. On a carved ebony chair, a boy sat—straight-backed, cloaked in plain gray robes. His black hair was tied loosely, eyes closed as if in meditation. But he was far from tranquil.
Xie Lan opened his eyes.
There was no longer confusion, nor the tremble of a frightened prince. Instead, his gaze held the still sharpness of a honed blade.
"Status," he whispered.
A cold mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
> [Villain System Activated]
> Host: Xie Lan
> Alignment: Neutral Evil
> Villain Points: 10
> Title: Reborn Failure
> Objective: Overthrow the Crown Prince
> First Mission: Humiliate Crown Prince Xie Yan before the court
> Reward: Shadow Cloak – Conceals presence from cultivators below Core Stage
Xie Lan's lips curled.
The System pulsed faintly behind his eyes, feeding him new memories of his past life's end, of the blade thrust into his heart by his half-brother, and the mocking voice of the Emperor turning his back.
Fools. All of them.
He stood slowly and pulled the robe tighter. A single servant boy stood by the door, trembling.
"Summon Eunuch Lian. Tell him I intend to pay respects at the ancestral shrine."
The boy flinched. "Y-Yes, Your Highness!"
Xie Lan's reputation had always been one of weakness. A prince who bled too easily. A disappointment.
Now? Let them underestimate him.
He strode out into the open corridor. Beyond the mist, the Imperial Garden stretched out like a dream pavilions, koi ponds, and paths winding through peonies and blood-red plum blossoms.
From the west came the sound of laughter. Familiar. Too familiar.
The Crown Prince.
Xie Lan paused beneath the blossom tree, heart steady.
> [Optional Sub-Quest Triggered]
> Publicly provoke Crown Prince Xie Yan.
> Bonus Reward: +5 Villain Points, 1 Minor Soul Pill
He didn't hesitate.
Xie Lan turned toward the garden path. Today, the game would begin.
---
The garden path curved around a small bridge lined with white jade lions. Standing at the center of the bridge, framed by red plum petals dancing in the breeze, was Crown Prince Xie Yan—tall, golden-robed, his smile flawless, his voice loud as he joked with three nobles.
Xie Lan's presence made the laughter cease.
"Third Brother?" Xie Yan's brows lifted, surprise flickering across his face. "You're... out of bed?"
"I found sleep too heavy a luxury today," Xie Lan said, tone mild, but each word laced with frost.
The nobles exchanged glances. One chuckled nervously.
Xie Yan approached, casual grace in each step. "Still clinging to your little scholar robes, I see. You should learn to cultivate instead of dreaming in poetry."
Xie Lan's smile didn't reach his eyes. "And you should learn to speak with caution. One day, your words may return sharper than the sword at your hip."
Silence.
A breeze picked up. Plum blossoms scattered around them like crimson snow.
> [Mission Progress: 60% - Provoke in progress...]
> Warning: Crown Prince has high Spiritual Awareness. Proceed carefully.
"What did you say?" Xie Yan asked, voice low.
"I said," Xie Lan stepped closer, so their eyes locked, "I wonder how long your crown will sit steady... once the Emperor sees what kind of man you truly are."
Gasps rang out. One noble backed away.
Xie Yan's smile vanished.
"You dare"
> [Mission Complete: +10 Villain Points | Reward Acquired: Shadow Cloak]
> [New Quest Unlocked: Gain Influence within the Hidden Court]
Xie Lan turned his back and walked away without waiting for the fury behind him to burst.
He didn't need to see it. The seed had been planted.
He would not be the forgotten prince.
He would become their nightmare.
> [System Update Available: Fate Interference Protocols Activated...]
> [Warning: Key NPC 'Li Meiyan' approaching story deviation.]
---