Chapter 141

Chapter 142

Chapter 143

Chapter 144

Chapter 145

Chapter 146

Chapter 147

Chapter 148

Chapter 149

Chapter 150
 Chapter 141
The next three days in the palace were lled with extreme, chaotic lust. Zong
Zixiao was obsessed with the name "Xiao Jiu," tormenting Zong Ziheng in
various ways. However, he was unable to pry the name from his elder brother's
mouth, making Zong Zixiao feel pained and resentful. His morbid desire nally
turned into a catharsis of possessiveness and sadism.

Zong Zixiao tried all places and postures, and even ordered some people to
send nasty folk instruments into the palace to "enjoy" together. It was a new
pleasure to grind his elder brother's shame into the ground, regardless of day or
night, regardless of occasion.

For example, the latest pattern was that Zong Zixiao knew his elder brother was
afraid of the cold, so he wrapped his own cloak around his naked body and did
whatever he liked to him in the snow. The fear of nearly being frozen to death in
the Kunlun snow plains and the violent invasion pierced his sanity. Instinctively,
he desperately clung to the only available source of heat and pressed his body
against Zong Zixiao's hot ery chest, wrapping his legs around his powerful
waist.

The black cloak made of demon bear fur was rich and thick. Wrapped around
his elder brother's increasingly emaciated body, it looked like a gorgeous and
ferocious predator devouring a thin herbivore. He was confused and trembled
under Zong Zixiao's ramming like an animal's dying struggle.

Zong Zixiao bit into his white shoulder and invaded him insatiably.

Zong Ziheng cried, begged for mercy, and collapsed, but he couldn't escape
this humiliating lustful torture.

When they returned to Wuji Palace, Zong Ziheng was so sleepy that he was
ghting to keep his eyelids up. Zong Zixiao carried him o the sedan chair and
into his bedchamber as if no one was watching. It wasn't strange since all of
Wuji Palace was now used to it, and rumors of their sex had spread throughout
the cultivation world. Zong Zianzi, now reduced to the person under the Demon
Lord's crotch, was there any story more interesting?

When Zong Ziheng returned to his bedchamber, he drifted o to sleep.

Zong Zixiao looked at his thin, narrow face and whispered, "Look, I ordered
someone to prepare the evening meal, all things you love to eat."

fi
fi
fi
ff
ff
fi
Zong Ziheng looked down and said nothing.

"You've lost so much weight. You're not eating properly." Zong Zixiao took his
elder brother into his arms and gently held his hand. His spirit was not as good
as before, and he was getting thinner and thinner. Zong Zixiao was heartbroken
and worried, but he refused to show it. "I didn't mean to upset you, but why are
you so stubborn?"

Zong Ziheng glanced at him faintly. "You didn't 'mean to?''

"….. I just want you." Zong Zixiao tightened his arms. "Dage, if you'd just be
more informed and sensible, we'd both be better o ."

"'Informed and sensible?'' Zong Ziheng repeated Zong Zixiao's words, but his
voice was devoid of any emotion.1 "You treat me like a prostitute, and you want
me to agree with you?"

Zong Zixiao frowned. "Don't say that again."

Zong Ziheng simply closed his eyes.

"Do you understand how tolerant I am toward you?" Zong Zixiao said coldly.
"For the sins you've committed, it's not enough to die ten thousand times, but I
didn't kill you. I've also let you keep your throne and enjoy the same life. What
prostitute would be more expensive than you? Why do you feel wronged?2

And then there's Shen Shiyao and Zong Minghe. I didn't drag out their corpses
and have them whipped. Doesn't that save you face?

I also said that I'll treat you well as long as you're obedient.

How many times have you been fucked by me? I haven't yelled at you. I just
want you to call me by my childhood nickname and you're more vigorous. Are
you trying to make a martyr out of yourself?"3

1literal phrase is 古井⽆波 "ancient well without waves" which means to be free of any worldly
desires or feelings
2The iQIYI app lets you leave comments for speci c paragraphs, and this one had like 30+
comments of people yelling at ZZX. Some people said this puts him in the 188 boys group lol
3Lit: "is this your memorial archway?" There is a longer phrase in Chinese (既要当婊⼦⼜要⽴牌
坊 "be a bitch and set up your memorial archway") to describe a bad person who acts like they
were the one wronged https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/224577.html
fi
ff
Zong Zixiao observed his elder brother's expressions with a blazing re hidden
beneath his cold gaze. He was repeatedly split between love and hate every day.
He couldn't suppress his endless desire for this person, but whenever he
couldn't help but care, couldn't help but be tender, couldn't help but love and
pity him, he would be tormented by the guilt he felt for his mother. From time to
time, he would return to Bailu Pavilion to re ect on himself, just to admonish
himself over and over that his mother couldn't have died in vain.

But seeing Zong Ziheng's indi erence, Zong Zixiao felt su ocated again. His
eyes turned dim. "No more talk. Let's have a good meal."

Zong Ziheng looked woodenly at the table of rich dishes. He hadn't hadn't had
an appetite for delicious food for a long time.

"Eat," Zong Zixiao said in a deep voice and put a piece of meat to his elder
brother's mouth. "What's the bene t of you deliberately hurting your body?"

Zong Ziheng said indi erently, "I'm weak because you sealed my spiritual pulse.
Otherwise, I wouldn't need to eat or drink and could practice bigu.4 What could
hinder me?"

"Ordinary people don't have a spiritual pulse. As long as they eat and drink as
usual, they wouldn't be like you," Zong Zixiao said angrily. "If you don't eat, then
Zong Zhongming won't eat either. From now on, he'll only eat as much as you
eat."

Zong Ziheng opened his mouth to eat the meat and chewed it slowly.

Zong Zixiao fed him one mouthful at a time. His concentration and
meticulousness were touching, as if he cared about the person in his arms to the
extreme. Who could have imagined how unbearable it actually was between
them?

This meal, Zong Ziheng really at a lot, even to the point of being uncomfortable.
Zong Zixiao was satis ed. He smoothed his elder brother's back and said softly,
"You ate well. If you're still tired, then go rest. Tonight, I won't torment you."

"Can you undo the seal for a little while?" Zong Ziheng said looking up and him.

Zong Zixiao's eyes changed slightly.

4 Fasting which cultivators over a certain level can practice

ff
fi
ff
fi
fl
ff
fi
"If my spiritual pulse is blocked for too long, it will damage my cultivation, and
my body…. will get worse and worse." Zong Ziheng wasn't as weak as he
appeared, but he could relax Zong Zixiao's vigilance. Moreover, what he said
was the truth.

Zong Zixiao suddenly smiled. "Is Dage begging me?"

"….. That's all."

Zong Zixiao forced him to learn how to "beg," and those unpleasant memories
were still fresh in his mind.

"All right."

Zong Ziheng's eyes widened in surprise, obviously not believing that Zong
Zixiao would let him go so easily.

Zong Zixiao actually undid the seal. "I'll unseal you every few days so that your
spiritual power can ow. Will you still have an excuse not to eat properly?"

His spiritual power suddenly gushed out of his dantian and poured into all his
limbs. The feeling of abundant power was invigorating, and Zong Ziheng's pale
face immediately gained a little color.

Zong Zixiao watched his elder brother's face brighten, and his heart throbbed.
On the one hand, he wanted to force his elder brother to submit; on the other, he
was infatuated with the elder brother who was once high-spirited and admired.

If none of those things had happened, no matter how high he stood in life, he
would have been willing to look up to his elder brother all his life. Zong Ziheng
was about to get up, but Zong Zixiao grabbed his waist and didn't let go. "You
haven't answered my question."

"I will eat."

"Don't lose any more weight. When I hold you, you should have some weight,"
Zong Zixiao said ambiguously.

"Let me go. I'm going to meditate."

"Now that your spiritual power is restored, you can't leave my sight," Zong
Zixiao warned. "Don't try to play tricks."

fl
"All of Wuji Palace is in your hands. What are you worried about?"

Zong Zixiao looked at his elder brother with a smile. "Of course I'm worried
about you. With your current cultivation level, why wouldn't there be the need to
guard?"

Zong Ziheng had to stay in his bedchambers. He sat cross-legged on the couch
and tried to quietly circulate his spiritual power. But Zong Zixiao lay down on his
lap. He rubbed his head around rst then found a comfortable position to look
up at him.

Zong Ziheng looked down at him. "Can you leave me alone for a moment?"

"If you mediate, I won't disturb you." Zong Zixiao tugged the orchid jade
pendant on his elder brother's waist and played with it.

"How can I meditate when you're like this?" Zong Ziheng felt the heavy weight
on his lap. When he was a child, Xiao Jiu always loved to lie on his legs like this,
but his little head was very light. He would run his ngers along Xiao Jiu's scalp
and watch him curl up like a cat, squinting his eyes and babbling about what he
wanted to eat that night.

"But I want to be with you," Zong Zixiao said in a low voice.

After waiting a long time and seeing no response from his elder brother, Zong
Zixiao covered up his disappointment and sat up. "It will be the new year soon.
Wuji Palace will have a big banquet. What does Dage want to do?"

"No need to be extravagant. In previous years…."

"The past is the past. This year I'm back. Naturally, it's di erent," Zong Zixiao
said arrogantly. "Dage, as Ren Emperor, how can you not be a little extravagant?
I want to let the whole world see."

Zong Ziheng thought to himself, what you want to show the world is how you,
Zong Zixiao, can call the shots and even manipulate the Ren Emperor in the
palm of your hand.

"The Zong Clan will also invite Cangyu Sect to the banquet. This is the last
chance I'll give to Qi Mengsheng," Zong Zixiao smiled coldly. "If she doesn't
come, I'll visit Fenglinzhou myself."

fi
fi
ff
—

Ninghua Emperor was fond of extravagance. When he was alive, there would be
a large banquet every New Year's Eve. Although the Zong Clan's reputation was
declining, the huge wealth that had been accumulated for generations couldn't
be squandered.

Konghua Emperor, however, was quite di erent. It was known that he had a
weak temperament.

But the irony was that no matter how luxurious Ninghua Emperor's banquets
were, very few sects were invited, especially the heads of the large sects. While
Konghua Emperor had been on the throne for nine years, for the rst time,
almost no one from the cultivation world was absent.

As the new year approached, all the immortal sects came to Daming one after
another with gifts for Zong Tianzi, including Xu Zhinan and Li Buyu, who had just
been there a short while ago. Cangyu Sect only sent one elder, as Qi
Mengsheng still claimed to be ill.

This time, there was a special person at the banquet. That was the Fifth Prince,
Zong Ziyun.

While preparing the guest list, Zong Ziheng took the initiative to invite his fth
brother. He wanted to take this opportunity to have Lao Wu take Zong
Zhongming far away.

Among the siblings, only Zong Ziyun didn't turn against Zong Ziheng after he
"killed his father." Although Zong Zixiao wasn't close to his fth brother, they
also didn't have any wrongs in the past, so he agreed.

Zong Ziyun seemed to be careless, but in fact, there were ne details in the
rough exterior. He wasn't outstanding and never stood out, but his cultivation
wasn't bad and he gained a lot of wealth. He had actually lived the most freely
and easily of all Zong Ziheng's nine children.

Zong Zixiao also asked a rare question about the whereabouts of his other
siblings.

"After I succeeded the throne, I divided them out of the palace for them to nd
their own way out," Zong Ziheng said indi erently. "They didn't stay to confront
me."

ff
ff
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
 Zong Zixiao said sarcastically, "That's right. It's thanks to their respect for you
since childhood."

"Your Sanjie…" Zong Ziheng thought of his poor younger sister, and his heart
still ached. After the incident at Wuyun Sect, Zong Minghe refused to cancel her
engagement. Shortly after she married into Wuyun Sect, her father-in-law
assumed the position of sect leader. Later, Lu Zhaofeng returned and they were
killed when they refused to yield.

"I have avenged her and also rebuilt the tomb for her and her husband's family."
Zong Zixiao remembered Lu Zhaofeng and was still lled with hatred. He said
coldly, "As the dage, which sibling did you protect?"

"…. You're right."

As an elder brother, he should have protected his younger sister, but he couldn't.
No matter who he desperately tried to protect, he eventually failed. All the
people he loved either left him or turned against him.

Perhaps this imperial destiny, which was one in a million, represented nothing
but su ering.

ff
fi
Chapter 142
When Zong Ziyun returned to Daming after many years, instead of being placed
in a guesthouse in Daming City like the other guests, he was called into the
palace.

Zong Ziheng met him in his study. In the room, apart from the two brothers,
there were only Zong Zixiao and Cai Chengyi.

Zong Ziyun cupped his hand and said, "Greetings, Emperor." He cautiously
glanced at Zong Zixiao and said respectfully, "Greetings, Zunshang."

Zong Zixiao nodded expressionlessly. "Wu Qinwang."5

Many years ago, they were still Wuge and Jiudi. Although they weren't very
close, they were brothers. Now, seeing each other again, they were as separate
as the mountains and the sea.

"Lao Wu, it was a hard journey," Zong Ziheng said with a faint smile. "You've
gained some weight. Are you usually lazy?"

"The Emperor must be laughing at me. I've traveled all over the world and found
that there are too many delicious folk wines for me to taste, haha."

"Yes, when I used to travel, I was always enchanted by the landscapes and local
customs. The world is really wonderful." Zong Ziheng smiled, but the smile
gradually disappeared. In the past ten years, he was con ned to the cold, lonely
palace walls. The few times he left the palace were related to the crusade
against Wuyun Sect. He no longer enjoyed the endless fun of freedom and
curiosity of exploring Jiuzhou as he did when he was a youth.

Zong Ziyun was living the life he yearned for most. He was really envious. His life
was already doomed, but he wanted Zong Zhongming to escape from this cage
and live to be a free and happy man.

The two brothers exchanged pleasantries and chatted about the local customs
of some of the places they had been to. The content of the conversation wasn't
important, but seemed very interesting. Zong Zixiao didn't say a word but only
watched his brother's face from the side, infatuated.

5Qinwang is a title bestowed to a prince by an emperor after they set up their own residence
outside of the palace and have their own jurisdiction. It's the highest title under the Emperor.
So this basically means "Fifth Prince of the First Rank"
fi
Zong Ziheng originally thought that Zong Zixiao would leave when he was
bored. He didn't expect him to stay such a long time. Finally, he couldn't help
saying, "Zong Zixiao, I haven't seen Lao Wu for many years. We still have a lot
to talk about, so why don't you go do something else rst."

Zong Ziyun tensed up. According to his understanding of these two people,
there was a great contrast with the rumors he had heard during this period. He
couldn't imagine how they were getting along now.

The corners of Zong Zixiao's lips slightly hooked, and he said lazily, "Since Dage
has his wudi as a companion today, you should be very happy. Will you eat more
tonight?"

"Yes, I will."

"That's good." Zong Zixiao rose gracefully and gave Zong Ziyun a slow glance
which was full of warning.

Zong Ziyun was on pins and needles.

Only after Zong Zixiao left did Zong Ziyun breathe a sigh of relief. "Emperor…."

"Between brothers, there is no need to be formal. It's better for you to call me
Dage." Zong Ziheng gazed at Zong Ziyun quietly.

"….. Dage." Zong Ziyun scratched his hair and laughed dryly. "I didn't expect
Dage to call me back to Daming."

"I didn't want to call you back. You have no family, home, or burdens. The sky is
high and the sea is wide. Why would you need to step foot in this mire?" Zong
Ziheng said. "I know what you're worried about. Don't worry. I won't let you get
involved in the dispute between us."

"Don't say that, Dage. Although I don't value the name of the royal family, I am
also a descendant of the Zong Clan. It's my duty to protect the foundation of the
Zong Clan." Zong Ziyun cupped his hand and said, "Dage, if you don't mind my
shallow cultivation, you can tell me to do anything."

Zong Ziheng knew his fth younger brother very well. Among all his siblings, he
could be said to have the weakest sense of existence and was the one who
knew how to protect himself. He smiled at everyone and never fought over
anything. Although his obedience couldn't really be used because of his tame
fi
fi
nature, he also had never been treated badly. In fact, it was a very smart way to
survive.

If Zong Ziyun hadn't been called back today, he wouldn't have gotten himself
involved with the Zong Clan again for the rest of his life.

Zong Ziheng sighed. "Ziyun, Dage does have a request."

"Tell me what to do, Dage."

"Dage has an adopted son named Zhongming. He is seven years old and is the
orphan of Hua Juncheng, the Shaozhu of Huaying Sect."

Zong Ziyun showed an astonished expression. "So the Hua family still has a
descendant."

Zong Ziheng recalled the tragedy of the bloodshed of Huaying Sect. Four
hundred people were slaughtered and turned into resentful ghosts overnight.
Thinking of it, his heart still felt su ocated. "Back then, Lu Zhaofeng
exterminated Huaying Sect. When I got the news and brought people there, it
was too late. But he was hidden by a loyal servant and was the only person of
Huaying Sect to survive."

Zong Ziyun sighed, "The Hua family was a great family for two hundred years. To
be destroyed by Lu Zhaofeng, a demonic cultivator who stole cores, it's really a
pity."

"I owe too much to the Hua family. Zhongming is the only trace left of the Hua
family. I vowed to protect him while he grew up and wait for him to become an
adult before telling him about his birth," Zong Ziheng said in a deep voice. "But,
not only am I unable to protect myself now, I might also drag him down."
Whenever Zong Zixiao threatened him with Zong Zhongming, his heart jumped.
He didn't know whether Zong Zixiao would actually be so heartless as to attack
a child, but he didn't dare risk this little life.

At this point, Zong Ziyun already understood what he was going to say next.
"Dage wants me to take him away."

Zong Ziheng nodded, dejected. "Ziyun, you see, I'm sitting on this high throne
looking around, but I can't nd anyone I can trust. After thinking about it, there's
only you. I'm really helpless to ask you."

fi
ff
 Zong Ziyun said, "Dage treated me well. As a didi, I am willing so share Dage's
worries." He understood that Zong Ziheng was supporting him by giving him his
own life and that the return of of Zong Zixiao indicated that the Zong Clan was
nally coming to an end. He didn't want to go down with the sinking ship. The
best he could do for the Zong Clan was save this innocent child.

"Thank you, Ziyun," Zong Ziheng said bitterly. "Dage also thanks you for the Hua
family."

"Dage speaks too highly of me. That's what I should do." Zong Ziyun
subconsciously lowered his voice. "Does Dage have a plan? This matter….
should be behind Zixiao's back, right?"

"After the new year, he will go to Fenglinzhou. Once he leaves, you can take
Zhongming and leave. I'll send someone to escort you out of the Zong's sphere
of in uence."

"He's going to nd Qi Xianzun? Cangyu Sect won't pay the yearly tribute?"

Zong Ziheng nodded his head slightly and said, "There will be a erce battle in
Fenglinzhou. Cangyu Sect is very dangerous."

"I heard that under the name of the yearly tribute, he collected a large number of
heavenly materials and treasures from the various immortal sects to re ne a
supreme pill. A few months have passed. Has there been any progress?"

Zong Ziheng shook his head. How many people in the world knew that the
supreme spiritual pill Zong Zixiao had gone great lengths to obtain was actually
close at hand — it only needed to be dug out from his stomach.

Zong Ziyun sighed and shook his head. He thought of something and asked,
"Does the child know?"

Zong Ziheng's heart was full of reluctance. He said softly, "I will explain it to
him."

In the evening, Zong Ziheng and Zong Ziyun had a family dinner. They called
Zong Zhongming to come so that he could recognize his fth uncle.

Zong Zhongming was beautiful and clever, and he'd had a di cult life which
made people feel more compassion and a ection for him. Zong Ziyun hadn't yet
married, but he loved children and held Zong Zhongming on his lap to feed him.

fi
fl
fi
ff
fi
ffi
fi
fi
During the meal, Zong Zhongming suddenly asked, "Wushu, did Fujun and that
demon used to have a good relationship before?"

This question stunned everyone. Zong Ziyun was so embarrassed that he didn't
know how to answer.

Zong Ziheng's face sank. "Zhongming, who told you that?" He glanced at Cai
Chengyi. He was sure of old chief eunuch's mouth, but it was impossible to
control the mouths of all his subordinates."

Cai Chengyi said anxiously, "Ahh, Zuzong,6 you haven't swallowed the food in
your mouth yet. Eat properly and don't talk."

Zong Zhongming bristled, "That demon said it himself. I don't believe it."

"You don't believe what?" When they heard the voice of the person who had
arrived, everyone in the room tensed up and straightened their backs.

Zong Zixiao walked in with large strides. The cold air of the deep winter was like
frost and snow stuck to their robes, and the temperature dropped instantly.
Everyone had the sense of chills.

The room was dead silent.

Zong Zixiao sat next to his elder brother. Watching Zong Zhongming sitting on
Zong Ziyun's lap, his swordlike eyebrows knitted slightly.

This little brat, looking at him like he'd seen a ghost, either bared his teeth and
claws or shouted rude remarks whenever he saw him, yet he was so close to
this person he had just met for the rst time.

Although this kid was from the Hua family, he kept calling his elder brother his
father, which gave Zong Zixiao a strange mentality. For example, since his eldest
brother couldn't give birth, this kid could be their child. In that way, it would be
more like a family.

Zong Zixiao wasn't happy and his face sank immediately. He raised his chin to
Zong Zhongming. "Come here."

Zong Zhongming was reluctant, but he went over anyway, knowing that if he
disobeyed this demon, he might not be allowed to see his father. Zong Zixiao

6 "Zong ancestor." Basically a respectful way to call him a young descendant of the Zongs
fi
took the child and place him in his lap. He touched his little round belly. "If you
eat so much, you'll die."

"None of your business," Zong Zhongming muttered.

"Why did you ask him that question just now?"

"He's my Wu Huangshu.7 Why can't I ask him?

"You don't believe me when I say it, but you'll believe him if he does?"

"Hmph."

"What don't you believe? I used to be your Fujun's most precious didi." Zong
Zixiao glanced at Zong Ziyun. "Not him."

Zong Ziheng said, "Put him down and let him eat properly."

"It's not like I didn't let him eat." Zong Zixiao pushed a plate of meat in front of
him. "Can you use chopsticks?"

"I already know how to use chopsticks!"

"Then eat."

Zong Ziheng couldn't stand it. "Give him to me." He snatched the child from
Zong Zixiao's arms.

Cai Chengyi wanted to take over but seeing Zong Ziheng shake his head, he
stepped back.

Zong Zixiao looked at his elder brother patiently asking the child what he
wanted to eat and whether he was avoiding eating vegetables, and his heart
was sour. "Hey, let me tell you, when I was little, your Fujun also fed me like this.
I wasn't as picky as you."

Zong Zhongming twisted his head to look at Zong Ziheng in surprise. Seeing his
father avert his gaze, he looked at Zong Ziyun, as if hoping someone would
deny it.

Zong Zixiao said roughly, "Why are you looking at him? What does he know?"

7 "Fifth Imperial Uncle"

Zong Ziheng gently reprimanded, "Why are you being so loud? Don't scare the
child."

"I, that, I suddenly don't feel very well. Emperor, Zunshang, please forgive me for
not being able to accompany you." Zong Ziyun really couldn't look at them
anymore. He jumped up and ran like his ass was on re.

Zong Zhongming looked at his father with a wrinkled face. "Fujun, is what he
said true?"

"….. No. He was even pickier than you."

When Zong Ziheng said this, he was picking out sh bones with his eyebrows
lowered. His voice was gentle and soft, as if it also had a bit of blame and
helplessness.

At that moment, Zong Zixiao felt his heart melting. He was willing to let go of
everything if he could get back his Dage and Xiao Jiu.

fi
fi
 Chapter 143
On New Year's Eve, Wuji Palace was lit up with bright lights and even had
dancing and music. Guests from all over gathered in Zhengji Hall, the most lively
it had been in the past century.

However, the guests' faces showed little joy in welcoming the new year and
leaving the old. Even one did, they were pretending. They looked like a group of
actors, playing a performance in their usual costumes specially for Zong Zixiao.

And how could the audience not see their forced smiles? But that was exactly
where his pleasure lay. Although he sat below the side of the throne, he made
every person in the upper and lower seats sit on pins and needles.

When the banquet was halfway through, there was an accident. A loud sound
came from within Wuji Palace, accompanied by the trembling of the walls of
Zhengji Hall. The explosion really wasn't small.

Just from the location of the sound, many people though of a certain place at
once.

Cai Chengyi stamped his foot. "Oh no, the pill furnace blew up!"

Zong Zixiao and Zong Ziheng had already gotten up and rushed toward the
re ning room. The guests also left their seats one after another.

The re ning room was originally a dangerous place. From time to time, the
furnaces would explode or catch re. Usually, it happened to the lowest-ranked
newest disciples of a sect who worked in the re ning room. Now, the Zong's
re ning room operated day and night, so it was more likely to have an accident.
However, listening to the sound, it was more than one or two pill furnaces.

When they arrived, they saw that most of the destroyed re ning room had blown
up and was on re. A large number of Zong cultivators rushed to set up a rain
spell, and palace servants carried in buckets to put out the re.

"Xingwen, what are you doing?" an old voice suddenly called out.

"My pill, it's almost formed!" Ran Xingwen was about to rush into the re
regardless of the danger, and the one who stopped him was the old owner of
Juling Mountain Villa. In order to see his son, he'd dragged his sick old body to
Daming.

fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
 "The one that blew up was your pill furnace," one of the cultivator who re ned
pills for Zong Zixiao said.

"No, this pill can't be discarded. It can't be discarded." Ran Xingwen's eyes
re ected the crimson re as he broke free from his father's hold, about to rush
into the sea of re.

With a wave of his sleeve, Zong Zixiao's spiritual pressure knocked Ran
Xingwen to the ground. He looked down at Ran Xingwen and said coldly, "What
a waste to use so many good materials and still get nothing."

"No, this time it can be done. This time it should be done!" Ran Xingwen was
infuriated and shouted de antly, "There's no pill in the world I can't re ne! This
time, maybe I put too much gravel and sand in. I'll adjust the ratio again. I can
de nitely re ne…."

"What did you re ne?" Zong Zixiao asked in a cold voice. "You really have the
face to say you are the best pill master in the world."

Ran Xingwen's face turned red. Usually he spoke very little and was a bit dull,
but when it came to re ning, he would become fanatical, as if it was a di erent
person. He clenched his st and said decidedly, "To re ne a supreme spiritual
pill, you need the rarest base materials. Making me use these common things to
re ne spiritual pills, naturally it will take more time. If I could be given the jue—"

Pa!

Ran Lao Zhuangzhu8 slapped Ran Xingwen hard in the face. "Bastard. What are
you talking about?"

Ran Xingwen was nearly knocked to the ground again. He froze, then visibly
sobered up.

Zong Ziheng's heart jumped from the side. It should have occurred to him that
the Ran family, who was well-versed in pill re nement, would have heard of
Juepin Renhuang. But they also knew that Zong Zixiao absolutely should never
get it.

8 Old owner/master Ran, alternatively

fl
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
ff
fi
 But Ran Xingwen, who was eccentric by nature, seemed to only care about
re ning something to his satisfaction. The best base materials for a pill master
would be just like the best sword to a swordsman. It was their lifelong pursuit.
Re ning something like Juepin Renhuang, it must have been something he
hoped to do.

Zong Zixiao narrowed his eyes dangerously. "What were you going to say?"

Ran Xingwen stammered and didn't speak.

The crowd of onlookers also watched him, curious about what the rest of his
sentence was going to be.

"An extremely rare base material, what kind of precious material is that?"

"……"

"Speak!" Zong Zixiao commanded.

Ran Lao Huangzhu cupped his hand and said, "Zunshang, my son is obsessed
with pill re ning. He doesn't understand human feelings and sometimes speaks
nonsense. Please forgive me, Zunshang."

Zong Zixiao glared at the Ran father and son with a murderous gaze. "You just
said, to re ne a supreme spiritual pill, you need the rarest base material. All the
major sects have sent their treasures, but in your mouth, they're all 'common
things.' You obviously know what that rarest treasure is!"

"I…. I don't know." Ran Xingwen dodged Zong Zixiao's knife-like eyes.
"Zunshang, when I saw that my pill was useless again, I was angry for a moment
and said some nonsense I don't even remember."

"You, father and son, how dare you fool me!?" Zong Zixiao's face was hideous.

Zong Ziheng walked between them and said in a deep voice, "The re in the
re ning room hasn't been put out yet. It's New Year's Eve. If anything is wrong,
we don't have to ask about it here."

Zong Ziyun also came to intervene. Compared with his indi erence and
arrogance to others, he was polite to Zong Zixiao. "Zunshang, it's New Year's
Eve, why get angry? It's not too late to eat and drink."

fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
ff
fi
The Ran father and son were pale, not daring to even breathe, while the guests
around them were whispering.

Zong Zixiao pondered for a moment and said grimly, "Ben zun9 has given you
countless treasures and several months, but you've disappointed time and time
again. You'd better take advantage of this time to think about how you're
planning to explain this to ben zun." He waved his sleeves and left.

Zong Ziheng glanced at Ran Lao Huangzhu who raised his head and looked at
him at the same time. With just the exchange of glances, they understood what
was in each other's hearts.

Huang Daozi, who was hidden in the crowd, looked at Zong Zixiao's back with
deep and inscrutable eyes.

This accident brought an early end to the banquet in Zhengji Hall.

Zong Ziheng was extremely nervous. He knew that Zong Zixiao would force the
Ran father and son to reveal what that rare and precious base material was. He
couldn't imagine what Zong Zixiao would do to him once he knew the truth.

And he didn't know how to stop Zong Zixiao.

After the guests dispersed, Zong Zixiao drank a lot of wine, but his feet were not
the least bit weak. After he left the banquet, he planned to go press the Ran
father and son for answer. They were obviously concealing something very
important from him, and this thing was probably the key for him to get the
supreme spiritual pill.

"Where are you going?" Zong Ziheng asked.

Zong Zixiao turned his head to look at him. "Dage, why ask when you already
know?"

"Ran Zhuangzhu is highly respected in the cultivation world, and Juling

Mountain Villa has never been involved in disputes within the jianghu. You
shouldn't make things di cult for them."

"The matter of pill re ning is so important, yet Ran Xingwen still dares to hide
something from me. Do you think I'd let them o easily?"

9"this lord" essentially. He only used this pronoun once before in ch133. Seems like he only
does it when he really wants to ex
fi
ffi
fl
ff
"You still need the Ran family to re ne pills for you."

"Yes, but I don't need everyone in the Ran family."

"Zong Zixiao!" Zong Ziheng said in a deep voice. "Do less evil."

Zong Zixiao sneered, "It depends on whether they value their lives or not."

Zong Ziheng looked at Zong Zixiao's back, and his eyes were gray and
defeated.

Zong Zixiao intended to immediately force it out of Ran Xingwen's mouth, but he
was stopped by Huang Daozi on the way.

Huang Daozi said frankly, "Zunshang, there's no need to ask the Ran father and
son. This lowly one knows the rare treasure that Ran Shaozhu was going to
say."

Zong Zixiao looked Huang Daozi up and down. "You?"

Huang Daozi cupped his hand. "This lowly one wouldn't dare deceive Zunshang.
I really know it."

"What are you? Why would you know that? Ben zun wants to hear the truth from
Ran Xingwen's mouth. What would a stupid fortuneteller like you know!?"

Zong Zixiao was full of anger. He was about to lose his patience. The treasures
from the immortal sects were about to run out, but the re ning continued to fail
again and again.

Huang Daozi said unhurriedly, "Zunshang will have a hard time getting answers
from the Ran family. They will keep the secret even if they die. Maybe you can
pry their mouths open, but it would take a thousand battles. It would be much
easier if this lowly one told you the truth and then you went to test them yourself
after."

Zong Zixiao's eyes showed fascination. He thought that Huang Daozi wouldn't
dare risk his life to swindle him. So did this man really know? He said, "If you
already knew but haven't said it, you would have concealed it just like the Ran
father and son. But now you're jumping out to tell me. What's your purpose?"10

10 I wanna know that too tbh. This guy is so shady

fi
fi
 Huang Daozi said with a bitter smile, "This lowly one didn't say for fear of death.
Now, this lowly one has to say because Juling Mountain Villa showed kindness
and helped this lowly one when I was poor."

"So you're not afraid to die now?"

"This lowly one is still useful to Zunshang. Hoping Zunshang will be kind."

Zong Zixiao looked at Huang Daozi and said coldly, "Then say what you know."

Huang Daozi sighed, "In fact, that rare treasure Ran Shaozhu was talking about
is the golden core of a human being."

Zong Zixiao had a similar suspicion in his mind, so he wasn't surprised. "Just
this? What's so rare about a golden core?"

"Juling Mountain Villa is a famous and descent sect. It's impossible for them to
re ne human pills. Moreover, they don't dare say it because this golden core is
almost impossible to get."

Zong Zixiao was silent for a long time before he asked, "Whose core is it?"

He never bothered to eat human pills. When Lu Zhaofeng was dying, he dug out
his own core and gave it to him, but he crushed it with one foot. He despised
core-stealing demonic cultivators from the bottom of his heart. But now, if a core
could help him break through the Ninth Chongtian, he really hesitated.

Huang Daozi took a deep breath, "Zunshang…. this lowly one really doesn't
dare say."

"Do you want to die?" Zong Zixiao looked at him ercely. "Is there anyone in the
world whose core I can't get?"

Huang Daozi's voice trembled slightly from fear. "It's….. the Emperor's."

fi
fi
Chapter 144
Zong Zixiao grabbed Huang Daozi by the neck and slowly lifted him up. To
someone whose cultivation wasn't profound, his instant release of spiritual
pressure was like a mountain falling over his head. It was terrifying.

"Zun…..shang…." Huang Daozi kicked his legs weakly in midair. His face turned
from red to purple, and his eyes stared out like bells, as if they were about to
burst out of his face.

"You. Should. Die." Zong Zixiao's expression was even more gruesome. His
eyes contained extremely cold killing intent, his hair moved as if there was wind,
and a cloud of black miasma draped around his body as if he were
accompanied by a ghost shaped like a hellish rakshasa.11

Huang Daozi's eyes began to roll back and he used his last strength to point
behind Zong Zixiao, "Em…per…or…."

Zong Zixiao knew it was a farce, but he instinctively turned back. There was no
one behind him.

He let his spiritual pressure go slightly lax and dropped Huang Daozi to the
ground. His whole body was shaking like cha with his wide open mouth
desperately panting.

Zong Zixiao recovered a trace of clarify from his instant rage. He stared back at
Huang Daozi who was cowering on the ground. A chill climbed up his spine and
rushed straight into his heavenly soul. An inexplicable fear exploded in his mind
like a string of ames. A dense mass of miasma coagulated in his hands. "Who
ordered you to come here? What do you want to do?"

"Zunshang, this lowly one doesn't dare."

Zong Zixiao said gloomily, "You're not worthy of my sword. Want to taste the
feeling of being gnawed by ten thousand ghosts?"

Huang Daozi said with an iron face and trembling voice, "Zunshang, this lowly
one doesn't have any bad intentions towards you or the Emperor, nor is there

11 Chinese term is "luo cha." These are man-eating spiritual beings in Buddhism, originating
from Hinduism. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakshasa
fl
ff
 anyone instructing this lowly one. But if this lowly one didn't say it, Zunshang
would get the same answer after forcing Ran father and son."

"….. Say it clearly."

"Please listen to this lowly one's explanation." Huang Daozi took a deep breath.
"In a long-lost ancient book, there was a record of a truly supreme spiritual pill.
Few people know of this book. This lowly one has traveled all over the world
making a living through divination, and has read all kinds of folklore and strange
anecdotes inadvertently. The Ran family is skilled in the art of re ning and has
studied many ancient books about re ning, so they must know about it."

"The so-called supreme spiritual pill is a human pill?" Zong Zixiao gritted his
teeth. "There are still a few old men in the cultivation world whose cultivation is
higher than the Emperor's. How dare you talk about the Emperor's core?"

"Replying to Zunshang, this pill, it has little to do with cultivation," Huang Daozi
said with a death-defying expression. "This pill is named 'Juepin Renhuang' and
must be re ned from the golden core of a person with imperial destiny."

"Imperial destiny…."

"That's right. A person with imperial destiny must be the reincarnation of a

celestial being. The golden core is born with divine power. This spiritual pill can
transform an ordinary person's spiritual root. With Zunshang's cultivation, eating
this pill, it's an immediate path to success."

Zong Zixiao clenched his st only to feel his hair stand on end.

He didn't want to know this.

He shouldn't have found out.

"Since it's just a varied old record, how much credibility does it have?" Zong
Zixiao said in a hoarse voice. "Based on this thing alone, how dare you make
such a big claim?"

"This spiritual pill isn't false. Many uprisings and power conspiracies in history
were for the sake of the golden core of the Ren Emperor. It's only that people
who ate this spiritual pill became Ren Emperors themselves after, so they buried
the secret. Therefore, this ancient book was lost." Huang Daozi said sharply, "If
Zunshang doesn't believe, go ask Ran Lao Huangzhu in secret. It must have
been handed down in the Ran family from generation to generation."

fi
fi
fi
fi
 Zong Zixiao was sti and silent for a long time.

"Actually…. If Zunshang cultivated the path to success, the Emperor would be

covered forever. Otherwise, the Zong Clan will decline sooner or later." Huang
Daozi glanced cautiously at Zong Zixiao then whispered, "Taking the core, it
won't take away his life."

"This secret, how many other people know?" Zong Zixiao asked. "Who else
have you told?"

"This lowly one hasn't told anyone else." Huang Daozi could see that Zong
Zixiao wanted to kill him. "Please don't kill me. Zunshang needs me."

"Need you for what?"

"This is a golden core with imperial destiny. It's powerful. After taking it out, it
needs—"

"Who told you I wanted to take out the core?" Zong Zixiao looked at Huang
Daozi as if looking at a corpse.

Zong Ziheng stood in the watchtower of Wuji Palace looking at the bright moon
hanging alone in the vast sky with little bits of starlight, not quite as bright as the
reworks on New Year's Eve. He was in the inner palace and could still hear the
sounds of the festivities in Daming City below. At the moment, the world was full
of joy and reunion.

But instead, he recalled the day that Zong Zixiao came back when he was
standing here and watched the sliver of black step into Wuji Palace, also
bringing the deepest darkness into his life.

The sound of footsteps came from behind him.

Zong Ziheng turned around.

A pale and beautiful face emerged like a ghost. Zong Zixiao came out of the
darkness, or rather, the darkness retreated behind him. He was the lord of
darkness, and the darkness knelt down to him.

fi
ff
The two men looked at each other, each as if they each wanted to cut into the
other's chest and see the thoughts inside the red beating heart.

Zong Ziheng guessed from his gloomy expression that he already knew the
secret.

Zong Zixiao marched over to his elder brother, gathered his cloak for him, and
said softly, "Don't you hate the cold? Why are you standing here?"

"Bringing in the New Year."

"Good, I'll do it with you."

Zong Ziheng gazed at Zong Zixiao. "What did you nd out?"

"It's the essence of a strange beast that no one has seen for hundreds of years."
Zong Zixiao hugged his elder brother, put his head on his shoulder, and leaned
his body weight on him, as if his elder brother was his only support.

Zong Ziheng stood rigidly, bearing the weight. He knew that Zong Zixiao was
lying, and he also expected that. Only Zong Minghe, that heartless beast who
thought he had everything under his control, would let him know that his golden
core was about to be taken.

He wanted to ask Zong Zixiao if he was going to take his core, but he couldn't.
He didn't dare to. He was afraid of getting an answer that he couldn't bear. He
could only go along with the lie. "Then, can you get it?"

"I'll have someone look for it. Maybe I can nd it," Zong Zixiao said in a mu ed
voice. "Why are you so concerned about my re ning all of the sudden?"

"I'm concerned about whether you've made things di cult for the Ran father
and son."

"They still need to re ne my pills. They can't die for now." Zong Ziheng didn't
have eyes on the back of his head, so he couldn't see that Zong Zixiao's were
covered with spiderwebs of blood, gloomy and obscure.

Taking the core, it won't take away his life.

Huang Daozi's words echoed in Zong Zixiao's mind as he hugged his elder
brother, the one who made him obsessed, who drove him mad, who threw him
into a dilemma of love and hate, as if he could feel the vibrant core in his
fi
fi
fi
fi
ffi
ffl
stomach through the layers of winter clothes. It was true that it was possible to
take a person's core without killing them, but a cultivator who lost their golden
core was worse than dead.

What was he thinking?

He didn't eat human pills. He despised all core-stealing demonic cultivators. He

didn't want to have anything to do with Lu Zhaofeng. Most importantly, this was
Zong Ziheng, his elder brother. He…. couldn't do that to him.

However, a faint voice was torturing his soul, why didn't you kill Huang Daozi?

Zong Zixiao took a sharp breath, and his iron-like arms suddenly tightened, as if
he wanted to embed the person in his arms into his body.

Zong Ziheng snorted. "You'll hurt me." He seemed to feel the struggle in Zong
Zixiao's heart, and his heart went cold for the most part. He once again
experienced that scalp-numbing fear when Zong Minghe stared at him with
those greedy, malevolent eyes. At that moment, he was no longer a human
being, but a vessel raised to carry the golden core.

The person he hated most in his life was Zong Minghe, his own father, who had
destroyed his mother, destroyed him, and destroyed his beloved younger
brother. All the grudges, resentment, and bitterness, were caused by this man.

If Zong Zixiao also wanted his core, if Zong Zixiao also turned into Zong Minghe,
he would rather die than let him succeed!

Zong Zixiao let go of him, but in the next moment, he picked him up and walked
towards the house.

"You…."

"I'll stay with Dage for the New Year." Zong Zixiao kissed him on the forehead.
His voice was low and hoarse. "No need to sleep when bringing in the New Year.
I want to take care of you properly."

Zong Ziheng's heart was full of emotion. He gritted his teeth and said, "You said
you'd wait a while, and last night, we just—"

"Just what?" Zong Zixiao said with a faint smile then lowered his head to bite his
ear. "I only came two times last night and you couldn't stand it. Tonight's New
Year's. Let me enjoy it." He pressed the person down on the bed.

"Zong Zixiao!" Right now, this was the last thing he wanted to do!

Zong Zixiao held both of his elder brother's wrists in one hand, pressed them
above his head, and leaned down to look at him.

The two stared deeply at each other, as if they both glimpsed the dark currents
actually underneath each other's seemingly waveless eyes.

Zong Zixiao suddenly loosened his grip then lay down on top of his elder
brother. He hugged him tightly, but didn't make any further movements, nor did
he speak, as if he had fallen asleep.

Zong Ziheng stared at the bed curtains. He suppressed his breathing, afraid of
waking up the person on top of him. Zong Zixiao's various perversions made
him believe even more that this person had really decided to take his golden
core.

The two of them lay holding each other with their necks crossed for a long time
before Zong Zixiao said suddenly in his ear, "Dage, have you ever thought
about….. the future?"

"….."

"If I hadn't come back, what would you have done? Now that I'm back, what will
you do?"

Zong Ziheng was silent for a long time then said, "I don't know."

"I've thought about it."

Zong Ziheng was waiting for him to say his thoughts on "the future," but he
waited for a long time, and there was no reply. Maybe he didn't intend to say.

That's right. Zong Zixiao didn't intend to say it, and he never would. Because in
the "future" he'd imagined, there would always be his elder brother. The only
certainty was that there needed to be his elder brother. He was hopelessly in
love with the enemy who killed his mother and ruined his life, and even wanted
to be with him for the rest of his life. He would keep this lowly and desperate
secret in his stomach. He'd take it to his grave, he'd even take it to hell, but he
would never say it.

As long as he didn't say it, he could paralyze himself for his revenge, and they
would entangle with each other like trapped animals, tormenting each other.
They both bore too many evils. Neither was quali ed to extricate themselves.

Neither could be freed from it.

That night, they didn't do anything. They embraced each other with heavy
hearts, honestly bringing in the New Year and welcoming it together, just like
when they were young, spending every winter and summer together.

==

Notes from the author:

You're all actually looking forward to Dage dying. Well… there's still some
content before that, but it's really soon….

fi
 Chapter 145
On the rst day of the rst month of the new year, Zong Ziheng, dressed in a
grand ceremonial robe, went to Tiandi Terrace at the top of Daming's mountain
to pay respects to his ancestors accompanied by other envoys from the
immortal sects.

Ancestral ceremonies were necessary to perform every year, and before the
o cial preparation, Zong Ziheng tested Zong Zixiao's intentions. He was
worried that Zong Zixiao wouldn't let him pay respects to the ancestors of the
Zong Clan.

But Zong Zixiao didn't stop him. Of course, he couldn't attend.

After Zong Ziheng read the sacri cial words aloud on the alter, he knelt down in
front of the shrine and silently recited his sins in a whisper. No matter what
brought him to this point, he was ashamed of the ancestors of the Zong Clan,
and the Zong imperial power was doomed to die in his hands. Either it would be
destroyed by Zong Zixiao or by him himself. In order to unite the immortal world
against Zong Zixiao, the old order needed to be broken and reborn from the
ruins.

He had already borne many sins; this one was just one more. Let him be the one
to end this long sick pattern. After the ritual, everyone returned to Wuji Palace
one after another. Zong Zhongming had fallen asleep because he had gotten up
early, so Zong Ziheng carried him down the mountain.

When he returned to Zong Zhongming's bedchamber, the child woke up. He

rubbed his eyes and looked around startled. "Fujun, the ceremony!"

"It's already over." Zong Ziheng stroked the child's soft hair and smiled dotingly.
"You were sleeping soundly below, unafraid of anyone laughing at you."

Zong Zhongming said dejectedly, "I was wrong."

"It doesn't matter. You're still young. You fell asleep last year too."

"I won't fall asleep next year, really!"

Zong Ziheng looked at the child's round and lovely face, and his heart tingled.
He said softly, "There is no next year."

ffi
fi
fi
fi
 "Hmm?" Zong Zhongming didn't seem to hear clearly.

Zong Ziheng squeezed his shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes.
"Zhongming, Fujun wants to tell you something very important."

Zong Zhongming unconsciously sat up straight, and his big clear eyes started at
Zong Ziheng unblinkingly.

Zong Ziheng said frankly, "You can't stay with Fujun. You have to leave Wuji
Palace and Daming."

"I don't want to!" Zong Zhongming shrieked and clutched Zong Ziheng's collar
in horror. "Fujun, why? Why do you want to drive me away?"

Zong Ziheng's heart ached. He stroked the child's face. "You're so smart. You
should know why."

"Because of that demon?" Zong Zhongming's tears rolled down in big drops.
"Let's nd a way to kill him. I don't want to be separated from Fujun! Please
don't drive me away."

Zong Ziheng held back his tears and choked, "Zhongming, Fujun also wants to
see you grow up, but if you stay here, your life will be in danger. Only when you
leave, can Fujun not be threatened by him."

"I don't want to. I'm not afraid to die. I won't go." Zong Zhongming shook his
head desperately and begged, "Don't drive me away. I don't want to go
anywhere."

Zong Ziheng held the child tightly in his arms and said in a trembling voice,
"Zhongming, Fujun is sorry to you. Fujun12 is already unable to protect myself.
There's no way to protect you. Only if you survive can Fujun feel at ease. Do you
understand?"

Zong Zhongming burst into tears.

"Good boy, Zhongming. Your Wushu will take you away. He will take good care
of you, and in the future, we'll see each other again."

12I am so close to Find+Replacing all the "Fujun"'s in this entire novel and using "Fujun"
instead. I swear, every time I type it, I hate it more. If I don't do it soon, I'm gonna do it before I
make the nal epub. Edit: I replaced them all.
fi
fi
 Even a seven year old child knew they wouldn't meet again.

Zong Zhongming cried for a long time until he was tired and hiccuping in Zong
Ziheng's arms. His eyes were so red and swollen that he could hardly open
them. He was so pitiful.

Zong Ziheng wiped his face and hands with a silk handkerchief, and his tearful
eyes were also red.

"Fujun," Zong Zhongming said hoarsely, "if I leave, can you defeat that demon?"

"If you leave, Fujun can concentrate on dealing with him without any worries.
Otherwise, he will threaten Fujun with you."

Zong Zhongming rubbed his eye with both hands, but after rubbing them for a
long time, he still couldn't stop crying. He sobbed, "Then, when will you come to
pick me up?"

"….. Once Fujun solves this deadly problem, I will de nitely go to pick you up."

"When?"

"I don't know," Zong Ziheng said with di culty.

"But it'll de nitely happen, right?

"Yes, it will. No matter how long it takes."

Zong Zhongming nodded and said with a frown, "Okay, I'll go with Wushu. I'll
wait for Fujun to come and take me home."

Zong Ziheng turned his back, wiped away his tears, then turned around again
with a small spatial bag in his hand. The pure white heavy satin gauze was
embroidered with elegant lotus petal orchids, precisely the Dangshanhe variety
he had cultivated himself.

Zong Zhongming took the bag. "Fujun, what's in it?"

"Inside is a lot of gold, silver, and jade, spiritual treasures, and spiritual pills,
enough for you to enjoy for several lifetimes. And there are three important
things that Fujun wants you to cherish."

fi
ffi
fi
 "What is it?"

Zong Ziheng took them out from the spatial bag one by one: a sword, a book,
and a pot of owers.

"This is Fujun's Dangshanhe orchid."

Zong Zhongming carefully touched its tender petals. He knew that this pot of
owers was extremely precious to his father. His father had almost never lost his
temper with him, but once did because he had naughtily pulled o one of the
petals.

"This potted ower is very important to Fujun. Please help me take care of it
well, okay?" This was the last love he had from Xiao Jiu, even though Zong
Zixiao didn't remember it anymore. Only this pot of orchids was left as witness
of their past. Maybe one day, they would both turn to dust, so let him sel shly
leave something behind to prove the love he and Xiao Jiu once had.

Zong Zhongming nodded solemnly. "Don't worry, Fujun." He also asked, "I
heard from Cai Gongong that Fujun used to have a whole garden of orchids.
Why don't you have one now?"

Zong Ziheng said, "No, I don't want to keep them. I don't have the heart to do
so. This was the last pot Fujun had left."

"If Fujun likes them, Zhongming will plant many, many orchids for you. They'll
wait for Fujun to come."

Zong Ziheng nodded with a smile.

"This sword is Junlan." Zong Zhongming touched the heavy sword. For some
reason, he liked this sword more than the famous ancestral sword Zongxuan
which hung at his father's waist, though it was too big and heavy for him now.

"It's a very good sword. It's made by Ran Lao Zhaungzhu. It was given to Fujun
by Xu Zhangmen of Chunyang Sect. Fujun is giving it to you today. It will be your
partner for life."

Zong Zhongming hesitated to take it.

Zong Ziheng put the sword into his hand.

fl
fl
fl
ff
fi
 "Thank you, Fujun." Zong Zhongming hugged the sword with joy and sorrow in
his heart.

"There's also this sword manual." Zong Ziheng picked up the book. The cover
was empty. When he opened it there were several small words on the front
page: Junlan Sword Technique.

"Is this a sword technique created by Fujun?"

Zong Ziheng nodded. "The Zongxuan Sword technique is erce and aggressive.
Although it is one of the best sword techniques in the world and is very
powerful, it's too hostile. I actually do not like it very much." His ne white
ngertips stroked the sword manual. "Sword techniques are not to kill people,
but to save people. They can be very elegant, like the phrase 'a gentleman is like
an orchid.' So, Fujun created this set of sword techniques by combining
everything I've learned in my life."

Zong Zhongming ipped through several pages and only found that the sword
moves drawn on the diagram were very elegant. He couldn't understand most of
them.

"Your Zongxuan Sword technique has a shallow foundation. It's not too late to
change it. With your Wushu's guidance, you'll be able to practice it well." Zong
Ziheng stroked the child's head. "Zhongming, after leaving Daming, you can no
longer use the Zongxuan Sword technique, and you can no longer have the
surname Zong."

"Why?"

"Because you have to be anonymous. You'll understand when you grow up."

"I'll listen to Fujun," Zong Zhongming said sullenly. "Then, what's my surname?"

Zong Ziheng let out a light sigh. "Your surname will be Lan." He had already
written a letter and handed it to Zong Ziyun. On the day Zong Zhongming
became an adult, he would learn about his origins. For now, this child could
neither be surnamed Hua nor Zong. When he grew up and found out the truth,
he could decide for himself what identity he wanted to live under.

He had prepared enough wealth for Zong Zhongming to establish a sect. In the
future, if Zong Zhongming wanted to rebuild Huaying Sect, he could. It was all
he could do for the Hua family.

fi
fl
fi
fi
 Zong Zhongming threw himself into his arms again and cried, "Fujun must come
to take me home. I'll wait for you as long as it takes."

Zong Ziheng hugged the child tightly and wept silently.

Corgi notes: OMG. I knew Lan Chuihan, his family, his sword technique, the
owers, everything seemed way too related to Zong Ziheng/Xie Bian. But Zong
Zhongming was introduced so recently, I didn't guess that he'd be the Xianyue
Pavilion founder.

Also, why did this chapter randomly hit me REALLY hard? Like, "take a break
before I do my second proofread" hard lol.

I wish Zong Ziheng could have sent o Xiao Jiu properly. I wish he could have
also written a letter explaining everything like he at least did for Zhongming. I
said that I felt Zong Zhongming was Zong Ziheng's "redo" in a way, and while
this chapter was sad to me because the pain with Xiao Jiu can't be undone, the
fact that Xianyue Pavilion and the Lan family are doing so well in the present
timeline shows Zong Ziheng was able to give a beloved child the future they
deserved.

fl
ff
Chapter 146
Content advisory: This chapter has brief descriptions related to sexual content
noncon

After pacifying Zong Zhongming, Zong Ziheng still had one more thing to do:
prepare to move Zong Minghe's grave.

Zong Zixiao had threatened more than once to dig out Zong Minghe and Shen
Shiyao's corpses in anger. Although he hated Zong Minghe, it was his father
after all, and the dead had been carried away. For the sake of the Zong Clan's
dignity, he had to safeguard the dignity of the late emperor. Moreover, he didn't
want Zong Zixiao to commit any more sins.

This matter needed to be carried out in secret without even a word leaked. After
Zong Zixiao departed for Fenglinzhou, he would ask Xu Zhinan to help him.

Xu Zhinan was still in the palace. Zong Ziheng was planning to nd him to
discuss the matter when he ran into Li Buyu halfway.

"Emperor." When Li Buyu saw him, he couldn't hide his surprise, but after
noticing Zong Ziheng's red eyes, he frowned slightly. "Emperor, what's the
matter?"

Zong Ziheng had no time to cover up, so he could only say, "The wind is strong
and irritated my eyes."

Li Buyu's eyes darkened. "Isn't it that Zong Zixiao made things di cult for the
Emperor again?"

Such concern only made Zong Ziheng feel embarrassed. He coughed softly.
"Have you seen Xu Zhinan? I have something to discuss with him."

He couldn't summon Xu Zhinan or Li Buyu alone. He had to get permission from

Zong Zixiao. Today, because of the ceremony, the palace was crowded, so he
could take the opportunity to nd Xu Zhinan.

"I saw him not long ago, but I don't know where he is now. If the Emperor has
anything to do, I can convey a message on your behalf."

Zong Ziheng was also worried that he wouldn't be able to nd Xu Zhinan. "Okay.
Please tell Xu Zhinan that Zong Zixiao will depart soon for Fenglinzhou, and after
fi
fi
fi
ffi
 he leaves, Xu Zhinan should come to the palace to see me at his earliest
opportunity."

"Yes." Li Buyu gazed at Zong Ziheng, his heart tingling. "Emperor, I know you
have a lot you must do. You can rest assured that we will save you from your
su ering as soon as possible."

Zong Ziheng's heart was shocked. "Do you have a plan?"

"Xu Xianzun and I have already secretly solicited many immortal sects. The
cultivation world will de nitely unite. It won't take long."

"There is another matter I need you to do for me." Zong Ziheng sighed heavily.
This matter shouldn't have been left to outsiders, but he didn't dare leave Wuji
Palace without permission. If Zong Zixiao found out, he didn't know what kind of
reprimand he would receive.

"Please tell me, Emperor."

"Buyu, after you return to Shushan, please move my mother's grave to another
place."

Li Buyu was surprised.

"It's necessary to take caution not to divulge any information about this matter."

"Why?"

"I'm worried that…. Zong Zixiao will disrespect her."

Li Buyu cupped his hand. "I understand. I'll do it when I get back. Where should
I move it to?"

"Zhangyang. That's my mother's hometown. If you go to that area and inquire

about the ancestral graves of the Shen family, the older people should know."

"Yes." Li Buyu looked at Zong Ziheng's handsome face without blinking and
said eagerly, "Buyu is willing to serve the Emperor like a dog or a horse. If
anything is inconvenient for the Emperor to do alone, just give the order."

Zong Ziheng said warmly, "You have already helped me a lot, Buyu. Thank you."

ff
fi
 What happened in Shushan at that time was a nightmare that he could never
wake up from. If it wasn't for Li Buyu helping him clean up the aftermath and
plead for him, he never would have left in one piece. In his heart, he was very
grateful to Li Buyu, who had always treated him with respect since his youth.
However, because this man had witnessed his darkest side, he was instinctively
repelled. In fact, he didn't want to face Li Buyu. He didn't dare to face the past.

Li Buyu smiled. "It's fortunate that I can share the Emperor's worries."

During the day, Konghua Emperor was busy the whole time for the ancestor
respects. At night, Konghua Emperor was ercely attacked on his own dragon
bed.

The ceremonial robes and crown were solemn and elaborate. They had to be put
on by three palace servants. Zong Zixiao couldn't take them o after a long time
tugging and pulling. Losing his patience completely, he simply lifted up the
clothes by the hem, tore his underclothes, and pushed in roughly.

Zong Ziheng was paralyzed. His two long, slender legs hung helplessly in the
demon lord's arms. Bearing the raging waves of attack, and at the same time
unable to stop moaning and trembling.

The tasseled crown, which was the symbol of the emperor's supremacy, was
abandoned on the ground. Zong Ziheng's long, shiny hair was scattered like
splashed ink, brimming with luster as his body was shaken. His disheveled
clothes only halfway covered him, and his fair white skin was ushed with
emotion.

The candlelight ickered and shone brightly as the ve-stemmed lotus lamp
overhead swayed. Zong Ziheng's vision gradually went out of focus, but in that
blur, the face of that person pressing down on him frenzied was still clear. As if
he didn't need his eyes to see this person, but only his heart. His breath was
lled with the fragrances of aging orchid smoke, lust,13 and the scent of his own
shame which he nearly drowned in.14

Zong Zixiao nally released in his deepest place, and held him tightly from
behind, refusing to withdraw.

13 self-censored by author "情y" from "情欲" and

14 idk if you guys remember, but this is the scene that was described waaaay back in ch3
fi
fi
fl
fi
fi
fl
ff
"Get, get out." Zong Ziheng slowly came to and pushed away Zong Zixiao's
arms in embarrassment.

"No." Zong Zixiao kissed his sweat-soaked neck and laughed quietly. "I really
want to stay inside you for the rest of my life."

"Bastard….."

"Dage," Zong Zixiao said softly. "I'm going to Kunlun tomorrow. Do you think I
should take you with me?"

Zong Ziheng's heart jumped but he didn't dare let Zong Zixiao see his panic.

"If I take you, Wuji Palace will be empty, which wouldn't be right. But if I don't
take you, won't I miss you?" Zong Zixiao stroked his elder brother's tight waist
and smiled lazily. "Without you, won't it be hard for me to sleep alone?"

"Didn't you say you'd come back soon?" Zong Ziheng's tone was at.

"Mn. I won't waste too much time on her. She won't give up the ice spirit
crystals. I can take them myself."

"Do you really think that with the ice spirit crystals you can re ne the pill you
want?"

Zong Zixiao narrowed his eyes. "If the ice spirit crystals don't work, then I can
only…."

"Only what?" Zong Ziheng didn't turn around. He didn't dare look into Zong
Zixiao's eyes at this moment.

Zong Zixiao kissed his elder brother's shoulder. "If I said I've never eaten human
pills, would you believe me?"

"……"

"It's true that I slaughtered Wuyun Sect and dug out all their golden cores, but I
didn't eat a single one," Zong Zixiao said slowly. "I don't care what the world
thinks of me, but I wanted you to know."

"Why?"

fi
fl
"I'm very talented, and I've always looked down on demonic cultivators who
steal cores. Besides, the rst time I went out of the palace, we were almost
killed by core thieves, so I've always had a deep hatred for them," Zong Zixiao
sneered. "Before he died, Lu Zhaofeng dug out his own core and gave it to me.
He thought he could make up for his sins? I wouldn't let him. I crushed that core
in front of him with my own hands."

Zong Ziheng shuddered, both at what Zong Zixiao said and the deeper meaning
behind those words. He asked, "Why are you telling me now?"

"I just suddenly wanted to say it. Dage, do you believe me?"

Zong Ziheng was silent for a long time before he said, "I believe you." He
believed that even if Zong Zixiao hadn't taken human pills, he would still have
the cultivation level he had today.

This time it was Zong Zixiao's turn to be silent. But when he spoke again it was
something that made Zong Ziheng's hair stand on end. "Dage, do you know that
taking a core can in fact be done without taking the person's life?"

"What do you mean?" Zong Ziheng's voice trembled slightly.

"Before, the people whose cores were stolen were mostly killed, or seriously
wounded and lost too much blood. If the technique was done properly and the
treatment was timely, the person wouldn't actually die."

"Why are you saying this?"

Zong Zixiao felt the mood swings of the person in his arms, and suddenly had a
guess in his heart. Could it be that Zong Ziheng actually knew about Juepin
Renhuang?

This guess made his heart jump.

Zong Zixiao hugged his elder brother more tightly. The two of them were so
close to each other, yet seemed to be separated by a thousand gulfs.

"Go to sleep," Zong Zixiao said softly.

Zong Ziheng's red eyes stayed open.

Zong Zixiao left early in the morning. As soon as he left, Xu Zhinan came to the
palace.

fi
Zong Ziheng rst asked about Qi Mengsheng's situation. "You went to persuade
her, but did it not work at all? Now isn't the time to go against Zong Zixiao."

Xu Zhinan said, "Don't worry, Emperor. Mengsheng is stubborn, but not stupid.
She said she wants to test Zong Zixiao's abilities. She will deal with it when she
meets it."

Zong Ziheng frowned. "Zong Zixiao once broke Chunyang Sect's Jingang array
with only eighteen Yanyun riders. He also defeated Wuliang Sect. What else
does she want to try?"

Xu Zhinan was slightly embarrassed. "She's never fought with Zong Zixiao so
she hasn't accepted it. He still needs her so he won't kill her for the time being.
She is determined, so let her deal with it on her own."

Zong Ziheng shook his head.

"The Emperor summoned me to the palace. What's the matter?"

That night, the two of them arrived at the Zong mausoleum. Zong Ziheng undid
the seal and found Zong Minghe's tomb.

They each manipulated more than a dozen puppet talismans, causing a group of
guards from Wuji Palace to dig out the tomb completely unconsciously.

At dawn, Zong Minghe's co n was nally dug out. Zong Ziheng intended to
hide him in the back of the mountain then replace Zong Minghe with a
previously prepared corpse.

Zong Ziheng felt really uncomfortable in his heart, so he could only have Xu
Zhinan open the co n and replace the body.

"Hmm?" Xu Zhinan suddenly made a puzzled sound.

"What's wrong?" Zong Ziheng's heart tightened.

"This…." Xu Zhinan said, "Emperor, you'd better come and take a look."

Zong Ziheng was originally standing far away, but he had to walk over. Looking
at the white bones wrapped in royal brocade, he felt chills all over.

fi
ffi
ffi
fi
 "Emperor, look at the bones of the hand." Xu Zhinan lifted the sleeve of the
skeleton's robe.

Zong Ziheng took a deep breath and looked down. The ngers of the corpse
were long and neat. They didn't look any di erent, but that was the biggest
di erence. He staggered a step back, and his face was whiter than the moon
was that night.

There were not the hands of a sword practitioner. Which adult swordsman would
have a pair of hands whose bones weren't deformed at all!?

"The late emperor, could there be someone else's remains…." Xu Zhinan wanted
to speak and then stopped.

Zong Ziheng was covered in goosebumps, and his jaw dropped. For a long time,
he couldn't recover from the shock.

Who had touched the remains of Zong Minghe?

Back then, Zong Minghe was badly injured by Zong Ziheng on Bagua Platform.
While he was recovering from his injuries, Shen Shiyao killed Zong Minghe and
then herself. In order to protect the Zong Clan's reputation, he shouldered all of
it himself. Then, he was nearly besieged by Wuliang Sect, and it was Li Buyu
who saved him. Li Buyu, Xu Zhinan, and Qi Mengsheng weighed the pros and
cons with Wuliang Sect's leader so that he could sit on the throne as Ren
Emperor. Finally, he took Zong Minghe's co n back to Daming for burial.

There were many people from Wuliang Sect who could have switched Zong
Minghe's corpse.

But why? And where did the real Zong Minghe go!?

ff
ff
ffi
fi
 Chapter 147
Zong Ziheng went through his memories to sort out what happened in Yungang
back then.

Zong Minghe's corpse was sealed in front of his eyes. Although there would be
some changes in appearance after death, he didn't nd anything unusual. Zong
Minghe's hands were folded in front of his chest and covered by large sleeves.
Only a few ngertips were exposed, so it was impossible to determine the shape
of the nger bones. After that, he guarded the co n all the way back to Daming
until the burial.

The Zong mausoleum was heavily bounded by arrays, so if Zong Minghe's

corpse was switched, it must have been at Shushan, and what he saw at that
time was fake.

This fake corpse was intact, and there was no possibility that just the head was
swapped. So how exactly did they copy Zong Minghe's face?

Zong Ziheng's narration caused Xu Zhinan's face to become more and more
gloomy. "There are several possibilities for what the Emperor said. I believe the
Emperor can guess one or two."

"I listen to you rst." Zong Ziheng did have some guesses in mind.

"First, Wuliang Sect found a person with a similar appearance to the late
Emperor. But this all happened suddenly, so that possibility is low. Second, the
appearance of the late emperor could have been drawn with Wushengbi, but Lu
Zhaofeng was wanted by all the major sects at the time and was nowhere to be
found. Before that, there was no evidence of collusion between Wuliang Sect
and Lu Zhaofeng, so that possibility is even lower. Third, it could have been a
man with Chunyang techniques, and he altered the bones of the corpse.

"Chunyang techniques can also change the appearances of others?" Zong

Ziheng remembered that he had vaguely heard of it, but he wasn't sure.

"It can, but the time limit is very short. Moreover, the person can't move, make
any facial expressions, speak, or do any action involving the muscles and
bones, otherwise, it would be revealed. Therefore, it is a very weak technique
and it's rarely used."

"But if that person was a dead person…."

fi
fi
fi
ffi
fi
 "Using it on a dead person who can't move would make this method useful
instead." Xu Zhinan narrowed his eyes. "Therefore, it must have been done by
someone who had enough time to access the corpse, because the appearance
changed through the method couldn't last more than a quarter of an hour at
most."

Up to this point, the scope had been very small. Those who had the ability to
transfer the corpse of the Ren Emperor in Wuliang Sect could only be important
gures of Wuliang Sect.

But why?

"Emperor, I have an even bolder guess."

Zong Ziheng quietly clenched his trembling st. "Say it."

"Someone dug up the late Emperor's core, got the Chunyang techniques
obtained from Yanzhi, then placed a substitute to cover up."

Zong Ziheng closed his eyes. Xu Zhinan's words seemed to press a cloud of
fear over his head. The darkness turned into a behemoth and completely eroded
him.

This indeed was a bold guess, but it wasn't groundless. With Zong Minghe's
cultivation alone, his golden core was worth a fortune. Not to mention that he
also could have had imperial destiny.

However, a golden core could only be taken while the person was alive. By the
time he arrived, Zong Minghe had already died and even Shen Shiyao had
already killed herself. The shock of seeing both of his own parents dead almost
tore his heart apart. How could he have thought to check whether Zong
Minghe's core was there? If Xu Zhinan's speculation was true, then Zong
Minghe's death, and even his mother's death, were now greatly in doubt.

Zong Ziheng's face was already hard to look at, as if he would faint at any
moment. Xu Zhinan held his swaying body and comforted him with his thick
voice. "Emperor, this is just a guess. You have to take care of your health."

Zong Ziheng clasped Xu Zhinan's wrist. His ve ngers tightened, gripping

ercely as he stared at Xu Zhinan with bloodshot eyes. "If the person who
swapped the corpse was really there to take his core, then my mother…. may
have…. been killed by someone." As his con dant, Xu Zhinan knew that he had
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
 carried the stigma of regicide for Shen Shiyao, and naturally knew what he was
talking about.

Xu Zhinan practiced vajra invincibility. Ordinary swords couldn't break his esh,
but at this time, even he experienced some pain. It showed how strong Zong
Ziheng was. He held Zong Ziheng's hand and said slowly, but forcefully, "We
must nd out the truth of this matter, not only for Shen Fei Niangniang. The
person who swapped the late Emperor's corpse may have hidden in the
shadows for many years, doing things to harm the Emperor."

Who could it have been, and why did he have to swap Zong Minghe's corpse?
Since he didn't check Zong Minghe's abdomen in the rst place, there was even
less of a chance he'd check it later. If it wasn't for Zong Zixiao's threat to drag
Zong Minghe's body out and whip it, he couldn't have opened the co n. The
secret should have been buried forever, so why go to the trouble of swapping
Zong Minghe's corpse?

When he asked this question, Xu Zhinan could only shake his head in confusion.

"Who does the Emperor think is most suspicious?"

"Li Buyu," Zong Ziheng replied without hesitation.

The most important person of Wuliang Sect who was most involved in this a air
was Li Buyu.

"I also think he is suspicious," Xu Zhinan said. "Emperor, do you remember back
then at the Jiaolong Meeting, Li Buyu was easily defeated by Zong Zixiao, even
though he was several years older than him?"

"I remember." No one could forget that year's Jiaolong Meeting, which directly
led to the decade of turmoil in the cultivation world and gave birth to Zong
Zixiao, the world's most powerful demon. And it was even more impossible for
him to forget how his Xiao Jiu had shown o his proud talent and won the
championship.

"I had the impression that Li Buyu's natural talent was not very outstanding. At
the time, he was defeated by the Jiaolong Meeting's champion, so no one
thought of him as poor, they just thought that Zong Zixiao was too strong.
However, when I watched the match, I judged that Li Buyu's spiritual root was
just barely excellent. Then, after he became Zhangmen, his cultivation and
swordsmanship soared and he actually became one of the representatives of
fi
ff
fi
ffi
fl
ff
 the younger generation." Xu Zhinan frowned. "This matter, I had doubts in my
heart, but I didn't think on it deeply."

"You're right. I also remember that he wasn't outstanding when he was young."
Zong Ziheng's rst meeting with Li Buyu was when he was out on a trip and
accidentally saved Li Buyu, who was also out for training. At the same age of
thirteen, Zong Zixiao won rst place in the Jiaolong Meeting, but Li Buyu
struggled to even deal with a slightly accomplished walking corpse. He didn't
dare to assert that Li Buyu must have eaten Zong Minghe's human pill to have
his current cultivation, but if Zong Minghe's core was stolen by the Li Clan, then
the person who ate it must have been Li Buyu.

In any case, Zong Minghe's corpse was swapped with evil intentions. He
needed to nd out the complete truth!

Zong Ziheng murmured, "Xu Dage, accompany me to Shushan."

"It's not easy to in ltrate Shushan. Why don't I go up the mountain in the name
of a visit, and the Emperor will wait for my news?"

"No need to in ltrate. I just met Li Buyu before and asked him to help move my
mother's grave when he returns to Shushan. I can move it myself."

Xu Zhinan said, "If Zong Zixiao returns and nds that the Emperor isn't here, I'm
afraid…."

Zong Ziheng gritted his teeth and said, "Kunlun is far away. He can't come back
in a short time. And even if he comes back, he can't care so much."

"Good. I'll listen to the Emperor."

The day after Zong Zixiao left Daming, Zong Ziheng sent Zong Zhongming away.

He carried Zong Zhongming, who was crying, all the way out of Daming City.
There were no words to express how much sadness and reluctance he felt in his
chest. In the end, he could only stand in the afterglow of the setting sun and
watch Zong Ziyun take his child into the sky on his sword. They became smaller
and smaller the further they went, until they nally turned into a little silver light
in the sky, then disappeared.

It was their last time seeing each other in their lives.

fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
 The guests who came to celebrate the new year also left one after another,
including Li Buyu.

On the fth day after Zong Zixiao's departure from Daming, Zong Ziheng settled
the important matters in Wuji Palace, then left for Shushan with Xu Zhinan.
Before leaving, Huang Daozi suddenly met with him, as if he knew he was
leaving.

Zong Ziheng was extremely disgusted with this man. "What is it?"

"This lowly one15 divined that the Emperor is going to investigate something and
is here to o er you a spiritual treasure."

"What did you divine?"

Huang Daozi said respectfully, "Divination can only give a vague direction. This
lowly one does not know where the Emperor is going nor what is being
investigated."

Zong Ziheng was skeptical. "Then what treasure do you want to o er?"

Huang Daozi took out a dirty tube which contained twelve bamboo slips. "This is
a spiritual treasure created by this lowly one: Zhouhouling Lots.16 It was re ned
using a small piece of the Luoshui Yujia. It has divinations abilities, but it can
only answer 'yes' or 'no.'" He o ered it in both hands.

Zong Ziheng hesitated for a moment then took it. "How do I use it?"

"The Emperor can ask the desired divination then draw a stick or force another
person to ask. But the scope of the divination is very small, both in terms of time
and geographical region. The only answers it can give are 'yes,' 'no,' 'true,' or
'false.' The rest, the Emperor needs to judge on your own."

15 So in previous chapters, Huang Daozi used "caomin" to refer to himself in front of the
Emperor, which is like a really humble way of referring to yourself as a subject or civilian. Then
in the chapters with Zong Zixiao, he used "xiao ren" which is like "small/little/lowly person." I'm
not sure if there's much of a signi cance or reason why he switched from caomin to xiao ren in
front of ZZH in this conversation
16 "周侯灵" zhou [round/circular] + hou [cloth used for arrow targets] + ling [spirit]. The last word
is "qian" which are the bamboo slips used to draw lots for divination. I went with the single
word "lots" to capture that so this item has a similar naming format to others.
fi
ff
fi
ff
ff
fi
"Is it accurate?"

Huang Daozi said, "The more speci c the question, the more accurate the
answer is."

"Good. Ben zuo will give it a try." Zong Ziheng put the Zhouhouling Lots into his
spatial bag. "Why did you come to o er this treasure?"

"This lowly one wants to share the Emperor's worries."

Zong Ziheng said coldly, "The one you want to atter is clearly the Demon Lord."

Huang Daozi smiled lightly. "What this lowly one wishes for is peace in the
world."

Zong Ziheng didn't dare believe this person's words, but he was going to try this
spiritual treasure. Shushan was the territory of Wuliang Sect. He and Xu Zhinan
needed to do everything possible in the shortest time to nd out the truth. He
hoped this spiritual weapon could really be useful.

Zong Ziheng, with the help of Xu Zhinan, broke the seal on his spiritual pulse,
and the two ew away from Daming on their swords. Their sudden visit would
certainly set o a bloody storm in Shushan.

fl
ff
fi
ff
fl
fi
Chapter 148
Wuliang Sect and Chunyang Sect had occasional contact over the years, so Xu
Zhinan's visit was not surprising. The Wuliang Sect cultivators were very curious
about the person beside him who was covered by a mili, but no one dared to
ask.

It wasn't until only Li Buyu was left in the room that Zong Ziheng showed his
true face.

"Emperor!?" Li Buyu was surprised. "Emperor, why didn't you tell me? Wuliang
Sect is too unprepared…"

"No need. Ben zuo is here for the matter discussed last time. Naturally, it needs
to be kept secret."

Li Buyu understood. "The Emperor intends to personally move the grave for
Shen Fei Niangniang."

"Ben zuo thought about it more. If an outsider handles it, it's too un lial. Since
Zong Zixiao has gone to Kunlun, this needs to be done as soon as possible."

"Buyu wouldn't dare delay the matter that the Emperor ordered. I came back to
Wuliang Sect the day before yesterday and began preparations. They are almost
ready." Li Buyu looked at Xu Zhinan and smiled. "But I don't know why Xu
Zhinan came too. Is the Emperor not at ease with me?"

Xu Zhinan looked at Li Buyu with a smile that wasn't a smile.

"Ben zuo cannot expose my identity. With so many things which need to be
done, naturally another person is needed," Zong Ziheng said. "Since it's almost
ready, when can we break ground?"

"According to the yellow calendar, tomorrow is an auspicious day."

"Okay. Tomorrow."

"Today, the Emperor and Xu Xianzun can have a good rest. If our sect doesn't
provide proper hospitality, please forgive us, Emperor."

"Be at ease. Just don't make any noise."

fi
"Yes." Li Buyu added, "The Emperor looks tired and must be exhausted. Why
not soak in a hot spring? The water in Yuanyang Pool in Shushan can activate
blood circulation and heal the body. It has miraculous healing e ects for the
physical and spiritual wounds."

"No need." How could Zong Ziheng be in the mood for that?

Li Buyu advised, "Emperor, your spiritual pulse has been sealed by Zong Zixiao
for a long time. Do you feel sluggish when circulating your spiritual power? The
Yuanyang Pool can greatly nourish your spiritual pulse and help you recover as
soon as possible."

Zong Ziheng was persuaded. He really was feeling unwell after traveling by
sword, and the Yuanyang Pool in Shushan was a world-famous spiritual spring.
Because Wuliang Sect's immortal cave was nearby, it was e ective in
strengthening the body, both for cultivators and ordinary people.

"All right. You can arrange it."

Li Buyu arranged for his maidservants to serve Zong Ziheng in the bath, but they
were all dismissed by him. His body was covered with new and old traces of
desire left by Zong Zixiao, and he didn't want anyone to see.

Zong Ziheng immersed his whole body in the Yuanyang Pool. The moment he
was wrapped in the warm spring water, he let out a comfortable sigh. The
fatigue that had accumulated over the past few months slowly dissipated, and
the blocked spiritual veins opened up more and more under the nourishment of
the spring water. His body hadn't felt so relaxed for a long time.

Yuanyang Pool's reputation really wasn't for nothing.

Zong Ziheng closed his eyes and adjusted his breath, causing his spiritual
power to run for a while, making his body much more active.

He wiped his arms with a moist towel and looked at the blue and purple marks
on his body, feeling ashamed and annoyed. Zong Zixiao must have been a
beast. He sucked on him, bit him, and came inside him every time. Only animals
marked their territory like that.

Thinking of Zong Zixiao, he worried about Qi Mengsheng. Zong Zixiao must

have arrived at Fenglinzhou by now. The survival of Cangyu Sect touched the
ff
ff
hearts of everyone in the cultivation world. Although the practices outside the
pass were always rejected by the sects of the Central Plains, without Cangyu
Sect, their hope of defeating Zong Zixiao would be even slimmer.

Zong Ziheng was so worried that he didn't realize someone was approaching
until he heard a small sound. He was suddenly alert. "Who?"

Yuangyang Pool was full of mist, so he couldn't see anyone from a distance. He
vaguely saw a dark shadow in the white mist. There were thousands of large and
small springs here, but the ones that were enclosed here could only be used by
the Li family. He was here, and there were guards outside, so it was impossible
for a subordinate or disciple to enter by mistake. Someone had to have sneaked
in deliberately.

Zong Ziheng ew ashore, picked up his bathrobe and scabbard, put it on

quickly, then quickly chased after the person.

The black shadow soon concealed themself with a weapon, but how could
anyone get rid of Zong Ziheng that easily? He released a few thin, long threads
of spiritual breath to probe in the direction of the black shadow's escape. Soon,
there was a response, and he tried hard to catch up. "Brazen! Stop!" He didn't
know what the other party wanted, but he wouldn't let go of any clues related to
Zong Minghe's death.

This person's cultivation wasn't shallow. Zong Ziheng chased him all the way
out of Yuanyang Pool, but he still couldn't catch up.

When the guard saw Zong Ziheng chasing him out with his disheveled clothes
and long untied hair, he was shocked. "Zhenren! Was there an assassin? Let's
go! There was an assassin!"

The guard didn't know who he was. He only knew that he was an honored guest
of Zhangmen Xianzun.

Zong Ziheng frowned and looked around. "Don't make any noise. Go and call
Li… Xianzun to come."

Li Buyu soon arrived and ordered the guards to send more men to search for the
assassin, not letting any spring go unsearched, but at the same time instructed,
"Don't make any noise."

"Yes, Zhangmen."

fl
After the people dispersed, Li Buyu went to Zong Ziheng's side. His face was
very ugly. "The Emperor was frightened. Encountering an assassin the rst day
at Wuliang Sect, I am ashamed to face the Emperor."

"It's nothing. The person may not have been an assassin. Perhaps he just got
lost." Zong Ziheng stroked his wet hair and squeezed out a lot of water.

"What the Emperor is saying is that there are too many springs in Yuanyang
Pool, and there's the possibility it was unintentional…" Li Buyu looked at Zong
Ziheng's loose lapel. His skin was softened by the spring water, and there were
still undried beads of water shimmering in the light. The little red marks printed
on his strong chest were particularly eye-catching. He was so infatuated that he
lost his breath for a moment.

Zong Ziheng seemed to be aware of Li Buyu's gaze through his peripheral

vision. As soon as he raised his eyes, he caught Li Buyu hastily shifting his gaze.
He thought of something, frowned, then gathered his lapel.

Li Buyu cupped his hand and said, "If the Emperor wants to continue to soak,
Buyu will send more guards, or…."

"No need. I'm going back to rest." Zong Ziheng had many doubts in his heart.
He didn't want to stay there another moment. He was just about to leave, when
he happened to lower his head and found that the hem of Li Buyu's robes were
wet with water.

The road was paved with dense cobblestones. Even if there was water, it would
only be caught between the cracks. Walking normally, only the soles of the
shoes could get wet. If there weren't any big movements, the water wouldn't be
splashed.

Zong Ziheng turned around quietly, and his face was gloomy.

There were not many people who could escape under his tracking, and even
fewer people knew that he was here. If that person really intruded by mistake
and didn't know who he was, why would they act like a thief and run away?

The black shadow was most likely Li Buyu.

But why did Li Buyu sneak into Yuanyang Pool? Did he really want to
assassinate him?17

17 no, bb. He's just a big fucking pervert

fi
No. Zong Ziheng soon dismissed the possibility. Not to mention that Li Buyu had
great respect for him and had even saved his life, even if Li Buyu really wanted
to assassinate him for some reason— for example, if Li Buyu also knew the
secret of Juepin Renhuang— he wouldn't do it at this time. Li Buyu wasn't his
opponent at all. He couldn't beat all of Wuliang Sect, but it was more than
enough for him and Xu Zhinan to escape.

If Li Buyu didn't want to assassinate him, why did he sneak into Yuanyang Pool
while he was bathing?

Zong Ziheng couldn't understand it, so he had to put it aside. But his suspicions
of Li Buyu increased, and he became more convinced that there must have been
something else about the deaths of Zong Minghe and Shen Shiyao.

Late at night, Zong Ziheng and Xu Zhinan met as scheduled. They planned to
sneak into the guesthouse where Zong Minghe died. Although it had been
almost ten years and it was unlikely that anything was left behind, they had no
other clues to start with until they saw Shen Shiyao's body.

Zong Ziheng found the pavilion by memory.

When the late emperor and imperial concubine died there, the hostility was so
heavy that Wuliang Sect had to perform a ritual for three days and nights. After
that, it was abandoned.

The pavilion was dilapidated and overgrown with weeds, emitting an ominous
aura. On the ground, they could still see the remnants of the formation painted
during the puri cation.

The two men silently undid the arrays set there.

Xu Zhinan pushed open the door and stepped in rst, while Zong Ziheng's toes
were pressed against the threshold. Great fear and pain, like two ghostly hands
grabbing his ankles, robbed him of the courage to walk in.

Zong Ziheng thought that he would never set foot in this place again in his life. If
hell had a name, it was this place. He trembled as he lifted his heavy feet.

He, a person who had learned to y on his sword at the age of six, failed to
cross the high threshold at that time. He tripped and fell to the ground in a panic
fi
fl
fi
seeing his father in covered in a pool of blood and his mother hanging from the
roof beam.

Just standing here, his throat was tightly strangled by an invisible hand, and
every breath was lled with boundless pain.

Xu Zhinan said softly, "Emperor, why don't you wait outside?"

Zong Ziheng shook his head sti y, clenched his teeth, and stepped through the
door.

The house was covered with dust and cobwebs, making it almost impossible to
see its original state. Naturally, it was impossible to nd any clues.

Zong Ziheng nally stood under a beam, and saw Shen Shiyao's body dangling
there, swaying slightly before his eyes. Back then, his soul seemed to have been
drawn out of his body. He couldn't cry or scream. Like an outsider, he watched
Li Buyu handle the aftermath through cold eyes.

Only he himself knew that a part of him had died along with her.18

Xu Zhinan came to his side and asked carefully, "Was it here?"

Zong Ziheng was as sti as stone.

Xu Zhinan hesitated for a moment then jumped on the high beam on his tiptoes.
He used a wind spell to blow away the dust accumulated on the beam over the
years.

Zong Ziheng also came back to his senses. He took a deep breath and forced
himself to calm down. "Have you found anything?"

"Come up and take a look."

Zong Ziheng had to jump up.

Xu Zhinan pointed to an old, shallow scrape on the beam. "Emperor, dare I ask if
this is…."

18 I'm sorry, but I still feel zero sympathy for Shen Shiyao. All the things she did before that
point were so awful that it really doesn't matter to me if she was murdered. I only feel bad that
this conspiracy meant that Zong Ziheng had to su er more.
fi
fi
ff
ffl
ff
fi
"…. Yes."

"Sure enough, I have doubts," Xu Zhinan said. "Emperor, what I'm going to say
next may be o ensive to Shen Fei Niangniang."

"Speak frankly."

"People who hang themselves, at the critical moment of life and death, will
certainly struggle. No matter the determination, it's still human instinct to
survive. Therefore, the place where the white silk19 wound around the beam
would often leave traces of repeated friction. However, this mark only looks like
indented from the weight, so I'm afraid Shen Fei Niangniang at that time…"

Zong Ziheng's eyes blackened over.

That year, he was only twenty-one years old. After experiencing the
confrontation with his little brother, being seriously injured by his own father,
nearly freezing to death in Kunlun, and the father and son ght to the death,
seeing the tragic death of his mother who killed her father in front of his eyes
completely broken him.

Therefore, he didn't look deeply into the causes of his parents' deaths, nor did
he suspect Li Buyu, who had always helped him and comforted him the whole
time. He didn't expect that the evils of the human heart could be worse than a
ghost.


19In ancient China, suicide by hanging often used a length of white silk. If people were
presented with di erent options for their death, white silk was usually one of them.
ff
ff
fi
 Chapter 149
Shen Shiyao was laid to rest in Yunlai Peak of Shushan, which was the second
peak across the ravine from Diancang Peak. It was also treasured for its
geomantic omens.20 Many cultivators lived on the mountain and many local
people buried their relatives there.

In order to keep it a secret, Shen Shiyao's tombstone was written with her
boudoir name21 from when she was unmarried. Though in fact, no one would
nd this tomb hidden deep within the forest. If Zong Ziheng hadn't left a trace of
spiritual awareness here, even he would't have been able to nd it.

Zong Ziheng rst paid his respects, then performed a ritual before starting to
raise the grave. He stood to the side, watching his mother's co n being
exposed little by little, and his heart couldn't stop tightening.

Li Buyu whispered, "Don't worry, Emperor. You were also trying to protect Shen
Fei Niangniang. She won't blame you."

Zong Ziheng stared in front of him without blinking. He couldn't face Li Buyu
straight in the eyes. He was afraid that his eyes would give away his emotions.

The previous night, he and Xu Zhinan discussed their countermeasures.

Li Buyu's identity wasn't trivial, and they were still in Wuliang Sect's territory.
They also had the common enemy Zong Zixiao to deal with. Zong Ziheng was in
an unprecedented struggle.

In the end, they agreed that they couldn't make a scene until they found
conclusive evidence. Ten years had passed, and this evidence, if it still existed,
could only be found on Shen Shiyao's body. But Shen Shiyao was already a
skeleton. What clues could be left behind?

Zong Ziheng thought of the Zhouhouling lots that Huang Daozi had given to him.
Whether or not Huang Daozi was trustworthy, he had to give it a try for the time
being. But there needed to be someone who could ask the spiritual treasure.

Shen Shiyao's co n was nally raised and was quietly displayed in the night.

20 Basically, auspicious place with good Feng Shui

21This would be more like a childhood name, rather than a maiden name, since women still
keep their surnames after marrying
fi
fi
ffi
fi
fi
ffi
Zong Ziheng walked over and gently swept the dirt with his hand. His sorrow
was like the moonlight, condensed on his white jade face. Everyone around was
silent. No one dared disturb Konghua Emperor.

After a long time, Zong Ziheng said, "Open the co n."

Li Buyu's face changed slightly. "This…."

Several Wuliang Sect cultivators also looked at each other. Why open the co n
when moving the grave?

"Open the co n," Zong Ziheng repeated again with emphasis.

"Emperor, what's the matter?" Li Buyu walked over to Zong Ziheng and
whispered, "This is not auspicious." He glanced at Xu Zhinan, as if hoping he'd
also come persuade Zong Ziheng.

Xu Zhinan, however, didn't say a word.

"I want to see my mother," Zong Ziheng said softly.

The Emperor actually titled himself with "I." His tone sounded like an ordinary
person who missed his mother, and the people couldn't help but feel moved.
However, it was a great disrespect to the dead to open an already sealed co n
and could even damage the welfare of future generations. It was a great taboo.

Li Buyu looked at Zong Ziheng's taut jaw and focused eyes and knew that he
couldn't be persuaded. He thought a little. "Yes. Open the co n."

The seven nails in the co n were pried out one by one.

Everyone retreated.

Zong Ziheng pressed the co n lid and said silently, "Mother, I'm sorry." He
mobilized his spiritual power and pushed open the lid of the ebony co n which
weighed a thousand jin.

Inside the co n lay a skeleton dressed in splendid golden robes, surrounded by

jewels and treasures.

Zong Ziheng crouched over the co n. His shoulders trembled violently and his
tears fell down quietly.

ffi
ffi
ffi
ffi
ffi
ffi
ffi
ffi
ffi
ffi
 The years had passed, and the retribution of his mothers sins and his own
mistakes had been fully laid. Much of the resentment had dispersed, and what
remained were the good memories of his mother.

The day he buried his mother, the day he decided to bear it all alone, he only
wished that his mother could atone for her sins and reincarnate as a good and
happy person, dry and clean.

However, if his mother didn't commit regicide, if she didn't commit suicide, but
was murdered, he needed to nd out!

Zong Ziheng held back his grief and jumped into the co n. He carefully
removed the beautiful robes and examined the white bones.

People who had hanged themselves usually had broken cervical vertebrae, but
Shen Shiyao's neck bones were intact, most likely because there was no
struggle. Other than that, he didn't see anything unusual. There wasn't enough
evidence to conclude that she was murdered.

If he had examined the corpse then, he would have found something wrong, but
he was on the verge of falling apart and didn't have the slightest suspicion of Li
Buyu. He missed the best opportunity to do it.

Zong Ziheng disappointedly gathered his mother's clothes together, but

accidentally knocked o her crown.

There was still sparse hair on top of the skull. After losing the shackles of the
crown, it scattered everywhere. Zong Ziheng's sharp eyes spotted something.
He ru ed the hair and found a spiderweb of cracks on her Baihui acupoint.22

Zong Ziheng's heart tightened. He carefully stroked and examined. He found

that the crack was very strange because it was slender and stretched. The
strangest thing was that the skull was still intact.

Cracks in the bone, either from collisions or sharp objects, would invariably
cause damage to the bone and leave traces forever. But this crack was so light
and shallow with only a slight indent. If he didn't touch it, it would have seemed
almost smooth like….. like it was embroidered on.

Such a seemingly evil mark appearing on the deadly Baihui acupoint was most
likely the cause of his mother's death.

22 Point at the top, center, slightly anterior position of the top of the head
ffl
ff
fi
ffi
 Poison? Sorcery? A curse? What was it!?

Xu Zhinan was more knowledgable than he was and might know.

Zong Ziheng quickly restored Shen Shiyao's skeleton and clothes to their
original state, jumped out of the co n, and, after gathering his emotions, called
back Li Buyu and the others.

The co n was nailed shut again with seven nails. Li Buyu carried the co n
using a levitating spiritual treasure and ew to Zhangyang overnight.

Zhangyang wasn't far from Shushan. They buried Shen Shiyao in the place they
had chosen in advance that night. Zong Ziheng knelt in front of the grave until
dawn.

After returning to Yunding, Zong Ziheng told Xu Zhinan what he had found.

Xu Zhinan listened in silence and slowly held his forehead.

Seeing this, Zong Ziheng didn't rush him. He knew that Xu Zhinan already had
an answer, but he was afraid to hear it. After a long time, Xu Zhinan said in a low
voice, "Emperor, the cracks you saw were lightning patterns carved by Leizu
Baogao."

Zong Ziheng looked ahead, his eyes like two pools of stagnant water.

"When ordinary lightning strikes a person, it will leave only spiderweb-like red
lines on the surface of the skin, but Leizu Baogao draws heavenly thunder,
which can penetrate the esh and split the three souls and seven spirits.
Naturally, it can also leave marks on the bones."

Zong Ziheng murmured, "So, it's either Buyu or the old Zhangmen of Wuliang
Sect.

Xu Zhinan nodded heavily. "I think it should be Li Buyu. If Li Buyu wanted to

create the illusion that Shen Fei Niangniang hanged herself, he couldn't leave
any traces on the surface. The old Zhangmen could do it without Leizu Baogao,
but in those days, Li Buyu didn't have the cultivation to defeat Shen Fei
Niangniang with a single strike."

ffi
fl
ffi
fl
ffi
"Then, my mother…." Zong Ziheng slowly turned to face Xu Zhinan. In his eyes
was a sea of despair. "Her soul had already scattered, hadn't it."

The most terrible thing of Leizu Baogao was that it could knock a person's soul
away, not even giving them the chance of reincarnation, completely and utterly
erasing them from the three realms.23

Xu Zhinan couldn't bear to answer and lowered his head.

"My mother did many evil things, but she was also…. very pathetic," Zong
Ziheng choked, trembling. "She was very bitter and was never truly happy up to
the day she died. I wanted….. I wanted her to atone for her sins and be reborn
into an ordinary family in her next life. She didn't need to be rich or noble. As
long as someone treated her sincerely, she wouldn't have to become…. a bad
person." He covered his eyes and tears rolled down through his ngers.

"…." Xu Zhinan's heart was tormented, but he didn't know how to comfort Zong
Ziheng. There were no words to heal such wounds.

"But Buyu killed her." Zong Ziheng slowly raised his head, and his face was
hideous and miserable. "He killed her, scattered her soul so she could no longer
even have an afterlife, and framed her for the crime of regicide. And in the end, I
had to bear the blame of this eternal curse!"

"Li Buyu deserves to die." Xu Zhinan clenched his st.

Zong Ziheng stood up, grabbed the hilt of his sword, and rushed to the door.
But before Xu Zhinan could stop him, he stopped himself. He stared at the
closed door. His eyes were wide with hatred, but at this moment, he calmed
himself down.

"Emperor." Xu Zhinan came over to him and gently pressed on his shoulder. "Li
Buyu deserves to die, but we mustn't be impulsive at this time. We have to nd
an opportunity to capture him alive to nd out the truth from his mouth."

23 Wow, honestly this has super huge implications. I'm kind of surprised ZZX never tried to take
it.

Also, Xu Zhinan knowing all these things makes me really want to understand what happened
right around ZZH/ZZX's deaths that he's let Li Buyu live on as Mengzhu for one hundred years.
I think I said it in a footnote that Xu Zhinan/Chunyang Sect are initially framed as Lawful Good
(clearly not), but that I personally think he is more of a Lawful Neutral. I wonder if he's even
more morally gray though.
fi
fi
fi
fi
The tears on Zong Ziheng's face still hadn't dried, but his eyes were surprisingly
clear. "Yes, capture him alive." He wanted revenge. He wanted to nd out the
truth. He wanted to look Li Buyu in the eyes and peel o that hypocritical face!

"We'll call Li Buyu alone to a place far way from Yunding. I will join forces with
the Emperor to take advantage of his unpreparedness. We should be able to
restrain him."

"Did you bring Jinluoyu clothing?" Jinluoyu clothing was the top spiritual
weapon of Chunyang Sect. If Xu Zhinan had it, he could ght against Leizu
Baogao.

"As Zhangmen, I always carry Jinluoyu with me, but if I summon the spiritual
weapon, the movement would be too loud. It would de nitely draw in the people
from Wuliang Sect.

"Then what to do?"

Xu Zhinan looked like he wanted to say something, but stopped.

"How can you still hesitate at this point? Speak up!" Zong Ziheng said in a rough
voice.

"I do have a plan. It's almost foolproof, but it requires the Emperor to put down
your position. I'm afraid it would be disrespectful to the Emperor."

"Say it."

"Maybe the Emperor hasn't discovered…." For the rst time, Xu Zhinan spoke
awkwardly. He repeatedly thought over his words before saying, "What kind of
eyes Li Buyu looks at the Emperor with."

"What do you mean?" Zong Ziheng didn't understand.

"Well…. My sect cultivates extremely pure yang. Within our lifetime, it can never
leak out, otherwise the technique will be broken. The Emperor knows this."

"What are you saying all this nonsense for?" The more Zong Ziheng listened, the
more confused he became.

Xu Zhinan quickly said casually, "My sect can't allow any women to enter, so
there are a lot of cut-sleeves."

fi
fi
ff
fi
fi
Zong Ziheng was stunned.

He recalled Li Buyu's attentiveness to him when he was a youth. He looked at

him several times, and didn't know whether he had approached him intentionally
or unintentionally. And also, yesterday, when he was bathing in the Yuanyang
Pool, Li Buyu….

Xu Zhinan said awkwardly, "Others may not be able to see it, and the Emperor
also did not notice, but I have seen it a lot. It's not surprising. Li Buyu may have
admired the Emperor since he was young."

Zong Ziheng was so shocked that he didn't know what to think. He thought that
only Zong Zixiao would have such a deformed obsession with him. But Li Buyu?

"Therefore, if we want to capture Li Buyu alive without disturbing Wuliang Sect,

only the Emperor can do it."

Chapter 150
When Li Buyu was summoned, his heart was anxious, both from the sudden
arrival of Zong Ziheng and Xu Zhinan and from the request to open the co n. It
felt wrong and he saw a crisis coming.

When Zong Ziheng summoned him alone to a certain place on Yunlai Peak, he
was even more wary.

Zong Ziheng stood on the cli with his back to Li Buyu, looking at the immortal
clouds draped around Shushan, and his heart thumped. He adjusted his
emotions and facial expression before turning around. He looked at Li Buyu
quietly. "Buyu, these days it's been hard for you. Finally, my mother can rest
peacefully in her hometown. Ben zuo can also put my heart down."

"It's a great honor for Wuliang Sect to serve the Emperor," Li Buyu smiled.
"Naturally, it's also my honor."

"Do you still remember our rst meeting? More than ten years have passed."

"Yes, all of it." Li Buyu's eyes lit up. "I was a novice at that time. I didn't expect
to run into a powerful evil spirit. If not for the Emperor's help, I'm afraid I would
have…."

Zong Ziheng smiled lightly. "You were only twelve years old at the time. You
were really reckless and enthusiastic. However, many gongzis at your age would
bring guards and helpers to make a name for themselves, but you didn't get too
excited and had the courage to go out all by yourself."

Li Buyu's heart was in full bloom. "Emperor, Emperor praises me too much. The
Emperor was young and talented. At that time, Emperor was like a heavenly god
who came down to save me from danger. That scene, Buyu will remember in my
heart all my life."

Zong Ziheng gazed at him. "Ben zuo intends to return to Daming today. Besides
thanking you, ben zuo has called to ask you something else."

"Please speak, Emperor."

Zong Ziheng walked slowly to Li Buyu. "In fact, it was you who broke into
Yuanyang Pool that day, right?"

fi
ff
ffi
Li Buyu was startled and said, "Why does the Emperor say that?"

Zong Ziheng's heart was also a little confused. His reaction was awless. If Xu
Zhinan was wrong, wouldn't he be doing something ridiculous? He calmed
down and added, "Few people knew that I was bathing in Yuanyang Pool. I saw
your back. Although it was very foggy at the time, later when you appeared,
there was water on the hem of your clothes."

"Buyu is afraid," Li Buyu stepped back and cupped his hands, "Buyu has never
been disrespectful to the Emperor. Asking Emperor for your understanding."

"What are you afraid of? Ben zuo isn't blaming you." Zong Ziheng endured his
discomfort. "Ben zuo just wants to know what you were really thinking."

"……"

"Xu Zhinan once warned that toward ben zuo you were…. unusual." Zong
Ziheng turned his pro le slightly away from Li Buyu but didn't look at him. "Ben
zuo didn't care before, but after thinking about it, you've been very good to ben
zuo for more than ten years."

Li Buyu's chest rose and fell with force, and his face was ushed red. Zong
Ziheng held down Li Buyu's shoulder and said softly, "Buyu, ben zuo wants to
know what you are thinking."

"I….." Li Buyu looked at Zong Ziheng eagerly, and the light in his eyes ickered
ceaselessly, as if he had a thousand words to express. Just when he intended to
speak, his body sti ened and his face changed completely.

On the back of Li Buyu's neck, a xation talisman was attached.

Zong Ziheng took a few steps back, and his eyes became cold and gloomy.

"What does the Emperor mean by this? What have I done wrong?" Li Buyu was
sweating coldly. At this time, he could only move above his neck.

"Li Buyu, every question that ben zuo asks, you must answer truthfully." Zong
Ziheng took a deep breath. "Otherwise, you will never be able to leave Yunlai
Peak again."

Li Buyu looked at Zong Ziheng in horror with struggle in his eyes.

ff
fi
fi
fl
fl
fl
 "Do you know why ben zuo came to Shushan all of the sudden?" Zong Ziheng
glared at Li Buyu ercely. "Because when ben zuo was moving the tomb of the
late emperor, it was discovered that the skeleton in the Zong mausoleum wasn't
the remains of the late Emperor at all."

"What is the Emperor saying?" Li Buyu asked anxiously. "How could that be?
Why is the Emperor certain that it wasn't the remains of the previous Emperor?"

"There were no signs of damage to any of the ngers of the skeleton," Zong
Ziheng said in a cold voice. "The sons of noble families begin to practice
swordplay at the age of three. After practicing every day for decades, whose
nger bones have never been bent?"

"If so, then it's indeed strange, but I don't know anything."

"You don't know? When ben zuo saw the late emperor go into the co n back
then, who switched the bodies, who faked its appearance, who would have the
audacity to steal the remains of Zong Tianzi in Wuliang Sect's territory if not you
or your grandfather?"

"Emperor is wrongly accusing!" Li Buyu argued. "I really don't know. My father
and grandfather couldn't have done such a thing. Emperor, please allow me to
investigate, I will…."

"You say you don't know about the late Emperor. What about Shen Fei?" Zong
Ziheng approached Li Buyu and his expressions was distorted by pain and
hatred. "Last night, ben zuo opened the co n to examine the corpse personally.
Mother's Baihui point had the spiderweb lines left by Leizu Baogao!"

Li Buyu opened his mouth, but his tongue was tied.

"At that time, you hadn't taken the position of Zhangmen, but as the direct
grandson of the old Zhangmen, it wasn't di cult for you to use the sect's
spiritual weapon."

"I….."

Zong Ziheng grabbed Li Buyu's neck and said harshly, "How else can you
defend yourself?"

Li Buyu's eyes were bloodshot, almost falling out of frame as he stared at Zong
Ziheng.

fi
fi
ffi
ffi
fi
ffi
 "You killed the previous Emperor rst, then killed Shen Fei to frame her, nally
letting ben zuo bear an eternal stigma!"

Li Buyu's face appeared ashen. He said, "I….. never thought of harming you. I
never thought that you would take the blame of regicide for her."

Zong Ziheng's killing intent boiled to the sky, and he suddenly tightened his
ngers, strangling Li Buyu's throat. He saw Li Buyu's face turn red, his eyes turn
white, and his saliva fall uncontrollably.

Just when Li Buyu was on the verge of death, Zong Ziheng suddenly released
his hand.

Li Buyu escaped death, gasping for breath. His face was twisted to a frightening
degree.

Zong Ziheng's sts were clenched and his body trembled violently.

Li Buyu said in tears, "She poisoned my cousin to death and caused my aunt to
die of depression. She was a killer. Even if I didn't kill her, my father and
grandfather wouldn't have let her go. But I never thought about harming the
Emperor."

"How do you know that she poisoned Zong Zimo?" Zong Ziheng turned his
head slowly and looked at Li Buyu grimly.

Li Buyu was stunned. "This matter…."

"This matter was only known to ben zuo and the previous Emperor. Outsiders all
thought that it was Lu Zhaofeng and Chu Yingruo, including your father and the
old Zhangmen. Otherwise, Mother wouldn't have survived the moment she
stepped foot in Yunding, and you wouldn't have been able to convince them to
let ben zuo become Ren Emperor."

"It was my guess." Li Buyu looked Zong Ziheng straight in the eye.

"Your story is a lie." Zong Ziheng was disgusted with Li Buyu to the extreme. His
killing intent and impatience grew. He took Zhouhouling from his spatial bag.
"This spiritual treasure can be used to divine the truth in your words. I want to
see how many evil intentions you are hiding."

fi
fi
fi
fi
Li Buyu stared at Zhouhouling, and his Adam's apple rolled rapidly. He had
never heard of this spiritual treasure, but the Zong's treasure vault was the
largest in Jiuzhou. He didn't dare not believe it.

Zong Ziheng injected spiritual power, repeated Li Buyu's words, and began to
ask for an answer. "What he said, is it true or not?"

The twelve bamboo slips emitted a faint blue light, then a stick oated up from
the tube. Zong Ziheng grabbed the stick, and the end of it was engraved with
the word "no."

Zong Ziheng put the stick in front of Li Buyu's eyes. "Ben zuo wants to hear the
truth."

Li Buyu gasped hard and pursed his lips without saying anything.

"The previous Emperor couldn't have told you, and ben zuo couldn't have told
you. Did my mother tell you?"

Li Buyu's eyes were obviously evasive.

It was a thoughtless question, but as soon as the words came out, Zong Ziheng
suddenly changed color, as if he had caught the one important thread out of a
thousand mixed thoughts. "Did Mother really tell you? Impossible…. Why?" He
knitted his eyebrows and said in a hoarse voice, "For so many years, there is
one thing ben zuo has been puzzled by. My mother was killed by you and had
no opportunity to tell me. How exactly did she know about Zong Zixiao's birth?"

"Didn't Chu Yingruo expose herself?"

"No, if I hadn't found out another way, Chu Yingruo wouldn't have exposed it."24
Zong Ziheng stared into Li Buyu's eyes. "At that time in the catacombs, ben zuo
spoke with Lu Zhaofeng. I thought only Xu Zhinan and Qi Mengsheng had heard
it. I made them swear not to disclose it, but at that time, you were also in the
catacombs."

Li Buyu sneered, "I didn't hear any conversation. The Emperor doesn't doubt Xu
Zhinan, but wants to suspect me?" Zong Ziheng shook the bamboo slips, and Li
Buyu's face changed.

24Note: I slightly altered this sentence after showing it to a friend so it would make more sense
as dialogue in English. Also in this paragraph, he does start with "ben zuo" and switches to
"wo" (I). That's not me being too lazy to continue the pronoun lol
fl
 "Repeat what you just said."

Li Buyu gritted his teeth.

"If you don't, I'll ask for you." Zong Ziheng once again urged the spiritual
treasure and asked for a stick. He said in a trembling voice, "Another lie. It really
was you. You're the one who told my mother about Zong Zixiao's birth.

You wanted to use a knife to kill someone so that my mother would get rid of
Zong Zixiao. You didn't expect that she would attack Zong Zimo rst.

When she was taken to Yunding by the former Emperor, you went to question
her, then later killed her, faking that she killed the former Emperor, hiding behind
the scenes and reaping the bene ts!

Believe it or not, ben zuo will tell Zong Zixiao about it. He'll take his thousands of
yin solders to slaughter Wuliang Sect.

How vicious and hypocritical you are, claiming to repay ben zuo for saving your
life and honoring ben zuo. But you destroyed my Zong family, killed my father
and concubine mother, and let ben zuo bear the curse of patricide and regicide!"

Zong Ziheng was so furious that he suddenly drew out his Zongxuan sword.

With a ash of silver light accompanied by a miserable scream, blood spurted

out.

Li Buyu's right arm was severed at the shoulder. His body was still unable to
move, and he only trembled and wailed violently.

Zong Ziheng looked at Li Buyu's blood-soaked wound, revealing his cold aura.
He said slowly, "You can't move now. The only way to stop the bleeding, you
and I both know. Do you want to keep pretending, or do you want to die?"

Blood and tears dripped from Li Buyu's eyes. With a low roar, his blood began
to coagulate at his broken arms. Muscles, bones, blood vessels, and esh all
began to regrow at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Jizheng25 Chunyang technique." Zong Ziheng felt chills all over. "You ate Zong
Minghe's human pill."

25 extremely pure, alternatively

fl
fi
fi
fl
Li Buyu trembled and choked, heartbroken like a trapped beast about to die.
"Why didn't the Emperor kill me?"

"Because there's one more thing ben zuo can't gure out," Zong Ziheng said.
"Why did you switch the remains of the previous Emperor, and where is he?"

fi