Chapter 49: Reaping What One Sows

Kong Guan’s brow twitched slightly, his remaining left eye brimming with murderous intent. He slowly raised his hand, ready to unleash a fatal strike at any moment.

The smug, confident smile that had been on Wei Yong’s face a moment ago was now gone. He glanced back at Kong Guan, whose preemptive hand froze mid-air.

I had chosen the most foolish resolution method, yet under these circumstances, it was precisely the most effective one. If Wei Yong could be likened to a venomous and lethal snake, I was currently gripping him firmly by the throat, leaving him caught in a dilemma where he could neither advance nor retreat, completely immobilized.

Looking at Wei Yong with absolute composure, I spoke unhurriedly.

"Since the Nine Heavens Hidden Dragon Manual is still in my hands, the initiative remains on my side. Now, I give you two choices."

Without a word, Wei Yong stared at me coldly, waiting for me to finish.

"First, I burn the Nine Heavens Hidden Dragon Manual, and then you kill us. Second, you kill us, but before I die, I will still burn this book!"

"In other words, no matter what, you have no intention of handing the book over to me?" Wei Yong asked coldly.

"Since you cannot make a choice, you will do as I say," I replied faintly.

I had always believed that Wei Yong had held the upper hand from the very beginning. In his mind, when weighed against a book, anyone would surely choose the former. Yet, I turned out to be the exception; I chose mutual destruction. No matter how helpless Wei Yong felt inside, he was utterly powerless.

Just as I said, the initiative had always been in my hands. This book was simply too important to him—so important that he hadn't even spared a single glance for the peerless treasure trove around him. Yet now, I had placed it right above the raging flames. I could imagine that Wei Yong was currently turning over at least ten different ways to subject me to a fate worse than death, but the only thing he could actually do right now was just one thing.

"As long as you don't destroy the Nine Heavens Hidden Dragon Manual, you can do whatever you want!" Wei Yong said through gritted teeth, filled with immense reluctance.

"Let them go. Once they leave this place, I will hand the book over to you!" I said with absolute concentration.

"Brother, let them go first. I'm staying," Xiao Lianshan stepped to my side and said resolutely.

Not daring to spare even a sliver of distraction at this moment, I heightened my tone.

"If you still consider me your brother, you will do exactly as I say. Take them and leave immediately!"

"If we leave, what will you do?" Qiu Nuo asked worriedly.

"I'll be fine. Having you here only prevents me from looking after myself," I urged anxiously, pressing them again. "Go, quickly!"

Wei Yong took a deep breath and raised a hand to signal Kong Guan and Wei Yu to clear a path. For the sake of the Nine Heavens Hidden Dragon Manual, the others were completely inconsequential; as long as the book remained here, everything else was irrelevant.

Xiao Lianshan intended to stubbornly argue with me, but suddenly Yue Qianling reached out and pulled him back. The more critical the situation, the more rational women seemed to be. Staying behind would not only fail to help me in the slightest, but it would also become my concern and burden, leaving me hesitant and constrained in everything I do.

"Let's go. Listen to Yanhui's arrangement."

Clenching her teeth, Yue Qianling shoved Xiao Lianshan forward, then turned back to silently lock gazes with me. Though not a single word was spoken, I could read the fortitude and anxiety in her eyes.

The corners of my mouth curled up slightly as I gave her a gentle nod.

***

This was the Ming Fourteenth Mausoleum. Given Wei Yong's personality, he would never have brought anyone else here, especially with Kong Guan and Wei Yu to assist him. Thus, Wei Yong had every reason to believe that I, severely weakened, could never escape his grasp.

Therefore, I could be certain that there was no one else waiting outside the Ming Fourteenth Mausoleum. As long as Xiao Lianshan and the others left this place, they would be safe.

Xiao Lianshan walked at the very front, turning his head back with every step to look at me in worry. The other girls followed behind. To leave this place, they had to pass right between Kong Guan and Wei Yu.

Kong Guan's hand twitched slightly, and immediately they saw me lower the Nine Heavens Hidden Dragon Manual by half an inch, the flames seeming to lick the very pages.

"Kong Guan, you'd better not try any tricks. If you dare to plant any Gu worms on them, I dare to burn this book."

Wei Yong glanced back at Kong Guan and said coldly, "Let them go. What I want is the book."

Kong Guan's fingers dropped once more. Walking at the very end was Qiu Nuo. Suddenly, Wei Yu reached out and pressed a hand lightly onto Qiu Nuo's shoulder. I was struck with sheer terror; Wei Yu was unfathomably profound—even Ouyang Cuo summoning a Yin spirit to possess him was no match for Wei Yu. Now that Qiu Nuo was in his hands, her life and death hung entirely on his whim.

"Wei Yu... what do you want?" My hand could no longer lower any further. If the Nine Heavens Hidden Dragon Manual were truly burned, I would lose my only remaining leverage against Wei Yong.

"Even if you let them go, you still won't hand over the Nine Heavens Hidden Dragon Manual, because they are your only hesitation," Wei Yong said in an icy voice. "Since this is a transaction, it makes no sense for me to bear all the risk. The others can leave, but as for her... hand the book over to me, and I'll let her go!"

I hadn't anticipated that Wei Yong would keep this card up his sleeve. In truth, Wei Yong's worries were well-founded; I knew very well that if Wei Yong obtained the Nine Heavens Hidden Dragon Manual, his ambition would lead to far more than just the innocent deaths of these few people. Therefore, even after Xiao Lianshan and the others made a safe escape, I still intended to destroy the manual.

"You guys go first. Qiu Nuo and I will stay behind," I said, my only goal now being to ensure the others' safe departure to the greatest extent possible.

With a hard bite of his lip, Xiao Lianshan led Yue Qianling and Gu Anqi back along the path they had come. Once their figures were out of sight, I calmly stated, "Release Qiu Nuo, or I will burn the book immediately."

Wei Yong smiled faintly and nodded at Wei Yu, signaling him to let Qiu Nuo go. He felt somewhat more assured now, believing the initiative had returned to his hands. Even if I wanted mutual destruction, as long as someone I cared about remained here, Wei Yong was entirely convinced that I wouldn't dare burn the book.

Qiu Nuo had always been calm and composed. Even under Wei Yu's threat, not a trace of fear showed on her face. Walking up to me, she actually smiled faintly and said, "Brother Yanhui, it seems we won't be leaving the Ming Fourteenth Mausoleum after all."

"Can you swim?"

"Ah?!" Taken aback by the sudden question, Qiu Nuo nodded blankly. "Yes, I learned since I was a child."

Hearing her reply, I seemed to feel much more at ease. Looking at Wei Yong with a meaningful expression, I said, "Zhu Yuanzhang was naturally suspicious and deeply calculating—much like you. When he built the Ming Fourteenth Mausoleum, he must have guarded against anyone finding this place. If... if you were Zhu Yuanzhang, how would you handle this hidden threat?"

"That's not difficult. I would install a self-destruct mechanism within the Ming Fourteenth Mausoleum. Anyone unfamiliar with the place, even if they found it, would accidentally trigger it while trying to haul away the treasures inside. At that moment, the entire Ming Fourteenth Mausoleum would collapse and vanish," Wei Yong answered without a moment's hesitation. Right after finishing, realization seemed to dawn on him. "You... you found the self-destruct mechanism of the Ming Fourteenth Mausoleum?!"

A relaxed and confident smile bloomed on my face as I suddenly handed the Nine Heavens Hidden Dragon Manual in my hand back to Qiu Nuo behind me.

***

Seeing that the Nine Heavens Hidden Dragon Manual had left the flames and was no longer in danger, Kong Guan immediately raised his hand, and Wei Yu also began to advance. I stepped forward, pressing my index and middle fingers together between my brows. Judging by my posture, I appeared mostly recovered. Both Kong Guan and Wei Yu knew very well that I was no easy opponent, and they hesitated, unsure of how to proceed.

I reached out and pressed the sacrificial altar where the manual had rested just moments before. Instantly, the entire Ming Fourteenth Mausoleum trembled violently, rocks of various sizes crashing down from all around. Standing inside, one could distinctly feel the mausoleum slowly sinking amidst the violent shaking.

A vast rush of water suddenly surged forth from the sacrificial altar. I shouted loudly to Qiu Nuo behind me, "Qiu Nuo, burn the Nine Heavens Hidden Dragon Manual!"

Startled, Qiu Nuo hesitated for a second before tossing the book straight into the burning stone groove. Stunned and horrified, Kong Guan and Wei Yu stared in disbelief, yet seeing me standing guard in front, they were momentarily at a loss.

Wei Yong's lips twitched slightly as he watched the Nine Heavens Hidden Dragon Manual—so close within his grasp—burn to ashes right before his eyes, his complexion turning entirely ashen.

"Qiu Nuo, the pool of water in this altar connects directly to Mount Taibai. You can swim straight out from here; the exit is Dayehai. Hurry and go, I'll hold them off!" I shouted back at her.

"If I leave... what about you?"

"There's no time, go now!"

Taking a deep breath, Qiu Nuo leaped directly into the altar basin where the water was continually gushing out. With my mind now entirely unburdened, I slowly turned around, my body so fatigued that I could barely stand steadily. I hadn't recovered at all; my posture just now had merely been a bluff to deter Kong Guan and Wei Yu.

"So you never recovered at all!" Kong Guan said, consumed by fury.

"Feel free to try," I chuckled indifferently.

Even though I was weakened to this extent, Kong Guan took a single step forward and froze again. To him and Wei Yu, as long as I was still breathing, I remained a figure of eternal dread.

"Are you really not afraid of death?" Wei Yong's voice was ice-cold.

"Afraid? Of course I am," I smiled weakly. "However, I know you are even more afraid than I am. Even if I can't walk out of here today, none of you will ever leave either."

"Fine! Very well, since you're so eager for death," Wei Yong said coldly, "then I'll grant your wish."

Slowly raising my head, I caught sight of Wei Yong's pale face, his gaze filled with venomous resentment and baleful hostility, along with the pitch-black muzzle of a gun.

"Bang!"

With a fearless smile on my face, resembling a victorious monarch, my body stumbled backward a few steps before finally collapsing slowly into the sacrificial altar. The blood seeping from my wound instantly dyed the altar's waters crimson.