Chapter 52 Do Me a Favor

"Do you still think that way after all this time? You are destined for the throne of an emperor, and with your mastery of metaphysics, you should be able to command the destiny of the world and sweep across the realm with unmatched authority. Yet, why are you lying at my feet?" Qiunuo said gently, without a trace of anger. "I only believe that human will can conquer fate. Now the Nine Heavens Hidden Dragon Manual is in our hands, and you surely know how miraculous this book truly is. Since it can foretell the future, how can there be any such thing as karmic retribution?"

My lips quivered, and for a moment, I was at a loss for words. Everything Qiunuo said was completely true. If she truly unraveled the secrets of the Nine Heavens Hidden Dragon Manual, she would become even more unbridled and ruthless. Once a woman with a scorpion's heart gained the ability to foresee the future, I did not dare to imagine what horrors would follow.

"My blood can help you unlock the secret of the white jade tofu. That is my only use to you. Why keep me around any longer? You could have acted long ago."

"Because my mother and Aunt Qing seem to place a high value on you. Unlocking the white jade tofu is only the first step. Do not forget about the Imperial Jade Seal as well," Qiunuo said with a faint smile. "They will only entrust the Imperial Jade Seal—the crucial key to opening the Ming Fourteenth Imperial Tombs—to someone they trust, and that person can only be you."

"They raised you, yet you are so ungrateful and calculated to deceive them. Qiunuo, do you have any conscience left at all?"

"Deceive?" Qiunuo smiled brightly, her expression deadpan. "Think about it carefully. I have never deceived you; it is simply that you never asked me."

I was stunned, then smiled bitterly, feeling utterly powerless as I spoke.

"Why? Why are you such a person? Your mother and Aunt Qing possess the grand Tang Group, with wealth rivaling nations. You have lived a life free from want since childhood, and they have cared for you meticulously. You lack nothing; why must you commit such heinous deeds?"

"They are neither my mother nor any aunt. I am merely one of their many adopted daughters."

I abruptly raised my head, looking at Qiunuo in astonishment.

All traces of a smile had vanished from Qiunuo's face, and she looked at me coldly.

"Two monsters who have lived for over a thousand years—what qualification do they have to be my family? They adopted me merely to soothe their loneliness and emptiness. I truly wonder how they have the courage to watch the children they adopt grow old and die before their eyes, only to adopt me in turn."

"You... you know who they are?!" I asked in shock.

"That was not a difficult matter to figure out. Two women living in close quarters with me for over twenty years, whose every action differed from ordinary people—not to mention that room filled everywhere with Great Tang imperial artifacts which even they themselves did not know how to explain to me. I am not stupid," Qiunuo said coldly. "At least I know the birth dates of Wu Zetian and Shangguan Wan'er, and coincidentally, they match those of my mother and Aunt Qing."

I did not doubt a word Qiunuo said. Given her cunning and depth of mind, Wu Zetian and Shangguan Wan'er could indeed not hide the truth from her. Perhaps in their eyes, Qiunuo was merely an innocent daughter, and they had never guarded against her.

"If your mother and Aunt Qing knew what kind of person you are, they would be deeply disappointed in having raised you."

As soon as I finished speaking, I suddenly recalled something. On the day the Imperial Jade Seal was retrieved, I had once asked Qiunuo what she would do if the Jade Seal truly belonged to Wu Zetian and was given to her.

I clearly remembered Qiunuo's reply. Qiunuo had said she would go find Wu Zetian and ask if there was a way to attain immortality. At the time, I thought Qiunuo was merely joking, but thinking back now, Qiunuo had not lied to me at all; what she said then was the absolute truth.

"You... you want to obtain the method of immortality from them!"

"They have lived for over a thousand years. If they truly regarded me as a daughter, they should have told me this secret, yet they never had any such intention. One day, I will slowly grow old and die before their eyes. Perhaps they will weep for me, but much like a worn-out toy, even if they feel sorrow, they will quickly find a new toy to replace me."

"You are spouting utter nonsense! That is not what they mean at all. The two of them treated you as their own flesh and blood, caring for every detail of your life, yet you use your filthy thoughts to defile their love for you." I raised my head, speaking with righteous indignation. "Do you really think immortality is wonderful? Only those who have experienced it can comprehend the suffering within it. They let me bring back the Nine Heavens Hidden Dragon Manual precisely to end that suffering, and they did not tell you so that you would not repeat their tragic path."

"Suffering?! Can immortality ever be called suffering? They have lived for over a millennium, and now they lecture me about suffering? Fine! Let me live for thousands of years as well; whether it is painful or not can wait until a millennium has passed," Qiunuo said in an icy voice as she stood up, looking down at me from above. "How many emperors and generals have dreamed of immortality, yet they dismiss it so casually simply because they attained it. Since it is suffering, fine! I shall accompany them in their suffering!"

"You... what have you done to them?"

"Rest assured, until they reveal the secret of the Nine Heavens Hidden Dragon Manual, they will continue to suffer."

I suddenly gave a faint smile, pressing my hand against my chest as I looked up and spoke.

"I think you will be deeply disappointed. Your opponents are Wu Zetian and Shangguan Wan'er; they do not even fear death. What else could you possibly use to threaten them?"

A flicker of almost imperceptible twitching crossed Qiunuo's eyes, but I caught it nonetheless.

"I knew it. They would not let you get your wish."

Qiunuo took a deep breath, then slowly smiled with dismissive indifference.

"Even if they refuse to speak, how do you know I cannot unravel the Nine Heavens Hidden Dragon Manual myself? And even if I cannot, there is still him!"

Qiunuo pointed behind her toward Wei Yong with a confident expression. I glanced at Wei Yong and said with utter disdain.

"You knew for a long time that her mother and aunt were Wu Zetian and Shangguan Wan'er. You approached her simply to use her to help you. It seems the person in this room who most desires immortality is you."

Wei Yong was startled. He exchanged a glance with Qiunuo and suddenly threw his head back in laughter.

"What? In your eyes, Qin Yaner, am I such a heartless and fickle person? Immortality... Hahaha, you are wrong once again. In this house, I am perhaps the person who least desires to obtain such a thing."

I could not detect a single trace of deceit on Wei Yong's face. Things had reached this point, and with me utterly incapable of resistance, Wei Yong had no need to put on a false front in front of me. This proved that what he said was true. I felt a trace of doubt—how on earth had Wei Yong come to ally with Qiunuo?

"There is another thing you got wrong. He has never used me at all." Qiunuo looked at Wei Yong tenderly. "In truth, it has always been he who helped me accomplish everything."

Back at the Ming Fourteenth Imperial Tombs, Wei Yong had not even cast a sideways glance at the mountains of gold and silver jewelry, and now he was equally indifferent to the immortality that everyone else dreamed of. A normal person who could remain indifferent to both boundless wealth and eternal life must either be a fool or someone who already possessed them.

Yet now, I was more inclined to believe that there was something else far more attractive to Wei Yong—something that in his heart surpassed even wealth and eternity.

Wei Yong dragged a chair over, sat down in front of me, and slowly drew a brand-new book from his robes. He opened it right before my eyes, and after reading just a few lines, my complexion began to slowly turn pale.

What Wei Yong was reading was precisely the core summary of the Nine Heavens Hidden Dragon Manual. I had read it before Qiunuo burned the manual. Just as Qiunuo possessed a photographic memory, so did I, meaning every single word of the Nine Heavens Hidden Dragon Manual was deeply engraved in my mind.

Observing the expression on my face, Wei Yong smiled with effortless ease.

"It seems I do not need to read any further. I know you also have a photographic memory. The Nine Heavens Hidden Dragon Manual, which you hoped to protect by choosing mutual destruction, is now in my hands. I wonder what you are thinking right now?"

I slowly raised my head. Although the pain from my fractured ribs was excruciatingly difficult to bear, a profound and meaningful smile forced its way onto my cheeks—a smile faint yet brimming with absolute confidence.

"Right now, I am thinking that your heart must be filled with conflict and hesitation. How desperately you must wish to see me die before your eyes right this instant, yet precisely for that reason, you cannot do it. Heh."

Wei Yong froze. He frowned slightly and asked coldly.

"How do you know I will not kill you?"

"Since you have already obtained the Nine Heavens Hidden Dragon Manual, you naturally know that the fewer people who are aware of this matter, the better." As I spoke, I cast a scornful glance at Qiunuo beside him. "Besides, there is someone here who can kill without batting an eye, and I am certain she would not mind adding a few more lives to her hands... Yet I am still alive. You are not so naive as to keep me alive merely to flaunt your victory before me."

The stiff expression on Wei Yong's face slowly relaxed, and he looked at me with a profound gaze.

"A clever person knows when to speak and when to remain silent. More importantly, he knows what to say at what time. You are precisely such a clever person. You know, how wonderful it would be if we were friends? Yet you insisted on becoming my enemy."

"We walk different paths and cannot make common plans. To be friends with someone like you would only shorten one's lifespan," I stared unblinkingly at Wei Yong, speaking with unwavering firmness and without a shred of fear.

Unflustered, Wei Yong produced a stack of photos and tossed them one by one onto the ground in front of me.

In the first photo, Yue Leiting was curled up on the ground covered in blood, with a bruised and battered Lan Qing lying nearby.

In the second photo, Yue Qianling sat alone and helpless by the roadside.

In the third photo, Xiao lianshan was severely beaten, his body covered in injuries and raw flesh, presenting a horrifying and tragic sight.

I stared with trembling eyes at the photographs on the ground, my vision burning with fury as I wished I could leap up and strangle the Wei Yong sitting right before me.

"Everyone has weaknesses. Some people are greedy for wealth, some are afraid of death, and some wish to attain power." Wei Yong seemed to thoroughly enjoy watching the expression currently on my face as he pointed down at the photos. "These are your weaknesses. I know you are not a man who easily submits, but the lives and deaths of these people hang entirely upon your single thought!"

"What do you want me to do?" I asked coldly through clenched teeth.

"There is indeed one thing I need your help with."

"What is it?"

"Help me find the Nine Heavens Hidden Dragon Manual!"