Seeing Xuanyuan Lige coughing blood, Consort Qinji panicked, rushing to summon a physician, but Xuanyuan Lige stopped her. He said nothing, only turned to look at her, the towering fury in his eyes suddenly dimming, replaced by a thin mist, something that seemed almost like tears without quite being tears.
Consort Qinji felt, in that instant, as though her entire heart had been hollowed out.
She knew this man never cried, never wept—yet now, the sorrow pooling thick and inescapable in his eyes left her chest aching, unable to breathe.
Her Master Xuanyuan had returned—the one who was coldly aloof yet hid boundless grief within.
But why did the sorrow in his eyes leave her unable to bear it?
“Qinji, lead the way, won’t you… This last breath of mine, spent on this, would still be worth it.”
His voice carried such profound sorrow. But having said this, he suddenly wrenched his arm free from her grip and turned to go.
“Lige! Wait! Wait, let’s think of a way together, don’t be reckless!”
“Lige!”
No matter how Consort Qinji called after him, Xuanyuan Lige didn’t answer. His steps were swift as wind, and in a moment he vanished from sight, impossible to catch up to.
Where was he going?
A thought flashed through Consort Qinji’s mind. Without a second thought, she turned and ran toward the secret council chamber.
But unbeknownst to her, Xuanyuan Lige hadn’t actually left—he’d simply stepped aside and was now trailing behind her!
Consort Qinji waited at the entrance of the secret council chamber. Xuanyuan Lige glanced at her once, then his figure flickered and vanished over the high courtyard wall.
Entering the outer courtyard, everything went smoothly.
But the moment he entered the inner courtyard, the soldiers spotted him at once—his body was simply too weak; otherwise, how could he have been discovered so easily?
It truly was the highest-level secret meeting—inside and out, a full three layers of guards. Xuanyuan Lige knew he couldn’t escape, and he had no intention of trying to. If he had, he would have chosen to force his way in today by other means.
The commotion outside immediately alerted those within. The King of Nanzhao did not appear—only the Jiao clan chieftain strode out, and upon seeing it was Xuanyuan Lige, was utterly shocked. “It’s you!”
To the Nanzhao royal family, Xuanyuan Lige was known only as the greatest zither master under heaven—his identity as the Eastern Qin crown prince was unknown to them.
“You! Xuanyuan Lige, do you know the consequences of trespassing into the palace!” the Jiao chieftain demanded, not yet realizing Xuanyuan Lige had come specifically because of the secret meeting.
“I want to see the King of Nanzhao,” Xuanyuan Lige said bluntly.
“You? Why have you come? Why do you wish to see His Majesty?” the Jiao chieftain pressed again, still hoping to keep the secret meeting concealed.
“Someone immune to all poisons has appeared at Mingsha Mountain. I imagine His Majesty would very much like to know what that’s about,” Xuanyuan Lige said with a cold smile.
At these words, the Jiao chieftain’s legs went weak with shock, nearly collapsing. For a moment he simply couldn’t process what Xuanyuan Lige meant.
Someone immune to all poisons? Mingsha Mountain?
These were matters of the utmost secrecy—otherwise the King of Nanzhao wouldn’t have been holding secret meetings deep into the night, one after another!
How did this man know?
“Jiao chieftain, this matter—please be so kind as to report it to the King of Nanzhao within!”
Xuanyuan Lige’s tone was cold, the implication clear—I know the King of Nanzhao is inside; this is beyond what you, the chieftain, can decide alone.
“You! You!”
Only now did the Jiao chieftain recover himself, his face ashen. Though he still didn’t know exactly what had happened, or how the secret had leaked, he sensed vaguely that something terrible was unfolding.
“You, just you wait!”
“Guards, watch him closely—if he escapes, none of your heads will be safe!”
The Jiao chieftain gave the order, his voice trembling, before rushing back urgently toward the secret chamber.
But before long, the Jiao chieftain came hurrying back out, his demeanor utterly transformed—now respectful and deferential, like a servant. “Master Xuanyuan, my apologies, my apologies—His Majesty requests your presence, please, right this way!”
A faint, imperceptible cold smile touched Xuanyuan Lige’s pale lips. Such an obsequious about-face from the old chieftain was proof enough of the danger lurking within that chamber—the old man meant to lure him in.
Yet he paid it no mind, striding in after the Jiao chieftain.
The moment he entered, the stone door of the chamber slammed shut behind him with a heavy rumble. Within, the room was enclosed on all four sides, bright and spacious. The King of Nanzhao sat high on the main seat, the two other clan chieftains standing beside him, all of them eyeing Xuanyuan Lige with wary hostility.
The Jiao chieftain, having delivered him, immediately slipped aside. Xuanyuan Lige let him go, making no move to seize him.
He’d already sensed the killing intent all around—though his martial arts had been rendered useless by his failing body and illness, his instincts remained sharp.
Just as he’d expected, the moment the Jiao chieftain stepped away, countless assassins swarmed forward, surrounding him completely. Not only that, but the stone wall above him rumbled and shifted—clearly some mechanism, one that could crash down and crush him at any moment.
Xuanyuan Lige regarded all of it with complete indifference. Having chosen to come, he’d never intended to leave himself an escape route—and of course, he wouldn’t leave Jun Beiyue one either.
That man—if his first failure to keep Ziqing safe could be forgiven, then a second time was unforgivable.
In his heart, Jun Beiyue no longer deserved to have Ziqing entrusted to him.
Then he would fight for her! Even with his last breath, he would fight!
That was simply the kind of resolute man he was.
For Ziqing’s sake, he could give up anything without condition. But equally for Ziqing’s sake, he could abandon every principle to fight for her.
He didn’t want to know how many justifications Jun Beiyue had—he cared about only one outcome.
He had lost Ziqing again, and this time was even worse than before!
There had to be a secret hidden beneath Mingsha Mountain!
Given that, he had no intention of holding back anything toward Da Zhou either.
All his past concessions had been for that woman’s sake alone. Now that she was gone, what was there left to concede?
Finally, he had reason enough—in the matter of fighting for the woman and fighting for the world, the two were no longer in conflict, but aligned as one.
Finally, he could tell Ziqing, with his head held high—Jun Beiyue was not the best choice after all.
Facing the danger surrounding him, Xuanyuan Lige remained composed, indifferent—which only unsettled the King of Nanzhao further.
The King of Nanzhao couldn’t help himself, suddenly snapping harshly, “Xuanyuan Lige, tell me exactly what you know, all of it—or else, I’ll make sure you never see tomorrow’s sun!”
“If I do see tomorrow’s sun, I guarantee you—before that sun sets tomorrow, the entire continent of Longyuan will know every secret about the Isolated Island, about immunity to all poisons, about the human Gu.”
Xuanyuan Lige issued the cold threat, walking step by step down the stone stairs toward the King of Nanzhao.
The line controlling the mechanism was held in the King of Nanzhao’s own hand—one light pull, and it would crush Xuanyuan Lige instantly.
Yet the King of Nanzhao instinctively stepped back, not daring to trigger it.
What was going on? How did Xuanyuan Lige know so much? Could it be that not only had someone immune to all poisons appeared, but those who knew the secret of the human Gu had surfaced as well?
But why—why had the Nanzhao royal family caught not the slightest whisper of it?