Chapter 81

The road to the Bailu Pavilion had been traveled countless times by Zong Zi Heng, but not once did he need to exert extra strength with each step, as if he had to pull his feet out of the mire over and over again.

With his advice, Zong Ming He did not imprison the mother and son, not because of old times' sake, but because if they were imprisoned, more people would know about it. The family scandal must not be publicized, so although Zong Ming He hated them, he did not want the matter to become public knowledge.

Chu Ying Ruo was sent to the cold palace, while Zong Zi Xiao was locked up in the Bailu Pavilion, awaiting his next punishment. Today was supposed to be their big day to leave for Mount Kunlun, but to the public, they could only claim that Zong Zi Xiao had suddenly contracted an illness.

Even so, rumors spread through the Wuji Palace that even Zong Zi Mo's death was linked to both the mother and son, and it wouldn't be long before these purposeful rumors spread throughout the immortal world, just as the dispensers needed to.

Zong Zi Heng kept Shen Shi Yao under house arrest, unable to forget the look on his mother's otherwise soft and dignified face after it had been distorted by revenge.

Choosing to expose this hideous matter in front of Zong Ming He, the concubines and siblings on the day before the departure is the hatred that penetrated her bones, and the ambition that burst out of her chest.

With the death of Zong Zi Mo and the abolition of Zong Zi Xiao, her son was the only option left for Emperor Zong.

Her scheming and tactics, her coldness and malice, gave Zong Zi Heng the creeps.

That was actually his mother.

When he questioned Shen Shi Yao about how she knew of Xiao Jiu's birth, she laughed uncontrollably, and doubled up with laughter, delighted with the success, but she said nothing. He was so resentful that his heart and lungs almost exploded, yet he could not touch a hair on her head.

He suspected Xu Zhi Nan and Qi Meng Sheng, among the limited number of people who knew the truth, they were the only two who had a motive. If it was really them, he could never forgive them for the rest of his life.

The guard in front of Bailu Pavilion stopped Zong Zi Heng's way: "Your Highness, the emperor has ordered that no one is allowed to see Ninth Highness."

"Stand down." Zong Zi Heng said coldly.

"Your Highness, subordinate cannot do anything, please do not make things difficult for this subordinate."

"You can't stop me, if anything happens, I'll take the blame."

The guard had no choice but to move out of the way.

Zong Zi Heng gathered all his courage and walked in.

The Bailu Pavilion was in shambles. It had been gutted like the dignity of its original owner.

Zong Zi Xiao was sitting in a corner with his eyes closed, his hair in disarray and his expression agitated. The pride of the Son of Heaven, who had been extremely favored, has never been in such a state of disarray. Beneath him was a spell that trapped him, and all the objects in front of him were like chaos in motion, only he was still, and all the more silent and lonely.

"Zi Xiao." Zong Zi Heng walked to the edge of the spell formation, unable to go further, unable to hold his brother in his arms or shield him behind him.

Zong Zi Xiao's eyelids slowly rose, and he looked at Zong Zi Heng with bloodshot eyes, yet it was as if they were empty.

Zong Zi Heng's heart was seized by pain. He opened his mouth, but a thousand words were stuck in his throat, and finally he only asked, "Have you eaten?”

Zong Zi Xiao remained silent, only looking at Zong Zi Heng, as if he was reacquainting himself with the person in front of him, wanting to look at him carefully from the whole picture to the details. The more he looked, the more blurred he became, as if the two of them were not brothers for ten years, but strangers they had never met.

Otherwise, how could everything that had happened last night be explained? How could his big brother, who had to worry about even one meal for him, want to put him to death for the sake of the throne?

"Xiao Jiu."

This "Xiao Jiu" sent shivers down Zong Zi Xiao's spine, shattering his pitiful illusions and telling him that this man was his big brother.

Zong Zi Xiao responded, or rather repeated, the words from last night, "You already knew it.”

"I ..." how to answer, yes or no, it is useless.

"You already knew." Zong Zi Xiao repeated it for the third time, and every time he said it, something drained from his body.

"Big brother will find a way to save you."

"Save me?" Zong Zi Xiao stared at Zong Zi Heng, his once most trusted and loved big brother, confused, "Why would you want to save me? Isn't this what you want?"

"..."

"My mother told me to guard against you. She said you cannot stand seeing me surpassing you, cannot stand seeing what I have and what you don’t have. I always retorted to her. I said it was impossible, big brother loved me the most." Zong Zi Xiao laughed mockingly, "You don't want me to get the divine sword, you don't want me to be the Crown Prince. I understand you, because father did treat you coldly. You secretly put the spell seal in the Bailu Pavilion, I thought you did it because something would happen during the Jiaolong assembly and you were worried about our safety. You hid so many things from me and I still trusted you."

"Xiao Jiu, things are not what you think."

"I will let you have anything in order to let go of the unfairness in your heart." Zong Zi Xiao bared his teeth, his gaze fierce and vulnerable, "You want the throne, I will never fight you for it. Why can't you still spare us!?"

"Xiao Jiu, no, I am not ...," Zong Zi Heng's defence was extremely feeble. He guessed that the formation was for surveillance purposes, and he didn't dare to say anything. Even if he didn't, as a child, could he say, "My mother did everything, I am innocent"? Who would believe his "innocence" when he had the most to gain by framing Xiao Jiu?

He was not innocent. He was destined to pay for the sins his parents had committed.

"How long have you been planning this?" Zong Zi Xiao said with hatred, "Since when? Have you been conspiring with Xu Zhi Nan for a long time, and did you kill second brother too?"

"It wasn't me!" Zong Zi Heng gritted his teeth and said, "You can trust big brother, I never wanted to harm you."

Zong Zi Xiao roared, "Then why did you hide things from me? Why did you put the spell seal in the Bailu Pavilion? Why did you know about this yet instructed Shen Shi Yao to put us to death!?"

Zong Zi Heng looked at his brother in despair.

He couldn't tell the truth, if Zong Ming He knew that Yan Shu was actually Lu Zhao Feng, and he had known all this before the Jiaolong assembly, he was afraid that even his own life would be in danger. A man who could dig up his own brother's golden core would not hesitate to seal his mouth.

Unable to justify himself, and that's just about it.

Zong Zi Xiao grinned hideously and shed tears: "Can't you even find an excuse? If you had made up a clever lie, perhaps I would have believed you. For the sake of the throne, you can mutilate even your own brothers and siblings. You and Shen Shi Yao are indeed mother and son, gentle and kind on the surface, treating people well, but in fact you both are as poisonous as snakes and scorpions. My mother, I, everyone, have all been deceived by you both!"

Zong Zi Heng endured the pain and said, "Big brother will still say the same thing, I never wanted to harm you. What happened to your mother, no matter what, you are innocent. Big brother will definitely find a way to save you. Father will not spare your mother, but for the sake of fourteen years of father-son love, he probably would ... not make things difficult for you. Remember not to disobey father. Saving your life is important."

Zong Zi Xiao glared at Zong Zi Heng grimly, "You better hope I die early. As long as I live, I will not spare those who betray me."

Zong Zi Heng said in a hoarse voice, "Very well, if you want to take revenge, you must first live." He took a step back, "Zi Xiao, one day, big brother will explain to you."

Zong Zi Xiao looked at him with nothing but icy hate.

---

Zong Zi Heng had just walked out of the Bailu Pavilion when he saw Huang Hong waiting for him. Without needing any extra words, he said, stupefied, "Let's go."

In just one night, Zong Ming He looked like he changed a lot. He closed his eyes and supported his forehead, allowing Zong Zi Heng to kneel for a long time.

Finally, Zong Ming He spoke, his voice was waveless: "You have gone to see him."

"Yes, Father." When he said the word "Father", Zong Zi Heng suddenly felt a sickening feeling in his stomach. All the sins had been committed because of the man in front of him. If he hadn't taken someone's love out of lust, if he hadn't lost his humanity and stolen human cores, none of this would have happened. So many innocent people, so many innocent lives, and yet he still sits on this unattainable throne, not caring about the white bones piled up around his feet.

It was disgusting.

"When did you know this and how did you know it?"

Zong Zi Heng hung his head low and said incomparably tamely, "It was only last night that son ..."

A spiritual pressure came suddenly, like a heavy hammer blasting at Zong Zi Heng's heart, and his body flew backwards, hitting the wall hard and falling to the ground again. His limbs went numb and limp, his mouth salivating and laced with blood, and he couldn't get up for quite a while.

He could have blocked it, but he didn't dare to.

Zong Ming He said in a cold voice: "Stop pretending to be like Shen Shi Yao in front of me."

Zong Zi Heng wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and knelt back down, saying in a trembling voice, "Son, indeed, doesn’t know."

"Do you think that without Zi Mo and without Zi Xiao, I could only choose you?" Zong Ming He said in a wicked voice, "I really didn't expect that you would look the most honest, but in reality you have the deepest mind and the most poisonous heart!"

"Father, you have misunderstood son." Zong Zi Heng coughed up two mouthfuls of blood, still looking humble, "Son does not dare to deceive father, neither does my mother. Just that, mother cannot watch the Zong clan fall into the wrong hands."

Zong Ming He was so angry that his face turned blue. This secret was the greatest shame of his life, yet it was stripped bare in front of his wife and concubines and children. Now he’s full of hostility but had nowhere to vent it. He kicked Zong Zi Heng to the ground again: "Are you pleased deep in your heart?"

"Son does not dare. But son thought that it was not too late for it to happen."

Zong Ming He clenched his fist and looked at his eldest son who was kneeling on the ground, his heart was tossed with five flavors*. He flung his sleeve robe: "Get up!"

"Thank you, Father." Zong Zi Heng swayed and stood up. He raised his head, his face was pale, but his eyes were creepily bright: "Father, son personally requests to go and capture that thief from the Lu Sect."

"... He should have been dead long ago."

Zong Zi Heng made a surprised face.

"Counting the time, that bitch was probably already pregnant when she entered the palace."

"Then what does ... Father intend to do with them?"

Zong Ming He was silent.

Zong Zi Heng then waited without a word. He knew that Xiao Jiu's life was all tied onto him. Only he could save Xiao Jiu.

Zong Ming He slowly raised his head, his tone softening a bit: "Heng Er, do you blame me?"

"Son does not dare."

"Don't dare, or don't blame."

"Father has nurtured son with great care, and I dare not forget."

"Did you kill Zi Mo?" Zong Ming He asked in a very plaintive manner.

Zong Zi Heng knelt down again, "I would never kill second brother. I beg father to investigate."

"If something happens to them, you will be the only one left among my sons who can take on a great responsibility. If it’s not you and your mother, who else could it be?”

Zong Zi Heng pounded his forehead on the ground and said loudly, "Son can never do such a thing like killing another person. I beg father to investigate."

Zong Ming He sneered, "Whether it was you and your mother or that bitch that killed Zi Mo, I will find out for sure. If you really did it, even if I were to spare your life for the sake of our father-son relationship, Wuliang Sect would still grind your bones and scatter your ashes."

Zong Zi Heng felt his back soak with sweat.

"However." Zong Ming He's words changed, "If you hadn't done it, I will not let Wuliang Sect frame you."

Zong Zi Heng slowly raised his head, he saw the helpless compromise on Zong Ming He's face. Just as Shen Shi Yao had said, with Zong Zi Mo dead and Zong Zi Xiao abolished, Emperor Zong would have no choice but to look straight at him as his eldest son. He said, "Many thanks, Father."

"The most urgent task now is to preserve the face of the royal family." Zong Ming He looked askance at Zong Zi Heng, "This matter, how do you think it should be handled ah?"

Zong Zi Heng took a deep breath and said slowly, "Nowadays, there are already some rumors in the outside world, but there is no evidence, so son thinks that it should be handled secretly. We can imprison Consort ... Chu Ying Ruo in the cold palace and make her reflect about it for the rest of her life. As for Zi Xiao, we can declare to the public that he unfortunately died of illness, expel him from the palace, change his name and forbid him from showing his true identity for the rest of his life."

Zong Ming He smiled coldly, "This is simply letting them off lightly."

"After all, Chu Ying Ruo has served Father for more than ten years, and Zi Xiao is still young and unaware of this, so if Father, as the Emperor, can be a little more magnanimous to them, it can also soothe the fears of the concubines and siblings."

"That bastard's entire cultivation was given to him by my Zong Clan, and I have spent a lot of effort and heavenly treasures on him. I can spare his life for the sake of our past relationship, but there is no way I will let him walk out of Daming with what the Zong Clan has given him."

Zong Zi Heng shuddered as a terrible thought rose in his heart, "Father, please spare Zi Xiao, he is not yet an adult and poses no threat to our Zong Clan."

"Nonsense." Zong Ming He plucked at Zong Zi Heng, "Won't he grow up? He won in the Jiaolong assembly at the age of 13. This type of talent is very rare in hundreds of years. If we let him leave with his tail intact, he will pose a great danger in the future!"

Zong Zi Heng's hand, which was hidden under his sleeve robe, could not stop trembling.

"This matter, you don't need to care anymore. I order you to go to Yanzhou and investigate the Lu Clan, Lu, Zhao, Feng." Zong Ming He suddenly recited this name, "That mongrel of the Lu Clan, it seems to be called by that name. I heard he was dead back then, but now I doubt that he is really dead. The timing of that bastard's birth is really subtle, and this is something that you should go to Yanzhou to find out for yourself."

"Father ..."

"Go as soon as you can."

"Father." Zong Zi Heng walked to Zong Ming He's feet on his knees and begged, "Please, Father, let Xiao Jiu go. I will make him disappear from the immortal cultivation world. He will listen to me, he will ..."

Zong Ming He said in a stern voice, "How soft-hearted! Keeping him means leaving a scourge for the Zong clan's state power. He is not your brother, he’s just a bastard born from a bitch. If you can't let go of him, I will kill him."

"No!" Zong Zi Heng trembled and crouched down, "Son, accepts the order."

Zong Zi Heng stepped out of the door, his legs were a little weak. He supported himself with one hand on a tree before he could barely hold on to his body as if it was in heavy shackles. Raising his head slightly, his hollow gaze gazed at a bit of sunset in the distance, smearing the sky and earth with a long red haze, poignant and magnificent, but when reflected in his dark pupils, it turned into a drop of blood the size of the needle’s eye.

He closed his eyes and the afterglow of the setting sun brushed his face, condensing a golden mask for the pain on his face.

He had no doubt that Zong Ming He wanted Xiao Jiu's core.

---

Despite having had a hunch, Zong Zi Heng's prepared a plan to escape from Daming previously was still imperfect, especially in his plan, Zong Zi Xiao has to serve as his helper, not be held captive and wait to be rescued.

Everything had happened so quickly that he had been caught off guard, and now Zong Ming He wanted to expand him out of Daming before he could dig up Zong Zi Xiao's core. Leaving him too little time to take Zong Zi Xiao away with any certainty at all, and he might expose himself instead.

Zong Zi Heng thought hard all night and came up with a desperate solution.

He had an audience with Zong Ming He after dawn and wanted to see Chu Ying Ruo before he left to check on Lu Zhao Feng. The request was reasonable and Zong Ming He agreed.

When Zong Zi Heng saw Chu Ying Ruo, the woman, despite her poor spirits, did not look flustered and was not surprised to see Zong Zi Heng. She just glared at him grimly and asked, "Did you get what you wanted?"

Zong Zi Heng's face was expressionless as he said, "You are in prison and in a precarious situation, yet the first thing you ask me is not about Xiao Jiu's safety. Are you not worried about him at all?"

Chu Ying Ruo faintly froze, "How is Xiao Jiu doing?" Her tone turned sharp, "You still have the nerve to say that, you still have the nerve to call him 'Xiao Jiu'? You and that poisonous woman Shen Shi Yao are hypocritical, cunning and unscrupulous, you shall not have a good death!"

Zong Zi Heng said without changing his expression, "You don't ask, is it because you know someone will save you?"

"What are you talking about? Could it be that Zong Ming He will let us go?"

"Naturally he won't let you guys go."

Chu Ying Ruo laughed out loud twice, "Yes, of course he won't let us go. What a sinister, narrow-minded and vengeful man he is. As a son, I’m afraid you have not seen it all."

"You hate him very much."

Chu Ying Ruo gritted her teeth, her eyes dyed red: "I was a childhood friend of Lu Lang*'s and we were in love. If it wasn't for him, our family of three would have been happy and joyful. Why would we be in this situation today? If you were in his shoes, wouldn't you hate it?"

Zong Zi Heng knew that this woman was also a pitiful person, but he could not sympathise. What Lu Zhao Feng had done, she was bound to know. In the nasty disagreements between the adults, the innocent children who are the ultimate victims.

"What are you doing here? Want to ask me about Lu Lang? Or do you want to kill me?" Chu Ying Ruo laughed mockingly, "Although Zong Ming He is not fond of you, both of you are clearly the same, despicable and underhanded things."

"I don't have time to listen to your abuse. I've come for Xiao Jiu. If you want to save him, then answer my questions truthfully."

Chu Ying Ruo narrowed her eyes, "For Xiao Jiu? You ..."

"Do you want to save him or not?!" Zong Zi Heng said in a stern voice.

Chu Ying Ruo was stunned, "What exactly do you want to say?"

"I know all about you and Lu Zhao Feng, or, should I call him Yan Shu?"

Chu Ying Ruo's beautiful eyes rounded.

Zong Zi Heng took a step closer: "That's right, I know that Lu Zhao Feng is not dead. I know that he used the Wusheng Brush to draw his face and pretend to be Yan Shu to get close to Zong Ming He to act as a helper for the tiger. I know that you have been working hard to get Xiao Jiu to usurp the Zong clan!"

Chu Ying Ruo said in shock, "Impossible, how could you possibly know?"

"Because I saw you and Lu Zhao Feng in Bailu Pavilion. In the underground palace, he thought I was doomed and simply told me the truth."

Chu Ying Ruo stared at Zong Zi Heng: "I still can't understand how Shen Shi Yao knew about it. That silk handkerchief was planted by her in my palace. I was careful in doing things, it is impossible for my tongue to slip in front of her, so you are the one who told her."

Zong Zi Heng did not want to waste time arguing, "You must have a way to contact Lu Zhao Feng, now Xiao Jiu's life is hanging on a thread, it's time."

Chu Ying Ruo was stunned for a moment and sneered, "You want to swindle me, is it that easy? You want to lure him out and wipe us out. Such a great accomplishment. It would be impossible for Zong Ming He not to make you the Crown Prince anymore."

Zong Zi Heng was so angry that his brain swelled with pain. He took a few steps and forced himself in front of Chu Ying Ruo, gritting his teeth and saying, "I don't care if you believe me or not, I just want to save Xiao Jiu's life now. You are so calm and unperturbed, it means you expected Lu Zhao Feng to come and save you and your son, right? Let me tell you, it's too late, Zong Ming He is going to send me out of the palace immediately, and as soon as I leave, he will dig up Xiao Jiu's golden core!"

Chu Ying Ruo's face immediately lost its blood, and she looked at Zong Zi Heng viciously, "You told Shen Shi Yao the secret and caused us to suffer, and now you say you want to save him? Do you still expect me to believe you?"

"I didn't tell my mother, I don't know how she learned about it."

"How dare you say such nonsense."

"I don't care if you believe me or not, I don't have time for nonsense. Back then in Gutuo Town, Lu Zhao Feng wanted my core, you know about this, right?"

"Of course I know." Chu Ying Ruo said in despise, "A ferocious tiger does not eat its son*. Zong Ming He, that beast, wanted to dig up your core in order to break through to the eighth Chongtian of the Zongxuan Sword."

Zong Zi Heng felt breathless, even though he had already known about it, confirming it again from someone who knew about it still made his heart chambers twinge, and he gritted his teeth, "He wouldn't even spare his own son's and brother's core, do you think he would spare a heavenly talent like Xiao Jiu?"

Chu Ying Ruo bit her lower lip, her eyes turning rapidly.

"You're worried that I'm trying to lure him out. I know it's hard for you to believe me, but I brought Xiao Jiu up single-handedly. Fourteen years, ah, who can fake fourteen years of false love? You must believe me for once. Xiao Jiu can't wait any longer. If Lu Zhao Feng comes late, it will be too late. Zong Ming He has promised to keep Xiao Jiu alive, even if what he says is true, without the golden core, with Xiao Jiu's ambitious and proud character, he will feel worse than death!"

 

 ----

PS: damn figgin long chapter, time to take a nap zzz

 

five flavors*[五味]---different emotions

Lang*[郎]---used to address a young man, particularly to address a man you like/love.

ferocious tiger does not eat its son*[虎毒不食子]--- a metaphor that everyone has the heart to love children

 

Edited on 4 Apr. 21 (Emzie)

 

 ←Previous Chapter                                                                                                 Next Chapter→