Chapter 154

Li Bu Yu hosted a banquet for Zong Zi Xiao, and all the high-ranking cultivators of the entire Wuliang Sect were present. Watching the Supreme Demon sitting on the main seat dedicated to the Sect Master and giving orders, everyone felt indignant but dared not to speak.

At the end of the banquet, Zong Zi Xiao proposed to see the treasure trove of the Wuliang Sect.

Even Li Bu Yu, who was so smooth and slick, changed his expression on the spot when he heard this. What dignity was there in "welcoming" an outsider into one's own treasure trove to pick and choose and plunder it?

Zong Zi Xiao took in their embarrassment and humiliation, but was only more pleased with himself as he said coolly, "Sect Leader Li, lead the way."

Li Bu Yu glanced at the expressionless Zong Zi Heng, gritted his teeth and forced out a smile, "Your Holiness, please."

Zong Zi Xiao took two steps before stopping and looking back at Zong Zi Heng, "Big brother?"

"I am not going." Zong Zi Heng said coldly, "The treasure trove is an important place in the sect, how can you go in and out as you wish?"

Zong Zi Xiao snorted, "Fine."

After they left, Zong Zi Heng and Xu Zhi Nan had a chance to be alone.

A serious congeal look on Xu Zhi Nan's face, "Emperor, did Li Bu Yu admit it? His arm ..."

Zong Zi Heng said in a cold voice: "This man is hypocritical, murderous and very sinister. He has confessed to everything."

Xu Zhi Nan narrowed his eyes, "The late Emperor and Consort Shen were both killed by him, and Yan Zhi's lifelong cultivation actually ended up in his hands."

"If it wasn't for the sudden arrival of Zong Zi Xiao, at this point, Li Bu Yu and I would have battled it out."

"Emperor must not let your emotions affect your decisions. We are still at Mount Shu. If it was just Li Bu Yu, there’s nothing to fear, but with thousands of cultivators in Wuliang Sect, there is almost no power in this world that can fight against them." Xu Zhi Nan paused, "Unless ..."

Zong Zi Heng stared at Xu Zhi Nan, "Unless what? Unless you use Zong Zi Xiao's Yin soldiers?"

Xu Zhi Nan frowned and said nothing. He too was caught up in the difficult problem of not knowing what to do with Li Bu Yu.

"About Zong Zi Xiao, Li Bu Yu also admitted another thing."

"What is it?"

"When my mother was alive, I asked several times who had revealed Zong Zi Xiao's birth to her, but she refused to say." Zong Zi Heng looked at Xu Zhi Nan deeply and darkly, his gaze like a firefly in the forest, glowing stubbornly in the darkness, "I think she was afraid that I would clash with the Wuliang Sect when its foundation was unstable, because the person who told on her was none other than Li Bu Yu."

Xu Zhi Nan's lips pursed up gently.

"Li Bu Yu told her about this matter in order to let her do the dirty work for him and eradicate Zong Zi Xiao." Zong Zi Heng took a few steps towards Xu Zhi Nan and said softly, "Then, Brother Xu, what about you?"

Xu Zhi Nan was stunned, "Emperor ..."

"That day in the underground palace, Li Bu Yu likewise heard my conversation with Lu Zhao Feng. You and Qi Meng Sheng both knew about it, right"

Xu Zhi Nan sighed tersely, "Yes."

"I asked you guys to swear not to reveal this secret, and you guys allowed Li Bu Yu to use it as a weapon, keeping me in the dark from start to finish." Zong Zi Heng once again came closer, his eyes wide with anger, and his voice already dripping with murderous energy.

"Emperor, listen to my explanation ..."

Zong Zi Heng grabbed Xu Zhi Nan's collar and growled, "I trusted you so much, yet you deceived me. You knew how important Xiao Jiu was to me, and you allowed Li Bu Yu to harm him!"

"I already regret it!" Xu Zhi Nan was a man who rarely had mood swings. Even if he did, it was hard to see it on the surface, as if he was always at ease with whatever he faced, but at this moment his face was full of struggle, "In my heart and Meng Sheng's, there is no one more suitable than you to be the Human Emperor. We do have selfish intentions, but I regret it. Everything that has happened, I regret it all."

"Regret?" Zong Zi Heng said sternly, "What's the use of regretting? My Xiao Jiu has turned into the Supreme Demon, and his ambition is to swallow up everyone, including you, including your Chunyang Sect!"

Xu Zhi Nan said painfully, "It's my fault, I'm sorry."

Zong Zi Heng viciously pushed Xu Zhi Nan away. He staggered back a few steps, his voice sounded tired after anger: "I have always believed in you and regarded you as my elder brother. I have always believed in you ..." Perhaps it was because he had accumulated too many disappointments. At this moment, his greatest realization is no realization and numbness. Angry nerves that have been pulled for a long time become relaxed. Looking at the people around one after another to remove their mask of hypocrisy, it was as if it should be.

It turned out that no one really treated him with sincerity, not a single one.

Parents, brothers, friends, followers, everyone was using him for their own purposes and deceived him.

Why had he come here and why did he exist? Why should he spend his life caught in this mire from which he could not escape?

"Zi Heng, I'm sorry." Xu Zhi Nan said remorsefully, "I only wanted to help you become Emperor Zong. I did have considerations for the Chunyang Sect, but I was also really unjust for you. I didn't expect things to turn out like this. Everything got out of hand. I'm too late to repent, I'm sorry."

Zong Zi Heng looked at Xu Zhi Nan with a vacant gaze, "Do you really have remorse? When I first begged you to find Xiao Jiu, the Chunyang Sect disciples were all over the world, yet you couldn't find him. If Xiao Jiu could have been protected, he wouldn't have gone astray, he wouldn't have fallen into the demonic path, and he wouldn't have become the Zong Zi Xiao he is today. Do you know that you are eating your own bitter fruit*?!"

"I really did search. I didn't dare to make a big fanfare of it, but I sent countless people to search for him privately, yet there were never any clues, and because of ..." Xu Zhi Nan gritted his teeth.

"Because what?"

"Because of me. My body would have problems. Every once in a while, problems will arise, and I need to go into seclusion to recuperate. This matter was delayed several times, and eventually he was not found."

Zong Zi Heng recalled that Li Bu Yu had complained that sometimes Xu Zhi Nan had a change in temperament when he was in seclusion. He did not understand the Chunyang Technique, but martial arts cultivation refined the physical body, which had a great impact on the body and the mind. He had no intention of knowing what exactly was "wrong" with Xu Zhi Nan as it was too late.

Xu Zhi Nan let out a bitter laugh, "You're right, I've eaten my own bitter fruit. Now the whole immortal cultivation world is keeping quiet out of fear. He took the ice crystal from Cangyu Sect yesterday, he entered the treasure trove of the Wuliang Sect today, he will go to Chunyang Sect tomorrow, and no one can resist."

Zong Zi Heng was silent for a long time: "This is exactly why I have spared Li Bu Yu for the time being. If he knew the truth, the fate of the Wuyun Sect would be the history that mirrors the Wuliang Sect."

"Li Bu Yu cannot escape from his responsibility for such an offense, but so many cultivators of the Wuliang Sect are indeed innocent."

"He said that if I could spare Wuliang Sect, he would follow me to my mother's grave and apologize for his offense with his death."

"Li Bu Yu is guilty, and so am I." Xu Zhi Nan looked at Zong Zi Heng with pain and trepidation in his eyes, "I have no complaints about how Emperor will punish me. I owe it to Emperor."

Zong Zi Heng said indifferently, "I want you to promise me one thing. I want you to swear."

"Okay."

"We are all waiting for an opportunity to join forces against Zong Zi Xiao. If one day we do turn against him, you will join me and save his life."

Xu Zhi Nan was stunned: "Emperor, you have treated him ..."

"I have a guilty conscience towards him." No matter how much he hated Zong Zi Xiao, no matter how much he separated Xiao Jiu from that cold and ruthless Supreme Demon, he could not watch Zong Zi Xiao die. Perhaps it was because Zong Zi Xiao still remembered their past in his dreams, or perhaps it was because Zong Zi Xiao hugged him and called out "big brother", which always touched his heart.

Xu Zhi Nan sighed, "I swear."

---

After returning from the treasure trove, Zong Zi Xiao seemed to have a lot of harvest. As if he had treated the centuries of wealth accumulated by the Wuliang Sect as his own qiankun bag, which he could access as he wished.

After spreading out a few of the top alchemy base materials, he saw Zong Zi Heng still looking preoccupied. He squeezed Zong Zi Heng's waist: "What's wrong with you these days? You haven’t been quite right ever since you arrived at Wuliang Sect."

Zong Zi Heng swept him a faint glance, "How can I be considered 'right'?"

"Are you deliberately getting angry at me? Because of Zong Zhong Ming?"

"No."

"Then what is it?" Zong Zi Xiao frowned, "Stop saying it's alright, it’s nothing. I don't put up with you a lot just so you can spend all day looking at me with a sad face."

"I want to go and pay my respects to my mother." Zong Zi Heng's voice volume unconsciously became smaller, "... is it okay?"

Zong Zi Xiao narrowed his eyes, "What have you been doing for the past two days?"

"There are rules to follow when paying respect. Tomorrow is an auspicious day." Zong Zi Heng whispered, "It will only take a few hours."

Zong Zi Xiao did not reply, and he sat up on the bed, facing Zong Zi Heng with a stiff back.

"... Pretend I didn't mention it. Let's go back to Daming." Zong Zi Heng did not want to let Li Bu Yu continue to live, but he could not risk upsetting Zong Zi Xiao either, so he could only find another opportunity to take revenge.

After a long time, Zong Zi Xiao said in a deep voice, "Yes."

Astonishment flashed in Zong Zi Heng's eyes. Did Zong Zi Xiao really agree to him paying respect to his mother?

Zong Zi Xiao turned back around, "I promise you this request, and you have to return one to me."

"What do you want?" Zong Zi Heng's heart suddenly jumped a few times.

Zong Zi Xiao didn't think properly for a moment, whether to ask him to immediately reveal Zong Zhong Ming's whereabouts, or ask him to open his mouth and call him Xiao Jiu, or to ask for something else. He thought he was in control of this man, only to find out the reverse, that he couldn't hold anything, or even see a genuine smile. Can he ask his big brother to give him back his big brother?

This silence only made Zong Zi Heng imagine a worse direction.

"I'll tell you when I've thought about it." Zong Zi Xiao smoothed out Zong Zi Heng's thick black hair and tugged the man into his arms again, "After this is over, we won’t go back to Daming, just go straight to Kunlun."

Zong Zi Heng's body stiffened, "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"I don't want to waste time." Zong Zi Xiao's kiss fell on the hair that smelled faintly of fragrant orchids.

"I don't want to go. Wuji Palace must not be left without a master."

"You must go." Zong Zi Xiao said as he tugged at his lapel, "I've only been away for a few days and you've come to Mount Shu. This trip to Kunlun to refine a core will be months long. I can't go so long without seeing you."

"What about the Wuji Palace?"

"As long as I'm still alive, Wuji Palace won't dare to get messed up. What are you worried about?" Zong Zi Xiao's big hand caressed his brother's waist and belly, the warm and delicate texture of his palm "attracting" him in turn, making him linger.

"Wait ..."

"I can't wait." Zong Zi Xiao pinned him down.

The long, dull night could not hide the erotic sight of this room.

 

 ----

eating your own bitter fruit*[自食恶果]--- to suffer the consequences of one's own actions / to stew in one's own juice

 

Edited on 4 May 21 (Emzie)

 

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