Chapter 435 You can tell them it's me
435.
Han Ziyang also saw the vast expanse of ashes and flames, and vaguely guessed the extent of the destruction caused by the strange fire. He thought Ming Yueqing had gone mad, and after cursing her, he suddenly realized what was happening, turned around and looked at the two silent "madmen" behind him, and shouted, "Why aren't you saying anything?!"
Yu Sui slumped against the wall, looking up weakly; "If you don't help me break the seal, I won't have a chance to speak anymore."
Han Ziyang was stunned. He quickly stepped forward to look at her, frowning, "What happened?"
"The Breath of Earth hasn't merged with my energy; it's devouring my Five Elements Qi," Yu Sui said with a laugh, looking up. "Do you think I have time to care about how many people Mingyue Qing burned right now?"
Han Ziyang stepped forward to check her internal energy channels, then formed a hand seal to gather energy and begin to remove the seal of the Saint Changgen.
"Watch the gate," Han Ziyang said to Gongsun Qi with a serious expression.
Gongsun Qi walked to the door and suddenly said, "That wasn't the Fire Spirit Orb's resonance just now."
Han Ziyang focused his mind on dealing with the thorny issue at hand: "I don't have the energy to discuss this right now."
"Did you see that?" Yu Sui asked. "Ming Yueqing's bones were almost completely burned to charcoal, but only the core area was still intact and burning."
Gongsun Qi said, "I don't know where he is, but the burning area is not just a few cities."
Apart from Zhongli Que and Qin Shan, no one else knows the extent of the damage caused by the strange fire; they only know that it started burning somewhere.
"The burning of the strange fire only lasts for a moment, so all we can see are the ashes after it's burned." Yu Sui turned her head to look outside.
When people saw the black light, the strange fire had already burned out.
Han Ziyang couldn't help but interject, "How could he possibly burn such a large area in an instant? Isn't it said that using a strange fire would burn him to death?"
"Why he didn't die is worth studying, but you should also be able to sense that the five elements of the world are trembling right now," Gongsun Qi said. "The destroyer of the world has a more subtle and easier perception of the five elements than others."
“The Qi of the Five Elements is omnipresent, and the destroyer can ignite it with a single thought,” Yu Sui said. “In other words, the Qi of the Five Elements is the strange fire, and the strange fire is the Qi of the Five Elements.”
Han Ziyang paused: "Is that how you understand it?"
Yu Sui: "This is how I understand it."
Gongsun Qi did not respond, because he believed that there were more than just the five elements in the universe.
They saw Mingyue Qing not through the Fire Spirit Orb, but because of the trembling Five Elements Qi in the world, and through these Five Elements Qi they saw the strange fire.
In that instant, the five elements of heaven and earth seemed to resonate in some way.
Han Ziyang shook his head, no longer able to think about the strange fire and Mingyue Qing. He focused on the weak Yu Sui in front of him, using the Heavenly Punishment to change the seal on the Breath Soil within her body.
Yu Sui did indeed retrieve the other half of the Breath Soil from Madam Su's body, but the sealed Breath Soil failed to merge with the other half. In other words, she could escape the cold poison at the summit of Mount Luo, but she could not escape the devouring effect of the unmerged Breath Soil.
Nangong Ming must have thought of this, so if Yu Sui approached Madam Su, he was prepared to lose both of them, as long as the Xirang could be reunited.
Unfortunately, all the favorable conditions—time, place, and people—are on Yu Sui's side now.
Nangong Ming still doesn't know the relationship between Han Ziyang and his youngest daughter. He's been too busy lately to pay attention to Han Ziyang's movements. Even if he knew that Han Ziyang helped Yu Sui break the seal, he would never understand why Han Ziyang would favor his youngest daughter.
The strange phenomenon of black light in the sky sparked more and more speculation among the people. Emperor Qingyang sent many people to investigate, and even Wang Jingshu, who was arresting Gongsun Qi in the Thirty-Sixth Street, was recalled.
No one cared where Gongsun Qi and Yu Sui had fled; they were all captivated by the unusual sight on the horizon.
When Qin Shan returned to the main hall and told Emperor Qingyang that it was a scene of strange fire burning, the room fell into a deathly silence.
The golden-armored soldiers waiting nearby kept their heads down and remained silent, but their eyes all revealed an expression of disbelief.
"Is that direction... towards the Zhou Kingdom?" Nangong Ming asked.
Qin Shan nodded, his expression unusually solemn: "Your Majesty, perhaps this strange fire will destroy the entire Zhou Kingdom."
"Absurd!" Emperor Qingyang suddenly turned around and glared at him angrily. "You mean that in such a short time, the strange fire burned down the entire Zhou Kingdom?!"
Absolutely impossible!
People would not understand the power of strange fire.
“Your Majesty, based on our understanding of the Strange Fire, when we saw the black light, the Strange Fire had already burned out,” Qin Shan said in a cryptic tone. “What we saw… was just the ashes left after the Strange Fire had burned.”
These words further suffocated the atmosphere in the hall, silencing even the faintest breathing sounds.
Emperor Qingyang's face was extremely ugly. He hadn't really cared much about the Strange Fire before. When Nangong Ming joined forces with the six kingdoms to persuade Shui Zhou to research the Strange Fire, he thought it was just a way to win over the other saints of the six kingdoms and learn about his enemies through different channels.
Although the accident in Dan Kingdom last time made him more vigilant, the losses that time were not enough for Emperor Qingyang to fear the destruction of the kingdom by the strange fire.
After all, the strange fire that was touted as terrifying enough to destroy the world didn't even cause the loss of a single city in the Dan Kingdom, leading many to believe that the prophecy was an exaggeration.
Who would have thought that a few months later, the strange fire would suddenly burn down a country.
"Didn't you have a partnership with Shui Zhou?" Emperor Qingyang turned to Nangong Ming, his attitude much better than before. "I remember you mentioned before that Shui Zhou had found a way to identify the World Destroyers and something that could block the strange fire. What are those things? Tell me in detail!"
Although Nangong Ming nodded, he was now uncertain.
After all, Shui Zhou's explanation to him was always that it "might" be useful.
After listening to Nangong Ming's account, Emperor Qingyang remained expressionless, but his grip on the teacup tightened slightly. He then said in a deep voice, "Go and find out more about Shuizhou. It's impossible that the people on Shuizhou are completely inactive in Zhou Kingdom."
Nangong Ming nodded in agreement, but before leaving, he glanced at Qin Shan and asked, "Venerable Qin, did you foresee this in advance?"
Qin Shan shook his head: "If I could divine in advance, I would also know in advance who the destroyer with the strange fire is."
"Then how did you know that the strange fire destroyed the entire Zhou Kingdom?" Wang Jingshu questioned. "If you hadn't known it through divination, wouldn't you have given His Majesty a fright?"
Qin Shan replied, "If the news does not indicate that the Zhou Kingdom was burned down, I am willing to apologize to His Majesty."
Emperor Qingyang: "This is the first time I don't want your prophecy to come true."
After Nangong Ming took his leave, Qin Shan followed him out shortly afterward. The long steps outside the palace were wet with flowing water. Before Qin Shan could catch up with Nangong Ming, Nangong Ming was informed by the people outside the palace of what had happened in the palace.
They even saw Tang Qing leading Wu Huaiwei and Wei Xizhen coming from below.
Two groups of people were approaching Nangong Ming, and as Nangong Ming listened to the reports from those around him, his expression gradually turned cold.
"...Now that the Second Miss has disappeared, the three young masters have all led men out to hunt her down."
Nangong Ming said, "I want to see the person alive or dead."
Even if she retrieves the other half of the Breath Soil, she will still be poisoned by the cold poison from the summit of Mount Luo. Even if she survives the poison, she will die because the seal has not been broken, the Breath Soil cannot be integrated, and her five elements will be drained.
Nangong Ming couldn't believe that Yu Sui would survive under such double insurance.
She is definitely dead, so we must find out where she died.
As Tang Qing approached, Nangong Ming turned to look at Qin Shan, who had arrived earlier, and asked in a cold voice, "Your divination seems to be completely inaccurate."
Qin Shan showed no anger at his words, but calmly said, "Someone is secretly interfering with my divination. I came out today to tell you whether you have anyone with the bloodline of the Legalist Heavenly Punishment in your life?"
Nangong Ming's brow twitched upon hearing this, wondering why he was being associated with Han Ziyang.
“It seems the problem lies with the person in front of you,” Qin Shan said. “He interfered with my divination twice, but I don’t know if it was for the same person both times.”
"If that's the case... then the old lady's death might also be related to your second young lady."
For a moment, Nangong Ming couldn't believe what he had just heard. It was as if things from completely different worlds had been connected, and he almost said the same thing as Emperor Qingyang:
absurd!
At this moment, Tang Qing walked over and introduced Wei Xizhen to Qin Shan: "This is a member of Shui Zhou, Wei Xizhen of the Legalist school."
Qin Shan smiled at Wei Xizhen: "I've heard so much about you, Dean Wei. Did you come here because of the strange fire? His Majesty was just about to have a chat with the Sage of the Water Boat."
"I just arrived too, so I don't know much," Wei Xizhen said calmly.
Wu Huaiwei coldly said to Nangong Ming, "You killed your own wife and daughter, yet you didn't even get a fragment of the Breath Soil. Are you satisfied now?"
Nangong Ming had no desire to say another word to Wu Huaiwei at this moment. He turned and left indifferently, ignoring everyone.
He rushed back to the palace and, under the fearful and trembling gazes of the crowd, went straight to the courtyard where Madam Su was.
Along the path in the courtyard lay charred, decaying corpses. Nangong Ming frowned as he scanned each body.
"Your Highness."
People bowed to the man. Nangong Ming heard Ah Chun crying. He looked up and saw her kneeling beside a charred corpse, her eyes red from crying.
Nangong Ming stopped in front of the charred corpse and stared at it silently.
What kind of power could achieve what they described? At the same time, breaking the Hunyuan Five Elements Formation, stopping the Shattering Cloud Divine Spear, and instantly killing Su Xing, whose power had returned to its peak.
Is this charred corpse really Su Xing?
Nangong Ming didn't want to believe it.
He couldn't believe that the woman who had clung to life for over ten years could die so easily.
He also couldn't believe that the person who massacred the Prince's mansion today was his youngest daughter.
That child...why?
Why should his plans be ruined?
For the first time, Nangong Ming so vehemently hated the word "regret," and was also deeply consumed by it.
He regretted not killing his youngest daughter sooner.
He took a deep breath, turned his back, and spoke in a low, hoarse voice, filled with deep anger: "Send someone to find Han Ziyang."
The Rakshasa sorcerers present all accepted their orders and left.
Madam Han and the others stood at a distance, not daring to approach, and simply watched him in silence.
Nangong Ming lingered before Madam Su's body for a long time before finally turning away to contact the Sage of the Water Boat.
The sudden appearance of the strange fire disrupted everyone's plans, leaving them no time to stop and mourn anyone's passing.
...
The golden bell tolls again, foretelling an impending storm.
After a brief respite, the torrential rain returned.
The continuous torrential rain and the dark sky made it impossible to perceive the passage of time.
When Mei Liangyu arrived at the abandoned courtyard on the mountain, she saw a girl in the pouring rain digging in the soil under a crabapple tree with a shovel. The brown soil had formed a small hill beside her.
Yu Sui noticed someone approaching and looked up: "Senior Brother?"
Mei Liangyu held incense, candles, and paper money in his hand, which Yu Sui had asked him to buy in the city before he came.
Upon seeing Mei Liangyu, Yu Sui finally smiled.
Mei Liangyu took a deep breath as he looked at the person who was soaked to the bone but seemed oblivious. As he walked over, he used the Bagua Life Technique to create a small space to shield the person from the downpour.
He walked up to Yu Sui, cupped the back of her head with one hand, and lowered his head so their foreheads touched. Yu Sui relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief, and affectionately nuzzled his nose.
“This is my mother-in-law.” Yu Sui looked down at the corpse at her feet. “She was the one who took care of me when I was on the top of Luoshan Mountain. She raised me and I wanted to see her off on her final journey.”
Mei Liangyu followed her gaze and looked down.
“Actually, she took very good care of me,” Yu Sui murmured to herself.
Mei Liangyu took the shovel from her hand: "Go and tidy up for your mother-in-law."
Yu Sui squatted down and grabbed her sleeve to wipe the blood off the mute woman's face.
Because the poisoning was causing her so much pain, the mute woman unconsciously gripped the ground with her fingers, which became covered in mud. Yu Sui held her hand and carefully cleaned each finger.
Gongsun Qi and the others, who were sheltering from the rain inside the house, fell into an eerie silence as they watched the two men digging a pit and cleaning up the corpses in the courtyard.
“The Nangong family is already looking for you.” Situ Jin broke the silence and said to Han Ziyang, “It seems you’ve been discovered as well. We need to leave the capital while they’re distracted by the strange fire.”
Han Ziyang glanced at Han Yin, who was sleeping on the couch. He had originally planned to leave after finding Han Yin, but he would have to keep his distance from the Nangong family and the people of Qingyang.
“Ever since we left the Nangong family mansion, the teleportation array has been blocked from leaving the city. Any attempt to leave the city will be immediately detected.” A-Quan tilted his head toward Mei Liangyu. “We need his help. It’s safer to leave by opening a fissure in the ground instead of using the teleportation array.”
"A fissure in the ground?" Han Ziyang frowned. "Digging a tunnel? How long would that take?"
Ah Quan explained, "The 'ground fissure' I'm referring to is a name he uses to describe how he alters the terrain. It's like he's rebuilt a new, unknown road for you with his bare hands on a complete map."
Han Ziyang was stunned: "A mechanic has this kind of ability?"
Ah Quan snorted twice and said, "It takes the combined power of countless Mahayana techniques from mechanical masters to possess it. Alas, it also depends on talent. Even if one obtains the Heart of a Thousand Machines, very few people can wield its power."
Situ Jin stroked his chin and said, "Maybe I..."
A-Quan: "If you can do it, then I definitely can too."
After discussing their plans to leave, they looked up at the distant sky, where the dark light still lingered.
"It's really heartbreaking to see," A-Quan said softly. "If it really was burned by a strange fire, it's too cruel. What kind of perverted madman would do such a thing?"
Han Ziyang and Gongsun Qi remained silent.
"I pray I don't encounter one of those crazed world destroyers," Situ Jin said wearily, rubbing her face. "Otherwise, I really won't even know how I died."
Han Ziyang looked up at the ceiling.
"Can they find out who the madman is?" A-Quan looked out the window. "The entire Shuizhou team must be out here by now. Knowing Old Sun's style, they'll dig three feet into the ground to find him."
After saying that, he asked Situ Jin, "Do you think our fire-absorbing ice stones are really effective against strange fire?"
"I don't know. It's only effective against sea fire for now. No one has ever seen a real strange fire. Those who have encountered it are all dead." Situ Jin shook his head. "This time, the water boat will definitely bring the fire-absorbing ice stone to test it."
Han Ziyang said, "Let's pray it works."
"Then let's go back and learn more," A-Quan asked Gongsun Qi. "Brother, do you want to go back to the Ji family too?"
Gongsun Qi, who had been standing against the wall with his arms crossed, merely blinked upon hearing this, without replying.
After another moment of silence, Han Ziyang suddenly said, "Let's go back."
He said to Gongsun Qi, "I also want to go and see."
Gongsun Qi slowly moved his gaze over and saw the young man's obsession with the strange fire in his eyes.
It seems that only now did Han Ziyang realize the danger of the Strange Fire. After Ming Yueqing used the Strange Fire to burn down the Zhou Kingdom, the attitude of this continent towards the Strange Fire prophecy and the destroyer will definitely undergo earth-shattering changes.
At this moment, nothing was more important to Han Ziyang than the strange fire.
Seeing that Gongsun Qi did not answer, Han Ziyang desperately tried to wink at him: "Zhao Yuxiang can't be found for a while, and you don't have any plans for the future. Why don't you go to the government office first to see what the situation is with the boat, and then look for Zhao Yuxiang."
He was racking his brains trying to figure out how to persuade Gongsun Qi, but Gongsun Qi said, "Okay."
You just agreed like that?
Han Ziyang, on the contrary, found it hard to believe.
"Then it's settled!" Ah Quan clapped his hands in agreement. He'd had enough of the life of constant wandering and fear outside!
"What about the two of them?" Situ Jin pointed to Yu Sui and Mei Liangyu in the courtyard. "The Nangong family will definitely not let Nangong Sui go, and the Yan Kingdom will not let Mei Liangyu go either. Even if they escape to the ends of the earth, someone will still chase after them."
“It’s better to run away than to stay in one place and wait for someone to catch you,” A-Quan said. “Mei Liangyu has a thousand schemes in his heart, and Nangong Sui now has the Breath of Earth. If the two of them get together, there are really not many people in this world who can catch them. Don’t worry.”
Han Ziyang thought it would be better for Yu Sui to go with them, so that they could help each other and share information, which would help them avoid being discovered by Shui Zhou.
So he said to Gongsun Qi, "You are the elder, tell me, how should they get there?"
Gongsun Qi closed his eyes and said, "Only you treat me as an elder and show me filial piety."
Han Ziyang: "..."
Forget it, he's a madman too. If he wants to walk with another madman, then he's the one who's sick.
The people inside the house had already discussed their next plans, but dared not disturb the two people outside.
Mei Liangyu dug the pit and buried the mute woman with Yu Sui. The two lit incense, candles and paper money to worship, and squatted in front of the grave, watching the paper money they threw out be swallowed by the flames.
In the silence, Mei Liangyu suddenly said, "I regretted it when I heard from my uncle that you had died."
It's not just regret; it's even losing your mind.
Yu Sui tilted her head to look over and comforted him, "Senior brother, I will never be separated from you again."
Mei Liangyu shook his head and looked back at the burning paper money in front of him: "You and I both thought there would be a future, but life is unpredictable and death can happen in an instant."
"I don't want to end up like my mother-in-law, only receiving your pity after I die, causing you sadness and pain, and experiencing loss again and again."
Yu Sui was stunned.
Mei Liangyu looked back at her, his dark eyes deep and calm.
“Junior sister, it’s not you who made me give up everything,” Mei Liangyu stood up and extended her hand to her, “it’s me who wants to take you away.”
I lost my parents, older sister, and older brother, and I also lost my master and uncle. Why should I lose you too?
In this world, spring comes and autumn goes, flowers bloom and wither, and the cycle never stops.
When the prophecy comes true, it will only be another cycle.
He didn't want to be separated from Yu Sui again in this cycle of reincarnation.
Yu Sui didn't answer, but grabbed his hand.
...
Seven days later, the Zhou Kingdom was burned down by the strange fire, turning into a black ruin. This news spread to every part of the Xuan Gu Continent.
The earliest people to arrive in the Zhou Kingdom did not even dare to cross the Yongyuan Sea, for across that azure water lay a black ocean filled with flying ashes.
Upon learning of this, Emperor Qingyang locked himself in his room for a whole day.
Water Boat prioritizes distributing Fire-Absorbing Ice Stones to the imperial cities of various countries, using these stones to test the five elements and find the destroyer of the world.
The prophecy of the strange fire and the world destroyer's actions of destroying nations have caused everyone to live in fear.
Zhong Lique was still imprisoned in the Star Gazing Hall. Qin Shan did not tell her the news of Zhong Lici's serious injury, and Zhong Lici also told Qin Shan not to tell his daughter.
Qin Shan will bring back news from the outside world, informing Zhongli Que of the strange fire and the world destroyer, as well as the research on the water boat.
He once secretly left the palace with Zhongli Que to see the Xingshui Division searching for the World Destroyer with the Fire-Absorbing Ice Stone. People rushed to take the test in order to prove that they were not the World Destroyer.
Zhong Lique saw the common people plunged into pain and fear, watching them distrust each other, fight and curse each other, as if the world had fallen into extreme chaos in an instant.
Qin Shan said to her, "Even if I were a master of divination, I would not be able to discern the identity of the destroyer of the world. But you are different. You are exceptionally talented and possess divination skills that far surpass those of a master."
He placed the sacred wooden divination stick in Zhongli Que's hand and whispered, "You are the one chosen by the sacred tree."
Qin Shan said to Zhongli Que, whose eyes were filled with tears, "Perhaps only you can end the chaos and suffering brought about by this prophecy of world destruction."
Zhongli Que thus became Qin Shan's apprentice, devoting himself to the study of various arts and techniques, striving to divine the world's destroyer and end the prophecy.
That night, Zhong Lique woke up in the middle of the night and saw a candle illuminating the dark bed curtains. A girl holding a candle made a shushing gesture at her.
"Sui Sui?!" Zhong Lique exclaimed softly as she sat up.
The candlelight illuminated half of the girl's bright face. Yu Sui winked playfully at her, and Zhong Li Que excitedly reached out and hugged her.
"How did you end up here?" Zhong Lique asked, both surprised and delighted.
"Keep your voice down, I came sneakily." Yu Sui patted her back. "Venerable Qin is still upstairs stargazing."
Zhong Lique then pulled away, covered her mouth, and whispered, "Sui Sui, I became Master Qin's disciple yesterday. He's going to teach me the Nine Schools of Arts."
"Is that so?" The girl sitting on the edge of the bed tilted her head and smiled. "He discovered your divination abilities, but didn't tell His Majesty?"
Zhongli Que nodded. "My master and my father seem to have a good relationship. He doesn't want to make things difficult for the Zhongli family; he only wants to find the World Destroyer."
At this point, she became worried again: "Are you alright lately? Master won't tell me anything about you. He said he'll let me leave the Star Gazing Hall only after I've completed my studies and am capable of protecting myself."
Yu Sui shook his head: "Venerable Qin is indeed an asset to the Zhongli family. He has a good relationship with the General and will not make things difficult for you. He is even willing to take the risk of teaching you the Nine Streams Technique."
Zhong Lique frowned at her: "You haven't answered my first question yet."
"It's all over now," Yu Sui said with a smile.
"Then something must have happened!" Zhong Lique hurriedly got out of bed, took the candle from her hand, and carefully examined the person in front of her. "Did the prince and the others make things difficult for you again? Otherwise, why would you suddenly return from Taiyi, and what about Chu Jin...?"
"Shh." Yu Sui reached out and pressed her lips to Zhong Lique's, then pointed upstairs. She led Zhong Lique to the table, lit a fire on it, and saw an unfinished painting.
“I came here tonight because I want you to help me finish a painting.” Yu Sui raised her chin slightly towards the scroll on the table. “My painting skills are no match for yours. I only sketched a rough draft.”
"You risked coming all this way just to have me draw for you?" Zhong Lique asked, puzzled.
“Of course it’s not just about painting,” Yu Sui said, sitting down at the table and tapping the surface with her finger to signal her to sit down as well.
Zhong Lique put down the candle in his hand and sat down with her. After examining the scroll, he said, "Do you want to paint the capital city?"
Yu Sui nodded: "I'll grind the ink for you."
Zhong Lique said, "Are you really alright? I didn't know what was happening outside all this time."
Yu Sui hummed softly, "Don't worry, I'm fine now."
She looked relaxed and cheerful, and there were no signs of injury on her body. Zhong Lique was relieved after she assured him again that she was alright.
"So, are you still going back to Taiyi?" Zhongli Que picked up her paintbrush.
“Maybe we’ll go back in a while,” Yu Sui said. “Right now, the saints and instructors of Taiyi are all running away to Zhou to help capture the World Destroyer.”
When Zhong Lique heard her mention the World Destroyer, she frowned and looked very troubled: "Yesterday, my master took me out of the palace secretly and saw people all over the street scrambling to take stones to test themselves, in order to prove that they are not the World Destroyer."
“If the Destroyer can really burn down a country with its strange fire, that’s too dangerous. I saw it…” Zhong Lique’s tone became low. “I saw it that day. I saw those burning black flames and heard the wails of people before they died. It was like a living hell.”
"This time it's the Zhou Kingdom, but where will it be next time? What if it becomes Qingyang someday..."
She didn't even dare to think about it.
Zhong Li Que didn't want Qing Yang to be burned by the strange fire, and she didn't want her parents, brothers, and Yu Sui to die from it.
Yu Sui was surprised that Zhong Lique had also seen Ming Yueqing release the strange fire, and her gaze froze for a moment.
“So… Sui Sui, I want to learn the nine schools of magic and martial arts properly, and I want to find all the destroyers of the world.” Zhongli Que turned to look at Yu Sui, his expression serious.
"I want to protect you too."
Yu Sui nodded: "Okay, but have you ever injured your eyes?"
"You could even spot that?" Zhong Lique asked in surprise, touching her brow bone. "My eyes only recently recovered; I accidentally glimpsed a divination scene and was then affected by it."
"Is it related to the divination of the world's destroyer?"
"It should be, but I only remember a blurry outline, and I can't even tell if it's a man or a woman."
“…That’s too dangerous,” Yu Sui said. “What if it can’t be restored next time…”
“But at least I can still catch a glimpse of the vague outline, which is better than doing nothing at all.” Zhong Lique shook his head. “Master said it’s because I’m too weak. If I were stronger, I wouldn’t be backfired every time.”
“I used to think, if only I were as good as my brother, then Father wouldn’t have to worry, I could better protect Mother, and I could defeat those who spoke ill of you…”
As Zhong Lique spoke, she suddenly burst out laughing: "But I'm also too scared. I'm afraid that if I really stole the Nine-Style Technique, it would implicate you all and kill everyone."
“But Sui Sui, ever since the Venerable One said yesterday that he would take me as his disciple and teach me the Nine Schools of Arts, I’ve been thinking, it turns out it’s that simple.”
Zhong Lique sighed with a hint of helplessness, "To them, my worries, fears, and hesitations are nothing. I've dreamed of learning the Nine Schools of Arts for over ten years, thinking it was something I could never achieve in this lifetime, but the Venerable One can do it with just a few simple words."
Yu Sui: "You are a genius of the Fangji family. Those low-level techniques are a piece of cake for you. You can learn them in the blink of an eye."
Zhongli Que: "You are the genius of the Ghost Daoist school! My brother said that's what the disciples of Taiyi call you."
“I got it by cheating.” Yu Sui stuffed a Fusang Pearl into Zhong Li Que’s ear. “You were taken away too suddenly, and you didn’t even take the Fusang Pearl with you.”
Zhong Lique nodded: "I wanted to go back to get it several times, but Master wouldn't let me go back."
“He’s afraid that if you go back, the general won’t release you. He still needs your help to find the Destroyer of Worlds,” Yu Sui said with a smile. “Let me show you something new. It’s called Mountain Spirit.”
She placed the wind-listening ruler on the table, its surface reflecting the three large mountains within the communications institute, attracting Zhong Lique's admiring gaze.
"Even if Venerable Qin doesn't teach you in the future, you can ask the mountain spirit for the various nine schools of techniques. I've also stolen the nine schools of techniques from Taiyi, and I guarantee they'll be even more detailed and diverse than what Venerable Qin taught. After all, Venerable Qin is only good at divination and elixirs."
Zhong Lique looked around in surprise, and was almost startled when she heard the mountain spirit's voice in her ear. Yu Sui quickly covered her mouth, and the two of them were startled, but then couldn't help but laugh.
"Let's start by drawing." Yu Sui pointed to the scroll.
Zhong Lique picked up his pen: "You've created such a huge thing, and you still expect me to concentrate on painting."
She looked towards those mountains several times.
Yu Sui taught her how to use the Mountain Spirit: "The reason I'm late is that I've been secretly placing the Listening Ruler in the palace these past few days. Even if you don't bring the Listening Ruler into the Sound-Breaking Barrier, as long as the Fusang Pearl is there, you can still contact the Mountain Spirit."
After teaching Zhongli Que how to use the Mountain Spirit, she took out a string of golden pendants from the mechanism box and handed them to Zhongli Que.
"This is the Heart-Avoiding Lock. With it, you no longer need to fear the Venerable One's Heart-Observing Formation."
Yu Sui stood up with the pendant in her hand and put it around Zhong Lique's neck, who was still painting: "In the future, as you become stronger and stronger, even without the Heart-Avoiding Lock, his Heart-Observing Array will not be able to see through your thoughts."
Zhong Lique said with a slight smile, "I will definitely work hard to cultivate until that day!"
Yu Sui smiled along with her: "Consider this my early birthday present to you!"
Zhong Lique finished the last stroke, turned to the side and looked up at the person standing behind him, asking, "I'm done. Take a look?"
Yu Sui lowered her eyes and gazed at the bustling capital city depicted in the painting, the vibrant streets and alleys teeming with people, and the majestic and sacred high walls of the royal palace.
“They’re so beautiful.” She reached out and gently pressed her hand on the scroll. “But I once wanted to burn them all.”
As she finished speaking, the girl's fingertips flickered with fire, and clusters of burning flames appeared on the drawing paper, like thousands of lanterns being released, igniting every corner of the capital city.
The flickering, dense flames were reflected in Zhong Lique's dark eyes. She opened her mouth, but was instantly speechless due to shock.
“I once wanted to burn down the Nangong Prince’s Mansion, as well as the National Academy, the Royal Palace, and the entire Qingyang.” Yu Sui stared at the burning scroll. “Later, for a period of time, I made excuses for my destructive desires.”
"You want to protect the Zhongli family, and I want to protect you, so I told myself that I cannot use the strange fire to burn Qingyang, no matter how painful it is."
"I despicably made you my shackles and excuses, and only recently have I let myself go, and let you go too."
Yu Suichao was shocked. For some reason, Zhong Lique, whose eyes were filled with tears, smiled and said, "In my heart, you are no longer an excuse to bind me, but just a good friend I want to protect."
"Sui Sui" Zhong Li Que suddenly stood up. She reached out her hand to Yu Sui, but failed to grab it.
The sound of a golden bell came from outside, and a torrential rain descended with thunder. The sky darkened again, and the stars disappeared into the sea of clouds.
A storm swept in, blowing the curtains in the room and lifting the clothes and hair of the two people.
Yu Sui stood at the corner of the table, looked up at Zhong Li Que, and said softly, "Que Que, I can't promise you that I won't do something like the destruction of the Zhou Kingdom. The last thing I can give you is my name."
"When they ask you to give the name of the world destroyer..."
"You can tell them it's me."
Thunder roared outside, and lightning flashed, briefly illuminating the sky. When Zhong Lique reached the corner of the table, all that remained was the drizzle brought by the night wind.
Zhong Lique looked back at the table; the burning flames were forever sealed in the painting.
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