Chapter 575: Unable to Live, Unable to Die 2
"Killing you would be too messy. This drug will make you live in a waking nightmare, constantly feeling the pain of being torn apart by a hundred ghouls. You won’t even have the strength to commit suicide. Of course, I won’t let you die. I’ll make sure you live a long, long life." The youthful voice was especially pleasant.
A chill ran down Sang Zhi’s spine. He leaned against Ye Qianning, gripping her hand tightly.
In the past, he would have found her ruthless. But now... he knew this was the way of survival.
He only felt heartache for this cold and cruel version of Ye Qianning.
Qin Huai heard every word, and his trembling grew more violent.
His vision turned a sea of blood-red, with terrifying ghouls flickering before him.
Under the two-fold torment of physical pain and mental anguish, the time it took for an incense stick to burn felt like years.
"I... I’ll talk... I..."
Qin Huai used all his strength to raise a hand.
Ye Qianning had thought she would have to wait much longer; she didn’t expect him to surrender after just one incense stick.
She tossed a handkerchief in front of Qin Huai, from which a delicate fragrance wafted.
As the fragrance reached his nostrils, the terror in Qin Huai’s eyes gradually cleared. His gaze focused on the firelight as his body trembled violently.
"I’ll talk..." Qin Huai never wanted to witness that hellish scene again.
"When did you start planning this?" Ye Qianning asked.
"It was... it was... COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..." Qin Huai coughed violently, gasping for breath.
Ye Qianning had Ying Ge bring him some water.
Qin Huai took it and gulped down several mouthfuls. As the sweet spring water entered his mouth, he gasped a few times before finally catching his breath.
"It began half a year ago. Her Highness, the Princess, learned from a Monk who has since passed away that the Eighth Prince’s maternal line, the Xuan clan, had an ancestor a thousand years ago. This ancestor was chosen by an enlightened Immortal for their innate aptitude. The Immortal used a secret technique to seal a map within their eyes, and from that point on, they could no longer see any colors. Since then, each generation of the Xuan clan could only have a single child, and whether male or female, they were born unable to see color. Over time, people came to say the Xuan clan was cursed and inauspicious... COUGH, COUGH... That Monk was a descendant of the junior brother of the very Immortal who performed the technique. Years ago, the Monk entered the palace and met the Princess, guessing the truth even then. When the Monk was on his deathbed, he had a letter delivered to the Imperial Palace. That was how the Princess learned of the matter and began to plan her journey to Beili..." Qin Huai recounted what he knew, bit by bit.
Ye Qianning was silent for a long moment. "Why would the Monk tell the East Shu Imperial Family about this?"
’Why didn’t the old Monk say anything back when Sang Zhi’s mother was in East Shu?’
’If he had spoken then, wouldn’t it have been incredibly easy for East Shu to take the eyes?’
’If he was so unwilling to speak, hiding it for so many years, why reveal it on his deathbed?’
’To throw the world into chaos?’
"That, I do not know. The location of these caves on Four-direction Mountain was also something the Monk discovered during his travels many years ago. Otherwise, how could we have hidden in Beili for so long?"
Ye Qianning cursed inwardly, ’Old bald donkey. Charlatan.’
"Did you also tell that person in the palace about the secret of the Eighth Prince’s eyes? What was the deal?"
"Of course not. This matter is extremely secret. We have never mentioned a word of it to anyone in Beili," Qin Huai said.
"The Beili Emperor already knows about it. Consort Yuan’s senior martial brother reported it to the Beili Emperor himself. Are you sure the Princess of East Shu didn’t leak it?"
"Absolutely not. The Princess only made a deal with Consort Yuan. If Consort Yuan lured the Eighth Prince out of the Imperial City, the Princess promised to give her the Ten Yan Dragon Sparrow, the thing the Medicine King’s sect wants most."
A shadow fell over Ye Qianning’s eyes. So, it really was Consort Yuan. That explained everything.
And the forest fire had started at just the right time!
"Did Consort Yuan know you were on Four-direction Mountain all along? How did you communicate?"