Chapter 65 - 63: A True Hunter Often Appears in the Guise of Prey

Chapter 65: Chapter 63: A True Hunter Often Appears in the Guise of Prey

Zhao Ci’s hysterical roar startled even Gu Xiangzhu.

’Why is he yelling so loud?’

She looked at the bloodshot veins in his eyes, not doubting for a second that he would have attacked her if he weren’t tied up.

However, she wasn’t angry. She just said coolly, "What good would tricking you do me?"

"Obviously, you want to trick the Alcohol Refining Technique out of me!"

Zhao Ci glared at her. "Well, I can tell you right now, you can forget it! I’ll take this technique to my grave before I give it to you!"

Gu Xiangzhu smiled faintly and retorted, "You think I have no way of finding out if you don’t tell me?"

Zhao Ci snorted. "If you have a way, then why are you wasting so much time talking to me?"

Gu Xiangzhu shook her head, pulled over a chair, and unhurriedly put her palace robes back on. Only after sitting down did she look at Zhao Ci with a half-smile. "Tell me... if I value your technique so much, why did I dare to try and kill you just now?"

Zhao Ci sneered. "If you really dared to face the consequences of killing me, I’d already be a dead man."

Even though he said that, he knew she wasn’t bluffing. She really had intended to kill him.

Gu Xiangzhu shook her head and simply waved her hand. The doors to the Practice Room opened on their own. Then, with a beckoning gesture of her slender hand, a small object floated over from a bird’s nest in the courtyard’s osmanthus tree, slowly landing in her palm.

Zhao Ci focused his eyes and saw that it was a fledgling that had just grown its feathers.

It was chirping weakly.

’This woman’s cultivation is terrifying. Not only could she fetch things from thin air, but she could also control her power with such precision.’

With another casual wave from Gu Xiangzhu, the doors to the Practice Room closed again.

Zhao Ci’s expression grew grim. "What are you doing?"

Gu Xiangzhu didn’t speak. She just blinked, and in the next moment, a divine light shone from her eyes. The instant the light touched the fledgling, its body stiffened, and then a cloud of white mist drifted out of it.

The white mist was hazy, but faint images seemed to float within it, apparently from the fledgling’s perspective.

In the blurry images, a large bird seemed to be feeding it.

After the large bird finished feeding it and flew away, its gaze fell upon an egg in the same nest.

Then, it turned its back.

HUFF. PUFF. It seemed to be pushing against something.

Finally, something went WHOOSH and fell from the nest.

Gu Xiangzhu said coolly, "This is a cuckoo chick, a brood parasite. What you just saw was a fragment of its memories. If you were to refine this Soul Mist, you would be able to experience everything it has in its life."

Zhao Ci: "..."

’Damn. As expected of a Demoness from the Demon Sect. Of course she fucking knows the Soul Searching Skill.’

His expression turned ugly, but he looked at her palm. "But the bird died after you performed the Soul Search. If you search my soul, you won’t be able to hold onto your businesses in Lingge. You’ve worked so hard for so long; you won’t be willing to give that up!"

"Oh? And who said you have to die?"

Gu Xiangzhu smiled faintly. The divine light reappeared in her eyes, this time transforming into a wisp of light mist that drilled into the fledgling’s body.

The next moment, the fledgling, which had just died after losing its soul, began to move again.

Its sparsely feathered wings beat desperately, breaking free from her grasp.

It fell to the floor.

And died!

Gu Xiangzhu looked at him with that same half-smile. "Turning you into my puppet would be easy!"

Zhao Ci: "..."

’Damn.’

’No wonder she could become the Saintess of the Demon Sect.’

’Her methods are truly terrifying.’

He composed himself. "Since you call that stuff Soul Mist, forcing it into another body out of thin air must take a heavy toll on you. Besides, even if you read all my memories, are you confident you could imitate my every word and action without showing any flaws? Especially in front of my father, the Emperor!"

Gu Xiangzhu retorted, "What? You want to bet on it?"

A chill went through Zhao Ci’s heart, but he snorted. "You’re the one who spared my life, so you’re clearly the one who doesn’t dare to take the gamble. And now you’re asking me if I want to bet? Don’t you think it’s ridiculous how you’re pretending to be in control?"

Gu Xiangzhu couldn’t help but nod slightly. ’This convenient son of mine wasn’t bluffed. He found the hole in my argument so quickly. But then again, if he were an idiot, he wouldn’t have been able to fool me for so long. This man really isn’t stupid!’

’He guessed right!’

’If controlling living Human Puppets were really that easy, my influence would have spread all over Lingge long ago.’

’I was born with a talent for Soul Skills, but I rarely use them. Sometimes I prefer to attack the mind with words rather than resort to Soul Skills.’

’This is because Soul Skills involve the origin of one’s Primordial Spirit and have severe side effects. To complete a Soul Searching Skill successfully, one has to refine the foreign soul, a process that would inevitably taint one’s own soul and could become a burden on future cultivation or even one’s personality.’

’Furthermore, injecting Soul Mist into another body would also damage my own spiritual origin. And even if I completely understood someone’s mannerisms, playing a part flawlessly would still be an extremely difficult task.’

She said calmly, "You’re right. Killing you would indeed cause me considerable trouble, but that absolutely does not mean I don’t dare to kill you! I only stopped because I don’t think we are enemies. There’s no need for us to fight to the bitter end."

"Pah!"

Zhao Ci spat. "Not enemies? Are we friends, then? I know you have plenty of ways to control me, but you just wait. The moment I get a chance, I’ll report you to my father, the Emperor! When that time comes, you’re dead!"

Gu Xiangzhu suddenly smiled. "Do you really think that with the Emperor’s sharp eye, he wouldn’t notice that his favorite consort has been replaced?"

Zhao Ci’s expression changed drastically. "What do you mean?"

The smile on Gu Xiangzhu’s face grew even brighter. "My meaning is simple. Your father, the Emperor, has known about my identity all along! In fact, he was the one who instructed me to replace your mother!"

"Bullshit! That’s bullshit!"

Zhao Ci was furious. "My mother is Princess Consort Jing, Xiang Xiaoling! My uncle is the Marquis Zhonglie, who died for our country! My father is the Heroic Lord, the Martial Emperor! How could he possibly allow a promiscuous Demoness like you, who would sleep with anyone to achieve her goals, to replace my mother?"

Hearing those words, Gu Xiangzhu’s eye twitched. Unable to control her anger, she kicked Zhao Ci in the stomach. If the black silk hadn’t held him so tightly, he probably would have doubled over.

She roared, "I am still a virgin! Watch your filthy mouth!"

Zhao Ci: "..."

’Ah!’

’A virgin!’

’The probe worked.’

’That’s just perfect.’

He raised his head and said viciously, "Hah! You think I believe you?"

Gu Xiangzhu watched him quietly for a long moment, then a smile suddenly touched her lips. "You don’t have to pretend to be so vicious. You’ve actually figured out a lot of things already; you’re just unwilling to admit it."

Zhao Ci turned his head away. "I don’t know what nonsense you’re spouting!"

The first half of his sentence was still vicious, but the second half sounded decidedly insecure.

Gu Xiangzhu said coolly, "Let me ask you, you’ve always revered your father, the Emperor, as if he were a god. Why would you suspect that someone with his perception couldn’t even recognize the person sleeping next to him?"

Zhao Ci was at a loss for words. "I..."

Gu Xiangzhu asked again, "You’ve long suspected that I’m not your mother, you knew you might be in danger, and you knew how important this Alcohol Refining Technique is to your father. So why didn’t you reveal it to him beforehand?"

"Nonsense! I already did!"

"If you had, why would he have bothered playing games with me for so long?"

Once again, Zhao Ci was speechless. "I..."

Gu Xiangzhu smiled and drew the conclusion for him. "Because you don’t completely trust him either! You need to hold onto this Alcohol Refining Technique as a bargaining chip to save your own skin."

For the third time, Zhao Ci was left speechless.

He even turned his head away guiltily, having been completely exposed.

"Do you hate me?"

Gu Xiangzhu studied him with her half-smile. "Of course you do! But not nearly as much as you pretend to. You’re acting this way so you can comfortably place all the blame on me. But deep down, you know I’m not the main culprit!"

Zhao Ci gritted his teeth. "You’re just spouting utter nonsense!"

Gu Xiangzhu seemed to enjoy his expression. "You’re far more clever than you let on. There’s no need to hide it from me."

Zhao Ci snorted. "It’s your mouth. Say whatever you want!"

Gu Xiangzhu retorted, "Do you need me to show you proof?"

"There is no proof. Show me whatever you want!"

"Let me ask you, were your attempts to test me limited to physical contact and the Alcohol Refining Technique?"

"What else? And as it turns out, my tests were successful!"

"Then why did you cook for me?"

"Huh?"

Zhao Ci was suddenly embarrassed. He stuck his neck out and said, "I forgot about that. Actually, that was part of the test too. I was just trying to find out your origins. Your real identity is one of the Dian Nan People, right?"

"What can taste prove?"

Gu Xiangzhu smiled. "You know very well that your mother, the Princess Consort, left Jing Chu as a child to cultivate on Yingzhou Immortal Island. You have no idea what her tastes are. Using food to test her identity is just absurd."

Zhao Ci: "..."

Gu Xiangzhu looked at him with curiosity. "Can you tell me why you cooked for me? What meaning does something like that hold for you?"

A hint of shame from being exposed appeared on Zhao Ci’s face. He turned away and mumbled, "I told you, it was part of the test!"

His expression didn’t escape Gu Xiangzhu’s notice.

The anger in her heart vanished, because she had finally regained the upper hand.

So she stopped pressing him, a small smile playing on her lips. "No matter why you did it, it proves your hatred for me isn’t as strong as you claim! Because you know it takes two to tango, and the key to this whole affair was your father, the Emperor, giving his approval!"

Zhao Ci lowered his head and took several deep breaths.

Finally, he looked up. "Tell me, how did my mother really die!"

His tone was still rude, but all his aggression had vanished.

Gu Xiangzhu knew his psychological defenses were crumbling. She sighed softly. "I’d love to answer that question, but I don’t know either. When your father came to us to discuss a partnership, your mother was already dead. He said she had a hidden illness that led to complications in childbirth, but I have no definite information, so this is all I can tell you."

She didn’t invent a negative conclusion.

But she intentionally or unintentionally led Zhao Ci in that direction.

A flicker of hope ignited in Zhao Ci’s eyes. "So, you’re saying no one harmed my mother, right?"

Gu Xiangzhu suddenly felt he was a bit pitiful. She nodded. "You can believe that, yes."

"Huuu..."

Zhao Ci let out a long sigh of relief, as if he had recovered something precious he had lost.

But this...

...was not the result Gu Xiangzhu wanted.

She added pointedly, "But don’t think for a moment that your father is still the loving father you imagine him to be!"

Zhao Ci snapped his head up and glared at her viciously. "What do you mean? Are you still trying to drive a wedge between my father and me?"

"Your relationship doesn’t need me to drive a wedge into it!"

Gu Xiangzhu smiled faintly and patted him. The black silk binding him immediately dissipated. She grabbed the back of Zhao Ci’s collar with her right hand and lifted him straight up.

Then she formed a Hand Seal, and the floor of the Practice Room split open on its own, revealing a rather deep, secret cavern.

"Get down there!"

With that, she threw Zhao Ci down into it.

The cavern was only about ten feet deep, so Zhao Ci landed steadily.

Gu Xiangzhu quickly jumped down after him. The floor immediately slid shut, and torches on the walls suddenly flared to life.

"Follow me!"

Gu Xiangzhu said, then started walking ahead on her own.

"What are you going to do?"

Zhao Ci asked.

Without turning her head, Gu Xiangzhu replied, "I’m going to shatter your illusions!"

Zhao Ci: "..."