t
Without waiting for Taibai Jinxing to respond, Ye Zichen looked at him. “Do you know who Gu Li is?”
After two rhetorical questions in a row, Taibai Jinxing paused. He was certain that these were no simple questions.
Taibai Jinxing’s expression normalized, and his gaze grew solemn. “Little Friend Ye, what exactly are you trying to say?”
“You once said that in this lifetime, you hated nothing more than demons, right?” Ye Zichen looked Taibai Jinxing right in the eye. The old man nodded.
Demons were indeed his greatest enemy.
His family had all perished at demons’ hands. He was determined to spend the rest of his life fighting demons to the bitter end.
Back when he had his falling out with the Jade Emperor, it was because the Jade Emperor refused to send out his troops to resist the demons. That’s why Taibai Jinxing resigned his position at the Heavenly Court and left.
“Then why do you still want to give the key fragment to Gu Li?” asked Ye Zichen.
Taibai Jinxing’s eyes instantly widened, as if something astonishing had happened.
For Ye Zichen to put it like that, if Taibai Jinxing failed to understand his implications, well, he’d be no different from the muddle-headed muscle heads beside him.
“Are you saying he…”
Ye Zichen nodded lightly in response. Taibai Jinxing’s surprise grew only more pronounced, but before long, he violently shook his head. “That’s not possible. If he were a demon, he’d definitely have demonic miasma. Even if he tried to hide it, there’s no way he could keep it from me. I don’t sense even the slightest trace of miasma on him. There’s no way he’s a demon,” said Taibai Jinxing in disbelief.
“If that’s how you feel, I don’t know what to tell you.” Ye Zichen let out a melancholy shrug and leaned back into his chair, a bitter smile at his lips. “You ought to know that I’m the Yellow Emperor’s reincarnation, and Gu Li is Chi You’s. He’s with the demons. It didn’t matter whether I was in the Modern Realm or with you in the Lower Three Realms’ heavenly court; he was the main force behind the demonic invasion. Once, just as I was about to kill him, a demon expert saved him before I could deal the final blow.”
Taibai Jinxing didn’t quite seem to understand. He was shocked, but also in disbelief.
He glanced at the stalwart man beside him, who frowned and shook his head.
“No way! If he was really a demon, there’s no way he could enter the Western Jade Pool! Little Friend Ye, you’re not trying making stuff up to trick me into letting you keep the fragment, are you?” Taibai Jinxing laughed.
Ye Zichen instantly tensed up.
The demonic invasion was a painful memory for him. He didn’t want to talk about it; the only reason he did was to prevent Taibai Jinxing from betraying himself and accidentally aiding his bitterest enemies.
But all he got in return was accusations of deceit and fabrication.
“Forget it. If you don’t believe me, I won’t waste words explaining it to you.” Ye Zichen opened his chat log with Taibai Jinxing and sent a red packet.
Ding dong!
Taibai Jinxing’s phone buzzed. He whipped it out and saw the red packet on screen.
“Here, I returned the key fragment. If you want to give it to Gu Li, go right ahead; it’s not my place to interfere. I just hope you won’t regret this choice.”
Taibai Jinxing opened the packet, and indeed, it contained the key fragment.
After this sudden change, Taibai Jinxing couldn’t help but frown. He didn’t rush to put the fragment away, instead holding onto it.
“Little Friend Ye, you still didn’t say who you…”
“I’m no one at all. Enough. You got what you came here for. We walk different paths; there’s nothing for us to discuss. Go on, then.” Ye Zichen pointed coldly at the gate, but Taibai Jinxing was still somewhat hesitant.
“Mo’er, see off our guest!”
Before long, Zuo Mo appeared in the reception hall. She smiled, then gestured for Taibai Jinxing to follow her.
Given that things had already reached this point, Taibai Jinxing couldn’t refuse. He nodded and smiled at Zuo Mo, then rose to his feet. “If we have a chance, let’s meet up again later.”
“No need!” Ye Zichen didn’t even look at him.
An apologetic smile rose to Taibai Jinxing’s lips, but he said nothing. He simply left the room in silence.
“He’s only gotten more muddle-headed with time.” Ye Zichen watched him leave, then narrowed his eyes and snorted.
Even after leaving Upheaval, key fragment in hand, Taibai Jinxing didn’t seem at all happy. His expression was dark as he glanced back at the reception area. As he clutched the fragment, Ye Zichen’s words echoed through his sea of consciousness.
“Who do you think he is? He’s a demon!”
“Do you know who I am?”
“I’m in no mood to explain it to you. Here, take the key fragment back.”
“Don’t regret it.”
They reverberated through his mind like a monk chanting sutras, buzzing in his ears.
“Could it be that Ye Zichen was telling the truth?” said Taibai Jinxing, his gaze dark.
At that moment, a streak of light cut through the sky and landed right in front of him.
They stopped in mid air, and when he saw who had arrived, Taibai Jinxing’s gaze filled with respect. “Greetings, esteemed Minister of the Left.”
Although Taibai Jinxing called him “the Minister of the Left,” this wasn’t Yin Shang.
He looked around thirty, with an ordinary complexion and deep dark eyes. If you looked into those black eyes, you’d notice the imprint of a star.
He stood before Taibai Jinxing, his hands behind his pack and his expression indescribably aloof.
“Sky Sovereign Tai Bai,” said the man.
“Minister of the Left, where did you find the time to come all the way here?” said Taibai Jinxing in obvious surprise.
“I came for the fragment of the key to the Divine Mausoleum,” said the minister directly.
When he heard that, Taibai Jinxing froze for a moment, but before long, he returned to normal and smiled, “Didn’t Emperor Star Gu Li say he’d come for it when he left seclusion in a month?”
“The situation has changed. His Excellency gleaned enlightenment into the Milky Way during his seclusion and broke through. Furthermore, he sensed the location of the Divine Mausoleum and needs all the key fragments to confirm his premonition.”
“His Excellency located the Divine Mausoleum?” Taibai Jinxing’s eyes widened.
“Of course. He is, after all, the chosen inheritor of the Emperor Star; it’s only natural that it would guide him. There’s nothing worth being surprised about it. Right now, all we need is the fragment you’ve got. Sky Sovereign Taibi, surely you aren’t planning on withholding it?”
Taibai Jinxing was still somewhat hesitant, but he wanted to believe the Minister of the Left’s words.
The Western Jade Pool was extremely sensitive to demonic power, yet not even it could sense even the slightest trace of miasma on Gu Li. That naturally meant he didn’t have any.
Besides, he had the Minister of the Left by his side. He was definitely the Emperor Star! There was no mistake!
“How could I? Here, this is the key fragment.” Taibai Jinxing took it out, then placed it into the minister’s hand. “Please ask his Excellency to open the Mausoleum and obtain it’s inheritance, then exterminate the demon race for the glory of all mankind.”
