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For a full two hours, Chen Qing and Shen Qi carefully searched for Murong Yunji.

Along the way, they could sense the presence of other living beings, but they dared not approach each other. Clearly, through Murong Yunji’s recent actions, many had become even more vigilant, choosing to hide where possible and avoid contact where they could.

Under these circumstances, it was impossible to find someone to gather intelligence from.

Originally, Chen Qing had thought it would only be possible to understand what was happening after finding either Murong or Zi Yue, but an unexpected encounter soon arose.

"We meet again, Your Highness the King of Qin."

A very familiar voice caused Chen Qing to look over, his brow furrowing slightly.

At this time, the last person he wanted to encounter was one of his compatriots—those who had more information than he did...

"What a coincidence..." Chen Qing said, smiling at the other person while becoming alert in his heart.

Unconsciously, there were not many in the world who could make him feel cautious, but the person in front of him was definitely one of them.

"Third Young Master Wang..."

The other party smiled in response, "That’s rather formal, isn’t it? Just like before, you can call me Shi Yu."

The newcomer was indeed Wang Shiyu...

Looking at his smile, a surge of complexity filled Chen Qing’s heart.

The other person was like him, they had both studied in Capital City back in the day, cramming into the Confucian Temple, utterly ordinary among the ordinary scholars.

Chen Qing remembered how they scrimped and saved together, waking up early to pick wild vegetables from the mountain to cook with noodles.

The steaming noodles, sitting at the doorstep, discussing together the beautiful life as a county official after passing the imperial exams...

Quite the deep cover, this little guy...

"Times have changed..." Chen Qing said with a smile, "If I had known Third Young Master’s identity back then, how could I have allowed you to suffer through wild vegetable noodles with me?"

"I really could only afford wild vegetable noodles.

.." The other party said with a wry smile, "Back then, my identity was awkward, criticized by my legitimate mother, and I didn’t have much money to squander. Those greedy vendors in Capital City dared to charge eighty wen for a bowl of plain noodles. If I hadn’t gone up the mountain to pick wild vegetables with you, I would have starved to death long ago. "

"Is that so..." Chen Qing said with amusement, "Such a noble identity, yet you had to live at the mercy of others. Could you really adjust to that in your mind?"

"What’s there not to adjust to?" Wang Shiyu looked at Chen Qing, his voice profound, "When we first arrived, we lived at the mercy of others, and we lived like that for many years."

"A story there?"

"After living for so many years, who doesn’t have a story by now?" Wang Shiyu invited Chen Qing to walk toward a back garden in the Imperial Palace, "Want to hear it?"

"Let’s hear it then." Chen Qing followed the other person, seemingly unconcerned about falling into any traps.

"Let me think... When I first arrived, the era was pretty good, still not yet into the chaotic era of high magic. Although some of the elderly loved to tell stories of Demons, it all felt very distant from myself."

"At that time, compared to other compatriots, I was quite lucky. In our family of five children, because I was smart, my family saved money for my education. I became a ’child scholar’ at the age of ten, talked about as a prodigy within ten miles.

My parents were proud of me, and the other families in the village were incredibly kind to me.

When my family could no longer afford my schooling, I remember the old village chief leading the villagers to pool money to send me to study at the county school. .."

"I remember the harvest wasn’t very good that year, some kids in the village didn’t even have an egg to eat during the New Year, but they were willing to sell hundreds of eggs for my sake."

"Honestly, for a long time I couldn’t understand—was this investment serious? What if I failed the exams? What if I passed and then turned my back on them?"

"So did you pass?" Chen Qing asked with a smile.

"A modern person with memories of a past life, with years of basic education—if he couldn’t beat kids of the same age in ancient times, how stupid would that person have to be?"

"That’s true..." Chen Qing nodded. As someone from a science background, he had not been particularly good at reciting texts or essay writing in his past life, but still, having lived so many more years, and with an adult’s mind and years of basic education, if he couldn’t even pass the imperial scholar exams in ancient times, that would indeed be quite embarrassing for a transmigrator.

"And then?" Chen Qing looked at him; the other person’s story couldn’t be just this bland, could it?

"And then I was ranked second class in my imperial examinations. I couldn’t stay in Capital City because I lacked connections, but luckily I was amiable and made some good friends.

With the help of my teachers, I secured a decent county magistrate position, which happened to be in my hometown.

Thus, my fellow villagers finally reaped the rewards of my return; everyone got tax-exempt land, and many started businesses through me and lived quite comfortably. "

"Every time I returned, I was held in high esteem. Every household talked about how I changed their lives."

"Sounds like a good beginning."

"A good beginning often doesn’t lead to a good end.

" The other’s voice turned eerie, "Decades of nurturing, the bond we shared, the dedication I showed in return—I thought after all those years, even if one day they found out about my true identity, things wouldn’t change much.

After all...they treated me with sincerity, and I had always reciprocated wholeheartedly. "

"That seems like it turned into a tragedy." Chen Qing could almost foresee the ending.

"What else could it be?" The other laughed, "After my identity was exposed, my father was the first to be beaten to death. My two unmarried sisters, at such a young age, were tortured so horrendously just because the villagers wanted to know whether they shared my traits—you see...how terrifying human nature can be, don’t you? "

"At least your family should have stood by you." Chen Qing spoke up.

"I used to think so too," the other sneered, "until after I exhausted every method and risked my life to save my mother and one of my sisters. In the end, I died at their hands."

Chen Qing: "...."

"They loathed me deeply, beating my flesh to a pulp. No matter how much I begged or tried to explain, they wouldn’t listen...just wouldn’t listen..."

Wang Shiyu looked up at Chen Qing, "I’ve lived for so long, yet even now, I can remember the grotesque expressions on their faces as they tortured me, along with their venomous curses."

Both Chen Qing and the following Shen Qi fell silent at the other’s story.

"So what are you trying to say?" Chen Qing frowned.

"I’m not trying to say anything," the other smiled, "I’m just sharing a part of my experience. I know someone like you won’t easily change, and I didn’t expect my story to change anything about you.

I’m telling you this because I want you to understand that you might think you’re doing the right thing, but we aren’t wrong either! "

"You all..." Chen Qing looked into the distance, "does that include them as well?"

At the garden, it was clear that a group of people had gathered, each dressed differently. Some, like Wang Shiyu, wore black robes embroidered with moons, while others donned white robes with symbols of the sun embroidered on them.

There were a few others, not in any specific uniform, but they shared one trait—they all had some scales on their bodies and...a pair of distinctly snake-like eyes.

Shen Qi immediately became alert behind him. The group didn’t exude any aura, but his instincts told him they were dangerous...even more dangerous than Zi Yue!

Chen Qing also felt wary, but unlike Shen Qi’s instincts, he truly understood why this group was dangerous.

He also wondered...why were all these people coming together?

Weren’t they supposed to be competitors? Were they collectively aiming to deal with him now?

He wasn’t really afraid; even if the opponent was another mighty transmigrated player, the power they could use now wouldn’t exceed the Dragon King level, let alone in the current situation, no one could wield Extraordinary Power.

"King of Qin has finally arrived..." A woman’s voice came from the crowd, "We’ve been waiting for you for a long time."

"You were waiting specifically for me?" Chen Qing laughed, "So it is a move against me?"

"King of Qin worries too much," a deep male voice said indifferently, "We await you for a common cause. Whatever you plan to do, at this moment, you should also stand with us."

"Oh?" Chen Qing said curiously, "What exactly is it that makes you so certain I should join you?"

"The Black Empress...has died..." Wang Shiyu spoke.

"The Black Empress?" Chen Qing was startled, "Who?"

"The one from the Great Jin Palace!"

Chen Qing: "!!"