Qi Mingxuan originally intended to resolve the matter before Li Shu noticed anything unusual. But now that Li Shu had already picked up on the clues, the original plan was definitely not feasible anymore. Since Zi Shu wanted to know, then let him know the truth.
With him watching, he wouldn’t let Zi Shu get into such a predicament.
“Everything you want to know is in here,” Qi Mingxuan took out the sealed letter and warned, “Zi Shu, promise me that after reading the contents, you won’t make any decisions on your own. You can discuss anything with me.”
It seemed that Li Cheng’s identity was very problematic. Li Shu took the sealed letter, unfolded it, quickly read through it, folded it back neatly, and returned it to Qi Mingxuan.
The content of the letter was not much, but it contained a lot of information. Li Shu closed his eyes for a moment. He didn’t expect Li Cheng to have such a background. No wonder Qi Mingxuan hesitated and refused to tell him right away.
“Your Majesty, am I really “Li Cheng’s” biological child?” Since ‘Li Cheng’ is not the real Li Cheng, then was the original owner the biological child of the real Li Cheng or just an impostor’s child?
Looking at “Li Cheng’s” attitude towards the original owner, it was really hard for Li Shu not to be suspicious.
Qi Mingxuan was not surprised that Li Shu would ask this question. He walked over to Li Shu, put his hand on his shoulder and nodded gently. Li Shu immediately understood. The original owner is the biological child of the ‘Li Cheng’ who was in prison.
“Zi Shu,” Qi Mingxuan called softly, his voice gentle and soothing.
Li Shu looked up and met a pair of affectionate black eyes. Qi Mingxuan’s eyes were narrow and sharp, giving off a dangerous vibe. But every time he looked at Li Shu, the owner of these eyes would carefully hide the sharpness, like a big cat that would carefully retract all its claws in front of its owner, revealing a gentle and harmless side.
Li Shu was slightly dazed. He heard the man’s deep, gentle voice in his ears, “Zi Shu, don’t worry. I won’t let this matter affect you. Don’t be afraid.”
Hearing Qi Mingxuan’s comforting words, Li Shu realized that the root of Qi Mingxuan’s hesitation was here. He was afraid that if the true identity of ‘Li Cheng’ was exposed, he would be harmed, so he wanted to suppress this matter on his own.
A faint warmth surged into Li Shu’s heart. He took the initiative to hold the man’s hand that was resting on his shoulder, his eyes also filled with warmth.
“Your Majesty, you don’t need to worry about me. I have already severed the father-son relationship with ‘Li Cheng’. Whatever his identity is, whatever he has done, I won’t let it bother me, nor will I sacrifice my life for him.”
Qi Mingxuan reached back to grasp that hand, then wrapped it with his other hand, holding it close to his chest. The tension in his brows gradually eased. “It’s best if you think like this.”
After hearing Li Shu’s words, Qi Mingxuan’s hanging heart finally relaxed. Li Shu always kept his word. Since he said he wouldn’t sacrifice himself for ‘Li Cheng’, as long as he acted cautiously, the situation he had worried about before wouldn’t happen.
“Then… Your Majesty, did you find out anything?” Li Shu asked.
Qi Mingxuan shook his head with a serious expression. “This person, ‘Li Cheng,’ is very stubborn. I’ve tried several methods, but couldn’t get anything out of him.”
Li Shu already expected this outcome. ‘Li Cheng’ could become the prime minister of Great Zhou with the identity of a spy. He had wielded power for many years without revealing any flaws. It showed how cautious and careful he was. If it weren’t for accidentally obtaining that booklet, it’s likely that ‘Li Cheng’s’ true identity would never have been exposed.
In the original plot, it was never mentioned that ‘Li Cheng’ was a spy. But by the end, the entire Left Prime Minister’s Mansion was gone, and ‘Li Cheng’s’ true identity was buried with it.
“Your Majesty, I want to see him.” Li Shu rubbed his fingers together, a flicker of light flashing in his eyes. There happened to be a small bottle of Truth-Telling Pills among the mission rewards. According to the system, just one pill could make anyone below the Golden Core stage speak the truth. It was definitely more than enough to deal with a mere mortal.
Xiqiong has always been a major threat to Great Zhou. A powerful minister was a Xiqiong spy. Even if he only communicated with Xiqiong once every six months, the vast network of relationships he had laid out behind him was enough to make one’s scalp tingle.
Wouldn’t it be a pity to let such a big fish go by accident?
Li Shu narrowed his eyes. It just so happened that there were some things he wanted to ask ‘Li Cheng’ about.
Qi Mingxuan’s voice was solemn. “I’ll go with you.”
In order to extract something from ‘Li Cheng’, Qi Mingxuan had used several methods of torture. The current ‘Li Cheng’ didn’t look good at all. The dungeon was deep and dark, and combined with Qi Mingxuan’s fear that ‘Li Cheng’ might say something to upset Li Shu, he couldn’t rest easy letting Li Shu go alone.
Putting aside what he was doing, he held Li Shu’s hand and left the study.
Both of them were wearing wide-sleeved robes, and walking side by side, it was impossible to tell that their hands inside their sleeves were clasped together.
‘Li Cheng’ was a special prisoner, held in solitary confinement. The guards were also Qi Mingxuan’s trusted subordinates. If anyone else wanted to see him, it would probably be impossible.
But Li Shu was different. With the Emperor personally leading the way, who would dare to stop them?
The location of the confinement was very secretive. Qi Mingxuan led the way down a long staircase, explaining, “There was an attempted prison break a few days ago, so the person was moved.”
Li Shu: “Were those people caught?”
“No,” Qi Mingxuan’s expression darkened as he mentioned this. “Those people are strange. They seem unafraid of pain. It was as if they don’t feel. We managed to keep one of them, but…”
Thinking back to that scene, Qi Mingxuan felt a chill in his heart. He had requested to keep one of them alive, hoping to get some information out of them. But when he removed the mask, what appeared was a face with a bluish-gray complexion, covered in dark lines. In the darkness, it wasn’t clear, but under the candlelight, he discovered that the person’s face was crawling with dark lines, densely spreading from the top of the head down to the collar.
He nodded at An Yu, who then stepped forward and pulled the person’s collar opem. As expected, the skin under the black clothes was the same bluish-gray color, covered with black lines.
“The black lines seem alive, with something slowly moving inside them. The person has been unconscious the whole time, and still hasn’t woken up. And… the person’s breathing is extremely light, you can only feel it when you get close.”
“I locked him up next to ‘Li Cheng’ and didn’t dare to do anything else. If you’re curious, you can go take a look.”
That person’s condition was indeed strange. In all these years, he had never seen such a thing. He locked the man in a secret prison and did not dare to move rashly.
“Alright.” Li Shu’s curiosity was piqued. According to Qi Mingxuan’s description, the person’s condition was very similar to something he had seen in his previous world. He would have to see the person to get a better idea.
The dungeon didn’t have any regular jailers. The guards were all from the Secret Guards Camp. There were too many secrets involved here, so it wasn’t suitable for outsiders to enter.
Although it was called a dungeon, it was more like a secret room. Surrounded by stone walls, deep underground, devoid of light. Torches were placed every five steps on the walls, burning with bright yellow flames, dispelling the darkness and bringing the only light.
After walking down the winding stone steps for about twenty minutes, a black prison door appeared in front of them.
The secret guards stepped forward to salute and opened the prison door.
Qi Mingxuan never hid anything in front of these people. He took Li Shu’s hand and they entered the cell where ‘Li Cheng’ was detained.
A long black chain hung down from the high wall, fixing the person’s movements within the dungeon. ‘Li Cheng’ had shackles on his feet and hands, sitting by the wall with his head bowed.
When he heard the sound of the door opening, he flinched slightly and slowly lifted his head.
The torture the past few days had completely worn away the traces of his former pampered life. His unkempt hair covered most of his face. Tilting his head, he asked hesitantly, “Qi Mingxuan?”
His throat was already hoarse from screaming, and his voice sounded like gears rubbing against each other. Qi Mingxuan frowned uncomfortably.
“What happened to him?” Qi Mingxuan asked. He remembered that when he came a few days ago, ‘Li Cheng’ didn’t look as mentally lost as he did now. Especially because he was going to bring Li Shu over, he had specifically instructed someone to clean up this place in advance.
“Reporting to Your Majesty, this person rambled crazily all night yesterday, fell into a deep sleep for a while, and when he woke up, he became like this,” the guard replied.
Qi Mingxuan’s frown deepened and he pursed his lips tightly. If “Li Cheng” went crazy because he couldn’t bear the torture, the clues would be completely broken.
The dark web spread underground, the strange and mysterious rescuers, and the enemies with an unknown number of hidden hands… All of this made him have to take ‘Li Cheng’ seriously.
This was a significant breakthrough, the only breakthrough.
“Your Majesty, let me go take a look.” Li Shu whispered. Qi Mingxuan was still holding his hand, and when Li Shu said this, he wanted Qi Mingxuan to let go of his hand first.
Unexpectedly, Qi Mingxuan not only didn’t let go, but also slightly increased the strength of his grip.
Li Shu struggled, but couldn’t break free. He turned his head in confusion and saw Qi Mingxuan looking at him with a serious expression.
Li Shu: ???
Their movements were a bit too much. The secret guards all kept their heads down, not daring to look at them. Only ‘Li Cheng’, whether he was truly foolish or pretending, stared straight at the two of them.
“Hahaha!”
Suddenly, ‘Li Cheng’ burst into laughter. His voice was hoarse, making it impossible to tell if he was laughing or shouting.
Before anyone could reprimand him, he slowly stopped after laughing for awhile and looked up again, the confusion in his eyes completely gone.
“Li Shu, you are truly my good son!” By now, how could he not understand? He suddenly fell into trouble, and it was all because of this good son of his!
“Look at you now, you’re truly capable. You collaborate with outsiders to destroy your own biological father. You ruined a good family. Tell me, what benefits do you get from destroying the Li family?!”
“Without the Li family, do you think you’re really free from constraints? Let me tell you, you can’t escape! You’re my biological son, you’ll never be able to rid yourself of the mark I left on you for your whole life!”
The malice in ‘Li Cheng’s’ voice was almost overflowing. He said this on purpose. His identity was no longer a secret. Qi Mingxuan was so ruthless towards him, why should Li Shu, who shared half of his blood, be able to escape alone?
“Shut up!” The veins bulged on Qi Mingxuan’s forehead as he angrily rebuked. He couldn’t understand why Li Shu was treated like this by ‘Li Cheng’ from childhood to adulthood.
If Li Shu was the real Li Cheng’s child, Qi Mingxuan could understand it to some extent, after all, they weren’t related by blood. But that wasn’t the case. Li Shu was indeed ‘Li Cheng’s’ biological child. The late Emperor didn’t like him because of the Mu family’s affairs. But what about Li Shu?
“Hahaha, Qi Mingxuan, you can’t stand me speaking ill of him. He’s my son, I can say whatever I want. Li Shu, after not seeing you for a few days, you’ve become even more capable. Let me guess, what have you used to captivate our wise and mighty Emperor?”
“Your face? This face is inherited from your mother, indeed, it can make men go crazy. Your Majesty, how does it feel to have my son? Do you know, he has half of Xiqiong blood in him. You all think I’m dirty, then what about Li Shu, who shares the same blood as me? Do you think he’s dirty?”
‘Li Cheng’s’ words were extremely vicious, as if Li Shu was not his child, but an enemy of irreconcilable hatred. He stared at Li Shu with malicious eyes, a nervous smile on his face. Although he was smiling, it sent shivers down one’s spine.
“Calm down, Your Majesty.” Li Shu grabbed Qi Mingxuan’s arm. He could feel the anger emanating from the man. He was gritting his teeth and the muscles in his arms were tense.
Li Shu had no doubt that if he let go, Qi Mingxuan would definitely rush forward and grab the person speaking by the neck.
Perhaps this was what ‘Li Cheng’ had in mind. Here, his every move was monitored. Even suicide became a luxury. Only by provoking Qi Mingxuan at this time, preferably making Qi Mingxuan kill him in a fit of rage, could his plan succeed.
Watching Qi Mingxuan gradually regain his composure under Li Shu’s soothing, ‘Li Cheng’ sighed almost imperceptibly. He had underestimated his son Li Shu. Even when faced with such hurtful words, he remained unfazed. He was really tolerant.
But he didn’t know, Li Shu wasn’t enduring, he simply didn’t care about what he said. He wasn’t like Qi Mingxuan, who couldn’t bear to hear any bad words about him.
Qi Mingxuan wasn’t stupid. When his anger subsided, it was easy to guess the true intention behind ‘Li Cheng’s’ words. Even so, he couldn’t tolerate it. Turning to look at Li Shu and seeing his calm face and eyes despite the turmoil caused by these words, Qi Mingxuan finally let go of his worries.
He pinched Li Shu’s fingertips, then let go of his hand. Without warning, he stepped forward and delivered a powerful punch to ‘Li Cheng’s’ face.
The punch was very strong, and ‘Li Cheng’ was knocked to one side, bright red blood flowing from his mouth.
“You don’t deserve to be Zi Shu’s father!”
‘Li Cheng’ casually wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth and smiled, “So what if I don’t deserve it? Whether I am or not won’t change the blood relationship between him and me because of your words. Qi Mingxuan, Qi Mingxuan, the Great Zhou war god who has made my Xiqiong afraid for so many years, the cold-blooded general who killed so many soldiers of my Xiqiong, who would have thought that one day, he would fall because of a half-Xiqiong person.”
No longer resisting, ‘Li Cheng’ resumed his former demeanor. Even after being tortured in the dungeon for so long, he remained calm and composed as if nothing had happened.
“Don’t compare Zi Shu with you. In my eyes, Zi Shu is Zi Shu, and that won’t change because of who his father is or what kind of blood runs through his veins.”
When saying this, Qi Mingxuan’s tone was serious, indicating that this wasn’t just for ‘Li Cheng’ to hear, but his genuine thoughts.
Li Shu’s hand hidden in his sleeve moved slightly, and a delicate jade bottle the size of a thumb appeared in his hand. Inside it was the Truth-Telling Pill given by the system.
He took a step forward, interrupting ‘Li Cheng’ who was about to speak, “Father, this is the last time I address you like this. From now on, there will be no relationship between you and me.”
As if touched by this statement, ‘Li Cheng’s’ face showed a faint hint of nostalgia, and his tone was no longer as cold as before. “Zi Shu, have you ever thought about the deep love between you and the Emperor of Great Zhou? Yes, he doesn’t care that I am your father, or that you have half of Xiqiong blood in you. But what will you do if one day, the affection between you two fades or disappears completely?”
“People are truly fickle.”
Qi Mingxuan’s sharp eyes shot towards “Li Cheng”. He had heard these words before and couldn’t help but wonder why everyone doubted his and Zi Shu’s future. Did he really seem so unreliable?
“My affairs don’t concern you. I’ve chosen my own path and I’m prepared to bear all the consequences,” Li Shu’s voice was calm, he was looking for an opportunity to feed the Truth-Telling Pill to “Li Cheng”, but he was suddenly interrupted by Qi Mingxuan.
“That day will never come!”
“Is that so?” “Li Cheng” neither confirmed nor denied. He said this not because he truly worried about their relationship, but merely to plant a seed of doubt in their hearts.
Once the seed of doubt was planted, it was only a matter of time before it took root and sprouted.
“Your Majesty, I have some questions to ask,” Li Shu said, glancing at the two secret guards who had been guarding them all along.
Qi Mingxuan understood and waved his hand to signal the two guards to leave.
“Does Your Majesty trust me?” Li Shu stared into Qi Mingxuan’s eyes.
“How could I not trust you, Zi Shu?”
Upon hearing the answer, Li Shu smiled faintly. He took out the white jade bottle he had been holding in his hand in front of Qi Mingxuan, poured out a pill from it, and discreetly flicked it into “Li Cheng’s” mouth while he wasn’t paying attention.
“What’s this?” Qi Mingxuan asked in surprise.
“A Truth-Telling Pill, it’s just a little something. I don’t know how effective it is. Your Majesty wanted to extract information about Xiqiong from him, right? You can try asking him anything you want,” Li Shu replied.
Qi Mingxuan was too surprised to speak. He knew the young man was highly skilled in medicine, but he never expected him to produce a pill with such effects.
“Li Cheng” also widened his eyes in disbelief. The pill melted in his mouth instantly, leaving him no time to react.
Even if Li Shu’s words sounded absurd, Qi Mingxuan believed them. He asked a few simple questions first, and “Li Cheng” answered each one accurately, without any deviation from the information Qi Mingxuan had obtained through other means.
Nodding solemnly at Li Shu, Qi Mingxuan continued to inquire. What shocked him was that the information he couldn’t extract even with severe torture came out so easily.
Li Shu was also slightly surprised by the potency of the pill.
1314 chuckled: [Produced by the system, it must be a top-quality product.]
Compared to their surprise, “Li Cheng” was only filled with horror. The secrets he had sworn to keep for a lifetime spilled out of his mouth uncontrollably. He wanted to shut up, but he found that he had lost control of his own body.
It was aa if his soul had drifted away, watching from above. His words and actions contradicted his will. In anger, he spat a mouthful of blood directly from his mouth.
Even so, all of Xiqiong’s plans, the people planted in Great Zhou, his mission… everything poured out of him, and no secrets were left unsaid.
The questioning continued for half an hour. As Qi Mingxuan learned more, his brows furrowed tighter, and his heart grew colder with each passing moment. He couldn’t imagine what Great Zhou would be like ten or twenty years later if he hadn’t accidentally discovered “Li Cheng’s” true identity and hadn’t been able to extract this information with the Truth-Telling Pill.
They were still complacent about Xiqiong’s withdrawal from the border, but they didn’t know that someone had already infiltrated their home.
After asking all the questions, “Li Cheng” slumped halfway to the ground, looking depressed.
“Your Majesty, let’s go,” Li Shu stood up and straightened his robes. He had been standing by all along, waiting for Qi Mingxuan to finish asking all the questions before speaking.
“Oh, okay,” Qi Mingxuan turned away from the various thoughts on his mind. Suddenly, he paused mid-step. “Wait, I have one more question.”
He walked over to “Li Cheng,” crouched down, and asked a question that no one had expected.
Li Shu’s heart trembled for a moment, and a hint of a smile slowly emerged in his eyes, just like the first thaw of winter snow, the glaciers melted, and a beautiful flower bloomed on the ice field.
Qi Mingxuan’s question was, “Why have you treated Zi Shu like this over the years?”
Things that Li Shu didn’t care about himself, Qi Mingxuan cared about for him. He felt angry on his behalf, and it was the same this time.
He thought Li Shu had come to see “Li Cheng” to find out about his own situation, but unexpectedly, it was to help him solve his difficulties.
The answer from “Li Cheng” was both unexpected and expected, summed up in just one sentence.
“Because Li Shu has half of Great Zhou’s blood.”
Such a ridiculous reason, Li Shu covered his eyes to relieve the sudden sourness. This was the answer the original owner had waited a lifetime for, and it was truly ridiculous.
“Zi Shu?” Seeing Li Shu show such a expression for the first time, Qi Mingxuan became extremely worried. He put his hand on the young man’s shoulder and slowly pulled him into an embrace. “Zi Shu, I will always be by your side.” So, don’t shed tears for someone who doesn’t love you. It’s not worth it, and I’ll be heartbroken.
This embrace was too warm. Li Shu slowly tightened his hold on the man embracing him. His only thought was to let himself indulge for a moment, just a short while.
After all, it was the original owner’s emotions, they came and went quickly. By the time the two arrived at the adjacent prison cell, Li Shu’s emotions had completely calmed down.
The prison cell was very empty, with only a stone bed inside, and a person bound hand and foot.
Qi Mingxuan had already asked “Li Cheng” for the answer. This person was Xiqiong’s newly developed secret weapon. The reason for his fierce appearance was because he was still a prototype. The real finished product had not yet been developed. If it weren’t for saving “Li Cheng,” they wouldn’t have taken the risk of releasing him.
The true finished product was invulnerable to swords and spears, and carried poison resistance. Xiqiong was preparing to cultivate them on a large scale and deploy them on the battlefield. When such a humanoid weapon reaches the battlefield, how could ordinary soldiers resist it?
Li Shu circled the bed and said, “Since it’s nurtured by drugs, there must be a way to restrain it.”
In his original world, he had also seen such “people.” They were called “poisoned people” and were refined from living individuals through various poisons. Those without consciousness, like this one, were the lowest level of “poisoned people.”
It wasn’t difficult to refine these “poisoned people.” There were two main factors: the person being refined must be alive during the refining process, and the other was the medicinal materials used. The proportions of various medicinal materials had to be carefully controlled. In the world he came from, there was a sect that was very skilled in this art. He had dealt with them before and had a superficial understanding of this craft.
To cultivate such “poisoned people” on a large scale, aside from the failures and defective products, the sheer number of people needed is an extremely large figure. Where do these people come from? It was not enough to rely solely on Xiqiong people, so they turned their attention to surrounding nations.
They frequently launched wars and took advantage of the wars to kidnap a large number of people. In addition to this, they also sent people disguised as merchants to various countries to traffic human beings. “Li Cheng” had sent tens of thousands of people to Xiqiong over the years.
Qi Mingxuan was worrying about this matter when he suddenly heard Li Shu’s words, which were like a sudden enlightenment. He had almost forgotten that the young man also had excellent medical skills.
“What do you think, Zi Shu?” The two of them walked up the stone steps, leaving the darkness behind and heading toward the light.
“We could start by letting the Imperial Hospital give it a try. If that doesn’t work, we can find a reason to gather all the doctors from around the world to the capital for joint research. However, until results are achieved, everything must be kept secret from the outside world.”
“Then Zi Shu, will you help me?” Always stay by my side.
“Of course.”
Looking at the young man with the warm sunlight reflected in his eyes, Qi Mingxuan felt a strong urge to kiss him.
