Chapter 564: The Game Within the Game

Ji Lin felt a sense of panic as she witnessed the Imperial Preceptor's actions and became aware of a strange change in her own body.

"What in the world is this...?" Ji Lin blurted out, then froze. Her voice was no longer that of a man; it had become a delicate woman's voice. More changes rapidly followed. Her facial features softened, her Adam's apple gradually receded, and she ultimately transformed completely into a woman.

As the grim-faced Huangfu Tiangang walked out, Li Huowang, clutching his head, stopped him. "Imperial Preceptor, don't panic! There's still a way to fix this! The root of the Great Liang Dragon Vein hasn't been severed yet!"

"You young fool, you have no idea what's happening! This isn't just about the Dragon Vein! Humph! You understand nothing!" Huangfu Tiangang suppressed his fury and strode quickly out of the hall.

Just as Li Huowang was about to speak, he paused, his thoughts sluggish, and looked at Zhuge Yuan. "Brother Zhuge, what was the method you just mentioned?"

Zhuge Yuan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then slowly opened them again.

"Great Qi! We can use the Great Qi royal bloodline to connect with the Great Liang Dragon Vein. That way, the Dragon Vein will be reconnected."

"Brother Zhuge, what nonsense are you talking about? Where is there any Great Qi bloodline now? Have you forgotten? I beheaded the last emperor of Great Qi myself!"

"He can't die! Back then, the Great Qi Empress Dowager, to ensure her son's ascension, even defied heaven and fate, refining him into a Hundred Souls Transforming Body. He's not easily killed! The Great Qi Emperor has now been sent to Great Liang by you. As long as we find him and connect him to the Great Liang Dragon Vein, we can break the Dice's scheme!"

"Really?! That's wonderful!"

Li Huowang, still clutching his head, was about to chase after the Imperial Preceptor when he gradually slowed his pace. "Brother Zhuge... did you know about the Dice's scheme all along?"

"Brother Li, let's discuss these matters later. Hurry and tell the Great Liang Imperial Preceptor about this!"

However, Li Huowang did not pursue him. Instead, he continued, "Brother Zhuge, in Great Liang, is it really that urgent to find the Imperial Preceptor? Or are you changing the subject? You know, I've always felt something was off, but I kept telling myself I was overthinking things."

"How could I suspect you? I'm just too paranoid. Zhuge Yuan, what a great person you are, we're sworn brothers!"

"But ever since I accepted Hong Zhong's memories, the suspicious details have multiplied in my mind. For example, you told me to go to Shangji Guankou in Great Qi, and coincidentally, I ran into the Great Qi Emperor there? And then I just happened to send him to Great Liang?"

"And then, by sheer coincidence, the Dice's scheme aims to sever Great Liang's root, and the Great Qi Emperor just happens to be the one who can reconnect it? How can it all be so coincidental? It's as if it was all designed!"

Hearing Li Huowang's words, Zhuge Yuan sighed. "You're right, I saw through the Dice's trick long ago."

"Then why didn't you stop it? Even if you had just given me a hint, there were eight other contenders for the throne back then! If even two or three had survived, things wouldn't have come to this!"

"Because I wanted to save Great Qi!" Zhuge Yuan roared at Li Huowang for the first time.

His lips trembling slightly, he said, "Do you know how many living people there are in Great Qi? Do you know how many would die if Great Qi were completely destroyed? Just imagine that little girl who cried herself hoarse clinging to your clothes—those are all real, living people!"

"You have friends, people you care about. Do you think I don't have them in Great Qi? Yes! I did all of this! When I said I left a letter for a friend, I meant Xu Nian! She is my friend!"

"She is my confidante. I also had her lead the Great Qi Emperor to you. She acted out this play with you, ultimately finding a way to send the Great Qi Emperor to Great Liang. The Dice's scheme had just been set, and that young emperor could coincidentally break the Dice's scheme and simultaneously save Great Qi."

"Don't worry, even if the Great Qi Emperor connects to the Great Liang Dragon Vein, it won't harm Great Liang in the slightest. Because Great Qi is on the verge of collapse now, I just wanted to give the remaining people of Great Qi a way out..." Zhuge Yuan's voice grew softer and softer, becoming almost inaudible by the end.

After a moment, Li Huowang chuckled, a profoundly bitter laugh. "Why? Why didn't you just tell me directly? Why did it have to be this way? Even if you had told me straight out, would I have objected? I would have risked my life to help you! In this world, I haven't trusted anyone a hundred percent, except you, Zhuge Yuan! I genuinely considered you a friend!"

Zhuge Yuan remained silent, standing there quietly.

However, Li Huowang guessed the answer. He walked step by step towards Zhuge Yuan, his eyes bloodshot, and yelled, "Is it because you suspected I was Hong Zhong? Or did you think I was crazy? You didn't reveal a single word; you simply didn't trust me, did you?"

"Yes."

That single word struck Li Huowang's chest like a heavy hammer. The pain in his heart quickly transformed into intense anger. "I am crazy! I am Hong Zhong! What about you? Maybe you're not even Zhuge Yuan! Maybe you're just an illusion!"

As these words left his mouth, Zhuge Yuan's body began to flicker in and out of view. In contrast to his flickering form, Zhuge Yuan's gaze became increasingly firm. "What if I am the real Zhuge Yuan? What if I am a false Zhuge Yuan? Though poor, one's will remains strong; never abandoning the ambition of ascending to the clouds!"

Li Huowang gritted his teeth, waving his hand and pointing at Zhuge Yuan's face. "Stop spouting literary nonsense at me! I don't understand it! I'm telling you! I've put up with you for too long!"

"Brother Li!" Zhuge Yuan stepped forward, looking at Li Huowang's face with utmost seriousness. "Brother Li, does it truly matter who we are? What if I am an illusion? What if you are Hong Zhong? What matters is our true heart!"

"True heart... ha ha... true heart..." Li Huowang chuckled bitterly, shaking his head, and stumbled backward, colliding with a massive dragon-coiled pillar behind him.

After a moment of silence, he looked at Zhuge Yuan again, asking with a numb voice, "Brother Zhuge, since you suspected I was Hong Zhong, what if I actually am? Do you truly believe that I, a Hong Zhong of the Zuowang Dao, would help you disrupt the Dice's plan?"

As he spoke, the Zhuge Spinal Bone Sword on Li Huowang's back moved on its own. It suddenly tore off the purple talisman from his head, lunged to the ground, and used its bony fingers to carve words three parts deep into the floor tiles. A brief moment later, the Spinal Bone Sword slammed its single hand forcefully onto the carved words. The inscribed characters peeled off the ground and swiftly chased after the direction the Great Liang Imperial Preceptor had departed, leaving faint afterimages.