Chapter 486: Who Is the Real Villain

"Agree to what?" Qing didn't fully register the question for a moment.

The King of Wu hesitated but finally said, "Of course, you're agreeing to his conditions."

"What?" Qing's face instantly drained of color, and she stared blankly at her husband.

She had felt incredibly guilty and sorry towards her husband because Zu'an had tricked her into kissing him in the courtyard earlier. She never imagined that her husband would now tell her to go to another man.

Since the topic was out in the open, the King of Wu dropped all pretense: "Yuqing, you should know what this opportunity means to me, and what my rise to power means for your demon tribe."

Qing bit her lip tightly, remaining silent. Although she understood the reasoning, the thought of her husband pushing her toward another man for these reasons made her uncontrollably sad, as if all strength had drained from her body.

Seeing his wife's expression, the King of Wu felt a pang in his heart. However, he quickly firmed his resolve. As the saying goes, great achievements require disregard for minor details. Compared to the chance of becoming the Human Emperor, this small sacrifice was nothing.

He continued, "Besides, I have another major concern. From previous intelligence and your description, Zu'an is extremely cunning. Even if he reveals 'Phoenix Nirvana Scripture,' we won't be able to verify if the incantation is real or fake."

"He is indeed very sly," Qing said, agreeing wholeheartedly, remembering how Zu'an had initially pretended to be controlled and tricked her with a fake incantation.

"That's why you need to verify it," the King of Wu said, looking at his wife. "As far as I know, your demon tribe has a cultivation technique that allows you to sense the flow of vital energy within someone's body during intimacy. This way, even if they give you a false incantation, you can still obtain the real one. No one else has this ability."

Qing's face turned pale. The demon royal family indeed possessed such a technique, but she had never imagined she would have to use it.

The King of Wu's emotions were a complex mix at this moment. On one hand, he felt a sharp pain at the thought of his beautiful wife being defiled by another man. On the other, he felt an inexplicable excitement at the prospect of finally getting a chance to turn the tables and rise to power.

He wasn't even sure if his excitement stemmed solely from this matter.

Seeing his wife remain silent, the King of Wu tried a different persuasion tactic: "Yuqing, we've been married for many years now, haven't we?"

Qing murmured in affirmation, not understanding why he was bringing that up now.

The King of Wu continued, "I know you've always wanted a child, but there's something I've never told you. In my early years, to prove to my father that I was more worthy of the throne than my elder brother, I pushed myself relentlessly to improve my cultivation using all sorts of methods. As a result, I once suffered a cultivation deviation. Although I miraculously survived, my body was left with an irreversible hidden ailment."

"I know," Qing said, feeling a pang of heartache at the thought of his illness. "You haven't been well for years; you cough whenever the weather turns even slightly cold." She had sought out renowned doctors and even used some secret demon tribe techniques over the years, but it had been difficult to heal him.

"It's not just the cough," the King of Wu said, a difficult expression on his face, finally admitting, "I've actually lost my fertility. I won't be able to have children in this lifetime."

"What!" Qing's face instantly turned ashen, and she stared at her husband in shock.

"This matter is too significant. The imperial family would never choose an infertile prince to be the next emperor. So, I silenced everyone who knew. Now, only you know. You are my wife, and I trust you enough to tell you such a secret," the King of Wu said, quietly gazing at his wife's exquisite face.

Tears were already streaming down Qing's face as she took her husband's hand. "Husband, I don't care about any of that. We can adopt a child."

The thought of her husband bearing such a painful secret for so many years made her forget her earlier anger; her heart was filled with pity.

The King of Wu shook his head. "That won't work. It would expose my infertility, which would automatically disqualify me from imperial succession. I can never accept that. So, if we're to have a child, it must be you who carries it for ten months. Only then will no one suspect anything."

Qing was speechless.

"I had been wondering how to find an opportunity to tell you about this, and now, these two matters can be resolved together," the King of Wu said, as if a great weight had been lifted from his chest, instantly feeling lighter. "So, this time, you can not only help me contend for the throne and change the destiny of the demon tribe, but also 'borrow a seed' from him. It's truly killing three birds with one stone."

Qing's mind was in a turmoil, and she couldn't help but feel both shame and anger. "Can such a thing be described with those words?!"

The King of Wu sighed. "I know this is a great hardship for you, but there's truly no other way. Yuqing, I can't find any other solution. You must help me."

Qing immediately stood up, pulling her hand away from his, her face flushed crimson. "But how can I help with something like this?!"

The King of Wu asked, somewhat puzzled, "As far as I know, your demon tribe's customs are much more open than those of humans. Why is this so difficult for you to accept?"

"Not all demons are like that!" Qing stomped her foot and turned to leave.

"Cough, cough..." At that moment, a violent coughing fit erupted behind her. She looked back to see the King of Wu's face flushed red from coughing, then he suddenly vomited a mouthful of fresh blood.

"Husband!" Qing immediately rushed to his side, forgetting everything else, to check on him.

After a long time, the King of Wu finally caught his breath. "It's nothing. I know this puts you in a difficult position. Forget it. I'll just be a carefree prince and protect as many of your people as I can. And later, we can find an opportunity to adopt a child. After all, there's no need to contend for the throne, so let them laugh if they want to."

Hearing his bitter tone, Qing couldn't help but bite her lip. After all these years, how could she not know that the throne was her husband's sole pursuit and motivation? All his preparations and schemes over the years had been for the throne; even his chronic illness was a result of his efforts to secure it. Forcing him to give up now would be like destroying his life's hope.

Furthermore, her husband had always valued his reputation. If adopting a child exposed his infertility, it would likely be more painful for him than death.

In the future, she certainly wouldn't bear to see him suffer like this. She would most likely find a man to have a child as he wished anyway. If that were the case, she might as well seize this opportunity to obtain the 'Phoenix Nirvana Scripture' from Zu'an while also sacrificing herself for the future of the demon tribe...

"Husband, please don't be angry. I'll agree to it," Qing said, her starlike eyes welling up with tears, as if they might fall at any moment.

"Really?!" The King of Wu was overjoyed. "Thank you, Yuqing!"

Qing took a step back, refusing his embrace. At that moment, her husband felt somewhat like a stranger to her.

After a while, she finally calmed down and began to discuss the concrete plan. "But there's still a problem. In such a short time, I might not... I might not get pregnant."

The thought that if she didn't conceive this time, she'd have to find another man to 'borrow from' next time, almost drove her mad.

"It's alright, I've already thought it through," the King of Wu said. "Tomorrow, I'll find a way to occupy King Liang and Liu Yao for the night. You should spend as much time as possible with Zu'an... *cough, cough*. Anyway, the 'Phoenix Nirvana Scripture' is undoubtedly vast, and you might not be able to fully comprehend it in one session."

For some reason, thinking about the various scenarios that might unfold tomorrow filled him with both anger and heartache, yet also left him dry-mouthed and feeling an intense swelling throughout his body.

Qing was speechless.

She hadn't expected her husband to have already devised such a detailed plan, and a chill instantly settled in her heart.