Chapter 88: Zu Zong's Obsession
"Take a look at this," Zu Zong said, pointing to his eyes.
As he spoke, he briefly closed his eyes. When they reopened, they had turned blood-red, with three tomoe rotating counterclockwise within each pupil.
Dian Qing, puzzled, instinctively looked into Zu Zong's eyes. Their gazes met.
"Genjutsu—Sharingan."
The moment Zu Zong activated the technique, Dian Qing's mind was flooded with a stream of foreign memories.
From Wei Yong using his daughter Wei Qianqian and their child to threaten Xuanjian into eliminating political enemies, to the murder of Dian Qing's master, and secret dealings with Yanri—Zu Zong transmitted everything from his past-life memories directly into Dian Qing's consciousness.
In the illusion, Dian Qing felt as if he had lived through days and nights. But in reality, only a second had passed.
"What… was that?" Dian Qing exclaimed. Everything he had seen in the illusion was terrifying. He never imagined that the seemingly loyal and powerful Grand Minister of Works of Wei was actually a treacherous schemer. All because Xuanjian had fallen in love with Wei Qianqian, Wei Yong coerced him into assassinating political opponents.
Zu Zong gave a slight smile. "Whether it's true or not—you'll have to judge for yourself."
Meanwhile, Wei Yong could no longer contain himself. Although Zu Zong hadn't directly exposed him as the culprit, Dian Qing's reaction clearly showed that he had learned something.
Wei Yong growled through clenched teeth, "Archers, fire! Kill these traitors!"
With his command, a volley of arrows was unleashed from the city wall, raining down toward Zu Zong, Wei Qianqian, and Xuanjian.
Wei Qianqian instinctively shielded the injured Xuanjian. Zu Zong couldn't help but sigh—this was real love.
He slowly raised his right hand. "Blue Silver Emperor—Release."
In an instant, a deep-blue light surged forth. A cluster of Blue Silver Emperor vines grew from his palm, each leaf thick as a child's arm and covered with strange markings.
A milky-white light flowed from Zu Zong's body. Stimulated by it, the Blue Silver Emperor vines rapidly expanded. In a blink, they thickened to the width of a bowl, like massive tendrils covered in black scales. The glowing markings shimmered faintly, coiling around him like dozens of serpents.
Within seconds, Zu Zong, Xuanjian, and Wei Qianqian were tightly protected. As for Dian Qing—he had his own defensive techniques, and Zu Zong didn't bother with him. Who knew if the guy might suddenly attack?
The arrow rain slammed into the Blue Silver Emperor barrier. Sparks flew where the arrows struck the black scales. The shafts snapped, splintered, or bounced off entirely. Not a single one broke through.
Zu Zong turned to Xuanjian and Wei Qianqian. "Let me take you out of Wei."
"Then we'll be forever in your debt," Xuanjian nodded. The power Zu Zong displayed was beyond anything he had imagined.
Wei Qianqian, however, looked worried. She glanced at Xuanjian. "But… our child…"
"That's easy. I'll finish what I started."
Before he finished speaking, Zu Zong used instant movement to appear directly in front of Wei Yong. Before the man could react, he punched him in the gut and knocked him down, then dragged him back and threw him at Wei Qianqian's feet.
The surrounding soldiers looked on in complete shock—none of them dared move.
Wei Yong clutched his stomach, retching violently, then knelt on the ground and pleaded, "Qianqian, my daughter—save me!"
Zu Zong gave him a sidelong glance. Truly shameless. He raised his foot and kicked Wei Yong hard in the rear. "Cut the nonsense. Speak. Where did you take the child?"
Wei Yong narrowed his eyes. At first, he thought Zu Zong wanted to kill him. But now it seemed he was after the child instead. That was a much better situation. A man like him—so long as he had bargaining chips, everything could be negotiated.
Wei Yong said, "Only if you agree to one condition—"
Zu Zong kicked him again. This old man was rotten to the core—nothing good could come from listening to him. And with the one-hour limit already a third used up, Zu Zong had no time to waste.
He had initially intended to spare him, but now, forget it.
Without hesitation, he grabbed Wei Yong like a chick, lifted him up, and stared him in the face.
He activated the Sharingan and locked eyes.
Wei Yong immediately fell into a genjutsu.
Zu Zong said calmly, "Speak. Where is the child?"
Wei Yong's eyes were vacant, his face expressionless as he replied, "The child is…"
Zu Zong then turned to Dian Qing. "Brother Dian Qing, I'm taking them to rescue the child. If you have any questions, ask this old bastard yourself. The illusion will break on its own in half an hour."
Dian Qing nodded, clasping his fists. "Thank you—"
Even as he spoke, soul power gathered beneath Zu Zong's feet. Carrying the injured Xuanjian and Wei Qianqian, he sped toward the place where the child was hidden. As for Wei Yong—he would eventually be killed by Wei Wuji anyway. Whether he died sooner or later made no difference.
More than ten minutes later, by the lakeside where, in the original story, Xuanjian and Wei Qianqian had fallen in love—
Seeing Wei Qianqian, Xuanjian, and their rescued child reunited as a happy family, Zu Zong's face beneath the mask curved into a knowing smile. Perhaps this counted as making up for one of his greatest regrets from his previous life.
Next, he channeled soul power into his palm. A Blue Silver Emperor vine shot from his right hand, diving into the lake to retrieve the Black Sword. With a flick of his hand, the White Sword stored in his system space also appeared.
Looking at the twin black and white blades in his hands, he gave them a few casual swings. Even someone as composed as Zu Zong had to admit—these were truly fine swords.
"What will you do from here?" Zu Zong asked Xuanjian and Wei Qianqian.
Xuanjian looked at Wei Qianqian. Having survived disaster and now reunited with his family, he had no further ambitions. "I want to take Qianqian and our child, hide our identities, and live as ordinary people."
Wei Qianqian nodded in agreement. "Wherever my husband goes, I will go."
"If Luowang comes after you, what then?" Zu Zong shook his head. With Luowang's reach, they could easily track the couple down. That would mean his rescue was in vain. Zu Zong knew all too well how ruthless that organization could be.
"This…" Xuanjian's face stiffened. He knew the organization well—he himself had once been its Number One Heaven-ranked assassin. If they found him, he might survive, but Wei Qianqian and the child would likely not escape alive.
Zu Zong's eyes shifted. There was one place absolutely safe for now—Guiguzi's residence in Mount Yunmeng. They could even meet the young master and second uncle, who should still be studying at Ghost Valley. But it would likely take some persuasion.
"I have a good place in mind," Zu Zong said. "I can take you there."
[End of Chapter]
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