Chapter Thirty-One: Secrecy!

  What was thought to be a secret known to no one had actually been discovered by Mo Gong Zhu, leaving Qin Zheng with a rather cold feeling.

  "Wouldn't you think that I'm pretending to know nothing, even deceiving my own father, feeling a bit annoyed, a bit unwell, and a bit resentful, and even thinking that I'm too sinister?" Princess Mo leaned against the railing of the long chair with her hand supporting her head.

  "Hmm..."

  The negative emotions of Qin Zheng's policy have just surged out.

  "You think I don't have it?" Qin Zheng didn't even look at her.

  "If it were me, I would have done so, therefore I apologize to you first." Mo Gongzhu stretched out her hand and grabbed Qin Zheng's wrist, forcing him to sit in front of her.

  The two people were only half a meter apart, and each other's breathing was clearly audible.

  Qin Zheng's heart was very calm, without a single ripple of disturbance.

  "Seeing that you are not shaken by my actions, should I be delighted or saddened?" A faint smile appeared on Mo Gong Zhu's pale face.

  "You're laughing quite happily." Qin Zheng muttered.

  "Not a bit of sentimentality, okay, I'll tell you everything you want to know." Mo Gongzhu sat up straight, smoothed out her hair in front of her forehead, and the original delicate feeling instantly disappeared, replaced by a heroic spirit, which also gave Qin Zheng a subtle aura of being invincible, as if nothing in the world was worthy of her attention. "Do you know what realm I am in?"

  Qin Zheng murmured: "It should be beyond Tianwu Realm and reach Hunwu Realm, right?"

  Mo Gongzhu said, "You're right and wrong at the same time." Seeing Qin Zheng's puzzled expression, she smiled, "In the four seasons of a year, in spring, summer, and autumn, my cultivation is at the Soul Warrior Realm; in winter, I am... Divine Warrior Realm!"

  "What?!"

  Even Qin Zheng's usually calm and composed mind was shocked by this answer.

  Not to mention the cultivation of seasonal divisions, a single Divine Martial Realm is already too astonishing, that is the highest peak of martial arts, which can touch the shackles of human gods.

  "It's interesting." The smile on Mo Gong Zhu's face disappeared, revealing a faint sadness. "The consequence of this is that my lifespan now only has one year left."

  "It's just a bit unbelievable." Qin Zheng had calmed down again, knowing that Mo Gongzhu would only reveal the secret of her lifespan next.

  Mo Gongzhu said, "Those who enter the path of martial arts all have a martial pulse. The vast population of the Divine Martial Continent has more than 90% ordinary martial pulses, and some possess special martial pulses. These special martial pulses, apart from allowing one to cultivate faster, each have their own characteristics. Some can transform into a type of attack tool; some will condense special abilities; some can gain the submission of demonic beasts; and there is one type of martial pulse that is the most special, called... Heavenly Mandate Martial Pulse!"

  Qin Zheng's pupils suddenly contracted.

  Tianming Wumu, I've heard of it for the first time, but listening to that name, Tianming, what is this thing that can be named by all martial artists?

  He didn't ask questions and just listened for the time being.

  Mo Gongzhu continued, "The heavenly mandate is Wu Mai, also known as the two heavy heavens of water goods. Because it has a difficult obstacle that cannot be crossed, the heavenly mandate is to take away one's life; if you can cross the obstacle, it is to follow the will of heaven." Her tone changed slightly, and she trembled slightly, "You think Grandfather died from forcibly cultivating the Nine-Colored Lotus Sutra, but in fact, it wasn't. That was just a cover-up for the sake of others. He actually died to help me extend my lifespan, and this move also caused a loss of blood and energy. And I can only extend my life by ten years."

  It's really like this!

  Qin Zheng's eyes were slightly closed, and he could sense Mu Gong Zhu's emotions.

  The person closest to her, in order to extend her life by ten years, had abandoned several hundred years of his own life.

  "Actually, Grandfather had planned to expand and strengthen the Donghai Royal Family during his lifetime, making it a powerful force that would make other clans look up to us with envy and fear. However, due to my appearance and the Heavenly Mandate's martial vein, he chose to save me instead. He traveled all over the Divine Martial Continent, trying every possible method, just to find a way to lift this calamity from me."

  "That's you, Qin Zheng!"

  "That year, your grandfather even risked conflict with the gods, demons, and sea tribes for me. In his disappointment, he saw your parents being pursued by killers with only a three-year-old you in tow, so he saved you on a whim. Perhaps good people get good rewards. Your parents wanted to repay him and also avoid their pursuers, so they willingly became slaves. At the time, Grandfather had said that he would personally eliminate their enemies, but they didn't need that. They said that as long as they lived in this world, they couldn't not repay kindness, which is how they entered the palace."

  "Who would have thought that a year later, Grandfather accidentally discovered your unusual bloodline. He had obtained the Nine-Colored Lotus Sutra in his early years but couldn't cultivate it due to unmet conditions. After researching your bloodline, he concluded that you could cultivate the Nine-Coloured Lotus Sutra. However, your bloodline is too abnormal, and it's possible that by the time your bloodline opens up for cultivation, I would have passed away. He held onto this glimmer of hope, which ultimately led to Grandfather's passing, creating an opportunity for me."

  After hearing Mo Gongzhu's words, Qin Zheng also let out a light sigh.

  About his parents, he had a vague memory, but later in the Wang Fu, his parents did mention him and knew very clearly. At first, Old East Sea King really didn't know about his abnormal bloodline, so he took them in without any purpose.

  "Old Wang Ye was able to become powerful enough to make the three emperors apprehensive, and it should also be inspired by the Nine-Colored Lotus Sutra." Qin Zheng thought of Mo Gong Zhu's only hope and guessed this point.

  "Yes, Grandfather may not be able to cultivate, but he is a natural-born talent. According to the mysteries of the Nine-Colored Lotus Sutra, he has improved his martial pulse to an astonishing degree, which allowed him to soar to great heights. It's also because of this that he was able to leave me with a glimmer of hope. Moreover, only those who cultivate the Nine-Coloured Lotus Sutra can seize this opportunity for me." Princess Mo said, "My heavenly fate martial pulse's calamity has been resolved by 90%, the last bit is the most crucial, if I want to resolve it, I need to use the power of the lotus to inject the Heavenly Yang liquid into my martial pulse."

  Tianyang's liquid, Qin Zheng has never heard of it.

  Mo Gongzhu said: "I established the Tiger Garden, and also have branches for capturing demonic tigers all over the Divine Martial Continent. It's all for the sake of the Heavenly Yang Liquid. This Heavenly Yang Liquid can be refined through artificial means, but unfortunately, I've spent so many years trying and have never succeeded." She self-mockingly said: "On the other hand, you actually cultivated the power of the Divine Lotus. Do you know? Grandfather said that your bloodline is restricted, and to enter the Power Martial Realm, you must cultivate the Nine-Colored Divine Lotus Scripture. To satisfy the cultivation requirements of the Nine-Coloured Divine Lotus Scripture, your bloodline must undergo special external stimulation. So, he left a letter in the iron box, I think apart from asking for your help, it also recorded the entire contents of the Nine-Coloured Divine Lotus Scripture, as well as the method to stimulate your bloodline. Of course, there are other secrets that aren't within my power to guess."

  "It turns out that by reaching the Li Wu realm, I'm equivalent to telling the princess that I've cultivated the Nine-Colored Lotus Sutra." Qin Zheng was speechless and lost his smile, this made him think of something he hadn't expected, and a bit of dissatisfaction in his heart disappeared.

  "I really want to know how you stimulate your blood vessels. Have you ever had any strange encounters?" Mu Gongzhu has also been troubled by doubts for a long time.

  Shaking his head, Qin Zheng said: "I didn't have any strange encounters, it was just my persistence in the way of martial arts. For six years, I continuously cultivated and broke through to the Forceful Martial Realm three hundred times, only to fall back into the Mortal Realm each time. After the three hundredth time, I was forced by Qin Yi to hand over the iron box and became enraged, causing my blood to spill onto the stone table inside the Jade Lotus Pavilion. It was then that I discovered the Nine-Colored Lotus Sutra, and found that my blood met the requirements for cultivating it as designed by Old Master Wang. So, I cultivated it."

  Princess Mo was amazed at Qin Zheng's determination, but also felt a little helpless. She could tell that Qin Zheng had directly called out Qin Yi's name, rather than using the respectful title of "Young Master". It must be because of Luo Yunhong's affair. However, she couldn't give Qin Zheng a satisfactory answer. After all, Qin Yi was her half-brother, and Luo Yunhong was his mother. Was she really supposed to kill them?

  "Qin Zheng, about Qin Yi's mother...". Mo Gongzhu knew she couldn't avoid it and brought it up herself. Her way of addressing Luo Yunhong also showed her dislike for him.

  "Never mind."

  Qin Zheng waved his hand, "Originally, I had the iron box left by Old Master Wang, which could have saved the Wang Manor. However, the Wang Manor's kindness to my parents and me was too great. After this matter is over, I always felt that leaving the Wang Manor would be somewhat ungrateful. Now my heart is at peace." He chuckled lightly, "In that case, I should thank them instead."

  Mo Gongzhu sighed, looking somewhat downcast. She too had no way to persuade the young man who cultivated the Nine-Colored Lotus Sutra and had a boundless bright future ahead of him.

  "Remember what I said, are you confident in your heart?" Mo Gongzhu didn't want the atmosphere to be somewhat oppressive, so she used a light and quick tone, with a hint of teasing.

  Qin Zheng lightly smiled and said: "At that time, the princess already knew I had cultivated the Nine-Colored Lotus Sutra, so she naturally had confidence in the future."

  "That's not all, there's another reason, do you want to know?" Mo Gongzhu said with a smile, as if she had completely forgotten the sadness from just now. Qin Zheng was clear that Mo Gongzhu had been suppressing her pain for almost ten years and had long learned to hide the bitterness in her heart, but he himself was silently licking his wounds.

  At this time, Qin Zheng found Mo Gongzhu very tall and majestic, touching his heart.

  Qin Zheng rubbed his nose tip, "Is there another reason?"

  "Grandfather said that I should marry Jiuse Shenglian Jing," Princess Mo stared at Qin Zheng, with a smile on her face, without any shyness.

  "Huh?"

  Qin Zheng was stunned on the spot.

  "But, you seem to be quite ordinary, hard to catch my eye. However, considering that you've had a crush on me since childhood, I can consider it." Princess Mo said with a seemingly playful tone.

  Qin Zheng's face turned red with anger this time.

  "Hmm, something, today's weather is really good." Qin Zheng, whose thoughts had been pierced through, looked away with a hint of panic.

  "Heh heh..."

  Mo Gongzhu couldn't help but burst out laughing.

  Qin Zheng's mind flashed back to the past, where he would secretly glance at Mo Gong Zhu every day, and if he didn't, everything seemed dull. As his heart gradually stabilized with martial arts, he slowly let go of this habit. Now that Mo Gong Zhu mentioned it, memories resurfaced in his mind, filled with nostalgia, sentimentality, and a hint of sweetness.

  Looking at Qin Zheng's silly appearance, Mo Gongzhu also had an indescribable feeling in her heart. Because she was long ago promised by Old Master Wang to marry Qin Zheng in the future, so she felt even more deeply moved. Gazing at Qin Zheng's face that wasn't considered handsome but was full of determination and adorned with a pure and shallow smile, she also became somewhat infatuated.

  Faint memories were ultimately awakened by the cruel reality, Qin Zheng said: "If I can get through the Jiuse Shenglian incident, I will definitely find Tianyang's liquid to help the princess escape."

  The princess's eyes flashed with a complex expression, she found that Qin Zheng seemed to be avoiding the topic of her marrying someone who cultivated the Nine-Colored Lotus Sutra, not giving a direct response. She thought this in her heart but didn't say it out loud, instead saying: "I received news that the Three Emperors will arrive at the latest by tomorrow, and today the two demon emperors' princes, Huang Tai Tian and Hai Ling Kong, will come ahead of time to make preparations for them. You should be careful, it's best if you stay within the Jade Lotus Institute and don't clash with them."

  His words had just fallen when a clear voice echoed through the sky above the ink building.

  "Your Highness, Huang Tai Tian is visiting!"

  Qin Zheng and Mo Gongzhu exchanged a glance, their faces both turning serious. Just as they were talking about the arrival of the demonic crown prince, he arrived.

  Huang Tai Tian, Demon Emperor's Crown Prince!