Chapter 576: Both of Them Deserve to Be Crushed to Bone and Scattered to Ash!

Li Qingluo: "Maybe… not?"

"It cannot be denied that Zong Zhenglangri has become like this now, and King Qin and Zu Li Ya are the chief culprits."

"It's just a pity that when Zu Li Ya first fell into our hands in DaLiang, she didn't dare to disclose even a fraction of what she had done to Mother Empress, which is why she died so cheaply."

"Now King Qin and Zong Zheng Wuxie are both dead. We have, then, avenged Mother Empress, right?"

Duan Rongshi clenched his fists tightly.

His hands' veins bulged prominently.

Suddenly, perhaps unable to suppress the anger in his heart any longer, he raised his hand and hammered a heavy fist onto the stone wall.

His left hand instantly turned bloodied.

"But I still hate it!"

"I hate his past selfishness that ruined Mother Empress into this state!"

"But if he hadn't saved Mother Empress back then, she would have long ago been tormented into madness by Zu Li Ya and King Qin."

"He also wouldn't have been tormented by two kinds of gu poison into the grotesque tyrant he is now."

This is a fact that Duan Rongshi cannot deny after learning the truth.

"Zu Li Ya and King Qin, both of them deserve to be crushed to bone and scattered to ash!"

Speaking of those two, hatred flared instantly in Duan Rongshi's eyes, burning like a raging wave.

Staring into the endless darkness, as if it could devour and become the inner demon of his heart.

At that moment, Li Qingluo reached out, gently grasping Duan Rongshi's bloodied left hand.

"Ashi, the things that happened in the past, we cannot change, nor can we redo them."

"I know, you'd rather not exist in this world, and you wish Mother Empress could live out her life peacefully."

"But if you weren't here, Li Qingluo in this world would have long since died."

"Without you, there would be no destiny star for me. Then for whom should I return?"

"Mother Empress has now let go of past affairs; isn't she happier in the underworld than in the mortal world?"

"No older brother, no unfaithful man, no scheming throughout the palace against her."

"You should think it through."

"Let everything follow the heart."

"Zong Zhenglangri owes Mother Empress countless apologies, but there is one thing he shares with you. He loves Mother Empress deeply."

"In this world, aside from you, only he would unhesitatingly sacrifice his life for Mother Empress."

"Back then he introduced gu poison, letting blood flow in his heart; didn't he know that a king doing so would bring what consequences to Great Chu in the future?"

"Yet he still did it."

"He was ruthless and ungrateful to the people of Great Chu, betraying them. But toward his mother, that cannot be called betrayal."

"Later, his failure to avenge Mother Empress was also because the gu insects affected him."

"Of course, I'm not saying this to let you spare him."

"If we send him back to Southern Peace, no one knows whether he will uncontrollably kill more innocent people."

"But I don't want you to do something that will make you regret and be in a dilemma."

Duan Rongshi listened as she spoke quietly.

After finishing, he tightly embraced her in his arms.

"Luo'er, I'm glad to have you."

"With you easing my worries and solving my problems, you make me not regret this life."

Li Qingluo gently cradled his face, looked up: "Ashi, perhaps there is another way."

Soon, Li Qingluo led Duan Rongshi back to the tomb chamber.

The Chu Emperor, perhaps due to severe blood loss and having only eaten one meal these past days, had completely lost consciousness and fainted by the time they returned.

Li Qingluo and Duan Rongshi exchanged a glance, and the two stepped forward together.

When the Chu Emperor awoke again, everything around was quiet and serene as if still in a dream.

An ancient simple bed canopy.

Simple, plain interior decorations.

A room only slightly better than the Cold Palace.

A bird fluttered in from outside the window.

It chirped nonstop, disturbing the clear air, yet oddly it didn't irritate the Chu Emperor.

After listening for a while, the Chu Emperor finally spoke hoarsely.

"Attendants…"

"Water…"

Someone pushed the door open.

Quickly, a cup of water was handed to his lips.

The Chu Emperor hurriedly lifted his head to bring the cup close.

However, the cup was too small; he drained it in a single sip.

A tearing dryness still plagued his throat, and he angrily exclaimed, "Damned—can't you bring a larger bowl?"

His eyes filled with malice as he turned to glare at the water‑giver, his murderous intent rising.

But once he recognized who stood before him, the murderous intent and anger instantly vanished completely!

"Rongshi?"

The Chu Emperor's eyes were filled with joy.

His face seemed to have brightened considerably.

Where is the former self who killed at the drop of a hat, flew into rage at any moment, with eyes scarlet like a ghost's?

Now he is ordinary and peaceful, just like an average middle-aged man.

Duan Rongshi did not respond.

He merely turned away in silence, and indeed went to fetch a large bowl.

The Chu Emperor was very excited.

After Duan Rongshi personally gave him another two large bowls of water, he dared to ask, 'Am I not dreaming?'

'Even if you put arsenic in the tea, Uncle, I would drink it without complaint.'

Duan Rongshi said, 'If I wanted to kill you, why wait until now?'

'The imperial tomb will be your burial place!'

Facing the mockery of his nephew by blood, the Chu Emperor was not angry at all.

He still smiled and replied, 'Yes, what Rongshi says is correct.'

'I don't know… where are we?'

Duan Rongshi's attitude was cold: 'On the manor.'

The Chu Emperor's eyes shone brighter: 'I hear your lady Nangong Qingluo is extraordinarily talented at business. Though you've only been in Great Chu for less than a year, she's already made the trade of several shops flourish, and now you've even acquired a manor.'

'Now I can say I've come to your home.'

Duan Rongshi did not respond to his deliberate attempt to curry favor.

He merely stared sternly and asked, 'These past years, have you sought out a MiaoJiang shamaness to examine the poison bugs in your body?'

The Chu Emperor looked embarrassed: 'Rongshi, Uncle is one who, after being bitten by a snake, fears a rope for ten years. Not to mention letting a shamaness treat Uncle's illness, even having Uncle wipe out the entirety of MiaoJiang, Uncle would not want any part of it.'

'Even if I hate it to death in my heart, the more the poison bug controls me and makes me timid and fearful of the strong, whenever a crucial decision arises, a feeling of uncontrollable fear wells up in my heart, and in the end I am unable to make a decision.'

'Therefore, after the holy maiden left, I have never seen any shamaness again.'

'Is Uncle really useless?'

Duan Rongshi very much wanted to say 'yes'.

But thinking that he became this way also because he swallowed his mother's myriad-emotion poison bug and suffered backlash,

he could not bring himself to utter that word.

After a long while, he again spoke coldly: 'When you were unconscious, I already summoned the MiaoJiang shamaness Jinniang, the sect leader, to personally take your pulse and examine the poison bugs in your body.'

'What you said is indeed all true.'

'Your poison bugs have long penetrated your bones and blood; over these years the two worms have been fighting inside your body, and now one has entered your heart meridian.'

'The other is coiled inside your skull.'

'This is why you frequently suffer headaches, emotional irritability, anger, and a liking for killing.'

'As for why Prince Qin and Zulya died while you were not afflicted and killed by the poison bug, Jinniang surmised that the so‑called mother bug in their hands might have been a lie from the start.'

Zongzheng Langri said, 'What are you saying?'

'Did they deceive me?'

Duan Rongshi said, 'People as ruthless as they are, yet always leaving themselves an escape route, indeed could have done that.'

'They would not risk taking the mother bug themselves.'

'But as long as they claim the mother bug is on them, you would hardly dare to take their lives, and could even be manipulated by them.'

'All these years, you haven't even moved a single hair of Prince Qin, have you?'

Zongzheng Langri's face turned green then white, looking very grim.

'Yes… yes. It is Uncle's uselessness that led him to follow the treacherous path, being toyed with by their schemes, going in circles… these years… I have failed the realm and people of Great Chu.'

Duan Rongshi frowned with disgust: 'Great Chu is indeed covered in wounds because of you.'

'Now the Western Regions and DaLiang—whoever sends troops can easily seize your realm, swallow your land, and press down on your dragon throne.'

'No one has yet acted rashly; they are merely watching each other.'

'Once someone first stirs up war, the entirety of Great Chu will suffer devastation because of your weakness and incompetence, the state shattered and the land laid waste.'

'You have failed to guard the realm, yet daily slaughter the innocent, addicted to killing, indulging in drink and revelry.'

'You are truly Great Chu's eternal sinner.'

Zongzheng Langri listened, listened, and lowered his head.

If it were according to his former temperament, he would already be fuming with anger; even if he could not kill Duan Rongshi, he would certainly not let him off lightly.

At the very least he would have to display his fury and dignity violently.

But now he, head lowered and being scolded, is like a quail.

Strangely, since Duan Rongshi revealed his true appearance and identity, he cannot muster even a spark of anger toward this nephew.

For upon seeing this face, he seems to really see Yue'er!

How could he possibly flare up at Yue'er's face?

He dare not even release a trace of irritability.

Because he is not worthy.

He is unwilling.

Nor does he want to.

These past dozen years, his heart has never been so peaceful and tranquil.

Seeing him like this, Li Qingluo, who had been eavesdropping outside the door, was stunned.

Is this still the bloodthirsty Chu Emperor?

Is this still the tyrant whom everyone sees and wishes to punish?

Seeing his appearance, Duan Rongshi's anger rose: "You haven't even thought about how to save your realm?"

"Even if I don't kill you now, I hope you can reform yourself and turn over a new leaf!"

"I will have Sect Leader Jin yi do his utmost to suppress the gu poison in you, and I will also send people to find a solution for the gu poison inside your body."

"But I hope that from today onward, if you can pull yourself together, you will no longer be the foolish ruler, a mess, controlled by the two worms."

"If you cannot do that, or if you kill people indiscriminately again, I will kill you myself!"

"Let your crown prince take the throne; perhaps he will still consider how to save the people of Chu from the suffering of war and national destruction!"

Having said that, Duan Rongshi flicked his sleeve and strode out.

Zong Zheng Langri hurriedly called out to him: "Rongshi!"

"Uncle knows he was wrong."

"Whatever you say is fine."

"Whatever you say, uncle will do."

"Uncle will change, uncle will change everything."

"Uncle will do his utmost to make up for past mistakes, and will do everything possible to reform."

"Rongshi, thank you… thank you for still being willing to give uncle a chance, to leave him a way out."

Duan Rongshi didn't even pause his steps before stepping out the door.

Then he flung the door shut with a loud 'bang'.