Shen Qianmo! Who would have thought that at his advanced age, he would be completely fooled by his own daughter?! From the moment Shen Qianmo returned to the manor, she began to slowly lead him step by step down a path of no return. How laughable that he was so arrogant and cunning, yet he failed to perceive his daughter's intentions.
"What exactly is your relationship with Shen Qianmo?! No wonder I felt there was something wrong with the way you looked at her back then!" Shen Qianxin shouted angrily, pointing at Shangguan Jin with a twisted expression.
She had given herself entirely to Shangguan Jin, never expecting that Shangguan Jin would have such a relationship with Shen Qianmo, whom she hated the most! How could she not be angry, how could she not hate him?!
A cold glint flashed in Shangguan Jin's eyes as he looked at Shen Qianxin and Shen Lingyun and said, "I've never understood why Qianmo wanted me to destroy the Prime Minister's Mansion, but today I understand!"
"Qianmo?! You call her Qianmo?" Upon hearing Shangguan Jin's words, Shen Qianxin could no longer hold back. She grabbed Shangguan Jin's collar and said fiercely.
At this moment, her face was as pale as paper, but her expression was ferocious, unlike anything she had ever shown before, making her look extremely strange.
Shangguan Jin simply let Shen Qianxin clutch his clothes, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes. What should he do if Shen Qianmo wasn't around the mansion? Would the people from the Demon Palace help him?
"Eighth Prince, it's best to make things clearer. We're just business partners, you'd better explain that to your second sister." Upon seeing this, Shen Qianmo's lips curled into a playful smile, and she lightly leaped down from the tree.
The three saw a snow-white figure leap gently down from the tree, as if a fairy from the heavens were descending from the sky. Shen Qianmo was still wearing a simple white dress, but she looked better than those elaborate clothes.
She simply tied her hair up casually, her face without a trace of makeup, yet she remained so immaculate that it was impossible to look away.
All the guards were stunned the moment they saw Shen Qianmo, and they could barely hold their swords. Shangguan Jin and the other two also had their own emotions in their eyes, though they were also amazed.
A glint flashed in Shangguan Jin's eyes, like a thirsty traveler in the desert spotting water. A confident smile played on his lips. Shen Qianmo hadn't gone far after all; now Shen Lingyun and Shen Qianxin couldn't do anything to him.
A calculating yet hesitant glint flashed in Shen Lingyun's eyes. He already knew that Shen Qianmo was the Palace Master of the Demon Palace. If Shen Qianmo really was cooperating with Shangguan Jin, then what Shangguan Jin had just said must have been true. Although these guards were skilled in martial arts, they were far inferior to the experts of the Demon Palace! All his calculations had led to this, only to be defeated by a mere young girl?! What was most infuriating was that this young girl was actually his own daughter.
Shen Qianxin's eyes were filled with boundless hatred and jealousy. Why? Why was Shen Qianmo here? Why could she smile so calmly? Why did Shangguan Jin betray her and help Shen Qianmo?! Why must she live in Shen Qianmo's shadow for the rest of her life?!
"Father and Second Sister seem quite unhappy to see Qianmo?" Shen Qianmo tilted her head slightly, her clear eyes without a trace of impurity, looking like an innocent little girl who had been wronged. However, the cold smile on her lips inexplicably instilled fear in people.
What kind of woman is she? She makes you want to get closer and cherish her without even realizing it, yet you also feel a sense of fear and dare not approach her.
"Mo'er, what are you trying to do?! Stop fooling around and come back to the manor with your father." Shen Lingyun quickly adjusted his attitude. In the current situation, if he were to break off relations with Shen Qianmo, the situation would likely become very bad. It would be better to play along for now and deal with Shen Qianmo slowly later.
Shen Qianmo glanced at Shen Lingyun with a hint of mockery. His eyes were filled with the warmth of a loving father, but upon closer inspection, one could still see the cold-bloodedness and anger behind that warmth.
With a slight raise of her eyebrows, Shen Qianmo said leisurely, "Father's acting skills seem to be getting better and better."
"You." Even though Shen Lingyun had been in the court for so many years, he was still somewhat annoyed that Shen Qianmo had exposed his intentions with such sarcasm. However, he could not retaliate, and his old face turned red with suppressed anger.
"Shen Qianmo! How could you speak to your father like that?!" Shen Qianxin was furious when she saw Shen Lingyun speechless after being spoken to by Shen Qianmo.
She wasn't really protecting Shen Lingyun; she was just taking the opportunity to vent her anger on Shen Qianmo.
Shen Qianmo glanced at Shen Qianxin, shook her head, seemingly angry at her lack of assertiveness, sighed, and said slowly, "Second Sister's acting skills are getting worse and worse. Why don't you speak as gently as before?"
"Qianmo, stop arguing with them and let's get started." Shangguan Jin seemed to be getting impatient and interrupted Shen Qianmo's conversation with the Shen family father and daughter.
Shen Qianmo raised her eyebrows slightly, her dark and deep eyes looking at Shangguan Jin. Shangguan Jin felt that a thin layer of mist had appeared in Shen Qianmo's eyes. That slow glance seemed to have an invisible force slowly pressing down on him, leaving him speechless.
"Let the Eighth Prince handle this personally. After all, she is the Eighth Prince's wife, isn't she?" Shen Qianmo was silent for a moment, then a faint smile appeared on her lips. She glanced at Shen Qianxin with a deep look in her eyes and noticed her pale face.
"Shen Qianmo! You've gone too far!" Shen Qianxin glanced at Shen Qianmo and shouted at her with resentment. Then, she looked at Shangguan Jin, her tone filled with a mixture of hatred and affection, and asked, "Shangguan Jin, do you really want to kill me?"
"This is my agreement with Qianmo. I will help her destroy the Prime Minister's Mansion, and she will help me ascend to the throne." A hint of hesitation flashed in Shangguan Jin's eyes, but a cold smile appeared on his lips as he spoke indifferently.
A desolate smile suddenly appeared on Shen Qianxin's face as she coldly looked at Shangguan Jin and said sarcastically, "So, so, it was all a setup from the moment you married me! Shangguan Jin, you're the real actress!"
Shen Qianmo looked at Shen Qianxin with great interest, seemingly eager to see what Shen Qianxin would do next.
"However, if I die, you won't be able to live either!" A hint of resentment rose in Shen Qianxin's eyes, her tone filled with pleasure and hatred.
Shangguan Jin frowned slightly, looking at the ferocious Shen Qianxin, seemingly trying to figure out the meaning behind Shen Qianxin's words.
"Second Sister, you have such a vicious mind. You actually poisoned the Eighth Prince with the Life-Sharing Gu?" Shen Qianmo listened to Shen Qianxin's words, carefully examined Shangguan Jin, and then said in a low voice.
The "Shared Life Gu" is, as the name suggests, a curse that causes someone to live and die together. If one person infected with the Gu dies, the other person will also die from reversed meridian flow.
The reason she knew Shangguan Jin was afflicted by the Tong Sheng Gu was simply because she saw a very faint red line on Shangguan Jin's forehead. This was a symptom of the Tong Sheng Gu, and it was impossible to see without careful observation.
"You...you poisonous woman!" Shangguan Jin's expression changed drastically upon hearing Shen Qianmo's words. He pointed at Shen Qianxin and roared in shock and anger.
Shen Qianxin laughed menacingly, "Hahaha, Shangguan Jin, so you know fear now?! I had long anticipated this day, so on our wedding night, I cast the Life-Shattering Gu on you!"
Shangguan Jin's face turned deathly pale. A glint of light flashed in Shen Lingyun's eyes. He glanced at Shen Qianxin, and with lightning speed, drew the guard's sword and pierced Shen Qianxin's heart.
Disbelief flashed in Shen Qianxin's eyes as she looked at Shen Lingyun, as if she wanted to ask her father why he did this, but in the end she didn't say a word and died unwillingly.
When Shangguan Jin saw Shen Lingyun draw his sword to kill Shen Qianxin, he wanted to stop him but it was too late. As he watched Shen Qianxin slowly fall, a trace of despair flashed in Shangguan Jin's eyes.
They were destined to live and die together, but did he have to die with Shen Qianxin?! No, he didn't want to. He was the future Emperor of Qiyue! He couldn't die like this!
Seeing the dramatic scene before her, Shen Qianmo's eyes flashed with only a hint of irony and a touch of interest. She remained as detached as an outsider, lazily watching Shangguan Jin and Shen Lingyun.
"Qianmo, you must have a way, right? Save me!" Shangguan Jin's eyes were filled with resentment and panic. The moment he touched Shen Qianmo again, he seemed to see hope. He reached out to grab Shen Qianmo's sleeve, but Shen Qianmo dodged him without leaving a trace.
Shen Qianmo looked at Shangguan Jin with an eerie smile, her eyes filled with a chill like a December winter's day, and said softly, "There is a way, but why should I save him?"
Upon hearing Shen Qianmo's words, Shangguan Jin's expression immediately changed. A hint of despair flashed in his gray eyes, and he laughed self-deprecatingly, "So that's what you really thought. You never intended for me to become emperor, did you?"
"Is it too late to understand now?" Shen Qianmo's eyes were devoid of warmth, and the smile on her lips appeared even more cold-blooded. She raised an eyebrow and looked at Shangguan Jin, only to see that the faint red line on Shangguan Jin's forehead was slowly deepening, gradually turning blood red.
These are the symptoms of the Symbiotic Gu attack. Once the Symbiotic Gu attacks, the only way to save the patient is for someone with extremely profound internal energy to exhaust all their power and use the Demon Palace's sacred medicine.
However, Shen Qianmo is not a saint, and besides, she and Shangguan Jin are not related. If Qi Yue destroys the country, Shangguan Jin will not be able to survive alone, so why should she bother to save him?
"Chen—Qian—Mo—, you really, so cruel!" Shangguan Jin was trembling due to the Gu poison taking effect. Waves of pain came from his body, getting more and more painful. He gritted his teeth and squeezed out these words. Finally, he could no longer bear the pain of the Gu poison taking effect and curled up on the ground.
Seeing Shangguan Jin's Gu poison taking effect, Shen Lingyun's eyes flashed with a hint of pleasure. Then he glanced at Shen Qianmo, his eyes filled with defensiveness and vigilance.