When the Female Lead Becomes Obsessive – Chapter 158

Volume Seven: The Years I Was a General

Entering the Game

Worshiping the Buddhas for three days, revering and fearing all the Buddhas in the heavens.

Worshiping at the imperial mausoleum also required three days. The imperial mausoleum was near Qinglong Temple; its construction purpose was so that the people who died each day could be blessed by the Buddha’s light¹, be enlightened² by the Buddha sooner, wishfully thinking to attain the Dao and ascend to immortality³ and be ranked among the immortals⁴.

The imperial mausoleum was an important royal site. Unless one was a member of the imperial family, outsiders could not take half a step into the imperial mausoleum, as it was considered disrespectful to the heavenly might⁵.

Wen Nuan knew the reason why Xiao Chuyu did not take her to the worship ceremony. She also understood; after all, in her cognition, she was still her mother-killing enemy.

【I told you to leave early in the beginning, but you just had to meddle in other people’s business. This isn’t good, you’re hated to death by the female lead, right!】 The system was full of resentment as soon as it brought this matter up.

Wen Nuan smiled wistfully, “A good person does things to the end, send the Buddha to the West⁶, you know.”

【Unfortunately, she doesn’t remember your good deeds, ah.】 The system felt it wasn’t worth it for Wen Nuan.

“If you exchange positions and think about it⁷, if I were in her situation, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have done as well as Xiao Chuyu.”

The female lead chosen by the Heavenly Dao⁸ is powerful in body and mind and has a firm will. An ordinary person has no way of matching her; she is truly worthy of being the child chosen by heaven.

【Then what are you doing now?】 the system asked, watching Wen Nuan continuously hiding in a tree, constantly staring at the imperial mausoleum. 【The female lead didn’t want to bring you to the imperial mausoleum, so why did you still come over to join in the fun? Don’t let the blackening value rise up again!】

Worshiping at the imperial mausoleum required three days, so Xiao Chuyu had left Wen Nuan at Qinglong Temple, only bringing a troop of the Imperial Guard and Ye Mingxiu to worship at the imperial mausoleum. The remaining Imperial Guard and Yuan Qi stayed at Qinglong Temple to protect her.

There were two reasons why Ye Mingxiu went to worship at the imperial mausoleum. First, he was also considered half a royal relative. Second, he went to offer a stick of incense to Empress Xianren and to kowtow in thanks for the grace of saving his life that year.

He was a person who could distinguish things clearly. Even after learning from Xiao Chuyu’s mouth that Gu Wen Nuan had killed Empress Xianren, he would not resent Gu Wen Nuan for Empress Xianren’s sake. After all, the debt of gratitude between him and Empress Xianren had already been concluded, vanishing like smoke and scattering like clouds. And now, Ye Mingxiu going to offer a stick of incense was also to console Empress Xianren’s spirit in heaven, with no other reason.

Today was the last day of worship. After today, Xiao Chuyu was supposed to set out to return to the capital, and some people could no longer wait to make their move.

“Can you stop always thinking about the blackening value?” Wen Nuan helplessly rolled her eyes and sighed, “Have you forgotten the plot of this mission world?”

【Of course I know the main plot, ah, but what’s the use of looking at the main plot now?】 the system said speechlessly. 【The original main plot was for the female lead to ascend the throne, unify all under heaven, and be deeply in love with the male lead, growing old together until their hair is white.】

【And now, although the female lead has ascended the throne, because of her blackening she is not together with the male lead, nor has she unified all under heaven. Right now, our main objective is to lower the female lead’s blackening value and then leave and scram. What use is there in you discussing the main plot of this mission world with me now, ah?】

The system didn’t understand why Wen Nuan brought up the main plot. After all, the current main plot had no reference value at all; looking at it was looking for nothing, ah?

“What do you want me to say?” Wen Nuan was incomparably heart-tired. “Have you forgotten why Xiao Chuyu’s emotions are so fickle, gloomy, and paranoid right now?”

【What else could it be because of? Isn’t it just because you…】 The system’s eyes suddenly widened, and it was rendered speechless.

It took a deep breath: 【Then you are now planning to…?】

The sky gradually darkened. Wen Nuan watched the ever-burning lamps⁹ of the imperial mausoleum light up, her eyes gradually growing deep and dark. “…Guard the stump to wait for the rabbit¹⁰.”

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“Your Majesty will be setting out to return to the capital tomorrow, right?”

Xiao Chuyu heard the voice of the person who had come up behind her. Without turning her head, she continued to look at the spirit tablet and portrait before her, her voice faint as she said, “Master Guoshi¹¹ is only willing to come out and see Zhen now. Could it be that you resent Zhen?”

Su Hong’s¹² gaze passed over Xiao Chuyu to look at Emperor Chongming’s spirit tablet. “This humble subject knows my own sins are deep and heavy; I have failed the late emperor.”

“Master Guoshi is joking. What fault have you?” Xiao Chuyu turned around, looking at the man before her. He was dressed in crescent-moon-colored clothes, appearing calm and elegant.

His gaze was calm, his sword-like eyebrows slanted upwards, his nose was straight and his lips were thin. His whole face looked pure-hearted and ascetic.

“Helping Zhou be tyrannical¹³, reversing right and wrong, creating rumors to confuse the masses—could it be that these sins are not big enough?” Su Hong smiled faintly, a smile that was sarcastic and cold.

Xiao Chuyu raised her eyes and looked directly at Su Hong’s indifferent face. “Master Guoshi seems to be very dissatisfied with Zhen, ah?”

“Does Your Majesty believe that only this humble subject is dissatisfied with you?”

Xiao Chuyu laughed out loud, but her eyes grew increasingly cold. “Although Master Guoshi has guarded the imperial mausoleum alone for over a year, you seem to know the trivial matters of this world like the back of your hand, ah?”

“Your Majesty dares to act and dares to take responsibility, are you still afraid of rumors and slander?”

“Master Guoshi and Zhen are people on the same boat. By saying this now, are you planning to get off the boat?”

Xiao Chuyu’s gaze was dangerous and gloomy, like a wild beast about to lose control. It was as if she would slaughter Su Hong on the spot as long as he said a single word that displeased her.

Su Hong was not at all afraid of Xiao Chuyu’s threat. He smiled calmly, “How this humble subject got on the boat, isn’t Your Majesty clear in your heart?”

His eyes revealed sarcasm and contempt. “Coercion and enticement, taking advantage of a person’s crisis.”

“Su Hong, you are too insolent,” Xiao Chuyu said in a low voice.

Her sharp, dark gaze had already pierced Su Hong through. “Now that the matter is already a foregone conclusion, are you saying these things because you plan to go and atone to the late emperor?”

“I should indeed atone.”

“You are also worthy?” Xiao Chuyu mocked with a smile. “Zhen only needed to use one woman to make you betray your country, your monarch. Su Hong, the word ‘atone’—you have the face to say it out loud?”

A trace of anger flashed across Su Hong’s face. His eyes glaring like lightning, he said, “Xiao Chuyu, besides using an innocent woman to threaten me into helping you seize great power, what ability do you have to be the master of all under heaven?”

“Ability?” A corner of Xiao Chuyu’s mouth hooked up. “Zhen’s ability is that by using just one woman, I could make our noble, proud, and otherworldly Master Guoshi seize great power for Zhen and sit upon this throne that ten thousand people fight to obtain.”

She looked at Su Hong’s expression, which was about to shatter, and said intentionally, “That Zhen was able to get to where I am today is all thanks to Master Guoshi’s help. Now that Master Guoshi wants to go find the late emperor to atone, Zhen is very happy to be of service.”

Su Hong took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth, “Do you think I am the only one who will go to the late emperor to atone?”

“Xiao Chuyu!” he roared in a low voice. “Don’t you think of escaping either. With you accompanying me to die, I can be considered to have died a worthy death.”

“Has Master Guoshi gone mad?” Xiao Chuyu walked to the shelf where the spirit tablets were placed, knocked off a spirit tablet that was covered with a red cloth, and, under Su Hong’s terrified gaze, stepped on that spirit tablet.

She lowered her eyes. Written on the spirit tablet was “Yueyao¹⁴.” She sneered, “The mere daughter of a convicted official is also worthy of entering the imperial mausoleum and receiving the royal family’s incense offerings?”

“Xiao Chuyu, get away, don’t touch her!” Su Hong angrily rebuked.

Just as he was about to step forward, he saw Xiao Chuyu apply force with her foot. The spirit tablet emitted a crisp cracking sound, scaring Su Hong so much that he immediately froze in place, not daring to overstep by half a step.

“Master Guoshi, if you take another step forward, Zhen might not be able to hold back her strength, you know.”

Seeing that Su Hong didn’t dare to move recklessly, Xiao Chuyu’s eyes held inquiry and surprise. “Why is Master Guoshi like this? Weren’t you and Zhen cooperating very well?”

“Back when you wanted to guard the imperial mausoleum alone, did you really think Zhen didn’t know what you intended to do?”

“Zhen bestowed grace, allowing you and your little lover to stay in the imperial mausoleum and be passionately in love. Now you want to see profit and forget righteousness and turn your spear to strike back¹⁵. This truly makes Zhen very disappointed, ah?”

“Why do you resent Zhen so much?” Xiao Chuyu looked at the spirit tablet under her foot. “Is it just because your little lover died? So you want to perish together with Zhen?”

Su Hong looked at the spirit tablet under her foot, his eyes looking as if they were about to split, and said, “Yes, I just want to go die together with you. Now that Yueyao is also dead, there is nothing in this world worth my attachment. To be able to do a good deed before dying can also be considered being worthy of the Ming’an Country.”

“A good deed?” Xiao Chuyu was so angered by him she laughed. “Killing Zhen is a good deed for the Ming’an Country? Why does Master Guoshi say such a thing?”

“For a woman to proclaim herself emperor is to depart from the classics and rebel against the Dao; it is a sin that is not accepted by the secular world. Now, I want to bring order out of chaos and rectify the source and clean up the stream, to return all this chaos to its roots and let this world return to the right track.”

It was this same round of rhetoric again; Xiao Chuyu was tired of hearing it.

“Then what a pity. Zhen is afraid she cannot fulfill Master Guoshi’s wish,” Xiao Chuyu’s gaze was fierce as she exerted force with her foot.

The instant the spirit tablet broke, Su Hong felt his own body and soul shatter along with it, unable to be pieced back together.

“Yueyao—” he shouted in a heart-rending, lung-splitting¹⁶ way.

“Since Master Guoshi is so grieved, then Zhen will personally send you on your way,” Xiao Chuyu’s eyes narrowed as she walked toward the grief-stricken Su Hong. “Master Guoshi doesn’t need to—mmph…”

A burst of crisp bell sounds rang out, and a sudden, bone-eroding pain instantly seized Xiao Chuyu’s heart.

Xiao Chuyu powerlessly knelt and fell to the ground. She felt as if her entire body was covered in crawling snakes and insects. They flowed in her blood, gnawing at her flesh and meridians, continuously traveling toward her heart meridian, determined to devour her heart.

“Ah… ah…” Xiao Chuyu cried out in pain.

She glared angrily at Su Hong, looking at the bell in his hand, and said in a strained tone, “What… did you do?”

Su Hong held the shattered spirit tablet in his arms, his hand unceasingly shaking the bell. His eyes were despairing and indifferent. “Did you think I was just joking with you?”

“I said I wanted to perish together with you,” Su Hong suddenly began to laugh loudly, the sound shrill and horrifying. “Xiao Chuyu, you will go down to hell with me, hahaha…”

Xiao Chuyu tightly gripped the clothes on her chest. The pain grew more and more intense. Just now it was the gnawing of snakes and insects, but now it was more like tens of millions of sharp sword blades stabbing without mercy, the sharp blades stirring and poking at her heart, so densely packed that she couldn’t get a single moment’s respite to breathe.

“Wah—”

She sprayed out a large mouthful of black blood. Her complexion went from pale to deathly pale. The pain made her tremble nonstop, and cold sweat seeped from her palms. At this moment, she didn’t even have the strength to cry out, and could only struggle ceaselessly like a fish about to run out of oxygen, yet unable to find a solution.

Her vision grew increasingly blurry. She looked at the doorway, where numerous stars were dotted across the sky and the crescent moon was like a hook. Her nose could still smell a trace of an ethereal, pure fragrance, like the scent on Wen Nuan’s body.

Faint and very gentle…

Xiao Chuyu seemed as if she could no longer feel the pain in her body. A slender figure gradually appeared in her line of sight. That person seemed to have come stepping on the moon, emitting a fluorescent light, beautiful unlike a mortal.

She smiled faintly, thinking to herself that being able to see Wen Nuan before she died meant she could die without regrets.

“Chuchu?”

Xiao Chuyu’s eyelids trembled. She seemed to have heard Wen Nuan calling her.

“Chuchu?”

She seemed to be held in someone’s arms, the blood at the corner of her mouth wiped away.

Her vision gradually cleared, and she finally saw the person before her eyes.

It was Wen Nuan.

“Did you… come over… to die with me?” Xiao Chuyu gripped Wen Nuan’s sleeve tightly, saying nervously.

How wonderful, Wen Nuan would die together with her.

Wen Nuan looked at Su Hong on the ground, who had been kicked by her until he vomited blood and was now lingering on his last breath. Her gaze was fierce. She raised her hand and fiercely crushed the bell.

Upon hearing Xiao Chuyu’s words, Wen Nuan’s gaze instantly softened, and she chuckled lightly.

“I didn’t come to die with you. We still have to grow old together until our hair is white, you know.”

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