The Ninth Lady is a rebellious person.

Chapter 581 I Want to Explore the Imperial Tomb

Lang Jiuchuan exposed the true nature of the Imperial Preceptor to Princess Tantai.

She wasn't afraid that Princess Tantai would turn around and complain to the Imperial Advisor, because she and that person had already been fighting on the battlefield. With his intelligence, he couldn't possibly fail to realize that she had already uncovered some of the truth, since she had already captured piece after piece in his game. She wasn't stupid; he understood perfectly well.

Both she and Tantai Wuji only kept their cards to themselves, not revealing them completely.

Therefore, even if Princess Tantai were to reveal this, she would not be afraid. If that person were to rush to launch the plan ahead of schedule because of this, she might even grant her wish, proving that he also feared that his thousand-year-old scheme might change.

She also knew that Princess Tantai would not sell her. Just as she knew her own temperament, Lang Jiuchuan also knew her. She was not a bad person, and she might be jealous of her at times, but she had never harmed her or the common people.

Princess Tantai, as she herself said, was merely a substitute used to cover up the truth, a pitiful person yearning for recognition.

Lang Jiuchuan presented this cruel truth to her with ulterior motives, wanting to turn her against him. She wanted to go to the imperial mausoleum, but she needed a key.

"What do you want from me by telling me all this?" Princess Tantai looked indifferently at Lang Jiuchuan and said, "You know perfectly well that I have Tantai blood. Regardless of whether he is really Tantai Qing or not, he is the ancestor of my Tantai clan, or even the founding ancestor you mentioned. He has great magical power and extraordinary methods. His existence can ensure that my Tantai clan can live in peace and security. This is something that everyone in the Tantai clan is happy to see, isn't it? That's what you said too!"

As long as the clan is powerful, what difference does it make who he is? Most clan members would probably think that way. They would love for him to become even stronger, so that Tantai's wealth and status could be preserved for generations to come and be admired by others.

Everyone has selfish desires; no one wants their clan to be weak. She was no exception; her bloodline reflected this selfishness and cold-heartedness.

That's what I think, but why do I feel so suffocated and want to die?

Princess Tantai lowered her head, concealing the self-mockery in her eyes, not daring to look at Lang Jiuchuan, afraid that he would see through her disheveled state.

Lang Jiuchuan said, “I’m telling you this because I know you have the true Dao in your heart. That Dao has compassion and mercy, and you have the world’s people in your heart. You have entered the Dao, and your Dao heart has always been righteous. I have never doubted it.”

Princess Tantai felt a lump in her throat and abruptly turned her face away, afraid that tears would fall. She said in an icy tone, "You don't need to flatter me. I'm not as noble as you make me out to be, and you don't need to coax me."

"Why should I coax you? We've grown up together since childhood. Even if you've always kept your distance and restrained yourself, how could I not know what kind of person you are? If you're so wicked, why bother saving us from this disaster? Why not just stand by like that person and mind your own business!" Lang Jiuchuan said calmly. "It's precisely because you're compassionate that you took on this task. If you hadn't wanted to, the new emperor wouldn't have obeyed any orders. Instead, he would have burned and killed countless people infected with the corpse poison. Da Dan wouldn't be peaceful now; it would have become a hell on earth!"

Taoist priests can save the world, develop antidotes, and draw talismans, but even the strongest can't fight against overwhelming odds. No matter how many Taoist priests there are, how many more can they possibly defeat the nearly one million strong army in Dadan? If a large army were to suppress them, how many people could they actually save?

The suppression of this plague of corpse poison was not only due to the good deeds of the Taoists, but also to the efforts of the imperial court. Without the cooperation of the government, their achievements would have been limited. After all, they were just Taoist practitioners, not gods or immortals who could simply recite an incantation to detoxify and eliminate the plague.

Princess Tantai used her status to do many things in this matter. If she were a selfish and immoral person, Da Dan would not be in a relatively stable situation today.

Good is good, and bad is bad. Lang Jiuchuan wouldn't kill an entire boatload of people just because of one bloodline. Like the Rong family, she didn't exterminate them; she even had the ghosts send back some righteous techniques that could be passed down through generations. Was she a noble saint? No, she believed in revenge and retribution. If the Rong family felt wronged, they could come to her for revenge in the future, if they had the ability.

Princess Tantai was moved, but she didn't show it on her face. She said, "So, what do you want me to do for you?"

Her sudden arrival must have been for a reason, especially since she revealed such a top-secret truth.

"I want to explore the imperial mausoleum," Lang Jiuchuan said. "I know the imperial mausoleum is a very important place, not only heavily guarded but also protected by a powerful array. Moreover, only those with genuine Tantai blood can open the array gate, and you..."

She paused abruptly, looked at Princess Tantai for a long while, and finally said, "Never mind."

If Tantai Wuji's Great Dao is truly hidden in the imperial tomb that suppressed her, he would have been cautious after a thousand years of planning. He trusts no one but himself, so his descendants would naturally not be people he could let his guard down against.

That place must be heavily fortified. If Princess Tantai were to intrude, it would surely alarm him. In that case, she might become one of the people transporting blood and soul essence for the country within the imperial mausoleum.

Why make such pointless sacrifices?
She doesn't owe her anything.

"Pretend I was never here today," Lang Jiuchuan said. "If one day, do what you can to help my family."

"What exactly do you mean?" Princess Tantai grabbed her sleeve and said coldly, "Do you think I'm too lowly to help you, or are you afraid I'll stab you in the back at a crucial moment? Because I am Princess Tantai, and even more so, the Holy Maiden personally appointed by the Imperial Preceptor, you don't trust me, and I don't trust him either. Since you've opposed him, I should kill you once and for all!"

"Why would you need to kill me? When the time is right, he will make his move. He won't really allow you to touch me anyway, since I'm of great use to him!" Lang Jiuchuan smiled faintly. "Also, there's no need to be stubborn. You won't lay a hand on me, I trust you."

Princess Tantai was not moved by what she heard; instead, she became even angrier. She said, "Since you know right from wrong, why do you still seek your own death? Wasn't the Pancheng incident enough to teach you a lesson?"

“It’s not that I don’t want a way to live, it’s that he won’t allow it. We are both pawns, but I’m destined to be a bad pawn who doesn’t play by the rules.” Lang Jiuchuan stared at her intently, then suddenly reached out and, just like when they were children, tapped the corner of her eye, saying, “A-Yue is so beautiful, it’s better for her to live.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she entered the path to the underworld silently, just as she had come.

Princess Tantai stood there, watching the direction she had disappeared in, her lips pursed, and she murmured, "Still as annoying as when she was a child."

A cold wind swept by, her face was icy, and when she wiped it with her hand, it was covered in tears.

Princess Tantai's body went limp and she collapsed to the ground, her eyes fixed on the void. Tears still clung to her face, but a resolute flame of desperation gradually ignited in her eyes, which had been filled with struggle and pain: "I'll go to the imperial mausoleum..."

(End of this chapter)