Gou Zai Liang Jie as a Human Gu

Thunder Dragon City, away from the Prince's Palace.

Lin Mo returned to the Prince's Mansion, which he had been away from for a long time.

It's somewhat laughable, really. Not long ago, he was just a little pageboy, but now he's transformed into the Crown Prince of Li.

Life is like a game of chess, ever-changing and unpredictable.

After changing his clothes, Xu Shu led Lin Mo to pay his respects at the Prince's residence.

"Your son greets Father." Upon entering the hall, Lin Mo respectfully clasped his hands in a fist and bowed.

Prince Li, who was reviewing documents at his desk, immediately put down his pen and beckoned, saying, "My son, there's no need for such formalities. Please sit."

Lin Mo sat down, and a maid served him tea.

The father and son enjoyed fragrant tea, and for a moment the atmosphere in the room became somewhat strange, a little oppressive and dull.

After taking a sip of tea, Li Wang put down his teacup and said in a deep voice, "You did a very good job in welcoming Li Muqing back to Qingshui Town this time."

You big idiot!

That old man must be kicking me to death right now. I stole your girl and ruined your chance to advance.

Lin Mo inwardly scoffed, but his face remained humble: "I dare not. This was all thanks to my father's strategic planning. I was merely taking advantage of the situation."

"A bargain?" A complex smile appeared on Li Wang's lips. "My son, don't underestimate yourself if you can make the Immortal of Baiyujing suffer a setback."

Lin Mo felt a chill run down his spine, unsure of what the Prince of Li truly meant.

He decided to stop thinking about it and asked directly, "Father, what is the purpose of this Immortal Bai Yujing causing trouble at my Yunxia Mountain?"

King Li sighed, "Your cultivation is still shallow, so it's only natural that you don't understand the key points."

"Please teach me, Father." Lin Mo asked sincerely.

Li Wang nodded slightly and patiently explained, "The Immortal Bai Yujing colluded with the True Man Danxia to use the elixir energy to lure the Candle Dragon hidden deep underground, all for the sake of the spiritual object guarding it, the [Chi Fire Glazed Crystal]."

Lin Mo nodded: "I know about this matter, but I don't know what she wants this spiritual object for."

Li Wang shook his head and said, "I don't know."

Lin Mo almost fell off his chair. So you didn't know either, what are you pretending for?

Li Wang kept his gaze straight ahead, ignoring the dissatisfaction on Lin Mo's face, and continued, "Immortals seek spiritual objects for purposes such as refining arrays, treasures, and pills, which don't require much attention. However, you, by chance, obtained the [Hidden Dragon Candle Flame Qi of Mount Ming], which is quite unexpected."

Lin Mo looked intently at the calm-faced Prince Li.

Old Deng, that's an expression of surprise on your face.

To me, you look smug and self-satisfied, as if you have everything under control.

"Wait, could this King Li be the mastermind behind this, a sorcerer plotting against the immortals?"

A bold idea popped into Lin Mo's mind.

It's not impossible.

The first time he impersonated the crown prince, he was poisoned to death by the Maitreya sect, and his body disappeared into thin air.

Li Wang must have had some suspicions, and then he made his plans... No, he couldn't possibly know the secret of his resurrection.

Li Wang was at most a beneficiary; he had other collaborators.

Moreover, he is a great cultivator!

"My son, do you know why no immortals cultivate the [Hidden Dragon Candle Flame Qi of Mount Ming]?"

Li Wang stared intently at Lin Mo, his eyes as deep as the ocean, as if trying to see right through him.

Lin Mo met his gaze directly and shook his head, saying, "I don't know, please enlighten me, Father."

King Li chuckled and explained, "This Qi was cultivated by the last monarch of the previous dynasty. King Shang cultivated this Qi, gathering the fate of the nation upon himself. In the end, he died and his Dao vanished, and this Qi disappeared along with the fate of the Shang dynasty."

"Those who come after, if anyone manages to cultivate this Qi, will inherit the karmic consequences of imperial power. Do you know what that means?"

The king's eyes glowed with a faint candlelight, chilling him to the bone, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop eight degrees.

Lin Mo looked a little confused, but now he understood everything.

"Could it be that they're going to help the Shang Dynasty restore its kingdom?"

"What do you think?" The ghostly fire in Li Wang's eyes grew even brighter, carrying a deep smile.

Old silver coins were definitely involved in this matter.

The claim of breaking through to the third rank through alchemy is just an excuse.

Their true purpose was to seize the remaining national fortune of the previous dynasty to facilitate their own rebellion.

And he himself, by a twist of fate, was gradually drawn into the scheme by his partner, becoming a vessel for the nation's destiny.

Thinking of this, Lin Mo felt a chill run down his spine, and his inner clothes were already soaked with sweat.

"Father, I have inherited the fortune of the previous dynasty. Will there be any problems?"

King Li chuckled coldly: "Of course there's a problem. This is the cause and effect of the imperial cause. Since we've taken on this cause and effect, we must fulfill the unfinished business of the Shang Kingdom."

"Otherwise, your cultivation will stagnate, forever locked in the present moment."

"What?!"

Lin Mo's face turned pale.

So this was Qin Shutong's scheme.

She knew that the [Hidden Dragon Candle Flame Qi of Mount Ming] would bear the consequences of karma, and if she did not help the Shang Dynasty restore its kingdom, her cultivation would be locked away.

No wonder that for the past six hundred years, not a single cultivator in Baiyujing has had any interest in this Qi.

It's not that I don't want to, but the consequences are too great.

Lin Mo understood everything, looked at Prince Li with bitterness, and couldn't help but ask, "Why me? Why not someone else?"

Li Wang's lips curled into a mocking smile, and he said with a hint of smugness, "This matter is half a masterpiece of nature and half man-made; you just happened to be there."

Lin Mo frowned slightly.

Could it be that the vessel that Li Wang initially arranged was Xiao Ning?

However, Xiao Ning was indeed a bit of a pushover.

Is that why he re-evaluated himself?

"When did you start paying attention to me?" Lin Mo stared intently at Li Wang, his gaze burning, demanding an answer.

Prince Li smiled slightly, his eyes filled with the loving affection of a father and son, and replied, "My silly son, of course I've been watching over you since you were little. This is the imperial path I've carefully paved for you, don't you like it?"

Old silver coin! He never tells the truth.

Lin Mo tried a different approach to probe the question: "Father, since we aim to dominate, who are our allies?"

"My son is very thoughtful. To achieve hegemony, one must have more allies."

Prince Li nodded with satisfaction and said, "Prince Jing is our ally."

"What?"

Lin Mo looked utterly astonished, somewhat incredulous: "Wasn't he the one who kept obstructing my marriage to the Crown Princess? With so many assassination attempts along the way, could this... be our ally?"

"When you're putting on a show, it naturally has to be realistic. How can people believe it if it's not realistic?"

The Prince of Li maintained a faint smile, his expression calculating as he said, "My son, think carefully. If the Great Zhou court had known long ago that we had secretly allied with Prince Jing, what do you think would have happened?"

They divided their forces to encircle and suppress the enemy, taking advantage of the fact that no uprising had yet taken place to strike first.

Lin Mo considered the consequences, but he didn't quite believe what Li Wang said.

"Are they really allies?"

Li Wang nodded.

"Father, you just told me like this? Aren't you afraid I'll leak the secret?" Lin Mo didn't think that the King wouldn't have heard about his private meeting with Zhang Zhiyuan.

That old fox is quite cunning.

Li Wang said calmly, "The destiny you bear is destined to make you and the Great Zhou irreconcilable."

The implication is that if you dare to leak secrets to the imperial court, you are betraying your allies, weakening your own power, and surrendering to the enemy.

Lin Mo would never do something so foolish as to aid the enemy.

Now he understands completely.

He had already been tied to the pirate ship by the King of Li.

He has no choice but to raise the sails.

If you don't set sail and rebel against the Great Zhou, your cultivation will be completely locked.

Lin Mo had no choice at all!