Chapter 79

Zhang Jun knew nothing about Qin Cheng’s romantic feelings, but Qu Zhiwen and Wu Hai were well aware of them. Needless to say, Wu Hai had probably guessed about it when they were in the tomb in Pingyao. Because of this, when he heard Zhang Jun’s words, his first reaction was to glance at Qin Cheng.

Suddenly, there were two pairs of sympathetic eyes gazing at Qin Cheng.

Qin Cheng coughed uncomfortably, took a sip of his coffee, and said: “Ahem, that information isn’t important for now.”

“That’s true.” Zhang Jun nodded. “But it is mentioned that the Emperor seemed to be a very good-looking man, with peach blossom eyes and a very unrestrained private life.”

“….Oh…. Really?”

“Of course!”

Qin Cheng didn’t want to continue this conversation anymore. After checking the time, he finally said: “It’s getting late, let’s find a place to eat. I have to go back early. After all, I have to go to the hospital early tomorrow to check on the wound. I should be able to get my stitches removed by now.”

“Alright.” Wu Hai was the first one to stand up. “There’s a good restaurant not far from here. The food is light and refreshing. We can go there.”

Zhang Jun wanted to pick up his girlfriend from work, so he had to go first: “You guys go ahead without me. I have to go pick up my girl.”

Qin Cheng nodded his head and looked at Qu Zhiwen, who was still sitting on the table, and said: “Let’s eat dinner together.”

“Sure.”

The place Wu Hai chose was a family-style restaurant, and the boss seemed easy-going. When the boss heard that Qin Cheng was injured, he recommended a few light and nourishing dishes for him to try. The price was reasonable and the food’s taste was also quite good. In the end, the three big men ate several bowls of rice.

“Ah, right. I remembered just now that you used to rent an apartment, right?” When Qin Cheng had settled the bill, he suddenly remembered that he had to rent a new place, so he turned to ask Wu Hai.

When Wu Hai, who was packing up his backpack, heard this, he thought for a moment before replying: “Oh…. Yes, I used to rent an apartment. But I didn’t renew the contract after Xiaomei left. I’m living in the dormitory now.”

“Are you really planning on renting an apartment? Do you want to share it or rent it on your own?”

Qin Cheng nodded: “It’s better to rent it on my own. It’d be better to stay away from college for the time being, so I’m looking for the one-room kind.”

“Well…. if that’s the case, then there’s this place I used to live in. It’s not bad, and the landlord has several types of apartments. The price is also quite accessible, 1200 yuan ¹ a month. Do you want me to go ask for you tomorrow?”

“Alright. As long as it’s clean and there’s a place available, please let me know. I’ll go directly to the landlord to pay the rent once it’s settled.”

“Count on me.” When he saw that Qu Zhiwen was still here, standing at the door of the restaurant as if he was waiting for Qin Cheng, Wu Hai whispered: “Are you going back to campus?”

After pondering for a short while, Qin Cheng looked at Wu Hai and said: “I won’t go back for now. I…. have something to ask Qu Zhiwen.”

Qin Cheng’s words made Wu Hai frown: “Is this really okay? Seriously…. I don’t think you’re making the right choice.”

Qin Cheng smiled and remained silent. Wu Hai didn’t know what else to say, so he only sighed: “If you need my help, just say it.”

“Alright. Thank you.”

After thanking Wu Hai, Qin Cheng saw him walking away. Then, Qin Cheng and Qu Zhiwen walked in a different direction.

It’s only natural to avoid crowded places when you want to talk about important matters. But that wasn’t their only reason. They also wanted to avoid the person who put a bug on Qin Cheng to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Qin Cheng didn’t understand how to avoid that person with the art of Qi Huang, but Qu Zhiwen was an expert in that area. Even though Qin Cheng didn’t like Qu Zhiwen, he was the only one he could trust right now. So he had no other choice than to follow Qu Zhiwen.

When Qu Zhiwen saw that Qin Cheng was following him without asking anything, he was somewhat surprised. It was pretty clear that Qin Cheng had never liked Qu Zhiwen, since they met for the first time, so it was strange to Qu Zhiwen that Qin Cheng would follow him so easily!

When they arrived at Qu Zhiwen’s current residence in Xi’an, he asked Qin Cheng, who had followed him all the way here: “You actually came with me. Aren’t you scared that I’ll harm you or something?”

Qin Cheng glanced at Qu Zhiwen’s thin body, and said: “For you to take so much trouble just to find me, it must mean that you need my help for something. If you wanted to harm me in the first place, why would you wait until now?”

“Why not? You didn’t have a Taowu bone before, but now you do.”

“Oh, you think I’m stupid? If that small piece could be useful, then why is Li Guoxian still looking for more bones? Besides, didn’t the ghost in Pingyao’s tomb say that Li Guoxian had the same piece?”

Qu Zhiwen didn’t expect for Qin Cheng to be so perceptive, but his words stunned Qu Zhiwen for a while. With a smile on his face, he finally said: “I see that you’re not so stupid after all. But, why are you so obsessed with Su Jingmo? The two of you aren’t even predestinated.”

Qu Zhiwen’s words reminded Qin Cheng of what Su Jingmo had said to him before. With a frown, he said: “You told Su Jingmo that we aren’t connected by the red thread of fate? Can you even see the red thread?”

“He told you that?” Qu Zhiwen filled a disposable cup with water and handed it to Qin Cheng. Qu Zhiwen then glanced at the red thread on Qin Cheng’s pinky finger, and just like last time, the middle part was dark and unclear, while the other end was bright. Still, he wasn’t able to see who was at the other side of the red thread.

“A marriage that will walk a long distance, that’s the red thread I can see. Your pinky has a red thread, but I can’t see the person holding the other side.”

“If you can’t see it, then why are you saying that Su Jingmo and I don’t share a fate together?” Qin Cheng angrily pushed away the disposable cup with water handed over by Qu Zhiwen.

‘ It’s utter nonsense. ’

“Even though I can’t see who your destined partner is, Su Jingmo is someone who died a long time ago. His red thread disappeared the moment he died. You have a red thread, but he does not. So, who do you think is holding your red thread?”

Qin Cheng didn’t expect this, and now, he was a little dumbfounded: “Then…. is it impossible for me and Su Jingmo to be together? Because he doesn’t have a red thread, but I’m connected to someone else? I have no chance with Su Jingmo?”

“Exactly.”

Hearing this, Qin Cheng couldn’t help but shake his head and sneer: “The red thread determines a person’s destined partner? But, if I don’t share a fate with Su Jingmo, then why did I fall in love with him the moment I saw him? If this isn’t fate, then what is it?”

“You two are indeed connected by fate, but not as a couple. There’s really not a single possibility for you two to be together. In the future, you should meet your other half, and Su Jingmo will be no more than a passer-by from your past.”

Qin Cheng looked coldly at Qu Zhiwen and snorted: “Impossible. Even if what you said is true, I won’t allow such a thing to happen.”

“I’m afraid Su Jingmo doesn’t think the same….”

“What are you talking about?”

“Nothing. Anyways, I’m not interested in your love life, I just came looking for you to make a deal.” Qu Zhiwen said as he walked to the sofa to sit down. “You should know by now how dangerous it is for you to carry that piece of Taowu bone. Ordinary people can’t hold onto such a thing, and it’s the same for you and Wu Hai. You two don’t have the ability to guard it, and if you put that thing on your body, you will only die. To avoid such fate, you may as well give it to me.”

‘ I’ve long known that Qu Zhiwen was coming to me for the Taowu bone, but I never thought that this man would actually ask for it so straightforwardly. Anyways, it’s better this way. ’

“If I remember correctly, Ning Qing said that we shouldn’t be apart from the Taowu bone, or we’ll die…. Do you really think that I’ll give it to you just like that?”

“Of course not for nothing in exchange. The reason why you would die after leaving that tomb is related to the formation inside. If you put a Taowu bone close to your body, you would be able to suppress the impact of the curse. But there’s more than one method to avoid the formation’s curse. If I could dissolve that formation then I’m also able to help you with the curse. As long as the Taowu bone is given to me, then I’ll help you and your friend.”

Qin Cheng had been tracked down, and someone had even purposely read his notes. But this was just the beginning. As long as there’s a Taowu bone with him, more dangerous things will happen.

Qin Cheng wasn’t particularly concerned about himself, but he couldn’t put Wu Hai in danger. If someone were to find that Wu Hai has a Taowu bone with him and tried to steal it, then Wu Hai would….

Carrying the Taowu bone around is like carrying a bomb that it’s about to explode at any given moment. If, one day, that bomb were to explode, Wu Hai would certainly die….

“Can you really undo the curse?”

“Of course. But I still need you to do something for me.”

Qin Cheng didn’t ask what it was, nor did he agree or disagree. After a moment of silence, Qin Cheng slowly said: “I want to know one thing. What’s the use of the Taowu bone?”

“I’m afraid no one knows what it’s specifically used for. The only thing that’s known is that the Taowu bone can give immortality to living humans, meaning that it can change the nature of human bones. Ordinary people will be able to live at least a few hundred years. With enough luck, some Taoist practitioners would be able to ascend to Immorality.”

“You’re talking about the living, but what about the dead? Is it useless for them?”

Qu Zhiwen looked at Qin Cheng: “The dead can be reborn….”

As soon as these words were said, Qin Cheng reached out to grab Qu Zhiwen’s collar: “Are you telling the truth?!!”

“Of course it’s the truth. But there are some conditions, the person must have died recently and the body needs to be intact, not rotten.” Qu Zhiwen didn’t like the feeling of being held by the collar, so he quickly frowned and pulled Qin Cheng’s hands off him. “I know what you’re thinking, but have you ever thought of the state of Su Jingmo’s corpse? You should know better than me that the Taowu bone is useless to him.”

“Why do you need an intact corpse for the Taowu bone to work?”

“The Taowu bones are nothing more than the bones of a Legendary Beast. Even though it can be considered as an artifact with the ability to help people ascend to immortality, it doesn’t have the ability to reshape the physical body. After all, the reshaping of human flesh is against the Heavens. Even immortals can’t do such a thing! However, for thousands of years, people had only heard legends about the Taowu bone. If you don’t believe it, you can try it out. There’s a Taowu bone in Su Jingmo’s tomb. But, I don’t think it’ll be of any use…. If such a thing could work, Su Jingmo wouldn’t be a ghost now. You know it well, he used to be an Emperor when he was alive. Of course his followers would care more about his death than you….”

Qin Cheng is so stubborn balrjskdk

‘What if I have a fated partner? A ghost is enough for me!’ 😂😂😂

I pity the poor woman holding QC’s red thread

Also, for Qu Zhiwen to ‘not care’ abt Qin Cheng and Su Jingmo’s love life, he sure brought the issue of the red thread without anyone asking lmao just say you like the tea and go 😂😂😂

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(∩´∀`∩)💕  💖

Footnotes

<ol>Approx. USD187 current year (2021).</ol>