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Chapter 503 The head is in a different place
Lu Qing and Zhu Yu have always had a high level of understanding. She pressed Lu Qing's back twice, and Lu Qing immediately understood. Just as she put her hand behind her back, she gently patted Zhu Yu's hand to reassure her.

Zhu Yu then made no further moves, standing quietly behind Lu Qing with her eyes lowered.

"The Lord of the Fortress came here today specifically to ambush me, didn't he? Just say what you have to say, there's no need to waste time here." Lu Qing smiled at the fake Lord of the Fortress. "You don't need to make up any excuses, saying that you came here specifically to see the remains of the High Priest of the Ruler. Even if you did, we wouldn't believe you."

"Well, you're quite straightforward." The fake lord laughed heartily, but both his smile and laughter made people feel uncomfortable. "I did come here specifically to find you."

There's nothing I can do. I've already returned the things left by your grandfather to their rightful owner, but you still haven't come looking for me. So I'll just take the initiative and come to you.

To be honest, seeing you like this today, coupled with everything that has happened before, has made me quite emotional.

People used to talk about blood ties, but now it seems that the bonds that blood ties can hold are ultimately no match for the influence of years of exposure and learning.

Back then, your grandfather and your father were both upright, incorruptible, and hated evil. They were virtuous and benevolent gentlemen.

"But you grew up under Emperor Jin's influence, and your scheming and methods have become even more like his!"

"So what?" Lu Qing raised his chin slightly, glancing at the fake fortress lord. "The current emperor is the ruler of all under heaven, a wise and benevolent ruler throughout the ages. If I can learn even a fraction of his abilities, that would be extremely difficult."

Moreover, since His Majesty is willing to cultivate me, I, as your son, will naturally accept it gladly. What wrong have I done?

"'Er' or 'er'...you know in your heart, but this 'chen' is a true 'chen'." The fake lord's eyes were filled with a kind of gloating excitement. He didn't come closer, but just paced around as he spoke. "When they named you, they had already engraved that sense of superiority and inferiority into your bones. You can't erase it!"

The fact that he named you "Qing" is a way of telling you that for the rest of your life, you can only obediently grovel on the ground, be his subject, and be his dog whom he can order around at will!

Even if he tells others that you are some kind of lucky star and that he has adopted you as his son, you will never be his real son, nor will you be of royal blood. You can only be a subject, and he will never allow you to have even the slightest thought of overstepping your bounds!
You look smart, but you're actually foolish! You've been doing this for so many years, mistaking a thief for your father, and you still haven't come to your senses.

I'm really afraid you'll waste your feelings and effort, and in the end, you'll get nothing in return—or worse, you might even inexplicably lose your life!

The fake fortress lord spoke slowly and deliberately, drawing out his words as he paced around Lu Qing and the others. Fu Wen and Fu Lu followed the fake fortress lord's movements warily, gripping their swords in a defensive stance, ready to launch a surprise attack.

Upon hearing his blunt words, Lu Qing's expression turned cold, and even her previous mocking smile disappeared.

"After all this build-up, aren't you tired?" he urged the fake fortress lord in a cold voice. "Just spit it out. If you have something to say, why beat around the bush and waste each other's time?"

Faced with his obvious anger, the fake lord not only did not get angry, but his smile became even wider.

"Look at you, I haven't even gotten anxious yet, but you're already in a hurry!" He shook his head and clicked his tongue, "I've already returned your grandfather's things to their rightful owner, and I've waited for you for so long, yet you haven't even come looking for me. Could it be that you've been serving Emperor Jin for so long that you don't even want to know what happened to your own family members back then?"

"The dead are gone. Do you think I can come back to life if I don't want to know?" Lu Qing snorted coldly, seemingly having run out of patience. "Besides, what kind of person in this world would be so kind for no reason? Why are you so impatiently urging me to tell you about what happened back then? If you say you have no ulterior motives, I will never believe you."

"That's natural. I'm different from that Emperor Jin. Although I have a frightening appearance, I'm straightforward in my actions. I can't do that hypocritical thing."

Yes, I want to tell you about what happened back then, but of course I have an ulterior motive. Otherwise, why would I bother with such trivial matters?

What I'm after, can't you guess?

"Of course I want you to be lenient and stop pursuing our people!"

He seemed to still feel a bit resentful when he said this, but also somewhat helpless: "Back in the Immortal Fortress, you ruined my Chang'e Wine and injured me badly, so I had to hide away to recover."

I had finally recovered enough from my injuries to go out and find my companions, only to discover that the small mountain building had also been destroyed by you.

I watched helplessly as you killed and captured my men, and I had no choice but to follow you all the way here.

Right now, all I have left is the truth about how your grandfather, father, and clan were wiped out.

Although I am reluctant to reveal the only thing I have to bargain with you, if I don't bring it up now and ask for a discussion, given your determination to wipe out our people, in the end, we will both suffer losses!
This outcome is neither good for us nor for you.

"How can I be sure you're not just making up some nonsense to fool me?" Lu Qing narrowed his eyes, looking at the fake fortress lord suspiciously. Although his tone was full of distrust, it was clear that he was still somewhat interested in what the fake fortress lord would say.

Clearly, the fake castle lord also sensed the curiosity he was trying to hide in his tone.

This made the expression on his face relax a little more.

“Since I have the pendant that your grandfather never parted with when he was alive, and I have returned it to you, I naturally know the truth of what happened back then. Why bother making up any lies to deceive you!”

Believe it or not, it's up to you. In short, if I lie to you, I won't gain anything. I want you to let me off the hook and spare my life. What I need most is for you to know what really happened back then.

It's Emperor Jin who has been so secretive about what happened back then all these years; he's the one who doesn't want you to know the truth.

The fake castle lord paused, then said, "To be honest, I don't believe you've never tried to find out all these years, but I'm afraid you've never been able to find out anything."

Doesn't that mean someone has blocked all the ways you tried to find out information?
To put it simply, if we weren't in this Vatican City, beyond his reach, I'm afraid he would have already beheaded me the night I delivered the brass pendant.