In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 358 Even the most hateful person has a pitiable side.

Zhu Wushi's mind raced, then he said in a deep voice, "So you poisoned the candle?"

Gongzi Yu clapped his hands with a smile and said, "The Divine Marquis is indeed the Divine Marquis, so clever, he reacted so quickly."

Zhu Wushi did not respond to Gongzi Yu's words.

If he were truly intelligent, why would he only realize this now?

Exhaling a breath of foul air, savoring the strong, sweet, and metallic taste in his mouth, Zhu Wushi continued, "You even know how I was poisoned before. You really did plant a spy by my side."

Gongzi Yu smiled nonchalantly: "Are you referring to the thirty-six Heavenly Generals I had someone find for you, or the seventy-two Earthly Fiends?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Wushi trembled slightly.

"They are all your people?"

Gongzi Yu laughed and said, "You and Wan Sanqian only met after you joined the Azure Dragon Society. Why do you think that I wouldn't know about entrusting Wan Sanqian to help you search for talented orphans in the Great Wei Kingdom?"

Zhu Wushi staggered back half a step.

The Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits and Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends can be considered Zhu Wushi's last trump card and trusted confidants.

If all thirty-six Heavenly Generals and seventy-two Earthly Fiends are Gongzi Yu's men.

What about the others in the Dragon Guard Manor?
Perhaps, apart from Shangguan Haitang, Duan Tianya, and Guihai Yidao, the rest are all members of the Azure Dragon Society.

Thinking of this, Zhu Wushi suddenly felt a chill in his heart.

"What exactly do you want to do?"

A moment later, Zhu Wushi stared intently at Gongzi Yu, his tone filled with both fear and confusion.

He couldn't understand what Gongzi Yu's elaborate scheme and control over him was all for.

Looking at Zhu Wushi, whose face was ashen, Gongzi Yu suddenly sighed and said, "It's a pity. Although Father Emperor once said that you were an ungrateful wretch, Uncle, I really wanted to spare your life because of the royal bloodline and what you have done over the years."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Wushi's expression changed drastically.

Gongzi Yu slowly raised his hand and gently removed the mask from his face.

As the mask was removed, Gongzi Yu's true face was revealed under the moonlight.

Upon seeing Gongzi Yu's true appearance, Zhu Wushi's eyes narrowed sharply, as if he had seen a ghost.

A moment later, Zhu Wushi almost gritted his teeth and said, "Zhu—Hou—Zhao."

Upon hearing those three words, Shangguan Jin Hong turned her head in astonishment to look at Gongzi Yu, her face full of surprise.

Judging from Shangguan Jin Hong's reaction alone, he had no idea what Gongzi Yu's true face was before today.

Zhu Houzhao gently rubbed his thumb against the mask in his hand, then smiled, his smile as warm and sunny as that of a friendly neighbor boy.

"Royal Uncle, you didn't expect this, did you!"

With his gaze fixed on Zhu Houzhao, Zhu Wushi said coldly, "So, from the very beginning when you invited me to join the Azure Dragon Society, the Azure Dragon Society has been under your control?"

Gongzi Yu shook his head: "To be precise, from the day my father passed the throne to me, the Azure Dragon Society has been under my control."

As he spoke, Zhu Houzhao walked up to Zhu Wushi and placed his right hand on Zhu Wushi's shoulder.

The moment the Qi Circulation began, a powerful suction force surged from Zhu Houzhao's hands.

Feeling his internal energy and spirit being rapidly plundered from his body and transferred to Zhu Houzhao, Zhu Wushi could not help but recognize that Zhu Houzhao was also using the "Absorption Technique".

How come you know how to do that too?

Seeing Zhu Wuwei's surprised reaction, Zhu Houzhao remained calm, even feeling a sense of accomplishment.

A sense of accomplishment derived from treating others as pawns and playthings to be manipulated at will.

"My uncle has never been favored by my father since birth, so even now he doesn't fully understand the situation within the royal family."

"In fact, according to my royal family's ancestral teachings, when each prince or princess is born, the palace will send a skilled guard to protect them."

"Although the Imperial Uncle was not well-liked before, when he went out to explore the martial world, he was secretly followed and protected by a martial artist from the palace who had reached the Qi Condensation Realm."

"Therefore, as early as the second day after the Imperial Uncle obtained the 'Absorption Technique' from the Heavenly Pool of Xuanbei Tianshan, when the Imperial Uncle went out to cultivate, the expert in the palace had already copied a copy of the 'Absorption Technique' and sent it to the palace."

Perhaps Zhu Houzhao's information shocked Zhu Wushi so much that he was still unable to process what Zhu Houzhao had said.

After a long while, Zhu Wushi finally spoke, "No wonder, no wonder the poison in my body flared up in places that happen to be some of the important acupoints involved in the 'Absorption Technique's' cultivation path."

"So this poison was specially prepared by you based on the characteristics and circulation route of the 'Absorption Technique'."

Zhu Houzhao smiled and said, "After all, in the past twenty years, my uncle has absorbed the power of hundreds of martial artists. If we don't use this method, the Celestial Realm martial artist that I brought is not necessarily able to take him down easily! With this medicine, it will be much simpler."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Wushi sneered, "You really went to great lengths!"

After a few moments of contemplation, he asked, "So, from the time I returned to the capital and established the Dragon Guard Manor until now, everything was the late emperor's design?"

When he spoke, Zhu Wushi's voice trembled slightly, revealing the shock in his heart.

Zhu Houzhao said calmly, "At first, there was no such idea, but it was only when you wanted to openly establish the Dragon Guard Manor and secretly start building an intelligence network to collect dirt on the ministers in the court that Father Emperor had the idea for the latter."

With the "Absorption Technique" in hand, it is no longer difficult for the royal family that controls the entire Great Wei Kingdom to cultivate experts.

The challenge lies in enabling those who ascend the throne to also reach the Celestial Realm.

If Zhu Wushi were to behave himself, and considering his bloodline, the royal family might be able to allow him to enter the Celestial Realm and become a Celestial Realm retainer in the court.

However, Zhu Wushi's secret actions have already exposed his ambition.

A ruler would naturally not tolerate having such a treacherous person under his command.

The current situation, while partly due to the royal family's calculations, is also a result of Zhu Wushi's own choices.

After figuring all this out, Zhu Wushi suddenly felt a dryness in his mouth.

Looking back on all the things that have happened over the years, I suddenly feel so ridiculous.

He thought the imperial court and the martial arts world were all under his calculation and control. But in the end, he was nothing more than a pitiful wretch who was manipulated.

"As expected of the emperor, he played a brilliant move!"

Zhu Wushi practically forced out these words through gritted teeth, his voice filled with fear, resentment, and anger.

A few breaths later, Zhu Wushi asked, "Since your goal is to use the 'Absorption Technique' to help you enter the Celestial Realm, why didn't you make a move when facing Meng Chixing earlier?"

This is a point that Zhu Wushi still can't understand.

Zhu Houzhao said, "Although the Imperial Uncle obtained the 'Absorption Technique' earlier, his research on the 'Absorption Technique' over the years has been based solely on his own experience, and he is completely unaware of some of the characteristics of the 'Absorption Technique'."

After obtaining the "Absorption Technique," the Emperor immediately arranged for trusted individuals in the palace to practice it. They discovered that while the technique absorbed others' energy and spirit with each absorption, if multiple practitioners sequentially absorbed the energy and spirit into their own bodies, the absorbed energy and spirit could be further purified.

"If we use the ordinary method, like the Imperial Uncle, even if he cultivated the 'Absorption Technique' and absorbed a martial artist in the Celestial Realm, although the three flowers in his body were condensed, because his essence, energy and spirit were not pure, he could only enter the Celestial Realm through the Lesser Three Combinations method."

"And even after entering the Celestial Realm, one's strength will only be at the bottom of the Celestial Realm."

"I am the Son of Heaven, and the most honorable person in the Great Wei Kingdom. Even if I were to enter the Celestial Realm, how could I become the weakest Celestial Realm warrior?"

"Therefore, I also have to consider the issue of vitality and spirit."

"The best way is to keep one's essence, energy, and spirit as pure as possible, so that one can gradually refine one's essence, energy, and spirit through the power of heaven and earth, and reduce the impact of the disorder of essence, energy, and spirit."

Now that things have come to this point, Zhu Wushi certainly understands what Gongzi Yu means.

He was clearly treating himself as a furnace or cauldron.

Gu Shaoan and Gu Santong exchanged a glance, their expressions both conveying a sense of understanding.

After figuring all this out, Zhu Wushi looked at Zhu Houzhao opposite him and said, "I used to think that as the emperor, you were too weak. Now it seems that I have always underestimated you."

"In terms of shrewdness and cunning, you are no less than your father; in terms of patience, you are even more than me."

Zhu Houzhao smiled lightly: "It's not easy to receive such praise from my uncle."

Feeling his vital energy and power still draining away from his body, Zhu Wushi spoke again: "You've been planning this for decades, your purpose must be more than just luring me out, right?"

"What's your next goal?"

While maintaining the operation of the "Absorption Technique", Zhu Houzhao replied, "To repel external enemies, we must first pacify the internal situation. My next goal is naturally to ensure that the Great Wei Kingdom is completely dominated by my voice, whether in the martial arts world or the imperial court."

"To repel external aggression, we must first pacify internal strife!" These few words were enough for Zhu Wushi to understand Zhu Houzhao's ambition and thoughts.

After a brief silence, Zhu Wushi asked, "One last question: Su Xin, is she in your hands?"

In response, Zhu Houzhao shook his head and said, "I really don't know about this matter, and it has nothing to do with me."

Upon hearing this, the light in Zhu Wushi's eyes dimmed even further.

Upon seeing this, Gu Shaoan couldn't help but sigh softly.

Gu Santong, standing to the side, frowned slightly.

It was at this moment that Zhu Houzhao suddenly turned his head to look at Gu Shaoan.

"Does Young Master Gu have anything to say?"

In response to Zhu Houzhao's question, Gu Shaoan shook his head and said, "If we're really talking about it, I only have old grudges with the Divine Marquis, and there's no other relationship between us, so there's nothing to say."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houzhao smiled and then turned to Zhu Wushi, asking, "Does Imperial Uncle have any last words?"

When asked by Zhu Houzhao, Zhu Wushi slowly raised his head.

"The victor is king, the loser is villain. But my defeat is not against you, but against the late emperor."

After saying that, Zhu Wushi slowly closed his eyes.

However, his back gradually straightened.

Even in death, Zhu Wushi would maintain his composure.

Gu Santong transmitted his voice, "Should we just stand here and watch them take care of Zhu Tiedan without doing anything?"

After all, having been tricked by Zhu Wushi and imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison for over twenty years, Gu Santong couldn't possibly not harbor resentment towards Zhu Wushi.

If it weren't for his previous lack of strength, Gu Santong might have stormed the Dragon Guard Manor the moment he recovered from his injuries.

In response, Gu Shaoan replied using telepathy: "The location and the people are not right. Taking action would only cause trouble."

With just one sentence, Gu Santong instantly understood Gu Shaoan's meaning.

Zhu Wushi was, in the end, still a member of the royal family.

If it were in private, it wouldn't be a problem, but now the Emperor of the Great Wei Kingdom is standing right here.

Taking action against members of the royal family in front of the emperor would undoubtedly hand Zhu Houzhao a pretext for future retribution.

Having figured this out, Gu Santong looked again at Zhu Wushi, who looked as if he had lost his parents and whose expression was gloomy, and shook his head.

"Therefore, even the most hateful person has a pitiable side!"

Gu Shaoan glanced at Gu Santong: "Judging from your tone, Uncle Gu's hatred for him isn't as deep anymore?"

Gu Santong nodded and transmitted his voice: "Although I still hate it, when I think back, if it weren't for those twenty-odd years in the Heavenly Prison, I might not have figured out what was really important to me. Maybe I would have become arrogant twenty-odd years ago and then been slapped to death by some expert."

"Thinking about it this way, it's like the old man who lost his horse."

Gu Shaoan smiled gently.

However, just as Gu Shaoan was about to speak again, as if he had sensed something, he suddenly turned his head and his gaze met that of the Celestial Realm warrior holding the knife.

Their eyes met, and the Celestial Realm martial artist wielding the knife suddenly smiled.

But that smile wasn't a friendly one; it was more like the playful look of a hunter seeing new prey.

Upon seeing this, Gu Shaoan narrowed his eyes slightly.

(End of this chapter)