sovbooks Chapter 431 Qin Mu reveals his identity, the fake Moon God is shocked!
Chapter 431 Qin Mu reveals his identity, the fake Moon God is shocked!
Qin Mu picked up his wine glass, took a small sip, and put it down.
He sighed, his tone tinged with melancholy:
"My surname is Zheng, and my given name is Qingyun. As for my father... alas, to be honest, Your Highness, I am an illegitimate child. Although my father holds a high position and great power, it is inconvenient for him to reveal his name. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
His voice was low, carrying an uncontrollable, deep-seated inferiority and helplessness.
Xu Longxiang's heart stirred slightly.
illegitimate child?
No wonder he had never heard of any minister in the court with the surname Zheng having such an arrogant and domineering son.
Xu Longxiang, however, showed a perfectly appropriate expression of sympathy and apology, and raised his wine glass to Qin Mu.
"I see. I was presumptuous. Please forgive me, young master. I will punish myself with a cup of wine."
He downed the drink in one gulp, the liquor entering his throat, but a cold smile played on his lips.
An illegitimate child? That makes things even easier to handle.
People in this position lack recognition and respect the most.
If you give him enough respect and benefits, won't he obediently do things for you?
A slight smile played on his lips, and a look of unwavering determination flashed in his eyes.
Qin Mu waved his hand and sighed, his voice filled with helplessness.
"No, no, I'm used to it."
He poured himself another glass of wine, picked it up, and drank it all in one gulp.
After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,
Xu Longxiang put down his wine glass, his gaze falling on Qin Mu's face, a sincere smile on his lips, and a persuasive tone in his voice.
"Young Master Zheng, don't you want to prove yourself? Are you willing to spend your whole life bearing the stigma of being an illegitimate child and being looked down upon?"
Qin Mu frowned slightly, turned to look at him, and a hint of wariness flashed in his eyes.
He picked up his wine glass, took a small sip, put it down, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
"I'm not stupid. It's already a serious crime that I didn't expose you, and you still want to drag me down with you?"
Xu Longxiang was slightly startled, and his fingers slowly tightened inside his sleeve.
He hadn't expected that this spoiled brat, though arrogant, wasn't stupid; he wasn't the kind of fool who could be easily fooled.
He was indeed a bit anxious today. It seemed he couldn't continue talking, otherwise the other party would definitely become more resistant and wary. In that case, not only would he fail to win them over, but even the little bit of friendship he had painstakingly built could be destroyed.
Let the moon goddess do the rest.
He put on a smile, waved his hand quickly, and spoke in a more humble tone than before.
"Of course not, of course not! Young Master Zheng, you've misunderstood. I was just saying it casually, just saying it casually."
Qin Mu snorted softly, leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and clapped his folding fan twice in his palm, making a crisp "slap slap" sound.
"That's for the best. I want to live a few more years; I don't want to lose my head following someone like you."
His gaze fell on Chen Ruoyao's face, and the smile on his lips deepened.
He reached out and put his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him, his tone casual.
"I'm hosting a banquet tonight, inviting many of the city's elites, with singing and dancing to keep things lively. Would Your Highness like to stay and join us?"
Xu Longxiang's heart stirred slightly.
Staying behind would be a better way to protect the Moon Goddess and prevent her from being taken advantage of by that playboy at the banquet.
Moreover, it would be a good opportunity to observe Zheng Qingyun's background further and see how much he still has that is unknown to others.
He smiled and clasped his hands in a fist salute.
"Since you are so kind, young master, then I, Xu, will respectfully accept your offer."
Qin Mu laughed heartily and raised his wine glass.
"Alright! It's settled then! Come on, let's drink!"
Xu Longxiang picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.
The liquor went down his throat, bitter and spicy, but he was already planning his next steps.
After the banquet ended, Xu Longxiang was led by a wicked servant to a side hall to rest.
He glanced back as he left, his gaze lingering on Chen Ruoyao for a moment before shifting away without saying a word.
Only Qin Mu and the two Moon Goddesses, one real and one fake, remained in the main hall.
The candlelight burned quietly inside the lampshade, illuminating the room with a dim and warm glow.
The night breeze seeped in through the cracks in the window, causing the candlelight to flicker gently and casting the shadows of the three people on the wall, sometimes long and sometimes short.
Yun Suxin felt this was a good opportunity to escape.
Her gaze swept silently across the doorway, the window, and the corner of the corridor, her mind racing with calculations.
She turned her head and winked at Chen Ruoyao.
But Chen Ruoyao seemed not to see it, still lying in Qin Mu's arms, her head resting on his shoulder, her eyelashes drooping, like a docile cat.
Yun Suxin frowned, her brows furrowing into a very faint knot.
She didn't understand what was wrong with the other person. She clearly saw it, so why wasn't they responding?
Could it be that she was drunk by that playboy?
She gritted her teeth and gave another look, even more obvious and urgent than before.
But Chen Ruoyao still didn't react at all, not even lifting her eyelids.
A surge of irritation welled up in Yun Suxin's heart, but she quickly suppressed it.
She decided that once she returned to the Moon Goddess Cult, she would definitely punish Chen Ruoyao severely. How could she not even understand her hints? She was becoming more and more outrageous.
Fueled by alcohol, Qin Mu put his arm around Chen Ruoyao's waist, his gaze fixed on her face, and his words came out like a machine gun.
"Miss Suxin, do you know that you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen? None of the so-called socialites and noble ladies in the capital can compare to a single strand of your hair. Your dance, your eyes, your voice, and the fragrance you exude all fascinate me."
As he was talking, he suddenly picked Chen Ruoyao up and carried her drunkenly into the inner room.
His steps were a little unsteady, but he held on very firmly, as if he were holding some precious treasure.
Seeing the other person's impatient look, Yun Suxin frowned even more.
She didn't understand what was wrong with Chen Ruoyao, that she was letting this playboy run wild.
Perhaps the other party has their own reasons?
Perhaps Chen Ruoyao felt that she couldn't escape now, which is why she didn't resist.
After all, Chen Ruoyao's strength wasn't that great. Although she was at the first-grade level, she had almost no practical combat experience.
Yun Suxin comforted herself in this way.
but,
At the same time, she felt a surge of relief, thankful that she hadn't been caught in the crossfire.
Yun Suxin waited for a while, listening to the footsteps in the inner room gradually fade away, and then hearing the door slam shut with a "bang," and the weight in her heart eased slightly.
She looked up, her gaze sweeping across the empty main hall, and the thought resurfaced in her mind: this was a good opportunity.
The scoundrel was in the inner room, Xu Longxiang was in the side hall, and everyone else was gone. She was the only one in the empty main hall.
She had just stood up, preparing to walk towards the door.
A figure emerged from around the corner of the corridor.
Yunluan stood silently at the doorway, her hand on the hilt of her sword, her back straight, her gaze sharp as a knife.
Yun Suxin's steps suddenly stopped, as if she had been nailed to the ground.
She lowered her head, bit her lip, and slowly sat back down.
She sighed inwardly.
There's no escaping it; with this woman around, she can't even leave the house.
The inner room was brightly lit by candlelight.
Qin Mu placed Chen Ruoyao on the bed and sat down beside her, but made no further moves.
There was no trace of drunkenness on his face; his deep eyes were clear as water, and the faint smile on his lips remained.
Chen Ruoyao lay on the brocade quilt, looking into his eyes, and a strange, inexplicable feeling suddenly welled up in her heart.
This person doesn't seem drunk; his eyes are too clear, frighteningly so.
Qin Mu spoke, his voice soft yet clear, like a key that unlocked the tightly closed door in her heart.
"I know you are not the Moon Goddess. I also know you are her substitute. Your real name is Chen Ruoyao. You come from that mountain village, the daughter of an old couple. You joined the Moon Goddess Cult, and were later chosen by the Moon Goddess to be trained to the First Grade Finger Profound Realm, becoming her substitute."
Chen Ruoyao's pupils suddenly contracted, as if she had been pricked by a needle!
Her mouth opened slightly, and a "hoarse" sound came from her throat, as if someone had grabbed her by the neck.
She stared wide-eyed at Qin Mu, her eyes filled with disbelief and shock.
"Who...who are you?!"
Qin Mu smiled, a faint smile, yet it carried an innate and undeniable air of authority.
He raised his right hand and waved it lightly. His face changed abruptly, his brow bones became high, his eye sockets became deep, and his jawline became as sharp as if it had been carved by a knife. He became the face of Liu Bai, a middle-aged man.
A thunderous explosion erupted in Chen Ruoyao's mind!
She recognized that face!
That's Liu Bai, the sword fanatic, a half-step terrestrial immortal!
That sword fanatic Liu Bai, who was poisoned and fell off a cliff after being tricked by Xu Longxiang, Fan Li and her!
He's still alive?!
How is this possible?!
She saw him poisoned, saw him fall off the cliff, saw his clothes and jade pendant torn to shreds by piranhas—how could he still be alive?!
Qin Mu waved his hand lightly again, and his face returned to that handsome, languid face that she had never seen before.
He leaned against the bedpost, one hand supporting his chin, his posture as languid as a satiated cat.
"I also have another identity: Emperor of the Great Qin, Qin Mu."
Upon hearing this, Chen Ruoyao's pupils suddenly contracted to pinpoints!
Her mouth was wide open, and her jaw almost dislocated!
Her eyes were wide open to the limit, bulging out and bloodshot!
Her mind was blank, as blank as a bronze mirror that had been wiped countless times, with nothing but a blinding, empty white!
Emperor of Qin!
Qin Mu!
The Qin Emperor, whom she had always admired, looked up to, and felt was the only man worthy of being her beloved!
Right now, I'm sitting right in front of her, right beside her, right on this bed!
She always felt that the Emperor of Qin was much better than Xu Longxiang, after all, the Emperor of Qin couldn't possibly fawn over the Moon Goddess.
She always felt that only someone like the Emperor of Qin was worthy of being her ideal man.
She had never met the Emperor of Qin; she only imagined him as a perfect, arrogant, and all-powerful ruler.
At that moment, that image stepped out of her imagination and sat vividly in front of her, more perfect, more dazzling, and more unbearable to look at than she had imagined.
Her mind was a complete mess, like it had been stuffed into a blender, buzzing and making noise. She couldn't think clearly or make sense of anything.
She recalled Liu Bai's divine might on the battlefield, the sword light that descended from the sky, the terrifying pressure that crushed the heavens, and his ruthless killing methods that made him seem to enter an empty land.
That was the true, unadulterated strength of a half-step terrestrial immortal, a strength that chilled everyone to the bone.
The person before them was the Emperor of Qin, the sword fanatic Liu Bai.
He possessed such formidable power, yet he never displayed it in public, always presenting himself as a tyrannical ruler.
His cunning, his shrewdness, his methods—they far surpass those of the Moon Goddess.
A deep sense of awe welled up in Chen Ruoyao's heart, as if she were facing an insurmountable mountain peak, whose top she could not even see by looking up.
Qin Mu looked at her, his gaze calm and his voice indifferent.
"I can give you more than the Moon Goddess can. Fame, status, power—whatever you want, I can give you."
He paused, and the smile on his lips deepened.
"I can also make you the true Moon Goddess, give you the real power behind that mask, and make you no longer anyone's substitute, but Chen Ruoyao herself."
Chen Ruoyao's breathing became rapid, and her chest heaved violently.
She was moved.
How could she not be tempted?
From childhood to adulthood, she lived in the shadow of that small mountain village, in the shadow of the Moon Goddess, and under the expectations and arrangements of others.
She has no self, no freedom, and can't even use her own face.
She dreamed of becoming the true moon goddess, of possessing the real power hidden beneath that mask, of controlling her own destiny instead of being forever controlled by others.
But the Moon Goddess was like a mountain, pressing down on her head for so many years, making it hard for her to breathe.
She dared not resist, dared not betray, and dared not even think about it.
But now, someone tells her that he can help her move that mountain, that he can let her stand on the mountaintop, and that he can let her become the mountain itself.
Chen Ruoyao's eyes reddened.
She bit her lip, her voice hoarse, with a barely suppressed tremor.
"Your Majesty...is everything you said...true?"
Qin Mu reached out and gently lifted her chin with his long, slender fingers, forcing her to raise her head and meet his gaze.
There was no smile or languor in those deep eyes at that moment, only an undeniable certainty.
A ruler's word is his bond.
Chen Ruoyao's tears finally fell.
She knelt on the bed, her forehead touching the cool brocade quilt, her voice hoarse but firm.
"Your subject... Your subject's daughter, Chen Ruoyao, kowtows to Your Majesty. I am willing to serve Your Majesty with utmost loyalty, even unto death."