The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

Chapter 451 The Results of the Re-divination

Arrogance without considering the consequences leads to self-destruction.

Xu Ziwu realized this too late. If he had listened to others' advice and repented earlier, the outcome would have been completely different.

Ruan Yuhu poured Xu Ziwu another large bowl of wine, placed it in front of him, and then said, "What I want to ask is, was the prophecy you made back then true?"

Xu Ziwu froze and fell silent. Ruan Yuhu hadn't explained himself clearly; he had made too many predictions in his life. But Xu Ziwu immediately understood what Ruan Yuhu was referring to.

That was the biggest and most unforgivable mistake he ever made in his life.

He ended up in this state not only because of his arrogance and conceit, but he also knew in his heart that it was because of the murder he committed back then.

As someone who peeks into the will of heaven, he should have suffered a backlash for revealing heavenly secrets, but he didn't take it to heart back then.

Not only did he act willfully, but he also repeatedly broke taboos and showed no remorse. He leaked the secrets of heaven that he had glimpsed, causing not only bloodshed but also almost overturning the fate of Yunli's nation.

This is truly a terrible tragedy.

Seeing that Xu Ziwu remained silent, Ruan Yuhu did not urge him. As a witness to those past events, Ruan Yuhu understood Xu Ziwu's feelings at this moment.

If we want Xu Ziwu to tell us those things, we need to give him some time.

Xu Ziwu sighed. He knew he had to pay for the sins he had committed.

"Does Miss Ruan want to know about the story that a female emperor would emerge in Yunli to replace the Li family and rule Yunli?"

This happened a long time ago, and Xu Ziwu was still a little surprised. Back then, he had lied to that person and told him that the disaster had been averted and there was no need to worry.

But now that Ruan Yuhu has suddenly visited and asked about this matter again, it can only mean that Ruan Yuhu may have found out something and came to him to confirm what she thought.

Since that's the case, there's nothing to hide.

"That's right, I just want to know the truth of the matter, what really happened?"

Looking at Xu Ziwu, Ruan Yuhu was certain that Xu Ziwu had concealed something about what happened back then and had not told the late emperor the whole truth.

"Sigh!" Xu Ziwu sighed and said, "That was the most regrettable thing I've ever done in my life, and I'm getting my comeuppance today. It's all related to that."

"The divination I performed back then did indeed indicate that after Yunli, a new ruler would emerge to replace the Li family and restore the dynasty."

"That restorer will lead Yunli into an unprecedented golden age, one that has never existed before her and will never exist again after her."

"When I told that person about this, it wasn't for fame, fortune, or power, as outsiders say."

“At that time, when I observed the night sky, I noticed that the Ziwei star was unusual, while the Emperor star next to it began to become murky and dim, its light appearing and disappearing as if it were being covered up and replaced.”

"After careful calculation, I deduced that the Ziwei Empress would be born in Yunli."

"This Empress Ziwei will become a wise and benevolent ruler, unprecedented and unparalleled in thousands of years."

"With her arrival, Yunli will become the number one power in the six kingdoms of the Nine Provinces, unmatched by anyone else."

"There will be a glorious era in which all nations come to pay tribute and all corners of the world submit."

"The reason I told that person about this is simply because I consider him a brother I would risk my life for. I was afraid that the aura of the Ziwei Empress would offend him and cause him harm, so I wanted to give him some precautions in advance."

"What I didn't expect was that after listening to me, he went on a killing spree and killed all the girls under the age of three in Yunli."

"I underestimated his lust for power and was deceived by his false benevolence, which harmed so many innocent children."

"In the end, I was also struck back, and my whole family suffered retribution, causing my Xu clan to be wiped out and my bloodline to continue in this world."

"But what that person didn't know was that destiny cannot be defied. Since Heaven has allowed Empress Ziwei to be born, how could a mere mortal like him possibly stop it?"

"Although he ordered the killing of all girls under the age of three in Yunli at that time, the chosen one was not harmed."

Upon hearing this, Ruan Yuhu's tense nerves suddenly relaxed. She understood that the late emperor had sacrificed his throne and the Li family's empire to protect himself.

He ruthlessly killed all the girls under the age of three in Yunli, including his own daughter, just to prevent future troubles. But no matter how much he planned, he could not defy the saying that fate cannot be defied.

Not only did he commit the sin of killing, but in the end he was still unable to escape the arrangement of fate.

This is truly a cruel twist of fate; how can man possibly prevail over destiny?

Ruan Yuhu has now confirmed that the destined woman who was to rule Yunli did not die young as the late emperor had hoped, but is still alive and well in this world.

She felt both anticipation and apprehension. If the chosen one Xu Ziwu spoke of wasn't Shen Tianjiao, then it meant that everyone, including Shen Tianjiao, was in danger.

"Since that chosen one of destiny was not executed by the late emperor, can you find out where she is now?"

Ruan Yuhu knew that he was putting Xu Ziwu in a difficult position by making such a request, not to mention that Xu Ziwu had been imprisoned here for many years and whether he still had his former skills.

Even if he had stayed outside, not been imprisoned, and continued to study celestial phenomena, he might not have known where the Chosen One was.

However, Ruan Yuhu would always feel uneasy if she couldn't find the answer from Xu Ziwu.

This is no ordinary matter; it concerns the life and death of Shen Tianjiao and all of them.

If something happens to Shen Tianjiao, then Li Muyang, the crown prince, will also lose his position.

At that time, these people will also lose their lives in vain due to the change of power.

Ruan Yuhu is not afraid of death, but she cannot let Shen Tianjiao, Li Muyang, and the people around her die.

She was determined to find a solution for them, no matter what, even if it went against the will of Heaven and would bring her eternal damnation.

To Ruan Yuhu's surprise, Xu Ziwu did not refuse her after hearing her words, but instead asked, "Did you bring those things you used for divination before?"

Before Xu Ziwu was imprisoned here, before parting ways with Ruan Yuhu in the capital, he gave all the things he had used to Ruan Yuhu as parting gifts.

After all, Ruan Yuhu had treated him well. At that time, he had nothing else on him except those things, so he could only give them to Ruan Yuhu.

"Huh?" Ruan Yuhu was a little distracted by Xu Ziwu's question, but she quickly came to her senses.

“I brought it all, not a single item missing.”

Ruan Yuhu brought all the gifts that Xu Ziwu had given him back then.

That was her original plan. If Xu Ziwu was willing to cooperate with her and tell the truth, she would release him, return his things to him, and keep them as a memento.

Unexpectedly, those things would actually come in handy.

"I'll have someone fetch them, but you should think carefully. If you try to divulge fate, you might suffer a backlash."

Although Ruan Yuhu was eager to know the answer, she did not want Xu Ziwu to suffer a backlash and misfortune because of it.

"It's alright, just have someone fetch it."

Xu Ziwu smiled bitterly. He had done too many things in his life to peek into fate, and he wouldn't mind doing it one more time before he died.

Anyway, his retribution has come, and he has nothing left to lose.

This is to repay the kindness Ruan Yuhu showed me back then.

Ruan Yuhu got up and went outside. He whispered something to Ju Ruo, who was waiting outside. After listening, Ju Ruo turned and left.

A short while later, Ju Ruo returned, carrying the things Ruan Yu Hu needed.

Ruan Yuhu took the things from Ju Ruo's hands, turned around and went back inside. The iron gate was closed again the moment Ruan Yuhu went in.

Back in the cave, Ruan Yuhu walked quickly to the stone table, put down what she was holding, and said to Xu Ziwu, "All the things you left behind back then are here, not one is missing."

Xu Ziwu fumbled for the old friends that had been with him for many years, never expecting that they would meet again one day.

"I need absolute silence when I'm doing divination, so I'll trouble Miss Ruan to keep watch over me."

"Okay, no problem, don't worry, no one will come in to bother you."

Ruan Yuhu stared at Xu Ziwu's treasures on the stone table, and suddenly felt inexplicably nervous.

She knew that Xu Ziwu's divination was of paramount importance, directly related to Yun Li's future and Shen Tianjiao's safety.

Thinking of Shen Tianjiao, she was so nervous that she could hardly breathe.

Xu Ziwu stroked his treasures for a while before he began his divination.

Even though he hadn't touched these things for many years, he still used them skillfully without any awkwardness.

When Xu Ziwu was doing divination, he seemed to have completely changed. He was no longer the listless, timid, and frail old man he had been just moments before.

Instead, he became full of energy and spirit, and even his dull and lifeless eyes seemed to brighten up.

At this moment, Ruan Yuhu saw in Xu Ziwu his former spirited self.

As the divination progressed, Xu Ziwu's brows furrowed deeper and deeper until he was covered in sweat and his body was completely limp and weak, at which point he finally stopped.

Seeing Xu Ziwu like this, Ruan Yuhu couldn't help but feel worried. She asked, "Are you alright? Are you okay?"

"I brought a royal physician with me. Would you like him to come in and examine you?"

Xu Ziwu waved his hand and said weakly and intermittently, "No need, don't worry about me, I, I, I need to rest."

Seeing Xu Ziwu like this, Ruan Yuhu stopped talking and retreated to the side to quietly watch over him.

The result of the divination just now startled Xu Ziwu. In order to prevent himself from making a mistake, he specially performed the divination again.

Xu Ziwu only dared to stop after confirming that his divination results were correct.

The divination result was completely unexpected, something he had never heard of before and never even dared to imagine.

Empress Ziwei is indeed still alive, but it seems that she is no longer the same person as before.

During his divination, he discovered that the original Ziwei Empress had momentarily fallen into darkness and lost her light, but then another Ziwei Empress merged with the original Ziwei Star, emitting an even brighter and more dazzling light.

The light was so bright that it was impossible to look up at it; its radiance instantly illuminated the entire starry sky.

Xu Ziwu calmed down and went through everything he had just seen and what he had previously calculated.

Gradually, he began to glean the secrets and mysteries within.

The original Ziwei Empress probably encountered some accident, or perhaps she voluntarily gave up her life as a sacrifice to exchange her fate for that of the current Ziwei Empress.

Let the current Empress Ziwei take her place and fulfill her mission.

This may seem unbelievable, but for Xu Ziwu, it was nothing out of the ordinary.

He himself was someone who peered into destiny, so he naturally knew that the world was vast and full of wonders.

If he can glimpse destiny, then of course there will be someone more capable than him who can truly defy fate and change the course of events.

There is a sky outside the sky, and there are people outside the world.

Xu Ziwu understood this principle very well; he never considered himself to be the strongest person standing at the top of the clouds.

There are many people in the world who are stronger and more capable than him, so it is not surprising that such a thing happened. There is nothing to be surprised or unable to accept.

Having figured all this out, Xu Ziwu felt relieved.

He had glimpsed the secret of heaven, but he could no longer reveal it. This was not because he was afraid of suffering a backlash, but because he was afraid that Ruan Yuhu would learn the truth and suffer misfortune as a result.

The secrets of Heaven must not be revealed. To peek into the Heavenly Way is already a grave taboo. If it were to be revealed further and affect the trajectory of the Heavenly Way, one would likely face eternal damnation so soon.

Xu Ziwu steadied himself and looked up, saying, "Miss Ruan, where in this world can one find a woman more noble than the Empress, the mother of the nation?"

Upon hearing Xu Ziwu's words, Ruan Yuhu's body went limp and she almost fell to the ground.

This was the answer she desperately wanted, but when the answer she wanted actually came out of Xu Ziwu's mouth, she felt it was as unreal as a dream.

"Miss Ruan, I would like to know, what noble family did the current Queen Mother of Yunli come from?"

Xu Ziwu suddenly became curious about Yun Li's current empress. What kind of woman was she that could have such a bizarre and enviable situation?