Chapter 409: The Cruelty of Truth and the Price of Truth
Chapter 409: The Cruelty of Truth and the Price of Truth
Qian Renxue stood on the other side of the secret chamber.
Facing Lin Qingmo, her long golden hair cascaded over her slightly trembling shoulders.
The longer the silence lasted, the more uncontrollably the suppressed emotions surged up.
Her fingertips dug into her palms.
In her mind, she replayed Lin Qingmo’s words from just a moment ago over and over.
"Have you ever thought that the reason she hates you might be far more complex than you imagine?"
She had never thought about it.
She really hadn’t.
From the time she could remember until now, she had taken it for granted that her mother hated her because she wasn’t good enough.
Not strong enough, not excellent enough, not enough like a qualified successor.
She had never thought that there might be some hidden story in this matter that even she didn’t know about.
And once this thought was planted, it could never be uprooted.
It was like a thorn, stuck in her heart for over a decade without her feeling it, but now, suddenly touched by someone, it pressed down so hard she could barely breathe.
Qian Renxue’s golden eyes stared straight at Lin Qingmo again.
The previous cold arrogance and defensiveness had been replaced by a deeper emotion.
It was both fragile and a kind of stubborn determination.
The kind of look that said, "Even if the truth is a blade, I will still take it."
"Tell me."
Her voice was hoarse but resolute, as if she had finally made up her mind to push open a door she had never dared to touch.
She didn’t want to wait anymore, didn’t want to go back to investigate, didn’t want to guess anymore.
If there really was a terrifying truth to this matter, she would rather know it now than be kept in the dark for another decade.
Lin Qingmo looked at her and sighed silently in his heart.
He noticed her fingers were trembling slightly, but her expression was struggling to maintain calm.
This Young Master of Spirit Hall was a proud daughter of heaven raised by Qian Daoliu from childhood using a "tool-person style education."
At this moment, she was using all her pride and courage to face an answer that might overturn her entire Worldview.
To be honest, Lin Qingmo felt a bit of sympathy and also admired her.
If it were an ordinary person, they would likely be crying and shouting "I don’t want to listen, I don’t want to listen" by now.
But she didn’t.
"Are you sure?"
Lin Qingmo confirmed one last time.
"The impact of this matter might be much greater than you imagine, so great that you might regret knowing."
"I said, tell me."
Qian Renxue said each word clearly, with no sign of retreat in her golden eyes.
Lin Qingmo was silent for a few breaths, then slowly nodded.
He sat back down in his chair and waited for Qian Renxue to sit opposite him before speaking.
"Before talking about why Bibi Dong hates you, you must first know a fact."
His tone suddenly became very serious, so serious that Qian Renxue’s palms began to sweat.
"The source of Bibi Dong’s hatred and loathing has never been you."
"But your father—the former Supreme Pontiff, Qian Xunji."
"!!!"
Qian Renxue’s pupils contracted sharply.
Father, Qian Xunji!
She had heard this name mentioned by her grandfather since she was a child.
His merits were engraved on the monument of glory of Spirit Hall, and his majestic statue stood in the square in front of the Supreme Pontiff Palace.
Every elder in Spirit Hall would show an expression of reverence and regret when mentioning this name.
But from her mother, she had never heard anyone mention her father’s name.
Not even once.
It was as if this person didn’t exist at all in her mother’s World.
Now Lin Qingmo told her that the true root of her mother’s hatred for her was actually her father?
She opened her mouth to say something, but found her mind was a complete mess.
She knew far too little about her father, so little that there were only labels like "former Supreme Pontiff" and "killed by Tang Hao."
What happened between her father and mother? She knew nothing.
"Do you know the cause of your father’s death?"
Lin Qingmo suddenly changed the question.
Hearing this, a strong killing intent suddenly burst from Qian Renxue’s eyes.
The killing intent was so intense that the lights in the secret chamber dimmed for an instant.
The power of the Seraphim Angel Martial Soul surged uncontrollably within her body.
"Tang Hao."
She squeezed these two words out through her teeth, each syllable sounding as if it had been cut by a blade.
"Clear Sky DouluoTang Hao, he killed my father."
"This blood feud, I and the Clear Sky Sect are irreconcilable enemies."
"One day, I will kill Tang Hao with my own hands to avenge my father."
That hatred almost solidified into substance.
The decade-long feud of killing her father, the unsolvable knot between Spirit Hall and the Clear Sky Sect—all the anger was focused on this one name.
Lin Qingmo looked at the near-scorching hatred in her eyes, but the corners of his mouth curled slightly into a meaningful arc.
It wasn’t mockery, but it certainly wasn’t agreement either.
It was more like someone who knew everything watching an opponent bet all their chips in the wrong place.
"Indeed, the whole continent knows that Tang Hao killed the Supreme PontiffQian Xunji."
His tone was very relaxed: "The wanted posters of Spirit Hall say it, and even a three-year-old child on the streets of Heaven Dou City can recite this slogan: Tang Hao murdered the Supreme Pontiff, Spirit Hall and he are irreconcilable enemies."
"But—"
His tone suddenly paused.
His body leaned forward slightly.
His voice lowered a bit.
"Have you ever thought that the facts are not so?"
Qian Renxue’s expression froze.
She thought Lin Qingmo was joking.
But his expression told her that he was not joking.
He was serious.
Terribly serious.
"What do you mean by ’the facts are not so’?"
Qian Renxue’s voice sharpened: "My grandfather told me personally that my father was killed by Tang Hao!"
"Could my grandfather lie to me?!"
"Your grandfather is indeed lying to you."
"Impossible!"
Qian Renxue stood up abruptly, the chair pushed back half a foot, the legs scraping a harsh sound against the marble floor.
"My grandfather is Qian Daoliu! The High Priest of Spirit Hall! A level 99 super Douluo!"
"Furthermore, when it concerns the cause of his own son’s death, what reason would he have to hide the real murderer? What reason would he have to deceive me? To deceive the entire continent?"
She was almost roaring.
The phantom of the Seraphim appeared faintly behind her, the golden light making her face flicker.
Lin Qingmo looked up at her, his gaze as calm as a pool of deep water.
When he said the next sentence, his tone was even flatter than before.
But it was this light, airy sentence that made Qian Renxue freeze in place, as if struck by a thunderbolt.
"He does."
"His reason is guilt."
Qian Renxue’s brain felt like it had been hit by a giant boulder; what splashed up wasn’t waves, but a buzzing void.
Grandfather... guilt... concealment.
These three words spun wildly in her mind, but she couldn’t piece them together.
She had imagined countless possibilities.
Perhaps there was a traitor within Spirit Hall.
Perhaps there was a hidden story behind her father’s battle back then.
Perhaps even Tang Hao had used some despicable means.
But none of them pointed to her grandfather.
That stern yet loving old man.
That High Priest who had spent his whole life working for Spirit Hall and dedicating all his glory to the Angel God.
How could he possibly conceal the true murderer of his son?
"You are spouting nonsense."
Her voice was trembling, but her confidence was no longer as strong as it was just now.
Lin Qingmo did not directly respond to her questioning, just continued to speak.
"The one who killed your father Qian Xunji was not Tang Hao."
The tone was flat, but every word exploded in Qian Renxue’s ears like a thunderclap.
He paused.
Watching the fear gradually spreading in Qian Renxue’s eyes—a kind of fear of not wanting to hear but having to hear.
"But your mother."
"Bibi Dong."
The voice was not heavy, but it was like an iron hammer shattering all of Qian Renxue’s understanding of this World over the past twenty-plus years.
The lights in the secret chamber suddenly went out without warning for an instant.
The Seraphim Angel Martial Soul burst forth behind Qian Renxue, the golden light so blinding it almost tore the entire space apart.
Her face was expressionless, because her expression management System had completely collapsed.
And Lin Qingmo just leaned back in his chair, watching the Worldview of this Young Master of Spirit Hall collapse before him, and let out a soft breath.
He had said it before.
The impact of this matter was much greater than she imagined.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +50 Extra Chapters on - P@tr3on "RinBlaze"]
[Every 15 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]