novelraw Chapter 174 : So What If It’s Treason?
Chapter 174 : So What If It’s Treason?
Chapter 174: So What If It’s Treason?
“ㄴWhat the hell is Huo Dingyi?”
Chu Huaixu froze the moment he heard those words.
He couldn’t understand a thing.
Was this a cultural difference between the Moon Country and Mirror Country?
But he quickly came to his senses, and his heart sank.
The reason Chu Huaixu knew Niu Yuanshan’s identity was precisely because, in 《Borrowed Sword》, due to the players’ actions, Old Niu had his identity as an undercover agent accidentally exposed.
Once that incident broke out, a frenzy to uncover spies spread among the players.
The 【Organization】—this extremely mysterious entity—surfaced just like that.
Every member in it had no real name, only code names.
Niu Yuanshan, for instance, had surely come up with that name himself after joining the Dao Gate.
Chu Huaixu couldn’t recall clearly, only vaguely remembered, “The code names seemed to start with Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth?”
“So this Huo Dingyi...”
Chu Huaixu laughed.
“–Finally, after all this damn time transmigrated here, I find out my ‘real name’ from the beginning?”
But even so, the System didn’t react in the slightest.
His Character Panel still showed 【Faction】: Dao Gate—there was no trace of 【Organization】.
That settled it in Chu Huaixu’s mind.
Though truthfully, he had made his decision a long time ago.
Not far off, Han Shuangjiang and Lin Zixuan were both watching this way.
The two women were keeping an eye on the seemingly drunk men.
Big Ice Block was purely concerned about Chu Huaixu.
Lin Zixuan, on the other hand, was waiting for a conclusion.
Before coming to the night banquet, she had already asked her brother, the Heir.
“This Chu Huaixu is going to enter the Origin Spirit Realm soon. This matter involves the Heaven-and-Earth Calamity. Shouldn’t we lend him a hand?”
Seeing her future husband get beaten up like that, she did think Chu Huaixu had gone a bit overboard. But she understood the gravity of the situation—it transcended Eastern and Western Continents and required united resistance.
The Heir of Prince Rui gave her a simple answer.
“One must help.”
“No matter who enters the Origin Spirit Realm, if we can help, then we must!”
“Zixuan, your abilities are unique. You might truly be able to lend him strength.”
His father had always taught him—those who move the pieces must look at the big picture.
Eyes must remain fixed on the greater game, not just the moment.
So even if Lin Zixuan didn’t ask, Qin Xuanxiao would have told her to help Chu Huaixu anyway.
“But before that, there’s one thing I must confirm,” said the Heir of Prince Rui.
“▶What is it, Brother Heir?” Lin Zixuan asked.
“I must figure out—『Where does Chu Huaixu place himself?』” he said solemnly.
【Origin Spirit Realm】 didn’t just concern the Heaven-and-Earth Calamity.
The Fragment of Xuanhuang Origin pointed straight toward the Nine Realms Grand Dao—how could he not be tempted?
And that thing could actually be brought out of the realm!
If it were someone like Old Niu, a standard 【Organization】 member, sending them on a mission was just a matter of a single word.
But Chu Huaixu gave the Heir of Prince Rui a truly odd feeling.
Now, after the toast, when he openly said “Huo Dingyi,” it wasn’t even probing anymore.
To Qin Xuanxiao, when dealing with people from the 【Organization】, this was the most straightforward way.
The Moon Country raised these people to demand absolute loyalty.
And “absolute loyalty,” in the eyes of those in power, boiled down to this:
—‘Loyalty that isn’t absolute, is absolutely disloyal.’
So when he uttered “Huo Dingyi,” it was the royal family giving its final ultimatum.
If Chu Huaixu showed even the slightest hint of anomaly, Qin Xuanxiao would receive the worst possible answer!
At this moment, Chu Huaixu was holding his wine cup, not even clinking it, just staring into the other man’s eyes.
Qin Xuanxiao had really drunk himself tipsy.
Though his mind was still mostly clear, his gaze was already tinged with drunken haze.
Originally, Chu Huaixu had been pretending to be drunk to avoid being forced to drink more, his gaze equally hazy—he was a seasoned actor by now.
But right now, in this face-off, Qin Xuanxiao watched as the haziness in Chu Huaixu’s deep black eyes faded, becoming perfectly clear!
Chu Huaixu just stared at him, clear-headed and calm!
For some reason, it was Qin Xuanxiao who felt a chill crawl across his scalp.
Once again, this overturned all his assumptions about the members of the 【Organization】!
“『Would the Heir kindly repeat what he just said?』”
Staring straight at him, Chu Huaixu asked with a calm, undisturbed tone:
“『I didn’t understand, and I didn’t catch it clearly.』”
……
……
At this point, Chu Huaixu had been pulled aside by Qin Xuanxiao to chat alone near the window.
A cool autumn breeze swept in through the window, carrying with it a chill.
Perhaps it was the annoying fall wind—or something else entirely.
Qin Xuanxiao’s slightly flushed face from the alcohol was now even redder.
Two words had stuck in his throat, but he forcibly swallowed them.
This was an outcome he had not expected.
The Heir’s worst-case scenario had only been Chu Huaixu trying to play along with him.
Yet now, with such a blunt approach, the response he received was equally blunt.
——『I’m laying my cards on the table. I choose treason.』
“Huo Dingyi? Never heard of it!”
“ㄴWhat Royal Court hound, what royal lackey, what Moon Country deathsworn... what’s any of that got to do with me, Chu Huaixu?”
Huo Dingyi was already “dead”!
Besides, they couldn’t even offer him a single 【Faction Mission】.
More than that, one thing had always puzzled him deep inside.
“Why was I being hunted by Patrol Bureau’s Xue Hu the very night I transmigrated, in that storm?”
“【Organization】 is supposed to be so mysterious—how could I be exposed in front of a low-tier thug like that?”
“There are only two possibilities.”
“Either the 【Organization】 actually sucks—”
“Or someone else exposed me.”
No matter which it was, Chu Huaixu couldn’t be bothered. He outright rejected it.
What a load of crap—too many twists and turns.
His thinking was simple.
“▶All that gibberish, old man’s registered household is in the Eastern Continent now!”
“Can’t you see the Dao Gate disciple token hanging from my belt? Huh?!”
“I’ve settled here, get it?!”
Standing in front of you now is the successor of the Dao Ancestor’s 《Dao Canon》, the inheritor of the Dao Ancestor’s Sword Scabbard, the appointed heir of the Second Generation Temple Master, the flag bearer of the Dao Ancestor’s Sword Legacy, the Champion of this term’s Eastern Continent Grand Competition, the one who just completed a glorious mission for the entire continent and was awarded the title of Xuanhuang Champion, standing tall over all First Realm cultivators!
Next up, the one and only candidate to enter the 【Origin Spirit Realm】 and resist the Heaven-and-Earth Calamity.
Do you even understand the weight of that?
Even if we take ten thousand steps back, with someone of this caliber—even if he publicly defected from the Moon Country, what should the Eastern Continent’s Mirror Country do?
Of course, the very first move would be—talent acquisition!
I’m only speaking nicely to you because I regard you as one of the four 【World Protagonists】.
But I’m a professional at hijacking 【World Protagonist】 storylines. Got loads of experience. You’d best be careful around me, jejejejeje!
Of course, Chu Huaixu also knew that before he gave a clear answer, the other party wouldn’t think of any of this. He would still view everything from the high vantage point of someone in power.
Because members of the 【Organization】 were brainwashed from a young age—that was their greatest weapon.
Never underestimate brainwashing.
In real life, even some people good at PUA could have others dancing in the palm of their hands.
Even the rich, the beautiful, the powerful—could get PUA’d into oblivion.
Let alone professional-grade brainwashing.
Most of the time, your ass decides your brain. Where you sit determines how you think.
In the Moon Country, even cultivators of the Ninth Realm still pledged loyalty to the royal family—it was a monarchy through and through.
So, Qin Xuanxiao’s mental framework was inherently different.
As Chu Huaixu looked at him, the expression on Qin Xuanxiao’s face kept shifting.
In the end, it settled into a faint smile.
On the platform earlier, Chu Huaixu had struck hard, even daring to suppress the divine will of the Emperor—now it all made sense.
Qin Xuanxiao raised his wine cup and lightly clinked it against Chu Huaixu’s.
『No matter. It was I, the Heir, who failed to express myself clearly earlier.』
『Today is the celebration banquet for Chu the Champion, so let me congratulate Chu the Champion once more!』
With that, he downed his spiritual wine in one go.
Only after he set his cup down did Chu Huaixu begin to drink. His expression didn’t change at all.
Qin Xuanxiao looked at him, and only one thought echoed in his heart:
—If he had retained absolute loyalty, then this man would surely become my greatest ally one day!
“Now it seems... he may become my greatest lifelong rival!” This World Protagonist thought to himself.
After a few more idle exchanges, someone came over and dragged the two of them back to the wine gathering, thinking they had been hiding to avoid drinking.
Neither Chu Huaixu nor Qin Xuanxiao acted as if anything had happened.
At the dining tables, wine cups clashed and laughter filled the air.
Most didn’t leave until they were dead drunk.
On the way back, Lin Zixuan—who hadn’t touched a drop—walked shoulder to shoulder with Qin Xuanxiao.
She didn’t actually know about Chu Huaixu’s origins in the 【Organization】, as the Heir of Prince Rui hadn’t told even her.
The petite girl simply asked, “Brother Heir, how did your talk with him go?”
Qin Xuanxiao’s gaze sharpened the moment he heard her, and he replied in a deep voice: “Not the result I wanted.”
『No! In fact, it was the complete opposite! Absolutely outrageous!』
This was treason. Even regular Moon Country citizens couldn’t accept it—let alone someone of the royal family!
Lin Zixuan was rather naive and didn’t think in such complicated ways.
She had been watching them the whole time, thinking the two were hitting it off.
Who would’ve thought her brother had bottled up a stomach full of rage?
“What exactly did Chu Huaixu say to him?” the young girl grew even more curious.
But having grown up in Prince Rui’s residence, she was used to those in power speaking half-truths.
What they wanted to tell you, they’d tell you.
What they didn’t want to say—asking would be useless. Worse, it’d be overstepping!
Why did the players think Lin Zixuan had the script of a domineering CEO’s pampered wife?
Because she grew up in this kind of environment.
Right now, she only wanted to ask one thing—because it concerned her personally.
“Brother Heir, before he enters the Origin Spirit Realm... should I still help him?”
Qin Xuanxiao answered in a second: “Help!”
“No matter who enters, no matter the circumstance—if it concerns the 【Origin Spirit Realm】, we must help! That’s the big picture.” He clenched his teeth as he spoke.
That was the answer Lin Zixuan had wanted to hear.
She knew very well that her Brother Heir had his own greater vision.
The Heaven-and-Earth Calamity threatened all of Xuanhuang. When the nest is overturned, how can any eggs remain intact?
And so, she quickly asked her next question.
“Then... should I let Chu Huaixu leave a 【Spiritual Seed】 inside my body?” the girl asked.
……