360: Chapter 360 A Passionate Lover

Qin He was stunned for a moment, then frowned and asked, "How do you know?"

"Are you twenty-seven?"

Qin He was even more shocked and nodded.

"Unmarried, yet you have someone you admire!" the fortune teller added.

"You... how do you know!?"

Qin He blushed; he had recently taken a fancy to a shop assistant at the Northern Cottage, but had been too shy to say it out loud.

The fortune teller looked inscrutable and said, "Heaven's secrets must not be revealed! I only wish to tell you, brave warrior, that the impending disaster of blood I spoke of earlier is not mere nonsense!"

Qin He was now conflicted, turning his head to look at Lin Xiao for instructions on what to do.

Lin Xiao had just finished a bowl of noodles, not even leaving the broth behind.

He wiped his mouth, looked up, and asked, "Fortune teller, what is your name?"

The fortune teller stroked his beard and said, "I am Daoist Xuan Kongzi."

"Daoist Xuan Kongzi, I happen to know how to tell fortunes as well. How about I give you a reading first?"

Xuan Kongzi frowned. "Young master, the art of fortune-telling is not a child's game."

"Is that so?"

Lin Xiao gave an amused smile, pretended to calculate with his fingers, and said, "Let me see..."

"Your ancestral home is in Yue Prefecture, you are thirty-six years old this year, and you are unmarried."

"You practice hidden weapon techniques, and you are also skilled in making poisons, healing, and crafting mechanisms and tools. You know quite a lot."

"By the way, your name isn't Xuan Kongzi either. You... your surname is Kong, and your given name is Sen."

By the end, Kong Sen's face was full of shock!

His expression naturally confirmed that Lin Xiao's words were accurate!

The women also showed surprise and confusion; how did their husband know everything?

"You... you really can tell fortunes?" Kong Sen was completely flustered.

Lin Xiao remained calm. "Speak. Why are you posing as an itinerant fortune teller and telling me about some impending disaster of blood?"

Realizing he had been exposed, Kong Sen helplessly tore off his fake beard, instantly looking several years younger.

Ignoring the crowd around them, he knelt on one knee.

"Please forgive me, Prince of Zhenbei. I only wished to join your service, but I knew my strength was low and my background humble, so I feared I would not catch your eye."

"Therefore, upon learning that you were coming to participate in the Tianwu Grand Tournament, I waited here early, pretending to be a fortune teller, hoping to... attract your attention."

Qin He was furious. "You motherf***er, you're a scammer!? Then how did you know about my affairs!?"

Kong Sen smiled awkwardly. "General Qin is a favorite of the Prince of Zhenbei, not only having glorious military achievements but also being a great hero who campaigned in the Northern Desert. Your fame is widespread, so it was not hard to find out."

"As for... whether you have someone you admire, for a man of that age, if he is unmarried, eight or nine out of ten likely have one..."

Upon hearing the words "glorious military achievements" and "great hero," Qin He immediately felt lightheaded and was no longer angry.

Lin Xiao asked, "Then if I had truly fallen for your trick, how did you plan to manufacture this disaster of blood?"

Kong Sen answered honestly. "I created a few mechanisms to set an ambush along the way. Of course, I didn't really want to harm the Prince of Zhenbei, just... pretend it was an assassination by enemies."

"Pretend? And if you had actually injured the Prince of Zhenbei or the Princess Consort, what crime would you be guilty of!?" Qin He demanded.

Kong Sen made a bitter face. "How could that be? The Prince of Zhenbei possesses such peerless martial arts. If a few measly traps and hidden weapons could injure you, how could you have unified the Northern Territory and recovered the Northern Desert?"

Lin Xiao looked at Xiao Qingxuan beside him. "Wife, do you think he is telling the truth?"

Xiao Qingxuan shook her head slightly. "I feel that if he truly wanted to defect, how could he use traps to set an ambush? Even if you have high martial arts, what if there was an accident? That would be disastrous."

"Exactly, what my wife said is exactly what I wanted to say!"

Lin Xiao raised his hand and sent a sword qi directly, severely injuring Kong Sen's dantian from a distance!

Kong Sen let out a miserable scream, his true qi dissipated, and he vomited blood!

"One last chance. Tell the truth, or die."

Lin Xiao's voice was very calm, but Kong Sen was already terrified out of his wits!

This casual display of crippling his martial arts cultivation was completely beyond his comprehension!

"I'll talk! I'll talk!"

Kong Sen knelt on the ground, shivering. "It was the Great Elder of the Ten Thousand Poison Cave. He said that if I could lure the Prince of Zhenbei into an ambush and help him eliminate you, he would help Meier remove the Soul-Gu Poison and set her free!"

"Great Elder of the Ten Thousand Poison Cave? Liao Meier?"

Lin Xiao suddenly remembered something and realized. "You are the unlucky guy who took Liao Meier away from the Ten Thousand Poison Cave only to get dumped by her?"

Kong Sen's face looked awful, as if his whole head had turned green, and he nodded humbly.

"The Ten Thousand Poison Cave is thousands of miles away in the Million Mountains. Everything is fine, so why would they want to attack my husband?"

Leng Bingyan asked in confusion. "As far as I know, those sects in the Million Mountains generally keep to themselves and don't like to cause trouble."

Kong Sen said, "Perhaps it is because... they are worried that since Liao Meier is following the Prince of Zhenbei, you will sooner or later take action against the Ten Thousand Poison Cave."

"That woman, is she even worthy of following our husband?"

Xie Juner said disdainfully, "Only a spineless man like you would treat her like a treasure!"

"Enough."

Lin Xiao stood up and said, "Since an ambush has already been set, let's go and take a look. Otherwise, it would be a waste."

Upon hearing this, Kong Sen was so scared he shook his head hurriedly. "Prince of Zhenbei, absolutely not! That place is filled with the traps and hidden weapons that are my life's work, and they are all highly poisonous!"

"I only ask that Meier can live. Or you can kill me, just please spare Meier!"

Lin Xiao was speechless. "If you die, the Gu poison on Liao Meier cannot be removed. If you really want to save her, take me to see the Great Elder!"

Kong Sen suddenly realized. Yes, seeking death himself was useless!

"Then... then I will lead the way ahead. Rest assured, Prince of Zhenbei, if anyone is to die, I will die first!"

Not long after, Kong Sen rode a horse and began to lead Lin Xiao and the others on their way.

Wuliang Mountain stretches for thousands of miles. It would take another half-day to reach Wendao Peak of the Dao Sect.

Upon entering the foothills of Wuliang Mountain, the surrounding forests were dense, with low mountain mists swirling about.

Under Kong Sen's guidance, the group avoided the main road newly built for the Tianwu Grand Tournament and chose to take the original old road.

This old road was overgrown with weeds, and it was clear that very few people traveled there.

When they reached a narrow section, Kong Sen switched the banner in his hand from his left hand to his right.

He tried to pretend to be calm, but his palms were covered in cold sweat.

After this signal of switching the banner was sent out, the members of the Ten Thousand Poison Cave hidden in the dark immediately began to move on the high slopes on both sides.

"Great Elder, that lovesick fool has brought the Prince of Zhenbei!"

In a hidden cave, a disciple dressed in colorful, gaudy clothes excitedly reported to an old man.

The old man, with his head wrapped in a black cloth and gray hair and beard, opened a pair of deep, evil eyes, like a venomous snake that had cultivated into a spirit.

"Success or failure depends on this one move... Bring out the coffin!"