Of course, Zheng Huaizhi had heard the story of the Zheng Family ancestor encountering a snake on Mount Yao. But due to the long passage of time and Zheng Jin's lack of interest in the matter, it was not often mentioned in the family. Naturally, she had never believed it to be true. However, that old woman told her that it had indeed happened back then. If she was already determined to die, she might as well emulate her ancestor's actions and go to Mount Yao to ask the Snake God to save her life.

Ever since she was a child, Zheng Huaizhi had been afraid of stories about gods, ghosts, and demons. Zheng Jin had even mocked her for being timid, but she was even more afraid of struggling in the mire for the rest of her life. She had no other choice now. The worst that could happen was death, but if she could seize this sliver of hope, her life could return to the clouds.

Zheng Huaizhi wiped away her tears and, accompanied by the old woman, left the Zheng Family residence that very night. When they reached the foot of Mount Yao, the old woman plucked a maple leaf and pinned it to her lapel, telling her to walk west, following the direction of the wind. She entered the deep mountains alone, leaning on a cane. After trekking for about a day and a night, she finally fainted in the woods from exhaustion.

"That time, I thought I would surely die, but I never expected to wake up again." She looked at the giant, grayish-green snake in the air, her panic subsiding, as if gazing at the wrong path she had taken in her life. She personally admitted the secret she had hidden for decades, "It was you who saved me."

The secret, which felt suffocating whenever she thought about it, was actually just this short sentence. But the turbulent and twisted emotions behind it still echoed in her chest even now.

She would never forget the first time she heard the Ran Dragon's voice. It was unexpectedly young and clear, not at all frightening. He was even more flustered than she was, just like a shy young man seeing a strange woman for the first time.

'You can't see? Don't cry, no, don't worry, I can help you... I can cure you... Really! Trust me!'

It was also then that she learned that the Ran Dragon clan had been diligently cultivating for hundreds of years since being exiled to Mount Yao by a divine lord, yet they showed no signs of a breakthrough. Until, by a chance encounter, a Ran Dragon saved a hunter who had lost his way in the mountains and cured his eyes, which had been blinded by poisonous miasma. Miraculously, the Ran Dragon achieved cultivation and ascended to immortality. Only then did the Ran Dragon clan understand that the Heavenly Sovereign who had handed down the punishment had not intended to wipe them out completely. Opportunity was hidden within good deeds; by saving a blind person, a Ran Dragon could be freed from its punishment and return to the path of immortality.

Although the depths of Mount Yao were shielded by miasma, making it difficult for mortals to enter, over hundreds of years, some who got lost and strayed into the area had encountered Ran Dragons, each fulfilling a destiny for the other. The Ran Dragons who had been trapped here before had mostly ascended, and by this point, only the one who had saved her remained.

Two days later, Zheng Huaizhi's sight was restored, and she saw her savior... a snake.

It was a young man with a human torso and a snake's tail. His hair was the same color as his scales, a cold, grayish-green. His face could almost be described as handsome, but his gaze was like a deep spring that had never been glimpsed by the mortal world.

His upper body was bare. Zheng Huaizhi's first reaction was to turn her face away, but because his skin was so pale, the deep red scar on his chest was inevitably imprinted upon her sight.

"That place... is it because of me?"

She finally couldn't hold back her curiosity and asked the question. The young Ran Dragon was overjoyed at her recovery and, without holding anything back, told her that the medicine that had cured her eyes was, in fact, Dragon Marrow extracted from his Inner Core. It contained the spiritual power and cultivation of a beast spirit and was a panacea for all chronic illnesses for mortals. For a Ran Dragon, it was equivalent to their second life.

To a powerful beast spirit, humans were truly small and fragile creatures. The Ran Dragon was, after all, too young and too lonely. No one had told him to be wary of the weak, much less what it meant to "invite trouble by possessing a treasure."

On the third day, Zheng Huaizhi could already move about freely. She spent the morning wandering around the cave and returned with a small handful of fresh mock strawberries for the Ran Dragon.

She shyly smiled as she presented this gift of gratitude, saying in a soft, quiet voice that she had no possessions and could only find these things to express her feelings. If one day she could return home and reclaim everything that belonged to her, she would, like her ancestor, erect a shrine for him and offer incense for the rest of her life.

Of course, the Ran Dragon did not refuse her goodwill. The bright red mock strawberries gave off a sweet fragrance. When he had eaten the last one, before he could even wipe the fruit juice from the corner of his lips, he fell into a drunken slumber amidst the mountain trees and bushes.

The gentle smile on Zheng Huaizhi's face slowly faded, her eyes shining brightly, even more beautiful than before she had lost her sight. The governess the Zheng Family had hired once said she was all beauty but full of childishness, possessing gentleness but lacking charm. Yet, within just three short days, her innocent and naive demeanor had been completely washed away. It was as if she had been reborn, her every move carrying an indescribable air of calm composure.

Perhaps it was from walking through the gates of life and death, or perhaps it was because she had learned deceit and unscrupulous methods.

Her slender fingers were still stained with the light red juice of the Seven-leaf Chrysanthemum, like blood that couldn't be washed away. It was a spiritual wildflower with a fragrant scent that often attracted passing animals to take a bite. But as long as they touched the juice in its petals, they would fall into a drunken stupor as if they had had too much to drink, and would sleep for a long time before waking.

She also had a small knife hidden in her robes, originally for self-defense, but now she plunged it into the dark red scar on the Ran Dragon's chest without hesitation.

"Lady Zhi..."

No one expected Zheng Jin to be the first to speak. He said, grief-stricken, "Lady Zhi, you were foolish! I knew the healing of your blindness was strange, and I didn't dare ask a single question all these years, but you... how could you do such a foolish thing!"

Over the years, as Zheng Huaizhi rose from Princess Consort to Empress, she never mentioned what had happened back then. Zheng Jin knew he had wronged his daughter and had never delved into what she had encountered on Mount Yao. Who would have known such a shocking secret was hidden behind it all? When her enemy came seeking revenge, he had even personally brought them before the Empress and the Crown Prince!

The Empress ignored the weeping Zheng Jin. She began removing her jewelry piece by piece, took off her embroidered phoenix robe, leaving herself in only a simple undergarment. She removed her hairpins, letting her hair fall loose. Her face was as white as snow. She performed a grand kowtow, prostrating herself fully on the ground before Emperor Qiansheng, and pleaded in a low voice, "Your Majesty, today's disaster is all my fault. If you wish to condemn and punish me, I will have no complaints. I only beg that you treat Ye'er kindly for the sake of our years together. He is a purely good and filial child. It is I, his mother, who has burdened him."

Emperor Qiansheng looked down at her coldly, feeling nothing but terrible luck and extreme disappointment. The thought that she had caused such a huge mess out of her own selfishness made him unwilling to even look at her again. "With a mother like this, this son is no longer fit for great responsibility. If I had known your heart was so vicious, I would never have tolerated you to this day!"

Transparent tears welled up and streamed endlessly from those still-beautiful eyes. She looked up at her husband from below, weeping and laughing mockingly at herself. "In the end, I was the one who lost the bet."

Emperor Qiansheng frowned. "What nonsense are you spouting?"

Zheng Huaizhi suddenly turned to the Ran Dragon and said loudly, "Don't you want your Inner Core back? I'll tell you where it is! It's true that I stole your Inner Core back then. I had originally planned to use it as a means to save my own life. But twenty-three years ago, His Majesty was gravely ill and on the verge of death. All medicine was ineffective, and even the State Preceptor of Zixiao Academy was helpless. To save him, I used that Inner Core on him."

"Your Majesty, now you know, why did the Ran Dragon emerge at night and seek you out first?"

Emperor Qiansheng's expression changed abruptly.

He and Zheng Huaizhi had been married for over twenty years. Although he had never lacked for concubines, he had always shown respect for the Central Palace. This was because when Emperor Qiansheng was still a prince, he had fallen gravely ill. The imperial physicians were helpless, and in her desperation, the Princess Consort sought any possible cure, even personally going to Zixiao Academy to ask for help from the Daoist priests. At that time, a consecrated priest in Zixiao Academy—who would later become State Preceptor Jinghui—gave her an unorthodox prescription: to use the flesh and blood of a close relative as a catalyst, decocted into the medicine, which might save the Prince's life.

From then on, the Empress was left with a scar the size of a cup's mouth on her left arm, which also brought her twenty years of unfailing honor and favor. Emperor Qiansheng even ordered the palace workshops to craft exquisite armbands of various materials for the Empress every year. This habit continued to this day, and the story of the Emperor and Empress's loving relationship was a well-known tale in the palace.

"Jinghui is an incompetent fraud. It was all an act for you to see. What use is the flesh and blood of a mortal?" A distinct mockery showed at the corners of her eyes and brows, her smile as if laced with poison. "Your Majesty, the one who truly saved you was the Ran Dragon's Inner Core, stolen by me, this vicious and selfish woman, to save my own life."

She was so ridiculously foolish. She could abandon her own conscience without hesitation, yet she deluded herself into testing human nature. After betraying her savior with such cruel methods, she had hoped someone in this world would stay by her side and never abandon her.

"Now that Your Majesty knows the whole story, as the ruler of the world, so magnanimous and selfless, will you return the Inner Core to it?"

Chi Lian frowned as he listened, nearly getting tied up in this complicated web of gratitude and grudges. Chou Xinwei, however, was like a mouse that had fallen into a rice vat. He watched with great relish, arms crossed, and even turned to ask the Ran Dragon, "Have you decided? Which one will you choose?"

Chi Lian placed a hand on his sword, glancing at him with a slight warning. Logically, every injustice has its perpetrator. It was understandable that the Ran Dragon wanted its Inner Core back. However, the Mortal Realm was a special existence among the Ten Directions and Three Realms, and the mortal Son of Heaven, in particular, corresponded with the harmony of the heavens. Once the Ran Dragon made a move and killed The Emperor, it would be a violation of an ironclad law and would trigger unstoppable consequences. Furthermore, if it alerted the Heavenly Court, it would be no small trouble for him in his current identity. Therefore, although Chi Lian hated trouble, he could not remain uninvolved. He even had to take the initiative to step in and try to control the situation within certain limits.

The Ran Dragon looked sad and confused. It was just a little snake from the deep mountains. Its spirit had been awakened, but it was not yet worldly. Human love and hate were too complicated for it. Even in its charge upon Sweet Dew Terrace today, it was not driven by a heart full of hatred, but simply by the desire to get back what it had lost.

But what had it done wrong? It was clearly saving someone.

"Since it's so hard to choose, why not just kill them both?" Chou Xinwei pretended to pat its head, comforting it, "None of them are good people anyway."

"...Watch what you say." Chi Lian tapped the ground with his sword. "I'm still standing right here."

Chou Xinwei snorted, saying pointedly, "If we're going to be serious about it, you're the main culprit, aren't you?"

Without a single wasted motion, Chi Lian drew his sword in a flash and pointed it at his face. "If you're so good at settling scores, it seems I'll have to spend some effort today to reason with you."

"The Immortal Lord is as loyal as ever to his master." Chou Xinwei seemed unwilling to confront him head-on and took a step back. "It seems you will be taking their side today as well?"

Chi Lian sheathed his sword. His attitude wasn't polite, but his tone was calm. "I'm not in charge of judging cases, but I can't just stand by and watch you run amok."

Chou Xinwei nodded. "Understood." He then turned to Emperor Qiansheng and said in a gentle voice, "In that case, we can only ask for Your Majesty's judgment."

Emperor Qiansheng was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"As was said just now, although the Ran Dragon's Inner Core was stolen by the Empress, it is now within Your Majesty. If Your Majesty is willing to return it, we will, out of respect for Your Majesty, not pursue the matter with the Empress. If Your Majesty is unwilling to return it, then this debt must be settled with the main culprit—that is, Her Majesty, the Empress."

A cryptic smile crossed his face, and he deliberately paused. "Or perhaps Your Majesty is unwilling to return the Inner Core and, out of affection for your wife, insists on protecting the Empress. Then we will have no choice but to fight. If Your Majesty wins, we will leave immediately without another word. But if Your Majesty loses, then everyone on Sweet Dew Terrace today who is connected to this matter, we'll count every single one, and no one will escape."

"How about it, Your Majesty? Care to make a bet?"

Even if Chi Lian didn't know Emperor Qiansheng well, he knew the outcome was obvious. He could see it now. Chou Xinwei claimed to be helping the Ran Dragon, but he wasn't helping out of kindness. He purely enjoyed playing with people's minds. The more he pushed people to the brink of collapse and pain, the happier he was.

Among the various races of the Three Realms, such a strange and cunning nature was rare. If he wasn't a powerful transformed demon, then he could only be—

"The Empress, Lady Zheng..."

A victorious smile appeared on Chou Xinwei's face.

"The Empress, Lady Zheng, is fierce and cunning, deluded by evil spirits, harbors malicious intent, and defies human reason. She cannot be tolerated by the world." Emperor Qiansheng's eyes were half-lowered, looking at no one, only staring at the coiling dragon fully embroidered on his lap. He said, word by word, "Considering you have rendered meritorious service to the imperial family, after your death... you will still be treated with the rites of an Empress, to fulfill the bonds of husband and wife."

Zheng Jin knew that the matter was settled and irreversible. He prostrated himself on the ground and cried out in grief, but he did not argue for his daughter any further.

Zheng Huaizhi looked coldly at The Emperor and her father, then turned to look at the Crown Prince. Her scattered, unfocused gaze finally coalesced on one point, landing on the Ran Dragon from afar.

The Ran Dragon's original form was by no means good-looking, and it could no longer take human form. Only its eyes still retained some human-like emotion.

"To kill another to live, to let another die to survive. I suppose even the Heavenly Dao cannot tolerate me," she murmured.

"Correct," Chou Xinwei clapped his hands and sighed. "Not easy. You finally said something human today."

Zheng Huaizhi gave a short laugh. Tears shimmered in her eyes but did not fall. "I'm sorry."

She suddenly thrust her right hand towards her eyes, and with a sharp pull of two fingers, she brutally gouged out both of her eyeballs. Her left hand brandished the hairpin hidden in her palm, one side of which had long been sharpened to be as keen as a blade. She swiped it forcefully across her neck. Blood spurted from her throat, instantly soaking half of her snow-white undergarment.

"What I owe... I return it all to you..."

"Lady Zhi!"

Amidst the crimson scene and Zheng Jin's heart-wrenching screams, Emperor Qiansheng trembled as he clutched the clothes on his chest, watching the person who had shared his bed for twenty years die a violent death in an instant. Overcome with a mixture of shock and fear, his eyes finally rolled back, and he fainted completely.