Because of the Parchment Scroll, Yang Qing would face a life-or-death trial.
That was the only piece of news Old Xia had given him before leaving.
At the same time, Old Xia had told Yang Qing there was no need whatsoever to risk his life fighting him.
But Old Xia had said little else. He had merely shown Yang Qing something, and Yang Qing had handed over the Parchment Scroll without putting up any resistance.
What Old Xia had shown Yang Qing was that piece of Rootless Wood.
The piece of Rootless Wood that had vanished in the Imperial Mausoleum.
At first, Yang Qing had thought the Rootless Wood's new owner would be Gongsun Ze, whose blood he had replaced. After all, he was the prophesied one Emperor Zhetian had personally chosen.
But later, Yang Qing had discovered that the Rootless Wood was neither in his hands nor in Gongsun Ru's.
As the Rootless Wood's previous owner, Yang Qing could still sense its presence whenever it was nearby, even though it no longer had any connection to him.
Yet he had never felt that sensation from either of them.
In other words, neither of them had the Rootless Wood.
Now that the Rootless Wood had appeared in Old Xia's hands, Yang Qing knew it must have returned to its original owner.
Hadn't they said the Sacred Emperor had been reincarnated?
Then this Rootless Wood had returned to its very first owner.
It could also be said that the Rootless Wood had never belonged to Yang Qing or anyone else. Its time out in the world had merely been spent waiting for its true owner to return.
And now, quite clearly, the owner it had been waiting for had returned.
So Yang Qing had stopped insisting on keeping the Parchment Scroll