Position Card

Zhao Changhe had no idea how to respond to that.

Given Luo Qi's hatred of the emperor, even if First Seat Tang safely brought this "prince" back to the capital to become the Crown Prince, the one who overturned the realm might very well be that very Crown Prince.

Indeed, from Zhao Changhe himself to everyone else, no one had ever really cared what Luo Qi thought.

"As for the Luo family..." Luo Qi gave a mocking smile. "Luo Zhenwu was older than me, but not by much-two or three months. By then, none of the emperor's people remained at the manor, and Master Luo began entertaining crooked ideas. Later, when the emperor sent people to ask, he muddied the waters with all sorts of evasive answers, making them think Luo Zhenwu was the prince."

Zhao Changhe said, "He certainly had some nerve. Did he actually hope his son might sit on that throne one day? A mere local bigwig, getting involved in a struggle for the throne-how many lives did he have to spare?"

"He might not have had that much nerve. He just hoped to ride that wind and secure a glorious future for his son. Believing Luo Zhenwu was his own flesh and blood, the emperor would naturally look after him. He even sent an Imperial Palace Expert to protect him. Unfortunately, Luo Zhenwu was mud that wouldn't stick to a wall. Otherwise, his achievements would hardly have stopped there."

"That's certainly true."

"But the misunderstanding that's lasted to this day is rather interesting-whether it was Luo Zhenwu or not, everyone instinctively assumed the child the emperor left at Luo Family Manor was a son. No one ever considered a princess."

Zhao Changhe said, "Then Master Luo really should have killed you."

"You think he didn't want to? He was just too spineless to dare. Actually killing a princess, the daughter of the strongest man under heaven-even if he entertained the thought, he really didn't have the guts. Instead, he hurried to dress me as a man. Once he'd climbed onto the tiger's back, he couldn't get off, and he had no idea how he'd eventually bring the whole thing to an end."

"...Useless."

Luo Qi chuckled. "If he weren't useless, I wouldn't be here today."

Zhao Changhe nodded. "What happened afterward?"

"He settled my mother and me among the outer disciples. Before my mother died, he didn't know what the emperor wanted, and he feared the emperor might misunderstand something, so he didn't dare come fawning over us. Those days were hard for us. Changhe... I used to think my mother was the only person in this world who would leave the only bowl of rice for me. I never imagined there would also be a Zhao Changhe. All my hesitation and inner conflict over you came from that."

Zhao Changhe: "..."

Luo Qi sighed. "After my mother died, Master Luo had fewer concerns. He started taking care of me with good food and drink, even giving me a private residence with its own courtyard... Speaking of which, did it never occur to you that an ordinary outer disciple wasn't entitled to that?"

Zhao Changhe said, "I told you I was a fucking idiot."

Faced with Zhao Changhe's complete surrender, Luo Qi couldn't be bothered to laugh at him anymore. He said, "Really, he was leaving himself a way out. If I ever acknowledged my ancestry and returned to the imperial family, I would at least remember that he'd cared for me and raised me from childhood. He certainly had his calculations worked out."

Zhao Changhe shook his head. "People like that think too much and fear everything, front and back. Full of schemes, empty of resolve. They'll never accomplish anything great."

"That's why he's useless." Luo Qi continued leisurely, "But I still had to guard against that useless man. My mother taught me the Four Symbols White Tiger Divine Art, and I didn't dare let anyone know. All I ever showed others were the Luo family's outer-disciple arts, and I even acted proud of breaking through the first level... That way, no one would suspect I actually practiced the White Tiger Divine Art, had already reached the fourth level of the Profound Pass at the beginning of the year, and was now nearing the fifth."

Zhao Changhe said, "Fuck, you fucking..."

Luo Qi smiled and said softly, "I told you. I was lying to you from beginning to end."

Zhao Changhe turned his head away sulkily. You think being good at lying makes you so amazing? I can lie too.

I saw last night. You really are a white tiger. Would I tell you?

"Before my mother passed away, she kept telling me not to trust anyone, not to tell anyone what was in my heart, and to kill anyone who stood in my way... I followed her teachings... But then... I met you." Luo Qi said softly, "Changhe, I wanted to kill you several times. That was wrong of me... But in a world like this, you're actually the unusual one..."

Zhao Changhe said irritably, "I'm unusual... Sure, I'm unusual. But after all this talking, you still haven't told me why you wanted to kill me before. Feels like we've wandered pretty far off topic."

"Off topic?" Luo Qi said leisurely. "Without all this background, how could I get to the point?"

"Then can you get to it now?"

"The emperor cared quite a bit about his offspring. Before leaving, he gave my mother a token, intending to leave something by which we could be recognized. I didn't dare let Master Luo know that token existed either... Fortunately, he didn't dare search me."

Zhao Changhe froze, his expression changing slightly.

He might have seen what that token looked like.

Luo Qi was saying, "You asked why I wanted to kill you so early on-because Luo Zhenwu didn't have the token on him. Once First Seat Tang examined him, she would know he wasn't the real one. She would certainly go back and search the other bodies at Luo Family Manor. If none of them had it, what would that mean?"

Something stirred in Zhao Changhe's mind. "It would mean she knew that one of the two survivors, you and me, was the real one."

"Exactly... But she always believed it was a prince. If she found me, it would be difficult to hide my female body from her. Then who would she think was the real one?"

Zhao Changhe's eyes widened.

Luo Qi leisurely spelled it out. "You."

"Holy shit... My age doesn't match!"

"It's perfectly normal for someone to look mature. Didn't Luo Zhenwu look about your age too...? As long as you didn't say anything, who would know your real age? Only an idiot like you would volunteer to tell Yue Hongling you were two months older than her."

Zhao Changhe: "..."

"Of course, you could have been lying to her. None of that matters." Luo Qi said flatly, "What really matters is that even if they knew you might not be the one, they could insist on treating you as him anyway. Because as long as a prince was alive, the situation wouldn't be utterly beyond saving. For that, they wouldn't even need you to produce the token. They might forge one for you."

"..." Zhao Changhe had nothing left inside him but ellipses. It felt as though his university education had been wasted; he couldn't find any words to describe how he felt.

It felt strange, but on closer consideration, the logic really did hold together. There was a genuine chance things might unfold that way.

"So it never even occurred to you that you might take my identity, and that it was quite likely." Luo Qi smiled. "Though I don't like that identity at all, I hate the feeling of someone taking it from me even more. If you were me, would you want to kill that person?"

Zhao Changhe sighed. "I probably would... That's quite an interesting reason to want me dead. A little speculative, but still better than fighting over treasure. Speaking of which, this whole business with the Four Symbols Cult and the Blood God Cult is really something. They went to wipe out the manor, and the one outer disciple they happened to miss was the real target. I wonder if the Vermilion Bird Venerable would cough up blood if she knew."

Luo Qi smiled. "The Four Symbols Cult only wanted to kill a prince. If I were a woman, she wouldn't necessarily want to kill me. From another angle, I'm actually a legitimate heir to the Four Symbols Cult's teachings. And I feel nothing but hatred for the emperor. I don't want to acknowledge him as my father at all."

Zhao Changhe thought it over and nodded. "Yes. You're actually the one who most wants to join the Four Symbols Cult, and the one best suited to it."

Luo Qi said, "You said this reason for killing you was better than fighting over something. Actually, it's still taking something-just a question of whether it's a treasure or an identity... Since the treasure is mine now, then..."

He paused, then suddenly smiled, pulled a jade pendant from inside his clothes, and tossed it over. "From today onward, this prince... is you. Whether you want to use this identity is up to you."

Zhao Changhe stiffened. "Hey!"

Luo Qi waved a hand. "Being part of the Four Symbols Cult conflicts with being part of the imperial family. I have to choose one. Now that I've chosen the Four Symbols Cult, this token has become a burden. If the Four Symbols Cult discovers it, more complications might spring up. So I couldn't keep it anyway. If you don't want it, just throw it away."

Zhao Changhe stared numbly at the round, dragon-carved jade pendant in his hand. Sure enough, it was exactly the same as the image on that Position Card.

He had never imagined this thing would become his...

Come to think of it... Since the Eyes Behind the Head on the card are mine, shouldn't the other things on it rightfully be mine too?

Only now had that card's secrets truly been unveiled.

Zhao Changhe felt none of his earlier delight at solving a mystery. Instead, a sudden hint of panic crept over him. What was this sense of predetermined fate...? Could these things have already happened, and he was merely being made to live through them again?

Or was there truly some great unseen hand manipulating all of this?

Yet at every step leading here, he had made his choices entirely through his own thinking. Could even that be false?

Zhao Changhe remained silent for a long time before making up his mind.

He had to keep the jade pendant. It might be a key clue to unraveling the mystery of his transmigration. But whatever happened, he would not use it. He would see how far this "fate" could still go.

But just as he was thinking that, a faint, gentle glow began to rise from the jade pendant, much like the Azure Dragon Seal when it passed its legacy to Luo Qi. Some strange power seemed to be slowly cleansing his meridians.

Zhao Changhe was dumbstruck. Luo Qi's eyes widened too.

After a long while, Luo Qi suddenly burst into laughter, tears mingling with it. "So that's it. So that's it! This jade pendant contains Xia Longyuan's legacy-but it was meant for a boy!"