Ye Moyuan was extremely curious how a twelve-year-old girl could control her emotions so flawlessly.
Had those twelve years of being a good-for-nothing been a period of forbearance and biding her time for Zilin Ling?
Regardless, Zilin Ling's threat level in Ye Moyuan's mind had risen another notch.
When masters crossed swords, there was no room for even the slightest carelessness or luck.
Ye Moyuan's patience was by no means comparable to that of Mo Qingcheng and the like.
He casually drew a scroll from his painting tube, slowly unrolling it as he continued, "Insightful? Not necessarily! When one is within a predicament, it's difficult not to be blinded by a single leaf.
"What if we disagree? Are not cultivators all about doing as they please?"
"As for killing the heart, what of it? Since we are destined to be enemies, why show any mercy?"
"If necessary, what if we resort to any means? The victor becomes king, the vanquished becomes a bandit. As long as you win, who will care what methods you employed?"
Having spoken, he looked at the unrolled scroll, a twisted tenderness flashing across his face.
Zilin Ling was surprised.
This was the first time since she had entered the imperial study that Zilin Ling had seen Ye Moyuan's expression change.
Curiously, she released a wisp of her spiritual sense to probe the scroll.
The moment she saw the scroll clearly, Zilin Ling's heartbeat faltered for a beat, then began to race.
On the scroll was painted a woman of unparalleled beauty.
That woman looked almost exactly like Zilin Ling.
The reason for saying "almost" was that the woman lacked a lotus flower imprint between her brows.
And this woman, Zilin Ling had seen her before.
It was when she was breaking through to the tenth level of Body Tempering, a dark prison had suddenly appeared in her mind.
And that woman, covered in blood, was bound to a rack in the prison.
Zilin Ling remembered that the woman had opened her eyes, her gaze filled with kindness and tenderness, asking her, "Ling'er, is that you?"
At that time, she had felt a sense of blood connection.
But as she tried to rush forward and embrace the woman, the scene in her mind shifted to a bottomless cliff.
At the bottom of the cliff, Zilin Ling saw a handsome, burly man.
The man was covered in blood but tirelessly swung the great sword in his hand.
Beneath the great sword lay the corpses of various demonic beasts.
And that man also gave Zilin Ling a sense of blood connection.
"How is it? Do you resemble her?"
At some point, Ye Moyuan had raised his eyes, looking at Zilin Ling, and asked.
Only then did Zilin Ling realize that she had lost her composure.
She quickly regained her composure, returning to her previous unperturbed state.
But her heart was in turmoil.
How could she not guess that Ye Moyuan's purpose in producing this scroll was precisely this?
This was an open scheme, a blatant trap, but she had no choice but to fall into it.
Zilin Ling controlled her emotions and smiled faintly, "Yes! You truly resemble her! Your Majesty has quite the hobby, collecting portraits of other people's wives."
How could she not recognize the woman in the painting as her mother, whom she had met once?
What she did not understand was why Ye Moyuan would collect a portrait of her mother.
Was it a case of unrequited love, or was there a hidden motive?
"Ling'er... may I call you that?"
A hint of emotion appeared in Ye Moyuan's eyes.
But Zilin Ling could see that it was not love.
If she had to find a word to describe it, "obsession" would be more fitting.
"No!"
Zilin Ling refused directly, "Your Majesty can call me by my name, or the head of the Zi family."
She did not like Ye Moyuan calling her that, or rather, she did not like Ye Moyuan using her mother to scheme against her.
A flicker of disappointment crossed Ye Moyuan's eyes, though he concealed it well.
He did not dwell on it, sighing, "Alright, Head of the Zi family!"
"In fact, the moment you entered, I knew you were her daughter."
"She is your mother, Yue Wumei, who once saved my life."
Zilin Ling sneered, was he trying to play the emotional card?
She remained silent, waiting for Ye Moyuan's next move.
"Do you know? The moment I heard you accepted Ye Lingyuan's betrothal gift, I was conflicted."
"Your mother was my savior. I should have treated you like my own daughter, rejoiced for you, prepared a dowry for you, and married you off grandly when you came of age."
"But I couldn't. Because the man you are marrying is the one I dream of eliminating. So, I wondered if I should eliminate you along with him."
"But I couldn't bring myself to do it. Because my feelings for your mother were more than just gratitude. From the moment she saved me, her image was deeply etched into my heart."
"Later, she married your father. My heart was in turmoil. I felt that someone as ethereal as your mother should not have descended to the mortal world."
"I felt jealous. The woman I did not wish to defile, why should she be pulled down from the divine altar by your father? I even wished to destroy the entire Zi family and restore your mother to her freedom."
"But in the end, I gave up. Firstly, I had not yet ascended the throne at that time and lacked the power to destroy the Zi family, one of the eight great clans."
"Secondly, your mother saw through my intentions and sent word that if I dared to harm anyone in the Zi family, she would take my life!"
"Funny, isn't it? The person I wanted to protect threatened me and wanted my life, all for another man!"
Ye Moyuan looked at Zilin Ling as if seeking her response.
Zilin Ling's voice was clear and cold, "Did you love her?"
Ye Moyuan's gaze flickered as he said, "Did I love her? I asked myself that too, but at that time, I was young and didn't understand what love was!"
Zilin Ling sneered, "So, your obsession was merely to have her sit on the divine altar, waiting for your enlightenment?"
Possessiveness—this was Ye Moyuan's obsession.
Its manifestation was: I don't love this person, nor will I allow anyone else to love her.
Ye Moyuan shook his head and said, "No! Later, she disappeared, and then I realized she was an indispensable part of my life. Just like..."
He paused, as if searching for a suitable way to express it.
"Just like... just like... oh, that's right, just like my throne! My imperial seal! My empire!"
Zilin Ling was speechless.
Such severe paranoia, no wonder he always thought Ye Lingyuan threatened his throne, constantly schemed against Ye Lingyuan, and ceaselessly plotted to eliminate him.
"Oh~ Your Majesty is truly... deeply affectionate and short-lived!"
Zilin Ling's voice was laced with sarcasm, "Your Majesty neither loved my mother nor allowed her to receive the love of others. Is this how you repay her life-saving grace?"
A dark glint rapidly gathered in Ye Moyuan's eyes, and his aura fluctuated violently.
"Who says I don't love her? Who says I don't love her?"