Chapter 117: I Should Be Dead Right Now

Chapter 117: I Should Be Dead Right Now

Therefore, He Zhiran chose to delve into the Chronicles of Unofficial History.

Both were now engrossed in their reading, flipping through the pages diligently.

When Mo Jiuya reached the part where he met his demise after being exiled, he gasped and looked deeply into He Zhiran's eyes.

"Is it because of these books that you can foresee certain events?"

Now, apart from her status as a time traveler, Mo Jiuya felt he had uncovered all her secrets.

As such, He Zhiran saw no reason to hide anything.

"That's right. It's by reading these books that I gain foreknowledge.

You've seen me shopping on my phone too; those peculiar items must have originated from the future."

"The future?" This term was not unfamiliar to Mo Jiuya, but it still surpassed his comprehension.

He Zhiran shrugged and continued, "When I first obtained this space, I was also very curious as to why it contained such peculiar items.

"After extensive research and analysis, I've concluded that this space is indeed a product of the future."

Taking the book from Mo Jiuya's hand, she pointed at a corner of the cover and said,

"Look here, the publication date of this book is 2020, while we're currently in 303. That's over a thousand years apart."

Mo Jiuya pondered for a moment.

"You mean to say that this book was written by someone from a later era?"

"Not exactly. I suspect that someone from the future compiled these records together," He Zhiran explained.

This clarification made everything clear to Mo Jiuya.

Pointing to the passage in the book that described his exile and death, he asked the question that had been bothering him.

"As the book states, I should be dead by now. Yet, I'm still alive. This must have something to do with you, right?"

He Zhiran did not refute this.

"It indeed records that after your exile, you died shortly after leaving the Imperial City, but the cause of death remains a mystery. I speculate that you were summoned to the palace by the Emperor in the dead of night, severely beaten with a hundred strokes of the cane, which could have been one possible cause. Another possibility is that those who wanted you dead sent assassins."

Mo Jiuya nodded. "Indeed, with your warning and the cushion you gave me for protection, even fifty strokes were quite unbearable. A hundred without any preparation would have been catastrophic. Even if I didn't die immediately, I probably wouldn't have lasted long. Under such circumstances, it would have been easy for anyone to take my life."

Mo Jiuya was not afraid of death; he had long prepared himself to sacrifice his life for the country. However, he didn't wish to die without a clear explanation. Now, being alive and well, all credit belonged to He Zhiran. A great debt could not be repaid with mere words, so Mo Jiuya vowed to keep her in his heart and strive to make her the happiest woman in the world, cherishing her wholeheartedly.

They continued to bury themselves in their reading. Mo Jiuya quickly scanned through the sections detailing events after his supposed death, focusing on the situations of significant characters.

Only now did Mo Jiuya realize why He Zhiran had refused the banknote from Fei Nanyu back then.

Turned out that Fei Nanyu was destined to be an exceptional emperor, renowned in history as a ruler of unparalleled greatness.

This was something Mo Jiuya could never have foreseen.

Including Nan Qi, who became the next emperor of the Daxun Dynasty but perished early due to his indulgence in women.

As for Nan Rui, the history books merely gave him a brief mention.

The earlier parts of the text were still acceptable, closely resembling Nan Rui's apparent current status, with no mention of any ambitious intentions he might have had.

Furthermore, Nan Rui's death occurred shortly after Nan Qi ascended to the throne.

At this moment, Mo Jiuya was profoundly shaken, even sharing the same thought as He Zhiran.

Namely, since he was still alive, it indicated that history had deviated from its original course. However, he had no idea how events would unfold in the future.

If he were to intervene, could he disrupt the established order?

These thoughts Mo Jiuya kept to himself, for with his current status, he was powerless to act on them.

He Zhiran finally discovered a record of Nan Rui in an obscure chronicle.

She promptly summoned Mo Jiuya to her side, and they perused the text together.

Mo Jiuya was unfamiliar with simplified Chinese characters, so He Zhiran read it aloud for him.

"The book states that Nan Rui concealed his talents for years, secretly building his own faction. However, due to his reluctance to be too blatant, his sphere of influence wasn't extensive.

It was during the rivalry between Nan Qi and Nan Heng that his true intentions were revealed.

The one and only time they united was to eliminate Nan Rui."

Mo Jiuya took a deep breath. With the information from the book and what He Zhiyuan had shared, he could now deduce that Nan Rui's character was far more complex than it seemed on the surface.

Moreover, when he instructed He Zhiyuan to seize the provisions, it served two purposes: to exacerbate the conflict between Nan Qi and Nan Heng, and also to eliminate Nan Rui as a potential threat.

After all, it was well-known that he had a close relationship with Nan Qi.

Nan Heng had been most wary of Nan Qi back then precisely because Nan Qi had his unyielding brother by his side.

"It seems we can't afford to let our guard down with Nan Rui either."

He Zhiran curled her lips. Just as they thought they had resolved the issue with Nan Heng, another problem with Nan Rui arose.

Fortunately, Shunwu Emperor only had these three sons. If there were more, they might really be overwhelmed.

"Have you thought of any good strategies?"

Mo Jiuya sneered. "Nan Rui fears me for the same reason as Nan Heng – both of them are worried that I'll rise again and continue assisting Nan Qi.

It all depends on when he decides to make his move. If he waits until Fei Nanyu spreads news of the breakdown between me and Nan Qi, he'll likely cease his attempts on my life to avoid trouble.

On the other hand, if he's already dispatched people, we must be prepared for the next few days."

He Zhiran fully agreed with Mo Jiuya's assessment.

"We should remain extra cautious in the coming days."

Speaking, He Zhiran had already used her mind to retrieve her phone.

She directly opened the Taobao app, planning to choose some self-defense tools for the women in her household.

The first thing that appeared on Taobao was a notification box, showing the sales and income of her shop.

He Zhiran glanced at it casually; her earnings had increased by 700,000. With a mental note, she closed the notification box.

She searched for women's self-defense items on Taobao, where the most popular options were mini stun guns and anti-rape sprays.

The mini stun gun looked compact and practical, so she decided to purchase one without hesitation.

In front of Mo Jiuya, she opened the packaging and then pointed the top of the mini stun gun at the table, pressing the switch.

A series of 'zizi' sounds echoed.

Mo Jiuya inquired, "What is this?"