Chapter 275: Memory Distortion

"You, what did you say?" Wuqing stared at Ye Xiu in disbelief, stunned.

"Although I don't remember many of the details, it was indeed the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty who issued the order, and the one who carried it out was Zhuge Zhengwo. Oh, and there seemed to be Tieshou as well? I don't think Tieshou was called Tieshou before, what was it? I can't quite remember." Ye Xiu frowned, thinking. "It seemed like the Eight Evils or Six Evils, no, Thirteen Evils? Anyway, there were several people, including Zhuge Zhengwo and Tieshou?"

Wuqing was struck by lightning. What Ye Xiu said was too shocking for her. She simply couldn't believe it, or rather, she simply didn't want to believe it.

For all these years, she had lived in the Divine Marquis Mansion. Zhuge Zhengwo had always taken care of her, almost treating her like a daughter.

And Tieshou had always taken great care of her, even personally building a wheelchair for Wuqing.

Tieshou had even upgraded Wuqing's wheelchair more than once. Wuqing also considered Tieshou his own brother.

But now, her uncle, Zhuge Zhengwo, who was like a father to her, and Tieshou, whom she considered a brother, were the murderers who had wiped out her entire family. This was unacceptable to Wuqing.

"This, this isn't true. Are you kidding me?" Wuqing couldn't help but ask.

"I never joke about things like this. Actually, you could ask Zhuge Zhengwo and Tieshou. Given how they feel about you and how guilty they feel, they might tell you the truth if you press them. Or you could use your mind-reading skills to read their inner thoughts while asking them questions and discover the truth," Ye Xiu said with a shrug.

Wuqing was in a trance, momentarily unable to accept this truth.

"In fact, Zhuge Zhengwo and Tieshou were just a knife, a sword. The Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty was the true murderer. Think of it this way, and it might make you feel better." Ye Xiu looked at Wuqing, thought for a moment, and offered solace.

Hearing Ye Xiu's words, Wuqing's eyes lit up slightly.

Wuqing had deep feelings for Zhuge Zhengwo and Tieshou, and she completely regarded them as relatives and family.

Therefore, Ye Xiu's words undoubtedly gave Wuqing a way out, allowing her to bypass Zhuge Zhengwo and Tieshou and put all the sins and faults on the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty.

Of course, Wuqing couldn't bear to let Zhuge Zhengwo and Tieshou go and not treat them as enemies. After all, no matter what, they were murderers.

But now that the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty was in front of her, Wuqing could automatically ignore Zhuge Zhengwo and Tieshou.

Seeing that Wuqing was still a little dazed, Ye Xiu didn't plan to say anything more. After all, Wuqing's current mood was not suitable for conversation.

"This is the Shenzhaojing. Try practicing it first to see if it has any effect on your legs. As for the Rama internal energy, it was created by Zhang Sanfeng after all. Although Zhang Sanfeng gave it to me and allowed me to pass it on, I'm reluctant to share it without any other choice. Try practicing the Shenzhaojing first. If it doesn't work, I'll give you the Rama internal energy." Ye Xiu placed a handwritten Shenzhaojing martial arts manual on Wuqing's legs.

"Thank you. Thank you. I, I, I will, I will obey any orders you give me from now on." Wuqing said gratefully, looking at the Shenzhaojing manual.

Originally, Wuqing had planned to exchange herself with Ye Xiu for the Shenzhaojing and the truth behind her family's annihilation.

Therefore, Wuqing didn't feel embarrassed at all when she made such a promise.

"Alright. That's about all for today. As for the truth behind the annihilation of your Sheng family, you should investigate it yourself, and then decide whether or not to seek revenge, or how to do it. Once you've made up your mind, contact me. If needed, I can help you, provided there aren't any powerful masters in the palace." Ye Xiu also made a promise to Wuqing.

"Thank you," Wuqing thanked him again.

After Ye Xiu, Lian Nishang, and Wuqing finished their conversation, they left the Divine Marquis Mansion.

Wuqing, on the other hand, returned to the living room with mixed feelings.

"Wuqing, you're back! Come and have dinner soon! We left some food for you." Zhuge Shenhou immediately greeted Wuqing with a smile upon seeing him return.

"Well, thank you, uncle!" Wuqing nodded in gratitude.

"Why are you and I thanking each other?" Zhuge Zhengwo chuckled.

However, despite his outward smile, Zhuge Zhengwo had a bad feeling in his heart, because he noticed that Wuqing's mood was a little off.

Wuqing was a bit dazed, and Zhuge Zhengwo, unsure if it was an illusion, felt a subtle difference in Wuqing's gaze, a stare quite different from before.

Zhuge Zhengwo subconsciously frowned, unable to resist a wave of suspicion, even a touch of antipathy, towards Ye Xiu and the other man who had come to visit. Clearly, this change in Wuqing was

most likely caused by Ye Xiu and Lian Nishang. Wuqing tried to act normal, finishing her meal as normal, then letting Tieshou push her for a stroll in the garden.

Tieshou and others taking Wuqing for walks in the garden were actually quite common. Tieshou, or anyone else, would take Wuqing for strolls whenever they had something to do.

Wuqing hadn't said anything or asked anything before, precisely because he had waited for this moment.

Wuqing knew Zhuge Zhengwo was a formidable figure, both in martial arts and intellect.

Wuqing knew that if Zhuge Zhengwo tried to hide anything, she wouldn't be able to get anything out of him.

Zhuge Zhengwo was quite familiar with her mind-reading abilities, and even mastered a method that could temporarily block Wuqing's.

Compared to the more formidable Zhuge Zhengwo, Tieshou was much easier to deal with.

Whether it was mind-reading or other aspects, it was much easier for Wuqing to extract answers from Tieshou.

"Wuqing, when did you meet the two people who came to see you today? Why haven't you mentioned them before?" Tieshou asked casually, pushing Wuqing into the garden.

"I've known them for a while, but it was just a chance encounter," Wuqing said.

"Is that so?"

"Well, they're both very skilled, especially at investigating information, so I've asked them to help investigate the massacre of my Sheng family," Wuqing explained. As she spoke, Wuqing's mind-reading abilities were activated, targeting Tieshou, hoping to gauge his reaction.

Pushing the wheelchair, Tieshou paused imperceptibly when Wuqing mentioned the tragic Sheng family massacre.

Wuqing, who had been keeping an eye on Tie Shou, also noticed this. Most importantly, he sensed a strong sense of guilt and regret in Tie Shou.

This sentiment, Wuqing was certain, confirmed that what Ye Xiu said was, in all likelihood, true.

Wuqing chuckled bitterly. A man with such a magical diary must already know many secrets. It was impossible for him to simply fabricate lies to deceive her.

"Wuqing, so, have the two of them found out anything?" Tie Shou asked nervously.

"I've found out!" Wuqing sensed Tieshou's nervousness, his anxiety and worry, fearing he might be among the twelve culprits responsible for the Sheng family's demise.

But to Wuqing's surprise, she discovered that while Tieshou was among the twelve, Zhuge Zhengwo had nothing to do with them!

Zhuge Zhengwo had no involvement in the annihilation of the Sheng family.

In fact, afterward, Zhuge Zhengwo killed many of the twelve, avenging the Sheng family.

She had originally thought of two families as her enemies, but now they were one. Wuqing actually felt a surge of joy. At

that moment, she even felt a little resentful of Ye Xiu, blaming him for telling her the truth, for labeling Zhuge Zhengwo, her benefactor, as her enemy.

It was actually a discrepancy in Ye Xiu's memory.

Ye Xiu hadn't read the original novel about the Four Great Constables, but he had seen the TV series and the movie.

However, he had watched the TV series "The Four" when he was very young, the one with Wallace Chung as Zhui Ming, and much of the content was quite vague. The movie version was relatively clear, but he couldn't remember much of it.

For example, Ye Xiu vaguely remembered An Shigeng's actor as Zhai Tianlin, or perhaps Wu Xiubo.

After all, it was normal for memory to be skewed after such a long time. Ye Xiu mistook Zhuge Zhengwo, the killer of the Twelve, for one of the Twelve. While a bit far-fetched, it was also normal.

However, Ye Xiu's skewed memory had actually given Wuqing such a big surprise.

After all, Wuqing considered both Zhuge Zhengwo and Tieshou family members, and he had deep feelings for them.

Whether the murderer was one or both of them, the psychological damage to Wuqing was similar. And now, Wuqing suddenly realized that Zhuge Zhengwo wasn't her enemy, but rather her benefactor. This contrast actually lifted Wuqing's spirits, bringing a sense of surprise.

"Wuqing, I, I—" Tieshou was shocked, then filled with dismay, yet also with a faint sense of relief after hearing Wuqing's news.

For years, he had been burdened with guilt. Every time he faced Wuqing, his heart was filled with condemnation, especially when he saw Wuqing's crippled legs.

That's why Tieshou had devoted himself to his craft, building a wheelchair for Wuqing, constantly upgrading it, just to make amends and to feel a little better.

But every time Tieshou saw Wuqing trying to avenge the Sheng family, his heart was tormented again, yet he couldn't confess.

Now that Wuqing had uncovered the truth, he felt a sense of relief. He even wanted Wuqing to kill him, avenge the Sheng family, so that he could find some peace.

"Tieshou, I've always considered you my brother." Wushou sensed the guilt and the faint sense of relief swirling within Tieshou, and she understood what he was thinking.

But the more Wuqing understood Tie Shou's inner thoughts, the more she found it difficult to take action against him.

It was true that Tie Shou was one of the murderers who had annihilated the Sheng family, but it was also Tie Shou who had saved Wuqing. To save Wuqing, Tie Shou had even turned on the other murderers, leading to a violent fight. Add to that the care Tie Shou had shown her over the years, and Wuqing was unsure how to face Tie Shou.

But at the very least, Wuqing wouldn't kill Tie Shou. She didn't even want him to die.

"Wuqing, I'm sorry, I-I—"

"Actually, the real murderer was the one who gave the orders, right?" Wuqing asked Tie Shou.

Tieshou's face fell upon hearing this, a wave of panic and unease rising within him. "Wuqing, no, there was no one who gave the orders. I-I was just greedy, and that's why I attacked the Sheng family. There was no one else, no so-called mastermind, no one who gave the orders."

"Have you forgotten that I can read minds?" Wuqing said darkly.

"...Wuqing, if you want revenge, just kill me and don't pursue anything else, okay, Wuqing, even if I beg you, Wuqing!" Tieshou said in a pleading tone.

The reason why Tieshou did this was entirely because he didn't want Wuqing to take risks.

After all, the emperor of the Song Dynasty was not so easy to kill. In other words, if Wuqing really wanted to seek revenge on the emperor, it would be like hitting a rock with an egg.

Not to mention anything else, just the Marquis Zhuge, whose name was Zhuge Zhengwo and whose courtesy name was Xiaohua in the Marquis Zhuge Mansion, would stop Wuqing.

Zhuge Zhengwo would stop her for Wuqing's sake and would not hurt Wuqing, but if it were anyone else, they would not hold back at all on Wuqing.

Looking at Tieshou like this, Wuqing sighed in her heart. She suddenly didn't want to talk anymore. She even didn't want to see Tieshou again, at least not now.

Zhuge Zhengwo had actually been keeping an eye on Wuqing. After all, Wuqing had been acting strangely for a while, and after Ye Xiu and Lian Nishang's arrival, things had become even more erratic.

So, it was inevitable that Zhuge Zhengwo would pay more attention to Wuqing.

However, he hadn't anticipated that Wuqing had commissioned Ye Xiu and the others to investigate the truth behind the Sheng family's extermination.

Upon learning this, Zhuge Zhengwo almost immediately wanted to intervene and stop Tieshou.

After all, Zhuge Zhengwo didn't know how thorough and in-depth Ye Xiu's investigation was.

What if the news from Ye Xiu's investigation only reached Tieshou?

If that only reached Tieshou, Wuqing wouldn't know about the Emperor's involvement, and the matter would be over.

But Wuqing had the ability to read minds. If she activated it at this moment and read something from Tieshou's mind, it would be disastrous.

However, Wuqing's actions were too swift. By the time Zhuge Zhengwo jumped in, Wuqing seemed to have already learned the truth from Tieshou.

"Wuqing—"

"Uncle!" Wuqing looked at Zhuge Zhengwo with a touch of familiarity, no longer as strange as before. After all, Wuqing had previously believed Zhuge Zhengwo to be one of the murderers, but now he had become her benefactor. Zhuge Zhengwo had once again joined her family, and Wuqing's eyes naturally changed accordingly.

"Wuqing, some things cannot be done. You should know how important that person is to our Great Song Dynasty." Zhuge Zhengwo looked at Wuqing seriously.

Hearing this, Wuqing looked into Zhuge Zhengwo's gentle eyes, and couldn't help but gradually lose some of their warmth.

"Alas!" Zhuge Zhengwo naturally noticed the change in Wuqing's eyes, but he had to try to persuade Wuqing: "Wuqing, you also know that the Mongols have been eyeing our Great Song Dynasty, and the friction on the border has never stopped. Now our Great Song Dynasty can barely maintain peace and tranquility. But once something happens to that person, it will affect the entire court and even the entire Great Song Dynasty."

"And the Mongols will definitely not miss this opportunity at that time. By then, our Great Song Dynasty will be devastated."

"Wuqing, I don't think you will let this happen. After all, you are a kind-hearted girl." Zhuge Zhengwo told Wuqing seriously the consequences of Wuqing's revenge.

Wuqing's face paled as she heard Zhuge Zhengwo's words. She seemed to be seeing the scene he'd described.

She'd killed the emperor, and then the Song Dynasty was plunged into chaos. The Mongols invaded, and the Song people perished en masse at the hands of the Mongols.

Wuqing's face paled.

"Wuqing, actually, it was me who did it. If you want revenge, just kill me," Tieshou said, kneeling before Wuqing.

Then, as if realizing Wuqing wouldn't have the heart to kill him, Tieshou raised his right hand, channeling his inner Qi, and fiercely struck his head. He intended to commit suicide before Wuqing, to assuage the hatred he harbored.

Zhuge Zhengwo frowned at Tieshou's actions. He wanted to stop him, but hesitated. He clearly couldn't bear to watch Tieshou die before him.

Meanwhile, Zhuge Zhengwo watched Wuqing's expression change.

Seeing Tieshou about to commit suicide before him, Wuqing instinctively intervened, without a second thought.

Bang—

Tie Shou's suicidal attempt was stopped by Wuqing: "You, you don't have to do this, I, I will do this to you, and I will do this to you—" Wuqing said to Tie Shou with a complicated expression, but he couldn't say much.

Zhuge Zhengwo looked at Wuqing like this and felt a little relieved. At the same time, he couldn't help but start to doubt Ye Xiu and Lian Nishang.

Because the news Wuqing received came too suddenly, he couldn't help but doubt the purpose of Ye Xiu and Lian Nishang. He even couldn't help but wonder if Ye Xiu and Lian Nishang were spies of the Mongols.