Chapter 148: The Deception

Chen Sinian looked at Tiana, who had already taken the bait, feeling a surge of secret delight in his heart. Fixing his burning gaze on her, he said with a deeply sorrowful expression, "You may not know this, but the conflict between the two bloodlines in our child's body has grown increasingly severe. Without the secret arts of the Tidi clan to harmonize this internal conflict, the child's life is in danger at any moment."

Hearing this, Tiana’s eyes flickered slightly, a look of utter helplessness washing over her. She leaned back against the wall and fell into a heavy silence.

"What? Do you still not believe my words?"

Seeing Tiana lean back in dejection without mentioning the secret arts, Chen Sinian’s brows furrowed. Feigning anger, he questioned her, and with a sudden shudder of his body, a powerful aura instantly flooded the entire secret chamber.

Even Yang Guang, standing outside the chamber, sensed a formidable pressure surge instantly from beneath the rockery.

"This is..."

Yang Guang’s brows knitted together. He instantly held his breath, pressing his back against the wall, his heart filled with profound shock.

Such an aura was by no means something a grandmaster could emit. At this moment, only Chen Sinian and the Tidi woman were inside the chamber. If that woman possessed such strength, the entire Prince Changwu Manor would be turned upside down. Therefore, it could only be Chen Sinian.

Yang Guang had always harbored suspicions, and feeling this aura finally gave him the answer.

Even if Chen Sinian was not a Saint, he was likely infinitely close to it.

Inside the chamber, looking at Chen Sinian who had just unleashed his aura, the look of despair in Tiana's eyes gradually vanished, replaced by a deep terror.

"You... you have actually attained the strength of a High Priest—oh, translated into your terms, a Saint, I suppose."

Feeling the crushing pressure in the air, Tiana did not seem as distressed as Yang Guang; instead, she remained remarkably composed. After her initial shock, she gave a self-deprecating laugh, then raised her head to look at the murky ceiling, a single tear slowly sliding down the corner of her eye.

"Truly, the heavens are blind. To think even someone like you could ascend to sainthood."

This time, Chen Sinian did not mind Tiana's sarcasm. With a calm expression, he reined in his aura.

After all, he did not want anyone to know about his breakthrough to sainthood. As for Tiana before him, she was already a dead person in his eyes, so there was no need to hide it.

"You've seen it for yourself," Chen Sinian said coldly, casting an indifferent glance at Tiana.

"For all these years, I imprisoned you here solely for the sake of obtaining the Tidi clan's bloodline manual so I could reach the Saint realm. Yet now, without relying on those things, I have ascended to sainthood through my own efforts. Surely you believe me now."

Chen Sinian turned and sat down on the wooden chair behind him, gazing quietly into Tiana's eyes with a solemn expression and a look of genuine sincerity.

Tiana tilted her head slightly, her large eyes looking at Chen Sinian with a hint of puzzlement, finding him increasingly difficult to read.

Of course, after all these years, if Tiana could have easily revealed the whereabouts of the manual, she would have done so long ago and spared herself so much suffering.

Without voicing further doubt, she softly asked in return, "Since you are already a Saint, can you still not cure our child's illness? Could it be that a single manual is more powerful than a Saint?"

Hearing this, Chen Sinian shook his head slightly, slowly lowering his head with a trace of self-deprecating laughter at the corner of his lips. He spoke to Tiana with helpless resignation:

"It is precisely because I have reached the Saint realm that I am able to discern the true origin of the hidden danger within our child."

Tiana did not reply, merely watching Chen Sinian and waiting for him to continue.

"What use is a Saint? Bloodline is a foundation bestowed by the heavens. Even a Saint merely conforms to the ways of heaven and earth; how could one ever defy them?"

"And are the secret arts of our Tidi clan capable of doing so then?" Tiana asked with a slight frown.

Chen Sinian stood up resolutely and walked over to the iron cage. Within the rust-covered bars, a heavy stench of decay and dampness lingered faintly.

With a rigid face, Chen Sinian concealed the disgust in his eyes and said to Tiana,

"I have read the first half of the manual. The Tidi clan's arts draw power from the depths of the bloodline, designed to help Tidi warriors unleash their potential in battle. The two bloodlines within our child are currently locked in a stalemate. Only by practicing the Tidi arts to strengthen the Tidi bloodline and suppress the two balanced forces within can there be any hope that the child will not explode and die."

Hearing this, Tiana’s eyes remained filled with hesitation; clearly, she still harbored misgivings regarding the manual.

Chen Sinian kept his composure, knowing he had struck the right balance. Now that the choice had been placed before Tiana, he stopped pressing her and instead said casually,

"Our child's life and death are in your hands. Decide for yourself."

With that, Chen Sinian turned and walked out of the secret chamber.

Tiana watched his retreating figure, her eyes full of hesitation while his words echoed in her ears.

A moment later, Yang Guang heard a noise coming from the rockery, followed by Chen Sinian emerging from within and departing from the area.

Yang Guang did not act immediately. Instead, he stood alone in place for a long while. Only after confirming that no one else would appear did he walk to the front of the rockery, opened the door to the secret chamber tunnel, and stepped inside.

Inside, the surroundings were damp, and melting snow from the rockery slowly dripped down through the stone crevices.

"Who is it?"

Hearing the movement against the stone walls within the rockery, Tiana looked vigilantly toward the entrance of the chamber. Although she could not see the person entering, deep down she was certain that the visitor was not Chen Sinian.

The Tidi clan's sensitivity to scents far surpassed that of other peoples.

Hearing Tiana's inquiry, Yang Guang frowned slightly. Although she had uttered only a single word, the Ye dynasty speech in her tone was exceptionally authentic.

Having accompanied Chen Sinian on numerous military campaigns over the years, Yang Guang had naturally encountered many members of the Tidi clan. While some among them were fluent in the language of the Ye dynasty, their native accents were extremely difficult to alter.

Without replying, Yang Guang silently descended the steps into the chamber.

In the dim, gloomy chamber stood only a single massive iron cage, parts of its surface covered in green moss.

"A man of the Ye dynasty?"

With bright eyes, Tiana looked at the silent Yang Guang, letting out a soft sound of inquiry.

"Young man, who are you?"

"Defying the orders of Prince Changwu will not end well for you."

Tiana smiled faintly, having clearly guessed that Yang Guang had sneaked down behind Chen Sinian's back, and thus looked at him defiantly to issue a warning.

Yang Guang sized up the robustly built Tiana before him, offering no response to her questions.