The Black Book: Seven Deadly Sins
Chapter 349: Am I also in your calculations?

Chapter 349: Chapter 349: Am I also in your calculations?

In the Taihe Palace, Zhu Haomiao untied a small pouch from his waist, and a figure tumbled out with a cry of "waa waa waa" as they hit the ground.

Plop~

Watching the stunning woman tightly hold the little girl, who in turn held Diao Chan, three pairs of big glistening eyes staring at him, Zhu Haomiao furrowed his brows with indescribable emotion.

Are you doing a nested doll show here...

"It’s alright now, you’re safe."

"Chirp~"

Hearing the boy’s reassurance, the carefree Diao Chan struggled out of the little girl’s embrace and skittered over to him in a flash.

Deprived of her furry "pillow," Zhao Nuo, heedless of her mother’s instinctual fear, stood up from her arms, glanced around, and a sorrow far beyond her years poured from her dark eyes.

"They’re all dead... everyone is dead..."

Seeing the little girl clutching her clothes, head down and mumbling, Zhu Haomiao patted her head and gave a meaningful sigh.

"No, you’re still alive. The Zhao Family isn’t extinct, and the Da Zhen is not gone."

"You have to bear your Heavenly Destiny and rule this nation."

On hearing this, Zhao Nuo trembled all over, a noble sense of mission inexplicably surged within her heart, and the last trace of innocent naivety slowly vanished from her eyes, replaced by an imposing aura that could deeply stir anyone.

"I understand."

Zhao Nuo lifted her gaze, staring unwaveringly into the boy’s eyes, muttering softly.

"Brother, you’ll help me, right?"

Looking at Zhao Nuo as if she were a precious gem emerging from its stone shell, displaying a spirit light that could shock the heavens, Zhu Haomiao let out a profound sigh.

Indeed... You are the Child of Destiny!

The previous bizarre ability to see through hearts was nothing more than an insignificant innate superpower during your youth...

Raising his head, Zhu Haomiao’s eyes penetrated through the dome of the Taihe Palace, gazing directly at the ethereal vast sky above.

So...

Am I also included in your calculations?

Are my actions also part of fate?

Recalling the monumental achievements of forcibly altering the world line and reshaping the river of destiny with his own strength, Zhu Haomiao felt a twinge of guilt.

As a historical disrupter of the First Layer Heaven, it’s a bit hard to get used to being the one leading history now...

Just as the young man was lost in thought, he suddenly felt the small hand clutching the corner of his clothes trembling slightly.

Looking down at Zhao Nuo’s big tearful and aggrieved eyes, Zhu Haomiao chuckled and pursed his lips, endearingly patting her head.

"I will help you."

Upon hearing the boy’s promise, Zhao Nuo seemed to have set down a burden as heavy as a thousand Jin, her exquisite smile blooming through her tear-streaked face.

Her charm transcending age pierced straight into the soul, catching Zhu Haomiao off guard, as if he caught a glimpse of her unmatched grace in adulthood for a fleeting moment.

Rumble~

Just then, the distant rumble of thunder echoed, and looking at the dark clouds swiftly closing in with the might of the heavens and earth, Zhu Haomiao reached for Zhao Nuo’s small hand.

"Let’s go. We must meet the Yue King."

...

Several days later, in a pavilion of the Imperial Garden, an elderly man and a young man sat face to face, sipping fragrant tea that permeated their hearts.

"Young friend, you really can’t sense the location of the National Guardian Divine Tripod?"

Looking at the clear-eyed old man with a childlike face opposite him, Zhu Haomiao shook his head helplessly.

"I can’t sense it."

"That can’t be right. People like you and me, Heavenly Destiny People, should be able to sense the Divine Tripod’s location..."

"....."

I’m not a monkey head!

Zhu Haomiao pouted, silently complaining to himself.

While he might be seen by the Heavenly Dao of this realm as part of itself, he’s far from being at the level of the Child of Destiny!

At most, he could only sense Zhao Nuo, with whom his fate was entwined deeply.

On the night of the coup, it was thanks to this subtle sense of destiny that he precisely found the little girl amidst the vast chaos of the palace and descended like divine intervention when she was in peril.

It was at that very moment he realized he had also become a part of fate!

On the other side, Yue King Luo Ming, gently stroking his white beard, looked anxiously into the distance.

The sense of mission from the unseen compelled him to reclaim the Heavenly Destiny object, and this urgency seemed to grow by the day!

But knowing how unstable the situation in Da Zhen was, with the entire nation teetering like a candle in the wind, he dare not act rashly.

After thinking for a long time, Luo Ming turned to Zhu Haomiao, hesitating as he spoke.

"I plan to set out to retrieve the Divine Tripod right after His Majesty’s ascension ceremony. The Imperial City... I’m afraid it will require your efforts, young friend."

Saying so, Luo Ming fixed his gaze on the boy’s eyes, asking solemnly.

"Do you think you have the confidence, young friend?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Haomiao gave a light laugh, raised his cup for a sip, and lowered his eyes to hide the Purple Gold glimmer in his pupils, and nodded calmly.

"Leave it to me."

Feeling the unbelievable bold confidence in the boy’s tone, Luo Ming finally let go of his worries and his eyes set with determination.

"Then I’m at ease!"

He took a gulp of the scalding tea, stood up, and gazed around with a sense of loss, murmuring in a sentimental tone.

"The Da Zhen is the joint effort of my old comrades and me, and now they are all gone..."

"I saw it rise with a Zhu Tower, saw it entertain guests, and I do not wish to see it collapse..."

Saying this, Luo Ming looked at Zhu Haomiao, eyes filled with relief.

"Initially, with the loss of the Heavenly Destiny object, I had fallen into despair, thinking the Da Zhen’s qi had run its course."

"But seeing you and the little girl, hope rekindled in me."

Saying this, Luo Ming took a Secret Manual from his bosom and solemnly handed it to Zhu Haomiao.

"This is the Cultivation Technique I created, summarizing my life’s work. I hope it helps you."

Perceiving the intent of legacy in Luo Ming’s words, Zhu Haomiao solemnly stood up, reverently accepting the Secret Manual with both hands.

"Da Zhen will be in your hands from now on."

Patting the boy’s shoulder, Luo Ming sighed lightly, a mix of ease and sadness, and turned away slowly.

Watching his upright and spirited back, Zhu Haomiao suddenly understood.

The last Child of Destiny from Da Zhen’s founding... there may not be much time left!

...

Time slipped away like a galloping horse

Amidst a nation gripped with fear and turmoil, Zhao Nuo simplified everything and quickly completed her ascension ceremony, announcing to heaven, earth, and her subjects that she was the seventeenth Emperor of Da Zhen.

The news of the new Emperor’s enthronement temporarily stabilized the unrest, but with Yue King Luo Ming leaving the Imperial City, rumors quickly began to spread, clearly stirred by someone.

"This is no longer a case of ordinary dissenters, time to hit hard!"

In the Imperial Palace, Zhu Haomiao waved his fist, whispering with fierce intent.

Beside him, Empress Dowager Ju Ruoyun, recently elevated, sat anxiously, looking at her calm daughter.

Wearing the imperial garb that exuded majesty, Zhao Nuo regarded Zhu Haomiao and calmly asked.

"Brother, now that the national situation is difficult, and everything is in confusion, what should we do?"

Upon hearing these words, Zhu Haomiao looking at the poised little girl, smiled with satisfaction.

"It’s quite simple, focus on two points, and you can unravel the entire nation’s issues."

"Which two points?!"

"The military power and the treasury!"

"?!"