Xue Zi Ning saw the person slowly turn to look at her. It was a face with a scar running from the corner of the eye to the corner of the mouth.
In the dim candlelight, it was terrifying and grotesque.
Xue Zi Ning couldn't help but frown, and instinctively took a step back, "You..."
The person raised their head and touched the scar on their face, asking, "It's very ugly, isn't it?"
Xue Zi Ning twitched the corner of her mouth and could only brace herself, "I'll get used to it if I look at it for a long time."
"Heh heh..."
The laughter was particularly chilling in the silent night.
Xue Zi Ning came back to her senses from the laughter, and the person was already in front of her. This time, she saw more clearly, and the scar was even more obvious.
"You're quite interesting."
"Fifth Elder?" Xue Zi Ning asked subconsciously.
"You're not wrong," the Fifth Elder said.
Xue Zi Ning breathed a sigh of relief. Feng Ling had mentioned to her that among the five elders, there was one that Feng Ling had only met a few times. It was said that this Fifth Elder hated the royal family the most.
Xue Zi Ning asked Feng Ling why the Fifth Elder hated the royal family, and Feng Ling said she didn't know, but it might be related to the scar on the Fifth Elder's face.
How terrible it must be for a woman to be disfigured, especially if it was by the person she loved?
And that person happened to be from the royal family.
Thinking of this, Xue Zi Ning felt that this was probably the reason why the Fifth Elder hated the royal family!
"Fifth Elder, this junior did not intend to offend, but was guided here by the soul lamp. I hope the Fifth Elder will forgive me," Xue Zi Ning said.
When Feng Ling left, she had repeatedly instructed Xue Zi Ning to blame the soul lamp if anything happened, and to say that she was guided by it.
It would save her life at a critical moment.
Now, after Xue Zi Ning said these words, she only heard the Fifth Elder chuckle softly, her laughter filled with an indescribable bleakness, and was particularly terrifying in the silent night.
"If the Fifth Elder is not pleased, this junior will take her leave!" Saying this, Xue Zi Ning turned to leave.
"You've come all this way, why leave?" the Fifth Elder suddenly said.
Her voice was as cold and sharp as frost.
Xue Zi Ning paused her step, and a shadow blocked her path, "Didn't I just say not to leave?"
Xue Zi Ning took a step back, "I'm not leaving, I just feel that the Fifth Elder dislikes me."
The Fifth Elder looked at her for a moment, and the corner of her lips slowly curved upwards, "For some reason, I feel you resemble an old acquaintance of mine."
When she said the words "old acquaintance," Xue Zi Ning felt that she was gnashing her teeth.
There was no doubt that this old acquaintance must be a member of the royal family who had disfigured her.
Xue Zi Ning asked subconsciously, "What was your old acquaintance's name?"
The Fifth Elder's expression suddenly darkened, her eyes becoming cold and fierce, "You know too much. Haven't you heard that people like that don't live long?"
"Because I want to live long, that's why I want to know. Don't you want revenge, Fifth Elder?"
Hearing her say this, the Fifth Elder cackled, her laughter bleak, "Revenge? If I could, do you think I would have waited until now?"
"Fifth Elder, I can help you," Xue Zi Ning said.
"You help me?" The Fifth Elder's expression was slightly stunned, and she looked up at Xue Zi Ning.
"Yes, perhaps I can help..."
Before she could finish speaking, her chin was suddenly grabbed fiercely, and her breathing became difficult.
"What qualifications do you have to help me? You can't even help yourself, and you want to help me? Am I saying you're overestimating yourself, or are you daydreaming?"
"You... how do you know I... I can't help you? I have the soul lamp..."
"The soul lamp? The soul lamp is just what they think. But I never rely on a dead object. For revenge, I only trust myself."
As the Fifth Elder's grip tightened, Xue Zi Ning felt the suffocating sensation grow stronger. She was like an ant that could be crushed at any moment, with no ability to resist.
"Fifth Elder, was the person who harmed you from the royal family?"
She saw the Fifth Elder's expression turn sinister, "You know too much."
"The Xue... Xue family?"
As soon as Xue Zi Ning said this, the Fifth Elder suddenly threw her away with one hand. Her body hit the pillar heavily, and she unexpectedly spat out a mouthful of bloody sweetness, bright red liquid appearing on the ground.
Xue Zi Ning wiped her mouth with her hand and looked up to see the Fifth Elder's figure already in front of her, "Speak, what else do you know?"
"What does the Fifth Elder want me to say?" She looked at the Fifth Elder, whose eyes were filled with ferocity, and asked word by word.
The Fifth Elder did not hesitate, placing her foot on Xue Zi Ning's shoulder, and said coldly, "Believe it or not, I can make you wish you were dead but unable to die, and wish you were alive but unable to live."
"I believe it, but Fifth Elder, believe it or not, even if you make me wish I were dead but unable to die, I won't say a word."
The Fifth Elder was slightly stunned. The woman before her had eyes that were remarkably clear, the only light in the silent night.
"If what you say is correct, I will spare your life. I know you didn't come to the Feng Yin clan just to die for me."
"Yes, I want to live. I still have many things to do," Xue Zi Ning said.
"Then tell me. If you speak correctly, I will let you leave. If you speak incorrectly, you will stay with me and never be allowed to leave," the Fifth Elder said slowly.
Just as Xue Zi Ning was about to speak, the Fifth Elder added, "Don't think you can just say anything. The soul lamp has already heard what you said. It values promises the most. If you lose, the soul lamp won't let you leave."
Xue Zi Ning was startled and lowered her head to look at the soul lamp. It flickered, as if confirming that the Fifth Elder was right.
Xue Zi Ning felt as if she had shot herself in the foot. This feeling was really bad.
She looked at the Fifth Elder, recalling what she knew about her. She was sure that the old acquaintance who made the Fifth Elder love and hate was from the Xue family.
So, who could it be?
Looking at the Fifth Elder's age, she was not old. Those who could be compared with her were probably the Emperor and Xue Wen Jie.
After all, only the Emperor and the Regent at that time could make Feng Yin obey.
However, the Emperor held great power and it was unlikely that he would have any entanglement with anyone from the Feng Yin clan. Thus, it was probably only Xue Wen Jie.
Moreover, Xue Wen Jie probably didn't even know that the Fifth Elder was from Feng Yin! "Were you just trying to trick me?" the Fifth Elder asked impatiently.
Xue Zi Ning shook her head, "I was wondering if he knew your identity."
The Fifth Elder merely snorted, "If you don't know, then say you don't know."
Xue Zi Ning smiled, "It was the Regent Xue Wen Jie, who once held absolute power, wasn't it!"
The Fifth Elder's body slightly stiffened, "You're quite good at guessing."
"It's not hard to guess. After all, Xue Wen Jie is the most likely candidate to do such a cruel thing."
Hearing her say this, the Fifth Elder's expression softened considerably.