After being reborn, I stole the female lead's cheat ability and raised the empress.

Chapter 124 Puppet

In her previous life, she thought it was the young palace master who self-destructed because he was unwilling to be controlled by others.

Looking at this life in context, it turns out that Shangguan Qianqiu was a great traitor who was taken away and cultivated into a physical vessel. That's why the old master of the Golden Toad Palace was able to possess him so easily. His wife was also taken away to blackmail him, which is why she appeared among the people who were captured.

Shangguan Qianqiu is also a pitiful person.

Thinking of this, Xia Li couldn't help but chuckle to himself:

So, I wasn't the only one who suffered such a great injustice!

But... cough cough!

You shouldn't laugh; it's a bit impolite.

Xia Li suddenly thought of a possibility and spoke with a serious expression:

"Have you ever considered that what happened to your family might be orchestrated by the Golden Toad Palace?"

"This... how is this possible?" Shangguan Qianqiu looked up in astonishment.

"How much courage does it take to frame the Imperial Tutor? Would the Third Prince have dared to do that five years ago? Moreover, how could the Golden Toad Palace have appeared just when you were imprisoned and saved you and your elder brother? Even if it was a coincidence, what about your wife? Was that also a coincidence? I'm afraid she had her eye on you for a long time."

"If that's the case, they could just arrest me directly, why go through all this trouble?"

"Who knows? Maybe they wanted you to willingly take the medicine and cultivate, so that the physical vessel would be most effective. And then, coincidentally, the Third Prince wanted to deal with the Imperial Tutor, so they joined forces to set up this scheme."

Shangguan Qianqiu was struck dumb, stunned and speechless for a long time.

Upon closer reflection, it's not impossible.

"what!"

The thought that her family's misfortunes were all because of the Golden Toad Palace made Shangguan Qianqiu's eyes turn red with anger, and her whole body trembled.

He roared and punched the tree next to him, followed by a storm of punches and palms pounding the tree.

Seeing this from a distance, Ye Jian'er quickly ran forward, wanting to hug Shangguan Qianqiu.

"Don't go!" Xia Li stopped her. "Your whole family was harmed by villains, and you were tricked into being kept like a vessel. You've been foolishly treating your enemy as your benefactor for years. How can an ordinary person tolerate this? Let him vent his anger first, so that you won't get hurt."

"I'm not afraid! He needs me." Her eyes were full of heartache, but she still wanted to rush forward and hug Shangguan Qianqiu.

“Listen to him, he’s feeling very frustrated right now and needs to vent. If you go up to him now, he’ll suppress his anger because he cares about you.”

"..."

Ye Jian'er obediently did not step forward, but stared intently at Shangguan Qianqiu, her worry impossible to hide.

After a long time, Shangguan Qianqiu finally got tired of fighting and collapsed on the ground, crying bitterly.

Ye Jian'er stepped forward and hugged Shangguan Qianqiu, patiently comforting him and carefully wiping his wounds.

……

Enraged, Shangguan Qianqiu knelt before Xia Li: "Master, I want revenge!"

"What? Are you just going to rush in and die like this?" Xia Li raised an eyebrow.

"..."

"Alright, I'm not going to abandon you. Here's what you should do: suppress your hatred and don't show it at all."

"This……"

Xia Li looked at him and said, "I have my reasons."

The next second, Shangguan Qianqiu said, "Master, I have calmed down."

Xia Li looked at him and saw that his expression was calm and composed. She was a little surprised: "You calmed down so quickly?"

Shangguan Qianqiu patted his chest with a smile: "During my five years at the Golden Toad Palace, I became a master at concealing my emotions, to say the least."

Seeing his foolish expression, Xia Li knew he could control his hatred, so she waved for him to leave.

"Alright, you go and find out what's going on, then come back and we'll figure something out together."

"Yes!"

……

Two hours later, outside the private room of the inn.

Shangguan Qianqiu clenched his fist and then relaxed it, coughed lightly, and then pushed the door open to go in.

The two disciples who had accompanied him on his training journey stood up and greeted him when they saw him arrive.

"Greetings, Young Palace Master."

It was only then that Shangguan Qianqiu realized that although these people were greeting each other verbally, their expressions showed no respect whatsoever.

He cut to the chase: "What's wrong with my wife?"

"Young Palace Master, what are you joking about? Of course your wife should be with you."

"So, you're forcing me to go back?"

"You can choose not to return. But your wife will probably..."

Ha, isn't this just forcing myself to go back?

She herself had barely escaped with her life on the line; how could a mere woman like her possibly escape?

What's more, she was drugged.

"Call out the person behind you, I want to talk to him."

"This elder also has the same idea."

The voice came from inside the room; it belonged to an elderly man in his fifties, dressed in a golden Taoist robe specially made by the elders of the Golden Toad Palace.

Shangguan Qianqiu was taken aback: "Second Elder?"

This person, who is nominally the third in command of the Golden Toad Palace, is no less powerful than the Palace Master. Therefore, he would not easily show his face unless it concerned the life and death of the sect.

Thinking of this, a look of shock flashed in Shangguan Qianqiu's eyes.

But he still wore a self-deprecating expression: "Someone like me, a puppet, is it even worth asking the Second Elder for help?"

The Second Elder sneered, "Don't try to get any information out of me, you greenhorn. Just go back to the palace and be a good young master, and your family will be safe and sound."

"Can't I just not go back?"

"The Palace Master will be emerging from seclusion soon, so you must return."

"Alright, I still have things to take care of here. Let me finish one last thing."

The Second Elder waved his hand dismissively: "Go. Don't even think about your little escape tricks; they're completely useless!"

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Qianqiu left without looking back.

The gatekeeper spat at his retreating figure, "Pah! He's just a puppet, yet he dares to put on airs with the Second Elder. Does he really think he's the young palace master?"

One of the disciples immediately entered and asked, "Second Elder, should I follow him?"

The Second Elder waved his hand, looking confident: "Ah! A mere puppet, nothing to worry about. Besides, his wife's life is still in my hands. He's a man of loyalty and righteousness, so he'll definitely come back."

"Yes."

……

On the other side, Shangguan Qianqiu had already finished recounting the entire process to Xia Li.

Xia Li nodded: "The Second Elder of the Golden Toad Palace is very powerful. I wonder what his reason is for showing up this time?"

Shangguan Qianqiu chimed in, "With my limited abilities, even if they forcibly take me back, the Second Elder wouldn't need to personally intervene. I'm afraid he has other schemes up his sleeve."

"But it's okay."

She could easily handle the three people from the Golden Toad Palace.

Shangguan Qianqiu was speechless: "Master..."

After silently assessing the opponent's strength, Xia Li slowly spoke: "Since you also want revenge, and they are forcing you to go back, have you ever thought... we could turn the tables and wipe them out in one fell swoop?"

"Huh?" Shangguan Qianqiu looked at Xia Li in shock. The other party was a powerful figure with 90% Golden Core stage. Someone like Xia Li was no match for him, right?