Return of the Immortal Emperor Daddy-Chapter 164 You Are Not Beautiful

"Alright," Yao Yuanyao nodded and said, "I think this isn’t the repeating crossbow made by Zhuge Liang, but rather the version modified by Ma Jun, the great inventor from the Wei of the late Han Dynasty, right?"

Zhao Zetian nodded, a subtle, intriguing smile on her lips that made the other men—apart from Wu Tian—steal a few more glances.

"Climber, she’s not actually pretty," the little one suddenly said.

Wu Tian smiled. Leave it to a child to be so blunt. But he was also puzzled. The little guy usually went out of his way to help him pick up girls. Why was he acting so strange today?

Before Wu Tian could answer, Zhao Zetian had already looked at the little one. "Little sister, am I really not pretty? Children shouldn’t lie, you know."

"Of course you’re not pretty," the little one huffed, crossing his arms confidently. "Actually, if you want to know if you’re beautiful, there’s a test for that."

"Tell me," Zhao Zetian said. Every woman cared about her looks.

"It’s simple," the little one said, his big eyes flashing with cunning. "Go and pursue my Climber. If you succeed, it proves you’re a beauty. If you can’t, it just means you’re average-looking, nothing special."

Wow, has the little guy already mastered the Thirty-Six Stratagems? Wu Tian thought in surprise.

Zhao Zetian scoffed. As if any man is out of my reach if I actually try. But for now, business came first.

"It seems the Yao family does have at least one capable member," Zhao Zetian chuckled. "Unlike this Mr. Yao here, who just hems and haws."

Being an introvert, the full-grown Yao Yuanyao shyly lowered his head in embarrassment.

Yao Yuansheng, however, was furious. "Miss Zhao, I’ll take this repeating crossbow. Alright, the crossbow plus 500 million in exchange for the Heaven-Defying Sword," he declared, trying to project the authority of the Family Head, completely unaware he had fallen for her taunt.

"Deal," Zhao Zetian nodded.

Yao Yuansheng left and returned a short while later, carefully carrying a sword case. The case was bound with iron chains, and not only that, but it was also covered in talismans. "This... this sword possesses Divine Power. Whoever obtains it is destined for continuous misfortune, so please be careful, Miss Zhao," Yao Yuansheng cautioned.

Zhao Zetian nodded, then turned to her sister with a frown. "Sister, do you know how to handle this sword?"

Zhao Mulan, who had kept her eyes closed in meditation ever since entering the room, now opened them. A sharp glint flashed in her eyes as she sized up the Heaven-Defying Sword. She nodded. "I can suppress it, limiting it to at most half of its power."

With that, Zhao Mulan walked over, opened the sword case, and took out the Heaven-Defying Sword.

At the same time, Zhao Zetian rose from the sofa. "Alright, our transaction is complete. It’s time for us to leave."

But as she took her first step—

HISS!

The fabric of her white shorts suddenly tore at the thigh, revealing her pale skin.

"..." Zhao Zetian froze.

Yao Yuansheng, Yao Yuanyao, Mouse Tooth, and Lin Zhan quickly turned their heads away, pretending they hadn’t seen a thing. Only Wu Tian remained calm. He was already beginning to understand the nature of the Heaven-Defying Sword’s curse.

***

Zhao Mulan and Zhao Zetian hurriedly left the Yao family mansion and made their way to their car. Just as Zhao Zetian was about to get in, she missed a step, stumbled, and slammed into the parked car, her arm stinging from the impact.

"Sister, this sword is too bizarre! You’re the one holding it, but I’m the one getting all the bad luck," Zhao Zetian said, a worried thought striking her. "If the sword is like this now, what happens when we go to the tomb? If we’re this unlucky there, won’t we be dead the moment we step inside?"

"You’re right," Zhao Mulan nodded, a look of residual fear on her face. Though she was the older sister, she knew she wasn’t as sharp as her younger sibling. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"I’ve hired some capable people for this Tomb Raiding expedition, but Sister, we’re missing a lucky charm," Zhao Zetian mused. "Back in the day, there were countless tomb raiders, and the famous Gold-Touching Captains were more than just Yao Sijiu. But why did Yao Sijiu become a legend in the Tomb Raiding world, so much so that someone based a bestselling novel on him? Have you ever wondered why?"

"Why is that?" Zhao Mulan asked eagerly. She knew of the novel and had even seen the web series adaptation.

A confident smile touched Zhao Zetian’s lips. "Because of a lucky charm. Some people are destined to have everything go their way, no matter how much they court disaster. Others, no matter how talented, die young. That’s fate. Mouse Tooth was Yao Sijiu’s lucky charm."

"I see," Zhao Mulan nodded. "So, what do we do now?" This delved into the realm of destiny.

Legend says that Liu Bowen once saw a sleeping cowherd boy and declared he would one day rule the world. Then there was Yuan Tiangang, who went to see a child whose parents lied and said it was a boy. Upon seeing the gait and eyes of the young Wu Zetian, Yuan Tiangang was shocked and proclaimed, "Dragon’s eyes and a phoenix’s neck are signs of the utmost nobility. If this were a girl, she would be destined to become the emperor."

This proved that things like fate and physiognomy held some truth. That Mouse Tooth, though uneducated, is one of Longjing’s hidden tycoons. He relies not on strength or hard work, but on pure luck.

Zhao Zetian smiled. "Mouse Tooth gives off the impression of a greedy man, someone who would do anything for money." She chuckled. "Anyone who sees him that way isn’t much of a threat themselves. Mouse Tooth doesn’t try to fool anyone. He loves money, yes, but he values loyalty and relationships far more. To get an old man like him to join our Tomb Raiding, money won’t work. We have to use his connections."

"What’s the plan?" Zhao Mulan asked.

"Mouse Tooth came with other people today. One of them must be important to him. We’ll capture them and use them as leverage to force him to come with us," Zhao Zetian said.

Zhao Mulan nodded.

***

"How did you know it wasn’t the repeating crossbow of Zhuge Liang, but the version modified by the great Wei inventor Ma Jun from the late Han Dynasty? Could it be... you secretly studied our family’s secret scrolls of the Gold-Touching Captains?" Yao Yuansheng roared at Yao Yuanyao, his face contorted with rage.

He had given the wrong answer in front of Zhao Zetian, while Yao Yuanyao had been right. In Yao Yuansheng’s eyes, his brother had deliberately shamed him.

Yao Yuanyao stepped forward to explain. "No, it’s actually..."

Before he could finish, Yao Yuansheng kicked him, sending him sprawling to the floor.

So much for brotherly love. When angered, Yao Yuansheng acts like he’d disown his own family. He treats his brother like a dog he keeps around—when he’s in a good mood, he’ll talk to him; when he’s not, he’ll beat him without a second thought.

"The Yao family will fall today," Wu Tian said flatly, observing the scene with an impassive expression.