Chapter 30 30: He Knew
"I'm not sure if he knows about you possessing one. I can't read his mind." Xinren rolled her eyes. "I only know what I told you. Other than that, your guess is as good as mine."
After a brief moment of silence, she further continued, "What I do know is that he has already used the Book of Destiny to peek into the future at least once."
"I guessed as much," Xu Shan responded. "The way he turned the tide in the Qin Dynasty during the rebellion. It would've been impossible unless he had seen the future. Now the question is; how far did he see at that time?"
"Even though the loss of lifespan isn't as scary in the short term, but still, he wouldn't be stupid enough to waste his lifespan like that. Every action of his changes the future that he saw after all."
Even though initially he was taken aback by the appearance of Qin Ye, now that he had calmly thought about it, that guy wasn't invincible!
Just like he was concerned about using the Book of Desires, Qin Ye must've been hesitant about using the Book of Destiny unnecessarily. That was where his opportunity lied. He just had to fool the destiny!
He closed his eyes, not talking anymore. He also told Xinren not to speak and give him time to consider the situation from all perspectives, so he didn't miss anything.
Throughout the journey back, he kept thinking about the man's action in suddenly approaching him. At the same time, something seemed amiss.
"If he knew about the Book of Desires, he wouldn't have been naive enough to show himself so openly." After a long period of silence, Xu Shan finally voiced his thoughts.
"If I was in his place and I knew about a person who possessed the Book of Desires, instead of making my presence known to that person, I would've moved in the dark and sent assassins that couldn't be traced back to me in case that person survived and wanted revenge."
He glanced to his left in the direction of Xinren, who appeared to be listening to him carefully. "You said the Book of Desires is stronger than the Book of Destiny?"
Xinren nodded in response. "Book of Destiny can only be described as an auxiliary help. Even though it can act as a guide, other than that, it's useless, and one has to do everything themselves. However, the Book of Desires is different. It can be actively used to do almost anything."
"One last question... Can the Book of Destiny predict the future of the Book of Desires?" Xu Shan further asked.
Xinren didn't understand why he was asking the question. She only shook her head lightly.
"If that were the case, the previous owner of Book of Destiny would've known where the Book of Desires was going to appear, especially those old monsters. They would've done anything to get the Book of Desires."
"I see. In that case, my guess is most likely accurate. He doesn't know as much as I thought he did. He came here targeting the Third Prince and not me..."
Xu Shan felt somewhat relieved, realizing the situation was much better than it could've been. Since Qin Ye was so overconfident in the fate that he read, he made many mistakes without even realizing it.
Even though it looked as if Xu Shan was in the open while Qin Ye was hiding in the dark, treating him as an ant, the reality was much different.
"What do you mean?" Xinren asked, slightly intrigued.
Since she was connected to Xu Shan, she could at least hear his thoughts in the past. However, ever since he awakened the Celestial Spirit of Devouring, she couldn't know what he was thinking.
"I'm not sure when Qin Ye received the Book of Destiny. However, from what I can guess, it was way before the rebellion. He had always been hiding from the others, not showing any extraordinary traits. Whenever he received the Book of Destiny, he had already seen the future!"
"If I'm not wrong, he already knew about his father's death in the future and the rebellion! Or maybe he himself killed his father to make sure the rebellion that he saw in the Book of Destiny happened much sooner!"
"The rebellion was the perfect time for him to take care of everyone, from the enemies of the Royal Family that could make his future position in the Dynasty unstable to his own siblings who could've contended for the throne."
The more Xu Shan talked, the more impressed he felt. He had a feeling that Qin Ye was more patient than he thought.
As the carriage went back toward his Palace, the roads were once again empty, giving him a very lonely view of the City streets. However, he still kept his gaze out the window, as if even though he was looking at the empty streets, his vision was looking much farther...
"He must know that the future changes constantly once he gets involved. That's why he probably didn't look much farther into the future until he ascended the throne."
"However, once he ascended, he tried to look much farther than he had ever looked before. At least, that's what I would've done. He looked as far as possible until he found the point where he felt like he might have to intervene to change the future."N/nêw n0vel chap/ers are published o/n n0v/e/(lb)i(n.)co/m
His lazy gaze moved back to Xinren, who was slightly taken aback at how many things Xu Shan had managed to find out.
Although she knew that he was only guessing while keeping himself in Qin Ye's place, but everything he said didn't feel far from the truth. At least, that's what a wise person would've done.
"Can you guess what that point was?" Xu Shan calmly asked. From his gaze, it was clear that he already knew the answer yet wanted Xinren to say it.
"You?" Xinren responded with some uncertainty. "That point was you?"
"Wrong." Xu Shan shook his head lightly. "That point where he decided to intervene wasn't me."
Xinren frowned, even more confused. "Then what?"
"It was the Third Prince." Xu Shan appeared somewhat amused, as if he found it interesting. "I only came here a few days ago. The Qin Dynasty sent a letter asking my father's permission for their visit at least a week ago. What does that tell us? It's that I'm not the target."
"Since the Book of Destiny can't see the future of the Book of Desires, it most certainly can't see the changes the Book of Desires can suddenly cause in the future thanks to the wishes. Desires... They are what defy destiny!"
"The Book of Destiny saw the future. But it didn't see the future with me since I wasn't even here at that time. Since I didn't even exist, my actions couldn't be predicted. What the Book of Destiny saw was the future with the Third Prince!"