Chapter 044: For You

When Wu Zetian first approached him, Wang Bo had already made a series of deductions about the demon pearl, that is, the Shikon Jewel.

But there were two points that Wang Bo couldn't figure out.

First, if that disturbance was stirred up by Wu Zetian, why did the Shikon Jewel end up in Gu Xingwen's hands.

The second point, why did she have to retrieve the demonic pearl herself.

Regarding the first point, Wu Zetian offered an explanation.

She had underestimated the demonic pearl, which possessed the power to bewitch the human heart. During that upheaval, her trusted aide, under the pearl's bewitchment, betrayed her and secretly hid the pearl away. Eventually, after passing through several hands, the pearl ended up adrift in the martial world.

As for the second point, Wang Bo understood it the moment he saw Gu Xingwen last night.

Because Gu Xingwen was too powerful.

Wang Bo had not forgotten that when he and Gu Xingwen first crossed hands, Gu Xingwen merely waved his hand lightly and sent him, who could withstand several tons of impact, flying out. Such power was simply beyond imagination.

Even Eunuch Li was far from his equal.

So at that moment, Wang Bo understood.

The reason Wu Zetian sought him out was because her trusted aides were unable to retrieve the demonic pearl from Gu Xingwen's hands, as they were no match for Gu Xingwen.

So Wu Zetian found herself.

He had once easily defeated Eunuch Li in the imperial study.

Thus, Wu Zetian felt that she was the only one confident in defeating Gu Xingwen and retrieving the demonic pearl.

Otherwise, she would have to mobilize the court's forces and defeat Gu Xingwen through sheer numbers.

But in that case, the Shikon Jewel would fall into the hands of the court, not into her own, Wu Zetian's. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, she would never take that step.

Faced with Wang Bo's meticulous reasoning, Wu Zetian nodded and admitted it frankly.

"Indeed, I truly did not expect that Gu Xingwen would unravel the secret of the demonic pearl and obtain formidable power, to the extent that my people were no match for him at all."

"So you found me."

"Yes, your performance in the Imperial Study convinced me that you are Gu Xingwen's only rival. Only you can seize the Demon Pearl back from him."

Wu Zetian smiled with great confidence. “And you did not disappoint my hopes.”

"But you never told me Gu Xingwen's true strength." Wang Bo's expression was grim. "You clearly knew how powerful Gu Xingwen was, yet you concealed that fact."

Wu Zetian remained silent.

Wang Bo said icily, "The reason you concealed this is because I once offended you. You hate me, you wish I were dead, so you didn't tell me about Gu Xingwen's true strength."

"And my battle with Gu Xingwen has only three possible outcomes."

"The first scenario: I die at Gu Xingwen's hands. Though you won't get the demon pearl, you can still vent your anger, since you hate me to death."

"The second scenario: Gu Xingwen dies at my hands, and I do not die but obtain the demonic pearl, so you would naturally be even more pleased, because you could then obtain the demonic pearl from me. At that point, you could use the power of the demonic pearl to create more experts, and then kill me, and you would likewise be able to vent your spite."

"As for the third scenario, it should be the one you like best: Gu Xingwen and I are both wounded, and then your people seize the chance to charge in, not only reclaiming the demon pearl but also killing me, letting you vent your spleen."

"Do you think I'm right, Your Majesty the Heavenly Empress?"

Wu Zetian laughed coquettishly. 'You think too ill of me, Master Wang. I have never thought that way. I didn't tell you Gu Xingwen's strength because I believed you wouldn't let me down. I've even prepared a hundred thousand taels of gold, right here in this restaurant. You may check at any time.'

"Do you think I would believe that?" Wang Bo retorted.

Wu Zetian's smile slowly stiffened, her expression turning cold bit by bit, and the murderous intent in her eyes grew thicker. "Are you telling me this because you want to tear off all pretenses with me?"

What do you think?

Wu Zetian said nothing, rubbing the wine cup in her hand as if pondering something.

Wang Bo said with a faint, ambiguous smile, "If you want to smash the cup, go ahead and smash it."

Wu Zetian's hand froze mid-motion.

Wang Bo said, "Do you think I don't know how many people you have lying in ambush around this restaurant?"

Wu Zetian was startled. "You..."

"How would I know, right?" Wang Bo pointed to his own ear. "If I said I heard it, would you believe me or not?"

Wu Zetian: ...

"When one's strength reaches my level, not to mention within a radius of ten zhang, even any sound within a hundred zhang or even a thousand zhang cannot escape my ears, including conversations and breathing."

A Superman of the Silver Age could even hear sounds from any corner of the universe. Compared with a Silver Age Superman, Wang Bo's ability in this regard is nothing but a trivial skill, utterly unworthy of mention.

Never mind the Silver Age; even the weakest Superman of the Golden Age could hear sounds from far away.

Wang Bo's current hearing is far inferior to that of the real Superman.

After all, he is still in his growth period, but even so, to humans, it still seems utterly terrifying.

So when Wang Bo first arrived at the restaurant, he discovered a group of people lying in ambush nearby.

At the same time, Wang Bo also understood why Wu Zetian had chosen to meet him here.

Because Wu Zetian was afraid—afraid that Wang Bo would be tempted by the demon pearl and not hand it over to her—she had laid an inescapable net here, with layer upon layer of guards.

Once Wang Bo is unwilling to hand over the demon pearl, she will drop a cup as a signal.

At that moment, a great number of death warriors would rush in from all directions and launch suicidal attacks against Wang Bo.

This group would use human-wave tactics to eliminate Wang Bo.

As for why Wang Bo knew that Wu Zetian would use the dropped cup as a signal, it was of course because he overheard it. While conversing with her, his ears had long since clearly registered the movements of the people around them.

He knew they were all lying in wait, awaiting Wu Zetian's signal.

Once Wu Zetian smashed the cup, this group would rush in without hesitation.

But Wu Zetian herself did not know that her ambush had already been heard clearly by Wang Bo.

Only when Wang Bo spoke it aloud did Wu Zetian realize that her ambush had long been seen through by him.

Wu Zetian stared at Wang Bo, uncertain and unsettled, unable to tell whether what he said was true or false. If it were really so, who could possibly kill this man.

Wu Zetian barely suppressed the shock in her heart and said, "From your attitude, it seems you have no intention of handing the demon pearl over to me. You want to keep it all for yourself."

Wang Bo took the Demon Pearl out of his four-dimensional pocket and tossed it to Wu Zetian. "Take it!"

Wu Zetian: ...