Mythical Qin: I, Gao Yao, will never be a eunuch!

Chapter 1075 The Last Conversation with Yi Xiaochuan!

The cell was dark and damp, with only a few torches on the walls providing faint light. A strange stench, a mixture of mustiness and blood, filled the air. The jailers, upon seeing Gao Yao, all trembled with fear and bowed their heads in respect.

"Where is Yi Xiaochuan imprisoned?" Gao Yao asked calmly.

“Your Majesty, it’s in the deepest solitary cell,” a jailer quickly replied. “As you instructed, jailers and members of the Green Robe Society take turns guarding it 24 hours a day, with no oversights.”

Gao Yao nodded: "Lead the way."

They passed through a series of iron gates, and the further they went in, the fewer the cells there were, but the tighter the guards became. Finally, they came to a heavy iron door. The jailer unlocked the door, pushed it open, and made a harsh scraping sound.

The cell was cleaner and more spacious than the outside. There was a small window in the wall, less than twenty centimeters wide, through which a small patch of the night sky could be seen. Dry straw was spread on the floor, and in the corner was a simple wooden bed with clean bedding. There were some simple dishes on the table, which looked appetizing.

Yi Xiaochuan sat on the floor by the window, his back to the door, gazing up at the small patch of night sky. He wore a gray prison uniform, his hair disheveled, but his posture remained upright. Even in such an environment, he maintained a peculiar air.

Hearing the door open, Yi Xiaochuan didn't turn around or even move, as if he already knew someone would come.

Gao Yao waved for the jailer to leave and walked into the cell alone. He sat down in a chair at the table, watched Yi Xiaochuan's retreating figure, remained silent for a moment, and finally spoke:

"Is there anything you want to ask?"

His voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet cell. Yi Xiaochuan's body twitched slightly, then he let out a bitter laugh:

"Does it matter? I've already lost anyway, haven't I?"

The voice carried a deep weariness and helplessness. Gao Yao, upon hearing this, didn't answer immediately, but instead raised an eyebrow with interest:

"Don't you want to know why you lost?"

Yi Xiaochuan finally turned around. His face was somewhat pale, but his eyes remained sharp. After this period of imprisonment, his face showed signs of hardship, but his indomitable spirit seemed to still be there.

“We already knew,” Yi Xiaochuan said calmly. “You and that other person both knew what was going to happen, or rather, they both knew most of what was related to me, right?”

Hearing this, Gao Yao was slightly taken aback. He truly hadn't expected Yi Xiaochuan to have guessed to this extent. Over the years, he had been extremely cautious, trying his best not to reveal his identity as a transmigrator, let alone a system that transcended his time. But Yi Xiaochuan was, after all, a transmigrator from the modern era, with a sharp mind, so it wasn't surprising that he could deduce some truths from various clues.

"Anything else?" Gao Yao didn't answer directly, but continued to ask. He was genuinely curious about the extent to which Yi Xiaochuan had learned.

“Of course.” Yi Xiaochuan stood up, walked to the table, and looked at Gao Yao. “It’s as if you had planned every step after that. Whether it was me saving Liu Bang or you later ambushing me in the mountains, according to common sense, even if I saved Liu Bang and implicated you, you wouldn’t hold a grudge against me or even kill me, given your personality.”

He paused, his gaze deepening. "It's laughable. I didn't understand anything back then. Now I think I do. My existence was superfluous to you and to that person. That person wanted to use me, and you wanted to kill me. Although I don't understand why, the fact is, you've been doing this all along."

The air in the cell seemed to freeze. Gao Yao looked at Yi Xiaochuan, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him. Indeed, from the very beginning, he had considered Yi Xiaochuan a threat. Not only because Yi Xiaochuan was the "protagonist of destiny," but also because Yi Xiaochuan's naive idealism seemed out of place in this cruel era, yet he possessed the ability to change history. Such a person, if he couldn't be used for his own purposes, had to be eliminated.

“Actually, I invited you to help me in the first place if you were willing,” Gao Yao sighed. This was the truth. Back in Pei County, he had indeed tried to win over Yi Xiaochuan. If Yi Xiaochuan had stood by his side then, perhaps everything would have been different.

Yi Xiaochuan laughed, a laugh full of sarcasm: "Heh, what's the point of saying all this now? It's not important anymore."

He sat down again, his gaze returning to the small window: "Where is that person? Liu Bang should be dead by now, right? The current Liu Bang is that person, isn't he?"

These words sent a jolt through Gao Yao. Yi Xiaochuan had actually guessed even this. Indeed, the Liu Bang of today was no longer the original Liu Bang, but the mysterious Yi Xiaochuan.

“He’s dead too,” Gao Yao said calmly. “Now it’s just you and me left.”

He paused, then continued, "If I could, I really wouldn't want to kill you."

This was also a sincere statement, but Gao Yao's sincerity differed from that of ordinary people. It wasn't because he felt pity, nor because he thought Yi Xiaochuan was pitiful enough. Having lived in this era for so many years, Gao Yao had long understood that compassion was a luxury, especially in the game of power.

He didn't want to kill Yi Xiaochuan because, as the protagonist of destiny, Yi Xiaochuan could have brought him more system rewards. However, since coming into contact with Tianxing, the situation has changed. Tianxing's power seems to have surpassed the value of Yi Xiaochuan as the protagonist of destiny. After weighing the options, Yi Xiaochuan's existence has become dispensable, and he can be killed to obtain rewards.

Xiang Yu's death is a case in point. Xiang Yu committed suicide, which aligns with the original historical trajectory, but the system's reward for Gao Yao was rather meager, barely anything. Gao Yao didn't stop Xiang Yu's suicide, partly out of respect for the hero—after all, he's the only non-emperor who was included in Sima Qian's annals; and partly because Gao Yao's enmity with Xiang Yu was irreversible from the start. If he didn't utilize Xiang Yu's remaining forces as a stepping stone to power, he would never have a chance to rise. He didn't want to be a eunuch again.

"Heh, good riddance." Yi Xiaochuan's voice interrupted Gao Yao's thoughts. "What a pity, I didn't see that scene."

He turned his head and looked directly at Gao Yao: "There's another question: does the future still exist?"

Finally, the crucial question had been asked. Gao Yao thought to himself. This was a question that not only Yi Xiaochuan was pondering, but Gao Yao himself had also been thinking about. Would changing history affect the future? If the future didn't exist, then what were they, these time travelers, then?