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Kapitel 16

"You're from the Water Mist Kingdom?!" I exclaimed in surprise. "Since you're a citizen of the Water Mist Kingdom, why... why did you..."

Yi Han's dark eyes were fixed on me, unblinking. There was no emotional fluctuation in them, but I felt as if I saw a cold, deep pool, which drew all my thoughts and consciousness to them.

“Young Master once said that providing relief or assistance to the people of the Water Mist Kingdom is merely a temporary measure, unable to fundamentally alleviate their suffering. Young Master also said that for the people of the Water Mist Kingdom to truly be liberated, only a wise ruler can unify the continent of Ishu from west to east or from east to west. Your subordinate believes that what you said is true, and believes that only you can accomplish this.”

My face flushed red, and I thought to myself: You're talking about Lin Yu, not me.

Following Zi Mo's request, I continued, "I've heard that there are two great legends on the continent of Yixiu. But I can't recall what they mean. Could you please explain them to me in detail, Yi Han?"

Yi Han looked up at me with some surprise, then lowered his eyelids and said, "Young Master, the two great legends of the Ishu Continent are Chi Fei, the son of the goddess Ishu Air, and Xing Hun of the Tianxing Flowing Sword Sect. Legend has it that they were born as unparalleled geniuses who could assist emperors in ascending the throne. Any emperor who had one of them as an assistant could bring peace to the world. If he had both, he would surely become an emperor for all time."

My lips twitched. I suddenly recalled the prophecy from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms that possessing either the Crouching Dragon or the Young Phoenix would bring peace to the world. I never imagined such a legend would be so prevalent here. Before I could speak, Yi Han's cold, slow voice rang out:

"Born into the world in the golden dawn"

Soaring through the raging waves

Reborn from the flames

This is Chifei, the son of the goddess Ishel, born under the combined light of the sun and moon.

Seeing my bewildered expression, Yi Han continued, "Legend has it that this was a prophecy that appeared on its own before the statue of the goddess Ishuel. Two years ago, the young master and the emperor, who was then the third prince, were framed by the crown prince and besieged in the Crimson Valley by the Fire Feather Kingdom. The Fire Feather Kingdom's marshal ordered the valley to be burned down. The young master devised a plan to use... gliding to fly with the emperor and his subordinates over a million Fire Feather Kingdom soldiers, arriving at dawn to meet the Golden Radiance Kingdom's reinforcements. He then led them to break through the Fire Feather Kingdom's encirclement and rescue the remaining soldiers."

At this point, Yihan paused, looking at me with a probing gaze. I was taken aback and asked, "Why did you stop?"

A dark green light flashed in Yi Han's eyes as he continued, "Since then, until later when you single-handedly assisted the Emperor in ascending the throne and stabilizing the situation in the face of the impossible, many things have happened. This prophecy has been passed down. You rose to fame overnight, but it also brought you endless crises."

"Because, in the past two hundred years on the continent of Ishu, only you, young master, have been recognized by the world as the son of the goddess Ishuel."

"What?!" I exclaimed in shock. "But Lin... I'm clearly a woman!"

Yi Han's lips curled up slightly, and he said in his still cool but gentle voice, "Yes, that's why I was also surprised that day."

"Ahem..." I picked up the tea to cover my embarrassment and quickly changed the subject, "What happened to Xinghun from the Xingliu Sword Sect that day?"

Yi Han glanced at the blush on my face, a glint in his eyes, and coughed softly before continuing, "On the continent of Yixiu, there are three universally acknowledged grandmasters: Shaolin, Wudang, and..."

"Pfft—" I wasn't prepared and spat out a mouthful of tea at Yi Han. Luckily, he was quicker than a ghost and managed to catch it without getting a drop on my face.

While frantically grabbing a cloth to wipe the table, I said, trying to suppress a laugh and coughing, "Sorry, please continue, please continue. Hehe..."

Yi Han glanced at my flushed face with surprise, but said nothing. His handsome face remained calm: "Elder Xuanfang of Shaolin, Daoist Tianci of Wudang, and Sect Master Luo Tianxin of Yue Nuling are the three supreme figures in the martial arts world of Yixiu Continent. But this is the truth. The Tianxingliu Sword Sect is a sect in Yixiu Continent that has never been seen in the light of day, yet it possesses even more awe-inspiring strength."

"The so-called 'drawing the fires of hell to burn away all the evils of the world.' (Oda Nobunaga, forgive me!) With just one person, one sect, and one Star Soul, one can influence the world's situation and overturn the entire continent of Ishu. This refers to the Tianxing School and its successors."

My heart was pounding, and I couldn't help but gasp, "Yihan, have you ever met anyone from the Heavenly Star Flowing Sword Sect?"

A flash of dark green light appeared in Yi Han's eyes, and he said calmly, "The people of the Heavenly Star Flowing Sword Sect do not reveal their identities. Once someone discovers them, they must be eliminated to silence them. Therefore, I have never seen them. However, it is rumored among the people of the Yixiu Continent that Liu Cenfeng, the Grand Tutor of the Fire Feather Kingdom, is the current Star Soul."

"What a strange sect. Ha—" I felt a wave of fatigue, couldn't help but yawn, and my eyes began to glaze over.

"You must be tired after a day of court sessions and political discussions. It's getting late, so why don't you get some rest? I'll take my leave now."

"Hmm..." I waved my hand and stumbled into the inner room. Yihan helped me up several times along the way. Only after I lay down on the bed and he tucked me in did he prepare to leave with peace of mind.

In my dazed state, I grabbed his hand and mumbled, "Yihan, stop calling me 'subordinate,' it sounds so distant!"

The hand I was holding was icy cold, with calluses on its palm from practicing swordsmanship. Hearing my words, his hand visibly trembled, but he pulled away without making a sound, and the room remained quiet for a while.

I thought he was gone. Sleepiness washed over me, and I was almost completely disoriented. I vaguely heard that cold voice, tinged with helplessness and self-control, breathing in my ear: "...What other reason do I have..."

Zimo's voice seemed to echo in my ears several times, though I couldn't quite place what he was saying.

I cursed inwardly, "You heartless Zimo, are you trying to kill me with your work?!" Then I ignored him, turned over, gently clasped my right hand over my left wrist, and fell into a deep sleep.

What is the happiest thing in the world? Sleeping until you naturally wake up, counting money until your hands cramp.

I stretched and opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was the beige curtains, drawn tightly shut, with no strong light filtering in. No wonder I slept so comfortably.

Turning my head, I saw a brand new set of clothes on the bedside table: a navy blue sweater, a white coat, and tight jeans. These weren't my own clothes, I thought to myself: Could Xu Lie have prepared them for me?

He shook his head again. How could that be? He got up, tidying his messy hair, and suddenly froze. His neck creaked and groaned as if something was holding it in place, and his gaze slowly swept around the room once more.

"Wow—they're really back!" After shouting, she realized she was too loud and quickly covered her mouth to chuckle.

The door opened without warning, and Mrs. Xu appeared with a beaming smile. She looked me up and down for a while before gently asking, "Lanlan, have you been sleeping well these past few days?"

My face flushed red, and I nodded hurriedly, saying, "Very good, very good!"

As if oblivious to my embarrassing moment, Mrs. Xu walked in with a smile and drew back the curtains. The glaring light made me instinctively shield my eyes. But when I looked up, I saw Mrs. Xu's extremely strange smile.

"Lie'er went to the company early this morning. Before leaving, he sternly told me that I was still sleeping and that I should remind you to eat breakfast later. I think Lie'er must have drawn the curtains. He must be worried that you weren't sleeping well."

My face flushed bright red, but my heart was bubbling with emotion and happiness. I stammered for a long time without being able to say a word.

"Lanlan, Lie'er has always had this strange temper since he was little, and even his father and I can't do anything about him. But if he doesn't care about someone, he definitely won't care whether that person is cold or hungry."

“Xu…Xu’s mother, you…”

Mrs. Xu chuckled and said, "Still calling me Mrs. Xu? You're my daughter-in-law now."

"But...but Xu Lie and I are only in a fake marriage!" In my panic, I blurted out the truth, but afterwards, I felt a pang of sadness. Yes! What was I so smug about? Xu Lie doesn't like me; he just...just...

Mrs. Xu sighed, stroking my messy hair, and said with heartache, "Lanlan, you silly child, you clearly love Lie'er so much, why don't you fight for yourself!"

"No! No!" I shook my head frantically, my heart aching, my voice choked with sobs. "I do love Xu Lie, but he doesn't love me! He loves Xue'er. If I hadn't selfishly wanted to marry him, he wouldn't have broken up with Xue'er, and Yufei wouldn't be lying in the hospital. Xu's mother, I'm not as good as you think. I'm an extremely selfish woman!"

"Silly boy, who isn't selfish in love? Who doesn't want to marry the one they love, even if it's just a dream?" Mrs. Xu smiled kindly and hugged me, saying softly, "I don't care what Lie'er thinks, but I don't like that Meng Xue'er. She even upset Grandpa while you were unconscious. Sigh! Lanlan, if only you were really my daughter-in-law!"