I've actually lived for twenty years under the machinations of these people. I thought I understood everything, but in the end, I still couldn't escape the fate of becoming a pawn. Even if I can accept these things rationally, it doesn't mean I won't be hurt emotionally. No wonder Nangong Ling is always reluctant to talk to me about these things, preferring that I misunderstand him.
"Do you know who will be the first person Xiao Lianjue will lose once he takes power?"
"Xiao Zongjiu, you've brought him to the point of rebellion today. I'm afraid Xiao Lian will never let him go, even in her dreams."
"Wrong, it's Nangong Ling."
"How could it be him?"
"Li Mu was almost completely routed at that time, but if the Empress Dowager had spoken up, he wouldn't have been forced to stay in the capital. The reason the Empress Dowager didn't speak up for Li Mu was because she knew her son wouldn't tolerate her brother. No matter how much she liked him in the past, she couldn't possibly give up her current status for Li Mu..."
"Wait a minute, aren't Li Mu and Xiao Zongjiu in cahoots? Without Li Mu's troops, how can Xiao Zongjiu fight Xiao Lianjue?"
"One side has the eyes of a Bodhisattva, the other the blade of a demon. This Li Mu is also a man of great ambition. How could he be willing to be subservient to others? How could he not have contact with the Celestial Clan Kingdom? That night raid on Lianshan, it seemed that Nangong Ling was helping the Celestial Clan Kingdom to attack Xiling, but in reality, it was the place where Li Mu and Tian Chen met up, just to launch a surprise attack on Xiao Zongjiu. So, without Li Mu, Xiao Zongjiu still had Nangong Ling to fight the enemy alone. How beautifully they fought that battle! If Xiao Lianjue didn't have you with him at that time, he probably wouldn't have dared to show his face so easily. Tian Chen saw that Li Mu's situation was hopeless, and he dared not cooperate with Nangong Ling. He was afraid that if he tried to bite him, he would be counterattacked and die without a trace. So he had no choice but to follow Xiao Lianjue."
That damned Nangong Ling, how come I always have to find out about your affairs from other people?
“Although Xiao Zongjiu is capable, he would never have reached this point without Nangong Ling. As for Xiao Lianjue, his mistake was using you as a scapegoat, which is why the capital city is getting further and further away from him.” He paused and looked up at me. “A while ago, you were pregnant, and Nangong Ling only mobilized Juyizhuang and three leaders of the Yama Palace, which depleted a lot of Xiao Lianjue's forces and dragged things out. I don’t need to explain why, do I? So, with old and new grudges combined, how could Xiao Lianjue not hate Nangong Ling?”
Chapter 139
At midnight, a light rain soaked the moonlight on the horizon. In the distance, horses' hooves pounded the water droplets, raising a hazy mist. The sky was shrouded in gloom as the sound of drums shook the heavens.
"Hey, second brother, you haven't taken the wrong road, have you?"
"Wrong way? How could that be... Hey, haven't we just seen this peculiar-looking rock before?"
I resisted the urge to kick him down the embankment. "Does this mean that everything is ready and you have to bring me out of the military tent?"
This is unnecessary. Why not just not push me out in the first place? What's the point of going through all that trouble?
"More or less. But getting in wasn't easy, and getting out won't be any simpler either. It took me so much effort to find this path; if time weren't so tight, I could have dug an even easier one." He pulled me along, walking slowly because the ground was muddy. "Nangong Ling knows his weakness. There's a saying that goes, 'The most dangerous place is the safest place.' This is to lower the enemy's guard, making them think they have his weakness in their hands, so they can at least escape unscathed in a crucial moment. I'm helping him this time because of you. If he bullies you again, remember to go to Bieyun Manor and find Shuangzi Wei, then have him come to me. Your second brother will avenge you."
"I'm safe, but what about him? Don't I worry about him?"
The rain fell in a dense, needle-like drizzle, enveloping people uncomfortably like spider silk.
"Can't you trust him just this once? This kid must have done something terrible in his past life to run into a girl like you."
"And what about my son...?"
"That's easy. Look ahead, do you see anything?"
"What could possibly be in this pitch black place? It's raining and there's such a thick fog."
"Hey, you with poor eyesight, come here!" He patted my head and pulled me forward.
All I could see was a white expanse, but if I looked further into the distance, I could make out a blurry building outline.
"Uh, what's this, Tianqi, right? So many fancy tricks, it's hard to remember the name. Who was it that brought your son out a long time ago?"
"Ah Qing?"
"Yes, it's that green one."
I finally know who I inherited my personality from.
After walking a while longer, when the road under my feet finally became a bit smoother, I looked up and was stunned. My second brother saw that I suddenly stopped and turned around to say something, but I had already leaned to the side and stood in the shadows, and casually pulled him over.
"It seems someone is one step ahead of us."
"What?"
By the moonlight, a blurry figure could be seen in front of the thatched hut, but it was not very clear because of the surrounding fog.
Who could it be?
"It's hard to say." I thought about it and realized anyone could be a possibility. "Go and take a look."
"I?"
"Could there be a third person?"
I stared at him with wide eyes, and he finally gave in and reluctantly went over to me.
Once he'd moved away a bit, I picked up a stone and threw it at him. He wouldn't be on guard and would naturally get hit. Before the noise made a sound, I darted to the shadows across the street. If there were still people behind the house... well, I'll take the gamble!
As expected, the people in front of the house were drawn by the sound of my second brother groaning in pain. I lay on the earthen slope behind the house, not daring to make a sound. These people are not afraid of retribution for using a child as a scapegoat!
"Dexin, who is it?"
Li Yu, weren't you escorted back to the capital? Why are you still struggling and insisting on getting involved again?
Then, sure enough, it was him who came out next, dressed in a plain white robe, his back view elegant and graceful.
"Child...child, please give me some water..."
I almost choked on my food. Second brother, you're such a good actor! You get into character so quickly.
"Who are you and how did you find such a remote place?"
"Ahem, ahem, I am but a humble scholar, who has spent ten years studying diligently, all for the sake of reaching the Western Mausoleum..."
When I heard my second brother start rambling, I didn't stop either. Looking through the back window, I could see a wooden bed, a table, and a few chairs inside. In the dim light, there was nothing else besides these. There really was nothing. I couldn't see my son, let alone Aqing.
"Isn't it tiring to lie like this?"
Upon hearing this voice, my back stiffened abruptly, as if a snake, carrying a damp and cold aura, slowly crawled up from my tailbone, making my scalp tingle.
...
"All my words were wasted, and I still got caught red-handed."
Rong Qi brushed a stray hair from her forehead, picked up the tea on the table, and gulped it down.
My face twitched. "Aren't you afraid of drinking something dirty?"
"The water is crystal clear, the tea is delicious, where did all this filth come from?" He waved me away, "Hey you, you're still alive?"
He pointed to Jun Guan, who sat opposite him, his face as cold and aloof as frost, his eyes as venomous as poison.
The person who was called lowered their head and smiled. Luckily, it was indoors, otherwise, it would have been too much of a hassle to ask for such a beautiful woman.
"It's just falling into the river. If it were that easy to die, wouldn't that be a betrayal of Miss Rong's kindness back then?"
Whether or not this person truly wanted me dead, I never really hated him. In fact, I was relieved to see him alive and well again.
Many things cannot be resolved by death. As long as you are alive, there is hope and you can make changes. Once you die, you really have nothing left.
"And..." Jun Guan raised his head and stared intently at Rong Qi's hands, which were constantly fiddling with her hair, "How did those hands of yours grow out of thin air?"
The second brother touched his nose and finally couldn't help but chuckle. "Rumors can kill. Back then, I went to the Nangong family to break off the engagement, just like Dad said. I think I provoked him. He started talking sarcastically, and I didn't feel comfortable with it, so I didn't hold back. Then that kid suddenly stopped talking and stared at me for a long time. Later... he just blurted out everything I knew or didn't know. I already had some idea about some of these things, but I couldn't accept that someone was telling me these things were real and had actually happened. I refused to believe it, so I drew my sword and fought him. Back then, I could still exchange hundreds of blows with him for half a day. If it were today, I'm afraid my hands would be gone within ten moves."
It's not like Nangong Ling is the type to say everything. Even if he could remain calm and collected, he was surrounded by enemies and was still young at that time, so it must have been too painful for him.
"The one caught in the aftershock was actually one of my servants. Nangong Ling was indeed intent on killing me. If it weren't for Qionghua stopping him, he might have really come back to finish him off with those two sword strikes." The second brother's expression wasn't good, especially in the flickering candlelight, which made him appear even more sinister. "How old was he then? Yet his eyes were like pearls, and he wouldn't rest until he was stained crimson with blood. With a sword in hand, he was like a demon reborn. In recent years, he has restrained his sharpness quite a bit, but once it erupts, I'm afraid it won't be enough to just have bones piled up to the sky and rivers of blood flowing down his face."
I wiped the cold sweat that had somehow seeped into my palms. The other three people in the room all looked rather grim. What were they saying, making Nangong Ling sound like some kind of once-in-a-millennium demon or monster?
“I wasn’t home when you came back. You stayed for a few days and then left again and never came back. I didn’t see what happened with my own eyes, but Mother saw you. She wouldn’t mistake her own son, would she?”
My heart sank when I saw the awkwardness in my second brother's expression. What kind of blunder was this? It was too outrageous.
"The child lost too much blood, and I tore my own clothes to wrap him up the whole way. The messenger was probably terrified to see us return covered in blood, and when he ran to tell my mother, he was probably incoherent. By the time my mother rushed to the room, her eyes were already blurred with tears, and she was sobbing uncontrollably, clinging to the person on the bed for about an hour. During that time, I took a shower and changed my clothes, and when I came out, my mother was gone. She was probably confused from fright; instead of finding a doctor for me, she went to burn incense for me first. Then we found several doctors, and they all said it was impossible for him to recover." "To have his hands reattached and survive is already a blessing from a past life. I was angry, but also felt guilty; I always felt I had let the child down. Once his condition stabilized, I took him out. I originally wanted to find the Medicine King who had a good relationship with you, Lian'er, but unfortunately, while his medicine skills were unparalleled, he wasn't skilled in treating severed hands and feet. So, I had no choice but to seek out the Eight Eccentrics' Divine Physician. However, he was elusive; I finally found some clues and went there, but he was nowhere to be found. In the end, it was Nangong Ling who helped me catch him, but it was too late. Too much time had passed, and his hands were ultimately ruined."
Chapter 140
"There's something else, and since I already know it, I don't want to hide it from you..."
First it was my eldest brother, then my second brother, could it be that even my third brother can't escape?
“Rong Tian learned about my hands being chopped off from Mother. You know his temper, and besides, the Rong family is at the height of its power; they wouldn't allow anyone to provoke them. When he stormed into the Nangong family, he happened to run into Nangong Ling, who was in seclusion practicing his inner cultivation technique, right at the final stage. Originally, with Qionghua and the others blocking his way, Rong Tian wouldn't have gained any advantage, and it wouldn't have affected much. But no one expected Father to appear. Under those circumstances, Nangong Ling was practically powerless. Nangong Yi saw all of this but turned a blind eye, watching helplessly as his son, who was powerless to fight back, had over ten years' worth of inner strength taken away for no reason…”
At this point, even the second brother didn't know what to say. No wonder Li Mu always said that the Rong family had all wronged him, Nangong Ling. He didn't know if Li Mu really knew that much or if he was just trying to bluff me but ended up guessing right.
"If it were me, I would make sure that all those who have wronged me suffer a terrible death."
Jun Guan stood up, looking much thinner, his face as pale and cold as ever, and his tone of voice still ruthless.
"...Put that aside for now, what are you doing here? Where's my son?"
“When we arrived, the house was empty. The tea was still hot, so they hadn’t been gone long. We were just looking for some clues when you two came along.”
Li Yu, who hadn't spoken until now, slowly opened his hand as he spoke, revealing a small piece of Xuan paper lying in his palm.
Doesn't it look familiar?
That goes without saying, aren't all white Xuan papers exactly the same?
He paused for a moment when he saw the disdain in my eyes, then realized what I meant. "Let me be frank with you. If the person in this house is really your son, he is very likely in Feng Moru's hands right now."
"Feng Moru? Are you kidding me? And his movements are faster than yours?"
"Us? What do you mean?" As soon as someone spoke, I felt a chill run down my spine.
"Aren't you all here to take advantage of my son?"
Jun Guan glanced at me sideways and said, "You're being petty. We've been following Feng Moru all this way, what business is it of your son?"
Oh, it's good that it has nothing to do with my son. But, "Why are you following Feng Moru?"
"I'm just afraid he'll pull a surprise move, like how your son disappeared into thin air—that was something we never anticipated."
Wait, something's wrong with what I'm saying. Helping my son... that means...