Укротитель зверей

Глава 65

After a moment of silence, Mo Li raised her head again.

"Master, you can do whatever you want, but I will not let you take her away."

"You child," Ding Tian sighed, "you've forgotten the kindness of a woman who raised you, all for nothing, despite all my consideration for you."

Mo Li lowered his head and remained silent.

Seeing that he remained silent, the cult leader spoke again, his voice carrying a hint of melancholy, "Did you leave me for her?"

"Master," Mo Li said sadly.

"Do you remember when I brought you back to the church, you were just a little baby, five years old and just learning swordsmanship. You couldn't even hold the longsword steady and often dropped it on the ground. Later, when you saw me using a whip, you pestered me to learn it. You looked at me longingly and wouldn't listen to any coaxing."

When I first heard about Mo Li's childhood, the thought that he had also had such a childhood made my heart ache.

Mo Li lowered his eyes, his face growing increasingly pale. "I will never forget the kindness of the sect leader in raising me, but as the leader of a sect, why do you submit to the orders of the Southern Dynasty emperor? Do you, like the elders, also desire those illusory benefits?"

Ding Tian was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter, "Silly child, how can you compare me to those old geezers? They're just a few discarded pawns. Tomorrow, when Abule enters the city, the first thing he'll present is their heads, as a sign of sincerity. As for what I want, how could you possibly guess?"

I was lying on the ground, anxious and frantic, unable to get up no matter what I tried. But when I heard this, I suddenly found it funny, and then I burst out laughing.

"What do you want? My brother's empire? Don't dream about it. My brother took it from my father. Even if he were your own son, he wouldn't give it to you."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man's eyes turned cold, and a golden light swept towards me.

The cold air surged like a tide. I had said those words in order to die, and I knew I was going to die anyway. So I felt no fear. I just looked at Mo Li, thinking that it would be good to see him one more time.

But I didn't see anything at all. The immense force had already sent me flying, and along with me, another person's body fell from mid-air and landed on top of me with a thud.

I screamed his name, but horror silenced me. I could only watch helplessly as blood flowed endlessly from his nose and mouth, rolling over my skin with a burning pain.

I forgot every word I had ever said to myself, every decision I had ever made, even how I cried. All I knew was that I was staring at him, surrounded by strange screams and incomprehensible words that drove me crazy.

The footsteps were slow, approaching us gradually. The man, who resembled my elder brother, reached out to Mo Li. I tried to stop him from touching me, but my body, which had just been struck in a soft spot, was still like a useless piece of trash, and I was powerless to stop him.

Ding Tian bent down and seized Mo Li's pulse point with a flick of his palm.

My blood ran cold, and when I spoke again, it was a plea.

"Isn't it me you want? I'll go with you, I'll go with you, just don't hurt him."

He gave me a cold look and said, "If it weren't for you, would he have done this?" Then, he picked Mo Li up in his arms.

When I felt empty, I felt like the whole world had gone empty. I reached out with both hands, wanting to snatch him back, but he was as fast as a ghost. In the blink of an eye, he was holding Mo Li a few steps away from me, and then laid him flat on the ground, holding his pulse with one hand the whole time.

I stared at him blankly. After a moment, he glanced in my direction, his gaze lingering on my face for a little longer, before suddenly speaking.

"You and your mother definitely look alike."

“My mother… has long since died.”

He looked into the distance, a half-smile on his face. "Chengfeng became empress, and even while pregnant with my child, she managed to find an emperor to marry her. She has truly lived a worthwhile life."

Hearing him speak such a terrifying secret in such a casual tone, I couldn't help but exclaim, "How could Chengfeng be my mother? She's a priestess of the Holy Fire Cult, and you even imprisoned her in the dungeon of Lan Family Manor. How could she possibly have your child?"

He let out a soft sigh. "You seem to know quite a lot. I doted on her so much, and she was already mine, yet she still insisted on being with Dan Gui. I hope she can understand that women shouldn't be spoiled too much. Look at you, aren't you the same?"

So it really was this person!

Thinking of the desolation of the osmanthus tree underground for twenty years, and how it eventually lost its mind, I suddenly felt that the person in front of me was truly like a demon.

You killed her!

“How could that be?” he replied. “After I learned that she was pregnant, I was even more determined to bring her back to the church. Did she run away halfway and disappear without a trace? Or was Chengfeng clever enough to know that there is no place in the world more suitable for hiding than the palace?”

...

He glanced at me, then smiled again. "Look, she even had you with that emperor. What a pity I'm not your father. By the way, I was a little too hasty just now. Did I scare you?"

He could suddenly deliver a nasty blow while chatting and laughing, and then smile like a spring breeze at someone he almost killed. Only then did I realize who my brother's personality resembled.

I didn't want to answer his question, or ask again what exactly happened back then. I just lowered my head and looked at Mo Li in silence.

If he dies, if even he dies...

Ding Tian followed my gaze to Mo Li, and actually sighed softly, "You shouldn't have said those things. Sometimes I act faster than I expect. If he hadn't been there, wouldn't you have been killed by me? Then your brother would have had a hard time making arrangements."

I didn't want to listen to what he said at all. My eyes were wet with tears, and I reached out to wipe them away, afraid that the tears would obscure my vision and prevent me from seeing Mo Li again.

He withdrew his hand, released Mo Li, stood up, and spoke.

"Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have been unable to withstand my whip, but he had already damaged his heart meridian beforehand. Was he injured on the battlefield? And was the injury so severe because of you?"

I suddenly looked up at him.

He seemed troubled, and took a few steps with his hands behind his back. "After all, he has a different heart, and it's not right. I was thinking of sending him to the Central Plains to recuperate. But then he met you."

My voice grew increasingly cold, "Did you have He Nan replace that letter for him?"

He stopped and looked me in the eye. "He was the child I raised, and he lost his heart meridian while saving me. As for that other person, apart from his heart still being alive, he's already a corpse. If it were you, you would have done the same."

He finished speaking slowly, then added, "Even if he were still alive, I would kill him and dig out his heart. After all, there is a sacred object of my religion inside. Following that heart, I can also find an old friend I haven't seen for many years."

I stared at him, my eyes bloodshot, knowing it was impossible, but I still gritted my teeth and said, "I'll kill you, I will definitely kill you."

He smiled: "How are you going to kill me? With your meager Qingcheng Sect skills? Or go out and announce to the world that your elder brother is not of royal blood? Do you want this country to be plunged into civil war again, with rivers of blood flowing once more?"

I froze, and then a voice sounded behind me, faint and swift. A group of people rushed over and surrounded us. I looked at Ding Tian again, and there he was again, wearing that faceless mask, I don't know when he put it on.

Someone spoke; it was Lu Jian's voice, addressing Ding Tian: "Sir, you've worked hard. His Majesty has ordered us to escort the princess back to the General's Mansion."

Ding Tian nodded slightly, bent down to pick up Mo Li, and pointed at He Nan, saying, "Take him back with you too, I have a use for him."

After saying that, he took Mo Li and flew away alone. They were so fast that they disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Another person walked up to me and performed the formal court etiquette of a subject to a ruler. I saw the refined and courteous Lord Li say to me, "Princess, please come this way."

I ignored him and just stared in the direction where Ding Tian disappeared, remaining silent for a long time.

Chapter Six: Peace

1

Lu Jian and Lord Li brought along all the experts from my brother's side, but who among them has the skill of Ding Tian, who can cross a ten-thousand-foot cliff in one fell swoop? It took them quite a while to get down, and then they had to take me and He Nan, these two burdens, back with them. It really took quite a bit of effort.

When they brought me back to the general's mansion, it was already broad daylight. My brother, the emperor, was already dressed in his dragon robe. Seeing my disheveled state, a smile appeared on his lips again.

"What happened? Go change your clothes quickly, the envoy will be here soon."

Just like I was being naughty and sneaked out to play for a while.

Lu Jian and Lord Li had already left. I stood before him, looking at that familiar yet unfamiliar face, and my voice involuntarily choked with emotion.

"Brother, did Mother really die because of giving birth to me?"

His smile disappeared, he turned around and sat down, picked up the sky-blue teacup on the table, took a sip, and then smiled again when he looked at me.

"What did Dingtian say to you?"

I looked at him, and sadly, even though he didn't say it, I understood somewhat. "Brother, in this palace, you really only have me left, don't you?"

He suddenly put down his teacup, stood up, walked over to me, and reached out his hand.

My instinct was that he was going to choke me, so I took a step back. But my meridians had been suppressed by Dingtian, so I couldn't use my lightness skill. I didn't get very far back, and my brother's hand still landed on my face.

He didn't choke me; he just gently patted my face, doing what he always did to me.

"Very well, you know that your brother only has you, so perhaps you can understand my good intentions. Ping An, there are only the two of us left in this world, so you must be obedient."

He didn't use the word "朕" (zhen, meaning imperial emperor); he used "我" (wo, meaning I).

My eyes were filled with tears, my hands were clasped together, and every finger was trembling.

"But my father was indeed my father. He never treated you badly. He didn't even know... Why did you kill him?"

The elder brother laughed, his expression mirroring Ding Tian's. "If he knew, would I still exist in this world?" he said, then walked to the window and opened his arms to the mountains under the rising sun. "Would my great empire still exist?"

I calmed down, but tears kept flowing, dripping down my cheeks and landing on my already tattered phoenix robe, making a soft splashing sound.

He glanced at me, his eyes softening, and then came over to pat my head. "Don't be like this. Even if you get married, your brother will still take care of you. I'll show you something; you'll understand once you see it."

As he spoke, he actually grabbed my hand, placed something in my palm, and then closed my fingers, making me hold it tightly.

The icy feeling in my hands made me look down blankly, and then my whole body started to tremble.

It was a golden box, and there was a slight vibration inside—my worst nightmare. He was back, back in my hands.

Seeing my drastic change in expression, my elder brother couldn't help but laugh. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. This isn't the one that came out of your body, it's another one." He then explained, "Didn't you ask about Mother? Mother entered the palace with internal injuries, and she was already at her limit when she gave birth to you. That's why you were born with an illness. She left after giving birth to you. Those two pairs of inseparable dowries were all left behind by her. I gave you and Jifeng one pair, and I kept one of the other pair. Look, it's right here." He pointed to the small box in my hand, a smug smile on his face. "And the other one, guess who it's with?"

I felt dizzy, but I still blurted it out, "It's Abul..."

The Emperor laughed loudly, “Huang Mei is indeed clever. With this, how dare the Mo Kingdom invade the Central Plains again? The so-called Mo Kingdom is nothing more than a vassal state under our rule.”

Before I could suffocate, I spoke, "So, what about the other one? Where is the other hundred insects?"

Seeing that I wasn't interested in his grand empire, he looked slightly displeased, but then smiled again. "Wasn't it Mo Li who handed it over to Ding Tian himself? He's completely loyal to Ding Tian, treating him like a father, even willing to give his name to him. I originally wanted to take back the other two as well, but right now Mo Li's heart is being held up by the black worm, so I haven't been able to get it out yet. The Ji brothers are quite good; they can even share a heart."

I stared at him with a terrifying look. "If he dies, if he dies..." I couldn't continue, and I had to catch my breath before I could finish. "I will die with him no matter what."

The elder brother sighed, "Ping An, are you threatening me?"

I lowered my eyes before this supreme ruler and remained silent.

There was a knocking sound outside the door. "Your Majesty, the envoy has arrived."

The emperor turned around, glanced back at me, and said, "Go change your clothes. There's a grand banquet tonight."

His voice was gentle, like that of a best older brother.

I watched him leave in silence, and palace maids filed in, carrying a dazzling phoenix coronet and embroidered robe.

Their light stung my eyes, and I slowly backed away, finally collapsing onto the bed.

Even these things have been brought from afar, Your Majesty. Is there anything else you haven't considered?

The palace maids bustled around me. I sat there blankly, letting them do as they pleased.

The palace attire was elaborate, and they spent a long time helping me put it on. Finally, they brought over a long mirror so I could see myself.

Her long, trailing dress, that incredibly precious red, rippled like a swirling sunset with the slightest movement. Her long, white hair remained untied, cascading like a snow lotus amidst the crimson clouds. These two extreme colors reflected each other, creating a dazzlingly alluring effect.

The palace maids holding the long mirror all lowered their heads and dared not look at me, but I stared at myself intently for a long time, and then suddenly smiled.

That's good, this way we won't miss each other.

I turned and headed towards the gate, prompting the palace maids to put down their mirrors and chase after me. "Where is the princess going? His Majesty has ordered that she must wait here before the grand banquet."