Ch 246 Final – First Half
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Su Wuduan, feeling like he had woken from a dream, rushed out of bed without even bothering to put on his clothes and dashed towards the door. “Darling, let me explain, it’s not what you think! Darling, please don’t go, listen to my explanation!”
“What’s there to explain, you scum!” Lu Rui stepped forward, blocking Su Wuduan’s path, her hand raised to slap him furiously. “Perverted scum, I was even considering helping you and Cui Er, but who would have thought you… I really have terrible judgment! Cui Er doesn’t need you, she’s right, you’re an enemy to women, a scourge to the people! Cui Er…”
In a moment of distraction, Su Wuduan was smacked by Lu Rui. He came to his senses but before he could react, Lu Rui had already run after Cui Er.
Su Wuduan still wanted to chase after them, but this time it was Xia Yuqing who stood in his way. “Little junior sister, move aside, I still have to chase after my wife!”
“Forget about chasing, you don’t need to anymore!” Xia Yuqing huffed, her face dark as she glared fiercely at Su Wuduan.
“How can even you, little junior sister,…”
Xia Yuqing became even angrier when she heard this. She raised her hand and slapped Su Wuduan again. “I asked you to act more intimate with other girls to make Cui Er jealous, but I didn’t tell you to get intimate to the point of rolling in bed with them! Lu Rui is right; you’re an incorrigible scumbag, a beast!”
After scolding Su Wuduan, Xia Yuqing still felt unsatisfied. She raised her leg and kicked Su Wuduan’s lower body fiercely before turning around and running after Cui Er and Lu Rui.
“Ah…” The kick from Xia Yuqing had no restraint, and as Su Wuduan was anxious to chase after them, he was caught off guard and collapsed on the ground, curling up in pain.
After hearing her son’s miserable cry, Su Linlang finally came back to her senses. She walked up to Su Wuduan, towering over him, and asked coldly, “What’s going on?”
When Su Wuduan remained silent, she kicked him a few more times and asked with impatience, “Speak up!”
The onlookers who had rushed over were all shocked. The Old Madam was so audacious that she not only didn’t show concern for the Young Master, who was in pain, but also continued kicking him so nonchalantly.
“Ah…” Su Wuduan cried out again in pain, looking up at his mother in despair. He wailed inwardly, “I must not be her biological son, I must not be!”
Seeing that Su Wuduan couldn’t speak, Su Linlang turned her head impatiently and looked at Feng Jiuyi, who had just gotten dressed. Her face turned slightly cold, and she asked, “Jiuyi, what’s going on?”
“Master, I really don’t know! Yesterday evening, Junior Brother was not in a good mood, so he invited me to have a few drinks together…”
Su Linlang’s face turned cold, “So you got drunk and did something inappropriate?”
“How is that possible? We didn’t drink much at all, but somehow we suddenly lost consciousness. When we woke up, we found ourselves in this situation. I’m also very puzzled, Master!”
Su Linlang sensed that something was amiss upon hearing this and looked around the room with a frown. “You said you drank here in this room?”
“Yes.”
“What about the wine jug and cups?”
Feng Jiuyi was taken aback and then realized that there was only an empty teapot and several teacups on the table, with no sign of any wine jug or cups.
“How could this be?” Feng Jiuyi widened her eyes.
Su Linlang’s eyes narrowed as she thought about what had just happened and the missing wine jug and cups. She sneered, “Jiuyi, you were too careless. You were calculated without even knowing it!”
“Yes, Master, I was wrong!” Feng Jiuyi regretted deeply.
Yesterday evening, she saw that Su Wuduan was in a low mood because he couldn’t see his future wife, so she wanted to take him out to distract him. Little did she know that he was too lazy to move, so he dragged her to drink with him, saying that getting drunk could alleviate worries. She didn’t think much of it at first, as it was just a few drinks, and she could handle it easily. Who would have thought…
Now it seemed that his wife might have already seen them in bed together, which led to such a reaction. She had done nothing to help, only making the situation worse. Heaven knows that she didn’t do it on purpose!
“Master, I and Junior Brother really didn’t do anything,” she replied timidly. She couldn’t help but feel respectful and afraid of her teacher, who was both a master and a mother to her.
Su Linlang glanced at her and sneered, “I know. If you really did anything, do you think that brat could still be alive?”
With a hint of anger, Su Linlang scolded Su Wuduan, “However, if it weren’t for your special constitution, something might have actually happened. Jiuyi, it seems like you’ve been too lax these past few years. Did you forget everything I taught you?”
Feng Jiuyi trembled inwardly, feeling ashamed, and lowered her head. As the Saintess of the Miao Clan, she was the most familiar with poisons and medicines. If she hadn’t been careless, how could someone have drugged them without them noticing?
Seeing Feng Jiuyi looking guilty, Su Linlang stopped scolding her and instead angrily slammed the table beside her. The heavy wooden table instantly shattered into several pieces.
Everyone shivered, knowing that Su Linlang was truly angry. They all lowered their heads in fear and dared not breathe heavily.
“Hmph, someone dared to plot against my son and disciple. It’s better for them not to let me find out who they are, or I’ll make sure they suffer!” Su Linlang’s face turned dark as she emitted a chilling coldness in her eyes.
Meanwhile, in a certain inn in the capital city of Ye Kingdom, a person sat in a private room near the window, watching the busy pedestrians on the street. They elegantly sipped their tea, displaying grace and charm.
Creak! A figure in dark clothing darted into the room from outside and knelt before the young person, respectfully saying, “Young Master.”
“How did things go?” Ying Yue played with the teacup in their hand and casually asked.
“I followed Young Master’s orders and put the drugs in their wine. However…”
“Hmm?” Ying Yue turned their head to glance at the person, who trembled all over and bowed even lower. “However, after drinking the wine, they just slept together for a night without anything happening.”
Ying Yue withdrew their gaze and smiled, “I didn’t expect anything to happen between them. One is the current Saintess of the Miao Clan, and the other is the son of the former Saintess. If the drug wasn’t skillfully made, colorless, and tasteless, who knows if they would have fallen for it. But whether anything happens or not doesn’t matter; as long as it appears that something did, that’s enough.”
They hadn’t expected those two to really do anything inappropriate; they only wanted to create a misunderstanding to sow discord between them and completely ruin the situation. So, even if Xia Yuqing hadn’t brought Cui Er with her today, they planned to find a way to lure Cui Er to the Xu Residence. Who would have thought that Xia Yuqing would coincidentally bring her there and witness everything? Some things were just fate!
“Master, why do you insist on… Although Miss Bixuan is considered half a Yue Clan person, she is ultimately someone picked up by the Lord. Moreover, she is not carefully selected and nurtured from the descendants of the Yue Clan people like you. Even if she is with someone from outside the tribe, there shouldn’t be any accidents. In that case…” The person couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity.
Ying Yue narrowed his eyes and looked at him, making him sweat and lower his head even more. He lightly smiled and said, “Although she is not a native of the Yue Clan tribe, she carries the mission entrusted to her by her adoptive father. Her emotions have clouded her judgment, and she has forgotten that her life does not belong to herself but to her adoptive father. I merely reminded her with good intentions.”
The person kneeling on the ground felt a chill in his heart and dared not say anything inappropriate again.
Ying Yue picked up the teapot from the table and poured some more tea, then asked lightly, “What about Foster father?”
The person hesitated for a moment and replied, “The Lord… seems to have gone to the palace to see the Ye Empress.”
“Oh?” Ying Yue’s slender eyes slightly raised, and he chuckled, “Is he going there for official business?”
The person on the ground didn’t dare to speak again, and Ying Yue looked down at the busy streets below.
Suddenly, his expression changed, and his right hand tightly gripped the window latch. Hia sharp eyes stared at someone passing by below.
After a while, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Ying Yue’s lips. He muttered to himself, “I didn’t expect him to come here too. Those people are in trouble now.”
Xia Yuqing hurriedly rushed back to Xie Fang Hall. As soon as she entered, she grabbed a nearby little maid and asked, “Has Cui Er come back?”
The little maid was startled, “Greetings, Your Majesty. Miss Cui Er just returned. She should be in her room now. I saw Lu Rui entering her room with her just now.”
“Back to her room?” Xia Yuqing furrowed her brows, released the little maid’s hand, and turned to run towards Cui Er’s room. However, she was stopped by another little maid who hurriedly entered the hall.
“Your Majesty, Young Master Ye has arrived.”
“Little Shuyan? Why is he coming at this time?” Xia Yuqing looked puzzled and furrowed her brows. Although Feng Tingye had repeatedly advised her to stay away from Little Shuyan, if he wanted to find her, no one could stop him. The inner palace was generally difficult for outsiders to approach, but for him, it was like entering an uninhabited land.
Xia Yuqing nodded at the little maid who delivered the message and put on a smile as she greeted him, “Little Shuyan, why did you come? Could it be that you are here to discuss the marriage of Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei?”
Little Shuyan stared at Xia Yuqing’s face for a while and smiled slightly, “I have said before, as long as they are willing, this marriage is entirely up to you, Xia Qing Er.”
“… ” The actions of the eunuchs and maidservants around couldn’t help but pause at his words, and their gazes towards Little Shuyan were filled with awe. It was truly rare to see someone who could speak with the empress so casually, like they were old friends.
“Um? If it’s not about that, then… are you here to find Cui Er?” Xia Yuqing asked.
The smile on Little Shuyan’s face faded slightly, “No, I am here to find you.”
“Me?” Xia Yuqing pointed to herself in surprise.
The quiet side hall was rarely used and few would enter without prior notice. However, at this moment, two figures stood in this secluded palace.
Xia Yuqing looked a bit uneasy at her feet. Little Shuyan said he wanted to talk to her alone, so she brought him here and sent away the group of maidservants surrounding her. However, now that only the two of them were left, she suddenly felt a sense of inexplicable nervousness. The reason was simple. Although this person in front of her looked younger than her, he was incredibly powerful. He truly belonged to her ancestors’ generation, and it was quite stressful to talk to him like a grandpa.
“Um, Little Shuyan…”
Before Xia Yuqing could finish speaking, Little Shuyan had already turned around. He gazed at her with an almost smiling expression and said, “You want to ask… what do I want to talk to you about, right?”
Xia Yuqing was stunned, then hurriedly nodded, her eyes showing a hint of curiosity. Unfortunately, Little Shuyan’s next words turned her curiosity into full-blown terror.
“Little Qing Er, are you actually a soul manipulator?”
Little Shuyan’s light and airy words completely froze Xia Yuqing’s smiling face. She widened her eyes in disbelief and stared at Little Shuyan. Her feet unconsciously took a few steps back, “Little Shuyan, what did you just say? I don’t understand at all.”
Little Shuyan stared at Xia Yuqing’s pale face, sighed faintly, and said, “You don’t need to lie to me. The Yue Clan is best at astrology and predicting the heavens. Xia Yuqing, the little princess of Xia Kingdom, her constellation dimmed almost four years ago and was supposed to perish. However, it suddenly lit up again, but the light was no longer as soft as before and became exceptionally dazzling. The only explanation is that Xia Yuqing survived, but she is no longer the original Xia Yuqing.”
After listening to Little Shuyan’s explanation, Xia Yuqing couldn’t help but shiver. She hadn’t expected the Yue Clan to be a gathering place for fortune tellers.
Astrology and predicting the heavens? Wasn’t that the same as Taoist monks? Did Little Shuyan think of her as some kind of monster and wanted to strike her down with a stick or capture her?
Thinking of this, Xia Yuqing couldn’t help but take a few more steps back and looked at Little Shuyan with vigilance. D*mn it, she shouldn’t have sent everyone away just now. What should she do now? She couldn’t defeat Little Shuyan alone. Could it be that she had to obediently surrender and let him take her away, parading her in front of everyone, roasting her like a pig? Sob, she didn’t want to become a roasted suckling pig!
Just as Xia Yuqing was lost in her thoughts, Little Shuyan suddenly added, “You don’t have to be so nervous, I won’t harm you.”
Little Shuyan’s sudden interruption broke Xia Yuqing’s imagination. She didn’t hear clearly what Little Shuyan said, and she thought Little Shuyan was about to attack her. She clenched her fists in a show of strength and said, “Don’t come near me. Even if it were true, if you dare to take me, the Ultra Seme Lord will not let you off easily, and I won’t give up easily either. We can destroy each other together. I’m not afraid of you!”
Seeing Xia Yuqing acting like she was preparing for a fierce battle, Little Shuyan couldn’t help but find it amusing. “I have no intention of taking you, nor do I plan to harm you.”
“Don’t act all high and mighty! I… Gah, what did you say?” Xia Yuqing continued to ramble on until she heard Little Shuyan’s follow-up statement. Her small body trembled like a sieve, and she looked at Little Shuyan with astonishment.
Little Shuyan couldn’t help but sigh, “I told you this not to harm you.”
“Really?” Xia Yuqing looked at Little Shuyan suspiciously, as if trying to confirm the truth of his words.
“…Really.”
“Why didn’t you say so earlier!” Xia Yuqing breathed a sigh of relief, and her legs almost gave way.
After calming her poor little heart for a while, Xia Yuqing remembered something and asked curiously, “Since you already knew I am not the real Xia Yuqing, why did you let Cui Er follow me? I’m not even the daughter of the former princess of the previous dynasty, and we are not that closely related. But you… why do you keep appearing by my side, catching me off guard?”
As if understanding the doubt in Xia Yuqing’s eyes, Little Shuyan’s gaze slightly cooled, “Even though you are no longer the original Xia Yuqing due to soul manipulation, you still carry the bloodline of my Yue Clan. Hence, you cannot escape your destiny.”
“Destiny?” Xia Yuqing was dumbfounded. She felt that the world was becoming more and more like a fantasy. Was there really such a thing as destiny? Was Little Shuyan trying to deceive her, like those fortune tellers in the martial world who deceived ignorant teenagers?
Seeing Xia Yuqing’s skeptical expression, Little Shuyan sighed again, seemingly expecting her not to trust him so easily. He straightened his face and said, “Do you remember what you heard in Xia Kingdom about the former empress and the former princess, or in other words, your nominal mother and grandmother?”
Xia Yuqing looked puzzled and glanced at Little Shuyan, wondering why he brought this up. Was this so-called destiny related to her mother and grandmother, whom she had never met?
“People of the Yue Clan can perceive the heavens’ secrets because they are protected by the gods. But because of this, there is gain and loss. The Yue Clan inherits noble blood and abilities, but they also bear certain responsibilities and must abide by certain rules.”
“Rules?”
“Yes, the Yue Clan can observe the heavenly secrets, but they cannot use them to change the fate of the world, interfere in the conflicts of the four countries, otherwise…”
“Otherwise… what will happen?”
“Complete annihilation, and the entire Yue Clan will suffer a terrible disaster.”
Xia Yuqing’s heart trembled, and for some reason, a cold and disgusting feeling surged from behind her. “What does this have to do with me or with them?”
The smile on Little Shuyan’s face disappeared, and he looked at Xia Yuqing expressionlessly for a while before closing his eyes and saying, “They must not interfere in the conflicts of the four countries, including marrying any of the four emperors.”
Xia Yuqing’s face suddenly changed, “Can’t marry any of the four emperors?”
“It’s just as you thought. Holding such a high position in the Four Kingdoms would be seen by the gods as… manipulating the Four Kingdoms with power and changing the world’s situation.”
As the chief of the Yue Clan, Little Shuyan was well aware that they were born with talents and abilities, but they were not allowed to ascend to the highest position in the world. They were simply pawns sent by the heavens to maintain balance in the world. Once these pawns broke free from control, they lost their value of existence.
Little Shuyan’s confirmation made Xia Yuqing’s expression even more unpleasant. “And what happens if you violate this rule?”
“I just mentioned that.”
Xia Yuqing’s face became numb, and she tried to force a smile. “Hehe, don’t you think this is absurd? What rules, what destiny, what fate… It sounds like something straight out of a myth or a melodramatic drama. How could it happen here? I’m not well-educated, but you can’t deceive me like this! Ahaha, Little Shuyan, are you in the wrong play? Come on, you’re quite old, don’t make jokes like this. It’s not April Fools’ Day today, casually saying things like this is terrifying, and this joke isn’t funny at all!”
“I am not joking!” Little Shuyan frowned, looking at Xia Yuqing with eyes filled with pity.
“That’s enough, do you think I would believe you? Such a thing… such a thing… how could it happen? It’s just groundless fears and self-deception. How could… how could…”
“You are here now, what else can’t happen?”
Little Shuyan’s calm words shattered the last glimmer of hope in Xia Yuqing’s heart. She stammered in stimulation but gradually quieted down.
Yes, she had been struck by lightning from the 21st century and landed in such a bizarre place. What other extraordinary events couldn’t happen?
“The Yue Clan has survived for nearly a thousand years, and before that, no one dared to violate this established rule until the appearance of that girl.”
Xia Yuqing moved her slightly lowered head and knew that the girl Little Shuyan referred to was most likely the former empress and her nominal grandmother.
“I am the chief of the Yue Clan and also the tribe’s priest. Priests are forbidden from marrying and having children for life. Therefore, to ensure future generations, I chose children with outstanding aptitude from other clans as my adopted sons and daughters, hoping that they could carry the honor and grace of the Yue Clan in the future. That girl was the most outstanding child I had ever seen, and I treated her like my own, but I didn’t expect her to become unruly. Even more unexpected was that she dared to violate the family’s taboo for a man, marrying the former emperor without permission, and trying to use her lifelong knowledge to change the former dynasty’s fortune. In the end, her cleverness backfired, inviting divine retribution, accelerating the former dynasty’s demise.”
Xia Yuqing’s heart tightened, and her hand under her seemed to tighten involuntarily. So, the fall of the former dynasty… was largely blamed on… her grandmother?
“Divine retribution?”
“Yes, divine retribution. The former dynasty was not supposed to fall. Or perhaps, it should be said that it wasn’t supposed to fall during that generation. Unfortunately… and this tragedy also extended to your mother.”
“My mother? But wasn’t Xia Kingdom not destroyed? Xia Kingdom is still fine until now, doesn’t that mean…”
“Xia Kingdom is still fine because after giving birth to you, your mother learned the reason behind this and chose to die early for your father and for the entire Xia Kingdom, using her death to prevent the divine retribution from descending.”
Xia Yuqing’s face darkened, and she couldn’t help but shout at Little Shuyan, “Nonsense! Father clearly said that my mother was… forced to death. How could she choose to die voluntarily? Father wouldn’t lie to me. You’re the one lying to me!”
Little Shuyan sighed again, “Your mother did indeed drink that poisoned wine voluntarily. After your father left the palace, she planned to take her own life. But before she could do it, your father’s Royal Mother arrived and had her drink the poison. Your mother wanted to die, hoping that it would make your father feel guilty and care more about you.”
Staggering back two steps, Xia Yuqing fell to the ground and then seemed to have figured something out. She looked up at Little Shuyan and said, “You know all this because you were present at that time, right? If that’s the case, why didn’t you save her? Why? After all, she was…”
Before Xia Yuqing could finish, Little Shuyan interrupted her, “The people of the Yue Clan cannot interfere in the affairs of the Four Kingdoms.”
Xia Yuqing widened her eyes and looked at Little Shuyan. Then she seemed to remember something and chuckled softly.
“As expected, His Majesty is very foresighted. He said at the time that you can even watch your adopted daughter die without saving her, let alone others.” Xia Yuqing fixed her gaze on Little Shuyan’s face, which had lost its gentle smile and now looked unusually indifferent and calm. There was a hint of mockery in her eyes. “It was you who told my mother about this, right? Otherwise, how would she have known about it for no reason? In the end… you’re the one who indirectly caused my mother’s death, right?”
Little Shuyan didn’t answer, coldly looking at Xia Yuqing. “You’re actually not stupid at all, very clever.”
Hearing Little Shuyan’s almost admitting words, Xia Yuqing suddenly felt like laughing. Just now, when Little Shuyan talked about those things, she felt like the world was collapsing. But now, she found it all extremely ridiculous.
Clever? Anyone, even the dumbest person, would know how to protect themselves when it came to life and death matters. Besides, she was just a little slow, not stupid! This talk about the Yue Clan not interfering in the affairs of the Four Kingdoms was so hypocritical. In the end, it was just an excuse to shirk responsibility. Since her mother’s matter was considered an affair of the Four Kingdoms, telling the truth to her mother and indirectly causing her death, what did it matter to them? In their eyes, what was her mother to them? But now, that’s not the point. The point is…
Xia Yuqing’s expression slightly changed, and she looked straight at Little Shuyan. “So, you forced my mother to death more than twenty years ago, and now you want to force me to death?”
Little Shuyan met Xia Yuqing’s gaze, and the two of them looked at each other without saying a word for a long time. Finally, Little Shuyan looked away first, calmly saying two words, “No need.”
“What?” Xia Yuqing looked at Little Shuyan in surprise.
“Even if I don’t force you, you won’t live long.” Little Shuyan looked at Xia Yuqing, whose astonishment had reached its peak, and pursed his lips. “Recently, do you often feel dizzy and sometimes black out in front of your eyes?”
Xia Yuqing was stunned, her surprise growing deeper.
Since that day at the Minister’s residence, she had often felt dizzy and lightheaded, especially right after waking up in the morning. There were a few times when she felt like she was experiencing sleep paralysis; even though she was awake, she couldn’t open her eyes. Her whole body was stiff, as if someone was pressing down on her, and she couldn’t move. Fortunately, Feng Tingye had been busy coming and going, so he didn’t know about these incidents. Otherwise, she didn’t know how he would react, making a big fuss over these minor issues.
She had secretly asked the imperial physician to prescribe some tonics for her to clear her mind, but they had no effect whatsoever. The symptoms not only didn’t improve but became more severe recently. Sometimes when she squatted down and stood up, she would feel dizzy and nearly fall. Even when she had the imperial physician come to diagnose her, they couldn’t find any reason. She thought it might be due to low blood sugar suddenly, so she had been having sweet things to eat, which she never told anyone, including Feng Tingye.
“How did you know?” Xia Yuqing’s hand, covering her chest, tightened suddenly and asked with some dryness.
Little Shuyan looked deeply at her and exhaled a breath. “Last time when I went to the palace to find Cui Er, I noticed something unusual with your complexion. So, I checked your pulse and found out that it was becoming weaker. It’s a sign of the disintegration of the soul transfer technique. Given some time…”
“…What will happen?”
“If the soul transfer technique fails, it means your soul is not compatible with your current body. The symptoms you’re experiencing now indicate that you might soon leave your body.”
“Leave my body?” Xia Yuqing widened her eyes, finding it hard to believe that such a nonsensical term, usually found in absurd fairy tales, could be related to her. “Does leaving my body mean… I will leave this physical body, then what will happen to me? Will I possibly return to my original world? And what will happen to the Xia Yuqing in this world?”
Little Shuyan looked at Xia Yuqing’s overly excited expression, his eyebrows furrowed, and the pity in his eyes deepened. “I don’t know if you will return to your original world, but the Xia Yuqing in this world… will cease to exist. I’ve never heard of anyone losing their soul and surviving.”
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