Chapter 42
Nian Qing sat sideways on the horse's back, and upon hearing this, he glanced towards the Golden Collar Princess.
I thought to myself, as expected.
She had already noticed something unusual when she had observed his aura. Zhen Zheng's aura flowed upwards and downwards, connecting heaven and earth. This was no ordinary aura; this man's life must have been extraordinary.
Gu Luoyan was startled. She looked back at the female general. She was clad in armor, her brows radiant with a breeze, her eyes brimming with stars and moons. She wore no makeup, nor did she possess a single trace of the arrogance of a royal family.
The more Gu Luoyan looked at Zhen Zheng, the more she frowned. She said, "I see that the general is only about forty years old, but I heard that the late emperor was already in his twilight years and looked haggard. How could this be?"
Zhen Zheng's smile faded. Hearing Gu Luoyan's confusion, she didn't rush to explain. After a moment's silence, she finally sighed, "My brother is exactly like the late king. The young lady said he was old and frail, half buried in the earth, but it's all his own fault. He's been living a dissolute life, neglecting his duties as a ruler. This is truly the cause of suffering for the world!"
Zhen Zheng looked at Gu Luoyan, his powerful eyes dimming, revealing fatigue. She forced a smile, as if mocking herself, "Young lady, you are talking about the late emperor, right? I only just found out about him now."
·
The women of the imperial family are embellished with brocade and colorful clothes. Jia Zhen's fate was determined from the moment she was born.
She would become a precious peony clinging to power, marry richly, bear children, and end her life like this.
People say they are phoenixes, the most precious women in the world.
But the phoenix must live in the paulownia tree, its aspirations to soar to the sky, and it cannot spread its wings. When it looks down at all living things, it only overlooks the creatures beneath the tree.
Jia Zhen was the empress's daughter. And precisely because she was the empress's daughter, Jia Zhen became the late emperor's only daughter. Of the three thousand beauties in the late emperor's harem, many bore daughters, all of whom became his food for his tigers and leopards. He hated women, especially his own flesh and blood.
He said he was a real dragon and the offspring of a dragon could only be dragons.
Concubines who gave birth to daughters were beaten to death along with their daughters. He said this was a defilement and an insult to him as the emperor.
Except the Queen.
The Yun Kingdom is located in the south, so it is difficult to see snow.
In the dead of winter, the damp chill crept up from the palace walls to the pale halls. As a child, Jia Zhen, hiding behind a palace maid, remembered it clearly.
The empress, who was second only to the emperor, knelt down and begged for mercy, asking him to spare her child.
The emperor pointed to the Tianming Lake outside the palace and said, "If you jump in and drown, I will ensure that your daughter grows up."
The Queen did so.
Jia Zhen survived because of this.
Her life was saved by her mother.
So for much of the time afterwards, she obeyed, nodding her head and lowering her eyebrows, and acted like a Golden Winged Princess.
He was married off to a foreigner by his father, the emperor, in exchange for peace between the two lands.
Jia Zhen was willing to do it. As a princess, she could get some value in exchange, and more importantly, she could escape from this place.
Jia Zhen was willing.
But is it a blessing or a curse?
Not long after the engagement, civil unrest broke out in that foreign country. The Yun Kingdom took advantage of the situation and sent troops to take over all of its territory.
When her husband died, the princess lost her engagement and was left in the palace again.
From then on, until the death of the previous emperor and the struggle for the throne among the royal brothers, Jia Zhen had another chance to leave.
·
"After the death of the previous emperor, the first thing Jia Yuan did was to kill all his brothers and sisters to prevent his throne from being coveted by others."
Zhen Zheng's face showed sarcasm, and he snorted, "Who cares about such a shabby position in front of the emperor's palace?"
"He killed all four of my brothers. As a woman, I wasn't in his sight. I was lucky enough to escape the palace and was rescued by General Dongxuan. I was able to hide in the Northern Frontier Army and survive until now."
"I admire what the young lady said today."
Zhen Zheng came back to his senses from deep thought and became resolute again: "I will speak frankly today. The uprising was also something that General Dongxuan and I conspired together."
Zhen Zheng was riding on a horse, wearing armor. When he looked at Gu Luoyan, he tightened the reins in his hand and let the warhorse raise its body and neigh.
Her hands were covered in calluses, and her military achievements were not achieved through the blessing of the Duke of Zhenbei. Perhaps from the day her mother died for her, she had been thinking about how to live.
However, due to the reality, she carefully hid her thoughts, and finally revealed her true feelings decades later.
"Miss Luo Yan, are you willing to travel with us?" A journey with no return date.
Gu Luoyan looked at Zhen Zheng's eyes, which were filled with sparks, the endurance of going through untold hardships, sadness and anger.
She is the same person as herself.
Gu Luoyan nodded and answered solemnly: "I will be one more person on this road from now on. Luoyan is willing to prove the truth with his life."
"Okay!" Zhen Zheng's face lit up with joy. She laughed and waved to the people on horseback: "I won't go home until I'm drunk tonight, for my friends! I'll seek the truth for the world!"
"Gee!" She spurred her horse into a gallop. The warhorse carrying the woman, walking in the snow, really looked like a cluster of running fire!
Ice crystals began to fall again, and Duke Zhenbei and Gu Luoyan spurred their horses and marched forward.
Nian Qing sat on her horse, looking at the backs of several people and the vast wild river, and suddenly she had an illusion.
The snow broken by horse hooves turned into lights of prosperity, and countless flames condensed and eventually became a prairie fire!
Things are going to change, things are going to change!
Nian Qing still couldn't quite understand what these people were talking about, but she could vaguely sense that the world was about to undergo a major change.
She patted the warhorse's head and said, "Hurry up and catch up."
So the horse made a low sound, turned around and ran to catch up with the figures in front.
·
Outside the Yunshang Escort Agency, Lian walked out and stopped in front of the two women. "Masters, I have discovered the monster in the rumors. It has a fox-like head and tail, and a bat-like body. It was discovered by a servant in the Prince's Palace. Now, the monster has disappeared."
Guan Qing bowed and thanked: "Thank you, Miss Lian."
Lian nodded and returned to the escort agency.
Guan Qing looked at the red carp beside him with a questioning look.
Hongli thought for a moment and asked in a low voice, "Who is the prince in the palace?"
"The title is Xiang, and the name is Yinzhu." Guan Qing replied.
"Let's go take a look around the Prince's Palace."
Hongli took a step forward, and Guan Qing followed. "The bat... Master, could that be the demon we're looking for?"
"I can't say for sure yet. But it's pretty close."
The two of them walked forward, and a faint puff of dust drifted upward in the air.
In the clouds, the ghostly white soul rode the body of a black monster towards the Ming Palace.
——
Deep in the palace, on a sedan chair carried by palace maids, the Empress Dowager was returning to the palace.
Liu Rujian glanced up at the sky, and blue fireflies unfolded in her eyes.
The words of spirit instantly filled the entire Mingjing:
"From then on, there was no more Prince Marie in the world. All the rumors and rumours about him were forgotten, and no one would remember him anymore."
"Stop the farce."
——
The two people who were about to move forward suddenly stopped, and Guan Qing's eyes showed confusion.
She turned her head and asked Hongli, "Master, where did we say we were going?"
"Hmm..." Hongli pondered for a while before narrowing his eyes and smiling: "Master forgot too."
"Why don't we go have a bowl of noodles first and then make a long-term plan?" Hongli suggested.
Guan Qing nodded and followed silently. Blinking her eyes, she asked again, "Master, what have we been doing in Mingjing these days?"
"I can't remember clearly. I only know that Yijin asked me to come here to exorcise the demon."
"Demon! Is there a demon in Mingjing?" Guan Qing was shocked.
Hongli looked at her, and her golden eyes briefly showed doubt. She shook her head and said nothing more.
·
In the bedroom, the ghost flew in from the plum blossom window with the black monster.
Liu Rujian stood there, staring at the creature that was half bat, half fox, frowning for a moment.
She squatted down, and the beast was about to pounce on her.
Liu Rujian's finger approached the monster and was bitten, breaking the skin and drawing a drop of blood.
As the drop of blood entered the monster's throat, its eyes began to become clear, its fur and beast form began to fall off, and soon, Yin Zhu's humanoid body appeared. He knelt on the ground, looking up at Liu Rujian.
Yin Zhu stretched out his hand, and the curtain was torn down, temporarily becoming his clothes, covering his body.
Liu Rujian helped him up, her eyes flickering as she spoke in a low voice, "Brother."
The man then became stiff as if he was bewitched, his blood-red eyes turned dark and heavy, staring at Liu Rujian.
"We underestimated that woman. She must die."
The man's hostility spread from his brows to his whole body. He hugged Liu Rujian and rubbed his nose and lips against her neck.
"Just tell me what I should do, Sui Xin."
The woman had gold ornaments on her nails. She stroked Yin Zhu's back, moved a little bit, and hugged him back.
Liu Rujian's voice trembled a little, "She broke my words... She will hurt Zhier. Brother, I'm afraid..."
The man picked her up sideways and walked roughly into the inner hall.
"Sui Xin, everything my brother has is yours, take it as you please."
"Brother," Liu Rujian hugged Yin Zhu's neck, "Let's have another child. We must kill her, we must kill her..."
"Okay, brother will do as you say."
·
A place located in the outskirts of Ming capital, heavily guarded.
Nian Qing appeared in the dark, holding Gu Luoyan.
The journey from Fenlong City back to Mingjing was thousands of miles. First they rode on horseback, then Nianqing harnessed his magical powers and galloped with Gu Luoyan. They arrived in Mingjing in three days and nights.
Nian Qing said, "This is it."
Gu Luoyan looked at her distressedly and said, "Nianqing, are you okay like this?"
Nian Qing showed off his three fox tails in a cool manner and raised his hand to pinch Gu Luoyan's ear: "Didn't I tell you that I have eaten the tribute and my magic power has increased greatly. This is just a journey, what can you do to me?"
"Okay, you can't lie to me."
"I'm not lying to you."
Gu Luoyan nodded, then calmly looked towards the bright firelight. "The military depot that General Zhen mentioned is right here. Inside are five hundred pieces of armor and thousands of hidden weapons. Can you withstand them?"
Nian Qing raised her lips, and her three tails transformed into smoke. She turned around and said to Gu Luoyan, "Wait for me here for half an hour."
After she finished speaking, she stepped into the air and completely turned into green smoke.
·
Open flames are prohibited here, as this is where gunpowder is produced and weapons are developed.
It was located in the suburbs of Beijing so that it could provide timely support for the palace guards.
As one group of soldiers passed by on patrol, another group of soldiers came from a distance.
Supervision is strict, and there is almost no room for error. Unfortunately, Nian Qing is different, Nian Qing is a demon.
Her figure was like a ghost, appearing and disappearing without a trace, evading the soldiers' eyes and ears effortlessly.
Arriving at the warehouse, there were even more soldiers guarding the gate. She blew a breath in the air, and a strange noise appeared nearby. Soldiers beat gongs and rushed forward with spears raised, fearing an enemy attack.
The remaining few people stood guard in front of the door and finally saw Nian Qing's face in the air.
She smirked, the blue fireflies in her eyes overflowing. She said, "Kill them."
In an instant, reason vanished. The soldiers drew their guns and swords, and the first one kicked open the door of the warehouse. The others rushed in, shouting and fighting, and frightened the unresponsive soldiers and craftsmen.
This was a weapons forge. The heat was so intense that sparks could be seen flying from the artisans' hammers. Scarlet iron clay was poured into the molds, still solidifying, when the fox had already made its way through.
She flew into the air, creating a gust of wind.
The flames followed her body, broke through the window, and went to the gunpowder room on the other side.
But halfway through, she stopped again, standing in the air. Without the support of the wind, the fire points fell like rain. Then she saw the soldiers below shouting, "Misfire! Misfire!"
The three tails wagged, enjoying the chaos.
She thought it was interesting, and as more and more people came, her pupils turned into the depths of the sea.
The Heart-Losing Curse began, and Nian Qing looked at the dozens of puppets that had stopped, and gave them orders:
"Get fire, set fire!"
The scene was in chaos. One group of people were carrying buckets to put out the fire, while another group was being controlled to fetch torches, fuel, and unsolidified iron mud.
Some people rushed towards the gunpowder room with torches, and some people chopped off each other's heads in the killing.
Someone doused his body in oil, then set it on fire while shouting, burning himself to death.
The person in the air watching all this seemed to be laughing.
The smell of blood mixed with fear and debauchery made her body and mind even happier.
Finally, the explosions occurred. A series of loud noises, accompanied by flames and shattered bodies, razed the armory to the ground.
She seemed to be possessed, laughing loudly, and even ran to the ground to watch the crowd wailing.
Until a desperate cry came from behind——
"Nianqing!"
The fox calmed down for a moment, and its numb eyes began to regain their color.
The fox's tail was no longer showing off. She looked back in surprise, her eyes filled with fear.
Nianqing saw her.
Gu Luoyan stood outside the wall that no longer existed, in front of the charred corpse. She covered her face with her hands in shock, her whole body trembling.
An idea came to Gu Luoyan's mind.
Only one thought remains.
Monsters are not human beings after all.
Monsters are not human beings after all.
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