Chapter 184 Clone "Lord Clan, what brings you here?"...
In the northern border of Yong Kingdom, a snowfall last night covered the once barren mountains with a thick layer of white.
A new grave has been erected at the foot of the mountain, its appearance completely covered by heavy snow. If it weren't for the wooden tombstone in front of the mound, passersby would easily mistake it for a small mound of earth that has been randomly raised in the ground.
A passerby dressed in white stood quietly before the grave, seemingly oblivious to the cold, letting his white robe flutter in the wind and snow, almost blending into the icy landscape. Only his long, grey-blue hair distinguished him from the rest of the world.
A man emerged from the thatched hut beside the grave. Dressed in black, he was unconventional and carefree. He indifferently lifted his eyelids and looked at the uninvited guest by the grave.
"What brings you here, Lord Zongzi?"
The white-clad, blue-haired merman turned her head, her icy blue eyes colder than the wind and snow. "You once promised me three things."
Wen Yizhan frowned slightly. He remembered that when he took Jiang Yuhuo to beg him for water, he was willing to be driven by him in order to get his charity.
"You've already completed the first task."
Wen Yizhan chuckled. "What? So, Master Zongzi, you've finally decided to collect a debt from me?" He flicked his wrist, thrusting his spirit sword into the snow. Leaning lazily against the blade, his eyes crinkled with a knowing smile. "Tell me, what do you want me to do? I'm not one to break my word. If I promise someone something, I'll risk it, even if it means certain death. Master Zongzi, don't you agree?"
Jia Yue wasn't oblivious to the sarcasm in his words; she simply looked at him quietly, without getting angry.
The other person's sarcasm was perfectly acceptable, especially since he had resolved the misunderstanding between him and Jiang Yuhuo. Yet, a slight jealousy still lingered in her heart. She had told this person about their past, revealing her past wounds to him. When they were being honest with each other, he was merely an outsider.
Jia Yue composed herself and said calmly, "I need you to take me back to her body."
*
In the western capital, at the imperial palace, the sky was already faintly turning a pale white.
Inside the bedchamber, the candles burned out, Jiang Yuhuo withdrew the aura of the mermaid pearl, and then tucked Li Mengbai's robes back up.
His surface wounds have healed, but his blood and qi are severely depleted. The deep wounds that expose the bone have only just closed. It will probably take a long time for him to fully recover.
After finishing all this, Jiang Yuhuo glanced out the window. Perhaps it was the hypnotic effect of the mermaid pearl, or perhaps Li Mengbai's body was too weak, but he fell into a deep sleep during the treatment and had not woken up even now, as dawn was approaching.
Their contract has not yet been dissolved.
The person on the bed slept peacefully and comfortably; such a madman could sleep so soundly. Thinking of his actions, Jiang Yuhuo couldn't help but feel a chill; how could someone in this world be so ruthless to themselves?
Jiang Yuhuo didn't understand.
Is it because of Yu Renyuan's curse? A curse passed down through generations in their bloodline, destined to produce one madman after another in the Li family. Was his current state also beyond his control?
The scent that lingered in his blood had indeed faded considerably, but this was nothing but self-deception. The intricate connection between him and Jia Qianyang would not disappear just because the scent had dissipated.
Remembering that Li Mengbai said the source of the scent was the marrow of the Heavenly Pillar, could the scent she smelled in the Moyu River also come from the marrow of the Heavenly Pillar?
How could the marrow of the Heavenly Pillar be there?
She immediately remembered that Jia Yue had once said that the people of Tianque had found a Heavenly Pillar Marrow at the bottom of the Moyu River. She had told Jia Yue that she had never seen it, but she thought that perhaps it wasn't that she hadn't seen it, but that she had never seen it before, so even if it were placed in front of her, she might not recognize it.
Breath, the essence of the Heavenly Pillar, Jia Qianyang, Bai Hui...
Could it be?
A thought flashed through her mind, and she subconsciously reached for the storage pouch at her waist. If it really was...
Thinking of this, she couldn't wait to go find that person.
Just as she got up from the couch, the person on it immediately grabbed her hand. Jiang Yuhuo looked over, and Li Mengbai suddenly opened her eyes, "Where are you going?"
He was clearly fast asleep just a moment ago, how could he wake up in an instant?
However, it's good that you're awake.
Jiang Yuhuo did not break free. Instead, she intertwined her fingers with his, and the two lines of their bond glowed in the dim light. She said calmly, "Now that you are awake, let's break the bond."
She took out a diamond-shaped token from her storage bag and held it up in front of Li Mengbai, saying, "After the contract is dissolved, this thing will be yours."
Upon seeing the token, Li Mengbai's pupils suddenly contracted, and his grip on Jiang Yuhuo's hand tightened involuntarily. "The patriarch's token, how did it end up in your hands?"
"That's not important. What's important is that you need it." Jiang Yuhuo never intended to tell the truth in the first place. Since her senior brother had no interest in the Li family, there was no need to involve him anymore.
Li Mengbai suddenly spoke coldly, "Was it given to you by Wen Yizhan?"
He gave a short, cold laugh. "He actually agreed to that old bastard's request. Hah... He puts on such a high and mighty act, but behind the scenes he's full of scheming and trickery. Despicable!"
Jiang Yuhuo angrily stopped them, "Li Mengbai, that's enough!" She forcefully pulled their hands in front of him, "I'm not here to listen to you slander him. If you want the family head's order, then immediately terminate the contract with me!"
"Hiss... slander?" Li Mengbai's injuries were aggravated, and he let out a painful groan, but he ignored it and propped himself up, tilting his head back to stare at her. "What do you think he is? What do you think that Kunlun disciple who once plotted against you did? Do you want me to tell you how your good senior brother gradually drove that person into a cripple?"
What are you saying?
Seeing Jiang Yuhuo's puzzled expression, a hint of interest flashed in Li Mengbai's eyes. "I'll tell you, it was your good senior brother who set a trap, causing that Kunlun disciple named Ning Yu to be caught in the act with his master, and then manipulating him to deliberately harm his fellow disciples, which led to Ning Yu being expelled from Kunlun. Do you know what else he did? He shattered that person's spiritual veins and meridians halfway there, deliberately making him crawl back to Lijun like a dog. That's right, Ning Yu is from an outlying branch of the Gongye family. If he hadn't come to me for help, I wouldn't have known that even after all these years, my good brother hasn't forgotten the ruthless methods of the Li family."
"How could that be?" Jiang Yuhu shook his head. How could Ning Yu's matter be related to his senior brother? At that time, his senior brother's eyes were injured, and he was clearly recuperating at Zhenyang Peak.
Moreover, she had never told Wen Yizhan about Ning Yu using the gold seal to harm her.
Did she really not say anything? Jiang Yuhuo was unsure. After the competition, she was severely affected by the backlash from the fire element in her body, which made her dizzy and disoriented. She couldn't guarantee that she hadn't leaked anything at that time.
But my senior brother isn't that kind of person...
Li Mengbai slowly spoke, "You don't believe me? I can take you to Ning Yu and ask him for confirmation yourself."
Back then, Jiang Yuhuo took the Earth Flame Vine and abandoned him. Upon first meeting Ning Yu, he knew this man was useful, and readily agreed to avenge him. He then imprisoned Ning Yu in the Netherworld, giving this cripple a suitable place to live. Now, he had avenged him. After all, what could be more satisfying than exposing Jiang Yuhuo's true colors in front of him?
Despite the tearing flesh beneath his skin, Li Mengbai, weak with anger, continued to add fuel to the fire, "Do you really think he's carefree and without desires? When he took over the family head's order, he wasn't just taking over the Li family, but also your and my engagement! Li Shichuan used this as a bargaining chip, and he actually agreed. Ha, you treat him like a senior brother, but he wants to marry you. He wants to take you and the Li family away from me! He's also jealous of me and wants to steal everything from me!"
Jiang Yuhuo suddenly stood up, "You're talking nonsense!"
After shouting that, she suddenly remembered the fleeting look in her senior brother's eyes when Li Ziying told her with a smile that the family head's token was in Wen Yizhan's hands in the ancestral mausoleum.
She clutched the dark token, her fingertips turning white. "He doesn't want it anymore. He didn't want anything. He's not like what you say at all!"
Li Mengbai laughed, "Yes, because you want to break off the contract with me, because you hate the Li family, why would he still want it? But if he never had this desire in his heart, why would he accept it?"
Rationally, Jiang Yuhuo understood that Li Mengbai was right, but emotionally, she still couldn't believe that Wen Yizhan had kept such a scheme from her. She gripped the family head's token tightly, her hands trembling.
Taking advantage of her momentary lapse in thought, Li Mengbai mustered all his strength to get off the bed and immediately clung to her, his body drenched in cold sweat from the pain as he leaned on her shoulder. "Be with me, Yuhuo. Only we are truly compatible. You've seen all my ugliness and depravity. I've laid myself bare before you, hoping you'll see me, see my true feelings for you." He pressed her hand to his heart, whispering tender words, "Whatever you want this heart to become, it will obediently follow; if you want it to be kind, it will become a good person..."
"If you still hate it because of the past, then stab it and crush it. Whatever you do to it, it will do it willingly..."
"Then you will willingly break your contract with me."
Jiang Yuhuo calmed her mind, which had been disturbed by Wen Yizhan, and returned to her original purpose. She opened her palm, and the token lay there, unobstructed, in front of Li Mengbai, almost within easy reach.
Li Mengbai stared quietly at the thing he had been plotting his whole life, but suddenly tightened his grip on Jiang Yuhuo's hand, causing her fingertips to pierce his chest. The wound beneath his skin burst open in that instant, and blood flowed down immediately.
His voice trembled as he said, "Did you hear that? It's crying. It's saying no. It wants you. It's wanted you for a long time. Even though it knows how hot you are to handle, it still wants to hold you in its hands no matter what."
"Let's stay entangled like this for the rest of our lives." Li Mengbai raised her bloodied hand and pressed it to his lips. His voice was extremely weak, yet every word was clear. "Never think about breaking the bond with me."
Jiang Yuhuo quickly withdrew her hand, and Li Mengbai completely lost his strength and collapsed. She didn't help him up anymore; that most important bargaining chip was meaningless to him. Faced with Li Mengbai's stubbornness, she was at her wit's end.
She even thought somewhat disheartenedly, "Let it continue like this, until this body dies. Then I might die too, and everything will be over."
She took a step to leave, but a hand grabbed her ankle. She could feel that if she weren't so weak, that hand would have gripped her tightly. She heard the weak pleas of the person at her feet.
"Don't go... I'm hurt, my body hurts so much. Please feed me my medicine, I won't be stubborn like before, I'll drink whatever you feed me. Please... don't leave me, don't abandon me... I'll die..."
Jiang Yuhuo squatted down, her slightly unfocused eyes instantly brightening, filled with tender affection, "Yuhuo..."
"I don't want to kill you, so please let me go. This is my last request. Take the family head's order, forget me, and go live your life."
"I won't let go."
Without any mercy, she struck him on the back of the neck, watching him faint in despair.
Jiang Yuhuo pushed open the palace door. The sky was already bright, and the long night of mutual torment had passed.
The moment she opened the door, she vaguely sensed something flash by. The courtyard was empty, and there was no one on either side. She wondered if she was seeing things, after all, she had exhausted a lot of energy that night.
But she can't rest yet; she has more important things to figure out.
"Jiang Xianjun!"
On her way to Xuanji Pavilion, someone suddenly called out to her.
Ji Qiu'an, looking radiant, greeted her from a distance, "Jiang Xianjun, are you going to Xuanji Pavilion?"
Jiang Yuhuo nodded slightly in greeting and explained his purpose.
Ji Qiu'an quickly arrived at her side, her smile both warm and shy. "Uncle is usually in the alchemy room at this time. I'll take you there, Immortal Lord. However, it may be a little while before you have to wait, as Uncle cannot be interrupted while refining medicine."
Jiang Yuhuo expressed his understanding.
Upon arriving at Xuanji Pavilion, Ji Qiu'an settled her in, then said he had other matters to attend to and hastily took his leave, leaving her alone in the hall to wait.
Looking at the tightly closed door, Jiang Yuhuo couldn't help but touch the fragment in his storage bag.
Both Bai Hui and Li Mengbai are related to Jia Qianyang, and they share the same aura, so they must both originate from the marrow of the Heavenly Pillar. Therefore, the item Bai Hui gave her to find Jia Qianyang is very likely the marrow of the Heavenly Pillar.
She had always thought that her summoning in the palace the night before the marriage ceremony was ineffective, but what if the person she wanted to summon had actually already come to her?
Zhou Sidao arrived before her with the Prime Minister, a group of officials, and palace servants.
She still remembered that the people of Dayong used to call Jia Qianyang "National Preceptor." The National Preceptor of Dayong was the official in charge of rites in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Could Zhou Sidao be another alter ego of Jia Qianyang?
The tightly closed door suddenly opened, and a middle-aged scholar in a blue robe walked out.
Upon seeing the person sitting in the hall, he was slightly surprised, but quickly put on a refined smile and bowed slightly, saying, "Your Highness, the Eldest Princess."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
