Chapter 56
Fifteen years ago, the Western Regions were a time of constant warfare.
Although they share the same blue sky and the same land, the Central Plains have been pacified for many years and the country is stable, while the twelve tribes of the Western Regions have been fighting for territory for many years, and the people are suffering.
Among them, the most formidable fighters were Xi Ling and Yong Ye.
“Xiling is located in the central part of the Western Regions, sandwiched between Yongye and small countries. It has to resist Yongye and guard against other tribes, so it is extremely difficult,” Nangong Min said. “Fifteen years ago, the king of Xiling, Mude, was captured alive by Yongye. In order to protect his throne and his people, he offered to hand over his daughter as a hostage and send her to Yongye in exchange for peace. The little princess was only ten years old and was to be married to an old and ugly emperor of Yongye, becoming a victim of the chaos.”
At this point, Nangong Min raised his hand and tapped Yin Qiu's forehead, his gaze filled with mockery: "Tell me, between that little princess and you, who is more powerless to control their own destiny?"
Although Yin Qiu didn't want to pay attention to her, she listened very carefully, and upon hearing this, she couldn't help but say, "What's the point of comparing these things..."
“How can you not compare them?” Nangong Min said, “Both of you are staying in places you don’t want to be. Not only is she younger than you, but she is also forced to marry someone who could be her grandfather. Meanwhile, you are well-off in the Ziwei Sect and have your aunt who dotes on you. Aren’t you much better off than her?”
Yin Qiu paused for a moment, then said with reddened eyes, "How do I know if you're making this up? You're just trying to convince me to stay willingly, but I won't believe you."
Nangong Min wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and said, "This is not something I made up; it's true."
Yin Qiu looked at her with a skeptical expression and asked, "And then what happened?"
Nangong Min said, "Later? That little princess didn't want to marry into the enemy country, so she fled to the Central Plains with her mother. But less than two months after entering the pass, she was captured by the people of Yongye Kingdom and taken back. After that, the little princess killed the guards who were protecting her and fled to the Central Plains with her mother again. But this time, before they even entered the pass, the iron cavalry of Yongye Kingdom stopped them. In order to cover the little princess's escape, her mother was trampled to death on the spot by the horses' hooves, and all her bones were crushed. Tell me, who suffered more, the little princess or you?"
Yin Qiu's eyes widened in surprise. "Was she trampled to death by horses' hooves... What about the little princess? Won't she be taken back alone?"
“She wasn’t captured, but you’d never guess what she did afterward,” Nangong Min said. “Even though she was only ten years old, she was no ordinary person. At that time, she already possessed martial arts skills that even adults couldn’t match. She single-handedly killed all the pursuers from Yongye Kingdom at the gate. That night, a heavy snow fell, and the moat at the gate was already covered in ice and snow. But after the battle, the entire river was filled with bright red blood, and even the ice melted.”
Yin Qiu stared blankly, imagining the scene in her mind, and then shivered for no reason.
"She survived?"
"certainly."
Yin Qiu remained silent for a long time before finally asking, "So what are you trying to say by telling me this story?" She paused, then added, "And what does this have to do with my martial uncle?"
Nangong Min's eyes flickered as he looked at Yin Qiu with a faint smile and said, "I just want to tell you that the name Man Jiangxue is not her real name."
Yin Qiu looked bewildered: "What?"
Nangong Min glanced at her twice, then lowered his eyes and chuckled softly: "You can think about it, is 'Manjiangxue' snow or blood?"
Yin Qiu was puzzled, her eyes filled with confusion.
She stared straight at Nangong Min, her mind completely blank.
With a deafening roar, a thunderclap suddenly exploded in my ears, followed by a silver dragon-like bolt of lightning tearing across the distant sky, instantly illuminating the entire world.
The room was brightly lit for a moment, then quickly returned to night. Startled by the sudden clap of thunder, Yin Qiu instinctively shrank to the corner of the bed and hugged herself tightly.
A buzzing sound filled her mind. Startled by the thunder, Yin Qiu suddenly regained her senses. Her heart skipped a beat, and a bright white light flashed before her eyes.
Snow All Over the River...
The river was filled with...blood?
·
A sudden gust of wind arose, the night outside the window grew even darker, and a torrential downpour began, plunging the world into an unbearable cacophony.
Several maids hurriedly closed the door in the hall and brought in many charcoal braziers to keep warm, leaving only a small window open for ventilation.
A cold wind swept through the main hall, causing the crimson gauze curtains to flutter high, like the flowing skirts of women dancing gracefully.
Yin Qiu's eyes reflected the floating red, her expression blank as she stared blankly back at what Nangong Min had just said.
Nangong Min had been observing Yin Qiu the whole time. Seeing that she remained stunned for a long time without any reaction, he asked, "So, what are your thoughts now that you know Man Jiangxue's identity?"
Yin Qiu's gaze was unfocused. After a long while, she moved her eyes and said uncertainly, "So... Martial Uncle is that little princess?"
Nangong Min stared at her with interest and nodded slightly: "Yes."
Upon hearing her answer, Yin Qiu was shocked and stood frozen in place once again.
The princess of Xiling Kingdom... is my martial aunt?
She was actually a princess of a country?
Yin Qiu was so shocked by this horrifying story that she was speechless.
While feeling surprised and astonished, she also suddenly understood many things at that moment.
She remembered; she had indeed heard of the name Xiling Kingdom.
On the morning that Man Jiangxue first went up Yunhua Mountain, they met a vendor selling apricot milk tea at the entrance of the inn. The vendor was an old resident of Xiling Kingdom, and Man Jiangxue had chatted with him for a few minutes. Even the vendor was surprised that Man Jiangxue knew about Xiling.
In retrospect, it's not surprising that Man Jiangxue knew this; she wasn't just repeating hearsay.
Recalling this, Man Jiangxue once said that she grew up outside the Great Wall, her mother was from the Central Plains, and her father was from outside the Great Wall. Most importantly, she was indeed taken to Yunhua Palace by her master on a snowy night fifteen years ago. Combining this with what Nangong Min said earlier, that day should have been the day Man Jiangxue went on a killing spree at the closed gate.
When you put everything together, it all makes sense and proves that Nangong Min wasn't lying.
It's no wonder that Man Jiangxue always reveals some indescribable emotions when she mentions her mother, while she rarely talks about her father.
After sorting out these thoughts, Yin Qiu felt a mix of emotions, her heart surging with emotion.
She never imagined that Man Jiangxue's background would be so bumpy. That person who was so admired and untouched by the world actually had such a shocking past. Man Jiangxue could not tell her these things. If Nangong Min had not explained them to her personally, Yin Qiu would probably never have known them in her life.
But back then, Man Jiangxue was only ten years old, even younger than Yin Qiu is now. How did she manage to kill those pursuers all by herself?
Furthermore, what were her feelings when she witnessed her mother being murdered?
Yin Qiu couldn't imagine it, nor dared to imagine it.
·
The night was chilly, and the rain was incessant. The maids in the palace had all left at some point, leaving only the two people on the bed in silence.
Listening to the heavy rain outside the window, Yin Qiu felt extremely complicated. She recalled Man Jiangxue's words and smiles, and a lot of indescribable sadness welled up in her heart.
Nangong Min looked at her leisurely and said, "What are you daydreaming about? Now that you know your beloved martial aunt is a princess of a fallen kingdom, don't you have anything to say?"
Yin Qiu frowned, and after a long while, she replied, "Why are you telling me all this?"
Nangong Min said, "Isn't this what you wanted to hear?"
Yin Qiu found it exhausting to talk to her and said impatiently, "Didn't you ask me to say that?"
Nangong Min smiled slightly and said calmly, "I want to remind you that Man Jiangxue is not what you see on the surface. Her true nature is something you can't even imagine. It's not a good thing for you to be by her side."
"Why do you say that?" Yin Qiu felt uncomfortable. "Even if you didn't make these things up, they happened many years ago. My martial aunt is doing very well now, and she treats me very well. Why can't I be with her?"
“You still don’t understand,” Nangong Min said. “As a princess of a country, she should have shouldered her responsibilities and obeyed the marriage alliance for the sake of national stability. But she chose to rebel, and the consequence of her rebellion was that she angered Yongye and destroyed Xiling. Because of her own selfish desires, she killed thousands of people and also killed her own mother and father. How much do you expect such a selfish person to value you?”
Yin Qiu truly didn't understand these national and familial feuds, but hearing Nangong Min's evaluation of Man Jiangxue, she felt extremely annoyed, yet she didn't know how to refute it, so she could only coldly say, "Don't try to sow discord. I won't hate my martial uncle because of what you said. I only know that if it were me, I wouldn't want to go for a political marriage either. Or are you willing? Would you willingly marry a complete stranger?"
“Of course I don’t want to,” Nangong Min said with a mischievous smile, “but I’m not a princess.”
Yin Qiu was furious: "Then you have no right to comment on whether your senior uncle did the right thing or not."
"The facts are there, why can't people say them?" Nangong Min chuckled. "You're really bewitched by Man Jiangxue. Let me be blunt with you. She destroyed a country and her own family; she's not a good person. After entering Yunhua Palace, she met Shen Mandong, and then Ruyi Gate was destroyed. Don't you understand? Man Jiangxue is cursed; everyone who's been close to her has met a bad end. Aren't you afraid that if you follow her, you'll be killed by her one day?"
Seeing her twist the truth and arbitrarily pin charges on Man Jiangxue, Yin Qiu was furious and couldn't help but shout, "Ruyi Sect was clearly harmed by you! What does this have to do with Uncle-Master?"
Nangong Min calmly said, "How can it not be her fault? To be honest, she should have been the chief disciple of Yunhua Palace back then. It wasn't Shen Mandong's turn. It's just that Manjiangxue didn't care about that empty title. Think about it, she clearly had the ability to resist the invasion of Ziwei Sect, but she still watched helplessly as so many people from Ruyi Sect died tragically. Isn't that her fault?"
Yin Qiu felt increasingly uncomfortable as she listened, and subconsciously clenched her fists.
Originally, Yin Qiu had developed some goodwill towards Nangong Min after spending these days together. However, seeing her repeatedly and maliciously slander Man Jiangxue, and being so self-righteous and unaware of her own wrongdoing, Yin Qiu's impression of her plummeted.
"Stop talking," Yin Qiu said, trying to calm herself down and speaking as naturally as possible. "I've also been called a jinx, but actually many of those things have nothing to do with me. I believe my martial aunt is a good person. You don't understand her at all, so you can't judge her like that."
Nangong Min smiled, his tone tinged with disdain: "No matter how much you defend Yu Manjiangxue, it doesn't change the fact that Xiling Kingdom and Ruyi Sect perished because of her."
Yin Qiu racked her brains, trying to gather all the knowledge she had acquired to refute her arguments, and said seriously, "If a country has fallen to the point where it needs a ten-year-old girl to save it, then it means that the country was already on the verge of destruction. You also said that your martial aunt was just a victim of the chaos, so what's wrong with her choosing her own life?" After saying that, she asked Nangong Min in return, "There are also many people outside who speak ill of you. Do you also believe that the speculations outsiders have about you are all true?"
“But I don’t care what outsiders think of me,” Nangong Min said immediately.
"My martial uncle won't care!" Yin Qiu retorted.
“You’re wrong,” Nangong Min said. “She does care.”
Yin Qiu glanced at her: "How did you know?"
Nangong Min smiled knowingly: "Just because she didn't rush to Ruyi Gate to rescue Shen Mandong in time, that's a thorn in her side that she can't get rid of. Based on that alone, she's an absolute sinner. It's because she feels guilty towards Shen Mandong that she's nice to you and even planned to come to Hezhou City alone to rescue you. Do you really think she simply wants to take care of you? She's just trying to make up for the mistakes she made."
Unable to contain herself, Yin Qiuqing exclaimed, "What exactly did my martial uncle do wrong? You were the one who destroyed the Ruyi Sect!"
Nangong Min chuckled and said coolly, "I destroyed the Ruyi Sect for the sake of Jianghu grudges, but her not saving Shen Mandong is another matter."
Yin Qiu's chest heaved, her breathing becoming erratic with anger: "My martial aunt didn't refuse to save my mother. She said she just didn't get to Ruyi Sect in time. Why do you have to slander her?"
“I’m slandering her?” Nangong Min raised an eyebrow, his smile undiminished. “Back then, your mother went to Yunhua Palace to find Man Jiangxue when she was heavily pregnant. She hoped that Man Jiangxue would accompany her on the day of her delivery. But when you were born, Man Jiangxue did not come. She broke her promise.”
Just as Yin Qiu was about to defend Man Jiangxue, Nangong Min interrupted, saying, "What do you mean by being busy with official business and arriving late? That's just Man Jiangxue's excuse. She deliberately didn't visit Shen Mandong, and this deliberate act gave me the opportunity to attack Liucang Mountain. Only when something really happened to Ruyi Gate did Man Jiangxue rush there with her men, but by then everything was already set in stone. If she hadn't broken her promise, I would have been wary of Man Jiangxue's presence and wouldn't have dared to act rashly. After hearing this, do you still dare to say that Man Jiangxue has no fault at all?"
Nangong Min stared intently at Yin Qiu and said in an unquestionable tone, "The destruction of Ruyi Sect was indirectly caused by Man Jiangxue. This is an undeniable fact, and no one can whitewash her."
Yin Qiu was stunned for a moment, then stubbornly said, "I don't believe it, you must be lying to me! How could my martial aunt deliberately ignore my mother? She and my mother have a deep relationship, many people know that!"
Nangong Min sneered: "Don't forget who your father is. He told me himself, how could it be false?"
Yin Qiu said, "Alright, then tell me, why did you break your promise, Uncle?"
Nangong Min glanced at her, his eyes flickering slightly, but he did not answer the question immediately.
Yin Qiu was still angry, and seeing that she remained silent, he pressed her for an answer: "Tell me, if you want me to believe that the Ruyi Sect incident is related to my martial uncle, you must give me a plausible reason."
Nangong Min was silent for a moment, but instead of answering, he asked, "Then let me ask you first, has Man Jiangxue talked to you about Shen Mandong?"
Yin Qiu couldn't contain her irritation: "What do you mean?"
Can't this person just explain things more clearly?
Nangong Min let out another ambiguous laugh, stood up and said, "I can only tell you this: Man Jiangxue was not present on either your parents' wedding or your mother's childbirth, these two important days."
Yin Qiu was deflated: "What exactly are you trying to say?"
A night breeze blew, ruffling Nangong Min's long hair and making her features appear somewhat deep and mysterious. She turned to look at Yin Qiu and said slowly, "If you really want to know, that's another story, but I'm afraid you won't be able to accept it after you hear it."
Unable to contain her emotions any longer, Yin Qiu snapped, "Can't you just tell me already?"
Nangong Min pondered for a moment before replying, "As for this matter, it's not too late to tell you later. In short, I've told you enough today. Aren't you quite smart? Go ahead and speculate for yourself. I'll say it again: Man Jiangxue is no kind person, and she's not someone you can rely on. Right now, you'd better stay obediently in the Ziwei Sect and don't even think about going back to Yunhua Palace."
After saying that, she ignored Yin Qiu's reaction, lifted the gauze curtain, and walked straight out.
Completely bewildered and unable to contain her anger, Yin Qiu threw off the covers and jumped out of bed, rushing after Nangong Min to find out what was going on. However, Nangong Min ignored her and didn't even turn his head.
"close the door."
Just as Yin Qiu reached the door, the maidservant outside swiftly closed it tightly, trapping Yin Qiu inside the hall.
"Let me out!" Yin Qiu pushed the door open forcefully and shouted at Nangong Min's departing figure, "Come back and explain yourself!"
Nangong Min paused, glanced at Ye Yu in the courtyard, and said to the side, "From today onwards, she is not allowed to leave the palace."
The maids quickly agreed.
Seeing Nangong Min gradually disappear from sight, Yin Qiu was furious and kicked the door hard a few times.
"Open the door!"
The author has something to say: Some people are soft and sweet in front of their martial uncle, acting cute and coquettish, but they are sharp-tongued and even dare to curse the leader of the demonic sect.
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