Chapter 262 Should we call Sui Sui back to Qingyang?
The carriage left the outer city and came to the mountain road, leaving deep and shallow ruts in the soft mud. The last rays of dawn followed the ruts to catch up with the people ahead.
Mei Liangyu told Yu Sui, "My elder sister is very talented in military strategy. When I was a child, she often took me to the military training ground. Whenever she learned a new military strategy or formation, she would first test it on my brother."
“My elder brother is a practitioner of both Yin-Yang philosophy and the art of magic. He is also a member of the Star Sea of Three Thousand Stars, but he prefers the art of magic and always wants to peek into the future of destiny.”
Yu Sui obediently leaned against the window, listening intently as her senior brother recounted the restoration of his memories. She looked very serious and focused.
She said, "If my elder brother and elder sister are both so amazing, then wouldn't you, senior brother, be even more amazing?"
Mei Liangyu shook his head: "When I was a child, I was no match for them, and I was too lazy to study those various schools of thought and techniques."
Yu Sui: "Senior brother, you are someone who can master all kinds of martial arts."
“That happened later,” Mei Liangyu said. “Before, I was only interested in mechanical arts and rarely went out.”
"My mother was a master of the thirteenth realm of Yin-Yang School, and my father was a sorcerer of the Mechanical School. He had a deep friendship with the mechanical families of Taiyi. In my memory, my mother was busier than my father. Most of the time, my father was with us. So when I was a child, I would only go out when I went to pick her up from school."
After the death of the Empress Dowager of Yan, the eldest princess was forced to seize power from the King of Yan, and the political struggle continued.
“But for a period of time, my father was also very busy, and I haven’t fully remembered what he was doing.” Mei Liangyu said with a slight squint, “I only remember that he once brought my brother and me to Taiyi, and we entered Taiyi Mechanical Island through the sea eye.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Sui's eyes widened, and he frowned as he asked, "Senior brother, how many people in Taiyi know that your father can use the Sea Eye teleportation technique?"
Mei Liangyu thought for a moment and replied, "The heads of the four families certainly know, but I don't know about the others."
Perhaps we should also include our master.
Yu Sui then asked, "What about those two people in the underground of Beikun City last time..."
“They know me and my identity; they are old acquaintances of my father,” Mei Liangyu said.
Yu Sui then revealed a look of sudden realization: "Do they want to take you away from Taiyi, Senior Brother?"
“They can’t take me away on their own,” Mei Liangyu smiled unconsciously, “Besides, even if I left, my master could catch me again.”
Yu Sui replied, "It's possible that you'll be caught and brought back. If you really leave Taiyi, there will be many people who won't let you be caught again."
Mei Liangyu raised an eyebrow and glanced at her.
Yu Sui said earnestly, "Senior brother, if you want to go to the world outside Taiyi, I will definitely stand by your side and won't let Master catch you outside."
A smile appeared in Mei Liangyu's eyes: "I'll remember what you said."
He picked out the beautiful memories to tell Yu Sui, because he couldn't say the names and identities of his parents, brothers, and sisters. If he were to say them, Saint Chang Gen would have already flown back from the Mechanical Island.
Yu Sui said, "Then, Senior Brother, after you leave Taiyi, are you going back to Yan to find them?"
Mei Liangyu paused, then looked up at the distant mountains and sea. The carriage had reached the highest point of the mountain road, where clouds swirled and the mountains and fields were lush and green.
Yu Sui noticed that he had suddenly fallen silent, and his dark pupils seemed to be veiled by a thin mist.
The young man had not yet given an answer, but Yu Sui had already guessed what was going on. Perhaps he would not be able to find those people after returning to Yan.
"Yes," Mei Liangyu said, "I want to return to the State of Yan."
Yu Sui asked, "When are you planning to leave?"
Mei Liangyu then looked back at Yu Sui, "I haven't decided yet."
Yu Sui: "Is the sea eye not finished yet?"
“We’ll have to wait a while longer,” Mei Liangyu said. “Perhaps while we’re building the sea eye, we can also gain some insights into things related to the strange fire.”
Yu Sui asked in surprise, "Really?"
Mei Liangyu smiled and said, "That's what I think."
He gave Yu Sui a lot of information today, enough for Yu Sui to find out her identity and background.
If my junior sister knew my true identity, what would she choose?
Mei Liangyu stared intently at Yu Sui: "When did you find out you had an older sister?"
“When Lu Haiye ambushed me in the outer city, he mentioned that I had an older sister who died young, on the summit of Luoshan Mountain.” Yu Sui leaned against the car window, looking down at the road surface churned by the wheels below, and said leisurely, “When I was little, I also wondered why my mother didn’t like me. Now I probably understand. If my existence harmed her and my sister, then it’s understandable that my mother hated me.”
Mei Liangyu detected a hint of sarcasm in that leisurely tone.
It makes sense; his junior sister couldn't possibly be naive enough to understand what this hidden child represents. It would be utterly absurd for Madam Su to dislike her youngest daughter because of her eldest daughter's faked death.
The fact that Yu Sui used the name Qing Kui in "Three Thousand Crossroads" shows that she has not been able to let go of her resentment towards her mother and elder sister.
“My elder sister didn’t die, and she even became one of Xuan Kui’s most trusted men. This must have been approved by my father,” Yu Sui said. “Because Zhang Xiangyun said that many people in the Nangong family know about my elder sister’s existence.”
At this point, Yu Sui looked up at Mei Liangyu again, seemingly feeling both helpless and amused: "So, senior brother, the person who particularly hates you and even wants to kill you is my older sister."
Mei Liangyu sneered coldly, not taking this person seriously at all: "If she had any ability, she would have come to Taiyi to kill me herself long ago."
Not coming means they don't dare.
Yu Suihuan propped her head up with one hand: "I don't want her to come to Taiyi to kill you. I don't like her."
She openly expressed her feelings for Qingkui, which moved Mei Liangyu. He reached out and patted her head, and this time Yu Sui did not stop him.
Mei Liangyu asked her, "Now that Taiyi's Xuan Kui stronghold has been destroyed and Ou Rushuang is seriously injured, what are your plans next?"
"That depends on what Xuan Kui plans to do. She's far away in Qingyang, and now that Taiyi is in trouble, she's even less likely to come. The Xuan Kui members who stayed in Taiyi will be wiped out in the next few days, and I'll have to rely on the remaining ones to send messages to the outside world."
Yu Sui said, "However, my senior brother Nian and I have also been to the Mirage. The saints who interrogated the orchid corpse in the Mirage will definitely know about this."
Mei Liangyu had just frowned when Yu Sui said again, "Dean Zou will handle it. It will probably involve deducting points from our records and observing us for another month to see if we have any symptoms of the orchid poison."
Zou Qian is still somewhat useful.
Mei Liangyu escorted Yu Sui back to the academy dormitory building and watched her enter the dragon staircase before leaving.
Yu Sui returned to his lodgings and slept for a while. When he woke up, it was already night.
The number of names on the list issued by the Institute of Communications has increased from seven or eight at the beginning to dozens now.
Some of their names were obtained through interrogation, some were tried to escape when things went wrong, and others were exposed and silenced by Yuan Xi, Nian Qiuyan, and others.
The pursuit of the Lan Corpse in the outer city lasted for seven days before the Lan Corpse hidden in the outer city and the academy was gradually cleared out.
After resting for the first two days, Yu Sui returned to the team and led Wan Qi to score a lot of points.
Ever since Sheng Fei learned that Mei Liangyu liked Yu Sui, he has shown much less "concern" for Gu Gan, keeping Yu Sui by his side every day and not giving Mei Liangyu any opportunity to be alone with her.
He also subtly inquired about Yu Sui's feelings towards Mei Liangyu.
Yu Sui always answered obediently, "Senior brother is very good."
When Sheng Fei asked again, Yu Sui innocently replied, "It's really good."
If he pressed further, Yu Sui would look at Sheng Fei with a blank and suspicious expression, asking him what he meant. Sheng Fei, however, couldn't possibly answer what he meant; he had no intention of letting Yu Sui know Mei Liangyu's despicable thoughts.
Seven days later, some of the saints who had been in the mirage on Red Island returned to the academy and interrogated the academy disciples who had been to the mirage.
Having already received the news, Nian Qiuyan and the others put on superb acting skills to show that they had been deceived by Ou Rushuang and had no idea that Red Island was Xuan Kui's stronghold.
During the interrogation, the two saints were paired up. When Yu Sui was interrogated, he faced two saints, Zou Qian and Wu Huaiwei.
The three sat in silence in the interrogation room. Yu Sui feigned innocence and timidly raised her hand, saying, "I really don't know."
Zou Qian rolled her eyes, leaned back in her chair, scratched her neck, and ignored her.
Wu Huaiwei squinted at Yu Sui and said, "I think you're full of bad intentions. You might be the one who betrayed Ou Rushuang and shattered the mirage."
Yu Sui looked even more innocent: "Dean, I am a genius of the Yin-Yang School, not a genius of the Farmer School. How could I possibly have the ability to break the dream of the sea fish? There are countless sea fish in that misty sea. Even if I search for a lifetime, I could never find them all."
Wu Huaiwei was amused by her calling her a genius of the Yin-Yang School, and glanced at her sideways: "Alright, it's fine to say 'genius' in front of us, but don't let others hear it, otherwise I think your blind father should come to Taiyi to take a look himself."
Yu Sui raised his hand as if making an oath and nodded to Wu Huaiwei.
Wu Huaiwei had no intention of interrogating Yu Sui. She didn't believe Yu Sui could break the mirage, nor did she care what Ou Rushuang was doing taking her to the mirage.
Anyway, Nangong Sui didn't inhale any orchid poison.
As long as Yu Sui doesn't touch the orchid poison, Wu Huaiwei won't bother with her.
The final result was as Yu Sui and Mei Liangyu had predicted: the instructors and the saints would each observe for one month. With Zou Qian's help, the names of Yu Sui and the others were not even made public.
The orchid poison incident in Taiyi gradually subsided. Once things stabilized in Taiyi, news related to Xuan Kui and Ou Rushuang began to circulate.
Geng Hanfu and Wenren Xu were unable to leave that night. They only managed to leave Taiyi after the Lan Poison incident had passed, using the Cloud Chariot Flying Dragon of the Mechanical Family.
Before they returned to Qingyang to report, Nangong Ming, who was far away in the Legalist territory, received Taiyi's message before anyone else.
The land of Legalism, the capital of Han.
The dark-colored bird flew through the streets and alleys of Handu in the night, soared into the sky, looked down at the brightly lit capital, swiftly flew into the clouds and then fell down to the pavilions on earth.
On the high platform, there was a painting table with several stacks of white paper and colorful inks scattered around it, but not a single stroke had been made on the paper.
A purple wood screen with openwork swastika patterns served as a partition, obscuring the figure of the person sitting in front of the desk.
The light blue curtains swayed gently in the night breeze. Cao Yan stood guard at the door, watching Han Bing walk towards the screen.
The ink-colored bird was even faster, almost grazing Han Bing's cheek as it passed through the curtains and through the openwork of the screen, landing with a thud on the white drawing paper, turning into a puddle of ink.
Nangong Ming sat on a pear wood chair, his slender fingers lightly resting on the edge of the table, pressing down on the edge of the drawing paper.
Han Bing walked past the screen to his side and calmly reported the news he had received that evening.
"Taiyi Xuankui was thoroughly investigated, Ou Rushuang's identity was exposed, and almost all of Xuankui in Taiyi were wiped out." Han Bing paused here, "Zhang Xiangyun and Luo Fu also died. Although Sui Sui helped in the Legalist judgment, Wei Xizhen suddenly returned and not only executed Luo Fu, but also investigated the Lan Poison matter."
Nangong Ming lowered his eyes and stared at the ink on the drawing paper, his face, which carried a hint of a smile, revealing neither joy nor anger.
Han Bing added, "Qing Kui sent people to Xuan Kui to kill Mei Liangyu, but Qin Chongxue died in Taiyi instead. It was Wenren Xu who was behind it."
Wenren Xu was a man from the State of Yan.
Nangong Ming gently lifted and tapped the paper, chuckling softly, "After years of lying low, you exposed yourself for the sake of Elder Chang's apprentice."
Han Bing lowered his head and remained silent.
Nangong Ming said leisurely, "Wenren Xu killing Qin Chongxue only makes me more certain that Elder Chang did indeed take something away from Yan back then. What do you think it was?"
He looked up at Han Bing.
Han Bing kept his head down and asked calmly, "The child of the Princess of Yan?"
Nangong Ming narrowed his eyes slightly, showing satisfaction with Han Bing. "Based on your experience in Taiyi over the years, how similar is he?"
Han Bing frowned slightly, then quickly relaxed his brow: "He has no memory of the Yan Kingdom."
Nangong Ming: "He is already old enough to remember things. If Elder Chang really takes him away, he will naturally erase his memories."
“Although Mei Liangyu knows mechanical arts, he has mastered all kinds of skills, while the youngest son of the Princess is only known to know some mechanical arts. His talent is far inferior to that of his older brother and sister.” Han Bing added, “If he were really the youngest son of the Princess, Elder Chang would not have made him so powerful, let alone taught him all kinds of skills.”
Nangong Ming tapped the table lightly with his fingers, looking thoughtful. Finally, he smiled and shook his head gently, saying, "It seems that even if one cultivates to the point of immortality, one cannot change one's human greed."
Han Bing's brow twitched slightly, clearly not understanding the meaning of those words.
Nangong Ming then asked, "How did Ou Rushuang get exposed?"
Han Bing said, "It was through the collaboration of several sages from the academy that the mirage hiding Xuan Kui's stronghold was located."
“Those saints know many things but keep quiet. Now that Wei Xizhen is investigating him, it’s only a matter of time before he’s discovered.” Nangong Ming leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed, and asked, “I heard Qingkui withdrew her people beforehand?”
Han Bing: "Yes, she sent Qin Chongxue to Taiyi for two things: to kill Mei Liangyu and to withdraw the Xuan Kui personnel from Qingyang."
Nangong Ming said calmly, "Compared to what she has lost, this little bit of avoidance is far from enough."
Although the eldest daughter is outstanding, she has had a smooth journey without ever facing any difficult challenges. This time, however, will allow her to hone her mental fortitude.
Han Bing glanced at Nangong Ming and asked, "Xuan Kui probably won't be able to make a name for himself in Taiyi for the next few decades. Should we send Sui Sui back to Qingyang?"
“Zhang Xiangyun and Luo Fu are both dead, yet Sui Sui managed to escape unscathed. Don’t you think she has grown a lot?” Nangong Ming smiled and looked ahead. From the high pavilion, one could see the bustling capital of Han. “Let her stay in Taiyi. When Sui Sui returns from Taiyi, I hope she will have learned even more.”
[Author's Note]
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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