Chapter Sixty-Two
"Where...where am I?" Mo Yinghuo rubbed her temples and opened her eyes in a daze. "Why is it so dark?" Just as she was about to sit up, suddenly, her head hit something hard with a "thud." Mo Yinghuo hurriedly groped around and suddenly realized that she was trapped in a small space.
"What exactly happened?" Mo Yinghuo tried hard to recall, "I was just with Ashu..."
Suddenly, she felt a jolt in her heart and realized where she was.
Mo Yinghuo's hands trembled as he meticulously explored the images and text on either side of him, becoming increasingly familiar with them.
Here is the white jade coffin!
What terrified her even more was that the scene inside was different from the outside; perhaps several days or months had passed outside! Mo Yinghuo pounded on the coffin lid, "Is anyone there?"
No one answered.
"Oh no, something must have happened outside! Zhao Shu once said that my father saw me standing beside the coffin. Although he didn't know what happened then, he concluded that I was the one who would save Yunxiu Kingdom in the future," Mo Yinghuo thought. "So, in that case, I definitely have to go out. The coffin lid was so tightly closed; how did Zhao Shu manage to open it with just one hand? That guy's arm strength is truly astonishing..."
The Imperial Palace.
"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!" Chief Eunuch Pang rushed into the Shuqing Palace.
Emperor Zhaoming frowned.
The head steward, disregarding the emperor's expression, reported, "Your Majesty, meteors and fire are falling from the sky, causing the deaths of many people."
Emperor Zhaoming slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly. "Where are the Princess and Abbot Zhao!" He suddenly remembered something and immediately called out, "Chief Steward Pang, summon the Imperial Guards immediately." After saying that, he took a few steps out of the Shuqing Palace.
In the starless, moonless, and windless deep sky, it kept slipping away, more like a falling meteor, instantly tearing through the depths of the night. Even standing in the palace, Emperor Zhaoming could still hear the desperate and mournful cries of the people outside.
Father, is this what you foresaw? This is what you fear, isn't it?
"Your Majesty." The head of the Imperial Guards knelt on one knee.
Emperor Zhaoming coldly ordered, "Arrest Prince Mo Qiming immediately."
The Imperial Guards broke down the gates of Jietai Temple, and a series of hurried footsteps rushed towards the veterans' quarters.
"Your Highness, the Emperor summons you to an audience." The commander of the Imperial Guards gripped the blade at his waist, staring intently at the prince and the old soldier before him.
The old soldier lay on the bed, barely breathing, and said, "There, for decades, I've been all alone. It's so lonely." He stretched his hands towards the sky, as if trying to grab something, and kept repeating, "I'm sorry, I just want to go home, I just want to go home..." Gradually, his voice grew weaker and weaker. The old soldier's hands were still outstretched in the air, his eyes were open, but he could no longer make a sound.
The prince walked to his side, pulled his hand back from the air, placed it on the bed, closed his eyes, and sighed, "You have already returned home."
After saying that, he stood up, straightened his sleeves, and resumed his usual gentle demeanor. "I will go with you."
Mo Yinghuo suddenly heard a series of explosions outside, as if some huge object had fallen, followed by the sounds of people hurriedly fleeing and crying.
"What happened?" Mo Yinghuo slammed his hand on the white jade coffin and shouted a few times, "Who's outside?"
In a moment, Mo Yinghuo found herself facing a deep, dark spherical object. Her eyes had slowly adjusted to the darkness inside the coffin. The reason she could see this thing was because it was even darker than the darkness itself, as if it could devour the night.
"It's a wormhole!" Mo Yinghuo suddenly realized, and she softly called out, "Zhao Shu."
In an instant, Zhao Shu appeared in front of her, supporting himself with his arms as if it were the first time.
Mo Yinghuo asked anxiously, "Zhao Shu, what happened outside?"
Zhao Shu: "Heavenly fire meteor."
Mo Ying asked in surprise, "How much?"
Zhao Shu: "There will be more and more."
Mo Yinghuo quickly said, "Let's get out of here right away!"
Zhao Shu remained motionless. Seeing this, Mo Yinghuo urged again, "Zhao Shu, we need to quickly gather the archers! Shu Rong has already discovered the Xuan Stone Array in the desert. As long as we find another Xuan Stone Array, we can lure the Heavenly Fire Meteor to the desert. It's sparsely populated there, and mostly inhabited by Northern Barbarian demons. We can kill two birds with one stone."
“You…” Zhao Shu suddenly stopped, his tone surprised, “How did you know that the Xuan Tie Arrow was used to deal with the Heavenly Fire Meteor? Also, how did you know that there would be a Xuan Stone Array in the desert?”
Mo Yinghuo raised an eyebrow. "Just a guess. Zhao Shu, let's not talk about this anymore, we need to get out of here quickly."
Zhao Shu: "Huo'er, time moves very slowly here."
Mo Yinghuo gave a wry smile. "Even if it's slow, time is still passing outside."
Zhao Shu pondered for a moment, then said softly, "Huo'er, can you stay here? I'll be outside."
Mo Yinghuo suddenly stopped smiling and grabbed Zhao Shu's collar. "Zhao Shu, is it that even you can't control the Heavenly Fire?" She had found it strange before that Zhao Shu had been hiding the matter of the Heavenly Fire.
Zhao Shu turned his head away and did not answer Mo Yinghuo's question.
Mo Yinghuo suddenly realized something. "You lied to me before. The white jade coffin can withstand heavenly fire attacks, and time moves slowly inside. You... wanted me to hide in here to save my life." She trembled as she released her hands and growled, "So many people died because of me. Father chose to let me live so that I could protect Yunxiu Kingdom and save its people, not to hide here!"
Zhao Shu turned his face and stared intently at Mo Yinghuo. Suddenly, he kissed him on the forehead and said softly, "Huo'er, as long as I'm here, I won't let any of this happen."
Mo Yinghuo exclaimed with delight, "You have a way!"
Zhao Shu nodded and said, "Mm."
Mo Yinghuo: "Then let's go out."
Zhao Shu smiled at her and asked, "Huo'er, are you still cold?"
Mo Yinghuo was taken aback and asked in confusion, "It's much better than usual."
Zhao Shu: "My wormhole is no longer usable, so we'll use this coffin to send us to the palace. An hour here is nothing outside. Let's talk."
Mo Yinghuo sighed helplessly, then raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, "Zhao Shu, let me ask you something: did you fall in love with me first, or did I fall in love with you first?"
Zhao Shu: What do you think?
Mo Yinghuo rubbed his temples. "It's because I was the first person you met when you came here, and I don't know your customs..."
Zhao Shu: "Huo'er, it's not that I met you first, so it's you; it's that it's you, so it's you."
Mo Yinghuo nuzzled Zhao Shu's chin with the tip of his nose and continued, "Sometimes I think, what if I accidentally ended up like that old soldier, taken to some unknown planet by the people of Shiling Kingdom, what would I do..."
Zhao Shu interrupted her, kissed her forehead again, and whispered, "Remember, you're there. Just wait for me."
Mo Yinghuo suddenly remembered something and asked, "Zhao Shu, what about the peach trees in the border region?"
Zhao Shu slowly said, "We have nothing to offer at the border, but I'll give you a spring flower as a token of my appreciation."
Mo Yinghuo suddenly pressed her head deeply against Zhao Shu's throat and whispered, "Zhao Shu, you are a dazzling star, a vast and beautiful being. Why did you confine yourself to this world and tread this earthly path for me?"
Zhao Shu: "Green are your robes..." [1]
Mo Yinghuo then smiled and said, "My heart is filled with longing." [1]
Zhao Shu's warm lips landed on Mo Yinghuo's no longer icy black hair, and he said gently, "Huo'er, there are many things in this world that are beyond our control. If you feel that you have a clear conscience, then you are not afraid of being condemned by thousands."
Mo Yinghuo froze, unsure, her voice trembling slightly, "You...you mean that..."
Zhao Shu: "The only way to save the lives of the 100,000 Western Jin soldiers with broken arms is through this, I know."
Mo Yinghuo had always thought that Zhao Shu's attention was only focused on the people of Shiling Kingdom, but she didn't expect him to be so aware of what was happening in Yunxiu Kingdom as well. Back then, her elder brother hadn't explicitly stated how to deal with the 100,000 surrendered soldiers, but had specifically sent Chief Steward Pang to deliver the order, instructing her to handle the matter properly.
However, how to deal with them? The Emperor did not give a clear answer. Releasing the 100,000 surrendered soldiers would pose another threat to Yunxiu Kingdom; bringing them back would be difficult because the Western Jin and Eastern Liang Iron Cavalry were different and did not share a common enemy, making them very hard to subdue. Moreover, Yunxiu Kingdom was already short of funds supporting these 100,000 men. Releasing a tiger back into the mountains, nurturing a future threat, was ultimately unwise.
Therefore, she understood her brother's meaning: to eliminate the threat completely. However, how could a ruler of a nation do such a thing?
"This is the best method I can think of," Mo Yinghuo sighed.
After a long silence, Mo Yinghuo suddenly chuckled. In the dim light, she could feel Zhao Shu's puzzled gaze fixed on her. She said slowly, "Nothing, I just found it amusing. Zhao Shu, do you think this white jade coffin is our token of love? Remember the last two times…?" She trailed off, realizing something, her face flushing. She quickly continued, rambling, "From now on, we'll be buried together here…"
"good."
Before Mo Yinghuo could finish speaking, he heard Zhao Shu's faint yet extremely clear voice coming from the dim light.
After a long silence, Mo Yinghuo laughed and said, "Zhao Shu, didn't you say you wanted to say something? Why aren't you saying anything?"
Zhao Shu: "I'm not good with words. You speak and I listen, that's fine."
Mo Yinghuo raised an eyebrow, hummed in agreement, and then suddenly asked, "By the way, do you know what those dreams were all about?"
Zhao Shu: "What dream?"
Mo Yinghuo stammered, "It's about you and me, those dreams."
Zhao Shu: "I've thought about it too. Why is it that every time you travel through space through your dreams, it always... Perhaps, someone is doing it on purpose."
Mo Yinghuo was startled and hurriedly asked, "Then, who is it?"
Zhao Shu: "Maybe, yes, yes, yes..."
Mo Yinghuo lay there, listening to the person on top of him say "yes" for a long time, and then there was nothing more.
...
“Brother Wang.” Mo Beichen looked coldly at Mo Qiming.
Mo Qiming also looked at him coldly.
Mo Beichen angrily demanded, "Where is the other Xuan Stone Array?"
"She altered Father's will, didn't she?" Mo Qiming stared at him.
Mo Beichen waved his hand, and the steward and everyone else retreated to a distance. He raised his eyes and looked coldly at the shooting stars in the sky, then said gently, "Yes."
Mo Qiming: "I don't understand. If it's true, why don't you ever try to stop it?"
Mo Beichen's expression remained unchanged. "The best way to make rumors disappear is to ignore them. Besides, this isn't a rumor."
Mo Qiming suddenly burst into laughter, "Hahahaha... I didn't lose."
Mo Beichen suddenly sighed, “His achievements overshadow the emperor’s, and everyone is vying with me for this empire, except for my own elder sister, the Eldest Princess. If she wants my empire, I will give it to her. Brother, don’t forget that half of this empire was conquered by Her Highness the Eldest Princess.”
Mo Qiming sneered, "I don't believe you can be completely selfless. If you take other people's things for a long time, you'll gradually start to feel like they're your own, even if they're your own siblings."
A barely perceptible hint of killing intent flashed across Mo Beichen's face. "Brother Wang, aren't you going to reveal the whereabouts of the Xuan Stone Formation?"
A moment of silence followed, broken only by the sound of flying fire bombarding the palace roof and the cries of concubines and servants fleeing in all directions.
"At Jietai Temple, right, Brother Wang?" Mo Yinghuo and Zhao Shu suddenly appeared.
When Emperor Zhaoming saw the two of them, his expression immediately softened. "Zhao Shu, elder sister, you have found another Xuan Stone Formation."
Mo Yinghuo: "There should be two, right on the altar. Heaven is round and earth is square; heaven is yang, earth is yin, and all things are born from heaven and earth." She paused. "At first, I was always curious why there was a round pillar on the altar, and now I understand why. Moreover, I never expected that there would be three stone formations hidden in the capital. Where exactly is the last one, the one opposite the Northern Barbarians?"
Mo Qiming's face darkened. "The Eldest Princess is indeed exceptionally intelligent, grasping things immediately. I suppose this Nightfall Star person hasn't thought of that yet."
Mo Yinghuo gave him a cold look. "Who told you that?"
Mo Qiming: "The old soldier said so. It turns out that the person beside Your Highness is so powerful."
Zhao Shu suddenly asked, "Do you know the consequences of using two stacked stone formations to forcefully summon heavenly fire?"
Mo Qiming looked up at the sky, as if admiring a puppet show, and exclaimed, "Spectacular. As long as the Emperor and the Princess disappear, they will weaken the gravitational field."
Zhao Shu: "Them? People from Shiling Kingdom?"
Mo Qiming: "Yes."
Zhao Shu: "How do you know they will definitely agree?"
Mo Qiming remained polite and courteous. "They are in my hands. If they don't agree, they will suffer the same fate as the other people of Shiling Kingdom. They finally managed to escape to our place."
Zhao Shu suddenly sighed, "Yes, they will agree, but have you considered that a few years for us is just a blink of an eye for them? Even if the people of Shiling Kingdom want to stop it, how long will it take them to complete that action? A few years after the Heavenly Fire Meteor Falls, will anyone still be alive here?"
Mo Qiming's face turned deathly pale. His eyes widened in terror as he stared at Zhao Shu, then in despair at the raging fire. Suddenly, he slumped onto the steps, muttering, "No, no..."
He actually overlooked this point.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
