Chapter 206 Destiny Lies Within Us
Ajiu smiled and said, "If Father Emperor can cherish a sword, how much more so a person? You are glad that she escaped Rongdu in advance. Although you did not see her again for the next twenty years, it is good that she is alive. As long as she is alive, there is hope."
Mu You's smile was enigmatic. He seemed quite satisfied with his son's answer, yet it also seemed as if he was mocking his own son for not understanding him that well. But this was the answer he wanted; he didn't want to be seen through, not even by his own son.
“But… it seems that Father has been relentlessly pursuing their whereabouts. Of course, it’s only right to keep a close watch on serious criminal fugitives; Father hasn’t done anything wrong.”
"My son, Chenbi, has finally grown up." Mu You stroked his beard and exclaimed in admiration, "There are many things in this world that you don't want to do, but you have to do. If you don't do them, how could this dragon throne be yours to sit on? The road to becoming an emperor is never without bloodshed."
Ah Jiu took a deep breath of it. Ever since he stepped off the large ship and onto the Rongdu dock, the stench of blood had lingered around his nose and had become increasingly strong in recent days.
Have you found her?
Mu You shook his head, "At least I know where she is now. She has returned what I lost in another way."
“It’s A-Jiu.” A-Jiu remained calm.
Mu You'ao stared intently at his son with eyes like an eagle, "He will not become your replacement. As long as you are willing, your position as crown prince is as secure as Mount Tai."
“If he isn’t,” Ah Jiu asked again.
Mu Youdun looked tired. "Whether it is or not depends on what I think. Whoever I think he is, that's who he is."
"Your subject understands." Ajiu stood up and closed the window crack. "It's getting late, your subject will take his leave now."
Mu You did not try to stop him, but dusted his hands to indicate that he could leave. "It seems that you have only told half of your story... When do you plan to tell me the rest?"
"The rest of the story depends on what Your Majesty thinks; it is beyond my ability to tell."
Mu You leaned against the soft couch, a barely perceptible smile appearing on his lips.
Feng's old house
Guan Ye slept for a long time, having many dreams. In her dreams, she never left Rongdu. She grew up in the mansion her parents had carefully managed. Her father said that blacksmithing was a man's job, and she was the precious darling of the Guan family, so why should she learn such hard work? She also dreamed of Ma Lin, the grandson of the Ma family, who was a notorious playboy in Rongdu. Guan Ye had known him since she was a child and had never been afraid of him. If this playboy dared to act wildly in front of her, she would give him a good whack with her father's iron hammer...
In my dream, there was also Lu Chaoge, whose sword startled Huating. She was peerless in beauty, the most dazzling firework in Rongdu. People who came to Tianhu Workshop seeking her sword would wear down the threshold. She was dressed in red, as bright as flames. She smiled at Guan Ye and asked softly: Do you want to be a female blacksmith?
"I want to be a female foundry," Guan Ye murmured in her dream.
"Guan Ye? Guan Ye..."
A familiar call reached her ears. Guan Ye raised her expectant eyes in Tianhufang. Outside the gate stood the boy she had been dreaming of, the one she had waited for for so long. The boy had his hair tied up in a neat bun, a black satin headband, and wore a smart outfit. He held an ancient sword and stepped confidently through the gate of Tianhufang, reaching out his hand to Guan Ye.
"My name is Ajiu. I wonder if I could become a swordsman for your establishment?"
"Ah Jiu, Ah Jiu..."
Guan Ye's heart suddenly felt a lump in her throat, and she abruptly opened her eyes, embracing the boy from her dream, "A-Jiu!"
The boy returned her embrace, opening his arms to hold her tightly, "Guan Ye, don't be afraid, I'm here, I'm here..."
"A-Jiu..." Guan Ye whispered against his neck, "Don't go."
Mu Chenbi felt the dampness on his neck, then lowered his head and kissed Guan Ye's forehead. "I won't leave. I'll stay by your side and not go anywhere else."
Guan Ye raised her head and stared at the man's still-healing wounds. She knew that Ajiu was gone after all.
“This place is safe, but it’s not a place to stay for long.” Xiao Ma’s sudden voice startled everyone in the room. He glanced at Feng Shisan, who looked displeased, and continued, “Young Master Shisan, your home is a good place, but if you want to plan for the long term, you should find another place to go as soon as possible.”
Feng Shisan, who had slept soundly all night, spat out some crumbs and asked, "Tell me, where else can we go?"
Xiao Ma helped Ji Fang up and asked with concern, "How are you feeling? Can you walk?"
Ji Fang rubbed his hands and feet. He had been beaten but hadn't suffered any serious sword wounds. After resting for a whole day, he had recovered and, after confirming that his hands and feet were intact, Ji Fang nodded and said, "Much better. After another big meal, I'll be a hero again."
"Eat, eat, eat shit!" Feng Shisan cursed.
Xiao Ma didn't say anything more to Feng Shisan, but looked at Ji Fang and said, "Next, you have something important to do."
"Go on," Ji Fang said, his eyes lighting up. Having experienced so much, Ji Fang felt he had already died once, and having died before, he was no longer afraid of dying.
Xiao Ma took a deep breath. "Back to Canglang Island."
"I'm not going back!" Ji Fang interrupted. "I'll stay with you. I'll do whatever you do. I'm not afraid of blood anymore, and I'm not afraid of death..."
"Let Xiao Ma continue," Mu Chenbi said in a hoarse voice. Ji Fang was still a little afraid when the Crown Prince spoke, and his dry lips moved but he quickly pursed them.
Xiao Ma nodded slightly to Mu Chenbi. "If I'm not mistaken, Cui Jin will soon send people to kill everyone on Canglang Island. No one connected to Xingguo Fang will survive. Ji Fang, you need to hurry back to Canglang Island, gather everyone, and leave quickly to go somewhere else."
“Ah Yuan…” Ji Fang called out his sister’s name softly, “Leave? Where to go… We’ve lived on the island for so many years, where else can we go?”
Guan Ye said, "Having survived on a deserted island for so many years, where is there that she can't go? A-Yuan has been fishing for so many years, she must know better places."
Ji Fang suddenly realized what was going on, and after a moment of silence, he said, "I'll go back and gather everyone to leave. What about you?"
Feng Shisan wiped the sword in his hand without even raising his eyes. "Go do your thing. My home is right here. I'm not going anywhere. I'd rather die here."
Ji Fang's face suddenly turned red. "You think I'm useless and that staying here will only drag everyone down, so you're making up an excuse to get rid of me? Why don't you let Feng Shisan go back and take everyone away, and I'll stay?"
“Ji Fang.” Xiao Ma pressed down on his shrugging shoulder and said calmly, “It concerns more than a hundred lives. Is there anything bigger than this? Do you know how heavy the burden on your shoulders is? We wouldn’t feel comfortable entrusting this to a brute.”
"Hey..." Feng Shisan was about to shout when his pig brain suddenly realized something, and he kept quiet without making a fuss.
Ji Fang lowered his head. "Then...when are we leaving?"
"The sooner the better." Xiao Ma said without hesitation, "Go back as soon as your legs are a little more agile and you can hold a sword."
Ji Fang was reluctant to part with them, but he nodded in agreement. Suddenly, he choked up again, "If we leave, how will you find us? The sea is vast... If you can't find us, won't you never see us again in this lifetime?"
"Foolish." Guan Ye suppressed her grief. "Go back to the island and have A Yuan leave a mark for us. When we return to Canglang Island someday, we can find you by seeing the mark." Mentioning the mark, Guan Ye suddenly thought of something. "Ji Fang, do me a favor."
"you say."
Guan Ye glanced at Xiao Ma and said, "Do you remember the night we ate stewed fish at your house, when a few of us went up the mountain to gather herbs for Ajiu?"
"I remember," Ji Fang said without hesitation. "You were gone for a long time, and it rained heavily before you came back."
Guan Ye continued, "We found a mine to take shelter from the rain. It's on the mountain road leading to Pei Chong's old house. There's an inconspicuous mine with vines growing at the entrance. If you pay close attention along the way, you'll definitely find it. It's azurite."
"We unexpectedly discovered a skeleton in the azurite mine..."
"Bones?" Ji Fang was startled.
Guan Ye spoke slowly, word by word, "To meet is fate. We found a place to bury the remains..."
Feng Shisan watched Ji Fang's startled expression with great interest. "What's wrong, Guan Ye? Do you want Ji Fang to dig that skeleton out again?"
Guan Ye looked at Ji Fang and nodded: "That's true."
“Guan Ye…” Ji Fang’s voice trembled slightly, “The person is buried… it’s not a good idea to dig them out.”
Guan Ye didn't respond to his words, but continued on what she had just said: "After you come out of the mine, follow the path back to your house. There is a place with rocks and water, with water mist swirling around it. There is an ancient tree next to the place where the bones were buried. We made a cross mark on it with our swords. You can tell at a glance."
"Are we really going to... dig it out?"
Guan Ye shook her head. "We buried her in a hurry that night, which was really disrespectful to the owner of the remains. The feng shui of that place is good, so there's no need to dig it up and disturb the owner of the tomb. Ji Fang... let's erect a monument for her."
Erect a monument? The people in the room looked at each other, puzzled. Guan Ye thought for a moment, "The monument will be inscribed with 'Tomb of Lu Chaoge'."
—The Tomb of Lu Chaoge.
"It's her?" "It's her..." Mu Chenbi and Xiao Ma exclaimed at the same time, "The tomb owner is Lu Chaoge?" Xiao Ma seemed to understand, "No wonder... no wonder she had my family's fake copper coins, now it all makes sense."
Mu Chenbi suddenly realized that the old sword in Chengen Hall, Ajiu on Canglang Island... all of his father's actions were because of this woman named Lu Chaoge. After the blood crossbow incident, Lu Chaoge did not die. She wandered to Canglang Island. She and his father had a child. He was not his father's eldest son. Ajiu... could that child be Ajiu?
Mei Xiaojing tugged at Xiao Ma's hand. "Lu Chaoge? I heard my cousin mention her. She was from Tianhu Fang. The entire Tianhu Fang was executed, but the Lu siblings... actually managed to leave the city alive. How could Lu Chaoge... die on Canglang Island?"
"Xiao Jing." Xiao Ma's fingers hooked between Mei Xiao Jing's fingers. "You go to Canglang Island with Ji Fang."
Mei Xiaojing's palms became wet. "I won't leave. I won't go anywhere else. I'll just stay with you."
Xiao Ma stroked Mei Xiaoqing's cheek with one hand, his eyes filled with affection, and said, "You and Ji Fang are just going ahead. I will come to find you after everything is settled."
"I won't leave," Mei Xiaoqing cried. "Ji Fang will lead everyone away from Canglang Island. Then, where will you find me..."
“I’ll leave a mark on Xiao Ma and the others…” Ji Fang interrupted, scratching his head.
"Pah!" Mei Xiaojing spat at him. "Did I ask you to speak? Who knows if others can even understand the markings you made? Who cares about your markings..."
Ji Fang turned away, not daring to speak further. Xiao Ma wiped away Mei Xiaojing's tears and coaxed her softly, "Who am I? I'm Xiao Ma, the smartest man in Xingguo Ward. I'm Ma Lin. I was able to return to Rongdu from Lingnan. Are you afraid I won't be able to find you? If you go with Ji Fang to help Canglang Island, you're also helping me..."
Mei Xiaoqing opened her wet eyes wide, "I'll go to Canglang Island to help you. When you come back, we'll never be apart again, right?"
Xiao Ma nodded vigorously, a deep sense of satisfaction welling up between his brows. Mei Xiaojing buried her face in Xiao Ma's chest, suppressing her sobs, but unable to stop her body from trembling. Xiao Ma looked at Ji Fang, and the two stared at each other for a long time. Ji Fang pointed at Mei Xiaojing, then raised the sword in his hand and made a throat-slitting gesture, telling Xiao Ma that he would protect Miss Mei even if it meant his death.
After comforting Mei Xiaojing, Xiao Ma calmly said, "When I returned to Rongdu, I booked a boat at the dock and agreed to set sail in three days. That is tomorrow. Tomorrow, I will take you to the dock."
"A ship that was booked long ago?" Guan Ye looked at Xiao Ma suspiciously. Xiao Ma saw the doubt in everyone's eyes and smiled confidently, "If I could go to the execution ground to break in, wouldn't I have a backup plan? If Feng Shisan hadn't had a good place to go, I would have taken you all on the ship that day."
"Well done, little Ma." Ji Fang's eyes gleamed with admiration. "You and the Thirteenth Young Master both have backup plans." He then looked at Mu Chenbi, hesitated for a moment, and couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, you... also have a backup plan?"
Guan Ye nudged Ji Fang with her elbow, frowning at his random question. Mu Chenbi smiled broadly, "What backup plan do I have? Even if I did, it wouldn't compare to those two." He then clasped his hands in a fist salute to Xiao Ma and Feng Shisan, "You are all heroes of our time. If we can survive this, I, Mu Chenbi, will definitely befriend you all, drink and talk for three days straight. It's a pity we met so late; let's see if we have the luck to do so."
Xiao Ma grinned and raised his sword, saying, "Your Highness must believe that destiny rests on our shoulders."
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