Chapter 83 Southern Yue - Star Tracker (Part Two) We are lovers...
Their relationship was unlike that of a royal father and son or husband and wife; instead, it revealed the warmth of an ordinary family in every aspect.
Parents are loving and father and son are harmonious.
While sighing with envy, Shi Xianxue raised her head and carefully observed the kind and approachable ruler of Southern Yue before her.
I originally thought that Pei Huaguang's features should be inherited from his father, Pei Zheng.
But seeing it with her own eyes today, Shi Xianxue realized that Pei Huaguang's beautiful and unique eyes were a genuine replica of those of Queen Qi.
Although Wu Xiutang's eyebrows and eyes resembled Pei Huaguang's, his pupils were actually darker, like two flawless black jade beads, gleaming with a translucent chill.
Such a striking resemblance... Could it be that Wu Xiutang is truly a child lost among the common people by Queen Qi? Even if he doesn't bear the surname Pei, he can't escape the connection to the Qi family.
Are there really people in this world who look very similar but have no blood relation?
Many strange ideas popped into Shi Xianxue's mind.
Perhaps the Queen gave birth to twins, who were stolen from the palace by Wu Xiutang's master and have been living on the streets ever since. Or perhaps the Queen had a childhood sweetheart before re-entering the palace, and Wu Xiutang is their child.
The more she thought about it, the more engrossed she became. Just as her thoughts began to wander uncontrollably into wicked ways, the crisp sound of the Jianzhan teacup shattering like jade abruptly pulled her wandering thoughts back.
Tea leaves and broken porcelain mingled on the carpet, forming a dark water stain. The sudden change in the expressions of the Emperor and Empress aroused Shi Xianxue's suspicions.
A woman's intuition can sometimes be surprisingly accurate.
She didn't perceive their expressions as surprise or delight at finding something lost; rather, it seemed more like—
I saw a ghost.
"Mother, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?" Pei Huaguang rushed forward in a panic.
As the emperor and empress looked at each other, their expressions gradually returned to normal, but the unease deep in their eyes lingered.
She gently patted Pei Huaguang's hand to indicate that she was alright. She wanted to say something to cover up her lapse in composure, but when she met those cold yet strangely familiar eyes, her thoughts seemed to be snapped like a bowstring by two large hands.
It felt as if I had returned to that sweltering summer afternoon, when the small room was empty, the embroidered curtain was half-rolled up, and the sisters were calling to each other outside the flowers.
Everything was as beautiful as the flowers of early spring.
When Pei Zheng couldn't help but remind her, she realized that she had been staring at the boy in a daze for a long time.
The atmosphere inside the palace was truly strange. Pei Huaguang's unease and suspicion throughout the journey seemed to be confirmed by the reactions of his father and mother, which then swelled up in his chest like a balloon.
The more he looked at them, the more he felt that the two looked very much like father and son. Seeing his mother's panicked expression, he felt like the sky was about to fall.
"Father, could he really be your illegitimate son?"
"Nonsense!" Pei Zheng interrupted him, his face tense. "The royal bloodline is of course pure and flawless. How could you say such things without thinking?"
Pure and flawless.
Wu Xiutang looked at them with a mocking expression.
Before he could say a word, they panicked and collapsed.
It turns out that the inexplicable disgust in his heart was not unfounded. There must be an ugly truth about his true identity buried in this royal city.
Pei Huaguang was spoiled growing up and was the kind of person who would never get what he wanted. When Pei Zheng reprimanded him in public, he was about to retort when he saw his mother frowning and shaking her head at him, signaling him not to speak.
"Your Majesty, Hua'er is young and impetuous. He will surely be suspicious of this Taoist priest who looks so much like him. Even we two were stunned for a long time when we saw him. As the saying goes, the world is full of wonders. It's not a big deal if people look alike. I have even heard that in the land of the mermaids in Chongming, there is a technique of skin-changing and bone-shedding. Perhaps this young Taoist priest has just studied this technique." Queen Qi's eyes were filled with a hazy tenderness as she comforted him gently. Seeing Pei Zheng's brows relax, she looked at Wu Xiutang as if nothing had happened.
"What is the young Taoist priest's name? Where are his parents from?"
The atmosphere was indeed off. First, there was the unusual reaction of the two when they saw Young Master Wu, and then there was the derogatory tone in Queen Qi's words. Li Fuchao's gaze swept back and forth between the two faces. He knew it was impolite, but he did find some clues.
Prince Wu and Queen Qi seem to share a common life connection.
Wu Xiutang stared directly into those eyes that resembled his own without any attempt to hide it. A deep-seated hatred welled up from the dark depths of his heart, spreading like an inkstone that had sunk into a pond, slowly staining the clear water.
"I have no father or mother, only a master, and as for where he is now, I don't know much about him—" The boy's voice was cold and clear, like a thin, cold ice line, and when he spoke to her, it was full of malice.
"After all, I stabbed his heart when we last met. If he hadn't died, he would have wanted to eat me alive as soon as possible."
This malicious exchange brought the meeting to an abrupt end, with Queen Qi leaving early under the pretext of feeling unwell.
Li Fuchao wanted to tell Wu Xiutang about his discovery, but his reaction suggested he was not completely unaware. He scanned the faces of the group several times, but remained silent.
Finding Qing Shu is of utmost urgency; we cannot afford any more mistakes.
The group's accommodations were arranged in adjacent palaces, with the two men's sleeping quarters located in the westernmost part.
When they reached the end, only Shi Xianxue and the palace maid who had led the way remained. Perhaps because it was just the two of them, Shi Xianxue relaxed and couldn't help but ask him why he had said those things to Queen Qi.
Leaving aside respect, at least she shouldn't speak in a threatening tone. She had a feeling that Wu Xiutang's background was probably related to this royal city, but nothing was clear yet. If she spoke recklessly and offended them, the Star River Tracker project would probably fall through.
She meant well, but now that they were in Nan Yue territory and needed each other's help, if a fight broke out, Wu Xiutang, who was injured, would inevitably suffer.
To her surprise, Wu Xiutang glanced at her and said in an irritating tone, "I've always talked like this. Is this the first time you've met me?"
Shi Xianxue pouted: "Look, look, look, you're unhappy again. Wu Xiutang, you really love being unhappy."
She muttered, "What a terrible temper."
Wu Xiutang scoffed: "Who has a good temper? Li Fuchao or Pei Huaguang?"
Shi Xianxue stopped in her tracks: "What does this have to do with them? Don't try to change the subject with nonsense."
“There’s nothing to hide.” Wu Xiutang turned to look at her. “Today I will tell you plainly that I don’t like Pei Huaguang, I don’t like Jinxiu City, and I especially don’t like those two people sitting in high positions.”
The palace attendant leading the way paused, pretending to naturally prick up his ears to eavesdrop.
Wu Xiutang vented his dissatisfaction as if no one else was around, "I hate them for no reason. I find them annoying even after just one meeting. Maybe one day I'll lose my patience and kill them. Shi Xianxue, are you going to use those useless platitudes again...?"
Before she could finish speaking, the palace maid leading the way suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck as she knocked over a freshly pruned flower branch in the flowerbed.
Shi Xianxue shook her aching hands. "You scared me to death! How can you say you want to take your master's life in front of someone's servant? I know you're young and impetuous, but at least you were on someone else's turf. Couldn't you have at least told me quietly in a secluded place?"
The cold moon climbed above the clouds, obscuring the boy's ambiguous expression.
The winter winds of southern Vietnam carry the soft fragrance of flowers.
"If you don't like them, you don't like them. You have the right to like and dislike. Why do you always sulk and keep so many bad emotions bottled up inside? If I hadn't asked you, would you still not want to tell me? Wu Xiutang, you have to remember to share with me." Soft strands of hair brushed against her cheeks, and the clear moonlight illuminated the person in front of her.
Aren't we lovers?
She gently took his hand, her little finger entwined with his, "intimate lovers."
Wu Xiutang paused for a moment, then his mood instantly improved.
His fingertips gently brushed against her aching palm, his anxiety easily dispelled by the breeze, and his tone revealed unbearable affection.
"You're right, we're lovers, we're inseparable."
——
The next morning, Pei Huaguang came to his residence in high spirits to find Shi Xianxue, wanting to show her around the palace.
"Master Li and the others went to Chongyang Palace today to try to activate the Star River Tracker ahead of schedule. We can't help them. Fairy Sister, how about after breakfast, I'll take you for a stroll around the palace?"
Pei Huaguang naturally had his own selfish motives.
Since last night, he had felt a strong sense of crisis. The original plan was to introduce the fairy sister to his father and mother, but who knew that Wu Xiutang's appearance would ruin his plan. His father and mother's attitude was extremely strange, which made Pei Huaguang even more certain that Wu Xiutang was his father's illegitimate son. Otherwise, why would his usually dignified and proper mother lose her composure and leave the banquet in advance?
He admitted that Wu Xiutang was slightly more handsome than him.
But it was only a little bit.
An illegitimate child is an illegitimate child. There can be many illegitimate children in the world, but the Crown Prince of Nan Yue can only be one.
He wanted to show the fairy sister how rich the Nanyue Palace was, and how precious he, the crown prince, was, like the rising sun.
He's not someone who can be compared to some illegitimate child who just appeared out of nowhere. Of course, if he's sensible enough to leave the world of the fairy sister, he's not an unreasonable person, and the mistakes of his parents won't be blamed on him. When he inherits the throne, it wouldn't be a bad idea to make him a prince.
Shi Xianxue looked as if she hadn't slept all night; her black hair was disheveled, and there was a noticeable bluish-gray tinge under her eyes. She was yawning incessantly.
Pei Huaguang snapped out of his reverie, finding Shi Xianxue's stretching appearance almost unfairly adorable. He felt like he was floating on pink bubbles, wishing he could stick to her: "Fairy Sister, did you not sleep well last night?"
After having breakfast, Shi Xianxue left the house listlessly. She looked up at the gray sky and felt like a dried-up earthworm.
"It's not just bad. It's terribly bad. You can't believe it, I had a dream all night long. I feel like my brain is a rusty machine that's been rained on. No, I feel like I can't even feel my brain anymore."
Pei Huaguang asked with concern, "Is it because the servants are not attentive enough, or are you not used to Jinxiu City yet? I have lived in this palace for more than ten years and I don't dream much. What kind of dream did you have, sister?"
What dream? Of course, it was a nightmare.
The classic horror movie opens with a thin woman in plain clothes and long black hair sitting in front of a mirror by the window, like a pitiful little white flower soaked by the rain in the dark night, crying with her back to the camera.
Shi Xianxue was as if she had been frozen in place, unable to move or make a sound. She could only let the mournful and bitter lament echo in her dreams all night long.
Thinking of this, she looked at him seriously: "Tell me the truth, is your palace haunted?"
Pei Huaguang laughed heartily upon hearing this, "How could that be? The location of the royal city is chosen to follow the laws of heaven and earth, with symmetrical central axis. If one wants to be close to all directions, there is nothing better than the center. How could those evil spirits easily approach such a treasure land?"
Shi Xianxue nodded thoughtfully.
As the two exited the palace gates, Shi Xianxue looked around, a strange sense of familiarity washing over her.
Pei Huaguang led her out of the palace where they lived. They walked through the deep alley, where palace servants knelt respectfully on both sides. The sounds of their conversation and footsteps echoed through the alley.
At a crossroads, Shi Xianxue suddenly pointed in one direction and said, "If we go through here and then walk along the long street, won't we reach the Treasure Pavilion?"
“Yes.” Pei Huaguang hadn’t noticed anything unusual yet. After her reminder, he had already mentally reviewed the treasures in the treasure pavilion. He said excitedly, “Yes, yes, does Fairy Sister want to go to the treasure pavilion? I’ll take Fairy Sister there.”
That's not what she meant.
She just felt as if she had been to the Nanyue Palace before. Last night, when she had this feeling, she thought it was the hippocampus effect, but today she accurately pointed out the direction of the treasure pavilion.
Could it be that Zhou Huaiyu once visited the Nanyue Kingdom? But hundreds of years ago, the capital of Nanyue was not in Jinxiu City.
She snapped out of her thoughts: "Isn't the Autumn Festival coming up soon? Do you have time to take me for a stroll?"
"Of course. My mother is frugal and never celebrates her birthday. I wanted to capture a feathered demon to make a rainbow-colored feathered robe for her, but she was very unhappy when she found out. So on her birthday, I will just make a bowl of longevity noodles by myself."
But it's a birthday celebration?
Shi Xianxue looked up and smiled. "Pei Huaguang, there is indeed a place I want to go. Can you take me there?"
Pei Huaguang never imagined that the place the fairy sister wanted to go was actually Tianyi Pavilion.
The Tianyi Pavilion, which records all the historical facts of Nanyue since its founding and the royal secrets that cannot be told to outsiders, is under strict guard.
"No, sister. If Father finds out I led outsiders into Tianyi Pavilion, he'll kill me. The historical records in Tianyi Pavilion cannot be circulated outside the palace. This matter concerns the dignity of the royal family, so I can't take you there. How about we go to the Treasure Pavilion instead? I'll give you any treasure you like."
"Oh no, I'm going to Tianyi Pavilion."
Pei Huaguang looked pained and, seeing that he couldn't persuade him, could only say, "Even if I dismiss the guards, Tianyi Pavilion has been set up with the Six Harmonies Formation by the previous High Priest. You are not from the Southern Yue royal family and do not have Pei blood. You will be reduced to dust by the formation."
"High Priest?"
This ethnic-sounding name startled Shi Xianxue. The clothing of Nanyue had become much simpler than it had been hundreds of years ago. At least since she returned to this continent, the clothing of the Nanyue people she had seen, and even that of the Nanyue royal family, was not much different from that of the Central Plains, except that silver had been added to their headdresses.
The only person who left a deep impression on him was the mysterious and handsome man on Misty Peak behind the Qingyun Sect.
"Yes, although High Priest Lou Su has passed away, the power of the array he left behind is still not to be underestimated. I'll take you to the Treasure Pavilion; there are many fun things there."
“I won’t go to the Treasure Pavilion. Since Lou Su is the High Priest, he must have a portrait. If you let me see his portrait, I can avoid entering Tianyi Pavilion.”
Pei Huaguang moved his lips, as if he wanted to say something, but hesitated and shut up when he saw Master Xianxue's gaze.
Shi Xianxue narrowed her eyes: "No way, could his portrait be in Tianyi Pavilion too?"
Pei Huaguang nodded with an indescribable look in his eyes. After nodding, he grabbed her sleeve and pleaded, "I beg you, Fairy Sister, let's stay away from Tianyi Pavilion. We'll get hurt if we force our way in."
Shi Xianxue, without changing her expression, pulled out her sleeve and said, "Don't worry, I would never do anything to hurt myself. Since Tianyi Pavilion doesn't accept outsiders, then I won't go in."
Before Pei Huaguang could even catch his breath, Shi Xianxue said in a tone that showed no regard for human life or death, "But you are a member of the Southern Yue royal family, you can go in, help me get Lou Su's portrait out."
—
The Chongyang Palace was in complete disarray, with black marks from the flames scorching the walls and pillars. Affected by the backlash, the guards of the Chongyang Palace had their arms severed and lay on the ground groaning in agony.
Qi Lingyu watched all of this from the top of the starry sky without any surprise.
Nearly twenty years have passed, and this is the first time the Galaxy Tracker has actively launched an attack on a human.
The aura belonging to Lou Su lingered on the tracking device, coiling around it as nimbly as a serpent.
Wu Xiutang raised the back of his hand and slowly wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes twisted and repressed.
Clearly, he also sensed the malice of the tracking device being targeted only at him.
At the same time, there was also the nauseating aura of his beloved master.
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