Chapter 17
Chapter Sixteen
The two appeared in the dust, and Zhou Xiuqi drew his sword, Quexie, and pointed it at his neck: "You're in a hurry."
Kong Fusheng, holding the flute, crossed his arms and laughed, "You took the bait so quickly, making things much easier for us."
Ji Cang smiled and asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Meng Yingying stood up, dusted herself off, and stood between the two of them, saying, "Didn't you tell us to come find you?"
"No man has been born for three years, Li Zhaodi's ancestral hall has been sealed off, people have mysteriously disappeared from Biyun Temple, and now you've come to me. Isn't it all because you wanted me to come to you?"
"You are so confident that you have a good chance of winning."
"We willingly walk into the trap to watch your performance."
Meng Yingying concluded, "You have no chance of winning against the three of us."
After hearing this, Ji Cang burst into laughter. As he trembled, the sharp sword of Quexie sliced through his thin skin, yet he continued to laugh.
Meng Yingying and Kong Fusheng exchanged a strange look.
Zhou Xiuqi brought the sword a little closer, but Ji Cang was not afraid at all. His brows were twisted, and the smile on his lips was full of sorrow: "You guessed half right, but what I wanted was never you."
"It was her."
Meng Yingying and Zhou Xiuqi's expressions changed simultaneously. At the crucial moment, Meng Yingying suddenly remembered that in the original book, she was the ultimate target. However, Meng Yingying knew this plot, which was why she revealed some things to Zhou Xiuqi in advance.
Zhou Xiuqi's sword cut through his flesh, and blood flowed down. He said coldly, "Where is she?"
Ji Cang met his gaze, smiled, and said, "Guess."
Meng Yingying clenched her fists. She had clearly read the book, but why was she always just a little short of stopping these things from happening?
Li Zhaodi was like this, and so was Xiao Zheyu when she was kidnapped.
Zhou Xiuqi tightened his grip slightly, while Ji Cang looked at Meng Yingying and said, "Why don't we each take a step back?"
"Use her to exchange for..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Xiuqi suddenly exerted force, and blood spurted from Ji Cang's neck. He remained expressionless and said, "Too much nonsense."
Meng Yingying's eyes widened as blood splattered onto her clothes, while Kong Fusheng watched in horror as Ji Cang's skin deflated, turning into a flat piece of human skin.
Kong Fu was furious: "Damn it, it's fake."
Meng Yingying turned her gaze to the human skin on the ground; the smile was still in her eyes, and a chill ran down her spine.
Meanwhile, on the other side, facing all the Buddha statues, he lowered his head and looked like a compassionate believer, but when he looked up, he exclaimed in surprise, "Unfortunately, I've been discovered."
The wall was covered with Buddha statues. From behind his naked, muscular back, a pair of bloody hands wrapped around his neck. He smiled helplessly and said, "Ah Yue, stop fooling around."
When the female ghost saw him stop her, she removed her hand from his body and crawled to another corner.
In the corner, two women were tied together side by side. The female ghost reached out to grab one of the women's faces, but Tan Yuhua spoke up again to stop her: "A-Yue, you can't."
The female ghost let out an angry scream, and the sleeping woman finally opened her eyes, but Xiao Zheyu remained calm.
After seeing that she had woken up, Tan Yuhua asked with a gentle and warm face, "Are you feeling alright?"
Xiao Zheyu did not respond.
The female ghost screamed at her, but Xiao Zheyu glanced at her indifferently and said, "Why did you tie me up?"
Tan Yuhua gazed at her: "Princess, you don't remember me, but I have missed you and him very much over the past ten years."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zheyu said in bewilderment, "Nonsense."
Tan Yuhua smiled faintly, sat on the futon, chanted Buddhist prayer beads, and said in a nostalgic tone, "I'll tell you a story."
Liuzhou City more than a decade ago—
A group of soldiers suddenly dismissed the crowd and rode in a magnificent procession down the street. The man sitting on the procession hung his head listlessly, while several scantily clad women beside him offered him fresh fruit.
The eunuch beside him reminded him, "Your Majesty, we have arrived at Liuzhou City."
The emperor glanced down at the young eunuch: "I've heard that there's an extremely gentle and graceful lady in Liuzhou City."
The young eunuch was horrified, cold sweat beading on his face: "Your Majesty, this...!"
The emperor touched the sleeping girl beside him and waved his hand.
The young eunuch shouted in a shrill voice, "Let's go, Tan residence!"
The young eunuch, looking worried, said to his attendant beside him, "Quickly go to the Tan residence and inform them to come out and greet us."
The attendants respectfully replied, "Yes."
A moment later, the emperor himself arrived, and two rows of people, young and old, stood in the Tan residence.
The lady at the front, with her bright eyes and slightly furrowed brows, gently patted the little boy's head: "A-Jing, don't say anything wrong later."
Tan Jing looked up: "Mother, what is an emperor?"
Zhou Rong put her finger to his mouth: "Shh."
"Don't speak."
Two long rows of people, clanging and clattering in the distance, dispersed. A man in a dragon robe, leading a bewildered little girl, rode on a palanquin. He laughed heartily upon seeing the crowd: "I've long heard of a family in Liuzhou City that has been making weapons for generations."
The emperor stepped forward and immediately noticed the woman protecting the child. He smiled and said, "Madam, you truly deserve the reputation of the Liuzhou Wenhua."
The little girl's eyes were blank as she stared at Tan Jing, who was only focused on her gorgeous dress and inwardly admired her.
As the emperor reached out, Zhou Rong stepped back slightly, and the man beside her, who had remained silent until now, spoke up: "It is an honor for the Tan family to have Your Majesty come in person."
"I wonder if Your Majesty has come to my humble abode because I have committed some offense?"
When the emperor saw him, his smile faded slightly, and he patted him on the shoulder: "Of course not. I have been observing the people's conditions all over the place, and now that I have arrived in Liuzhou City, I am exhausted. I feel very welcome to your Tan family."
"How about I stay for a few days?"
Tan Zhen had no reason to refuse, and upon hearing this, he cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty's arrival is an honor for this humble subject for generations."
"However, my humble abode is simple and unadorned."
The emperor stepped through the gate and waved his hand dismissively: "It's alright."
Outside, five eunuchs followed behind the emperor.
Tan Jing saw her mother's eyes, which were filled with suppressed emotion, and her eyes reddened slightly.
Tan Jing didn't understand at the time, until nightfall.
He couldn't sleep and wanted to find his mother, but he heard her nestled in his father's arms, saying painfully, "Husband, if he mistreats me, I will definitely end my own life."
Tan Zhen held her tightly in his arms: "Madam, don't be afraid. I'll risk my life to prevent him from touching you."
"You must not do anything foolish."
Tan Jingsheng didn't understand the meaning of these words. Behind him, his older brother and younger sister arrived hand in hand. Seeing him standing outside their parents' house, Tan Sheng asked, "Jing, why don't you go in?"
Tan Sheng's voice was a bit loud, so Tan Jing stepped forward and covered his mouth, saying, "Big brother, little sister, let's go over there to talk."
Tan Sheng and Tan Li were pulled away from the house by him.
The group sat under the pavilion. After hearing everything, Tan Sheng's expression turned strange. Tan Jing, puzzled, asked, "Brother, why is Mother crying?"
Tan Li was even younger, babbling away. Tan Sheng picked up his little sister and solemnly instructed her, "A Jing, pretend you didn't hear anything tonight."
"clear?"
Tan Jing asked, "Why?"
Tan Sheng trembled as he gripped his hand and said, word by word, "Mother and Father are nothing, but if you tell them, you will be arrested and locked up in jail."
Tan Jing, being young, shrank back in fear: "Big brother, I don't want to go to jail, I'll forget about it."
Tan Sheng held him in his arms, seemingly lost in thought.
For several days in a row, Tan Jing often saw the so-called emperor, and every day he would give his mother many beautiful pieces of jewelry. Whenever his mother saw them, she would find a place where no one could see her and throw the jewelry away.
Tan Jing loved his mother the most and always stayed by her side. More than half a month had passed, but the emperor still showed no sign of leaving. Moreover, he often came to see his mother when no one was around. Tan Jing disliked his closeness, but his mother always told him to hold back and not to say anything out of line.
That day, the father rushed out the door, while the mother went out to attend a banquet.
Before leaving, Tan Zhen patted his eldest son on the shoulder and said solemnly, "Asheng, you are the eldest. I trust you with everything at home."
Tan Sheng responded with a heavy heart.
Tan Shengxian's first thought was of his mother, and he waited for her to return in her room.
When Tan Jing and his mother returned from the banquet, Zhou Rong saw her eldest son sitting in a chair with a silent expression as soon as she entered the door. She smiled and said, "Asheng, aren't you going to school today?"
Tan Sheng told Tan Jing about his father's hasty departure. Tan Jing was very happy because his father always made him practice swordsmanship and horse stance at home. However, he saw that his mother was flustered. Tan Sheng said to his mother, "Mother, don't be afraid."
“Ah Sheng is here.”
Seeing his resolute expression, Zhou Rong relaxed her brows and smiled, "Yes, our Asheng has grown up." In her eyes, a cloud of confusion gradually rose.
That night, thunder roared and boomed—
Tan Jing felt extremely dizzy and his body was burning up. He shook his mother awake and said, "Mother, Mother."
Zhou Rong woke up, patted Tan Li who was about to wake up, and asked softly, "A Jing, what's wrong?"
Tan Jing's throat was dry, and he had some difficulty speaking. He only managed to say one word: "Hot."
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