Chapter 105 The Terrifying Xuanfeng
Xuanfeng strode confidently into the territory of the Vermilion Bird Palace. A flash of light revealed Langzhi grabbing Bi Rong by the collar and slapping him repeatedly across the face.
Xuanfeng frowned slightly, but did not ask any questions.
"My lord!" Qi Men had been waiting for a long time. Seeing Xuan Feng arrive, he quickly came forward and presented a stack of papers. "My lord! These are the matters that Young Master Guan Yue has submitted, which require his approval!"
“Okay.” Xuanfeng took it and examined it one by one as he walked.
After flipping through a few pages, Xuanfeng frowned and handed the paper back to Qimen. "Is there more?"
"Yes!" Qimen presented a few more leaves. "The coded message!"
Xuanfeng twirled the leaf, his brows furrowing even more.
After he had plucked each leaf, he spread his hand, and the leaves turned to ashes.
Where are they?
"They're all inside the inner palace!"
Let's go!
The Xuanfeng Qi field flared slightly, carrying a hint of anger, as it strode up the mountain path, heading straight for the main hall at the end.
The main hall was bustling with people, and Xuanfeng looked at the various people in the hall with surprise.
"Immortal Master," Xuanfeng stopped outside the hall and asked in a low voice, "What's the matter with so many people here?"
Qimen sighed, "My lord, please go to the inner hall first!"
Xuanfeng looked at Qimen's hesitant expression and became even more puzzled.
He lifted his robe and stepped into the hall. The crowd, which had been rustling just moments before, immediately fell silent and dispersed to both sides.
Xuanfeng walked into the crowd and suddenly felt an inexplicable embarrassment, a sense of shame he had never felt before.
Xuanfeng, holding his breath, entered the inner hall under the watchful eyes of everyone.
There were few people in the inner hall, only Qingyue, Guanxiao, and Guanyue.
He sighed, puzzled, and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. What's wrong with me? What did I do wrong? I've never felt this uneasy even after marrying into the wolf clan!
"Lord Xuanfeng!" Guan Xiao bowed and said, "The reinforcements sent by Lord Leiming have arrived. Once the flood recedes, we will be able to rebuild the disaster-stricken areas of Jiujiao Mountain!"
"Alright." Xuanfeng sat in the main seat, adjusted his wrist guards, and shouted sternly, "Guan Yue!"
Guan Yue stepped forward, "Your humble servant is here!"
Xuanfeng questioned, "Jiujiao Mountain has been suffering from floods for days, so why is there post-fire reconstruction in your report?"
"..."
"Guan Yue, Jiujiao Mountain is the root of immortal mountains. Every tree there carries the spirit of immortals. Do you know how many immortal connections will be severed by burning down this mountain?"
Guan Yue lowered his head and remained silent.
"Furthermore, there are many precious medicinal herbs on that burned grassland. Do you know how great a loss that is?"
Guan Yue frowned slightly, but remained silent.
"I remember you led the construction of the burned-down plank road. Have you forgotten how difficult it was to build it?"
Guan Yue's chest heaved as he knelt down, lifting his robe, "This humble servant is incompetent!"
Xuanfeng looked at Guan Yue kneeling before him and couldn't understand why he would rather take all the blame than reveal who was responsible for the fire.
"Guan Yue, although it wasn't mentioned in your report, I suspect that the bombing of Yu Qing's memorial tablet might also be related to this wildfire?"
Guan Yue's eyes flickered. "My lord, it is my dereliction of duty. I failed to manage the branch well and protect the Nine Suburbs Mountain..."
"Who is it?" Xuanfeng asked loudly. He didn't want to wait any longer, because he was really curious about who Guan Yue was protecting.
“Xuanfeng,” Qingyue suddenly spoke up, “Since the wildfire has already caused damage, let’s think about how to rebuild. Assigning responsibility… won’t undo the damage…”
Xuanfeng frowned, looked at Qingyue in surprise, and asked incredulously, "Aunt, what...did you say?"
Qingyue guiltily touched her forehead and said, "Time is of the essence, let's talk about accountability later!"
Although Xuanfeng was full of doubts, he also felt that Qingyue's words made sense, so he said, "Guan Yue, you are the King of Steles of Jiujiao Hall, so you are still in charge of the reconstruction! First, identify the places that need to be rebuilt and repaired, explain them clearly to Leiming, and start construction as soon as the flood recedes! Also, send someone to replace Uncle Qimeng and Meng Yu, as they still need to return to Yinlu Mountain to deal with the flood situation there."
"Yes!" Guan Yue bowed his head in response, then got up and left.
Qingyue watched Guan Yue leave the inner hall, then took out a piece of ice from her sleeve. With a burst of energy, the ice melted, revealing half of a fish fin. "Xuanfeng, take a look!"
Xuanfeng took the fish fin and immediately saw the clue.
He twirled the fish's fin and said with a sneer, "They're so careless? It seems Lord Tide still hasn't learned his lesson!"
Qingyue said angrily, "Xuanfeng, this time they came with the intention of destroying Jiujiao Mountain! They even smashed Langzhi to pieces! If it weren't for Yao'er, how could we have stopped the flood so quickly?!"
"Girl?!" Xuanfeng's already puzzled mind was now filled with another question.
He retracted his fins and asked seriously, "Aunt, the coded message only stated the key points. What exactly happened? Why is resolving the flood related to the girl?"
"Ah...this..." Qingyue twisted her sleeves, not knowing where to begin.
Xuanfeng looked at Qingyue's unusual behavior and had a bad feeling.
“Aunt,” Xuanfeng stared at Qingyue, who was unusually flustered, and asked again, “The coded message mentions Yu Ji’s tears and the passage. Is it… also related to you, girl?!”
Qingyue nodded solemnly and said, "Yao'er, you can see Yu Ji's tears!"
"What?!" Xuanfeng stared wide-eyed in shock.
"And another thing! Yao'er might have multidimensional channels on her body!" Qingyue expressed her concern.
Xuan Feng jumped to his feet. "What?! A passage?!"
...
Su Yuyao slept very peacefully and sweetly until the aroma of food wafted into the room, waking her up.
Su Yuyao stretched lazily, rubbed her eyes, and sat up.
"Bai Er... Bai Er... help me get dressed..." Su Yuyao called out lazily.
"Here you are, Miss!" Bai Er carried the soup bowl into the room and carefully placed it on the table.
"Hmm? What kind of soup is this? It smells so good!" Su Yuyao sat on the bed, craning her neck to look at the table.
While helping Su Yuyao get dressed, Bai Er whispered, "Miss, this is bone broth that Miss Yuqing brought!"
"Miss Yuqing?" Su Yuyao glanced at Bai Er, "What kind of bewitching potion did Yuqing give you?"
"Miss!" Bai Er helped Su Yuyao tie her hair up and said softly, "Miss Yuqing heard that Lord Langzhi was angry with you, so she specially made bone broth for you! She said she was afraid you would be angry with Lord Langzhi, so that you would drink the soup and not hold a grudge against him!"
She glanced at the milky white soup, swallowed hard, and said, "Go tell Yuqing not to be so presumptuous. If Lady Qingyue sees this, I'll get scolded again!"
"Miss, are you not angry anymore?" Bai Er asked with a smile.
Su Yuyao recalled Lang Zhi's angry expression and the way he raised his hand to slap her. Although she no longer felt the disappointment and fear she had felt at the time, she was still a little angry.
She pursed her lips. "Give me a bowl first! I'll try it and then decide!"
...
Qingyue and Guanxiao looked uneasily at Xuanfeng, who was fidgeting with his fingers, frowning, and with a serious expression.
"So...it was the girl who disturbed the multidimensional channel, which gave me the opportunity to rush out, but when I rushed out, I accidentally...blew her up..." Xuanfeng rubbed his forehead in lingering fear.
After a long pause, Xuanfeng finally spoke again, asking, "Have you had Granny Zhong take a look?"
“I’ve checked, and there’s no problem so far! However…” Qingyue said hesitantly, “The multidimensional channel may have activated Yao’er’s innate Qi field, but Yao’er’s abilities are currently limited, and she can’t control it at all…”
"The wildfire," Xuanfeng rubbed his forehead, smiling helplessly as he asked, "is it also related to that girl?"
"Uh... um..." Qingyue admitted with difficulty.
In the past, Qingyue would have told Xuanfeng about all the troubles Su Yuyao had caused without Xuanfeng even having to ask.
But now, Qingyue is also instinctively helping Su Yuyao cover up.
Xuanfeng sighed. That explained it. That's why Guan Yue was willing to take all the blame himself rather than hand over the culprit...
Hmm? Why is Guan Yue...?
Xuanfeng's doubts deepened. He didn't want to admit his doubts; if his doubts about Guan Yue were true, it would be too unbelievable!
"Why did that girl cause the wildfire?" Xuanfeng had too many questions.
"Hmm..." Qingyue's expression became even more troubled.
"My lord, it's... Yu Qing's memorial tablet was blown up, so..." Guan Xiao whispered a reminder from the side.
"Hmm? Yuqing?" Xuanfeng looked at Guanxiao with a puzzled expression.
Guan Xiao glanced at Qing Yue, whose expression was unnatural, opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.
Yu Qing? She sounds like a gentle and tender woman… Aunt, why… Lang Zhi?! Girl?
"Aunt, Yuqing and Lord Langzhi...?" Xuanfeng asked cautiously.
Qingyue lowered her head and remained silent.
"Ah..." Xuanfeng rubbed his nose and asked tentatively, "The girl knows? So she..."
Qingyue remained silent with her head down.
Xuanfeng sighed, as if some fragmented doubts had slowly pieced together a logical ethical love story.
You brat! Always causing trouble!
"Aunt, why did you say that the flood was resolved so quickly thanks to the girl?" Xuanfeng asked again after sorting out some of his thoughts.
“Because… Yao’er cut off the fins,” Qingyue replied.
"What?!" Xuanfeng's face twitched, seemingly shocked again despite his reluctance.
"How...how did she cut it?" Xuanfeng had never felt so vulnerable. He was afraid to hear the truth, but he had no choice but to know.
"When Yao'er heard that Langzhi was in danger, she took... people and went out..." Qingyue swallowed and continued, "Then... Yao'er saw Yu Ji Lei, and she took... people and started fighting with Yu Ji Lei..."
Xuanfeng narrowed his eyes, coldly observing Qingyue's familiar, guilty expression. "Aunt, what I'm asking is, how was it cut?"
“Oh…” Qingyue swallowed again and said, “It’s just… Yao’er accidentally fell into the water, and then a fish fin stretched out…”
"Where is the water from?" Xuanfeng asked sharply.
“That… the flood in the canyon…” Qingyue clutched her chest nervously.
Even Qimen was terrified. Let alone whether there were fish fins reaching out in the flood, just falling into the floodwaters of the canyon and surviving would be a stroke of luck!
"Aunt!" Xuanfeng couldn't take it anymore. She stood up abruptly, hands on her hips, pacing back and forth. "You don't need to say anything! Go and find me the person who went to cut the fish fins with Su Yuyao!"
He really couldn't understand how his usually aloof and cold aunt could be like Su Yuyao, hesitating and stammering when asked questions, and never getting to the point!
"Ah...the people who went with me..." Qingyue didn't know if Xuanfeng would be angry after learning the truth, but it was indeed impossible to hide this matter any longer...
...
Su Yuyao slurped down the whole bowl of bone broth, burping and slurping up the big bones, saying, "The soup is delicious, but there's no meat! Next time, ask Yuqing to put in more meat!"
"Great!" Langzhi walked in with a hearty laugh. "Yao'er, if you want to eat it, I'll have her make it again!"
As soon as Su Yuyao saw Lang Zhi walk in, she threw down the bone and turned around. Even though she wasn't so angry anymore, she just didn't want to forgive him easily!
"Yao'er?" Lang Zhi peeked at Su Yuyao's puffed-up face and asked softly, "What kind of soup do you want to drink? What kind of meat do you want to eat? Tell Grandpa, and Grandpa will have your Aunt Yuqing make it for you!"
"Hmm?" Su Yuyao sensed something was off about the conversation, turned her head to stare into Lang Zhi's eyes, and asked, "What do you mean, 'my Aunt Yuqing'?"
Lang Zhi grinned and chuckled, "Yao'er, don't be so hostile towards your Aunt Yuqing! This morning, when those parents were complaining about you, your Aunt Yuqing spoke up for you quite a bit!"
"Hmph! Who knows if she was saying nice things or adding fuel to the fire?!" Su Yuyao said with a pout. "If she was saying nice things for me, would you be so angry?! And... and even hit me!" Su Yuyao became more and more aggrieved as she spoke, and tears were about to fall.
"Oh dear! That's because Grandpa was so worried about you. You know... Okay, okay... I won't say anymore..."
Looking at Su Yuyao's fierce glare with tears in her eyes, Langzhi realized it was exactly the same as Tuan Yue's. How come Tuan Yue's intelligence and quick learning ability weren't inherited, but her temper was just as strong, even surpassing it...
"Grandpa was wrong, Grandpa was wrong," Langzhi said with a smile, trying to coax him. "Don't be angry. You see, you made a mistake and you had a chance to correct it. You have to give Grandpa a chance to correct it too!"
"Hmph! You don't need to change your ways! I know you're trying to please me to please the Empress! Let me tell you the truth! The Empress is only concerned about me now because of Xuanfeng! If I'm no longer of value to Xuanfeng, the Empress will stop caring about me! If you really want to please the Empress in the long run, go and please Feihua! The Empress loves Feihua the most!"
Langzhi stared blankly at Su Yuyao, every word Su Yuyao uttered piercing Langzhi's heart.
“Yao’er,” Langzhi said earnestly, “Empress Qingyue has no children of her own, so she treats you all as her own! Especially you! She told me personally that you are her…most beloved child!”
“Grandpa Langzhi, you don’t need to comfort me,” Su Yuyao sighed. “When Feihua and I have a conflict, the Empress always scolds me! When I go to see Xuanfeng, the Empress also reprimands me! When the Empress hits me in anger, she hits me very hard… I know my status… that’s why I kindly advised you not to waste your energy on me!”
Langzhi looked at Su Yuyao with tears in her eyes. That silly child! That silly Tuanyue!
Su Yuyao looked up at Lang Zhi, whose eyes were filled with tears. This genuine remorse made Su Yuyao instantly satisfied.
"Grandpa Langzhi, please don't cry! I forgive you! But you mustn't take your anger out on me again next time!"
"Yao'er, don't worry! Grandpa will never lose his temper with you again!" Lang Zhi looked at the innocent Su Yuyao with heartache and replied with a smile...
Having drunk her fill of bone broth and slept enough, Su Yuyao couldn't stay still any longer.
"Feihua! Feihua!" Su Yuyao ran to Feihua's room. "Let's go out and play!"
Feihua was sitting there in a daze when she heard Su Yuyao's words. She just shook her head blankly and said, "No, I'll get scolded."
Ignoring Fei Hua's refusal, Su Yuyao grabbed Fei Hua's hand and walked outside. "Fei Hua! Let's go play with Bai Hu and the others under that big tree! If the Empress and Xuan Feng ask, just say you went there, and you won't get scolded!"
Feihua looked at Langzhi in the courtyard and shook her head in fear.
Su Yuyao smiled and comforted him, "Don't be afraid, Feihua! Grandpa Langzhi already knows he was wrong and won't get angry anymore!"
"Oh, okay, okay." Fei Hua quickly regained her composure.
Su Yuyao, holding Feihua's hand, was about to step out of the room when Fangchun stopped her.
"Miss! Where are you taking the fairy this time?"
"Granny Fangchun! Don't worry, we won't go far. We'll just play under that big tree down there!" Su Yuyao said with a grin. "Xuanfeng is back, what are you worried about? Besides, Feihua is cooped up in the house all day, how pitiful! She should go out for some fresh air!"
Fangchun sighed helplessly and said, "Then go ahead, but be careful, don't cause trouble, and come back soon!"
"Don't worry!" Su Yuyao grabbed Feihua and ran out of the courtyard...
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