Chapter 205 The Mist Gradually Disperses
In the main hall of the Female Mother Palace, Ruixin stood with his hands behind his back, head held high, and legs spread apart, looking confident of victory. Behind him stood his clansmen dressed in white battle robes. The two leading clansmen were using iron rods to hold up a long-haired man wearing a tattered white wide-sleeved robe, covered in blood—Xianming!
Before the throne in the main hall stood Xuanfeng, with his hair tied in a high bun, a short, dark beard, and sharp, eagle-like eyes.
"Xuanfeng!" Ruixin shouted, "Aren't you going to let Mother Yi show herself? Your father, Immortal Mingjun, murdered Elder Zhang, the husband of Immortal Qingjin! You're not qualified to interfere in this matter!"
Xuanfeng stared expressionlessly into Ruixin's eyes and asked coldly, "Ruixin, what evidence do you have to prove that Xianming killed Old Master Zhang?"
"Hmph!" Ruixin sneered and said, "What's stuck in Mr. Zhang's throat... is your father's tea knife! Isn't that evidence?"
"How do you know that the tea knife must belong to Immortal Tea Lord?" Xuanfeng continued to ask.
Clang!
Ruixin flicked his sleeve, and a sleek tea knife was thrown to the ground. "Isn't it obvious?!"
Xuanfeng lowered his eyelids and glanced at it. Although he didn't look closely, he could tell that this elegant tea knife was indeed from the Nevernight Pavilion.
Xuanfeng slowly walked up to Ruixin, raised his chin, pointed at Ruixin, and said, "How can you prove... that it was this tea knife that was stuck in Mr. Zhang's neck?"
"Huh?" Ruixin was taken aback by the question, then laughed a few times and said, "Xuanfeng, your excuses are useless! When Lord Chiyan arrived with his men, this tea knife was stuck in Old Master Zhang's neck. Lord Chiyan personally pulled it out and brought it back! You don't believe me, but don't you also believe Lord Chiyan?"
"Oh? Then..." Xuanfeng squinted, a smirk playing on his lips, and glanced behind Ruixin. "Where is Lord Chiyan?"
"Lord Chiyan went to hunt down his escaped accomplice Longjing and is not in the palace!" Ruixin said confidently.
Xuanfeng coldly curled his lip and said contemptuously, "Since you're not in the palace, then there's no way to prove it?"
"You!" Ruixin glared, then raised his voice with a cold laugh, "Xuanfeng, why bother defending your father? Your father has already confessed. Now all that's needed is for Mother Yi to come out and uphold justice for Fairy Qingjin!"
"Lord Ruixin!" Xuanfeng raised his voice, interrupting Ruixin, "What does your desire to support Jinyu in succeeding to the position of Mother of Wuji have to do with us, father and son? Why must you put us to death?!"
The words had barely left his lips when Ruixin's eye twitched violently. The icy Xianming also slowly raised her eyelids, looking at Xuanfeng in disbelief. Father and son? He meant…father and son?
Xuanfeng understood perfectly well that Ruixin's every sentence contained the phrase "your father," just to disgust him. He might as well go along with it and agree. That way, it wouldn't be clear who would disgust whom!
"Hehe!" Ruixin lowered his head and chuckled, his tone softening as he said, "I... just wanted to uphold justice for Fairy Qingjin and didn't want Old Master Zhang to die in vain! As for Jinyu... whether she can inherit the position of Mother of Limitless depends entirely on her own destiny; how could I possibly help her?"
“Ruixin Jun, upholding justice is not your job!” Xuanfeng hesitated for a moment, then turned his head slightly to look at Xianming, who was covered in wounds and blood, yet still exuded a cold and arrogant aura. He paused for a moment, then said slowly, “However, the evidence that you tortured and forced my father to confess is irrefutable!”
Ruixin followed Xuanfeng's gaze and looked back at Xianming, who exuded stubbornness. He sneered, "Whether I used torture to extract a confession is for the Empress to decide! Why bother trying to talk my way out of this?! Unless..."
Ruixin gave a wicked smile, lowered his voice, and said provocatively, "Empress Yi... can't get out!"
Xuanfeng's expression was unpredictable, but his heart trembled slightly. He understood that Xianmingjun was merely a pretext to force Empress Yi's mother to show herself! If Empress Yi's mother did not show herself for a long time, it meant that she had lost power, and judging from their posture, they would probably immediately resort to force to seize power! If Empress Yi's mother did show herself, it could also force her to deal with Xianmingjun... However, he really couldn't understand what purpose Xianmingjun could have besides disgusting him.
Xuanfeng stared intently into Ruixin's eyes, his deep blue gaze as unfathomable as an empty valley, devoid of any emotion. Ruixin's bursting ambition lost its strength in the void.
“Lord Ruixin,” Xuanfeng said slowly, “Empress Yi is currently in seclusion to recuperate, and Jinyu also needs to adapt to the new Qi field without being disturbed by the outside world. You wouldn’t want anything to happen to Jinyu, would you?”
Ruixin did not back down. Instead, she stepped forward, her firm gaze revealing heartache and worry. "Xuanfeng, you also have a daughter. If your daughter were held captive for months without any news, what would you do?!"
Xuanfeng frowned slightly. If the little one were to be... Before this hypothetical scenario had fully formed in Xuanfeng's mind, he had already resolved to destroy the world!
Perhaps feeling a sense of shared experience, Xuanfeng's imposing manner softened slightly. He shifted his gaze and said, "Lord Ruixin, you don't need to worry. Jinyu is your daughter, and also the daughter of Mother Yi. Mother Yi would never harm her!"
"Is that so?" Ruixin gave a bitter smile, a barely perceptible hint of bitterness flashing in his eyes, and said, word by word, "If it wouldn't hurt Jinyu, why would we let Jinyu take on the new Qi field? That would be excruciating pain, like having your bones torn apart!"
“If she doesn’t take over the new Qi field, Jin Yu simply cannot assume the position of the Mother of Limitless!” Xuan Feng replied, his eyes wide. “If you want Jin Yu to embark on this path, you should be prepared! This path is not easy!”
"Then I won't leave!" Ruixin's eyes suddenly reddened, and he roared, "I just want my Jinyu! Tell me! Is my Jinyu... still here?!"
Xuanfeng stared into Ruixin's eyes, and his once wise and composed gaze was now mixed with desire, contradiction, struggle, and even a hint of helplessness.
“Ruixin Jun,” Xuanfeng said in a gentle tone, “you…are overthinking it.”
"When will the Goddess Yi appear?" Ruixin pressed. "If the Goddess does not appear, I can only dare to ask the gods to judge and punish Xianmingjun with the most severe punishment to appease the public's anger!"
"Public anger?" Xuanfeng suddenly burst into laughter, leaving Ruixin bewildered, the clansmen in their battle robes exchanging bewildered glances, and Xianming with tears welling in her eyes.
"Ruixin Jun is just a tea master! If he dies, it's just a matter of emptying a position and finding someone to fill it! What's the point of talking about public outrage?" Xuanfeng tapped the corner of his eye with his fingertip, wiping away the tears of laughter, and continued, "However, you've concluded that Old Master Zhang is dead based solely on a tea knife and a set of words, and that he was killed by my father—such a weak person. That's the argument that can't convince the public!"
“Xuanfeng, Xianmingjun is your father, so you want to protect him…”
"I will not cover for anyone, but I cannot determine the truth of the matter based solely on your word!"
"The truth? Hmph!" Ruixin said coldly, "The truth is that your good father stole the Golden-Winged Butterfly from me and secretly conveyed the order to the Cleaner to kill the Righteous Heavenly Lord! I wonder if you are interested in verifying this one-sided story?"
What? !
The tranquil void seemed to have been struck by a thunderclap. Xuanfeng's Qi field showed a rare ripple. He glared at Xianming, his eyes seemingly calm, but deep down they were churning with barely concealed emotions.
Xianming closed her eyes tightly, tears streaming down her face like a waterfall.
Xuanfeng's heart sank. He realized that this "one-sided account" was actually true!
"So what?" Xuanfeng suppressed his anger, pulled his gaze away from Xianming, and then fixed it on Ruixin's eyes. He gritted his teeth and growled, "Shouldn't I thank you for clearing up the misunderstanding between us?!"
Ruixin was quite satisfied with Xuanfeng's suppressed anger and mocked, "I wonder if it's too late to clear up the misunderstanding between you and your son now, after all..."
"After all what?" A soft yet menacing, long and drawn-out voice slowly drifted over, "After all, do you not know whether I am alive... or dead?"
The long-lost, familiar voice struck the hall like a bolt of lightning, shocking everyone present.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Yi's mother, dressed in a light yellow casual robe, with her hair half-loose and her face bare, slowly walking into the main hall through the inner door, supported by Guiyue.
Everyone was shocked! Including Xuanfeng, everyone was struggling to process the shock brought about by the sudden appearance of Mother Yi!
Yimu stood before the throne, looking down at the crowd. She slightly spread her wide sleeves, slowly sat down, and said in a gentle yet powerful voice, "Misunderstandings, as long as you don't care about them and don't let them become a grudge, they are not considered misunderstandings! Whatever the truth may be, why bother to dwell on it! There is no need to investigate the reasons behind it!"
Xuanfeng composed himself, knelt down, and bowed, saying, "Your subject greets Your Majesty!"
Ruixin seemed to wake from a dream, looking slightly bewildered. He quickly knelt down and loudly proclaimed, "Your humble servant... greets... Your Majesty!"
"Greetings, Mother Goddess!" Ruixin's clansmen also kowtowed to the ground along with Ruixin.
Yi Mu slightly raised her eyelids, looked at Xian Ming who was standing alone in the main hall, covered in blood, slightly curled the corners of her mouth, looked Xian Ming up and down with contempt, and raised her eyebrows with a cold smile.
Facing the arrogant gaze of Mother Yi, Xianming gritted her teeth, lowered her eyelids, knelt down straight, and said coldly, "Xianming greets Mother Yi."
Yi Mu did not pay attention to Xian Ming's rudeness. Instead, she scanned the main hall with her eyes. Although Rui Xin had brought few clansmen, they were all dressed in battle robes and armed with weapons. They must have come prepared!
Mother Yi took a deep breath and said with a smile, "I've been in seclusion for too long! I'm sorry to have worried you all!"
"Your Majesty!" Ruixin bowed and said, "During your seclusion, I inadvertently learned that the culprit who forged imperial edicts and sowed discord between you and Xuanfeng is none other than Xianmingjun of the Nevernight Lodge! It was he who had Longjing use the opportunity of delivering tribute tea to get close to me, gain my trust, and steal the Golden-Winged Butterfly, which caused Xuanfeng to become hostile towards you! Now, Xianmingjun has gone even further, murdering Elder Zhang! His crimes have only compounded his sins. I humbly request Your Majesty to punish Xianmingjun fairly, so as to uphold the integrity of the Heavenly Palace!"
Mother Yi's face slowly darkened. She gently smoothed her disheveled hair and said slowly, "Ruixin, Jinyu has woken up, but..." Mother Yi raised an eyelid and glared at Ruixin, saying firmly, "Jinyu's talent is mediocre. Her own Qi field is severely lacking in both strength and depth! Not only can she not bear the position of the Mother of Limitless, but she can't even bear the Moon Qi of the Ice Wheel Palace! Although I intend to cultivate her, she is simply not destined for this! Ruixin!"
"Your humble servant is here!" Ruixin's heart clenched and he was startled. He bent down, his nose lightly touching the ground. Whether it was sweat or tears, he could not tell, and drop by drop, the blue bricks in front of him were soaked.
“If it’s not meant to be, why hope for it? Forcibly taking it will only result in… mutual destruction!” After saying this, Mother Yi slowly stood up. “Take Jinyu back and take good care of her. This child… has suffered.”
"yes!"
"As for Xianming, just leave it here. I will investigate the matter and make a decision when Chiyan returns!" After saying this, Mother Yi swayed slightly, and Guiyue quickly stepped forward to support her.
Yi's mother, relying on Guiyue, steadied herself and then gathered enough Qi to say, "Alright, stop kneeling and get down!"
Ruixin hesitated for a moment, then looked up slightly at Yi's mother, her heart filled with a mixture of resentment and disappointment.
"Yes!" he replied in a low voice, slowly got up, glanced at the damp marks on the ground, and retreated step by step towards the outside of the hall.
Mr. Fu clearly sent word that Lady Yi had suddenly fallen seriously ill during her seclusion and was feared to have exhausted her vital energy! Why then did she appear perfectly fine in the main hall?! It was clearly confirmed that Jin Yu had received the lunar energy and begun circulating it, so why did Lady Yi completely deny it?! Could it be… that all of this was a trap set by Lady Yi? Even Mr. Fu was deceived?! Alas! Today, what a wrong move!
The Heavenly Palace was once again abuzz with excitement over the appearance of the Mother of the Netherworld. Informants and messengers from all sides were busy sending the latest news in all directions.
The Vestibular Palace, which was at the eye of the storm, quickly returned to calm.
Yi's mother lay half-reclined on the bed, her exhaustion evident. Guiyue carefully served her medicine. Qingyue had just seen Jinyu off and brought Xianming back; the siblings were wiping away tears as they sadly reminisced.
Xuanfeng strolled around the courtyard with his hands behind his back, waiting for his mother to summon him.
I wonder how the girl is doing… Xuanfeng looked up at the cold moon, his heart filled with worry. Has the little one grown taller? Has she gotten fatter? She must be calling me "Daddy" by now! I wonder if she's tired, and if Lord Langzhi can help…
Under the cool moonlight, a faint aroma of warm tea wafted in, its rich fragrance mingled with a subtle peach scent.
Hmm? Peach flavor?
Following the aroma of tea, Xuanfeng turned several corners and finally spotted a small figure squatting by the tea stove, lost in thought, under the kitchen corridor.
"Bifang?" Xuanfeng greeted softly.
Bi Fang paused for a moment, then turned around and saw Xuan Feng. He quickly put down his teacup, stood up, slightly curtsied, and replied softly, "Greetings, Brother Xuan Feng. What brings you here? Mother has already woken up. Why didn't you go and keep her company?"
Xuanfeng looked at his youngest sister, who should be nestled in her mother's arms at an age where she was being pampered, but was now trapped in the palace, spending her days with herbs and losing her own life. She was truly pitiful.
"Oh... Her Majesty is taking her medicine, and I didn't want to disturb her, so I just wandered around." Xuanfeng pointed to the tea stove on the ground. "What kind of tea is this? It smells so sweet?"
Bi Fang bent down and poured a cup, then presented it to Xuan Feng with both hands, her cheeks flushed, and said, "I don't know what kind of tea it is, I just thought it tasted good, so I asked Rui Xin Jun for some more!"
Xuanfeng took the teacup, sniffed it, and then sipped it. It was indeed Peach Flavor! Peach Flavor comes from Jiujiao Mountain, and its production is extremely low. Apart from Guan Yue and me, only the maid has some. How could Bifang possibly get Peach Flavor from Ruixin Jun?!
"Delicious!" Xuanfeng asked with a smile. "Did you really get this from Lord Ruixin? I'll go ask for some tomorrow too!"
Bi Fang tugged at his cuffs and said with a smile, "That's really unfortunate. This tea is very fragrant and in high demand. When I went to ask for some, there was only one small packet left. If you don't mind that it's not much, you can take it!"
As he spoke, Bi Fang pulled a purplish-red medicine pouch embroidered with gold thread from his waist, and then took out a dark brown tea bag from the pouch.
"Here you go!" Although Bi Fang's actions and words were generous, a hint of reluctance was revealed in his eyes.
Xuanfeng took the tea bag and examined it. It was indeed the tea bag used when the Heavenly Palace distributed tea. He then opened the tea bag and looked at the tea leaves. It was indeed Peach Flavor, which could not possibly be found in Ruixinjun's possession!
How exactly did she get her hands on the Peach Blossom Tea? Xuanfeng thought for a long time but couldn't figure it out, so he handed the tea bag back to Bifang, saying, "Since there's so little, I won't take it. You can keep it and drink it!"
"Yes!" Bi Fang smiled and took the tea bag, carefully put it into his medicine bag, and gently tightened the strap.
"Huh?" Xuanfeng noticed a few apricot kernels strung on the strap of the Bifang medicine bag and casually remarked, "This string of things is such a waste of such a beautiful medicine bag. When Zeyuan comes back, I'll have him find you some top-quality giant clam shells."
“No need,” Bi Fang said, her face flushed, “the apricot pit is just fine!”
Xuanfeng looked at Bifang in surprise, and actually saw a hint of a young girl in love on Bifang's face.
Apricot kernel? Xuanfeng's heart skipped a beat!
Everything he didn't want to admit seemed to be confirmed at this moment! This Peach Blossom Essence was given to me by Meng Yu by Guan Yue, and that Meng Yu, that little bastard, stole it and gave it to Bi Fang?! What is he trying to do?! And who is Guan Yue then?!
"Lord Xuanfeng!" Guiyue's voice interrupted the anger that was gradually rising in Xuanfeng's heart. "The Empress has finished taking her medicine and is calling you in!"
"Understood." Xuanfeng replied, suppressing his anger. After speaking, he turned around and walked towards his mother's palace.
"Granny Guiyue, is Mother feeling any better?" Bifang asked gently.
"Your Highness, she is much better."
"Oh, that's good."
Suddenly, Xuanfeng seemed to realize something. He turned to look at Bifang, who was carrying a bowl of medicine into the kitchen...
His heart sank again!
...
"Xuanfeng, you've come?" Mother Yi, reclining on the bed, looked at Xuanfeng kneeling before her and asked weakly, "Did you go to see Xianmingjun?"
Xuanfeng stood up, looked at his mother's haggard face, and suddenly felt a pang of sorrow in his heart. He lowered his head and replied, "Your Majesty, I did not go to see Xianmingjun, but... went to see Bifang."
Yi's mother raised her eyelids in surprise and looked at Xuanfeng, "Bifang?"
"Yes!" Xuanfeng raised his head and looked at his mother. "Your Majesty, Bifang has been studying medicine with Lord Chiyan since he was a child. Your medicines are always made by Lord Chiyan himself, with Bifang personally selecting the ingredients! If... I mean if... the medicines are ineffective, would it be Lord Chiyan's responsibility, or... Bifang's?"
Yi's mother's eyes widened in shock. "Xuanfeng, you mean... Bifang?"
Xuanfeng nodded solemnly.
"Why?" I asked, trembling.
Xuanfeng pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, we all know that someone wants to destroy the world!"
Yi's mother clenched her fists. "Yes."
"That person used Xianmingjun to sow discord between me and you, creating an open conflict between us!"
"yes."
"However, he never expected that my son would hand over the Dao of Limitless, which would make Ze Yuan become the Heavenly Lord of the Dao!"
"yes."
"So, he then stirred up trouble with Tide Lord and Ze Yuan."
Her mother nodded thoughtfully.
"His bribery of Qinggan to drain the spiritual energy of the Immortal Mountain through the passage shows that he knows about your connection to the Immortal Mountain! Now, his use of Bifang to harm your body shows that he also knows about your connection to the Wuji Dao! Today, Ruixin Jun's forceful coercion using Xianming Jun must have been at that person's behest! And the reason Ruixin Jun is so confident is because he is certain that you will not reappear, and that the position of Mother of Wuji has been taken over by Jinyu! Who... could be the one to spread such news?"
Her mother's eyes welled up with tears, and she sighed deeply, "Silly child!"
"Your Majesty!" Xuanfeng knelt down before his mother with a thud and said, bowing low, "Your son... already knows who it is!"
Mother Yi wasn't surprised, nor did she press for details. Instead, she calmly nodded. "Xuanfeng, at this point, who this person is is no longer important. Because the situation has long since spiraled out of his control! He planned everything meticulously, but he never anticipated a troublemaker—Su Yuyao!"
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