Chapter 588 Countdown, 730 Days
"Countdown: 730 days!"
Little Su Bao paused slightly as she looked at the words above, a hint of surprise in her eyes.
What countdown?
The little girl quickly opened the book again and examined it carefully.
However, there was nothing inside!
But what does this countdown mean?
Su Bao didn't understand.
She stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the round moon outside. For some reason, the little girl felt a sense of urgency.
An unspeakable urgency.
Just then, a figure landed in front of her window.
It was Yunmo.
Yunmo didn't say anything, but just stayed with Xiaosubao through the window.
The two looked at the moon in the sky, and after an unknown amount of time, Su Bao popped her head out of the house.
"Mo Bao, go back to sleep, I'm going to sleep too!"
Yunmo turned around, glanced at the little girl in the candlelight, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
Then he placed a kiss on her forehead.
Su Bao paused slightly, her cheeks instantly turning crimson.
"Yunmo, you..."
Xiao Su Bao looked at Yun Mo with embarrassment and annoyance, but the latter had already disappeared.
All that remained was the boy's clear voice: "Keep moving forward, don't look back, I'll take care of everything!"
He seemed to be able to sense Xiao Su Bao's confusion.
Little Su Bao was slightly taken aback, but then she laughed.
The next morning, the emperor sent someone to summon Xiao Su Bao and Yun Mo to the palace.
Upon arriving at the palace gate, the two encountered the Second Prince, who was just entering the palace.
The Second Prince only returned early this morning; he has been extremely busy lately.
Even Xiao Su Bao's engagement didn't follow.
Seeing the young man and woman, the Second Prince smiled and said, "I didn't have time to come back yesterday, but I did have your engagement gifts sent back!"
The second prince looks much more mature than he did a few years ago, and he's become even more handsome.
His eyes looked much brighter than before, and he had a dignified air about him.
"Thank you, Second Uncle!"
Su Bao smiled and said to the Second Prince.
"Me too!"
Just then, the Third Prince arrived, his face stern, with a hint of seriousness in it.
But he's not that old, so it looks kind of funny.
The Third Prince didn't come yesterday either; he returned with the Second Prince this time.
"Greetings, Third Uncle!" Little Su Bao said obediently to the Third Prince.
Hearing Xiao Su Bao's words, the Third Prince's face lit up with a smile.
"If you don't like your engagement gift, just tell me, and I'll have someone find you something you like!" the Third Prince said gently to Xiao Su Bao.
Don't be fooled by his slightly mild demeanor at the moment; if the court officials were to see him, they would be utterly astonished!
After all, this Third Prince has been quite ruthless over the years!
Several people entered the palace together. At this time, the emperor had already finished his morning court session and was having breakfast in the empress's palace.
Hearing that Xiao Su Bao and the others had arrived, I immediately sent a few people over.
"Have you eaten?" the emperor asked the group.
Little Su Bao ate, but perhaps because she walked too much, she's burned off quite a bit of energy.
As for the second and third princes, they unceremoniously pulled Xiao Su Bao to sit down to the side.
"I've eaten, but I can still eat a little. Brother, I brought you a very special gift this time!"
The second prince chuckled and picked up the chopsticks handed to him by a palace maid, then began to eat.
He's been working so hard lately, and now he wants to take a bite of anything he sees.
The emperor was somewhat exasperated, but still said, "Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you!"
The second prince waved his hand, seemingly unconcerned.
The third prince, standing to the side, spoke up: "Elder brother, this time we've raided eleven bandit strongholds, and..."
"Alright, can we not talk about these things while we're eating? It's enough that you two are back safe and sound!"
The emperor looked helplessly at his two brothers.
Little Su Bao sat quietly eating, without saying anything.
The Empress took a liking to Little Su Bao, and would add a dish for him one minute and a chicken leg the next.
Little Su Bao enjoyed the food.
After the meal, the emperor revealed the purpose of their visit.
"Pray for blessings!" The emperor looked at Xiao Su Bao, his tone serious.
"The Great Shang Kingdom holds a blessing ceremony every ten years!"
After the emperor finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to him.
The emperor sighed, stood up, and slowly walked to the bookshelf, taking a book down from it.
"The Great Shang Dynasty has been established for over three hundred years. When our ancestor ascended the throne, he had a dream..."
The emperor spoke softly, then slowly walked to the crowd with the book in his hand.
At this moment, only a few of them were present; the other palace servants had already withdrawn.
The Empress was also hearing about this for the first time and was extremely curious.
However, they were obedient and didn't ask any questions.
"Sixty years ago, during the prayer ceremony, the Imperial Advisor predicted that the Great Shang Kingdom would face a great calamity!"
Sixty years ago?
Little Su Bao seemed to realize something, and she looked up at the emperor.
Looking at the little girl's expression, the emperor knew what she was thinking, so he continued, "Back then, the Imperial Advisor secretly found the Tang family!"
"The old man of the Tang family left the capital with his descendants and went to Tangjia Village!"
"Tangjia Village is not only the birthplace of the Tang family, but also... the birthplace of the royal family!"
The emperor only learned of these secrets after he became emperor.
The Tang family and the royal family actually share the same ancestry.
The Tang family lineage simply remains hidden in the shadows, while the royal family appears in public!
The reason the emperor treated Tang Bugui so well was because he knew that Tang Bugui, to some extent, was also related to the future of the royal family.
In a way, Tangjia Village back then also represented the Great Shang Dynasty.
Even after so many years, the Tang family line still hasn't been able to solve that problem.
Until Xiao Su Bao appeared.
The emperor snapped out of his reverie and handed the book to Xiao Su Bao.
Little Su Bao was taken aback, but still took the booklet into her hands.
The second and third princes quietly approached, their eyes gleaming with a hint of intense desire.
This was something they had never known before!
"Now it is exactly the tenth year. According to the Grand Preceptor's prophecy, the Western Regions Kingdom will disappear in this year, and then various natural and man-made disasters will occur in various countries!"
The emperor clenched his fist slightly, a determined glint in his eyes.
"And the Great Shang Kingdom will also enter a crisis... The heavens will break open... Natural disasters will strike!"
Almost the instant the emperor spoke, thunder rumbled in the sky, as if something was spying on them.
Xiao Su Bao felt a sudden pang of fear. She looked up and sensed an unprecedented sense of crisis.
Yunmo held Xiaosubao's hand tightly.
The second prince was startled by the lightning and couldn't help but glare at his elder brother reproachfully: "Brother, you're quite something, you successfully scared me!"
The second prince said somewhat dejectedly, then looked at Xiao Su Bao and Yun Mo: "Don't listen to my eldest brother's alarmist talk. It's just a prayer for blessings. When the time comes, we'll just go through the motions..."
The emperor could only watch helplessly as his second brother completely ruined the atmosphere.
However, after a pause, the emperor continued, "This time, the prayer for blessings must be performed at the summit of Mount Tai. Only from there can it be done!"
The summit of Mount Tai is the legendary site where gods were conferred titles!
Little Su Bao's heart pounded, as if those two words had triggered something.
Her pupils slowly turned gold.
He wasn't in a very good state overall.
In recent years, except when necessary, the little girl with golden eyes has not come out.
But this time, things have clearly changed.
Yunmo's body also faintly emitted black energy, but no one could see it.
Only the emperor seemed to vaguely sense something, but that feeling quickly disappeared.
"Your Majesty, what do you need me to do?"
Little Su Bao looked at the emperor. Since the emperor had sent her here, he must want her to do something.
The emperor was silent for a moment, then said, "I need you to go and pray for blessings as the Holy Maiden of the Great Shang Kingdom, and you must travel on foot."
"The journey cannot exceed one hundred days, and no one but the Holy Maiden can accompany her!"
The emperor looked at Xiao Su Bao with a hint of guilt in his eyes.
If it weren't for this recurring dream tormenting him these past few days, he truly wouldn't want Xiao Su Bao to leave like this.
"You can only walk there step by step by yourself?" Xiao Su Bao was stunned, and subconsciously repeated the sentence.
"no!"
Before the emperor could say anything, the men replied in unison.
The second prince went even further, asking, "Brother, are you stupid? How many miles is it from the capital to Mount Tai?"
"And what if Xiao Su Bao, a little girl, encounters any danger on the road?"
"Also, brother, not all the men in our Great Shang Kingdom are dead yet, why do we have to send a young girl? If it really doesn't work out, let me go. I'll just wear women's clothes and be a woman!"
The second prince roared.
He genuinely regarded Xiao Su Bao as his own junior, having watched her grow up, and naturally couldn't bear to see her in danger.
The emperor rolled his eyes.
If he could, he certainly wouldn't let Xiao Su Bao go!
There's nothing we can do!
"This is something Su Bao has to handle herself; it's... her own choice!"
Just then, Wang Mingtian walked in from outside.
His eyes became even redder, as if they could drip blood.
Little Su Bao looked slightly surprised when she saw her master come in.
Master has been missing for more than three years!
How could it suddenly appear?
"This is the path you chose, so you have to walk it completely by yourself. No one can do it for you!"
Wang Mingtian walked up to the little girl and looked at the tiny baby who was almost as big as him. His eyes were filled with relief, but also a sense of helplessness.
"This time, it's all up to you!"
He reached out and touched the little girl's hair, just like when she was a child.
Suddenly, some memories surfaced in Xiao Su Bao's mind.
It seems that Master has already donated his own blood several times. The last time, Master said that he could only try for three more years...
"Master, can't we use blood this time?" the little girl asked instinctively.
After all, she vaguely seemed to have heard someone say something about what could be done with her own blood.
Wang Mingtian shook his head: "It won't work!"
He wanted the little girl to mature a bit more, but they didn't have the time.
My trip to Mount Tai was also the last one...
"I can go!" Yunmo couldn't help but say hurriedly, his eyes filled with an unusual anxiety.
Wang Mingtian shook his head.
"The karma between you... is not enough!"
Wang Mingtian suddenly thought of something and then said, "If you two get married, perhaps you can both be together!"
Wang Mingtian did some quick calculations.
Almost at the same time, a torrential downpour suddenly began.
The lightning roared, and something seemed to be howling madly in the darkness.
The little white fox in Wang Mingtian's arms suddenly widened its eyes and then started squeaking.
Wang Mingtian ignored it, but soon he figured out some of the movements.
"If you wish, you can... cough cough... October... cough cough cough cough..."
Wang Mingtian coughed so hard he almost passed out, and his hair was rapidly turning white.
The once radiant skin on his face instantly turned ashen.
"Number One, that day of your wedding is your last chance!"
"puff!"
Almost as soon as Wang Mingtian finished speaking, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Master!" Little Su Bao stood nervously to the side, her eyes full of worry.
The little white fox in Wang Mingtian's arms cried even louder, but in the end it could only lie in Wang Mingtian's arms and slowly transfer its spiritual power to him.
Once they were certain that Wang Mingtian wouldn't die, the little white fox curled up and lay down quietly.
Wang Mingtian recovered, and although his hair was white, his skin had returned to its previous state.
"I'm fine now. You all get ready. We'll get married in a month and a half!"
Wang Mingtian held the little white fox in his arms and spoke softly.
His time is running out!
Little Su Bao paused slightly, realizing that her master had already given it his all.
She nodded, one of her hands already being held in Yunmo's hand.
"We understand!"
Little Su Bao took a deep breath, having already made up her mind.
This time, Wang Mingtian did not leave.
When Xiao Su Bao returned home and told Qian Shi and the others about it, Qian Shi's heart clenched.
"Is that dangerous for you?"
Qian asked nervously.
Xiao Su Bao was silent for a moment. Thinking of her master's desire for her to marry Yun Mo, she knew that the journey would not be too peaceful.
But Xiao Su Bao didn't want Qian Shi to worry, and for a moment she didn't know how to tell Qian Shi.
"I disagree with this!" Madam Qian said firmly as she looked at Xiao Su Bao.
"I disagree!"
Yang Nuannuan walked in. Now, Yang Nuannuan had changed her hairstyle to that of a married woman, and she looked young and beautiful.
She walked in from outside.
At this moment, she and Xiao Su Bao look remarkably alike.
To be precise, Yang Nuannuan now looks exactly like Lan Shuyu back then.
She held her baby in her arms, her eyes filled with worry: "Baby, I don't want you to be in danger. If possible, I can go in your place!"
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