Yuwen Yao, Nan Lingqin, and Princess Qing rode their horses out of the city quickly and stopped at a fork in the road.
"You two are like newlyweds after a short separation, inseparable. As for me, I'll just leave it at that. My old man is still waiting for me at the Prince's Mansion."
Princess Qing was bidding farewell and was heading to the capital first.
Yuwen Yao did not stop him, but nodded slightly to show his agreement.
Beside her, Nan Lingqin thought for a moment, then looked at Princess Qing with her starry eyes focused, "Princess, have you ever had contact with Xu Yiran from your childhood? I haven't asked you about it during our journey, but your relationship with the Xu family seems unusual."
Princess Qing smiled and nodded, "She really is a shrewd person. Well, as I said before, I had some connection with the Xu family back then. Uncle Zhou was originally an old man by my side. When I married into the Qing Prince's Mansion, I originally wanted to take him with me. However, since his family was in Yunzhou City, he also wanted to enjoy his retirement nearby. In addition, he and Old Master Xu had a very close friendship and were friendly with each other, so I left Uncle Zhou in the Xu Mansion."
"The Xu family was once a prestigious clan, but it has declined for the past hundred years. I once asked them if they wanted to enter the court as officials, and I was willing to help them. However, as you and the Northern Emperor saw and heard, Master Xu has no such intention. As for Xu Yiran... I have met him. He was a very clever child when he was young, intelligent and a prodigy. He could understand many things at a glance. Everyone said he would be the hope of the Xu family, but I never expected..."
Princess Qing shook her head at this point, her expression quite cryptic, "Things are unpredictable."
Nan Lingqin frowned slightly, "In other words, Xu Yiran has shown extraordinary intelligence since childhood."
"Yes, when I broke into the Heavenly Mystery Hall at the age of eight, Xu Yiran was also about eight years old."
Suddenly, Yuwen Yao spoke up from the side.
"Such a clever person, why not keep him by your side, but instead put him in the Xu family, a family with no desire for competition... Could it be that that person is unavailable and cannot be with Xu Yiran? After all, if you really wanted to cultivate him, you should have placed him where he is needed..."
As she finished speaking, as if remembering something, Nan Lingqin's expression suddenly tightened, and her pupils instantly churned with turmoil.
"No matter what, Xu Yiran met your mother, Yun Yishang, and won her heart. She taught him the Cloud Technique and entrusted it to the Heavenly Mystery Hall."
Looking at Nan Lingqin's expression, Princess Qing said what Nan Lingqin wanted to say but hadn't yet.
It's truly terrifying to think about. If everything wasn't happening naturally but was manipulated, then the thought behind all of this... how terrifying and meticulous the intention was to hand Xu Yiran over to the Xu family.
“According to Master Xu, the voice of that person was indistinguishable from that of a man, but he was extremely tall, so he must be a man. Could he be his biological father…” Princess Qing speculated.
Silence fell.
Nan Lingqin shook her head, "But I've known Xu Yiran since I was a child. If he's been harboring such thoughts all along, why hasn't he revealed them at all?"
The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat heavy. Nan Lingqin raised her hand and frowned, but before her hand could reach her brow, another warm and broad hand landed on her brow and gently massaged it. "Don't rush."
Those two words were like a gentle spring breeze and a refreshing rain, sweeping away most of the sorrow in my heart.
"You can do something now while no one knows you're here."
Nan Lingqin agreed wholeheartedly, "It seems we must get to the bottom of this. Moreover, my Yun strength has not yet recovered, so it is not appropriate for me to enter the capital."
The two then bid farewell to Princess Qing, and asked her to deliver a letter to the Southern Qi general guarding outside the gates of Beirong City.
Afterwards, the two disguised themselves, turned onto another road, went to Baidi City, and checked into an inn.
The conversation at the inn also revolved around recent events.
"Have you heard? A few days ago, someone saw the barbarian lord in the city..."
Just as the two were about to go upstairs, they suddenly heard a sound coming from a corner of the hall. It was very soft, but Nan Lingqin and Yuwen Yao's extraordinary hearing made it clear to them. They exchanged a glance, slowed their pace, and listened intently.
“It’s true, he’s a relative of mine. He’s been to the barbarian lands before and had the honor of meeting the barbarian ruler.”
"Does that mean the barbarians are going to take this opportunity to attack Beirong...?"
"I don't know. Right now, there are 200,000 Southern Qi troops stationed outside Beirong City, a dark mass, and another 200,000 Beirong troops guarding a distance of 500 li. No one dares to make a move now, or these barbarians would be courting death..."
"Well, who can say for sure? The barbarians have always coveted our Northern Rong Pure Land."
Then came endless sighs.
Nan Lingqin was pulled into the room by Yuwen Yao.
The two addressed each other as husband and wife and only booked one room.
“What I just said wasn’t unfounded. It seems that Zhuidamu is most likely in Baidi City.” Nan Lingqin sat down, her expression somewhat solemn.
Yuwen Yao nodded, "Now that there are layers upon layers of people, Bei Rong has become a hot commodity. It's not impossible for a mayfly to shake a tree."
"yes."
Nan Lingqin sighed, her expression heavy. "Before I understand everything about Xu Yiran, what I'm more worried about is, if there's any more trouble, will Xu Yiran... massacre the city?"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Yao's brows furrowed slightly. He pulled Nan Lingqin into his arms and kissed her forehead. "Although he can control those 50,000 Yun Clan members with cloud magic, posing a threat to the entire capital, we will definitely find a way. Trust me."
“The Heavenly Secrets Hall has spies everywhere. If we make the slightest move, Xu Yiran will probably receive the news.”
"Let's go to the Lan family's place."
"The Lan family?" Nan Lingqin was taken aback, looking up at Yuwen Yao with some surprise. "The Lan family, you mean the Lan family of Baidi City, the Lan family that has been in power for a hundred years, but is gradually declining?"
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