Chapter 170, Chapter 170 of the Passing Years...
Chapter 170 The Passing Years
For a moment, the emperor's eyes became somewhat melancholy. She thought of Mingyue Nu, who was so very young that she left this world while still in swaddling clothes, and she also thought of Mingyue, who shared a body with Ayu.
But then she smiled again, "That's good, I won't have to worry about you anymore." Although Mingyue was also her brother, Ayu's current state was still worrying, and she always wondered if he would break down at any moment. If that happened, she would lose two brothers.
Everyone assumed the emperor wouldn't be sad, especially not for her family. After all, she had almost wiped out the royal family and her maternal relatives, leaving only a few obedient and quiet kittens.
But that's because in the emperor's heart, none of them were her family. Family isn't defined by blood ties, but by feelings. Emotionally, only A-Yu was her brother, her family, and later A-Hao and Liu-Jin joined. Mingyue was practically half of A-Yu's affections.
Besides them, there was no one else. That's why the emperor searched for Gongzi Yu and Ling Hao so relentlessly after their disappearance; she was a pragmatist. For her, anything useless should be discarded, except for them, except for her six pieces of gold.
Gongzi Yu said somewhat unhappily, "He's not gone, he's just become one with me." His expression didn't seem like unhappiness, but rather awkwardness. Even though he only had this one older sister, he had never said anything gentle to her, so naturally he felt awkward.
The emperor immediately understood his implication and couldn't help but smile, saying, "That's wonderful." His expression was clearly that of the moon. So, he hadn't completely disappeared; that was for the best. "The rain is getting heavier; let's go inside."
"Mm." Gongzi Yu nodded and took Ling Hao's hand, leading her inside.
Linghao couldn't help but turn around and glance at the rain falling rapidly outside. Suddenly, she smiled.
"Ah Hao?" Gongzi Yu turned around and looked at her in confusion.
Linghao whispered, "I remember the first time I met Ayu." She had even slapped him back then because of a misunderstanding. She didn't say the rest of the sentence aloud because the emperor was nearby, and there was a little one perched on her shoulder; she didn't want to set a bad example for the child.
"It was a rainy day too." Gongzi Yu recalled the first time he saw her. "You were beautiful wielding your sword in the rain."
Ling Hao paused for a moment, then said with relief, "Really? I didn't have a mirror then, so I couldn't see." She and A Yu first met because she thought he had forcibly taken Ming Yue away, leading to a conflict and her slapping him. The person who saw her wielding a sword in the rain was Ming Yue, not A Yu.
However… Ling Hao held Gongzi Yu’s hand tightly. She should have gotten used to it by now.
Inside the hall, the three sat down to eat, while the rain outside continued to fall. Kyoto hadn't seen such heavy rain in a long time, and this rain would make life a little easier for the people in the suburbs; it was a welcome rain indeed.
For the emperor, this was even more of a welcome relief, for her loved ones had returned. Although three years had passed, they had finally come back, and that was enough.
Three years passed, and then another three years, until the emperor finally welcomed back Linghao and Gongzi Yu. Six years passed, and then another six years, and Liujin had grown into a graceful young lady.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, slow down, wait for me, wait for me!" A young man, using his light-footed skills, followed behind Liu Jin, calling out repeatedly as he couldn't catch up.
"Hey, you're so slow." Liu Jin heard the voice behind him and stopped to wait for him.
Just as Gongzi Yu had said, Liu Jin truly possessed exceptional talent for martial arts. Therefore, even though she devoted less time and effort to it than others, her martial arts skills were no less impressive. For example, even though that young man was considerably older than her, he still couldn't match her in terms of lightness skill.
"Your Highness." The young man landed in front of Liu Jin, his smile shy yet warm. "Don't run around, or your parents will scold me."
Liu Jin retorted, "I ran away on my own, why should Uncle Zhang and Aunt Zhang blame you?"
"Because I failed to protect you," the young man said earnestly.
Liu Jin said helplessly, "Wuji, you can be a little silly sometimes."
The young man—that is, Zhang Wuji—smiled and said, “It seems there is some.” He didn’t care what Liu Jin said about him.
"Sigh." Liu Jin shook his head helplessly. "Uncle said long ago that he didn't go to save Uncle Zhang and Aunt Zhang back then. He went to Wudang Mountain to cause trouble. Saving them was just a coincidence. So your Zhang family and the Wudang Sect don't owe him anything. He has no favors to you. You don't need to protect me since I was a child."
Speaking of which, this all started when Young Master Yu went crazy throughout the martial arts world back then.
When Ling Hao suddenly disappeared from the palace, Gongzi Yu couldn't find him, so he went berserk in the martial arts world. Whether it was Peach Blossom Fortress or Wanmei Manor, whether it was Mount Emei or Mount Shaoshi, he went to cause trouble everywhere. Naturally, Wudang Mountain couldn't escape his wrath either.
At that time, the eccentric young master Yu probably subconsciously felt that Ling Hao might go to join the fun, so he traveled around. Coincidentally, he happened to run into Zhang Zhenren of Wudang Mountain celebrating his 80th birthday. What's even more coincidental is that at that time, all the major sects were on Wudang Mountain, interrogating Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu about the whereabouts of Xie Xun, the Golden-Haired Lion King, and the Dragon-Slaying Saber.
Zhang Cuishan discovered that Yu Daiyan's severed limbs were related to Yin Susu. Not wanting to implicate the Wudang Sect and incur condemnation from the righteous martial arts world, and even more so, not wanting to betray Xie Xun, he prepared to commit suicide to atone for his sins and end the matter there. However, just as he was about to draw his sword and cut his own throat, Gongzi Yu appeared.
No one knew when he had come up the mountain, nor what he intended to do. When Gongzi Yu appeared before everyone in his blue robes, the atmosphere froze. It was precisely because of this momentary hesitation that Zhang Cuishan's sword was snatched away by Zhang Sanfeng.
Zhang Sanfeng didn't want to listen to Zhang Cuishan's nonsense, so he immediately sealed Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu's acupoints and instructed Song Yuanqiao to keep a close eye on the couple. Whatever the matter, Wudang Mountain could handle it itself; no righteous sect in the martial arts world could decide the fate of his disciple.
Zhang Sanfeng thought this way, and he wanted to do this. However, it wasn't his turn at all; Gongzi Yu alone dealt with all the sects present. He stole everything from them, such as the Emei Sect's Yitian Sword and the sect leader's iron ring, the Shaolin Temple master's staff, the Kunlun Sect leader's sword, and so on.
"This is no good, Ah Hao won't like it; this is alright, take it with you, Ah Hao might like it." Gongzi Yu muttered to himself as he held the stolen items, and in the end, he only kept the Heaven-Slaying Sword and the Zen Staff.
Gongzi Yu wanted to leave, but the various sects naturally couldn't agree. He wasn't entirely lucid at the time, and after only a few words, he started fighting with them. Clearly, he defeated everyone from each sect before leisurely leaving.
The various sects, having been utterly humiliated by Gongzi Yu alone, had no face to remain on Wudang Mountain. Another reason was that Zhang Sanfeng was genuinely angry, and it seemed he was about to strike. Fear gripped them, and muttering things like "we'll settle this another day," they left.
What happened next was of no concern to Gongzi Yu, nor was it about how the problems at Wudang Mountain would be resolved. He only realized that neither the Heaven-Slaying Sword nor the Zen Staff could bring his Ahao back. So he abandoned these items on Mount Hua, completely disregarding whether they were someone else's treasures. Yang Qi Fifth Generation.
Then, Lin Pingzhi helplessly told the people who had been waiting at the foot of the mountain to go and retrieve the items themselves. The Emei Sect and Shaolin Temple wanted to reprimand them, but they thought of Gongzi Yu's identity and the various restrictions the imperial court imposed on martial arts sects. They were worried that the army would surround their sects, so they could only leave in frustration.
Therefore, Gongzi Yu had inadvertently saved Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu. The matter between the couple and Yu Daiyan was also resolved. How it was resolved was unknown to outsiders; all that was known was that Yu Daiyan had stood up again, and Yin Susu had not left Wudang Mountain.
Xie Xun eventually reappeared in the Central Plains, and then died by suicide. As for Zhang Wuji, he also returned to Wudang Mountain, but seemed to be sickly for several years before somehow recovering. After recovering, he went to Mount Hua with Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu, saying he wanted to repay a debt of gratitude.
Lin Pingzhi, who was already the head of the Huashan Sect at that time, was quite helpless and could only ask Gongzi Yu for advice. Coincidentally, Gongzi Yu was on Huashan at that time, with Ling Hao.
Gongzi Yu was impatient to see anyone else, and he didn't even get to see Zhang Cuishan and his wife or Zhang Wuji. However, they learned from Zhuge Zhengwo that, apart from Ling Hao, the only person Gongzi Yu cared about most now was the current young prince.
So Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu went to the capital and, through Zhuge Zhengwo, arranged for Zhang Wuji to become the young prince's bodyguard. His martial arts skills were excellent, and his internal energy was profound; if the young prince were ever in danger, he would certainly not be unable to escape.
The emperor was quite pleased with Zhang Wuji. He possessed high internal strength, had a special background—connected to Wudang Mountain, the Eagle Sect, and even the Ming Cult—and was gentle and kind-hearted, making him the perfect bodyguard for her daughter. However, she didn't want to make enemies, so they agreed that he would only need to protect her daughter for ten years.
Zhang Wuji came to the side of Princess Liu Jin when he was twenty years old; she was only eight at the time. He saw her as a younger sister, and also as a daughter, protecting her and indulging her every whim. He protected her for more than six years.
Upon hearing Liu Jin's words, he simply smiled and shook his head, saying, "Whether it was a coincidence or not, a life-saving grace is a life-saving grace. Moreover, I promised the Emperor to protect you, and I certainly cannot break my promise."
Liu Jin gestured with his hand, "Then there are only four years left."
Zhang Wuji just smiled憨厚ly.
"Sigh." Liu Jin shook his head helplessly and sighed again. "Wuji, don't worry. Since you protected me, I will protect you in the future."
“Your Highness, you don’t need to protect me,” Zhang Wuji said. Although he called her Your Highness and regarded her as his younger sister, he knew in his heart that she would be the ruler of the world in the future, and he never made decisions for her as an older brother. Only she and the emperor could decide her affairs; all he had to do was protect her, nothing more.
That's why Liu Jin truly regarded him as an older brother. Because she saw him as an older brother, she hoped he wouldn't always devote all his energy to her; he should also have his own life, which is why she said he didn't need to continue protecting her.
However, it was obvious that these words were useless. Zhang Wuji was a blockhead; once he made a promise, he would never change it.
“I will be the ruler of the Great Zhou in the future, and I will protect all the people of the Great Zhou. Wuji, you are also my people. Am I going to kick you out of my protection?” Liu Jin retorted.
Zhang Wuji was taken aback, then smiled and nodded, saying, "What Your Highness says is absolutely right; I was being too attached to appearances." He then changed the subject, "Why was Your Highness so angry just now?"
“Because I ran into an idiot.” Liu Jin rolled his eyes. “Doesn’t he know what he looks like? He tried to use his good looks on me? That kind of person doesn’t deserve to be one of my servants, let alone my rightful ruler.”
Ever since she was twelve, there have always been some self-important men posing and flirting in front of her, which is really unsightly. They don't seem to realize that she's been surrounded by beautiful people since she was little, both men and women, all exceptionally attractive. How could she possibly be seduced by beauty?
"Alas, it's all her mother's fault. She slaughtered almost every last member of the royal family. If her mother had spared a few more so she could have killed some more, there would have been fewer fools who thought they could deceive and manipulate her." Liu Jin thought to herself.
"These again?" Zhang Wuji shook his head. "Why are there always people who can't see things clearly and who always think they're special?"
"It's probably my uncle's fault," Liu Jin said.
"Huh?" Zhang Wuji looked completely bewildered.
Liu Jin said, "Everyone knows that my uncle went crazy for my aunt. Since nephews are like uncles, some people always think that I am also the kind of person who goes crazy for love, and therefore believe that it is possible to control the entire Great Zhou through me."
Zhang Wuji: "..."
Don't those people have eyes? The young princess only looks somewhat like Gongzi Yu, but her personality is exactly like the emperor's. Apart from a few people she cares about, the young princess only cares about the country and its people.
She is going to follow a righteous path, and anyone who gets in her way will be eliminated.
"Should I go beat that guy up?" Zhang Wuji asked.
"No need," Liu Jin waved her hand. "Let him think I'm soft-hearted." She smiled slyly. "Perfect, I can achieve some goals too." Even a fool has his uses.
"Okay." Zhang Wuji silently mourned for that person and the person behind him, wishing them a safe journey ahead. "Your Highness, the Emperor just sent a message saying that Gongzi Yu and the others have returned."
"Uncle and Aunt have returned to Kyoto?" Liu Jin was overjoyed. "Quickly, let's go back right now." With that, she leaped up and flew back.
Zhang Wuji followed closely behind her.
When Liu Jin landed in the Imperial Garden, he saw a man playing the zither in the pavilion and a woman wielding a sword not far away.
The scene between them was so beautiful, like a painting. She stood there gazing at them for a long, long time.
-----------------------
Author's Note: It's time to celebrate the ending! Thank you to every single one of you for your support. Until we meet again!
P.S.: Actually, you can see my new post next door [Let me see].
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
