Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
In that era, it goes without saying that the consequences of premarital pregnancy were severe.
Yun Kong's mother was deeply shamed by her family from a prestigious background and was directly cast out.
The Mother of Yun Kong, feeling she had lost all face, did not seek out Yun Kong's father after leaving home. After carrying Yun Kong for ten months and giving birth, she entrusted him to a kind-hearted poor couple in the countryside, leaving behind a letter, and then disappeared without a trace.
It wasn't until Yun Kong became aware of his surroundings that he was found by the Eastern Kingdom King, who had been tirelessly searching for him. The letter from his mother confirmed his identity.
According to Yun Kong, when the Eastern Kingdom King saw that letter, tears streamed down his face. On one hand, he lamented the lost youth of Yun Kong's mother; on the other hand, he felt comforted to have Yun Kong.
In Yun Kong's young heart, it was his father's irresponsibility that harmed his mother, leading him to refuse acknowledgment of his father. However, his mother's letter still compelled him to recognize his ancestry.
Thus, Yun Kong naturally became the most cherished person of the Eastern Kingdom King, which remained a secret between them.
Unfortunately, this good fortune did not last long; the Eastern Kingdom King later fell ill and passed away. Yun Kong had no intention of living in the Eastern Kingdom and continued to reside in the Central Plains, solely hoping to find his biological mother one day.
...
Yun Kong's experiences left Mei Shuang feeling deeply moved; she never expected that Yun Kong had such a tragic background. A prince of the Eastern Kingdom had ended up in such circumstances. Indeed, those who are determined to renounce worldly life must have endured an unbearable journey.
"Then why did you become a monk at Dazhao Temple?" Mei Shuang asked, astonished by Yun Kong's background yet curious about what led him to see through worldly matters.
Yun Kong's gaze momentarily dulled as he pressed his lips together and avoided answering the question.
"Alright then, since you are neither from Yamataikoku nor under Queen Himiko's command, what is the story behind that 'Dragon Coiled, Eagle Wing' you have?"
"Guess," Yun Kong suddenly raised an eyebrow and asked.
Mei Shuang focused her thoughts and said, "Alright, if you weren't lying just now, I guess that thing was either taken from someone else or belongs to Mei Ru..."
Yun Kong put away the token and nodded, "You're right; this item was indeed taken from someone else..."
Mei Shuang suddenly understood, "So that's why you're being hunted?"
"That's correct."
Mei Shuang tilted her head and thought for a moment. "Does Mei Ru know about your background?"
Yun Kong's gaze flickered slightly as he shook his head. "No, she doesn't."
Mei Shuang sighed in relief. "If she knew your true identity, she probably wouldn't trust you at all... Well, after going around in circles, I finally understand. You mean you are a descendant of the Eastern Kingdom, so naturally, you wouldn't ignore the destruction of your clan. You saved me probably because of the rumors that I could save the Jiu Rang Family from disaster?"
Yun Kong remained silent for a while before suddenly asking, "Why did you say earlier that Mei Ru is the savior of the Eastern Kingdom? And why did Mei Ru make you swallow poison?"
Mei Shuang turned away dismissively. "Didn't you hear and see everything? My previous actions hurt Mei Ru deeply, so it's only natural that she would hate me to the core. Moreover, she can save you, which shows her medical skills are exceptional. But if someone studying medicine has ill intentions, even good medicine can be turned into poison. Therefore, she used her methods to harm me in a way that others would find difficult to detect... Is that hard to understand?"
Yun Kong didn't press further but simply said, "Then let me know when you're ready to tell me..."
Mei Shuang hesitated for a moment before quickly walking ahead.
Yun Kong's words suggested he had sensed something; he felt she still hadn't fully trusted him, which was why she was reluctant to speak.
Thinking of this, Yun Kong could only smile bitterly.
He wanted to tell her the truth, but he had a prior agreement with someone, and he was only protecting her safety.
Mei Shuang walked silently, but her heart was in turmoil.
She finally understood why Mei Ru had been so ruthless in executing her. Even Yun Kong knew that she had no sisterly feelings for Mei Ru; how could Mei Ru not hold a grudge against her? However, she had never realized that Mei Ru was not only skilled in medicine but also adept at using poison. The fragmented scenes from her dreams vividly illustrated the secret she had inadvertently discovered about Mei Ru. Those discoveries had brought her disaster. Mei Ru could only silence her by killing her, ensuring that there would be no future troubles...
Ultimately, to untie the knot, one must confront the person who tied it; only Mei Ru herself knew what curse had caused the Jiu Rang Family to slowly decline as if being devoured.
Unfortunately, she currently had no way to explain this matter to Yun Kong.
It was clear that Mei Ru had saved Yun Kong's life; he did not want to openly sever ties with her. Even if he did, he likely would not believe Mei Shuang's words.
Well, she would just have to wait and see how things unfolded.
Moreover, Mei Shuang couldn't understand why Yun Kong, being from the Eastern Kingdom, was still involved when the Eastern Kingdom had already broken ties with Mei Ru. Wasn't that a sign of wavering loyalty?
The midday sun grew increasingly intense; even sitting under the thick shade of trees made her feel sweaty all over.
Mei Shuang's mouth was dry and parched; she had been lost in thought for so long that her head ached. The water from the herbal pouch ran out quickly.
A few people dared not take the main road and could only seek out smaller paths.
The small path was rarely traveled, and after walking for a long time, they hadn't seen a single house.
As the sun was about to set, Mei Shuang stumbled upon a small tea stall.
After a day of walking, feeling both dry and thirsty, she rushed over and drank several pots of tea before finally feeling refreshed.
The tea stall was run by an elderly couple dressed simply, with kind faces. Seeing Mei Shuang's desperate thirst, they even prepared a pot of mung bean soup for her, which made her gratefully say "thank you" repeatedly.
After a long day of travel, the weary passersby were relieved when the elderly couple went home, leaving the tea stall for them to rest temporarily.
"Finally encountered some good people..." After taking a hot shower, Mei Shuang quickly fell into a deep sleep.
At night, the sky was dotted with stars and the moon was bright.
The thatched hut stood out somewhat awkwardly by the roadside overgrown with grass. Mei Shuang and Xiang Cao slept inside the hut while Yun Kong leaned against a post outside, sleeping as well.
Although this path was rarely traveled, it was still wise to remain vigilant.
As soon as Mei Shuang lay down, she began to dream. The scenes in her dream were chaotic, filled with many delicious foods that emitted enticing aromas, making her mouth water.
To her surprise, she actually found herself eating; a soft cake floated right to her mouth. However, the cake was too large and blocked her nose.
Struggling to breathe, she shook her head repeatedly in an attempt to get rid of the cursed cake. But it was futile. Growing anxious, she raised her hand to pry away the cake but instead hit something hard.
Startled, she opened her eyes and realized that it was Yun Kong covering her mouth. The cake had merely been a figment of A Dream of Southern Branch.
Seeing Yun Kong leaning over her, her first instinct was that he intended to take advantage of her.
She was furious and about to explode when she saw Yun Kong signaling her not to move, while cautiously observing and listening to the surroundings.
Seeing the brilliance in Yun Kong's pitch-black eyes, Mei Shuang's drowsiness vanished. Her heart skipped a beat, and she began to nervously thump in her chest, inwardly lamenting, "Damn it, why does it feel like there's danger everywhere I go?"
Looking around, she noticed that Xiang Cao was nowhere to be found.
She glanced at Yun Kong, who wore a serious expression and shook his head, indicating he didn't know.
Mei Shuang's first reaction was that Xiang Cao had probably drunk too much tea during the day and had gone out at night, only to be discovered by someone, thus attracting enemies.
Mei Shuang raised her hand to push Yun Kong's hand away and gently sat up. She looked around the shabby straw hut and felt a wave of panic.
This place could be blown down by a gust of wind; it wasn't even a proper hiding spot. What should they do?
Yun Kong had already pulled her up and lightly jumped down from the makeshift wooden bed made of planks. He quickly walked out of the hut and then quietly hid under a large tree behind it.
Yun Kong's hearing was exceptionally good; within moments, dull and chaotic hoofbeats echoed along the path.
Mei Shuang felt puzzled; the hoofbeats shouldn't make such noise, and this sound should have been audible from far away. Why did it only become noticeable when they were close?
She cautiously peeked out and saw in the bright moonlight that not far from the Tea Shed, several horses were carrying people cloaked in night attire. They reined in their horses, also surveying the somewhat conspicuous tea shed by the roadside.
Before long, one of them dismounted and quickly ran over to the tea shed. He carefully circled around it, reached out to check the temperature of the straw inside, then looked at the ashes under the tea stove. Afterward, he swiftly turned around and said something to those still on horseback.
It was clear that he was very professional.
The straw she had just slept on still retained warmth. Moreover, the firewood under the tea stove had not stopped burning for the sake of bathing. At the same time, Mei Shuang also noticed that the horse's hooves were wrapped in soft leather, no wonder it made no sound when running. Clearly, they were well-prepared, but it was unknown who they were.
Sure enough, the person on the horse said, "In that case, it means they haven't gone far."
Mei Shuang's heart sank as she anxiously glanced at Yun Kong beside her, while inwardly complaining about where that silly girl Xiang Cao had gone. How could the usually clever girl suddenly disappear?
Xiang Cao had not slept well all night after drinking too much mung bean soup during the day; her stomach had been churning repeatedly.
As she emerged from the forest, she spotted Mei Shuang and Yun Kong hiding behind a large tree, as well as the men in black on the road.
She silently cursed her luck; earlier, while she was taking care of business, she had heard faint hoofbeats but hadn't expected them to arrive so quickly. Fortunately, Yun Kong and Mei Shuang had already come out.
However, they were so close now, and there were quite a few of them; escaping would not be easy.
Xiang Cao dared not move recklessly. As she thought about how to alert Yun Kong, she saw one of the men in black raise a hand and nock an arrow. With a swift motion, he shot it toward the Thatch Hut.
Then came a muffled sound followed by a loud "boom," and a ball of flames shot up into the sky, instantly engulfing the Thatch Hut.
The three of them were taken aback; they were directly burning people alive—how cruel!
Comment 0 Comment Count