Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"Why did you bring me here?" Rong Yi frowned at Yun Tianmo, looking mysterious, thinking he had something important to discuss, but it turned out he brought her to a restaurant.
Yun Tianmo did not answer, only gestured for Rong Yi to enter.
"Master." The shopkeeper seemed surprised that Yun Tianmo arrived so quickly and hurriedly came out from behind the counter to greet him.
"Are the people here?" Yun Tianmo asked.
The shopkeeper was momentarily taken aback, glancing curiously at Rong Yi beside him. Then he realized that since Master could ask in front of this person, he had nothing to worry about and nodded in response, "Two have arrived; the dishes have just been served."
It turned out the shopkeeper had already recognized who was in the private room on the second floor and had quickly sent a message to Yun Tianmo.
After that, without needing Yun Tianmo to explain, the shopkeeper bowed and led the way. However, he did not take Rong Yi and Yun Tianmo upstairs but instead exited through a back door. After turning a corner, he opened a small door. Behind it was a staircase leading downwards, looking dark and seemingly unused.
Swish—
The shopkeeper took out a fire stick and lit a torch on the wall, holding it in front to illuminate the stairs while Yun Tianmo closed the door behind them.
The staircase was not long and soon reached the bottom. After pushing open a wooden door, they entered a simple small room with nothing inside except for a set of tables and chairs. The shopkeeper inserted the torch into the wall of the room and quickly wiped down the chairs with his sleeve, saying, "Master, please."
Yun Tianmo glanced around the room. He nodded slightly, indicating for Rong Yi to sit as well.
"What are you up to..." Rong Yi was somewhat confused about what Yun Tianmo was planning. Just as she was about to ask for clarification, she faintly heard voices coming from nearby.
"Alright, since we are out today, let's not think too much about it; let's first try the dishes here."
"You see, it really is the cuisine of Dream Nation, no wonder it's called Phoenix Flying Restaurant."
Immediately, a woman's sobbing could be heard.
"What is this?"
"Crown Prince of the Dream Kingdom."
Yun Tianmo snapped his fingers. The Shopkeeper understood and bowed as he exited.
"Nan Gong Yao has detained someone."
"So what?"
"It doesn't matter." Yun Tianmo glanced at Rong Yi and raised a finger to point upwards. "Today, I came to listen in on the corner."
——————————————
"Sister, please stop crying. Every time you cry, I..." Feng Chengxuan sighed helplessly. He put down his chopsticks and walked towards her. "How long are you going to torment me?"
Feng Tianjiao was embraced by Feng Chengxuan. She initially wanted to struggle, but Feng Chengxuan was too strong for her to break free, so she had no choice but to say, "Elder Brother, please let go."
"No, I won't let go!" Feng Chengxuan suddenly became agitated. "Why do you always want me to let go? I am the Crown Prince of Dream Nation, why does everyone want me to let go? What makes me less than Old Five!"
"Elder Brother..." Feng Tianjiao was taken aback. She even forgot to cry and looked up at Feng Chengxuan in confusion, seemingly not understanding why he suddenly brought up Fifth Brother. "You, you shouldn't be so agitated; you're hurting me."
However, despite his usual affection for Feng Tianjiao, who he would take seriously no matter what she said, Feng Chengxuan seemed not to hear her words and continued to be emotional. "The position of Sovereign of Dream Nation should belong to me, yet you all—Father, Uncle Wang, the other princes—you, and even you! Sister, I love you so much; why do you also have to help Old Five persuade me?"
Feng Chengxuan grabbed Feng Tianjiao and shook her vigorously, his eyes red as he roared, "You think I'm foolish, don't you? Otherwise, why would you remind me that Father can't possibly send someone to pick us up? Hahaha..."
Suddenly, Feng Chengxuan burst into a frenzied laugh. "Do you think I couldn't figure that out? I know, I know everything..."
Seeing the already deranged Feng Chengxuan, Feng Tianjiao began to feel scared. This was completely different from the obedient brother she knew; nothing she said seemed to work. She wanted to call for help, but considering they were in a tavern, she doubted anyone would assist them. If someone did come to help, their identities would be exposed, leading to even more troublesome situations.
Thus, the thought of calling for help had to be abandoned.
While tears streamed down her face from the pain, Feng Tianjiao forced herself to think of a way to save herself or to awaken Feng Chengxuan from his madness.
"Big Brother... please listen to me, it's not what you think..." Feng Tianjiao's voice was so weak compared to Feng Chengxuan's roar that it sounded like a mosquito buzzing, drowned out by his voice.
Meanwhile, in the small room below—
"Feng Chengxuan is about to lose control," Rong Yi chuckled lightly, tapping his fingers on the table. "Are you just bringing me here to watch him go mad at his own family?"
Yun Tianmo wouldn't be that bored. He remained noncommittal in response to Rong Yi's question.
After a while, it seemed that Feng Chengxuan finally calmed down a bit, and Feng Tianjiao's voice could be faintly heard...
"Big Brother, you've misunderstood me. Please let go of me; I didn't mean to speak up for Fifth Brother."
"You didn't?" Feng Chengxuan seemed somewhat incredulous. After asking several times, he sighed and said, "Hmph, you're lying to me; you're deceiving me, aren't you?"
Feng Tianjiao shook her head vigorously, the hairpins on her head clattering with the movement. "Big Brother, please let go of me; let's talk slowly, okay?"
Her voice trembled slightly, clearly indicating she was more than just a little frightened. Even though she was facing her own brother, he was in a state of madness; who knew what such a person might do? It was only natural for her to be afraid.
"You're afraid of me? I've been so good to you, I love you so much, and yet you're afraid of me?" Feng Chengxuan had just released his grip when he noticed that Feng Tianjiao's expression was off. He immediately tightened his hold on her again. "Don't you love me? Don't you love me?"
At this moment, Feng Tianjiao felt like crying without tears. She had just managed to regain some composure, and now it seemed like everything was spiraling out of control again. She hurriedly explained, "How could that be? Big Brother, I love you too..."
"You love me too?" Feng Chengxuan looked at Feng Tianjiao with a somewhat dazed expression, his eyes filled with hope. There was doubt and confusion. "You love me, yes, you should love me. You are mine. Once I ascend to the Sovereign's throne, no one can stop us..."
He then burst into wild laughter.
——————————————
"What exactly do you want to do?" Rong Yi stood in front of the small wooden door, looking at Yun Tianmo who blocked his way.
Yun Tianmo shrugged and said, "Why rush to leave? Just listen a little longer..."
"There's nothing worth listening to, just some unpleasant things," Rong Yi pushed past Yun Tianmo and tried to walk out.
Yun Tianmo stood behind Rong Yi, watching his back, and calmly said, "Is it that you don't want to listen? Don't wish to hear? Don't dare to listen, or can't bear to hear?"
Rong Yi suddenly turned around sharply, his gaze piercing as he looked at Yun Tianmo as if he didn't recognize this disciple. "What did you say?"
The sounds from upstairs continued to drift down, but at this moment, neither of them had the desire to keep listening.
Yun Tianmo stepped forward, reached out to close the small wooden door again, and turned to face Rong Yi. "Reality is always cruel."
Rong Yi quietly observed Yun Tianmo, trying to guess what his disciple's purpose was today and what he had learned...
"Forget it." Rong Yi sighed and turned back toward the chair but did not sit down. Instead, he leaned on the table with both hands, facing away from Yun Tianmo and asked, "How much do you know?"
"Not much," Yun Tianmo replied, "but not too little either."
Not too little, huh?
Rong Yi's body stiffened for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure, straightening up and crossing his arms casually as he said, "In that case, go ahead and tell me."
"The Dream Kingdom Ruler was not originally surnamed Feng. No, it should be said that he is surnamed Feng because someone wanted him to become the Sovereign of the Dream Nation. In other words, the Dream Nation was not conquered by the Phoenix Clan; they merely reaped the fruits of someone else's labor," Yun Tianmo began to explain slowly.
"There has always been a hidden national teacher in the Dream Nation, who has served loyally for a hundred years, alleviating the Sovereign's burdens. It is precisely because of the existence of this national teacher that even the most incompetent Sovereigns throughout history have been unable to bring down the Dream Nation. Unfortunately, as time passed, the respect that Sovereigns had for the national teacher gradually diminished. There were even instances where Sovereigns and the national teacher were at odds with each other. Yet, despite this, the national teacher never betrayed the Dream Nation."
"The Three Great Empires were originally evenly matched in strength, but who would have thought that so many incompetent Sovereigns would emerge in the Dream Nation, to the point where even the national teacher's efforts could not reverse the decline."
"Finally, in this generation, the national teacher gave up on the Dream Kingdom Ruler and abandoned the Dream Nation..."
As Yun Tianmo's words fell, a dead silence enveloped the small room. Rong Yi remained in his original position, unmoving, as if his soul had left his body.
There was no longer any sound from upstairs; it seemed that everyone had already left.
"When did you find out?" Rong Yi's voice sounded somewhat hoarse, as if it had been squeezed out from his throat. Compared to his usual clear and pleasant voice, it was almost like a voice from hell.
"Not long ago," Yun Tianmo slowly walked towards Rong Yi. "Do you want to hear more?"
As a master and disciple, Yun Tianmo felt reluctant to speak so directly about these matters. However, some things needed to be clarified before their competition; otherwise, any small mistake could ruin years of careful planning. Moreover, Rong Yi played an extremely important role in this scheme; this was no trivial matter, so he had no choice but to proceed.
Rong Yi raised his hand to stop him and said, "No need to say more."
He couldn't possibly be unaware of what Yun Tianmo mentioned; he just never expected it would be brought up so directly or that the so-called curse actually existed.
He sighed lightly and gestured for Yun Tianmo to sit down before slowly speaking, "You deliberately brought me here to listen to the conversation between these siblings. What kind of answer do you hope to get from me?"
Yun Tianmo did not sit down; instead, he stood in front of Rong Yi, looking into his eyes with determination. "Will you intervene?"
Rong Yi did not expect his disciple to look at him with such intensity one day, leaving him momentarily speechless.
"If it were in the past, I would have dared to take the risk. But now, things are different." Yun Tianmo ignored Rong Yi's surprise and continued, "If the fish dies and the net breaks, it wouldn't be a big deal. If I am alone, what is there to fear? But if I fail, what will happen to Little Woman?"
At these words, Rong Yi's body trembled. He stepped forward half a step and asked, "You ask me not for yourself, but for…"
"That's right, she is more important than my life!" Yun Tianmo looked directly into Rong Yi's eyes, conveying his resolve.
"What if I say..."
Thud—
Yun Tianmo bent his legs and knelt down right in front of Rong Yi, startling him. "What are you doing?"
"This kneel represents the bond between master and disciple," Yun Tianmo said as he looked up at Rong Yi.
Rong Yi understood that this kneel meant much more than just the bond between them. It represented that if he were to intervene in the competition and secretly support Dream Nation, then this disciple would essentially be lost. Moreover, there was a possibility that they would face a life-and-death battle before the competition even began—a battle that would abandon all ease.
"I never expected... I never expected this day would come..." Rong Yi looked up at the dark ceiling, illuminated only by small flickers of light.
"You can get up now." Rong Yi turned away, not wanting to see Yun Tianmo kneeling before him. "Things are not as bad as you think."
"Since we separated them back then, we knew this day would eventually come..."
Rong Yi fell into memories, recalling a time long ago, before the Three Great Empires existed, when there was no Feng family in the Yuhai Continent, only the Rong family. After the Bai Clan underwent a significant change, the Rong Clan was also affected. To preserve their family's heritage, they decided to split off a branch and change their surname, establishing the Dream Nation, while the Rong Clan retreated behind the scenes to serve as national advisors, protecting this newly emerged Phoenix Clan for generations.
"Those legends are not entirely false; at least the curse legend passed down in the Rong Clan is indeed closely related to the Alien Manifestation," Rong Yi seemed to age suddenly, his back no longer as straight as before.
"So the national advisor left Dream Nation not because of the Sovereign's incompetence, but because of the Alien Star and the curse legend?" Yun Tianmo pressed on. "If that's the case, you won't..."
"Of course not," Rong Yi chuckled lightly, turning to look at Yun Tianmo. His eyes showed less reluctance and pain, replaced by calmness and acceptance. "Since I have distanced myself from the Rong Clan, their mission has nothing to do with me. Moreover, this generation's national advisor is my sibling; he has given it up, so why would I interfere?"
Yun Tianmo realized that Rong Yi had truly let go this time, unlike before when he had concealed and suppressed his feelings. He felt relieved and smiled lightly. "You truly are my master."
Rong Yi nodded with a smile and said, "And you are indeed my disciple." His gaze then swept over the dust on Yun Tianmo's knees, a strange curve forming at the corners of his mouth.
"Hmph..."
The proud Yun Tianmo decided to completely forget about kneeling earlier; such an emotional act was absolutely not something he would do—absolutely! No way!
But the person behind him who laughed heartily constantly reminded him that there was no turning back on this matter...
Comment 0 Comment Count