Chapter 575: Luo Yuan’s Intention, A Baffling Abduction |
The Bone-Erosion Path’s southern area, the Snowy Forest lay silent.
Three figures — one large, two small — suddenly walked slowly from the north. The one in the center was an adult woman of stunning beauty. She wore a white Xia-style palace dress, a long sword hung at her waist, and she walked ahead with an expressionless face.
Following the woman were a boy and a girl, both looking no older than ten. The two children were extraordinarily handsome; on closer inspection, they bore five or six parts resemblance to the beautiful woman in front. It was easy to guess they were mother and children.
The three were no one else but the mother-and-children who had just taken their leave of Xia Hong, descending south from Guangningshan and preparing to return to Xia City: Li Xuanling and her two children.
Although Li Xuanling could fly, she was not in a hurry to return this time. The route was basically safe, and since Xia Yuyao and Xia Yusheng had just broken through to the Warmth Realm a few days ago, she wanted to test her children a bit. The two little ones also wanted to see more of the world, so they agreed at once. Li Xuanling simply chose to walk back to the Southern Foothills territory with her two children.
Only right now, the atmosphere among the three was clearly off!
To be precise, Li Xuanling, in the lead, was acting strange.
“Sis, is Mother angry?” the little boy asked.
When Li Xuanling had first left Guangningshan, she would make time to tell them about the terrain along the way and, using the surrounding environment, teach them some survival skills for the Snowy Forest.
“Nonsense. Father is going to form a marriage alliance, marrying another wife. Of course Mother is angry! From now on we’ll have a stepmother. Are you happy about that?” Xia Yuyao said.
Hearing his sister, Xia Yusheng froze, then frowned. “That’s normal, isn’t it? Many men in Xia City have multiple wives, Second Uncle married two, Father is the Lord Leader; marrying a few more…” He hadn’t finished when a cold chill ran down his spine. Seeing his sister signaling urgently, he realized he was being stared at. He quickly corrected himself: “Even if Father marries more wives, it won’t matter. Sheng’er only recognizes Mother. No one has the right to be my stepmother.”
“You’re a little smart-mouth at such a tender age, just like your father. Men really aren’t good things, hmph!” Li Xuanling, though still wearing a cold expression, sounded far less angry.
Xia Yusheng relaxed at once and gave his sister a grateful look, then hurriedly hooked his arm through their mother’s and whispered, “Mother, don’t be angry. Caiqiu wants this marriage alliance only because they fear we’ll keep attacking them. They want an insurance on the contract. If Father agreed out of necessity, it’s just a temporary measure to calm them. Once we grow stronger, Father will still dispatch troops to destroy Caiqiu. This marriage is at most twenty percent earnest, eighty percent show.”
At the boy’s resolute words and sudden solemnity — trying to sound more mature than his years — Li Xuanling secretly smiled. The pressure on her chest eased considerably. She then teased lightly, “You took your sister’s words and paraded them out without changing a thing. What are you so proud of?”
After their farewell to Director Luo earlier, Xia Yuyao and Xia Yusheng had been whispering behind her. How could their conversation escape her ears?
What the boy said was obviously the idea their eldest daughter had come up with; he hadn’t changed it much, simply repeating it verbatim.
Xia Yusheng’s face flushed; he stammered a forced defense, “Mother, I… thought the same, I just happened to think like Sister, Mother…”
Still too thin-skinned to persist, and after seeing her mother’s teasing expression, Xia Yusheng couldn’t help but use his spoiled tactics.
Li Xuanling knew exactly the measure of her son.
Not that Xia Yusheng was stupid — her youngest son was simply too innocent and straightforward, lacking any guile, probably a product of the sheltered environment she’d raised him in. Sometimes she regretted it and worried that his personality would disadvantage him when he grew up.
But then she thought that with Great Xia’s current strength, with her husband Xia Hong’s formidable power, and with herself, the threefold protection made preserving her son’s innocence not so difficult.
Moreover, with his talent, if he grew up steadily, his strength would crush most schemes. And besides, he had his older sister Xia Yuyao to watch over him.
Li Xuanling turned to look at her eldest daughter with eyes full of pride and smugness.
Perhaps it had to do with the Jade Dew Stone she had cultivated during pregnancy: Xia Yusheng, inheriting the fire element, was simple and passionate like fire; Xia Yuyao, inheriting the water element, was sharp and cunning.
Li Xuanling considered herself thoughtful, and her husband Xia Hong was even more so — otherwise the Longyou campaign would not have failed as it had. Yet their eldest daughter’s occasional wit and acuity were surprisingly deeper than both of theirs, and the fact that she was barely over ten years old was alarming.
Pulling her thoughts back, Li Xuanling watched her eldest daughter and suddenly became interested. She smiled and asked, “Yao’er, why do you think Luo stopped me halfway and revealed to you that your father was going to form the marriage alliance?”
Xia Yuyao didn’t answer immediately. She furrowed her brows, thought for a moment, then slowly said, “There are probably two layers of meaning. The first is to surrender to you. In recent years the Eight Departments have started to split up. Right now, aside from Uncle Yuwen’s Military Department, only Uncle Luo’s Hunting Department hasn’t taken sides. He waited here and told you that Uncle Qiu, on behalf of Father, agreed to the marriage. That intention is not hard to guess.”
The eldest daughter, who rarely left the Xia Palace, had even noticed the Eight Departments splitting and could articulate it. She likely knew the specific details of the split quite well.
Li Xuanling looked at her daughter, inwardly full of admiration, but she didn’t show it. She calmly asked, “Do you think Qiu Peng acted on Second Uncle’s instruction?”
“Impossible!” Xia Yuyao answered decisively and shook her head. “Second Uncle isn’t that sort of person. He has some reservations about Mother’s moves to rope in the Eight Departments in recent years, but as long as Father doesn’t take a stand, he won’t react. Besides, if he wanted to oppose Mother openly, he could do so in his role as Department Chancellor and strike publicly. That would be proper and consistent with Second Uncle’s straightforward style.”
Li Xuanling nodded. From her knowledge of Xia Chuan, this was true.
Her little uncle was almost entirely loyal to his elder brother, her husband. He had little personal agenda; his affection for the little son showed that. He wouldn’t interfere in palace succession matters. So this was definitely Qiu Peng’s own small scheme, possibly with pressure from Caiqiu.
Li Xuanling inhaled slightly and then, testingly, asked, “You said Luo had two layers of meaning. What’s the other?”
“I know, I know!” Xia Yusheng actually interrupted, eager to speak. When he saw his mother and sister look at him, he hurried on, “Since Uncle Luo is offering to surrender to Mother, he surely doesn’t want Father to marry into Caiqiu. He revealed the message to Mother hoping you would step in to stop the marriage, right?”
Li Xuanling’s brow tightened, then she shook her head quickly.
She could not step in to stop the marriage!
This marriage concerned the truce between Great Xia and Caiqiu. If she, as head matron, intervened and broke the agreement, whatever the outcome, it would become a huge embarrassment. Not only would she personally, but Xia Hong and Great Xia as a whole, be made a laughingstock. Luo would not think so lightly.
“Director Luo is one of Great Xia’s eight Department Heads, trusted by Father, steady and experienced. Would he be so foolish?” Xia Yuyao cut in, shaking her head, then her eyes flicked with determination as she said to her mother, “Mother, I guess Director Luo is worried about the people under you.”
That hit the nail on the head.
Li Xuanling stared at her eldest daughter, unable to hide her shock.
Luo Yuan’s personality was steady and utterly loyal to Great Xia. If he showed himself to her, it was because of the recent Eight Departments’ situation, not because of any instigating intent. Accusing him of sowing discord would be absurd.
The marriage was Caiqiu’s proposal, made forcefully. Given Caiqiu’s present difficulties, it was understandable. Qiu Peng might have had some private motive, but at most he went along with the tide rather than actively sabotaging things.
The truce was about to be signed. Sabotaging the marriage now would have major consequences. Li Xuanling might be possessive, but she was no fool; she wouldn’t do such a stupid thing.
If she wouldn’t, those under her aren’t guaranteed to obey.
With people like Zhouyuan and Mengying, other palace experts, the Dragon Garrison Captains, and the Long Mountain Faction beneath her command, someone might take desperate action.
Luo Yuan certainly knew this, so by revealing the message to her now he wanted her to guard against her subordinates. If they did anything foolish, it would affect her.
Once Li Xuanling fully realized this, her mood relaxed. Looking at her daughter, she felt a twinge of disappointment at being reminded by her daughter of Luo’s intention.
“I’m really getting old…” she muttered with a light laugh. She took her children by the hands, rose into the air, planning to speed back.
But as soon as she rose, her expression changed.
Whoosh…
A current of air swept down from above. Li Xuanling immediately landed, shielding the two children behind her. She looked up at the sky, her pupils filled with horror.
Three young women, a little shockingly young, had silently appeared in the air a hundred meters above her forehead.
The leader was a white-clad woman — actually a girl — whose beautiful eyes stared unblinkingly at Li Xuanling. The two girls in blue behind her kept their gaze fixed on the two children behind Li Xuanling.
“They appeared directly, with no trace of aura. I can’t sense their skin membrane or blood, nothing. I can’t even catch their breathing. This is wrong. Not even Cai Qianshan…” Li Xuanling panicked inwardly. She vaguely sensed that these three were stronger than Cai Qianshan.
Abominations?
No, that didn’t fit.
But within the entire Mo'ao Chuan Four Feudatories and the Southern Foothills territory, where could such young female Tribulation Body Realm experts be found?
While Li Xuanling was torn and frantic, she failed to notice that the three in the sky were looking at her with very particular expressions.
The one in the center, Li Longyu, regarded Li Xuanling with a deep adoration and dependency, and moisture seemed to pool in her eyes as if a well of grievance might overflow.
The two blue-clad maidservants behind her focused more on Xia Yuyao and Xia Yusheng. Their gazes were full of excitement, and they even mouthed words to each other.
“Great Crowned Heaven’s Holy Crown Prince, I actually see the Prince as a child…”
“That’s the young Jade Yao Heavenly Spirit Princess. Five years ago I caught a glimpse of her from afar at the Jade Pool Palace and nearly suffocated. I didn’t know the Heavenly Spirit Princess was this pretty as a child — so beautiful!”
…
“Second Brother, Second Sister!”
Li Longyu’s gaze quickly shifted from Li Xuanling to the two children behind her. A flicker of excitement showed in her eyes, though she quickly concealed it and forced her voice to calm as she said, “I am Li Longyu. I have urgent business to discuss with Great Xia’s ruler. Madam Li, please come with me.”
“Where to?” Li Xuanling’s hand remained on her sword hilt, but when Li Longyu released some aura she relaxed and asked where they were headed.
“To Red Dragon Lake. Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. I will release you as soon as Great Xia’s ruler arrives.”
Under the circumstances, Li Xuanling had not expected an answer. Unexpectedly, the white-clad girl who called herself Li Longyu replied politely and gave a guarantee.
At this point, Li Xuanling, looking back at her two children, completely abandoned any thought of resisting. She sheathed her long sword and rose into the air to follow Li Longyu and her two companions.
After Li Xuanling flew up, she noticed Li Longyu and the others didn’t move. Her brow furrowed, unsure of their meaning.
“Ahem, ahem, Mother… Madam Li, please walk in front. Red Dragon Lake is Great Xia territory; you should be familiar,” Li Longyu finally broke the silence and asked Li Xuanling to lead the way.
Go to Red Dragon Lake?
Li Xuanling thought the girl had been merely placating her earlier, but to her surprise they really intended to go to Red Dragon Lake.
Though full of questions, she said nothing and flew ahead to lead.
She did not notice that as Li Longyu and her companions followed, their eyes held a marked reverence as they watched Li Xuanling’s back.