FID – Chapter 1021

Chapter 1021 — Miaojiang Has Long Ceased to Exist

The man lifted the corner of his lips. Though he was clearly smiling, and his tone was light and gentle, Liu Yusheng still felt a chill sweep over the top of her head. Her small shoulders trembled, and she immediately forced a flattering smile.

  “Of course, of course. Brother Axiu would never make a mistake. If anyone got it wrong, it must be Xue Honglian.” Liu Yusheng emphasized each word and even nodded earnestly afterward. Her silent flattery finally dispelled the cold aura rising from the man beside her.

  When dealing with a vinegar jar that can overturn at any moment, one simply can’t afford to stand on principle. Otherwise, nothing gets resolved.

  This was Liu Yusheng’s greatest realization after marrying a jealous man.

  “What’s my fault?” A quiet voice suddenly came from behind them, startling Liu Yusheng so much she nearly jumped. She turned around to see Xue Honglian’s expressionless face.

  Pointing toward the village at the foot of the mountain, Liu Yusheng’s lips twitched as she asked, “Weren’t you supposed to come up from below? Why are you coming out of here?”

  “Did I ever say I’d come from below?”

  “…” Come to think of it, he indeed never said that.

  Feng Qingbai turned his eyes slightly, looking calmly at the man who suddenly appeared. Before Xue Honglian even spoke, Feng Qingbai had already sensed him nearby. Everything he said earlier was intentionally meant for him to hear.

  Of course, Feng Qingbai would never admit he was being petty.

  “Were you shaking off a tail?”

  “Mm.” Xue Honglian gestured toward the other side of the mountain. “Three steps a sentry, five steps a post. There are hidden guards all around the village. Getting out took some effort.”

  He had actually been ready to leave much earlier. But the moment he stepped out of the courtyard, he ran into villager after villager. Each one greeted him enthusiastically, pulling him aside to chat. Under those circumstances, he couldn’t simply turn around and walk away.

  After sending off several groups of people, he finally found a chance to slip out.

  “What is that village? And why are you even in Mo City? How did you get in?” Liu Yusheng was impatient by nature. She went straight for the key points.

  Xue Honglian first looked toward the village at the foot of the mountain. Under the morning light, it was bathed in sunrise, appearing peaceful and harmonious, full of signs of everyday life. If not for the stringent perimeter defenses, it would seem no different from an ordinary settlement.

  From their vantage point, it looked close, but in reality it was several li away—far enough to be outside the surveillance range.

  “My appearance here and my entry into Mo City were complete accidents. After receiving Feng Qingbai’s message, I headed here immediately. Not long after arriving in the northwest, I ran into a deadly chase. By pure accident, I ended up mixed into this place,” Xue Honglian recounted in brief the events of the past few days.

  He wasn’t someone ruled by emotion; his tone was always even and expressionless. Even when speaking to his two closest friends, his voice never wavered.

  Liu Yusheng, however, listened with great interest. The storyteller might have been lacking, but the story itself was still captivating.

  “So in a way, getting into Mo City was a blessing in disguise. That girl named Qian Yi seems to be good luck for you,” Liu Yusheng sighed. “But her tribe sounds quite pitiful. A woman who can help others live longer; something like that is more tempting to those in power than any immortal elixir. The fate of the women of the Saintess Tribe was sealed from the start.”

  Though it sounded a bit fantastical, Liu Yusheng didn’t doubt its credibility.

  If it weren’t true, would the emperor really send people every year to select women from their tribe? Not to mention the palace where women would stop at nothing for favor. 

For a vulnerable group like the Saintess Tribe, with no strong backing to rely on, if the claim about prolonging life were false, then entering the palace would only mean being torn apart alive.

  Liu Yusheng felt sorrow for that tribe. Their blessing was also their curse. If they could choose, most of the Saintess would probably rather be ordinary. At least then they would have a sliver of control over their own fate.

While Liu Yusheng was sighing in sympathy, Feng Qingbai spoke up and asked Xue Honglian, “You stayed in the village for a few days. Did you discover anything else?”

  “There were some discoveries, but nothing confirmed yet. I’ll tell you once I have more evidence to be certain,” Xue Honglian replied after a moment of thought, keeping his suspicions to himself.

  Guesses aren’t necessarily facts, and he didn’t like speaking irresponsibly.

  “Why are you two in Xiliang’s territory anyway? Is the court of Nanling that leisurely now that even the Regent Prince has time to come out here and sightsee?”

  Liu Yusheng’s face twitched again. She waved a hand in front of the man’s eyes. “Are you Honglian or Qinglian? Why does everything you say with Honglian’s face sound just as humorous and snarky as Qinglian?”

  Feng Qingbai said, “Half Hong, half Qing. The two of them were originally one. It’s not strange for their personalities to merge.”

  Xue Honglian: “…” Is this couple performing a comedy routine?

His speechless expression made Liu Yusheng cover her mouth to stifle a laugh.

  Knowing his personality differed from Qinglian’s—more stern and sharp—she stopped teasing him. “We came to help you find Miaojiang. With more people, there’s more strength. Besides, since Miaojiang is known to reject outsiders, we were worried that even if you found it, you might not be able to enter. So we brought someone along—the girl who was sitting with us yesterday. She very likely is a descendant of Miaojiang. With her, once we locate it, we’ll have a much better chance of actually getting inside.”

  “Unfortunately, we still haven’t found Miaojiang’s precise location. I once suspected it might be somewhere near Mo City, but after looking at the city’s topographic map yesterday, I couldn’t find any place that matched. It may take considerable effort to uncover Miaojiang,” Feng Qingbai added calmly.

  “No need to look. Miaojiang has long ceased to exist.”

  ”……”

  ”……”

  “What do you mean ‘gone’?” Liu Yusheng still couldn’t react.

  They had traveled thousands of miles and even brought someone along as a key to entering Miaojiang once it was found—only for Xue Honglian to say that Miaojiang was gone?

  “Gone means gone. That place no longer exists. The people of the Miaojiang tribe either died or scattered across the land. No one knows. Even if you find where Miaojiang once was, it will only be ruins.”

  “Who told you that?”

  “Qian Yi. She also said almost everyone in Xiliang knows about it. To confirm, I asked several locals in the streets yesterday. All gave the same answer that Miaojiang is indeed gone.”

  Liu Yusheng’s face slowly turned pale. “Gone. Miaojiang is gone… then the Gu poison in your body…”

  She couldn’t finish the sentence. Their one possible hope was gone. What would happen to Honglian and Qinglian now? Were they really supposed to just sit and wait for death?

“These past days, have you felt any discomfort?” Feng Qingbai asked, staring at him.

  Xue Honglian shook his head. After a brief silence, he said, “As long as he is fine, I will be fine.”