Chapter 344: Brother Liang, Ating Needs a Mother
Huala Huala—
Rainwater poured through the holes in the ceiling, mixed with soil, and seeped into the ground, transforming the once magnificent Imperial Sect’s secret treasury into an ancient ruin.
This place had once been filled with treasures gathered by Nancheng City from the Four Domains over millennia. Now, it had become part of those treasures itself.
The Golden Cicada shell of a Void Realm cultivator would, under the passage of time, gradually transform into the eye of a spiritual spring. The immense spiritual energy accumulated over a thousand years would return to dust and soil, nourishing the mountains and rivers for a thousand li around.
It was foreseeable that the region around Tianan City would, in the future, become the place with the most abundant spiritual energy in the Central Domain.
“Ouch, ouch~ We’re rich!! We’re rich!! Hahaha…”
Ye Wan’er’s eyes seemed to only see spirit stones now. She was adorned with all sorts of nameless magical artifact necklaces, and had seven or eight golden hairpins stuck in the back of her head.
However, Liang Zhu, on the other hand, was the complete opposite.
Although he was now carrying a storage bag the size of a sack, his method of collecting was far more refined than Ye Wan’er’s grab-everything-in-sight approach. He was more like a benevolent refined bandit, taking only spirit stones and heavenly treasures he recognized. He ignored anything he didn’t know.
“Brother Liang… hurry up, you’re being so slow.”
“Don’t be so impatient. Take only spirit stones and things we can use. These magical artifacts and heavenly treasures are priceless individually, but we can’t use most of them, nor do we recognize them. Selling them later will be a big problem. Selling valuable items in large quantities is equivalent to revealing wealth, which will only attract countless eyes.”
Ye Wan’er found his reasoning sound and quickly nodded, pouring out the items she had already packed and starting over.
“Oh~~ As expected of Brother Liang, I’ve learned a lot! Hehe… We’re rich…”
Liang Zhu glanced at her, sighed slightly, and continued to sort through the good items in his storage bag. However, he wasn’t thinking about how to spend all the spirit stones he was acquiring.
His thoughts were on Tong Zilan.
Earlier, on the way here, Liang Zhu hadn’t seen Tong Zilan. He assumed Ye Anping had taken her to escape, so rather than packing things with Ye Wan’er, Liang Zhu wanted to find his Sixth Brother as soon as possible to confirm Tong Zilan’s safety.
Roaring—
The ceiling of the secret treasury emitted groans, indicating that its supporting pillars were close to collapsing.
“Brother Liang, it looks like it’s going to collapse.”
“Mhm, hurry up and pack.”
The two of them slightly quickened their pace. However, not long after, Liang Zhu heard footsteps behind him. He immediately became alert, pulled a dagger from his storage bag, and turned around.
“Who?!”
…
Upon seeing Tong Zilan, Liang Zhu’s eyes widened. He quickly retracted his dagger, threw the storage bag from his shoulder onto the ground, and stepped forward to support her.
“Your Majesty? You… you didn’t go out with Young Master Ye and the others?”
Tong Zilan’s golden robe was now torn in several places, and she was bleeding from her arms and legs, looking disheveled. After Liang Zhu supported her, she finally relaxed a little, leaning into his embrace.
Tong Zilan glanced at Nancheng City’s Golden Cicada shell not far away and said,
“Cough, cough— Before Immortal Dan Yue battled him, she used a spiritual method to protect me, but I still fainted. When I woke up, Immortal Dan Yue had already disappeared. I figured he might be here, so I came.”
Roaring—
The ceiling once again groaned, shedding countless fragments.
Liang Zhu raised his hand and used his sleeve to shield Tong Zilan from the falling debris. He looked up at the ceiling and said,
“Your Majesty, this place is about to collapse. I will take you out first. Miss Ye, please hold onto my storage bag for me.”
With that, he directly picked up Tong Zilan in a bridal carry and summoned his flying sword, intending to take her out. This drew a complaint from Ye Wan’er, who was still packing, but seeing the two guards and the Empress, she reluctantly nodded.
“Ah?… Forget it, forget it, fine. Then you go first! My escape technique is much faster than yours.”
Tong Zilan was startled by Liang Zhu’s actions. As the Empress of the Central Domain, this was the first time in hundreds of years that she had been held like this. She was momentarily flustered but quickly regained her composure and raised her hand to stop him.
“Minister Liang, there’s no need.”
“No need for what?”
“You and Miss Ye can pack your things and leave. I will leave later.”
Tong Zilan gently pushed Liang Zhu’s chest and lowered herself from his arms. Then, with heavy steps, she walked towards Nancheng City’s Golden Cicada shell.
Tap, tap…
Her footsteps were heavy.
Liang Zhu looked at Tong Zilan’s retreating back. After a moment of hesitation, he quickly followed her and asked,
“Your Majesty, what are you preparing to do? This place is about to collapse.”
Tong Zilan was silent for a moment. Looking at Liang Zhu, she said,
“Minister Liang, you saved Yu’er for me back then, and I have no way to repay you. I entrusted Yu’er to you. I’ve thought about it for a long time and finally decided to stay here.”
“Why?”
“From the day Yu’er was born, I failed in my responsibility as her mother. After more than ten years, how can I have the face to appear before her and have her call me mother again? Now that the Imperial Sect is gone, no one else will know her identity as the Second Princess. Minister Liang, I hope you will bury this matter in this land.”
…
“Besides, this palace still owes the lives of some palace maids from Chang Le Palace.”
“Your Majesty…”
“Minister Liang, hurry up and take your things and leave with Miss Ye.”
On the other side, Ye Wan’er, who was carrying two sacks to pack things, heard these words. She couldn’t help but turn her head to look, and interjected, “Your Majesty, what are you thinking? Didn’t you hate Nancheng City so much? Now you want to be buried with him, wouldn’t that be letting him off too easily?”
“Miss Ye, I detest the Nancheng City of today, not the Nancheng City of the past. I met him when I was seventeen and married him. He also promised me that he would never marry a second woman in this life. Regardless, this union as husband and wife is a thousand years of grace, and even on the road to the underworld, I should accompany him.”
Ye Wan’er frowned slightly and pouted, “I don’t understand at all! My motto is, it’s better to live a dog’s life than to die a good death!”
“Hehe… When Miss Ye meets that person, you will understand.”
Tong Zilan gave a wry smile and walked step by step to Nancheng City’s Golden Cicada shell. She lifted her skirt and sat down, gently stroking his temples.
“Your Majesty, do you regret what you’ve done over the years?”
…
Roaring—
Bricks and stones shattered, and a violent tremor came from below. A crack rapidly spread along the wall towards the ceiling.
Ye Wan’er looked up for a moment. Forgoing packing, she turned to look at Liang Zhu and Tong Zilan, who were standing frozen. “Brother Liang, it’s collapsing! I’ll take the storage bags and go out first! You quickly bring the Queen out!”
With that, her figure transformed into a stream of light and disappeared from the spot.
Liang Zhu looked at Tong Zilan, who was sitting beside Nancheng City, and was silent for a moment. He turned around, preparing to jump onto his flying sword.
He was once just a guard in the Xing Tian Division.
Since Tong Zilan had decided to stay, what right did he have to interfere with her decision?
Even if Tong Zilan died here, he would still be Ating’s adoptive father when he returned, and Ating would never know her true identity. The karma of her identity would be buried forever beneath Tianan City with Tong Zilan’s death.
Over these decades, he had to admit, he had regretted many times—if he hadn’t saved Ating back then, he would likely have become prosperous and established himself in the Imperial Sect.
If he saved Tong Zilan now, he was certain that he would regret this day’s actions in the future.
…
However…
As he took a step to turn away, Liang Zhu’s eyes instantly closed tightly, and he gritted his teeth, suddenly stopping in his tracks.
“Tsk…”
He clicked his tongue lightly, then instantly appeared in front of Tong Zilan. Without a word, he hugged her waist, lifted her from the pile of spirit stones, and then leaped onto his flying sword.
“Minister Liang… you?!”
“A guard protecting his master is one of his duties. I have no right to interfere with what you want to do, but I must perform my duty diligently and ensure Your Majesty’s safety is my responsibility.”
…
As his voice fell, the room collapsed.
Boom—
The soil and stones from the ceiling instantly surged downwards like a tidal wave. Liang Zhu used an earth-element talisman in his hand to form a protective wall in front of him. He carried Tong Zilan and ascended rapidly through the hole above with his flying sword.
In Nancheng City’s dull eyes, a streak of light left by the flying sword flashed before being buried by soil and stones.
The two figures who leaped out from the ground landed above the imperial palace, looking down.
They saw that the layers of Qin bricks and Han tiles, purple pillars and golden beams, seemed to have sunk into quicksand, and with bursts of noise, slowly descended into the ground, raising dust in the rain.
Liang Zhu scanned the area briefly, then took Tong Zilan on his flying sword to a relatively intact street. He saw an oil-paper umbrella scattered by the roadside, picked it up, held Tong Zilan, and sheltered them with the umbrella as they headed towards the Liuyue Inn in the West District.
On her face, damp from the rain, a pair of eyes looked at Liang Zhu’s face with confusion.
“Minister Liang…”
“What are Your Majesty’s orders?”
“Why did you do this?”
“…It is my duty.”
Liang Zhu replied coldly, but after a moment of hesitation, he looked down at Tong Zilan’s face, then averted his gaze and added, “Also… Ating needs a mother.”
Tong Zilan’s eyes widened, then she pursed her lips and lowered her head.
After Liang Zhu responded, he said no more, simply using his hand to support Tong Zilan’s shoulder against his chest, his actions speaking louder than words.
Tong Zilan seemed hesitant, her body stiff for a while before she finally relaxed, resting her forehead against his chest and slowly closing her eyes.
…
…
A man and a woman, holding one umbrella, walked on the rain-drenched street. Not a word was spoken, only the sound of rain hitting the eaves could be heard as they reached the two-story building with the sign “Liuyue Inn.”
“Your Majesty, we’ve arrived.”
“Ah… yes.”
Tong Zilan was slightly startled by the announcement and quickly prepared to get down from his arms. However, at this moment, someone inside seemed to have heard the commotion outside.
The inn door was abruptly pulled open.
Hong Yu, her shoulder bandaged, opened the door. Seeing Liang Zhu and Tong Zilan, the worry on her face finally dissipated. “Lord Liang, is Your Majesty injured?”
Tong Zilan was slightly flustered, as Hong Yu was her personal maid. She quickly leaped from Liang Zhu’s arms and pulled Hong Yu into her chest.
“Hong Yu, you’ve suffered…”
“No… Your Majesty, this servant…呜——呜呜…”
Tong Zilan gave a helpless smile, patted her back, and comforted her for a while. Liang Zhu did not step forward to disturb them. He walked into the room, closed the door, and bolted it.
He scanned the surroundings. Seeing that several rooms on the second floor were lit, he knew that Ye Anping and the others had likely returned. However, when he noticed a trail of blood on the stairs, he was stunned and quickly asked,
“Miss Hong Yu… is Young Master Ye injured?”
Upon hearing this, Hong Yu also came back to her senses, stopped crying, and replied,
“Ah… no, the blood belongs to Fellow Daoist Feng. It seems she was seriously injured. Young Master Ye is helping her treat her wounds on the second floor right now. Lord Yue also came by to report that he was safe, and seeing Young Master Ye busy, he didn’t disturb them and returned to the Xing Tian Pavilion.”
“What a shame…” Liang Zhu shrugged slightly, glanced at Tong Zilan, and said, “Miss Hong Yu, please take Your Majesty upstairs to bathe and change. You should rest first. I’m going to Xing Tian Pavilion.”
With that, Liang Zhu took up his oil-paper umbrella again and prepared to leave the inn.
Seeing him about to go out again, Tong Zilan paused and quickly stepped forward, taking a cloak from her storage bag and handing it to him.
“Be… be careful on the road.”
Liang Zhu froze for a moment. Although he was already soaked, he still accepted the cloak, nodded awkwardly, and replied, “…Mm.”
Hong Yu’s gaze flickered between the two of them. After Liang Zhu left with his umbrella, she quietly asked,
“Your Majesty, you and Lord Liang are…”
“He is Yu’er’s adoptive father, and I am Yu’er’s mother, although I am not a competent one…” Tong Zilan replied somewhat awkwardly. “Hong Yu, in a few days, go to the Tianshou Mausoleum outside the city and erect a tombstone. The bodies of the Chang Le Palace maids are gone, but the tombstone must be erected.”
“And then? Where will Your Majesty go after that?”
“Hundred Lotus Sect, and then…”
Tong Zilan looked at Hong Yu and was silent for a moment. She took two spiritual jade pendants from her waist and placed them in her hand.
“Hong Yu, you are the guardian of Chang Le Palace. Now that the Imperial Sect no longer exists, Chang Le Palace is naturally gone. From now on, you can go wherever you wish. These two pendants should be able to exchange for a lot of spiritual energy. Ask Minister Liang to help you exchange them for spirit stones. Then you can join any sect you like, or just be a carefree rogue cultivator…”
“Ah…”
Hong Yu looked at the pendants in her hand, silent for a long time without gripping them.
Seeing her like this, Tong Zilan breathed a sigh of relief and asked, “Hong Yu, or do you want to go to the Hundred Lotus Sect with me?”
“This servant has been by Your Majesty’s side since childhood and vowed to serve Your Majesty for a lifetime. How could I leave? Wherever you go, this servant will follow you…”
“I won’t force you, and I am no longer the Empress now, so I have no authority to command you. Would you like to reconsider for a few more days?”
“No need to reconsider!” Hong Yu pushed the jade pendants back and knelt down to perform a deep bow. “I hope Your Majesty… Senior will take me in!”
“There’s no need for such courtesies. Then I’ll ask Young Master Ye later. He shouldn’t refuse either.”
…
