Chapter 449: 449. Sheng Yue’s Confession

Translator: 549690339

Yuan Ying was carrying a lunch box and bookcase behind her, originally thinking that Gu Ling would take Sheng Yue to Yuanming Pavilion to find Su Liang, but halfway there, Gu Ling suddenly pulled Sheng Yue’s arm and turned into an uninhabited courtyard.

It’s not quite accurate to say no one lived there; while there was no one in the courtyard, there were three prisoners in the dungeon: Nangong Lin, Yue Mei, and Nian Ruxue.

The secret chamber beneath the Yuanming Pavilion had always been used for temporarily detaining people, and it was inconvenient to keep someone there for a long time. The only remaining value of these three people was to test medicine and poison for Su Liang, Gu Ling, and Weng Ming.

Gu Ling opened the entrance to the dungeon, and Sheng Yue’s face remained calm, “Is this your sincerity in cooperating?”

Gu Ling’s face was indifferent, “You have come a long way, first rest a while, then we can talk about other things. This is my sincerity as a host.”

With a slight sigh, Sheng Yue didn’t resist and obediently walked into the dungeon, allowing Gu Ling to bind iron chains on his feet as well.

The noises attracted Nangong Lin, who had been lying curled up in another cell, to slowly sit up and look over. The dungeon was very dim, but it was enough for him to recognize Gu Ling at a glance. His hands grabbed the cold iron bars, dragging his stiff body toward them as he weakly spoke, “Apprentice… Ling’er… please have pity on your master, I have been kind to you!”

Gu Ling didn’t even glance at Nangong Lin. Recently, he had been used to test several drugs, causing him to truly experience the despair of being better off dead than alive. Consequently, he had stopped cursing Gu Ling and Su Liang, instead begging them to spare his life.

But Gu Ling knew Nangong Lin’s type, a person with no moral bottom line: if they were to really release him, once he found an opportunity, he would fight back viciously, continuing to hurt others. Such a person treated other people’s lives like grass, taking advantage of their superior martial arts to trample on others’ lives, but when it came to themselves, they were extremely fearful of death.

Sheng Yue had already recognized who the three prisoners in the dungeon were before he had arrived, and asked, “Why don’t you get rid of them and be done with it?”

“To test poison,” Gu Ling answered, “You have a unique constitution, so we need to borrow some of your blood.”

Upon hearing the last sentence, Sheng Yue hesitated for a moment, “Do you really want to cooperate with me, or do you just want to capture me?”

“We’ll talk later,” said Gu Ling, and he closed the cell door, turning around and leaving.

“Can you untie the ropes on my hands? They’re too tight,” Sheng Yue asked.

Gu Ling didn’t look back, and the sound of his footsteps gradually faded away, disappearing into somewhere unseen by them.

It was gloomy inside the dungeon, but it wasn’t colder than outside. Sheng Yue saw Nangong Lin staring straight at him but didn’t say a word, waiting for Nangong Lin to ask, “Sheng Yue? Is it you?”

They had met before, so Nangong Lin recognized Sheng Yue’s voice.

Sheng Yue didn’t answer, which Nangong Lin took as a confirmation. Nangong Lin suddenly got excited, “How did you get caught too? Where’s your master Mo Yan? Is he dead?”

“He’s not dead,” Sheng Yue spoke in a low voice, “But if you are waiting for Mo Yan to defeat Gu Ling and save you, don’t even dream about it.”

Hearing this, Nangong Lin’s hand loosened and he fell to the ground, crying and howling, “If I had known this, I should have strangled him back then… smashed him to death…” Of course, he was referring to Gu Ling as a child.

Yue Mei sat in a dark corner, watching everything coldly with a grim gaze, looking like a vulture that had lost all its feathers and was left with only skin and bones.

Nian Ruxue was sleeping but was awakened by the crying and howling. She saw that a new person had come but didn’t recognize that it was Sheng Yue, so she asked, “Who are you?”

Sheng Yue closed his eyes and ignored her.

Nangong Lin answered Nian Ruxue’s question, “Sheng Yue, it’s Sheng Yue… Mo Yan’s most capable subordinate! He’s been caught too, hahaha… trash… all trash! I shouldn’t have trusted you!”

Upon hearing this, Nian Ruxue’s face stiffened, and she muttered, “How could it be…” In her eyes, Sheng Yue’s strength was on par with Gu Ling’s.

Since Gu Ling had locked Sheng Yue here, he wasn’t afraid of them communicating. Sheng Yue also knew very well that those three useless people couldn’t provide any useful information. In fact, they knew far less about many things than he did, so he couldn’t be bothered to pay them any attention.

When Yuan Ying entered the Yuanming Pavilion, Su Liang had already learned from Qi Yan and Nangong Qian that Sheng Yue had arrived. Ji Yuebai had already brought the child first and was telling Su Liang about the beginning and the end of his acquaintance with “Chai Feng”.

“I’m sorry, it was my lack of vigilance,” Ji Yuebai sighed.

Su Liang shook his head, “It’s nothing, he didn’t hurt you. And even if you hadn’t traveled with him, he would have come anyway.”

As she sat on Ji Yuebai’s lap, Ji Xiaoshu furrowed her brows and complained about Ji Yuebai, “Father, you are really careless, keeping someone with an unknown background close to you. Fortunately, Master and Madam had planned early, or that bad guy would have hurt you!”

Ji Yuebai hurriedly admitted his mistake, “Yes, yes, it’s all my fault, thank you Madam.”

“Of course.” Ji Xiaoshu snorted lightly, “My master is very magnanimous and won’t be mad at you for my sake.”

Su Liang laughed softly, “Yes, for Xiaoshu’s sake, I won’t hold King Yin’s mistake against him this time.”

“Why hasn’t Xiaogu brought Sheng Yue over yet?” Ji Yuebai looked at the entrance, “That man better not be playing tricks again, master…”

Ji Yuebai’s master was about to get up and check when Ying Ying entered, “It’s okay. Xiaogu has locked Sheng Yue in the dungeon.”

“Master, please sit down. I’ll go get you some tasty food!” Ji Xiaoshu slid down Ji Yuebai’s legs and quickly ran upstairs.

“My son has really grown up.” Ji Yuebai sighed and then bowed to Su Liang, “Thank you so much for taking care of Xiaoshu.” It wasn’t that no one took care of Ji Xiaoshu, but he was unhappy in King Yin’s mansion. He appeared mischievous, but he had been melancholic ever since he lost his mother. Gu Ling and Su Liang gave Ji Xiaoshu a new, happy, and loving home.

“Why are you being so polite? Xiaoshu is part of our family.” Su Liang smiled. She and Gu Ling didn’t have a son of their own, and they didn’t plan to have one for the time being. They loved the two children in their home and raised them as if they were their own.

Ji Yuebai laughed heartily, “You’re right!”

Ying Ying had already taken out the vegetarian dishes that Gu Ling had brought back from Huguo Temple from the food box, but since they were delayed, the dishes had gotten a little cold. Su Liang suggested heating them up again before eating.

Ji Xiaoshu came downstairs, holding a box. As soon as Ying Ye saw it, he grinned, “Little orange dried fruit!”

It was a snack of dried little oranges that Gu Ling had learned to make from Madam Lin. The sour and sweet taste was very delicious. Ji Xiaoshu had specially saved some for Ji Yuebai.

After Ji Xiaoshu fed Ji Yuebai and his master a taste, Ji Yuebai nodded, “Really delicious.”

“My master personally made it!” Ji Xiaoshu was quite proud of this.

Just then, Gu Ling entered the room. Ji Yuebai laughed and said, “Xiaogu, you’ve surpassed me in my son’s heart.”

Gu Ling looked at Ji Xiaoshu, “Is that so?”

Ji Xiaoshu immediately shook his head, “Why bother competing? My favorite is, of course, my master!”

They sat for a little while, and Ji Yuebai did not ask Gu Ling about his plans for dealing with Sheng Yue. Ji Yuebai then got up to leave since his wife and children were still in King Yin’s mansion.

Ji Yuebai hugged Ji Xiaoshu again, “Do you want to go home with me?”

“No, Aunt Ying and Uncle Ersan are getting married. I have things to do. Remember to come to the wedding tomorrow! See you then!” Ji Xiaoshu waved his hand casually.

“Alright, see you tomorrow.” Ji Yuebai tousled Ji Xiaoshu’s head and left with his master.

The children went to the kitchen to see if Qiuyue and Weng Ran had finished cooking. Gu Ling and Su Liang went upstairs. Weng Ming and Lao Bai were discussing the issue of Sheng Yue being immune to poison. They both agreed that they should study Sheng Yue’s blood to see if it had any detoxifying effects.

After hearing Gu Ling recount the events and Sheng Yue’s statements, Su Liang pondered, “It seems that Pu Cheng found him, and he came here as soon as he saw our message. But even if he surrenders willingly, I still think we can’t trust him easily.”

Gu Ling agreed. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have thrown Sheng Yue into the dungeon, “Let’s just wait and see.”

On the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, it was a good day for marriage.

With a beaming face, Lian Shun led the wedding procession, making a grand entrance at the gate of Su Mansion.

The door-blocking team went into action again. Ji Xiaoshu led the team, followed by Zhengzheng and Ying Ye, and this time the children roped in Gu Ling for support.

Last time, when Qi Jun married Ren Dong, the children had blocked the door once before. Qi Jun had informed Lian Shun beforehand, but he had omitted the crucial fact that he, as an insider, had been given the answers by Su Liang in advance, so there was actually no difficulty involved.

This time, the questions were specially crafted for Lian Shun by Gu Ling, who didn’t give him a chance to cheat.

The second question stumped Lian Shun. “Give me another hint!”

“Uncle Ersan, you can do it!” Zhengzheng encouraged warmly.

Lian Shun scratched his head in anxiety, “Xiaoshu, please be lenient! I’ll send you a treasure in return!”

“No bribing! We can be lenient. There were originally ten questions, but now you only need to answer five correctly to enter! My master arranged the task because Aunt Ying got up late and hasn’t finished dressing yet. Besides, it’s not time to start, so don’t worry.”

Zhengzheng still gave Lian Shun a hint, and Lian Shun quickly answered the second question.

Ji Xiaoshu covered Zhengzheng’s mouth, “Eldest senior brother, don’t betray us!”

Zhengzheng nodded, but he gave another hint for the third question.

“Master, arrest the eldest senior brother!” Ji Xiaoshu commanded.

Gu Ling glanced at him coldly, “I told you, I prefer Zhengzheng.”

Ji Xiaoshu: …

Ying Ye climbed onto the wall and waved at Lian Shun, “Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law!”

Lian Shun’s eyes lit up, “Xiaoye, help me!”

Ying Ye reached out, “Sure! Brother-in-law, reach out, and I’ll pull you over!”

Lian Shun coughed lightly, “No need, you better go back.”

Although it was not easy, Lian Shun still managed to answer all five questions with Zhengzheng’s help. Ying Ye opened the door, hugged Lian Shun, and asked, “Brother-in-law! Are my sister and I going to sleep at your house tonight?”

Lian Shun quickly appeased Ying Ye, “Xiaoye, you can go another day.” Just joking, he couldn’t let anyone disturb his wedding night, especially the naughty little devil Ji Xiaoshu!

Seeing Lian Shun looking over, Ji Xiaoshu quickly cupped his fist, “Congratulations, Uncle Lian! I wish Uncle Lian and Aunt Ying a hundred years of happiness and a beautiful child soon!”

Lian Shun saw the lovely children sending their blessings and couldn’t help but smile, “Thanks!” Then he strode inside, patted Gu Ling’s shoulder as he passed by, “I’m most grateful to you, Gu Xiaoling!”

Zhengzheng pulled Ying Ye to Lian Shun, “Hurry! Uncle Xiaoye, you still have to send Aunt Ying out!”

Hearing the noise outside, Su Liang covered Ying Ying with a red veil. Ying Ye rushed in, “Sister! Brother-in-law is coming!”

Su Liang asked Ying Ye to carry Ying Ying on his back, and Ying Ye wanted to lift the veil to see what Ying Ying looked like after her makeup was done.

So, Lian Shun stood outside the courtyard door and heard Zhengzheng exclaim, “Wow! Aunt Ying looks so beautiful today!”

Lian Shun tried to peek inside, but he couldn’t see anything, and he was getting anxious.

Soon, Ying Ye carried Ying Ying out steadily. When they reached the courtyard door, he solemnly repeated what Su Liang taught him, “Brother-in-law, you have to be good to my sister, or I’ll beat you!”

Lian Shun’s attention was all on Ying Ying. He nodded without hesitation, “I will. I swear.”

The rest of the wedding went smoothly, and the Lian family hosted a lively celebration, inviting many guests.

By the time Zhengzheng, Ji Xiaoshu, and Ying Ye were brought over by Gu Ling, they just caught the newlyweds’ wedding ceremony.

Ji Yuebai was also there, holding his little son in his arms. The little boy saw Ji Xiaoshu and clapped his hands happily, “Brother! Brother!”

Ji Xiaoshu ran over and picked up his little brother, asking Ji Yuebai, “Father, can you prepare the betrothal gifts for me and my brother when you have time?”

Ji Yuebai coughed, “Isn’t it too early?”

“We will grow up fast! I want to marry a wife as good as my master’s!” Ji Xiaoshu expressed his ideal.

Ji Yuebai nodded repeatedly, “Ambitious! My son, keep up the good work! Leave the betrothal gifts matter to me.”

The wedding ceremony ended, and the children went to the bridal chamber to play for a while before being chased out.

According to the rules, Lian Shun hadn’t seen Ying Ying for three days. He lifted the red veil with a balance, and his eyes were amazed. Ying Ying’s features were originally gorgeous, but after Su Liang’s skillful touch, they were even more beautiful. Lian Shun couldn’t help but exclaim, “How come I am so lucky to marry such a beautiful fairy!”

Ying Ying laughed, “Wipe the drool from the corner of your mouth.”

Lian Shun raised his hand to wipe it unconsciously, then realized he’d been teased. He chuckled, quickly drank the wedding wine, removed Ying Ying’s headpiece, and then pushed her down.

He had just tasted the forbidden fruit and was longing for it ever since. Finally, it was time for the wedding night again.

Gu Ling returned home with the children after having the wedding wine and it was already late in the afternoon.

“Master, how should we deal with that scoundrel? Are we going to kill him?” Ji Xiaoshu was still thinking of Sheng Yue.

Gu Ling shook his head, “Not killing him for now, he is still useful.”

Before long, when the children were playing on the open ground at the entrance of Yuanming Pavilion, they saw Gu Ling take Sheng Yue to the pavilion on the opposite side of the lake and have some conversation.

“Eldest Senior Brother, how does that scoundrel pee with only one hand?” Ji Xiaoshu asked Zhengzheng.

Zhengzheng lightly coughed, “I think…with one hand…it should be possible.”

“Humph! He even changed his name to Chai Feng, making it sound like he’s brothers with Uncle Cheng Yun, so shameless!” Ji Xiaoshu complained.

Zhengzheng nodded, “Indeed. Although he is truly Uncle Cheng Yun’s elder brother, he treated Uncle Cheng Yun too badly!”

Gu Ling didn’t know what the children were discussing. He untied the ropes on Sheng Yue’s body but didn’t unlock the chains on his feet, fearing that he would run away.

“When did you go to Xingluo Island? Since Mo Yan knew your mother, why didn’t he recognize you?” Gu Ling asked.

“You know, I look like my father.” Sheng Yue looked at the children playing on the opposite bank, his gaze fell on Ying Ye, with a faint expression, “Mo Yan never saw my father because my father was a coward who was good at hiding.”

“What about Pu Cheng?” Gu Ling asked.

“I don’t know.” Sheng Yue shook his head, “His martial arts have been crippled by you, and he is useless to me now. I let him go, where he wants to go, it’s up to him.”

“Put your hand here.” Gu Ling pointed to the table, and there was a sharp knife and a porcelain bottle in his hand.

Sheng Yue knew what Gu Ling was going to do, but he didn’t refuse, so he placed his only hand on the table, allowing Gu Ling to cut his wrist with the knife and let the blood flow into the porcelain bottle.

It wasn’t until the bottle was almost full that Gu Ling stopped, put down the knife, sprinkled some hemostatic powder on Sheng Yue’s wrist, and wrapped the wound with gauze.

Then Gu Ling flew across the lake, entered the Yuanming Pavilion, and handed the blood he had taken to Su Liang. Weng Ming and Lao Bai were also waiting.

Sheng Yue saw Su Liang’s figure flash past the second-floor window of Yuanming Pavilion, his eyes narrowed slightly, lowered his head, and pressed the wound with his arm without hands.

Soon, Gu Ling returned.

“Can you answer a question for me, considering my cooperation?” Sheng Yue asked.

“Go ahead.” Gu Ling wiped the blood-stained table with a damp cloth.

“You can have foresight, right?” Sheng Yue asked.

Gu Ling shook his head, “No.”

Sheng Yue frowned slightly, “You’re not telling the truth.”

“Believe it or not, it’s up to you.” Gu Ling said.

“How did you get to this side? My mother said this is called a parallel world, and she accidentally fell into the Gate of Time and Space.” Sheng Yue said, “Is the forbidden area in Xingluo Island the Gate of Time and Space? I don’t understand these things very well, but I think you must know.”

Gu Ling asked back, “How did your mother die?”

Sheng Yue paused for a moment, sighed deeply, “In the end, you still found something wrong. Indeed, my mother didn’t die in the forbidden area of Xingluo Island. Otherwise, if she couldn’t go back, Mo Yan would have given up his obsession long ago. My mother’s death is related to Xingluo Island, but in fact, she died at the hands of my father.”

Gu Ling’s gaze condensed slightly as he heard Sheng Yue continue, “My mother was discovered by Mo Yan after giving birth to me. According to my father, before that, my mother had already resigned herself and never thought about going back. She was taken to Xingluo Island and learned about that forbidden area. But before Mo Yan had a chance to do anything to her, his daughter, your mother-in-law, saved my mother and escaped with her. This is why your wife and my brother both have the same two jade pendants, which are tokens of their shared suffering.”

“Later, my mother reunited with my father and soon became pregnant with Cheng Yun. However, over time, my mother could not forget the forbidden area of Xingluo Island. When she found a way, she wanted to return to her original world more than ever, saying that if she could return, it would mean that the way was open and she would definitely come back to pick us up and lead us to a more civilized and beautiful life that is a thousand times better than here.”

“My father was naturally strongly opposed to this idea. My mother wanted to leave home and go to Xingluo Island just after giving birth to Cheng Yun, but she was brought back by my father several times. The last time, they had a fierce argument and started fighting. I saw my father push down my mother with my own eyes, and her head just hit the knife on the ground.” Sheng Yue’s face was still calm, and his eyes seemed like a calm, deep pool, “After my mother died, my father was heartbroken and took Cheng Yun to become a monk. He was going to take me too, but I refused. People have different aspirations, and as a son, I do not want to blame either of them or dissect their so-called love. But isn’t it true that Mo Yan ruined my family and killed my mother? Maybe I just want to see what kind of world of bliss that path leads to, the one that my mother would rather leave us behind for.”