366 A Thunderstorm Suddenly Arrives
Hall of Supreme Peace.
Mingde Emperor still woke up in the end. He opened his eyes but the one he saw was Mu Chunfeng. He asked absently, "Genius doctor Hua didn't come today?"
At this moment, Mu Chunfeng was using a silver needle to test the oil lamp, and he was concentrating on his task. A slight frown furrowed across his brows and he asked Li Changqing, "Who changes these oil lamps every day?"
"That would be the palace maids and eunuchs in the Hall of Supreme Peace, but who exactly is responsible, I can't remember," Li Changqing replied.
Mu Chunfeng nodded. "His Majesty needs rest. The light in the room shouldn’t be too bright. These oil lamps don’t need to be lit in the future."
"Changqing, where’s genius doctor Hua Jin?" Mingde Emperor asked again.
Only then did Li Changqing realise that Mingde Emperor had awakened, and he hurriedly stepped forward to pay his respects. "Your Majesty, the genius doctor Hua Jin happened to have caught a cold yesterday and was afraid of infecting Your Majesty and aggravating your condition. So, she sent her disciple, Mu Chunfeng, to carry out the diagnosis and treatment. He will then report back to Doctor Hua to decide on the next treatment step."
"Chunfeng," Mingde Emperor called out.
Mu Chunfeng hurriedly paid his respects. "Chunfeng is here."
"Genius doctor Hua…" Mingde Emperor looked at Mu Chunfeng, his eyes full of concern. "Is she alright?"
Mu Chunfeng nodded and said, "Yesterday, her condition was quite serious but today, we were fortunate to have a certain mister who had come to Heavenly Revelations. Now, she’s much better and she’ll be able to enter the palace in a few days."
Mingde Emperor coughed slightly. "That's good. Then… how about Chong'er's eyes?"
"His eyes have also been healed. His Highness White Prince will only need to rest for a few days and he will soon see light again," Mu Chunfeng replied.
Mingde Emperor finally showed a bit of joy. "That’s really… good news."
White Prince Residence.
The White Prince’s eyes were covered with a white cloth and he sat on the bed. Not far away from him, Ling Shaohan was also sitting there with the same white cloth over his eyes.
They were blindfolded similarly but were facing a completely different future.
"Shaohan, you should have told me about this," Xiao Chong said slowly.
Ling Shaohan chuckled. "If I’d really told Your Highness, then Your Highness would definitely have refused to proceed. Shaohan is your counselor and an expert at reading the heart. Did Your Highness forget?"
Xiao Chong shook his head. "But even if I have gained my eyes, I’ve lost you, and I’ve lost my strongest arm."
"Now that Your Highness has regained the light, it's like growing a pair of wings to fly straight into the sky. Why be bothered with losing these not that useful arms of mine?" Ling Shaohan replied.
"So what actually happened that day?" Xiao Chong asked.
Ling Shaohan smiled bitterly. "Your Highness forgets, I was also unconscious that day."
"That day, the Hidden River killers infiltrated the White Prince Residence. Yong'an Prince and Lanyue Marquis sent their people to assist so the killers couldn’t get through for a while. But, in the end, it was your most trusted younger brother, Xiao Jingxia, who betrayed you. Together with the sect leader of Outerheaven, Ye Anshi, they injured genius doctor Hua Jin. Fortunately, your eyes were already healed by then. Finally, they intended to kill you but were beaten back by us." Yan Zhantian walked in with the sword in his arms.
"It was lao-Jiu?" Xiao Chong sighed and did not continue to speak.
"I'm very curious. Why would Yong'an Prince do so much to help you?" Yan Zhantian asked.
"He regards me as his brother. Although we’re all vying for the throne, his outlook is magnanimous. The throne is the throne, and brothers are brothers. In this regard, I can’t compare to him. None of the princes can compare to him." Xiao Chong stood up, and walked to the door. Unlike the past, this time, he could clearly feel the warm yellow light of the sun instead of that pitch black darkness.
Suddenly the sound of slow footsteps approached and Yan Zhantian stepped aside. Xiao Chong called out softly, "Second shifu."
Jin Yu Gonggong reached out a hand and lightly brushed his fingers across Xiao Chong’s eyes. He could clearly sense the change in the prince’s expression and he couldn’t help but sigh. "There’s really such a miraculous eye transplant technique in this world. Medicine King Valley’s medical arts are truly beyond one’s imagination."
"Second shifu, I have a request," Xiao Chong said slowly.
"What request?" Jin Yu Gonggong asked.
"This time, lao-Liu helped me out and I must repay his kindness. Over the next few days, I’ll be confined to the residence so it won’t be convenient for me. Da-shifu is also not well-versed in the matters of Heavenly Revelations, so I can only trouble Second shifu," Xiao Chong said.
Jin Yu Gonggong raised a hand and a butterfly landed on his finger. He chuckled and said, "I, too, can’t quite understand which direction the wind in Heavenly Revelations is blowing now. Just look, the sky was still clear earlier but right now, it’s starting to rain."
A heavy rain suddenly came pouring down.
A lot of people who were talking on the streets were caught in the sudden downpour but there were always some people in the world who would have an umbrella with them all the time.
On the street, an oil-paper umbrella opened like a flower blooming, and a handsome man dressed in black was walking slowly with the umbrella, his expression indifferent. His black clothes and his expression always gave others the impression that he was attending a funeral.
Many years ago, he would always carry out his missions with a friend. The martial world gave them nicknames. He was called the Umbrella Ghost and the other was called the Funeral Master. The entire martial world was terrified of hearing their names. Later, they seldom came out to kill with their own hands. One became Kui and the other became the most promising successor of the Hidden River Su House. Even later, Kui became the Head of Su House and the one who was supposed to succeed Su House became the Patriarch of the Hidden River.
However, their partnership remained as tacit as before. Just like in the past when they killed people, one would be responsible for investigating and formulating tactics and the other was responsible for wielding his sword and slashing down their targets. Su Muyu didn’t like talking and he would never ask unnecessary questions while Su Changhe excelled at talking and he would consider all factors before he carried out his tasks. But Su Muyu suddenly realized that he was wrong.
Some things had to be clarified properly, after all.
And it was possible for people to change.
Su Muyu stopped and looked up at the rain falling from the sky.
Mu Yumo was dressed in violet and she sat on top of the pavilion, holding a cup of wine and turning it quietly in her hand. The expression on her face clouded over like the weather.
Suddenly, Su Muyu lowered his head.
The cup of wine in Mu Yumo's hand finally stopped turning.
They looked at the end of the long street at the same time.
Su Changhe, dressed in black and wearing a silver mask, had appeared there. He didn't carry an umbrella, and the rain fell on his black robe.
"The hazy fog, your chosen one far in the mountain. Separated by a thousand mountains, yet unable to overcome the myriad of feelings." For some reason, Su Muyu suddenly remembered this song he heard in Nan'an City. He made a circling gesture with his hand and sucked all the rainwater towards himself.
On the long street, everyone had already ran away to shelter from the rain.
Suddenly it became very quiet with only the sound of rain hitting the bluestone slabs.
Su Muyu looked at the water sword in his hand that was growing in size. It was enveloped with an incredible sword power and a vague sound of roaring dragons. Then he sighed heavily, exhaled lightly onto his fingers, and the blue dragon water sword turned into drops of water and scattered all over the ground. He turned around, and his figure gradually disappeared at the end of the long street.
On the top of the pavilion, a cup of wine fell onto the table.
The lady in the violet dress had also disappeared.
*
Poetry note:
雾朦胧，伊人远山中。千山隔，隔不断情思万千。
The hazy fog, your chosen one far in the mountain. Separated by a thousand mountains, yet unable to overcome the myriad of feelings.
As far as I can tell, this song that Su Muyu remembered is written by the author and is repeated from Chapter 83. Nan’an City is where Su Muyu encountered Li Hanyi the first time and they fought on the city walls. At the time, he heard the song recited by a child who ran past him and there was no significance.
Yiren (伊人) is a literary way of writing “that person” and is usually for a female, and sometimes one’s intended. In this context, Su Muyu is thinking that Su Changhe is now far away from him (in ideology) but he can’t disregard their years of working together. Su Changhe once saved his life and rumours were that’s the reason he let Su Changhe become the new Patriarch instead of himself.