Eternal Love Within A Smile - Chapter 34
Chapter 34
Qianluo Yaozun was close to the evil entity. Seeing the creature attack Qunyu Fangzun, he instinctively reached out to restrain it.
However, it was clear to everyone that the evil entity had been provoked by Qunyu Fangzun’s voice and had suddenly lunged at her.
Qianluo Yaozun turned to Xu Manman in anger, “Why did you suddenly break the seal?”
Xu Manman stared unblinkingly at Qunyu Fangzun, “Fangzun, does this evil entity have some grudge against you?”
Qunyu Fangzun calmly looked at the evil entity and shook her head, “I don’t know.”
Qianluo Yaozun said, “This evil creature is ugly and jealous of beauty. What’s so strange about that?”
Qianluo Yaozun thought this way, while the others looked at Qunyu Fangzun with suspicion.
Ao Xiu suddenly spoke, “Earlier, you said the perpetrator was a female cultivator.”
Xu Manman nodded, “That’s what the ‘Heavenly Punishment Record’ states, and Emperor Chenghuan said the same.”
Ao Xiu looked at Qunyu Fangzun, “Gender, age, they all match Qunyu Fangzun.”
Qunyu Fangzun turned to Ao Xiu, coldly saying, “Does the Sea Emperor now suspect me as well?”
Li Ying couldn’t help but laugh, “The Sea Emperor has been in the Fubo Palace for too long, thinking that the Daoist Alliance is as scheming and deceitful as the Fubo Palace.”
Ao Xiu was not offended and smiled, “I am merely an outsider, offering a humble opinion. You all need not take it to heart.”
Despite his words, everyone couldn’t ignore what had just happened.
Qunyu Fangzun coldly stated, “I have no connection with the Blood Sect or this evil entity. If you don’t believe me, you can perform a soul interrogation.”
Qianluo Yaozun stood firmly in front of Qunyu Fangzun, coldly saying, “Fangzun is beautiful and kind-hearted. How could she collude with the Blood Sect to harm the innocent?”
Ao Xiu said, “If she has a clear conscience, she can make a Blood Oath of the Heart Demon.”
Upon hearing this, Qunyu Fangzun’s expression changed, her eyes flickering.
Ao Xiu noticed this and became even more suspicious, “Does Fangzun not dare?”
Xu Manman didn’t have a deep relationship with Qunyu Fangzun. She only knew that this person practiced the Path of Emotionlessness, with a pathological obsession with perfection, and seemed indifferent to everything else. It was this extreme obsession that made her Dao heart exceptionally firm, allowing her cultivation to progress rapidly, and enabling the Flower God Palace to become one of the seven sects of the Daoist Alliance in just two hundred years.
Although Qunyu Fangzun was cold, she was not cruel or heartless. It didn’t seem like she was from the Blood Sect, but with the suspicion hanging over her and her refusal to make the Blood Oath of the Heart Demon, it became even harder for her to claim innocence.
Qunyu Fangzun was silent for a moment before suddenly asking, “In which year did the Mo mansion case occur?”
“On the night of August 14th, 2662 of the Hongdao era,” Xu Manman, with her excellent memory, immediately replied.
Upon hearing this, Qunyu Fangzun lowered her head, her brow furrowed, but she said nothing.
Qianluo Yaozun’s heart also skipped a beat. He leaned closer to Qunyu Fangzun and whispered, “Fangzun, have you remembered something?”
Qunyu Fangzun raised her head, her expression already calm again.
“I have no connection with the Blood Sect, nor have I committed any killings. If you have doubts, find the evidence. But as the master of the Flower God Palace, how can I make a blood oath based on your mere suspicions?”
Qianluo Yaozun said, “Exactly! If you have doubts, find the evidence!”
Xu Manman said, “Then we’ll have to ask the monks of the Xuantian Temple to perform a soul interrogation and also ask Emperor Chenghuan. Perhaps he knows something more.”
The rulers of the seven kingdoms strictly monitored Emperor Chenghuan. His activities were confined to the Daxing Palace, and except for important sacrificial ceremonies, he was not allowed to leave, nor was he allowed to meet privately with the forces of the Daoist Alliance, seemingly to prevent him from forming alliances with other powers and causing disturbances.
Such an emperor was no different from a puppet, and it must have been quite dull. Xu Manman had only seen him three times in total. He appeared to be a handsome and gentle young man, with a slight smile often on his lips, but the smile never reached his eyes.
When everyone went to see Emperor Chenghuan, they heard he was in the Tianlu Palace. It seemed he had been staying there and rarely moved elsewhere.
“Your Majesty,” everyone greeted Emperor Chenghuan with a cupped-hand salute. As leaders of the seven sects, they were not required to perform grand ceremonies to a mortal emperor.
Emperor Chenghuan was dressed in a light golden brocade robe, holding a yellowed ancient scroll in his hand, with a faint smile on his face, gentle and soft, not like a mortal emperor but more like a refined scholar.
“Leaders of the sects, there’s no need for formalities,” Emperor Chenghuan smiled and put down the scroll in his hand, walking towards everyone. “What important matter brings you here to see me?”
Ning Xi stepped forward, “I am Xihe, the successor of the Siyi Sect, temporarily acting as the Daozun. Today, to investigate the Blood Sect, we need Your Majesty’s assistance.”
Emperor Chenghuan nodded to Ning Xi, “Elder Xihe, please speak freely.”
Ning Xi took out the bronze mirror that Xu Manman had given her. Xu Manman had been observing Emperor Chenghuan’s expression and noticed a flicker of emotion in his eyes when he saw the mirror.
Xu Manman smiled and asked, “Your Majesty seems to recognize this object?”
Emperor Chenghuan turned to Xu Manman, who introduced herself, “I am Xu Yanyue, also from the Siyi Sect.”
Emperor Chenghuan nodded slightly, “You are here to ask about the massacre at the Mo mansion, right? Yesterday, I have already told the truth to the Immortal Lord Lang Yin.”
Ning Xi suddenly unsealed the bronze mirror, releasing the double-faced evil entity. Emperor Chenghuan was slightly startled and took half a step back.
“This is…”
Emperor Chenghuan stared blankly at the ghostly figure with disheveled hair before him.
“This is an evil entity derived from the residual soul sealed in the bronze mirror. Does Your Majesty recognize it?”
Ning Xi asked.
“There are traces of soul-binding chains on him. Was the Xuantian Temple involved in the incident back then?”
Emperor Chenghuan was lost in thought for a long time, staring straight at the pair of crimson ghost eyes half-hidden in the black hair.
After a while, he let out a bitter laugh and sighed, “Elder Brother…”
“Is this the Prince Mo?” Everyone was shocked.
Qunyu Fangzun also said, “The other face on the back, with only a mouth, is a woman’s face.”
The lips and mouth shape of a woman are quite different from those of a man. Hearing Qunyu Fangzun say this, everyone took a closer look and noticed the difference.
Qianluo Yaozun said in surprise, “Could it be that Prince Mo and his consort were bound together by soul-binding chains?”
Qunyu Fangzun pursed her lips, suddenly feeling a wave of nausea.
She turned her gaze to Emperor Chenghuan and said in a deep voice, “This matter concerns the Flower God Palace’s innocence. Please, Your Majesty, do not hide anything and tell us the truth!”
Emperor Chenghuan lowered his eyes, a bitter smile on his lips, “This is a scandal of the royal family. I had no choice but to keep it a secret.”
“Actually… this matter was caused by Elder Brother’s betrayal, which led to the massacre.”
Emperor Chenghuan slowly recounted the story he knew to everyone.
In the year 2662 of the Hongdao era, the Daxing Dynasty was already in decline, with feudal lords dividing the land and the central authority weakened. The Yan Dynasty had lost the dignity of the royal family. Emperor Jinguang had only two sons left. The eldest,Prince Mo, Yan Zhao, was both cultured and martial, with exceptional talent in cultivation, and was ambitious to restore the glory of Daxing. The second son, Prince Xiang, Yan Zhe, was intelligent as a child but fell seriously ill at sixteen, becoming ordinary and losing the emperor’s favor.
Emperor Jinguang favored Prince Mo and intended to make him the crown prince. However, the feudal lords, with their ambitions to usurp the throne, could not tolerate a determined and ambitious king. Therefore, they sent assassins to kill the Prince Mo. Although Prince Mo was extremely cautious, he could not avoid all the assassination attempts.
That time, all his attendants were killed, and he himself was poisoned, fleeing in panic, his life hanging by a thread. Fortunately, he was saved by a woman. She used up all her precious spiritual medicine to save Prince Mo’s life, but the poison had invaded his eyes, leaving him blind. Too ill to move, he could only give his token to the woman and ask her to go to the capital to deliver a message for help.
“Elder Brother was missing for several months, and the late emperor was furious, sending all his trusted men to search for him. That day, I happened to be in the Mo mansion when I heard someone with Elder Brother’s token seeking an audience. I immediately summoned them and met the woman.”
“The woman called herself Ah Heng. She handed Elder Brother’s token and a handwritten letter to me and then fell ill. She was seventeen or eighteen years old, barely literate, just an ordinary village girl. She had rushed to the capital day and night to deliver the message, encountering countless hardships along the way without retreating. When I saw the look in her eyes as she spoke of Elder Brother, I knew she and Elder Brother were deeply in love. She was willing to risk her life for Elder Brother, and Elder Brother, being suspicious, would not have given her his token unless he trusted and loved her.”
“After receiving the plea for help, the palace immediately sent trusted men to bring Elder Brother back. Elder Brother was severely injured, but fortunately, he had taken an antidote in time and only needed time to recover. During those days, Ah Heng stayed by his side, like a wife, until he recovered, his sight restored, and he saw Ah heng with his own eyes…”
“Ah Heng was kind-hearted and sincere, and everyone in the palace liked her. However, she was ugly and of humble birth. In the end, Elder Brother broke his promise and married a noblewoman from the Gao family.”
Xu Manman said, “As Your Majesty said, Ah Heng was gentle and kind-hearted, and it’s unlikely she would cling to him or kill innocents. Moreover, she was just a weak woman. How could she have killed so many Nascent Soul experts?”
Emperor Chenghuan sighed lightly, “After Elder Brother agreed to the marriage, I once asked him what would become of Ah heng. He said he would give her a ‘Formless Pill’ and ensure her a life of wealth and honor. However, on the night of August 14th, when Elder Brother married the Gao woman, a bloodbath occurred in the mansion, with blood light shooting into the sky. Elder Brother and his wife died in their bridal chamber, and Aheng disappeared.”
“The Formless Pill,” Xu Manman was stunned, “This is the supreme secret medicine of the Xuantian Temple, capable of curing any poison.”
Emperor Chenghuan said, “Indeed, I don’t know how Aheng obtained the Formless Pill, but it must have some connection with the Xuantian Temple. The Formless Pill is extremely precious; even Elder Brother couldn’t obtain one.”
“From what you’ve said, it seems that the real murderer that night was someone from the Xuantian Temple…” Xu Manman was shocked, lowering her eyes in deep thought, feeling that this case was full of layers of mystery.
Mingxiao Fazun frowned, “The Mo mansion betrayed their trust first. If the Xuantian Temple sought revenge and covered it up, it would make sense. But why would the Xuantian Temple commit such a heavy slaughter?”
Ao Xiu said, “Perhaps someone from the Xuantian Temple colluded with the Blood Sect?”
Xu Manman saw Emperor Chenghuan looking sadly at the residual soul of Prince Mo and put the residual soul back into the mirror.
“Killing first, then binding the soul, making it impossible for them to reincarnate,” Ao Xiu sighed, “Such actions are indeed not in line with the Xuantian Temple’s reputation for compassion. Although Prince Mo betrayed his promise and married someone else, he also promised to repay her with a life of wealth and honor. What more could she want?”
Qunyu Fangzun suddenly said, “These are just Your Majesty’s words. How can we be sure they are true? Even if what Your Majesty said is true, it’s just what you heard from Prince Mo. Can we trust it completely? Since he deceived Ah heng once, he could deceive her again. The Formless Pill is extremely precious. Could he really repay her? Aheng had seen all his flaws. Could he bear to see her for a lifetime?”
Qunyu Fangzun rarely showed such sharp and fierce emotions.
Everyone was shocked, staring at her.
Emperor Chenghuan looked at Qunyu Fangzun gently, not displeased by her harsh tone.
He sighed lightly, “This matter was Elder Brother’s betrayal of Ah heng. I also don’t want to believe that Ah heng would kill. After that day, the late emperor silenced all those who knew the truth. The ‘Heavenly Punishment Record’ states that the perpetrator was a Blood Sect demonic cultivator, which may not be true. Since Ah heng disappeared after that night, they pinned all the blame on her.”
Ning Xi felt sympathy and sighed, “Ah heng was just being kind-hearted and saved a person, but she had to pay with her life and bear the infamy for eternity.”
“I also thought Ah heng was long dead, until today,” Emperor Chenghuan looked sorrowfully at the double-faced evil entity, “Ah heng’s appearance has changed, but her voice remains the same. Elder Brother’s residual soul has gained intelligence, so it became so agitated upon hearing Ah heng’s voice.”
Everyone was shocked upon hearing this. Even though they had suspected it earlier, hearing it from Emperor Chenghuan’s mouth was still hard to believe.
All eyes turned to Qunyu Fangzun.
Qunyu Fangzun was incredibly beautiful, her beauty flawless. Even the most critical person could only say that the only flaw in her face was that it wasn’t on their own. However, Fangzun was always cold, aloof, and rarely smiled. She treated others with indifference, like a lofty moon, distant and unapproachable.
She bore no resemblance to the kind-hearted, ugly Ah heng described by Emperor Chenghuan.
But the violent reaction of Prince Mo’s residual soul, Emperor Chenghuan’s account of the past, and even Qunyu Fangzun’s unusual behavior all seemed to confirm this.
“Fangzun… is Ah heng?”Qianluo Yaozun was thunderstruck, muttering to himself, staring in a trance at Qunyu Fangzun’s moon-like, icy profile.
“I don’t remember having any involvement with the Mo Mansion,” Qunyu Fangzun said coldly, “People can look alike, but can’t voices be mistaken too?”
“Right, right!” Qianluo Yaozun snapped out of it and said loudly, “You must have mistaken her for someone else!”
Emperor Chenghuan and Prince Mo’s residual soul might have been mistaken, but Qunyu Fangzun’s reaction couldn’t fool Xu Manman. Earlier, when Qunyu Fangzun asked about the year of the Mo mansion massacre, her pupils had trembled upon hearing the answer.
What Xu Manman could figure out, Ao Xiu could too. He stood at the door, blocking the way, and said meaningfully, “Fangzun did not deny involvement in the Mo mansion massacre, only that she didn’t remember. I recall that just now, when Fangzun heard the time of the Mo mansion massacre, she refused to make the Blood Oath of the Heart Demon. That time must have been significant to her. I dare to guess that Fangzun might have lost a portion of her memory, and her earliest memories began after the Mo mansion massacre.”
Qunyu Fangzun’s expression changed slightly, her eyes flickering, clearly trying to maintain composure.
Mingxiao Fazun sighed, “It seems this matter is likely related to Fangzun. We hope Fangzun can give us an explanation.”
Qianluo Yaozun stood in front of Qunyu Fangzun and said coldly, “What’s there to explain? Even if Fangzun is Ah heng, even if she killed the thirty-some people in the Mo mansion, they deserved it. Emperor Chenghuan made it clear earlier that Ah heng was innocent, and Fangzun is innocent!”
Li Ying frowned slightly, “That kind of ungrateful, heartless man would be subjected to a thousand years of water torture in our clan. Being soul-bound for five hundred years is already light.”
Mingxiao Fazun said, “Regardless of right or wrong, if, as Emperor Chenghuan said, Ah heng was just an ordinary person without cultivation back then, then the murderer of the Mo mansion must be someone else. I just hope fangzun can remember who the perpetrator was. Who performed the soul interrogation? Where did the Formless Pill come from?”
Qunyu fangzun was silent for a long time before slowly saying, “I don’t remember.”
“If that’s the case, we hope Fangzun will temporarily step down from her position in the Daoist Alliance until the truth is uncovered,” Mingxiao Fazun said.
Qunyu Fangzun did not respond, only looking at Emperor Chenghuan.
“Do you remember what Ah heng looked like?” she asked.
Emperor Chenghuan hesitated for a moment before opening his hand, revealing a scroll. The scroll floated gently towards Qunyu Fangzun.
The scroll slowly unfurled, revealing the face of the woman within.
She wore simple clothes, no different from an ordinary village woman, but her eyes were gentle, half-smiling, half-affectionate, making people feel close to her. Unfortunately, the right half of her face was marred by a crimson birthmark, making her look eerie and ugly, hard to look at directly.
Qunyu Fangzun stood before the portrait, in stark contrast to the woman in the painting, like a fairy and a ghost, worlds apart. She had always pursued perfection, unable to tolerate any dirt or ugliness, but now she quietly examined the woman in the painting, silent for a long time.
Finally, she put away the portrait and silently turned to leave.
Qianluo Yaozun hurried after her, calling out, “Fangzun, wait for me!”
Ao Xiu said, “It seems both the Flower God Palace and the Xuantian Temple are suspicious. What does the Daoist Alliance plan to do?”
Mingxiao Fazun looked at Ning Xi, who now held the Daozun’s token.
Ning Xi sighed lightly, “In that case, we can only have Fangzun temporarily step down from the Daoist Alliance. The whereabouts of the Ya sheng Xingzun are unknown, and the urgent matter is to find the location of the Fate Defying division.”
“If Fangzun steps down,Qianluo Yaozun will also leave with her,” Xu Manman said helplessly, spreading her hands, “The Blood Sect hasn’t attacked yet, but the Daoist Alliance is already falling apart. It seems we’ll have to rely on the Siyi Sect to hold things together.”
Mingxiao Fazun gave Xu Manman a deep look before turning to leave the Tianlu Palace.
Xu Manman watched everyone leave, thoughtfully stroking her chin, “I didn’t expect Fangzun to have such a secret. Do you think she’ll tell me if I try to get close to her?”
Ning Xi shook her head, “You andFangzun aren’t that close.”
“Do you think the Immortal Lord could ask her? Fangzun has a request for the Immortal Lord,” Xu Manman’s eyes lit up, coming up with a bad idea.
Ning Xi’s expression turned strange, “You and the Immortal Lord aren’t that close either…”
Xu Manman coughed dryly, scratching her head awkwardly.
Her relationship with the Immortal Lord wasn’t deep or shallow. The Immortal Lord had shared half his life with her, so he’d probably be willing to answer a few questions if she told him she was Xu Manman. But she couldn’t say that…
Thinking about the betrayals over the past two hundred years and the recent deception and manipulation, if the truth came out, her dignity would be shattered, and the Immortal Lord would likely be hurt again because… her feelings for him weren’t as deep as his for her.
Not to mention the existence of Li Que and Ao Xiu. To win over these two factions, she had acknowledged their relationships with the Lian Yue Daozun. Once she regained her identity as the Lian Yue Daozun, she would have to accept these two men whether she wanted to or not… Ao Xiu, with his scheming nature, wouldn’t miss the chance to ally with the Daoist Alliance and the Siyi Sect. Li Que, eager to avoid Lingzhi and burdened by male virtue, would reluctantly force her to acknowledge the relationship.
The Immortal Lord could accept Xu Manman’s heart being devoted to the world, but he might not accept her having two other men by her side…
If she really did this, how would she be any different from that scoundrel Prince Mo?
