Chapter 1578: So Ugly He Killed Himself

In an instant, old tears streamed down Shao Dengyun's face.

Back then, he should never have listened to his son. The Shao family had lacked neither food nor clothing. Why had he sent his daughter chasing after such wealth and rank?

He bent down and pulled her up.

"Get up, get up. It was Father who wronged you. Come, let Father have a good look at you."

He helped his daughter to her feet.

Father and daughter were both weeping.

The generals nearby quietly withdrew of their own accord.

"It's all right as long as you're safe. It's good that you're home."

Shao Dengyun was crying himself, yet kept comforting his daughter again and again.

Seeing his mother cry, the small child could no longer hold back either. He ran over and hugged Shao Liuer.

Hearing him, Shao Liuer turned.

She wiped her tears, quickly pulled the child forward, and said, "Zheng'er, this is your maternal grandfather. Hurry and kneel to greet him."

Then she looked at Shao Dengyun. "Father, this is your daughter's son, your grandson."

The child knelt properly and kowtowed.

Still crying, he said, "Zheng'er greets Grandfather."

"Good child, quickly get up."

Shao Dengyun wept with joy.

The household had once been full of people, but fratricidal strife and one great upheaval had left it cold and empty.

Now there was family around him again.

He was genuinely delighted.

In his happiness, he actually picked the child up and kissed him again and again.

Afterward, Shao Liuer called over Hao Zhen's other two sons and likewise had them greet their grandfather.

The two youths observed proper etiquette.

Shao Dengyun repeatedly praised them as well.

At last Hao Zhen stepped forward.

He was not very old, yet already carried an air of weariness beyond his years.

He cupped his hands and bowed.

"This son-in-law Hao Zhen greets Father-in-law."

For Shao Liuer, bringing the whole family here was something she had no choice about.

How could the Hao Zhen of years past have avoided making enemies?

If this family had no one to rely upon, their situation would be extremely dangerous.

At present, the Shao family was their most dependable refuge. Only Shao Dengyun's power and standing could protect all of them.

Shao Dengyun looked Hao Zhen up and down.

This was the first time he had ever met this son-in-law.

The sight of him also sobered Shao Dengyun somewhat.

A trace of worry rose in his heart.

The former emperor of Qi had now come into the Shao household.

Whether that was a blessing or a curse remained to be seen.

He could only hope that the remnants of Qi would not continue contacting this man.

Shao Dengyun set down the child in his arms, then nodded faintly.

"There's no need for ceremony. It's enough that you're all safe. From now on, settle down here and live in peace."

Hao Zhen had barely straightened when another person approached and dropped to his knees before Shao Dengyun.

He began sobbing uncontrollably.

It was the aged Shao Sansheng.

He kowtowed through choking tears.

"This old servant was incompetent. I failed to take good care of Eldest Young Master."

Then he broke into loud sobs.

Shao Dengyun looked down at him from above, his expression extraordinarily complicated.

Naturally, he had learned of his son's death long ago.

Shao Liuer's expression dimmed too.

After leaving prison, she had also learned what happened.

Her elder brother had betrayed Jin, and after the matter was exposed, he had taken poison and killed himself.

Whatever had happened before, it was still her elder brother who had stepped forward when her family fell into disaster and preserved all of their lives.

Only after enduring so many hardships and such enormous rises and falls did she understand that familial affection was the most precious thing of all.

Now one part of that bond was gone.

Remembering how kind her elder brother had been to her since childhood, Shao Liuer began crying again.

"Ah. One who brings calamity upon himself cannot live!"

Shao Dengyun raised his face toward Heaven and gave a long sigh.

Grief showed on his face.

At the side, steward Yang Shuang suddenly choked out, "It's all this old servant's fault for sending the letter too late. If I'd written to His Highness earlier, and His Highness had communicated with Jin before launching the offensive, Eldest Young Master might not have ended this way."

Shao Dengyun abruptly turned toward him.

"What did you say? You sent a letter to His Highness? What happened?"

"This old servant only wanted to plead on Eldest Young Master's behalf..."

Yang Shuang explained what had happened when he previously wrote to Shang Chaozong.

At the side, Hao Zhen's expression changed faintly when he heard it.

He frowned.

He was especially sensitive to matters of this sort and quietly watched Shao Dengyun's reaction.

Shao Dengyun's face changed at once.

His voice sank.

"Who told you to petition His Highness on your own?"

"This old man guards Beizhou and holds a large force in the rear. His Highness was fighting Jin on the western front. At a time like that, you sent him such a message—what did you want people to think?"

"Did you want others to believe this old man was relying on the troops in his hands, taking advantage of the crisis, and threatening His Highness?"

Yang Shuang was startled too. He hurriedly said, "Master, don't worry. This old servant clearly stated in the letter that I acted on my own and that it had nothing to do with Master!"

"Trying to cover it only makes it more conspicuous!"

Shao Dengyun cursed angrily.

"You are this old man's steward. Who can prove it had nothing to do with me? You damned fool!"

Then he waved one broad hand.

"Enough. Enough!"

What else could he say?

Write Shang Chaozong another letter to explain?

If Shang Chaozong trusted him, he would naturally trust him. If he did not, no amount of explanation would help.

The more he explained, the worse it might become.

He still had military affairs to deal with.

For now, he had people arrange places for Shao Liuer and the others to stay.

Everything else could wait until after the war.

Once she had settled down, however, Shao Liuer began forming another plan.

The Shao Liuer of today was no longer the young miss of years ago.

She was married now.

She had to think for the sake of her own household.

She began considering how to persuade her father to remarry so Shao Dengyun could have more children.

Her family's former identities made their present position far too awkward.

Shao Dengyun was old and had no surviving son.

Once he died, Shao Liuer feared her own family's position would become unstable.

She herself was unlikely to have the standing to represent the Shao clan, chiefly because Hao Zhen's former identity as emperor of Qi was far too sensitive.

There were probably many people who hoped her whole family would quietly disappear into the years.

So Shao Dengyun could not remain without an heir.

So long as the Shao family still had descendants—even if the heir were still a child—the Shao family itself would continue to exist.

Considering the Shao clan's contributions and Shao Dengyun's influence in the military, with the protection of the Shao family behind them, at the very least her own family would not live badly.

After the humiliation she had suffered in Jin's capital, she understood far too clearly how important it was to have family standing and background to rely upon.

A person's surroundings, and everything that person lives through, can reshape a person beyond recognition.

...

Outside a cave, Xue Luo'er held a child in her arms and sobbed quietly.

Bai Wuya had waited nearby for some time.

At last he lost patience and shouted into the cave, "Chuan Ying, come out immediately!"

Chuan Ying's sorrowful voice came from within.

"I'm not going. You people go. Just let me remain in the Sacred Realm."

Bai Wuya said angrily, "So many people's lives are involved. This isn't yours to decide!"

"If you refuse to leave, all of us will be implicated because of you. Come out immediately, or don't blame me for using force!"

Chuan Ying said mournfully, "Mister Bai, I'm begging you. Just leave me here to fend for myself."

Bai Wuya waved one hand. "Go. Drag him out!"

Two men behind him immediately flashed into the cave.

Chuan Ying's startled cry came from within.

"No!"

Then came a heavy bang.

The cave fell silent in an instant.

Before long, one of the men hurried out, his expression uncertain and shocked.

"Mister... Chuan Ying... he actually smashed his own face with one palm. He killed himself!"

"What?"

Bai Wuya froze.

Xue Luo'er's eyes went wide.

Someone behind them dragged a body out of the cave.

The dead man's head had been wrapped completely in cloth, but the cloth over his face was soaked in blood.

Bai Wuya stepped forward and pulled away the covering.

Chuan Ying's face was a mass of mangled flesh.

His features could no longer be distinguished at all, while fresh blood still welled from the ruin.

"No!"

Xue Luo'er gave a grief-stricken cry.

Still holding the child, she dropped to her knees beside the corpse and wept, shaking her head again and again.

"I told you I wouldn't. I told you I wouldn't..."

In the end, she had never managed to see Chuan Ying's true face.

Chuan Ying had refused to meet her.

He had hidden inside the cave and spoken to her from within, saying only that because of the Youthful-Countenance Pill, his original appearance had been extremely ugly.

She had told him she did not care.

But Chuan Ying himself could not face her and simply refused to come out and let her see him.

Now he had gone so far as to kill himself and destroy his own face rather than allow her to see his true appearance.

Xue Luo'er would never know what her husband had originally looked like.

Bai Wuya slowly released the blood-soaked cloth and stood.

He shook his head, completely unable to understand.

"What's wrong with a grown man being ugly? To be so ugly he kills himself? This is simply beyond comprehension. I... I've truly seen something today!"

Beside him, Xue Luo'er hugged the child and cried until her heart seemed to tear apart.

The child, frightened by her sobbing, began wailing too...

...

The personnel from the various factions who had remained hidden inside the Sacred Realm emerged one after another.

All had received the same guarantee: so long as they followed the migration into the Fifth Domain, no one would pursue responsibility for anything they had done in the past.

The former personnel of Wushuang Sacred Land came out the fastest.

They had someone to rely on.

They were not afraid.

Inside Maolu Villa, six disciples who had hurried over stood together before Lü Wushuang and saluted.

"Greetings, Sacred Venerable!"

Lü Wushuang said indifferently, "There is no Sacred Venerable here."

The six exchanged glances, then changed their form of address together.

"Greetings, Master."

"Enough."

Lü Wushuang waved her sleeve.

An You'er asked, "Master, how should we proceed from here? Please give your instructions."

Lü Wushuang said, "You and Liu Feixing remain here and handle the necessary communications. The rest of you will continue organizing the withdrawal into the Fifth Domain."

She waved one hand for them to carry it out.

"Yes."

Everyone accepted the order.

No one dared disobey.

They did not even know what exactly had happened to Lü Wushuang.

Nor did they know her cultivation had been destroyed.

But they could see that Lü Wushuang still held status within Maolu Villa.

As for what the deeper situation truly was, they no longer cared.

Following orders was enough.

Whether they went to the Fifth Domain or not did not matter much either.

So long as Lü Wushuang remained here, even after they entered the Fifth Domain, the former forces of Wushuang Sacred Land would effectively become part of Maolu Villa.

There was little for them to fear.

Liu Feixing and An You'er settled into a guest courtyard outside the villa.

The rest quickly departed.

Hei Yun and the others had arrived together with this group, borrowing the flying mounts belonging to Wushuang Sacred Land's people.

Inside the waterside pavilion, Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie were visibly excited when they saw Niu Youdao.

They hurried ahead of everyone else to salute.

"Disciples greet Elder!"

"You're here."

Niu Youdao smiled, then suddenly sighed.

"There's no need to linger with me. Go back. Return to Zijin Cave."

The two exchanged looks.

Qin Guan said, "Elder, the two of us are willing to continue serving at Elder's side."

Niu Youdao shook his head.

"You won't have much standing with me, and there isn't much comfort to enjoy here."

"Go back to Zijin Cave."

"In the future, Zijin Cave will need the two of you to maintain relations with Maolu Villa. They'll give you status and preferential treatment."

"Consider it the reward you deserve."

"Go."

He looked back and gestured for Duan Hu to arrange a flying mount for the two.

Duan Hu invited them to follow.

The pair had no choice but to bid Niu Youdao farewell.

They were plainly reluctant to leave, but they also understood that with their connection to Niu Youdao, life in Zijin Cave would be far easier from now on.

"Master Dao."

Fire Phoenix came forward and saluted.

Niu Youdao teased, "You're anxious to see your man, aren't you? Go. Don't worry about me."

He gave Wu Sanliang a look.

Wu Sanliang understood and led Fire Phoenix away.

He knew Niu Youdao's meaning.

He had to keep a close watch on Fire Phoenix and not give her any opportunity to remove the restraints on Kunlin Shu.

Only then did Hei Yun arrive laughing loudly with several elders of the Demon Fox clan.

For several of them, this was their first time visiting the human world, and they were visibly excited.

After a long conversation, Niu Youdao asked Yuan Gang for an ancient metal ruler covered in simple patterns and handed it to Hei Yun.

"This is the Heaven-Measuring Ruler, formerly one of the State of Jin's state-protecting divine artifacts."

"Take it back to the Fox Immortal Realm."

"On the tower that suddenly appeared in the Desolate Marsh Deadlands, there's a recess. Insert the Heaven-Measuring Ruler into it, and the passage between the Fox Immortal Realm and the human world will sever on its own."

"From that day onward, the Fox Immortal Realm will truly return to the Demon Fox clan."

"The promise I made to the old Clan Chief can finally be considered fulfilled."

[End of Chapter 1578]