Chapter 1282: Chapter 1280: Love Is Sin (3rd update, for ’Second Young Master~’)
"Mother, mother..."
Huer waved to the stunningly beautiful woman.
Perhaps due to spending more time together, his pronunciation of "mother" was much more accurate than when calling for "father."
Xi Xianglei’s heart softened as she elegantly tiptoed over, stopping two steps close to Shi Xiaole, and reached out her hand, only to see Huer just giggling without moving closer, which made her pause, slightly annoyed she said, "You ungrateful little rascal!"
With a flick of her wrist, she pinched Huer’s face gently, her expression glowing with a rare maternal radiance that made her stunningly beautiful face even more dazzling.
A gentle breeze came by, and she brushed her temple hair aside, an act that threw everyone around into disarray.
Shi Xiaole, too, was moved by her charm and handed Huer over to her.
Xi Xianglei did not accept, saying, "The child wants to play with you, can’t you spend a little more time with him?"
Shi Xiaole had no choice but to withdraw his hand.
His feelings toward Xi Xianglei were undeniably complex.
To say he had no feelings for her wasn’t quite accurate, but to say he was very fond of her wasn’t quite there either, especially since they now had a child together.
Shi Xiaole had heard from Qu Wuyan that Su Yanru had previously proposed to hold a wedding for him with both Xi Xianglei and Xia Yunxi, only to have Xi Xianglei decline.
"Having a child doesn’t mean anything; nor will I use it to coerce, unless there is true love, Xianglei will never marry. As for Miss Xia, she and Young Master Shi are a perfect match, and I sincerely wish them happiness,"
Those were Xi Xianglei’s exact words, leaving Su Yanru at a loss for words.
But since that time, Su Yanru became even more reluctant to leave ’Xi Garden.’ It used to be because of Huer, but now she truly admired Xi Xianglei as a woman.
"My little Huer, come to your second mother,"
Sweet laughter rang out as the Witch Queen, draped in black gauze, approached. She looked exactly like Xi Xianglei, but with a much more enchanting demeanor, a glance from her could involuntarily stir a man’s heart.
Huer liked his second mother very much, chuckling as she held him in her arms, while the three Great Witch Servants behind her took turns amusing him.
"By the way, what is Huer’s name?"
Shi Xiaole suddenly asked.
Xi Xianglei, the Witch Queen, and the three Great Witch Servants all rolled their eyes at once. The Witch Queen said angrily, "Is there such a father in the world who doesn’t even know his son’s name?"
Shi Xiaole gave an apologetic smile, admittedly he had been negligent with so many things on his mind.
Xi Xianglei looked at him and said, "Huer hasn’t been formally named yet."
Shi Xiaole understood this; it was customary for a father to name his son. He had not taken a stance before, so naturally nobody dared to overstep.
Remembering he was about to embark on a journey to the Ten Great Dangerous Places, with his and East Victory’s future unpredictable, Shi Xiaole said, "I hope Huer can always be healthy and happy, carefree, let’s call him Wuyou."
Shi Wuyou!
The women quietly repeated this name to themselves.
Xi Xianglei took Huer from the Witch Queen, looking into his innocent smiling face, she said emotionally, "Wuyou, your life should be like your name, not only free from worries but also to protect those around you, to let them be without cares."
Shi Xiaole was shaken, looking at Xi Xianglei, who was simply holding her son with adoration.
That very afternoon, just as Shi Xiaole was preparing to leave, an unexpected visitor suddenly arrived.
In the council hall.
"Should I call you the grand villa owner, or the Sword Emperor, sir?"
The delicately handsome man murmured, adorned in splendid clothes, though they were disheveled, and the aura emanating from him was extremely unstable, suggesting he had suffered severe injuries.
"Your Highness, Prince Dai, flatters me too much. Shi here does not have the status to claim the title of Sword Emperor."
The visitor was none other than the third son of the Flying Horse Emperor, Prince Dai. He was once a contender for the throne, alongside the crown prince, King Jin, and Zuo King, forming four powerful factions.
Now, the crown prince is left with nothing but a hollow title. King Jin’s faction was eradicated long ago, and Zuo King was placed in solitary confinement for collaborating with the Devil Path and attempting a coup, and now mixed with the Dreamy Sect, his chances of comeback are slim.
As for the present Prince Dai, despite having support from the military powerhouse Wei Langyi, he had been scattered under the oppressive might of the Flying Horse Emperor and no longer possessed the capability to seize the throne.
The entire Flying Horse Dynasty knew that the future emperor was undoubtedly Mu Yuanhao. Yet even so, given Prince Dai’s standing, there shouldn’t have been many who dared to harm him.
"May I know why Prince Dai honors us with his visit?"
Shi Xiaole did not want to waste time.
Prince Dai gave a bitter smile. Despite being a prince, he didn’t dare to act haughty in front of Shi Xiaole; not even his father the emperor would dare, so he quickly said, "Grand villa owner, I beg you to save my wife and children."
"Who dares to harm Your Highness’s wife and children?"
"It was Father Emperor! Now that it has come to this, I won’t hide it from you, Zhuangzhu. In order to seize the throne, I secretly cultivated a force called the Silver Robe Alliance, and through relationships, I extensively seized land in the Western Region to train troops. All these actions were already under Father Emperor’s control. Now that the world is settled, he is preparing to make a move against me."
Shi Xiaole took out a ledger and handed it to the Proxy King, who flipped it open and immediately his face turned ashen with bitterness, "It turns out that the very thing I’ve been so worried about has always been with you, Zhuangzhu. My worries were unfounded."
This ledger was exactly the one Shi Xiaole obtained (in Chapter 686) when he joined the Ghost Lethal Sect as Zong Yue and took part in the attack on Chongyang Mountain; it detailed the income and expenses of various weapons, munitions, and even recruiting and training of troops.
"Yuchi Chong’s daughter was the empress of the Hundred Wokoku of the Western Region. I fostered troops through her, but this woman was duplicitous, so I took care of her."
"I didn’t expect she had a contingency plan and had given the ledger to her father early on. That’s why I took advantage of the feuds between the left and right factions of the Ghost Lethal Sect to strike at him. After all, several others were watching me closely at the time, and I didn’t dare to act openly."
The Proxy King was candid, "Zhuangzhu and I are neither kin nor kindred, and I should not ask this of you, but Zhuangzhu, do you know that I once met your father?"
Shi Xiaole looked at the Proxy King in astonishment.
This man appeared to be in his thirties, but as the third son of the Flying Horse Emperor, his actual age was over one hundred years old. It was truly possible that he had met Shi Xuanzhong.
"Speaking of coincidence, I was secretly traveling the world and happened to pass by the Cloud Triangle in Qingxue State. My subordinates told me that a group of people from the Martial World had discovered a treasure and were gathering at a place called Mingliu Villa."
"I was tempted, as I was traveling for leisure, and thought it would be nice to pick up some wealth along the way. I sent people to Mingliu Villa, only for the operation to end in a skirmish and fail, with only a few escaping back. I was haunted by that failure and had them draw portraits of those who fought us."
Having said this, the Proxy King took out a scroll of yellowed rice paper from his sleeve, spread it open, and the man pictured had an eight or nine-tenths resemblance to Shi Xiaole; it could be none other than Shi Xuanzhong.
Shi Xiaole suddenly understood.
He still remembered when he was investigating Shi Xuanzhong’s whereabouts in Peach Forest Town, Qin Wuye, one of Shi Xuanzhong’s followers, revealed to him before dying that it was a Silver Robe member who poisoned Shi Xuanzhong (in Chapter 175).
Now it seemed it was indeed the handiwork of the Silver Robe Alliance.
The Proxy King suddenly knelt down and said, "At the time, I was very dissatisfied with your respected father; upon further investigation later, I found out that they had been to the Huangming Domain near Tian State."
Between clever people, there is no need to say too much.
Although not certain about the relationship between Shi Xuanzhong and Shi Xiaole, the Proxy King vaguely heard that Shi Xiaole had been searching for his birth father, and with both of them appearing in the Cloud Triangle, he felt confident enough to offer this information as a bargaining chip.
The Proxy King knew well that only Shi Xiaole could change the Flying Horse Emperor’s mind now. As for Che Renzhong, he was far away in the abyss and never interfered in royal affairs; seeking help from him would be useless.
Shi Xiaole said, "Aren’t you afraid it’ll backfire, and I not only don’t save your wife and children but kill them with my own hands?"
"If so, I have nothing to say. To die at Zhuangzhu’s hands would be their great fortune across three lifetimes."
The Proxy King bowed his head to the end.
After a long while, Shi Xiaole said, "The information you’ve provided is useless to me. The Huangming Domain in Tian State has a place called Hundred Flowers Heaven, and I’ve been there" (in Chapter 715).
The Proxy King’s body shook violently, and he didn’t get up for a long time. "I’ve buried the rare treasures I’ve accumulated over the years in the Xuan Steel Domain of Tian State. I will trade them for the lives of my wife and child!"
Clearly, the Proxy King was reluctant to hand them over, probably wishing to leave them for his son, but now he had no choice but to throw out his last card.
"I don’t want to get involved in royal affairs."
"Zhuangzhu, I have difficulty conceiving; I only have one son. Some time ago, Mu Yuanfei sent people to harm me and made me lose the ability to have more children. Recently, I took out his hidden pawn in the Dreamy Sect and foiled his plot to control Ren Mengzhen and her son."
Mu Yuanfei was the Zuo King.
The Proxy King only knew that there had been rumors between Ren Mengzhen and Shi Xiaole, and this time she had secretly given birth to a miraculous child, with no one knowing who the father was. So this statement was his last desperate attempt.
Little did he know that it was this very claim that changed Shi Xiaole’s mind and, by a narrow margin, saved the lives of his wife and child who were otherwise doomed.
"Fine, I agree to your request."
After giving the man on the ground a profound look, Shi Xiaole conceded.
"Thank you, Zhuangzhu!"
The Proxy King’s voice trembled with emotion, and his whole body seemed to relax. Then suddenly, his body stiffened, and he did not get up again. Just a moment ago, he had swallowed poison hidden between his teeth.
Putting himself in another’s shoes, the Proxy King didn’t believe Shi Xiaole would spare him, so for the safety of his wife and child, he was willing to sacrifice his own life.
This man was ruthless and had the means of a hero, but deep inside, he still harbored a touch of warmth.
Shi Xiaole sighed.
Saving the Proxy King’s wife and child did not even necessitate Shi Xiaole’s personal intervention; he simply sent his disciple, Qi Yuanzheng, to Tian State to enter the Flying Horse Imperial Palace and deliver a message.
The next day, a plain-looking, mournful woman leading a boy of around eight or nine years old, blended into the crowd and left Tian State. From then on, they were never seen again.
It was also on that day that Shi Xiaole set off from Nine Heavens Mountain, heading towards the Ten Great Dangerous Places.
Everyone has their own things they strive for.
The Proxy King traded his life for the survival of his dearest ones, while Shi Xiaole, too, hoped to go all out in his last two or three years, to win a future for himself and those by his side!
