Chapter 788
Chapter 788
Banya met with Lin Xiang once again.
"Senior Sister."
"Hmph!"
"Do you resent me, Senior Sister? If you're so displeased, how about I give you the position of Palace Lord of the Dark Crag Palace?"
"Did I ask for your charity? What is the meaning of this? Are you looking down on me? Do you think you can slight me just because you're beautiful, look young, and are highly skilled in martial arts?"
"Senior Sister, pretend you didn't hear that. I won't give it up."
"Banya, what do you mean by that? Are you saying I'm not qualified to be the Palace Lord of the Dark Crag Palace? Are you looking down on me now?"
"I..."
Lin Xiang said coldly.
"In recent years, I've devoted myself to my training and had an epiphany, and I feel my martial arts have improved by leaps and bounds. Come, let's strike while the iron is hot. Let's have a duel right here."
"Here? Now? But a great battle is about to break out. We're all going to die."
"It is precisely because we are about to die that we must settle this."
"What happens if I lose?"
"Hand over the position of Palace Lord of the Dark Crag Palace to me."
"Absolutely not!"
Hearing this, hundreds of disciples from the Dark Crag Palace cried out, and in that moment, Lin Xiang was on the verge of exploding.
'What do you all mean by this? Are you looking down on me, Lin Xiang? Do you think I wouldn't be a good Palace Lord? In the past, I poured my heart and soul into the Dark Crag Palace, so much so that I barely slept more than a few hours each day. But what did Banya do? What did you do to make not only our master but all the disciples support you? How did you win over everyone's hearts?'
Right, what had Banya ever done for the Dark Crag Palace? She had truly done nothing. She had no goals, no interest in anything, and so she raised the sect members as if letting them graze freely. Moreover, she was always looking for an excuse to go traveling every few days, yet countless people supported her. In contrast, Lin Xiang was a strict person who had to meddle in everything, demanding that rules be followed even for meals and martial arts practice. Besides all that, Banya was beautiful. It seemed beauty was justice.
"Come, fight me! The winner becomes the master of the Dark Crag Palace!"
After Lin Xiang shouted, the two began their duel. The fight was over in a moment, and Lin Xiang lost again. Her nickname remained unchanged: 'The Snow-Haired Crone Who Has Never Won'.
* * *
Shen Lang stood on the city wall, gazing at the pitch-black legion not far away. It wasn't clearly visible. Those who didn't know better would wonder when an endless forest had sprung up around Xuanwu City. But it wasn't a forest; it was the imperial army.
'The key lies outside the situation! I will save everyone. Man proposes, God disposes. Heavens, I hope you'll be on my side this time as well.'
"Shen Lang, Marquis Jin Zhuo and Elder Xue Yin wish to see you."
Li Qianqiu approached and said, and Shen Lang was startled.
'Aunt Xue Yin is here? But why does Li Qianqiu's expression look a little strange? Uncle Li, what's wrong? Isn't that look a bit odd?'
Numerous answers immediately surfaced in Shen Lang's mind, and in the shortest possible time, he found the most accurate one.
"Yes, I'll be right there. Are they in my father-in-law's study?"
"They are!"
* * *
Inside Jin Zhuo's study, a total of four people were gathered: Jin Zhuo, Li Qianqiu, Xue Yin, and Zhong Chuke. A knock came from the door outside.
"I'm here."
The four people inside exchanged glances and then nodded. Li Qianqiu went to open the door, and Shen Lang entered the study.
"Seniors, you all have very strange looks in your eyes. Why so serious? Please, relax."
Divine Lady Xue Yin approached, reached out to caress Shen Lang's face, and said in a gentle voice.
"My child, we finally meet again."
"I once presumptuously called you Aunt, but I never expected you to truly be my aunt."
"Not by blood. I am merely your father's sworn sister."
'Hey, what's the meaning of this? My father-in-law is here too.'
"My child, my child..."
Xue Yin's beautiful eyes revealed an endless affection for Shen Lang, and then, with a light tap of her palm, Shen Lang immediately fainted. Xue Yin caught him in her arms and gently kissed his forehead. Then she wrapped Shen Lang in a black cloth and placed him inside a box.
"I will take this child away at once. I hope he doesn't resent me for this in the future."
Xue Yin said in a tearful voice, and Jin Zhuo replied in a hoarse one.
"This was not your decision alone, but the decision of all four of us."
"Even if he blames me later, it won't matter. We'll all be dead."
After she finished speaking, Divine Lady Xue Yin took Shen Lang and vanished under the cover of darkness.
* * *
In an underground secret room.
He was extremely excited. He was finally going to remove the bandages and see his new face. Many years had passed, and during those years, he had undergone facial reconstruction several times in a row. He had changed not only his face but also his body, his tone of voice, and more. None of this was a hardship for him. He had lived in a dust-free basement since birth and was not allowed to be in direct sunlight, even when basking in it.
He had only ever read books his entire life and never had contact with living people. He could take on any role because he spent almost all his time immersed in the world of books—that is, the world of others. This was because he spent most of his time acting out the contents of books by himself. Finally, the bandages were unwrapped, layer by layer.
"What do you think? Do you like this face?"
He stared at the face in the mirror for a long time before answering.
"I do. This face is very handsome. It won't change again, will it?"
"It won't."
"That's wonderful. To die with this face... it's amazing."
"You said you wanted to choose a name for yourself. Have you decided on one?"
He thought for a moment and then said.
"How about Jingzi (meaning 'mirror')?"
"Hmm, that's a very good name."
It was indeed a good name, because he was with a mirror at every moment.
"Aunt, will I be able to see the outside world soon?"
"Soon. You'll be able to see the outside world very soon."
* * *
On the cliff at the top of the mountain behind the Count of Xuanwu's Estate.
It was a very, very high place. To the north, the swathe of black was all the empire's allied forces; to the west, it was also the empire's allied forces. No matter which way one looked, the imperial allied forces were spread out. Their presence truly seemed to blot out the sky, stretching endlessly as if to meet the heavens and the earth. Even from such a high vantage point, they appeared boundless. Outside the Count of Xuanwu's Estate, there were nearly a hundred thousand troops loyal to Shen Lang, but compared to the empire's allied forces, they were truly insignificant. The Count of Xuanwu's Estate looked like a completely isolated island. As far as the eye could see, the imperial allied forces were a black mass that looked ready to easily swallow this lone island whole.
On the cliff, there were only two people: Divine Lady Xue Yin and Jin Mulan. Xue Yin asked Jin Mulan.
"Mulan, are you willing to die for Lang'er?"
"I am, but my husband would not want me to."
"Follow me."
Mulan followed Xue Yin down the cliff and into a secret, completely secure basement not far from the Count of Xuanwu's Estate. The two of them were thoroughly decontaminated and wore masks before entering the dust-free basement. The underground secret room looked very comfortable; it had a study, a bed, and a table. It was even arranged exactly like Shen Lang's home, making it feel familiar to Mulan at a glance.
A man was sitting in front of a mirror. An incomparably handsome man, a man who looked exactly like Shen Lang. Seeing Mulan and Xue Yin enter, the man looked startled, lowered his gaze, and shrank back as if closing every pore on his body. Mulan couldn't help but be shocked.
'Who is this man? Why does he resemble my husband so much? They're nearly identical. When was this secret room built? Why was it built so close to our home?'
Mulan instinctively looked at Xue Yin, her eyes even showing a hint of hostility. No matter what, she did not want someone who looked identical to her husband to exist. Xue Yin approached the young man, gently comforting him as she spoke.
"Mulan, I think you startled him. His name is Jingzi. He didn't have a name before; this is one he just chose for himself. Go on, continue playing your game."
Jingzi nodded. In his entire life, he had only ever met one person: Xue Yin. Well, perhaps one and a half people, since he had also briefly met Zhong Chuke. That was why he couldn't say a single word in front of a stranger.
Soon, Divine Lady Xue Yin led Mulan out of the secret room.
"I recognized Lang'er's identity the moment I first met him. Because I held him not long after he was born. At that time, the Grand Duchess gave birth to twins. One was Lang'er, and the other was Ying'er."
Xue Yin said with a smile.
"Are you talking about Ji Ying of the Great Yan Dynasty?"
Xue Yin nodded.
"Yes."
"Then why..."
"The situation at the time was extremely tense. The Emperor knew that Jiang Li's wife was pregnant, but no one knew she was carrying twins. That's because His Highness Jiang Li protected his wife very well. The Grand Duchess was pregnant with twins, but her belly wasn't very large. Both Lang'er and Ying'er were very small when they were born, like kittens. To earn the Emperor's trust, I voluntarily handed Ying'er over to the Great Yan Dynasty, while Lang'er was entrusted to Duke Jiang Lin."
That was why Ji Ying grew up inside the imperial palace of the Great Yan Dynasty.
"For a very long time, the Emperor only knew that Jiang Li had a daughter, not that he also had a son. The first time Lang'er's identity was at risk of being exposed wasn't because of himself, but because of Big Dummy. Big Dummy's golden bloodline was so extraordinary that it drew the attention of countless people. Even though Zhong Chuke took him away, he couldn't block everyone's gaze. And when people paid attention to Big Dummy, they naturally started noticing Lang'er, who was always by his side.
You know your husband well. Even if he does nothing and simply stands there, he draws everyone's eyes. What's more, he accomplished so many things, which made some people suspect he might be Jiang Li's son. It started when you first visited the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion and Lang'er displayed his incredible talent for mathematics. Everyone knew that His Highness Jiang Li's martial arts were the best in the world, but the true upper echelons knew that His Highness Jiang Li was a man whose wisdom was even more outstanding than his martial arts, a wisdom that was one of a kind. And yet, Shen Lang repeatedly revealed that same kind of wisdom.
Then, Lang'er began to research bloodlines and even modified them to create the Nirvana Army. Furthermore, he gathered all those who possessed His Highness Jiang Li's special bloodline under his command, which made the empire and the transcendent powers even more suspicious. Of course, you can't blame Lang'er for this. Gold will always shine. And he was not just gold, but a dazzling gem. How many great waves has he caused until now? I even began to suspect his identity before I ever met him. When I finally did meet him, I was completely certain. From that moment on, I knew that Lang'er's identity would soon be impossible to hide, and I had to prepare for every eventuality, and quickly."
"So you found a double."
"No, I didn't just find a double. That person is also a child of our Great Qian Empire. Just like Goutouhuan and the mad Lan clansman. Moreover, he was originally a very important person, on the same level as Big Dummy. However, when his mother was pregnant with him, she was grievously injured by an enemy, and so he was born very frail. His bone structure was very similar to Lang'er's, so I thought I could raise him to be Lang'er's double."
Divine Lady Xue Yin spoke very calmly, but this was a very serious matter. From a young age, he had no name, and his only mission in life was to be Shen Lang's double.
"Th-then how does he look exactly like my husband?"
"Because they are cousins by birth. Very close cousins, at that."
"Then what about my husband's mother?"
"The Grand Duchess, you mean? She passed away right after giving birth to the two children."