Chapter 443: Difficulties the Entire Journey
Translator: Novel Saga Editor: Novel Saga
The Empress stared expressionless. Her expression was ice-cold as she spoke downheartedly, "You've already said that I'm the person you love the most. You targeted the Ye Family because of me! So, I was the goal when you talked of this. But, this matter with the Jun Family is because of your dark heart; especially the fact that you didn't let them off afterwards!
"I'm only a woman, and I can't do a thing. I've asked myself, and I genuinely can't do a thing. And, I know that I won't have a chance to leave the palace since you've said these things to me today. Isn't that right?" The Empress calmly raised her head. And, she was still as calm when she looked at him.
However, the Emperor didn't face her.
"You wouldn't have told me so much today otherwise… And then, I've gone to the Jun household so many times ha ha… It's like you had suspected… it had never stopped. But, let me warn you."
The Empress raised her head, and a sharp light radiated around her eyes. The air also became a little colder as she said, "Ye Gu Han!"
The Emperor's body trembled. He had finally realized why the Empress was responding to him that day… It was because Ye Gu Han was sheltered in the Jun household at this time.
"I hope that you don't harm him! He's crippled. He doesn't have anything. He already had nothing before, but he's only surviving on Xuan strength now," the Empress' tone was hollow as she looked at that gorgeous palace with an empty expression; she seemed lifeless.
"But, he still has you! He has your heart!" the Emperor let out a mind-tearing and lung-splitting roar.
"My heart had died eighteen years ago," the Empress replied dully, "I don't care if my body dies as well… And, takes your heart too…"
The Emperor stumbled backwards.
A messenger-eunuch reported at this moment, "Your majesty, a message has arrived from the Southern Heaven."
"Come in," The Emperor was quiet for a long time. He had a hand on his forehead, and his face belied his defeat and frustration. It remained as such for a while. Then, he spoke-up like a toddler who was learning to speak, "Send it in."
He extended his hand and un-winded the thread which rolled the paper in place. Then, he slowly opened it and gave it a look. However, his pupils shrunk as he looked at the letter, and his eyes suddenly resembled the sharp ones of a hawk. In fact, it seemed that the opened-letter was like his greatest enemy.
His hands trembled, and the piece of paper floated to the ground.
However, the Emperor's hands were still positioned like they held the letter in place. His eyes had also become somewhat dull and motionless. In fact, it seemed that he had been struck by lightning. He then suddenly felt dizzy, and swayed a bit. In fact, he almost fell down…
Then, he slowly looked down, and picked up the letter. He then gave it another read in a serious manner, and sighed. However, the Emperor still wasn't convinced of a single word he had read on the letter…
He swayed as his face became deathly pale, and the letter again dropped down like a dead leaf in an autumn wind… Only he didn't pick it up this time.
The content on that piece of paper was the same as the letters every other family had received. However, this letter was a lot more detailed.
There were a few lines which had attracted the Emperor's sight more than the others...
"…Jun Mo Xie fought Xiao Bu Yu alone… Xiao Bu Yu killed himself in shame… Its suspected that Jun Mo Xie's strength has reached the level of a Great Master…"
"…Jun Mo Xie questioned about the matter of the past. And, Xiao Bu Yu mentioned the Blood Sword Hall as a matter of coincidence…"
"…Jun Wu Yi's legs have recovered. He fought Xiao Han and won. And, Jun Mo Xie has completely crippled Xiao Han…"
"...the Eighth Great Master from the grasslands… the Solitary Falcon is currently with the Jun Family…"
"…level of a Great Master… Blood Sword Hall… Solitary Falcon… Jun Mo Xie…" the Emperor muttered these few words in a strange voice.
[The Jun Family… the Jun Family…] The Emperor gave a long sigh. There was a profound expression in his eyes as he closed them, and said tiredly, "I regret it. I shouldn't have shown such clemency at that time… And, now I've to suffer for it!" his voice was hoarse. In fact, it had trembled somewhat.
He hurriedly walked out after that. However, he suddenly tripped at the door. He staggered violently as a result, and fell flat on his face. His guards rushed to help him in that pitiful situation, but he had already stood up before they arrived. He looked deep into the sky. It was then that something flashed in his mind. So, he turned around and focused on Princess Ling Meng's face.
After that, his figure disappeared…
Only mother and daughter remained in the Empress's quarters. And, they were only left to look at each other in dismay. Princess Ling Meng shuddered as she took two steps and picked up the open letter from the ground. However, it seemed as if that piece of paper somehow weighed more than a thousand Kgs for her…
She hated herself in this moment. Why did she have to hear so many secrets? This had been a huge blow to the Princess. In fact, it was something she couldn't bear. She had finally started to see a glimmer of happiness during these past days. However, her father had spoken so many things, and had smashed this state of happiness in its entirety. She suddenly felt empty as a result, and couldn't lighten up anymore. So, she looked at her mother, but was only left to discover that the Empress's expression was the same as her own.
The mother and daughter looked at each other, and became aware of the other's despair.
The two snuggled together, and read the letter. However, the Empress's expression belied her conundrum after they had read it. She didn't know whether she ought to laugh or cry. She then sighed in helplessness, and spoke a sentence with profound sadness and loneliness.
Princess Ling Meng resembled a frightened deer and was left to tremble after she heard what her mother had said. She powerlessly stumbled to the ground, and her eyes were brimming with fear and desperation...
That's because the Empress had said…
"Heavenly sin... it's like... we've sinned... and can't live anymore... We can't survive anymore! This happened too quickly... Its heaven's will... It's retribution... Jun Mo Xie... Jun Wu Yi... Tian Xiang... is finished..."
The Young Master Jun was travelling throughout the journey after being flushed with success as far as the others were concerned. But, he was quite disturbed in reality. It could even be said that he staggered with each stepped. He was constantly shocked, his eyes had thistles and thorns under them, and they were filled with desolation. It seemed as if they had been bruised by the many vicissitudes he had suffered…
Too many strange events had accompanied the Young Master on this journey. In fact, it could even be said that a unique expert had been playing pranks on the Young Master throughout the journey. And, this had left the Young Master to feel extremely vexed. Moreover, he couldn't guard against it… and, he couldn't hide against it. In fact, there wasn't any place to hide…
One excessive example of these inconceivable events was — he was riding with his men one day. However, the sky suddenly filled with a murder of crows. Then, all of them decided to 'relieve themselves' at once. This was already very unreasonable in itself. But, the matter still wasn't finished. And, that's because the men weren't affected by this onslaught. Moreover, the crows had been extremely accurate. So, the only ones to get soaked were Jun Mo Xie and his horse…
No normal person could've ever imagined that a murder of crows would relieve themselves together when they were flying overhead…
The Young Master Jun could also be considered a normal person in this regard. So, he had never imagined that such a thing either… And, was hence at a loss...
The awful stench soared to the skies, and left everyone with a desire to vomit. Wasn't the Young Master a "shit person" now?
And then, he was happily eating rice during meal time. He was surrounded by his soldiers. He had finished most of his bowl when a living cockroach crawled out of it.
These things could somehow be explained-away as coincidences if they had happened once… even if they were extremely strange and uncanny. But, could it still be called a 'coincidence' after it had happened for the second, the third, or even the fourth time…?
However, things still didn't end there. After all, the "shit person" obviously wanted to get clean. So, he went to the river and cleaned himself with great difficulty. But, his clean clothes were gone when he got ashore. He tried to look for them for a long time; he was obviously naked that entire time… He didn't even notice where that sludge of mud was thrown at him from… He obviously had to go back to the river to clean himself again as a result…
The timing of these strange occurrences was extremely ingenious as well. In fact, they gave the target next-to-no time to react. And, even someone with superhuman reflexes like Jun Mo Xie's could only hide for a bit. But, he was still being fiddled with most of the time...
Jun Mo Xie considered the facts… [The earth stayed still and flat when the entire army marched over it. But, it caved in with me and the horse when I rode over it.] This incident obviously had too big a sign written all over it. [But, what kind of strength and talent could create such a pitfall so quickly...?]
He hadn't even been sleeping in the tent at nights. That's because, he would find brightly-colored snakes within his undergarments when he'd wake-up and put on his clothes in the morning...
It had to be said that the Young Master would've been helpless if it weren't for the protection of the Hong Jun Pagoda and Yin Yang Escape...
However, Jun Mo Xie's countermeasures and reactions made the party arranging these mischief look at him with admiration.
After all, anyone else would've had a nervous breakdown in the face of these events. But, Jun Mo Xie had somehow managed to seem lively. In fact, even his complexion hadn't become downcast. He went to wash himself in the river when he got dirty. However, he didn't try to look for his clothes this time. Instead, he disappeared from there… bare-butt! It was obvious that no one knew where he had disappeared to. So, they merely scratched their heads and stared wide eyed…
He stopped eating the rice during the morning meals. In fact, he didn't even eat from the big wok. The Young Master roasted the snake meat instead... Moreover, he ate it with relish. Even his personal soldiers ate it till their fill. [It would be such a pity to waste such a fat snake...] And, this left the on-looking Snake King to gnash her teeth with explosive sounds.
The crows also flew over his head again. However, he struck them down when they were still afar. They weren't good as food. But, they were still a hunter's game. And, game is a game! The pitfalls also appeared on the road again. And, the target still went down. But, it was only the horse that went down this time around… not the man who rode it...
It seemed that Jun Mo Xie had continued to suffer losses throughout the journey in this 'one of a kind' battle. But, he still seemed to have a belly-full of appetite for these fights. And thus, the journey progressed in this manner. However, the people causing these mischiefs were left enraged; [how can a lone person be so strong mentally? How are his mental defenses so powerful? Will he endure this to death?]
However, Jun Mo Xie had lived in a very nasty environment in his previous life. He had been through many experiences which had been far more dangerous than these one. Anyway, this was merely mischief; it obviously wasn't a question of life or death. So, this situation was far from the near-death experiences he had been through in the past. In fact, the Young Master felt a long-lost warm, amiable, and happy feeling even after these pranks…
However, this left "Mei Xue Yan" and "Mei Qian Qian" to look at each other helplessly. [Can such a freak exist among the ranks of men?] After all, any other person would've been looking for a tree to hang from in the face of these pranks...