Chapter 354 - Chapter 354: 354. Uncle is a Great God

Chapter 354: 354. Uncle is a Great God

Translator: 549690339

After the Imperial Physician examined Situ Min’s arm injury, he said it was too severe to fully recover, which further infuriated Situ Xie.

Perceptive as he was, Situ Xie naturally realized that Situ Jing must have done this on purpose. And the reason was most likely the injury Situ Min had inflicted on Lian Shun’s arm last year, even in the exact same spot!

However, Lian Shun’s injury wasn’t as serious, and with Su Liang’s careful treatment, he had long since recovered. Situ Min, on the other hand, might lose the use of his arm because of this!

“Grandfather, Situ Jing has always been ambitious and has never truly been on our side. We can’t let him go on like this!” exclaimed Situ Zhang, frustrated.

Over the years, witnessing Situ Min cause troubles, Situ Zhang, his twin brother, had always pretended to be a mediator but was actually watching the drama. The reason was simple: they could never surpass their eldest grandson, Situ Jing, in status. Situ Xie truly dedicated himself to teaching and had high hopes for his grandson Situ Jing alone, demanding obedience and compliance from his other grandsons since childhood, deliberately guiding them to avoid competing with Situ Jing for anything.

Considering himself smarter than Situ Jing, Situ Zhang naturally felt resentful. As a result, on the one hand, he pretended to flatter Situ Jing, and on the other hand, he intentionally enticed Situ Min into indulging in wine, women, and gambling. By doing this, he not only eliminated his rival but also used Situ Min to highlight himself, achieving a double victory.

Therefore, Situ Zhang didn’t want Situ Jing to return safely. But he had been hiding his true feelings so well that even Situ Xie hadn’t noticed.

Unexpectedly, Situ Jing, another grandson of Situ Xie, appeared out of nowhere. Situ Jing was the son of Situ Han, just that alone made him superior to the prince from the King Yue’s Masion.

This forced Situ Zhang, who originally had been eagerly waiting for Situ Xie to take control of the Imperial Throne and then find a way to seize the throne himself, to watch helplessly as his dream of the Imperial Throne seemed increasingly distant.

Situ Jing’s martial arts were far beyond Situ Zhang’s reach.

Anger, resentment, and bitterness intertwined, causing the anger in Situ Zhang’s heart to rise, feeling that he couldn’t continue like this anymore, he must do something…

However, Situ Xie’s expression turned calm again, “Remember, he is a prince.”

“Grandfather, if the Imperial Throne is given to Situ Jing one day, will any of us in the King Yue’s Masion have a chance to survive?” Situ Zhang couldn’t accept Situ Xie’s behavior of only focusing on his illegitimate son and grandson while refusing to give power to his legitimate grandchildren.

Situ Xie’s gaze narrowed slightly, “Don’t talk nonsense. The priority now is to save your older brother, then we can discuss other matters.”

“Is Grandfather really going to marry my younger sister to Duanmu Chen? Isn’t there any other way?” Situ Zhang asked.

Situ Xie shook his head, “Yaoyao is willing. In the long run, this is a good thing.”

Situ Zhang thought that Situ Xie might be thinking about Situ Yao’s future son with Duanmu Chen inheriting the throne of Qian Country.

From a broader perspective, this was indeed a good thing for the Situ Family.

But power that didn’t fall into his own hands and benefits that he couldn’t obtain were meaningless to Situ Zhang.

After Situ Xie left without mentioning how to deal with Situ Jing…

The next day, Situ Han hosted a banquet in the Liang Country’s Imperial Palace to officially introduce Situ Jing, the Second Prince, and restore his identity in front of the royal family and ministers.

Empress Dowager Min found her long-lost grandson untrustworthy and reminded Situ Han to be cautious. Situ Han said he believed in the people trained by Situ Xie, leaving the Empress Dowager speechless.

Thus, Situ Jing formally returned to the Liang Country’s Royal Family. His Prince Mansion was none other than the one Situ Han had bestowed upon Gu Ling last year, where Gu Ling and Su Liang had lived for a while.

Now, Gu Ling’s prince title had been abolished in Liang Country.

When Situ Jing returned to the palace and met Situ Han again, Situ Xie was also there.

His grandchildren being defeated had happened only four days ago, but Situ Xie acted as if nothing had happened. Facing Situ Jing, he showed that sincere and kind smile again.

It’s so fake… Situ Jing thought, even faker than his former adoptive father and mother.

After taking their seats, Situ Jing quickly learned the reason he was summoned to the palace: Situ Xie proposed to have Situ Jing lead the delegation to Qian Country for the marriage and then bring Situ Jing back.

“Jingjing, you’ve just returned, and it’s hard to ask you to travel again. However, among the younger generation of the Situ Family, you have the highest martial arts skills. I’m worried that Qian Country might try something, and I can’t trust anyone else to go,” Situ Xie explained why he insisted on sending Situ Jing.

Situ Han was evidently convinced, “Jingjing, although the previous incident was kept a secret, many people in the court still know about it and have spoken ill of you, even suspecting you of siding with Qian Country. This marriage mission is an opportunity; if you can complete it successfully, those voices of doubt will disappear.”

Situ Jing knew very well that the so-called “someone has grievances against him” and “someone suspects his loyalty to Qian Country” were none other than Situ Xie and Situ Han.

On the surface, Situ Han seemed to be very affectionate towards Situ Jing, but as long as Situ Xie instigated a few words, he would doubt Situ Jing’s intentions in returning this time.

Situ Jing’s expression was faint, “If I were to go to Qian Country, I might not be able to come back.”

Situ Han frowned, “If Qian Country does not want to go to war, they won’t hold the prince of Liang Country hostage.”

Situ Jing shook his head slightly, “I mean, my grandfather is now with Su Liang, and if he sees me, he might insist on keeping me by his side.”

Situ Xie spoke up, “It’s not impossible. But it’s also an opportunity to win over your grandfather. After all, you are his bloodline, and I believe you must have a way. It would be great if you could get your grandfather to leave Su Liang and come to help us in Liang Country.”

Situ Han agreed, “What my uncle said is reasonable. Jingjing, he is your grandfather, and he will not harm you, nor will he let Su Liang harm you. You can go without worry.”

Situ Jing closed his eyes, “Since Father and Uncle believe I’m the most suitable person for the job, then I’ll take care of the marriage escort.”

After Situ Jing left, Situ Xie said to Situ Han, “I will have Yaoyao keep an eye on his every move for any suspicious behavior.”

Situ Han sighed, “I hope he won’t disappoint me. I heard that your two grandsons were injured by Jingjing, are they all right?”

Situ Xie shook his head, “They were the ones who made the mistake first. Jingjing was a bit heavy-handed, but their lives are not in danger.”

“That’s good.” Situ Han nodded.

The day of Situ Yao’s wedding soon arrived.

Her eldest brother was still in Qian Country, and her other two brothers were injured and did not show up to see her off.

Situ Xie personally sent his granddaughter ten miles out of the city, and repeatedly urged Situ Jing to take good care of Situ Yao.

Situ Jing agreed to do so.

On the first day of the rest, Situ Yao took the initiative to find Situ Jing with the desserts she made herself.

“Is there really no hope for the relationship between Royal Brother and sister-in-law to be repaired?” Situ Yao brought up Su Liang.

Situ Jing’s expression was faint, “Why do you care about this?”

Situ Yao sighed, “Actually, I’ve always admired my sister-in-law, but because of our different positions, I don’t even have the chance to be friends.”

“You’ll have the opportunity once you marry into the imperial harem of Qian Country.” Situ Jing said.

Situ Yao sighed softly, “I wonder if Sister-in-law would be willing to acknowledge me. After all, many things have changed since last year. Would Sister-in-law vent her anger on me because of what my grandfather did?”

Situ Jing felt that Situ Yao was pretending to be innocent while testing him, so he just said faintly, “I’m curious about that too.”

Then Situ Yao apologized to Situ Jing on behalf of Situ Min, saying that he was just worried about Situ Jing and acted impulsively at the time.

Situ Jing said that he had solved the problem at that time and there was no need to mention it again.

Capital city of Qian Country.

Zhengzheng had played at Su Mansion for another day, and when it was evening, Lu Yu came to pick up his son. When Zhengzheng left, he even brought a box of delicious cookies baked by Gu Ling.

However, not long after Zhengzheng left, when Gu Ling and Su Liang were sitting in the pavilion by the lake having dinner, they saw Lu Yu return in a panic, saying that Zhengzheng had been kidnapped on their way home!”From the sound, it’s a woman. She’s not young and her martial arts are very powerful.” Lu Yu’s face turned pale, obviously having been poisoned, “The woman said that Su Liang has to meet her on the top of Wangxiang Mountain at midnight tonight. If he’s even a bit late… ” Collect Zhengzheng’s body…

“Yue Mei!” Su Liang’s heart sank, “She really came after all!”

Soon, everyone in the mansion got the news.

Old Bai was furious, “She even targeted the child!”

“Grand Master, please calm down. She’s after me,” Su Liang said with a solemn gaze, “We need to be cautious in dealing with this. It would be best if we could eliminate her, but the most important thing is to rescue Zhengzheng safely.”

“You can’t go. If there’s any accident…” Cen Man frowned and said to Su Liang.

Qiao Cong also spoke up, “Yes, you absolutely can’t go! My leg has almost recovered; I can deal with that poison woman!”

Su Liang shook his head, “Let’s not rush to decide who’s going first. Grand Master, what do you think her purpose is in wanting to meet me? To kill me? To capture me for torture? Doesn’t she know that Master is right here?”

Old Bai frowned, “She’s a madwoman, who knows what she wants to do!”

“Her actions may be crazy, but her mind is not insane. She must have a purpose,” Su Liang said, “Since she’s in league with Situ Xie, maybe she plans to capture me alive and give me to Situ Xie as a hostage? At the same time, to control Master and take revenge on Master?”

Old Bai clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, “It’s all my fault. I should have settled this with her back in Liang Country!”

Although Old Mu scolded Old Bai for this matter for a long time, he explained for Old Bai at this moment, “You were also poisoned by that poison woman. You both haven’t been together for decades and don’t know much about each other’s poison techniques. Even if you didn’t leave back then, you might not be able to kill her. Maybe she would kill you instead.”

“We must save Zhengzheng, but Xiaoliang must not go,” Old Bai said.

“But Ren Dong is not at home, and there’s no one to act as a substitute for Master,” Qi Jun sighed.

As a result, Qiao Cong said, “My granddaughter!”

Everyone looked at him together. Old Bai and Old Mu were both stunned.

Qiao Cong squinted his eyes, “What are you looking at? I’m not going to send my granddaughter to die, am I? It’s just to ensure that nothing goes wrong. After all, Xiaoliang has our disciple in her belly; she can’t be frightened.”

Su Liang coughed lightly, “No. Nangong Qian is too weak and doesn’t know how to imitate voices. To avoid holding us back, I won’t go and won’t find a substitute, lest she finds out and gets more provoked. And I feel that as long as she sees my face, she will be enraged. But before she sees my face, her main target is Master. In this case, Master can just confront her directly, talk more about the past, distract Yue Mei’s attention, and Gu Ling goes to save Zhengzheng.”

Everyone agreed one after another.

So it was quickly decided that Old Bai and Gu Ling, the two with the strongest current combat power, would go to Wangxiang Mountain tonight, while the others would stay behind.

Qiao Cong, Cen Man, and Old Mu would guard Su Liang until Gu Ling returned.

“You go back first and tell Sister Wan not to worry too much. The woman is after me and won’t harm Zhengzheng,” Su Liang said to Lu Yu.

Lu Yu nodded, “Let us know as soon as there is news.” As soon as he finished speaking, he left. He had already taken the antidote given by Su Liang and his body was unharmed.

The meal had already gotten cold, and Su Liang and Gu Ling, worried about Zhengzheng, had no appetite.

Su Liang rubbed his forehead, “It’s really hard to live a peaceful life; I have a troublesome constitution.”

Yue Mei’s martial arts are powerful and her poison techniques are top-notch. She’s also hiding in the dark, waiting to strike, making her hard to resist. Even if Gu Ling personally escorts Zhengzheng home, he might be ambushed.

However, Zhengzheng has nothing to do with Yue Mei; she is just a tool for her to deal with Su Liang. He has to be alive for her plan to work.

As midnight approached, the night breeze was cool.

Old Bai climbed to the top of Wangxiang Mountain and chose a location suitable for both offense and defense before stopping. After waiting for a while, he finally heard some movement.

Looking at the figure, Old White knew it was indeed Yue Mei, and she had bound Zhengzheng with a rope in front of her, her back facing the cliff. If anyone attacked her, Zhengzheng would be used as a shield.

“Ah Mei.” Old White spoke, his voice low and deep.

Yue Mei sneered coldly, “How come my senior brother came? I’m not looking for you.”

Old White sighed, “Su Liang is my disciple, and you’re looking for trouble with her because of me. Isn’t it better for me to come? Let’s settle any issues tonight and stop this endless fighting.”

“Are you blaming me?” Yue Mei snorted coldly, “But even though you are Su Liang’s master, you cannot replace her. Let her come, or else I will twist this child’s head off and throw it down!”

“Ah Mei! Why do you have to be like this? Is it because of Situ Xie? What benefits did he give you?” Old White asked sternly, “We grew up together, and you know that I have always treated you like a sister. Even now, I asked Su Liang to promise that no matter what, she will not kill you. Everything that happened back then was my fault, and I owe you. If I had the chance to start over, that night, I would have gone with you!”

Yue Mei’s expression changed at last, “Senior brother, are you trying to deceive me? You like Shen Qingxue, how can you go with me? You’re lying to me!”

Old White shook his head, “I’m not lying to you. As long as you told me that night about Shen Zhong’s humiliation of you, I would have taken you with me. I swear, this is the truth.”

“I believe you.” Yue Mei’s voice softened a lot, “I have never forgotten my senior brother’s kindness toward me.”

“The past is not important anymore. As long as you are willing to change your ways, we will still be brother and sister in the future.” Old White said earnestly.

However, Yue Mei suddenly sneered, “Even at such an age, Senior Brother is still so naive. I like it. However, who gets to decide what is evil and what is righteous? Why can’t it be Senior Brother who comes with me instead? In consideration of Senior Brother, I’ll give you one more chance: call Su Liang here, and you two follow me as master and disciple. I’ll let this child go without hurting him at all. Otherwise…”

Before Yue Mei could finish, a dark figure leaped up from below the cliff, and a cold blade silently pierced Yue Mei’s clothes, her skin…

As Yue Mei felt the pain and looked down, her right ankle separated from her body and tumbled down the cliff!

Yue Mei let out a muffled grunt and her face paled in horror as Old White rushed over. She instinctively turned only to be slashed across her left arm!

All of this happened in the blink of an eye, and the blade was so sharp that it seemed to cut iron effortlessly, causing Yue Mei’s hand to fly out along with the splattered blood…

With a scream, Yue Mei, with her only remaining hand, released the rope on her body, allowing Zhengzheng to be pulled away. Taking advantage of the situation, she hurriedly fell down the cliff! If she didn’t let go of Zhengzheng now, she would be completely unable to escape!

Meanwhile, Old White swung the prepared rope and it was caught by Gu Ling, who was about to plummet. With a hand she leaped onto the cliff, securely holding Zhengzheng in the other.

Old White looked down the cliff, which was quickly calm again.

It was Ying Ying who told them about Yue Mei’s habit of acting alone. If she had accomplices tonight, the situation would have been different.

Gu Ling calculated every step carefully when she attacked, any misstep would lead to failure.

Old White, who was responsible for diverting Yue Mei’s attention, was indeed successful. Although he didn’t persuade Yue Mei to change her wicked ways, that was never his purpose. After all, back then, Yue Mei liked Old White and had been trying to win his affections, holding a grudge ever since. Hence, Old White was one of the few people who could truly influence her.

“Is Zhengzheng alright?” Old White asked with a somewhat nervous expression.

Gu Ling had already checked Zhengzheng’s breathing and pulse, “He’s fine.”

“You go back first, I’ll check the bottom of the cliff!” With that, Old White disappeared from sight.

Gu Ling carried Zhengzheng down the mountain, halfway through, Zhengzheng woke up, with his big eyes wide open, looked at Gu Ling in amazement, “Uncle Ning!”

Gu Ling didn’t mind that Zhengzheng was still occasionally calling him Uncle Ning, he tousled the boy’s hair, “It’s okay now.”

Zhengzheng hugged Gu Ling’s neck, “I’m not afraid, I knew Auntie and Uncle Ning would bring me home! Do you know why, Uncle Ning?”

Gu Ling played along, “Why?”

With a grin, Zhengzheng answered, “The answer is what Auntie often says. Because Uncle Ning is a great god! An all-powerful great god!”