How could she not have guessed who "Xiao Mei" was?
The girl in Zhennan Prefecture, dressed in rich clothes, is about the same age as her. She also has the ability to control flames and superb Qinggong footwork. Fire is the symbol of Zhennan Red Phoenix, and Qinggong, which symbolizes wind, is Moxi Canglang's unique skill.
"The west wind blows, the maple leaves turn red, and the late autumn scenery becomes more beautiful. The east streets and west markets are all empty, and the owl girl flies into the Red Phoenix Palace."
This nursery rhyme tells the story of Madam Xiao, the sister of Marquis of Moxi, who married into Zhennan Mansion twenty years ago. Although Xu Zhuchen did not see the grand scene of Zhennan at that time with his own eyes, he heard Han Ling talk about it countless times.
"People in Zhennan poked their heads out of the gatehouse, or stood directly on the street, watching the big black and red sedan swaying all the way, being carried into Zhennan Mansion. Lanterns were laid along the road for ten miles, It stays on all night; red silk is hung high by the roadside, and red carpets embroidered with gold threads are spread all over the streets. These are not the most enviable things. What really opens the eyes of Zhennan people is At that time, Xiao Xuanchen, the Marquis of Moxi and the Minister, actually carried his only little sister all the way from Moxi to Zhennan with his sedan chair."
Xu Zhuchen was not interested in this story. He just kept a straight face and thought about the newly learned swordsmanship today. Han Ling had no choice but to turn his attention to Shi Song.
Shi Song listened with rapt attention. Looking at the proud look on his face, it was not difficult to guess that he had assumed the role of Moxi Marquis.
"Okay, Lao Shi, stop fantasizing." Han Ling hit the stone pine with a larger notebook, "Aunt Xiang is still raising a baby, but she may not give birth to a sister for you."
Shi Song called out "Ouch", and the joy on his face faded somewhat. He rubbed his head: "Why don't you even think about it... Mrs. Lan has already seen it and said it is very likely to be a girl."
Xu Zhuchen listened to them talking about his mother and heard something about "girl", and then he came back to his senses: "What nonsense? Xiaojue is a boy."
Han Ling and Shi Song looked at each other and said helplessly: "Zhu Chen, no one mentioned Xiao Jue, where have you been wandering?"
Xu Zhuchen coughed dryly to cover up his embarrassment, forced himself to put on a stereotypical expression of "very interested in the story told by Han Ling", laughed twice and said: "Ah, no, I'm just a little distracted. Han Ling, please continue talking. Ah, I just got excited about it, hahaha."
Han Ling looked at the two men. If he hadn't known in his heart that he couldn't beat them, he would have pressed their heads to the ground without hesitation - just like Xu Zhuchen would do on a daily basis.
"At that time, people in Zhennan and Moxi thought that if the princes of the two places, who had broken off diplomatic relations for a long time, reunited with the Qin and Jin Dynasties, they would definitely reduce taxes and promote trade flow... I don't understand what they are doing."
"Anyway! The good times did not last long. Not long after, Mrs. Xiao passed away, and the Marquis of Moxi personally sent someone to take her remains back to Moxi. No one knows what happened. After Mrs. Xiao passed away, Zhennan and Moxi Completely severed diplomatic relations with the West. It is precisely for this reason that Zhennan Mansion, as the in-law of the Marquis of Moxi, was not implicated in the case of collaborating with the enemy in Moxi."
When he finished telling it, he seemed surprised that the story was so short. Shi Song leaned over and accompanied him to think about the omitted past in the story bit by bit, but Xu Zhuchen once again held his head and wandered away——
Mrs. Xiao, Marquis of Moxi... Xiao Mei also has the surname Xiao. Could it be related to Moxi?
She knows now.
Xu Zhuchen looked at Xiao Mei, his snow-white eyebrows drooping. She whispered: "Ah, I'm sorry. I couldn't save you at that time. I...I'm just glad that you are still alive now."
Xiao Mei couldn't help but be stunned after listening to her words: "What do you mean?"
Xu Zhuchen slowly raised his head, his two crystal red eyes in the white snow were so breathtaking. She looked at Xiao Mei and said word by word: "My family once wanted to kill you. When I was in Zhiyang, although I didn't realize it, I did handle matters related to it. I took care of them and me. I apologize to you myself, and if you are willing, I am willing to accept all your punishment."
"But Azadirachta, you are still alive. As long as you are alive, this is the greatest blessing to me."
Xiao Mei struggled in disbelief, and the anger in his eyes burned: "Xu Zhuchen, Xu Jiaqi! You clearly know who I am, how could you say such a thing?"
Her body was tied to the tree by ice vines, and her voice was intermittent: "...Yes, Xu Zhuchen, I am still alive...my father, mother, my sister-" When she said this word, her heart felt like needles. There was a sharp pain, "——The other thirty-eight people in Zhennan Mansion were all buried in the sea of fire. They are all dead, and we are all dead!"
Clouds blocked the moonlight, and Xu Zhuchen's expression darkened. She stood in front of Xiao Mei, staring at her quietly without speaking.
Xiao Mei struggled again, and the snowflakes on the tree crown fell. Xu Zhuchen caught the snowflakes that fell on her head for her, but did not untie the shackles.
"Azadirachta," her voice was clear and bright, as gentle and clean as fine snow, "I have said it before, the you I know is the person you choose to be. You tell me you are Xiaomei, and I believe it. Who are you."
"I can't feel the same way as you, because to me, the only thing that matters in the entire Zhennan is you. I can avenge you, and even point the blade at my companions, but you are still alive and by my side. No time to be sad about anything.”
"Stop hurting yourself. This move is called the God-Binding Lock. Your internal energy flow has been imprisoned, and struggling is in vain."
Xiao Mei clenched his hands tightly, and the fire in his eyes almost stung Xu Zhuchen.
"What if I die too? If my body had been lying in the fire scene in Zhennan that day, I'm afraid the 'eldest lady of the Xu family' would have walked over without even looking."
"Just because I am not the 'Xiao Mei' you are looking for, my life and the lives of my family are not worth mentioning in your eyes!"
Xu Zhuchen frowned, and the light and shadow of the trees ran across her face like a revolving lantern. Her voice was a little out of control:
"Ah, don't you trust me?"
"Since we parted, I have thought of you all the time. After the fire, the bodies in Zhennan Mansion were charred beyond recognition, but I still refused to give up.
"Later, I really found hope - in the information I handled, there was a missing body in Zhennan Mansion. The logistics team searched the mansion inside and out but couldn't find it. Do you know how much I hope to survive? Is that you?"
"Ah!" Xu Zhuchen stepped over Jin Liang's gradually cold body, held Xiao's face, and spoke softly, "I don't want you to understand, but your position in my heart cannot be matched by anyone. Compare. Azadirachta, if you want me to make a choice, I can tell you now."
"I choose you. I am willing to give up everything I own, abandon my family, and betray the world. I choose you."
When Xiao Mei mentioned "there is a missing body", his whole body was suddenly shaken. At this moment, after listening to Xu Zhuchen's words, she stared at Xu Zhuchen for a long time. After a while, she smiled.
A drop of blood tears slipped from the corner of her eyes, with a bright red blood stain, sliding down her cheek and into Xu Zhuchen's palm.
"Zhuchen, do you still remember who Han Ling is?" She looked at Xu Zhuchen and continued, "Han Ling and Shi Song, do you still remember who they are?"
Xu Zhuchen's expression suddenly changed, his expression was almost crazy, and he finally revealed the pain of being hit hard. She staggered back two steps and let go of Xiao Mei's face, but she tripped over Jin Liang's body and fell suddenly into the snow.
"... Shi Song." She murmured, "Han Ling, Shi Song... them, how could I forget them?"
Xiao Mei continued: "There are also Li Fenglong, Luo Zhi, Jiang Litian, Jiang Lidi... and the Yaoyang League, the Wulin Conference, the Shanyin Escort Bureau, the Lujia Shop... Zhuchen, do you remember these people and things? You Can we really give up everything?"
Xu Zhuchen looked painful. She stood up holding Yun Songshu. She didn't answer, but shook her head desperately in denial. Opposite her, Xiao Mei's blood and tears fell drop by drop.
"Look, you still remember. You remember the stories you experienced along the way and the people you met."
"Zhuchen, you won't give up on them because you can't betray your past. Saying these words...you are just controlled, controlled by Wei Wangban."
She looked at Xu Zhuchen, her brown-black eyes were bloodshot, but Xu Zhuchen's snow-white shadow was like a moon, shining on her world quietly and far away, without a trace of blood.
"You know, Zhuchen? The moment I saw Jin Liang fall, what I was thinking about was you."
"When Jiang Liren sneaked up on you, his sharp sword penetrated your body, leaving a wound at almost the same location. This is the second time I saw a man's abdomen ooze with blood, and he fell in disbelief in front of me. Zhuchen, at that moment, I knew I couldn't lose you."
"I want to hate you too." Xiao Mei said with a smile, "How much I want to hate you for not lending a helping hand to me at that time. How much I want to blame you for the death of my family. But Zhuchen, I also Can't betray my past."
"It's not your fault that they died. It's not your fault that you didn't save me then. Just like now, you are controlled by King Wei Banner, and these words are not your original intention."
Her blood and tears fell on the cold God-binding lock, and the crimson star suddenly bloomed. It was the thin internal energy she had just condensed from the candle shadow shaking red.
The red inner energy dissolved in her blood, and she didn't know what changes had taken place, but it seemed to have gained ten times or a hundred times more power. The starlight was so bright that it was like a wildfire, exploding the chains of ice and snow at the moment of contact.
"I don't hate you." Zheng Chen shed his last drop of blood and tears and pulled out the Xingyun from his waist. She was smiling, but under the moonlight, her expression was uglier than crying.
"Zhu Chen, let me save you."
