Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Chapter 228 Returning to Beijing

When Nianyao woke up again, it was already broad daylight, and Luo An was not in the room. She sat on the table, looking at An Jingchen's portrait, and felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Speaking of deities, one might be somewhat familiar with Chang'e, but Wu Gang is only known by name, never seen in person. A woodcutter chopping down trees could never possibly have such a handsome appearance.

Where exactly had she seen it before? Nianyao picked up the portrait, intending to examine it closely, when the paper happened to fold upwards from the nose.

Nianyao was about to straighten the portrait when suddenly her heart skipped a beat. She laid the paper back on the table, thought for a while, and then suddenly picked up a paperweight and held it across her eyes.

"I heard he went blind; dodder seed and deer liver can cure eyesight."

"Qiqige picked and chose, and ended up picking a blind man? Sigh..."

Luo An's voice and the herdsmen's discussions echoed in Nian Yao's mind.

Nianyao's heart nearly jumped out of her chest: An Jingchen, who was blindfolded, looked almost exactly like the groom she had met when she went to Tumote to freeload a meal, and both of them were blind.

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside, with chaotic footsteps, and it seemed as if many people had rushed into the courtyard. Nianyao seemed not to hear anything, her hand trembling slightly as it rested on the table.

Luo An openly admitted to killing Batu. He could no longer stay in the northern desert, otherwise he would be hunted down wherever he went.

Even traveling at top speed from Baishan to Tumote would take ten to fifteen days. If they successfully find An Jingchen, it's questionable whether the three of them, plus the blind man who doesn't know martial arts, can escape the pursuit and safely return to Dongyang.

If they can't find An Jingchen, they'll not only be in danger, but it will also delay their return. Duan Mingzhu will most likely give birth prematurely, and if anything happens to her, she'll never be able to face Xue Yunting again.

Moreover, they had promised to return before Duan Mingzhu gave birth, which is why Duan Mingzhu gave them the antidote. If they didn't return as promised and angered Duan Mingzhu, who knows what she might do?

Duan Mingzhu is no kind person. Xue Yunting has been so good to her, yet she can do whatever she wants, whether she wants to smash the jade bracelet or not. She doesn't tolerate Xue Yunting at all, and she certainly won't tolerate them either. Perhaps the brothers on Chongming Island will suffer.

“Nianyao…”

Nianyao awoke from her daze and looked up at Luo An with a blank expression.

Luo An wiped the sweat from her forehead with his sleeve, thinking she was frightened by the commotion outside: "I called you several times but you didn't respond. Why do you look so pale? Don't be afraid, I'm here, they can't hurt us at all."

Nianyao then seemed to snap out of her daze, stood up, and asked, "What's going on outside...?"

Luo An said, "The messenger has arrived. Bar has succeeded to the Khanate and ordered my execution on the spot."

Execute on the spot? Nianyao grabbed the longsword, her eyes sharpening with determination: "Force our way in?"

Luo An shook his head: "Follow me."

Luo An led her outside, and Da Shu stood on the steps in front of the door, facing off against Man Duo. Behind Man Duo stood a large group of soldiers, and the restless scene immediately quieted down when they saw Luo An come out.

Luo An walked to the side of the Great Heat and asked Man Duo, "General, are you planning to go back?"

Mando coldly replied, "I am under orders from the Great Khan. Now that the Great Khan has summoned me, I must return."

Luo An nodded: "Does the general's stomach hurt?"

Manduo, having already made up his mind, naturally wouldn't agree: "Dr. Luo, if you have nothing to say, I can only send the three of you on your way. Don't worry, Dr. Luo, I will definitely ensure your safety..."

A loud bang interrupted Man Duo's words. A soldier collapsed, clutching his stomach and crying out, "It hurts... my stomach hurts..."

Then one soldier after another fell down, their cries of pain echoing throughout the room. Suddenly, Mando felt a sharp pain in his stomach, and he almost dropped his broadsword.

Mando stared at Luo An in horror: "You poisoned him, what a despicable act."

Luo An did not respond, but said, "General, you are brave, resourceful and skilled in martial arts. It is better to set up camp here with your brothers and establish your own stronghold. You can have a wife and children and a warm bed. It is better than going back to suffer on both sides, with your life and death uncertain and your future bleak."

Luo An's words struck Man Duo's heart and shocked the soldiers behind him. They seemed to forget their pain, staring blankly at Luo An.

Luo An continued, "General, you once pleaded with me on behalf of my wife, and now you have injured her. Your merits and demerits cancel each other out, so we are even. I am leaving today, and this is the antidote."

Luo An took out a white porcelain bottle and handed it to Man Duo, who stared at the medicine but hesitated to take it. The soldier behind him wailed and begged for mercy: "General, help!"

In a life-or-death situation, who can truly face death without fear? Manduo's voice was tinged with despair: "When and where did you poison me?"

Luo An said, "Yesterday afternoon, the poison was in the well water."

Mando slowly took the medicine, his expression uncertain. He didn't know whether he admired Luo An, was angry at him, or something else entirely.

Luo An gave Da Shu a wink, and Da Shu moved the box under the eaves to Man Duo and opened it: "General, the lady used some, the rest are here, return them to their rightful owner."

Manduo and the soldiers in the courtyard watched as Luo An and his two companions left without saying a word or trying to stop them.

Luo An and his two companions traveled south, passing through Youzhou to Bianjing, without any obstacles along the way. They disappeared as soon as they entered Bianjing on the day of Dashu, and Guyu came to meet them at the city gate.

Nianyao and Guyu returned to Xizhai. Luo An went to the palace first and sent someone to tell her that he would return the next day. The next day, around noon, someone from the palace came to fetch her for lunch.

Last time we ate at the palace, although it was called a family banquet, there were quite a few people. This time, there was only one table: the Emperor, the Empress, the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess, and the two of them.

Nianyao had always had a very good impression of the Emperor and the Empress. As a result, this time the Empress even personally served her a bowl of bird's nest, which was said to be some kind of early spring bird's nest.

Nianyao only knew about seafood and not delicacies from the mountains, but the Empress was approachable and very considerate, so she was very touched and drank the whole bowl in three big gulps.

The Empress smiled and said, "Nianyao, Heaven and Earth is Xiao'an's home, and Chongming Island is your home. You two can take turns staying at Heaven and Earth and Chongming Island."

This way we can see you more often and won't worry about you. Xiao An has been away from home for so long; many new disciples at Heaven and Earth haven't even seen the Master and his wife.

Nianyao said, moved, "Your Majesty, I..."

The Empress said, "You should call me Aunt."

Nianyao readily agreed: "Auntie, I've been planning this for a while. I'll settle the brothers of the Great River Gang when I go back this time, and I'll be back soon. Chongming Island is hot and humid in the summer, and Heaven and Earth is a perfect place to escape the heat."

The Empress was very pleased and said to the Emperor, "Nianyao looks like her father, but her personality is more like her mother's—lively, straightforward, and easygoing. That's good."

Nianyao was taken aback: "Is my aunt very familiar with my mother?"

The Empress sighed, "More than just familiar, your mother even lived in the Eastern Palace for a while when I was the Crown Princess. So many years have passed in the blink of an eye. Nianyao, you're twenty this year, aren't you?"

Nianyao nodded. After her birthday, she would be a year older, so she would indeed be twenty.

Before the Empress could say anything more, Luo An interrupted, "Your Majesty, we must hurry to Chongming Island; we cannot delay any longer."