After Dawn - Chapter 6

“The true phoenix has its own great energy blessing, and Master Huo was born with the gift of wisdom, if not for the help of others, it would have been difficult for demons and evil to invade.”

Xuan Yuan Zhao was embarrassed and unable to speak, although Qing Ran’s memory was stuck at the age of twelve, her mind was after all damaged and her thinking ability was very weak, leaning on the side in Feng Yue’s arms, with a white little face and squinting eyes. It seemed that she would fall asleep at any moment.

“Master Ling Hui, is there really no other way?” Xuan Yuan Zhi asked, it was not the time to blame Xuan Yuan Zhao.

“The only solution is to get rid of the demon, and the effects of the demon will gradually disappear, but this is not an easy task.” Monk Ling Hui said, “The demon is the most skilled at compelling people’s hearts, and in times of danger there are often people who help them, so it is extremely difficult to kill them.”

“No matter how difficult it is and what price has to be paid, the kingdom that my Xuanyuan Dynasty ancestors have built shall not be lost in the hands of this unworthy descendant of mine.”

“Amitabha Buddha.” Monk Ling Hui said no more, he had already indicated the path, how to go was up to the three Xuan Yuan brothers.

He was originally a man of the world and the descending of demons from the sky was supposed to be a warning to people that he really shouldn’t say much, but although he had been cultivating for many years, how could he easily let go of the mundane world and the millions of people. He was, after all, flesh and blood, and had a soft and burning heart.

“Feng Yue, is there an antidote for the poison of Return to Truth?”

Xuan Yuan Cheng asked, thinking that since Huo Qing Ran was a Phoenix, if she could live, she would naturally be able to fight Huo Si Rong, and they would have more chances of winning.

At this time he had already wiped away the admiration he had for Huo Si Rong in his heart, the Xuan Yuan family was the most infatuated kind, once they fell in love with someone they could go out of their way for them, even if they had to sacrifice their lives, but when they were not in love, the people of the Xuan Yuan family were as cold-blooded as the ordinary royal family, as long as it hurt their own interests, no matter who the opponent was, there would never be any mercy.

Feng Yue shook his head, if he had, he would have taken it out and used it long ago, there was no need to watch Qing Ran suffer so much.

The Return of Truth poison, apart from the damage to the mind, torments one’s nerves at all times. Although he had not been struck by this type of poison, according to the information left behind by his master, people who are poisoned will experience a large number of illusions in front of their eyes, accompanied by intense headaches.

If Qing Ran had vented her pain, he might have felt better, but she just leaned weakly in his arms, not saying a word, pursing her lips, like a fragile porcelain doll.

As if he could see his concern, Monk Ling Hui said, “There is merit and virtue blessing in your body, and the breath in your body will be able to ease Master Huo’s pain.”

“But -” the old monk’s eyes were filled with sorrow – “even so, it will not be possible to prolong Master Huo’s life.”

Qing Ran knew her body’s condition best. She had already reached the limit of her ability to take the Return to Truth, and although her soul had not been affected in any way as a taskmaster, the pain that came back from this body was real.

But her mission was nearly complete, if the three Xuan Yuan family brothers could really be ruthless against Huo Si Rong, then although the Xuan Yuan Dynasty could not reach the expected glory without Huo Si Rong’s existence, it would not perish from then on, and if the Huo Si Rong who had crossed over was really too powerful and could make these three drop their hard feelings and fall in love with her again, Qing Ran would say that it would have nothing to do with her.

After doing so many missions, the enthusiasm for maintaining the world had pretty much worn off in the repetition of it over and over again. She was a taskmaster, but she was not the world, she was just an alien helper, and what could really save the world was its own.

If the Xuanyuan dynasty is doomed to perish because of a crossover girl, with the casualties of millions of people, it is only the three brothers of the Xuanyuan family who should bear this bad score, not her.

No one noticed that Qing Ran’s eyes showed a clear and cold look inside her partially squinted eyes, which were no longer pure.

It was just that the few people present had their own preoccupations in mind, so they didn’t notice.

“Shénxiān Gēge, am I going to die?” Qing Ran’s frail voice suddenly sounded out in the silence, drawing all the attention of the people. However, it was as if there was only one Feng Yue in her eyes, and the rest of the people were not even taken inside her eyes.

“No, you won’t die.” Feng Yue whispered, his voice having a gentleness that he himself hadn’t even noticed.

Huo Qing Ran was born with discerning eyes, able to see through people’s souls. She watched her concubine sister change without anyone noticing, and everyone around her thought she was talking nonsense, the kind of panic and fear in her heart that no one could understand, she was afraid.

Feng Yue was a gentle and understanding person, and whenever he thought of her in that way, he felt that Qing Ran was a particular pain in his heart.

And this heartache, when he thought of her being crazy about love, turned a little bit worse.

Qing Ran just smiled, the excruciating pain all through her body made it impossible for her to even make a broad grin, and even as she smiled, her brow did not loosen, only the corners of her lips pulled back in a small curve.

“Shénxiān Gēge, will you take me to see the sunrise? I’ve never seen a sunrise in all my life.” Qing Ran begged.

Xuan Yuan Cheng, who was almost considered an invisible person on the side, suddenly shook all over.

“Which little brother are you, why are you staying here?”

“Hey, let’s go watch the sunset. In all my life, I’ve never seen a sunset before.”

He set his gaze on the face of Qing Ran, who was looking up at the wind and moon, and suddenly realised that her eyebrows bore a passing resemblance to that little girl in red like fire back then.

Just how was that possible.

Back then the girl had said her name was Jiang Mengmeng and she was visiting friends in the capital with her relatives and would not stay much longer.

Knowing that there was bound to be a big gap between the two, he buried the young girl’s image in his heart.

“You take her there.” Xuan Yuan Zhi opened his mouth, it was indeed their brothers who had wronged Huo Qing Ran, let her have her last wish fulfilled before she died.

” Wang Xiong!” Xuan Yuan Zhao spoke up, and when Xuan Yuan Zhi glared at him, he didn’t say anything more.

Feng Yue took Qing Ran to say farewell, her body was already so weak that she could barely walk, she could only lie on his back and let him carry her up the mountain, fortunately Feng Yue’s martial arts was good and there was no strain in carrying a person on his back.

The place to watch the sunrise was on top of a cliff, and it was still pitch dark. Feng Yue put the cloak he had brought on the ground and let Qing Ran sit on it.

“Shénxiān Gēge, can I see Rong Rong after I die?” She asked, with a little anticipation and care.

“Can.” Feng Yue replied, “Rong Rong must be waiting for you somewhere.”

The only light on the mountain at this time was the faint moonlight falling on their bodies, Qing Ran’s face was a little indistinct in the darkness, and the wind on the mountain was a little cold, so Feng Yue spread his own cloak and put his arms around Qing Ran.

There was no such thing as male and female caution at this time. A dying woman, and in a place like this, who could say anything?

Qing Ran’s body was very small and she was leaning on Feng Yue’s arms, her breathing was weak, as if she would turn into a clear breeze and scatter among the mountains and forests in the next moment.

“Shénxiān Gēge, you will definitely defeat the evil monster, right?” She asked.

“Yes.” Feng Yue gave her a very definite answer.

“Pinky Promise.” Qing Ran stretched out a slightly curved little finger. Feng Yue froze, and a stunning smile bloomed on his handsome, exile-like face as he extended his hand and hooked it with Qing Ran’s finger.

“For a hundred years the promise will not change, and the one who changes is a puppy-“

Feng Yue many years later remembers pulling a moonlit pact, but unfortunately for the person in his arms, he was not able to wait for the sunrise.

The golden sunlight of the rising sun poured over her body as if cloaking her in a layer of Buddhist light, and she closed her eyes as peacefully as if she were asleep. Though he knew that she was dreaming a beautiful dream from which she would never wake.

When a man loves a woman deeply, everything about her is perfect, like Xuan Yuan Zhao and Huo Si Rong once were.

But when a man has doubts about a woman, everything is capable of being a reason for imperfection. Take the current Xuan Yuan Zhao and Huo Si Rong for example.

In the past, Xuan Yuan Zhao only thought Huo Si Rong was a woman with brains when she went out to do business dressed as a man, but now he had to wonder if she was secretly doing something unseemly. He used to be very comfortable with Huo Si Rong and secretly helped her when she was in trouble, making Huo Si Rong a lot less wary. Almost as soon as he checked Xuan Yuan Zhao found out about the huge intelligence agency Huo Si Rong had under her command.

The young white collar who crossed over into Huo Si Rong’s body only thought that female protagonists in novels often have their own organizations under them, but never thought whether a country or a dynasty would allow the existence of these groups that can shake the foundation of the state. The intelligence organization under Huo Si Rong is already too extensive in every aspect, unknowingly even reaching out to the court and into the imperial palace.

The more he investigated, the more alarmed he became. Xuan Yuan Zhao was horrified to discover that Huo Si Rong seemed to be a knot that strung together all aspects of the connections into a large net that involved one hair but moved the whole body. The people standing under this net, the significance that this net represented, was simply appalling.

He had never imagined that there could be one person who united the martial world and the imperial court, and he had never seen that there was one person who could circulate between justice and darkness.

The League of Martial Arts, the Palace Master of the Demon Palace, and the top assassins …… had almost all gathered around Huo Si Rong, and even one of the Emperor’s close guards had a close friendship with her.

“This woman, she must be eliminated!”

If there was still love lingering before, regardless of whether Huo Si Rong was a human or a ghost, she had entered this body at the age of six after all, and it was after the age of six that Xuanyuan Zhao fell in love with her.

But after finding out all this, the love was washed away by horror, and Xuan Yuan Zhao had nothing but deep scorn in his heart.

This is royalty, where all threats can be a reason not to love.

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mundane world     俗世    (súshì) : the vulgar world (Buddhist concept) / secular world

the millions 千千万万 (qiānqiānwànwàn): lit. by the thousands and tens of thousands (idiom); untold numbers / innumerable / thousands upon thousands

of people. 百姓 (bǎixìng): common people

poison : was on this □□ originally, so i just added something that made sense

Master 施主    (shīzhǔ): benefactor (term used by a monk to address a layperson)

Shénxiān 神仙 : Daoist immortal / supernatural entity

Gēge 哥哥    : older brother

Wang  王 : king or monarch

Xiong 兄 : elder brother

exile-like 谪仙 (zhéxiān) : a genius (literally, an immortal who has been banished from heaven to live on earth)

Buddhist light 佛光(Fóguāng): Buddha’s teachings / aura (around the head of Buddha)

one hair but moved the whole body 牵一发而动全身 (qiānyīfà’érdòngquánshēn): lit. pull one hair and the whole body moves / fig. a slight change will affect everything else / the butterfly effect

The League of Martial Arts 武林 (wǔlín):martial arts (social) circles

Palace Master 宫主 (gōngzhǔ): imperial empress / milady

Demon Palace 魔宫 (mógōng):lit. devils’ castle / place occupied by sinister forces