eurekapd Chapter 438 There is hope only when you live; the strength of the Moon Goddess!
Chapter 438 There is hope only when you live; the strength of the Moon Goddess!
Qin Mu was dressed in a moon-white robe, with a jade belt around his waist and a folding fan in his hand, looking like he was about to go on a long journey.
Zhao Qingxue stood behind him, carrying a bundle in her hand.
Yunluan and Jiang Zhaoyue stood beside him, their hands at their sides, their faces calm.
Yun Suxin stood at the very back, her head bowed, her expression unreadable.
Xu Longxiang strode forward, stopped three steps in front of Qin Mu, clasped his hands and bowed.
"Young Master Zheng, I've come to take my leave. I'll be setting off back to the Northern Territory today. I apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused you these past few days."
Qin Mu smiled, closed his folding fan, and clapped it twice in his palm, making a crisp "snap snap" sound.
"Of course, of course. Your Highness, have a safe journey. I'm also heading back to the capital. This wretched place is remote and mountainous, the people are fierce, and there's this Moon Goddess Cult causing trouble. I don't want to stay here a single day longer."
Xu Longxiang felt a slight sense of relief and a smile spread across his face.
"I wish you a safe journey, young master, and a speedy return to the capital to reunite with your family."
His gaze swept over Qin Mu's side without making a sound.
The moon goddess is not here.
He breathed a sigh of relief; the weight that had been hanging over him all night had finally been lifted.
It seems that the Moon Goddess has quietly left after finishing her business last night.
Xu Longxiang straightened up, his gaze falling on Qin Mu's face, and clasped his hands in a fist salute.
"Farewell, Mr. Xu. Until we meet again."
Qin Mu waved his hand and shook his folding fan.
"Until we meet again. When I return to the capital, I will write to the Prince. He must reply."
Xu Longxiang smiled and nodded. "That's natural."
He turned around, about to leave, when his gaze inadvertently swept across Yun Suxin's face.
Yun Suxin was looking at him.
Those eyes were red, filled with tears, and brimming with pleading and despair.
Like a bird trapped in a cage, gazing at the sky outside, desperately flapping its wings, yet unable to fly out.
Xu Longxiang paused for a moment, his brows furrowing slightly.
He glanced at her, said nothing, did nothing, turned around, and strode towards the gate of the mansion.
There are plenty of women in this world with tragic backgrounds. He wouldn't risk offending that playboy for the sake of a stranger with an ordinary background.
He had finally managed to build a relationship with that playboy and had finally planted that pawn; he couldn't let a moment of weakness ruin the whole plan.
Xu Longxiang did not turn around.
His figure disappeared at the gate of the mansion, and the sound of his footsteps gradually faded into the distance.
Yun Suxin stood there, gazing at the empty gate of the mansion and at the dark figure disappearing into the morning light.
The last glimmer of hope in my heart was like a lamp blown out by the wind; even the smoke dissipated.
Done
It's completely over.
After being exhausted last night, she felt sore all over, as if her body had fallen apart.
But she couldn't rest. After Chen Ruoyao left, she curled up alone in a corner of the side hall and tried to cultivate for the whole night.
She sat cross-legged on the ground, held her breath, and focused her mind, circulating her internal energy.
Once, twice, ten times, a hundred times.
The dantian was empty and the meridians were lifeless, like a frozen river in winter, with no flow of true qi.
She tried every method she could think of, but the result was the same.
I can't sense anything, there's nothing there.
She slumped to the ground, leaning against the wall, tears silently welling up in her eyes and streaming down her pale cheeks.
Yun Suxin didn't understand.
She really didn't understand.
Why did fate treat her this way?
Why did her cultivation disappear without a trace?
She failed to fulfill the leader's last wish, failed to strengthen the Moon Goddess Sect, failed to overthrow the Great Qin Dynasty, and couldn't even protect her own cultivation.
She could only lower her head, curl up in the corner, like a wounded little animal, letting the darkness swallow her up.
"What's wrong? Are you reluctant to part with that prince?"
A chuckled voice came from above, lazy and nonchalant.
Yun Suxin suddenly came to her senses, looked up, and saw Qin Mu standing in front of her, looking down at her with a half-smile on his lips.
Zhao Qingxue, Jiang Zhaoyue, and Yun Luan were nowhere to be seen. The carriage outside the mansion was ready, and several servants were carrying luggage onto it.
Qin Mu squatted down to be at eye level with her, reached out his hand, and gently lifted her chin with his slender fingers, forcing her to raise her head and meet his gaze.
Her face was streaked with tears, her eyes were red and swollen, her lips were chapped, and she looked utterly disheveled.
"Come back to the capital with me." His voice was soft, with a hint of a smile.
Yun Suxin's body trembled violently.
Tears welled up silently in her eyes, streaming down her pale cheeks and dripping onto Qin Mu's fingers.
"Can I not go?" Her voice was hoarse and almost inaudible.
Qin Mu smiled, released her chin, stood up, stood with his hands behind his back, and looked at the distant sky illuminated by the morning light.
"That's not up to you."
"There's nothing I can't get if I set my sights on it."
Yun Suxin's fingers clenched tightly inside her sleeve, her nails digging into her palms, a sharp pain shooting through her, but she was completely unaware.
She gritted her teeth, raised her head, and looked at him with her red, swollen, and tearful eyes.
"Aren't you afraid... Xu Longxiang will find out about your plan? Aren't you afraid... I'll tell him?"
Qin Mu lowered his head, looked at her, and a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes.
It's like watching a dying young animal, still desperately baring its teeth.
"Tell him? Do you think he'll believe you? A peasant girl I picked up from a remote mountain village, who doesn't even have a name and can't even say who she is?"
He paused, his smile deepening. "Or perhaps, you want to tell him—that you are the moon goddess?"
Yun Suxin's lips trembled violently, and she couldn't utter a single word.
Of course, she couldn't tell him, she couldn't tell anyone.
If Xu Longxiang knew that she had lost her power and that she was no longer the high and mighty Moon Goddess, how would he view her?
Will he still admire her? Will he still serve her faithfully?
Will he still consider her an ally?
No, he'll just think she's a piece of trash, a piece of trash who can't even protect herself.
Her tears flowed even more fiercely, and she couldn't stop them no matter what she did.
Qin Mu turned around and walked towards the gate of the mansion. After taking two steps, he stopped and did not look back.
"I'll give you two choices. First, obediently come back to the capital with me and become my concubine. I promise you won't be mistreated. Second, stay here and I'll have you beaten to death with sticks in a moment."
He stepped across the threshold and disappeared into the morning light.
Yun Suxin knelt on the cold gold bricks, gazing at the empty mansion gate and the golden morning light pouring in from outside, her heart filled with despair.
What other choice did she have?
Her only option now is to survive.
Only by surviving can there be hope.
Perhaps one day in the future, her cultivation will be restored, and then there will still be a chance.
If I die now, then nothing will remain, nothing will exist anymore.
Thinking about this...
Yun Suxin closed her eyes, and her heart gradually calmed down.
Then she lowered her head and looked at her hands, which had no trace of true energy.
In the distance, the carriage had already started moving, its wheels rolling over the bluestone slabs with a dull "thump".
She took a deep breath, stood up, wiped away her tears, lowered her head, and walked step by step toward the gate of the mansion.
The carriage was waiting for her at the door.
She climbed onto the carriage, sat down in a corner, curled up, and buried her face in her arms.
The carriage slowly started moving, leaving Linyuan City and the southwestern border, heading towards a place she had never been before, but which was about to become her prison.
Beijing.
Outside the window, the sun is shining brightly.