Chapter 482 - 482 The Furious Xiaobao
482 The Furious Xiaobao
Yan Jiuchao thought of the face he had seen when he took off the other party’s mask in the carriage. The first thing he saw was the scar on the left side of his face. That scar looked like it was quite old. The reason why it had not recovered was definitely not because he lacked medicine. After all, he was the Prince Consort. The best medicine in Nanzhao could be handed over to him. It could only be because he had been injured too deeply back then that there was no cure.
At that moment, Yan Jiuchao forgot to think about who he was.
Back in the Great Zhou, Yan Jiuchao had heard Bai Xiaosheng mention that the Prince Consort of Nanzhao wore a mask all year round. It was rumored that his appearance was disfigured. He naturally did not believe it, but he did not expect it to be true.
Of course, he could still see the other party’s face clearly in the end. Even with that hideous and ugly scar, he looked…!!
Yan Jiuchao stopped his thoughts and raised his hand to cover half of his face. He asked Yu Wan, “If I’m like this, can you still recognize me?”
Yu Wan nodded in shock. “I can recognize you even if you cover yourself up! Why do you ask?”
“I think so too,” Yan Jiuchao said.
“Huh?” Yu Wan was even more confused.
She realized that ever since she asked if the Prince Consort of Nanzhao was Prince Yan, her husband’s words had become strange and unfathomable. But it was not strange when she thought about it. If the Prince Consort was Prince Yan, it was a good thing that he was still alive. However, it was difficult to accept that he had abandoned his wife. If the Prince Consort was not Prince Yan, then Prince Yan had not betrayed them. Even though this had fulfilled the faith in Yan Jiuchao’s heart, it had cut off his last hope. He must be… conflicted. After all, that was the father he had always respected.
Yan Jiuchao actually did not think as much as Yu Wan. He had grown up and was not the child who chased after his father all day. At this point, what he wanted was just the truth. He said, “Although that face has changed a lot, there’s a scar and traces of time, I can’t be wrong.”
Yu Wan looked at him. What he meant was—
Yan Jiuchao sighed and said, “It’s my father’s face.”
For some reason, Yu Wan was far from as shocked as she had imagined when she heard such an answer. Perhaps she had long leaned towards the fact that the Prince Consort was Prince Yan. She said in her usual tone, “Then how could the both of you not have a conversation? Didn’t he see you?”
Yan Jiuchao looked at the dark clouds floating over from the sky and said, “He saw me, but he doesn’t seem to know me. Or perhaps he didn’t recognize me.”
When Prince Yan left, Yan Jiuchao was only eight years old. Now that fifteen or sixteen years have passed, Yan Jiuchao’s appearance was very different from when he was young. It was not strange that he did not recognize him at once. However, everyone who had seen Prince Yan said that Yan Jiuchao looked exactly the same as Prince Yan when he was young. Didn’t Prince Yan have any thoughts when he saw someone so similar to him? Didn’t he guess that his son had appeared? Or had Prince Yan forgotten about them and completely started a new life with the Little Princess?
Also, why was his face destroyed? Yu Wan could not figure all of this out, but she did not have to figure it out. They were already in the Capital, so the truth would come out one day. She held Yan Jiuchao’s hand. “It’s getting late. Let’s go home.”
Yan Jiuchao did not say anything. However, when Yu Wan pulled him back, he did not resist.
The two of them first went to Xixia Garden.
Old Cui stood at the entrance of the courtyard with his hands on his hips. When he saw two figures walking over not far away, he hurriedly took a bite of his pork trotter and said, “I knew it! He’s back!” While Old Cui was relieved, he rolled his eyes and returned to his room while chewing on a pig trotter.
When the old man and Jiang Hai saw that the two of them had returned unscathed, they did not say a word and turned to return to their rooms.
“Uncle.” Yu Wan smiled and greeted Helian Beiming, who hadn’t disappeared in time.
“I’m here to see the children. They’re not around. I’m leaving,” Helian Beiming said expressionlessly as he pushed the wheelchair out of the courtyard.
Yu Wan saw through it but did not expose him. She smiled and shook Yan Jiuchao’s hand. “Everyone is worried about you.”
Yan Jiuchao said coldly, “Who wants them to worry?”
Yu Wan looked at the tips of his slightly red ears and smiled.
During dinner, Ah Wei and Qing Yan returned to the manor. They had already obtained all the jade tokens they needed. In order to avoid being exposed, Qing Yan led Ah Wei to several different Gu Master guilds. Fortunately, there was no such thing as applying for certification in ancient times, but they needed to apply handprints. This was not a problem for Qing Yan. Before they set off, he had already applied their handprints with dough. When he applied his handprints, Ah Wei only needed to be agile to deceive them.
Ah Wei naturally did not disappoint.
After dinner, Yan Jiuchao went to take a medicinal bath while Yu Wan went to Grandma’s room to discuss entering Gu Mountain with them.
Yu Wan said, “Where exactly is the snow toad on Gu Mountain?”
The old man said, “I don’t know. We have to look for it.”
Yu Wan paused. “Is it really in Gu Mountain?”
The old man said, “Yes, someone has seen it in Gu Mountain, but no one has been able to obtain it so far. Firstly, its whereabouts are strange, and secondly, it sleeps all year round and only wakes up once every three years. As for how long it wakes up, it depends on its mood.”
Yu Wan continued, “Will it be easier to find when it’s awake?”
The old man nodded. “It will look for food when it’s awake. If we lure it out through bait, it will be much better than us searching aimlessly.”
In that case, Yu Wan understood. The Gu worm was so small. Its aura would weaken after falling asleep. Finding it in the vast Gu Mountain was no different from finding a needle in a haystack. However, it was different if she let it fall into the trap. With their strength, Yu Wan believed that as long as it was willing to appear, it would definitely not be able to escape from them.
However, there was still a problem. “Grandma, when was the last time it woke up?”
The old man said, “Coincidentally, it woke up three years ago. The Queen Manor must have calculated the time it woke up before they thought of a way to attack it recently.”
“I heard something,” Qing Yan suddenly said.
“What is it?” Yu Wan asked.
Qing Yan said, “I went to the Gu Master Guild with Ah Wei today and heard news that the Queen Manor’s Great Gu Master Meng has also passed the test and became a Seventy-feet Gu Elder. I think they’re also prepared to enter the Gu Mountain.”
Yu Wan was not surprised by this news. After all, Dong Xian’er had reminded her long ago that the Great Gu Master of the Queen Manor probably had the strength of Gu Elder.
Yu Wan pondered and said, “They might have thought of what we can think of. At that time, both sides will mobilize bait. It’s hard to say which trap the snow toad will fall into.”
“At most, we’ll snatch it by force!” Jiang Hai said unyieldingly.
This was a helpless retreat. The Little Princess needed the snow toad to protect her position as the Queen, and they needed the snow toad to treat Yan Jiuchao’s poison. No one could give in.
The old man looked at the sky and said, “There’s rain today and tomorrow. It’s not suitable to enter Gu Mountain. They have to enter the day after tomorrow at the earliest.”
Qing Yan decided. “Then we’ll set off the day after tomorrow too!”
Queen Manor
The Queen had already found out that there were three Seventy-feet Gu Elders in the Gu Hall. She felt a sense of danger. She was the one who should be protected by the Gu God. Now that there were three more at once, she felt that she did not seem so special anymore. However, she would not suffer for long. She is someone who is going to be the Emperor. Her heart should be as broad as the sea. It was a good thing that she had the Gu God protecting her people.
She was the Heavenly Dao, and they were children born according to the Heavenly Dao. When she ascended the throne in the future, she would definitely put them in an important position. As for now, there was something that caught her attention more than the few little Gu Elders.
“Lord Meng, how’s your preparations for the Gu Mountain? What else do you need? Please instruct me,” she said to the man standing in the middle of the reception pavilion.
Gu Elder Meng said, “Everything is ready. The bait is ready, and the accompanying Gu Masters and guards have been decided. I’ll set off the day after tomorrow. Your Highness, just wait for my good news.”
The Queen smiled in satisfaction. “When I become the Emperor, I’ll confer you as the State Preceptor.”
Every State Preceptor was a priest, and Gu Masters had never had this honor.
Gu Elder Meng was flattered. He cupped his hands and bowed. “I’m flattered!”
The Queen held his hand. “As long as you help me obtain the Gu, you will be my trusted minister. You will be the most suitable for the position of State Preceptor.”
Gu Elder Meng took a step back, lifted his hem, and knelt down on one knee. “I, Meng Qi, swear here that I will definitely find the snow toad for Your Highness!”
The Queen smiled in relief. Gu Elder Meng was the highest-level Gu Elder in Nanzhao. Although there were still three Seventy-feet Gu Elders, firstly, they would not go to the Gu Mountain to fight with them for the Gu. Secondly, they were still young. In comparison, Meng Qi was more experienced, so the Gu Empress would definitely be in Meng Qi’s bag.
The Queen firmly believed this.
Just as Grandma had said, it started to drizzle at night. The three little black eggs knelt on the bed, their faces buried in the pillow. Their little butts were raised high, looking like they were so afraid of the rain. Yu Wan was almost out of breath from laughing.
That night, Xiaobao was especially scheming as he squeezed out his two brothers and successfully occupied the spot closest to the inside of the bed. This was where Yu Wan slept. I can finally get rid of my stinky father. Hmph! Xiaobao twisted his butt smugly.
After turning off the lights, the room turned dark. Yu Wan and Yan Jiuchao got into bed. Xiaobao looked at the figure lying down past the three of them sneakily, and he pounced over without a word! After pouncing, he realized that something was wrong. He widened his big black eyes and stood there in confusion.
Until a low laugh came from above.
Oh my god! He had pounced on the wrong person!
Xiaobao’s hair stood on end!