Chapter 242.2 - Nightwalk

“To be more precise, it’s to sour the relationship between the Northern Guard Fort and the Merak Temple.”

Qin Shiyu crossed her legs, propped up her face, and corrected.

“Why?” Xue Qilin doesn’t understand the intention behind the Emperor’s actions, “If I guessed correctly, the old man Emperor wants to drive a wedge between the army and the sects, right? But the relationship between the army and the Wulin sects is already strained. Why would he specially sow discord?”

“You only understand half of the picture!”

Qin Shiyu sighed and asked helplessly, “Xue Qilin, do you know why the relationship between the Wulin and the army is strained to begin with?”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Because of what happened five years ago?”

“Be more specific.”

“Er...”

Xue Qilin crossed her arms, contemplated for a moment, and uttered uncertainly, “Five years ago, the Wulin and the army fought each other and killed a lot of people of the opposite side, and so they hate each other — is that it?”

“Good!”

Qin Shiyu snapped her fingers and smiled with satisfaction.

“Although that sounded like an answer that a child would give, but it is concise and clear.”

Looked down upon again, Xue Qilin stomped her feet.

“Ah, how infuriating!”

Ignoring Xue Qilin’s complaint, Qin Shiyu pointed at Xue Qilin with her right index finger and drew a circle in the air.

“You are right. However, one thing you don’t know is that the Northern Guard Fort didn’t participate in that civil strife. The Hua Dynasty’s northern border extends without end. In addition to the Northern Kingdom, it also borders on small kingdoms of the Western Regions. Therefore, no matter how fierce the clash between the Wulin and the army was, the Imperial Court didn’t transfer back the Northern Guard Fort. Moreover, because of its importance, the Wulin side deliberately ignored the Northern Guard Fort.”

Qin Shiyu enunciated each syllable as she uttered the words “that is to say”.

“During the war, there was no direct conflict between the Northern Guard Fort and the Wulin sects. Because of this, the Northern Guard Fort is a rare army that does not have strong hatred for the Wulin sects. It is what we call a “neutral faction” — General Gong, what this princess said is correct, right?”

At the end of her speech, Qin Shiyu confidently looked at Gong Jing and asked for his assent. Gong Jing nodded and replied, “What Your Highness said is indeed correct.”

“Xue Qilin, do you understand now? The reason why royal father intends to sour the relationship between the Gong Clan and the Merak Temple — he wants to push the Northern Guard Fort to a position of completely opposition regarding the Wulin sects.”

Xue Qilin fell silent, unable to understand.

Qin Shiyu pointed out the truth and explained it very clearly. Xue Qilin understood her meaning without having to think about it. What she doesn’t understand is not the Emperor’s intention, but his motive.

As far as she knows, the conflict that broke out five years ago due to an attempt on the Emperor’s life ended in a draw, with both sides suffering heavy losses. The Wulin lost a large number of martial practitioners, including not a small number of Heaven Realm martial practitioners. While the army suffered countless casualties.

— it was a tragedy.

Xue Qilin believes that no one can deny this evaluation.

In this case, why is the Emperor trying to push the Gong Clan to oppose the Wulin? Does he plan to rekindle the conflict between the Wulin and the army? If so, then what is his reason?

When the tragedy comprised of blood and death comes again, who in the Hua Dynasty can stay out of it and only take care of themselves?

Countless corpses piled up on the earth that is dyed red from the blood of countless people — Xue Qilin doesn’t believe that the Emperor would want to see his land turn into a wasteland.

She doesn’t wish to believe it, hoping for the best.

If not, she would only feel uneasy every day, afraid of the disaster to come again.

However, Qin Shiyu cruelly decimated Xue Qilin’s wishful thinking.

“Xue Qilin, don’t deceive yourself... royal father never forgot...”

The voice that sounded seemed hollow.

All of a sudden, as if she fell into the abyss, Xue Qilin felt a sense of weightless, and Qin Shiyu’s emotionless voice became quite distant.

“– the mark of hatred left by that sword five years ago is still engraved on him.”

Darkness shrouded Xue Qilin’s heart.

— deep and thick darkness.

*

Unwittingly, Xue Qilin has returned to the inn.

After she left the Gong Clan with a heavy heart, she has been deeply engrossed in Qin Shiyu’s last words to her and Gong Tianyang’s death.

When she heard a maid she encountered greet her and say, “welcome back, esteemed guest,” she suddenly realized that the gate of the courtyard house they rented is right before her eyes.

“Xue Qilin, oh, Xue Qilin... you can’t let them see you like this. They will worry...”

Bathed in the afternoon sun, while she admonished herself thusly in a low voice, Xue Qilin slapped her cheeks hard. She took a deep breath and shouted “okay”, and then dragged her long shadow into the courtyard house.

Gong Tianqing didn’t return with her, but stayed in the Gong Clan. Xue Qilin didn’t complain about this. The Gong Clan needs Gong Tianqing right now. Furthermore, she should also want to stay with Gong Tianyang.

If it wasn’t for Qi Qiqi and them waiting for her to return, Xue Qilin would have stayed in the Gong Clan with Gong Tianqing.

“Eh, isn’t this our Young Ancestor? Is our Young Ancestor finally willing to come back?”

Before she walked for a few steps, Xue Qilin heard Xia Xue’s teasing voice.

The other party’s words carry a tinge of sarcasm.

Normally, Xue Qilin would be a little dissatisfied with this. But now — she just feels closeness.

“Yes, I’m back!”

Xue Qilin grinned at Xia Xue, who is sitting on a tree. Consequently, Xia Xue revealed an expression of surprise in an instant. It seems like she didn’t expect Xue Qilin’s reaction.

“Where is Little Seven, Little Xue?”

“Ah...! She’s in the room.”

Xia Xue was a little flustered when she answered and thus didn’t react completely.

However, she soon straightened up her frame of mind, and the corners of her mouth curved into a gloating smile.

“Your Little Seven is in a bad mood, always nagging, ‘why does it take so long’, ‘didn’t even have lunch’, and so on.

That child... Xue Qilin smiled wryly and shook her head.

Seeing that Xue Qilin isn’t trembling with fear as usual, a look of suspicion appeared on Xia Xue’s face.

“Did something happen, Young Ancestor?”

In a race fashion, Xia Xue is concerned about Xue Qilin.

Although she felt warm inside due to this, but the lass still didn’t disclose the sorrow and distress in her heart.

“It’s nothing!” Pretending that nothing happened, Xue Qilin waved her hand and said, “I’m going to see Little Seven! I’m hungry!”

However, Xia Xue, who has exceptionally keen intuition, didn’t feel relieved. Afraid of the other party asking more questions, Xue Qilin turned around at once and walked towards the room in a rapid pace.

Well, she basically escaped.

Xue Qilin, you are so childish... the lass sighed secretly.

She doesn’t know, doesn’t know that as Xia Xue followed her with her eyes, she saw traces of sadness.

*