151 The Blood Anomaly

I do not know how much time had passed, but when I woke up, the room was filled with people standing about in disarray. A-Fu and A-Ling lingered to one side, weeping softly, while Gu Teng gently patted both of their shoulders. A-Ling helped the sobbing A-Fu withdraw from the chamber. Every bit of this scene was clearly captured by my newly opened eyes.

"You're awake," came Li Yexuan's voice. He was the only one who had not been weeping; his profound eyes simply gazed at me, as if he could never look enough.

"I'm thirsty."

"Alright, wait a moment." Li Yexuan lifted me up and hurried to fetch some water. Just as he scooped a spoonful and fed me two sips, he suddenly froze.

I looked at him in confusion. Li Yexuan lowered the water bowl, the expression on his face mirroring that of Kong Yuelin.

The doors of the bedchamber swung open in an instant, drawing everyone's gaze. A man walked leisurely inside, exuding an air of otherworldly transcendence. My expression instantly froze upon my face. This is...

"Greetings, Master," Li Yexuan and Kong Yuelin bowed in unison.

"It's you?" Auntie looked at the newcomer and said with equal astonishment.

"Yuzhen, it has been many years. Have you been well?"

"All is well." I caught the fleeting trace of sorrow in Auntie's eyes.

I signaled to Zijun to help me down from the bed. As my entire weight leaned against Zijun, Li Yexuan stepped forward and took me into his arms.

"I never expected that Zijun would see the Grand Preceptor again."

"I supposed you would no longer recognize this old man."

"How could that be? It is only now, as matters have reached this point, that Zijun finally understands it was my fault back then; I should have listened to the Grand Preceptor."

Had I followed the Grand Preceptor into the mountains to cultivate with him all those years ago instead of stepping into this mortal world, I would not have been embroiled in the conflicts between these various nations, and my life would not have had to endure such bitter trials.

"Let it be. It was simply the destiny of the Lingyun Kingdom that had not yet run its course."

The conversation between the Grand Preceptor and me was understood only by the two of us; even Li Yexuan failed to comprehend it.

The Grand Preceptor's gaze fell upon the baby, and he beckoned to him. "You finally decided to keep him."

"Go on," hearing Li Yexuan's words, the baby walked toward the Grand Preceptor.

"Is there something amiss with this child?" Auntie asked anxiously from the side.

"There is nothing amiss. Since you call him Li Mufeng, remember that if you ever walk the jianghu in the future, his name must be Huangfu Jinfeng."

Huangfu Jinfeng. My body instinctively retreated two steps, though I forgot my frail condition and nearly stumbled.

"What is the matter, Zijun?"

"Huangfu Jinfeng, who is he?"

The Grand Preceptor nodded, silently confirming the thought in my heart.

Huangfu Jinfeng was the ancestor of the Huangfu family in the twenty-first century, the pioneer of his clan's mercantile history, and a legendary figure within the Huangfu family. To think he would turn out to be my baby! No wonder that in my previous life, upon my birth, the ancestral hall had suddenly collapsed. Could the twelve highest figures of the Huangfu family have been the Twelve Executions?

"So it is all the wheel of cause and effect. Zijun has been enlightened." I bowed deeply to the Grand Preceptor.

The Grand Preceptor nodded.

After handing me over to Zijun, Li Yexuan knelt to the floor. "What Master has said is likely understood only by you and Zijun, but I beseech Master to find a way to spare my wife's life."

"The two of you are bound by an ill-fated romance, and Huangfu Zijun is destined in this lifetime to have entanglements with the royalty of various nations. However, whether she can escape this tribulation depends entirely on you," the Grand Preceptor said, looking at Li Yexuan.

"This disciple is willing to save her. Tell me how it can be done."

With a flick of the Grand Preceptor's sleeve, Li Yexuan was compelled to his feet.

"She is my niece. Can you not point out a clear path for her?" Auntie spoke up. I always had a sense that there was a history between Auntie and the Grand Preceptor.

"Very well. I have merely come to look upon her; if her time has not yet come to an end, a way will eventually be found."

I was drawn forward by an invisible force, and a luminous halo began to radiate around my body. I felt a continuous stream of vital energy pouring into my frame. The Grand Preceptor spoke to Kong Yuelin and Li Yexuan, and they joined forces, the three of them focusing their efforts upon me. Only later did I learn that this was a secret mental technique, channeling their internal strength into true qi and guiding it into my body.

An hour later, the three of them simultaneously withdrew their power. I fell backward, and Dongfang Qingyu caught me. Kong Yuelin staggered and was steadied by Gu Teng, while Zijun supported the unsteady Li Yexuan. As for the Grand Preceptor, Auntie stepped forward to hold him up.

"With the combined strength of the three of us, we can ensure your stability for one month. Should anything feel amiss, we can replenish the true qi then, though it should not be overdone. Ordinarily, your condition would be beyond saving, but your bloodline appears somewhat anomalous—the specifics of which I cannot fathom. I can only divine a portion of your destiny; as for how to deal with anomalies in different ancestral bloodlines, if we could find someone from your clan, perhaps there might be a way. Yet, from what I can see, you are likely unlike any of us."

"Grand Preceptor, the child..." My hand pressed against my abdomen as I asked anxiously.

"Do not worry, the child is well."

The next moment, I was pulled tightly into Li Yexuan's embrace. He scooped me up horizontally and laid me gently upon the bed.

"Master, what is the problem with Zijun's bloodline?"

The Grand Preceptor walked over to Zijun, took his hand, and made a shallow cut to draw a drop of blood for examination. He investigated Auntie, Gu Teng, and the baby in the exact same manner; Dongfang Qingyu was the only one spared from being bled.

"Just as I thought. It must stem from whatever lineage her maternal family possesses."

"By the way, Elder Sister, I once sent a Gyrfalcon to deliver a message asking you to help keep an eye out for any relatives of our late Mother in the Yuehua Kingdom. Why didn't I ever receive a reply from you?"

"My apologies. It was my fault."

Seeing this, Zijun said nothing further.

"Yuzhen, do you recall anything unusual about Zijun's mother?"

"Speaking of anything unusual about Shuyuan... let me think. Ah, yes! Back then, when Shuyuan fell into the water and I was changing her clothes, I noticed a birthmark on her left arm of a rather peculiar shape. Because I had never seen anything like it before, it caught my attention."

Every pair of eyes turned to look at me.

"You have one as well, located roughly here." Li Yexuan pointed to my left arm.

"Yet I do not recall seeing it on Younger Brother or the baby. Besides, I never examined that birthmark closely myself."

"I shall make a rubbing of the birthmark on Zijun's arm. Master must be tired; should we not all return to rest? I can keep watch here."

Everyone filed out of the room, though the baby did not forget to plant a kiss on my cheek before leaving.

"Had Master not been here, I would have broken down in tears just now." Li Yexuan closed the doors and windows securely, sat down by my side, and pulled me into his arms.

"I am the one who worries over you the most, yet you seem most concerned with the child. Seeing you endure so much suffering for our child, I truly wish we had never conceived."

I reached up and covered his mouth with my hand.

"What nonsense are you speaking?"

"I will go fetch brush and ink."

"Hmm."

My outer garment was removed, baring my smooth arm. Li Yexuan made a rubbing of the birthmark on my skin before gently pulling my clothes back together.

"Go ahead and sleep. I am going to take this tracing to Master."

"Alright."

Knowing that fretting would accomplish nothing, I allowed myself to drift into a calm sleep.

True to his word, before I had even fallen deeply into slumber, Li Yexuan returned, lay down beside me, and folded me into his embrace.

"Still not asleep?"

"You weren't here."

He pulled me closer still, resting his chin upon my forehead as I curled up tightly within his arms.

"The people of the Fantian Pavilion and the Tanghui Palace have all been dispatched to investigate. Dongfang Qingyu and Zijun are both poring over historical records, Gu Teng and Kong Yuelin are combing through medical texts, and even Auntie and the baby have gone to help. Look at how many people care about you—you must survive."

"Yes, I must live."

My hand caressed my belly, while my other hand gently held Li Yexuan back, terrified that a careless movement might harm the child.

"Do not be afraid, do not be tense. You will not hurt the child, and I will never treat you that way again. I swear it, Zijun. Believe in me."

I withdrew my hand and slowly allowed myself to relax.

A day later, word came from my subordinates: my mother's family had been located—the Jiang family, who had retired to their ancestral home. My maternal grandparents, uncle, aunt, and cousin were escorted into the imperial palace. The one who brought them here was Ren An; my critical illness had ultimately proven impossible to keep from him, and it was he who had persuaded the Jiang family to make the journey.

Originally, I had wanted A-Fu to prepare a princess's attire for me, but realizing I was now married to Li Yexuan, I changed into a prince's consort's formal garments instead. Without any excessive adornment, my complexion appeared exceptionally pale.

"Greetings to the Emperor and the Princess."

"Rise."

Zijun and I looked down at the elderly people before us. From childhood to adulthood, we had scarcely ever experienced any of their affection.

"My maternal grandparents' family had long since retired to their homeland, and We had no wish to disturb them. Yet because this concerns Our late Mother, We were forced to trouble the family to enter the palace. We ask that my grandparents enlighten us."

Our maternal grandfather began to speak. "Shuyuan was not actually a daughter of the Jiang family. We merely found her abandoned as an infant and brought her in to raise as our own. We never imagined she would be fated to enter the service of the late Emperor."

"Then did Mother possess any distinctive traits?"

"None, none at all. How could she have had any distinctive traits?" My aunt chattered incessantly from the side.

"Aunt's words are rather absurd. Since the Jiang family raised my mother, gratitude was certainly due. Yet from what I know, my mother's life was far from easy, and even after marrying the Emperor, nothing changed," I said, taking a small sip of water. "You know my temperament well enough. This time around, my mother was merely a discarded chess piece in the hands of the Jiang family. If necessary, you can simply be discarded all over again. I have already investigated the events of the past nearly to the bottom. If you speak the truth of your own accord, the Jiang family remains the Jiang family. But should there be any deception, the entire Jiang family will cease to exist. As someone already on the brink of death, dragging the whole Jiang estate down to accompany me to the grave would hardly be a bad bargain."

Having said this in one breath, I felt thoroughly exhausted, yet I picked up a teacup and accurately hurled it straight at my aunt's forehead.

"Ah..." my aunt shrieked, clutching her face.

"What? Can you not bear it? Back then, you threw things at my unwed mother in this exact manner on three separate occasions. Speak, or remain silent!" My voice suddenly spiked.

The members of the Jiang family trembled and collapsed to their knees.

"I'll speak, I'll speak..."

"Husband..."

"Enough! Years ago, a woman handed Shuyuan over to us along with a substantial sum of silver. She instructed us only to raise the child well, and said the silver would be entirely ours. This was the token that woman left behind for Shuyuan, but later, when Shuyuan became the Empress, I thought it best to avoid complications and chose not to give it to her."

The token was presented and placed into Zijun's hands.

"Zijun spoke harshly just now out of helplessness, and offers her apologies to her maternal grandparents."

"We dare not, we dare not."

Zijun hosted a banquet for the Jiang family and bestowed symbolic rewards upon them, though due to my frail constitution, I did not attend.