"Mother, Mother, why won't you let me see you?"
The little girl, with tears streaming down her face, pleaded for half the night. Chen Ying and Shen Yuan and the others who had come along were already too heartbroken to bear it, but they could only harden their hearts and stop her.
It's not that I don't want to satisfy the girl, it's that I'm afraid she'll be traumatized if she sees Yun Yu'e in her current state!
Chen Ying sighed and gently wiped away the little girl's tears, while Chen Ying's master, Mu Hongqing, who had come with Lu Ming, remained silent.
He was representing Zhou Hanyang and others in the negotiations.
Another advantage of the ice and snow formation that Chen Qing designed was that it could prevent the army that had infiltrated Nanming Prefecture from coming out and causing trouble.
Although Zhou Hanyang and the others were still on high alert and had no idea what Lu Ming's current situation was, after being surrounded by Chen Qing's Fighter Army, they could only temporarily occupy Nanming Prefecture in a negotiating manner after being persuaded by Mu Hongqing.
"Master." Chen Ying looked at Mu Hongqing, her heart aching so much that she couldn't speak.
She had known for a long time what her master cared about most, and she also knew that her master's sister was still working in the Lu Household compound. Although it sounded terrifying, she realized how chilling the visual impact was after actually seeing it.
When they found Yun Yu'e, her body was covered in festering sores, maggots were gnawing at her, and she was so tortured that she was unconscious, like a living corpse. She could only let out shrill screams at anyone. No one doubted that as long as the chains on her body were removed, she would pounce on them like a demon.
She couldn't even imagine what kind of torment she had to endure to become like this.
Back then, the master was so young. How could he possibly accept seeing his own sister in such a terrible state?
At least she couldn't accept Yun Yu'e's appearance.
She desperately wanted to go to the Underworld and have Second Master Shen cut open that wicked woman's heart and liver to see what was inside that could make someone so vicious.
"It's alright. It's all over now." Mu Hongqing looked at the other person, a relaxed smile on his face, and gazed into the distance. "This child, she was quite unfortunate, but also quite lucky. She and her mother encountered the most vicious people in the world, yet they also met someone as capable as Chen Qing. To be rescued in just one day is already an immense stroke of luck."
"Master, you can do it too," Chen Ying suddenly said. " Lu Ming is dead, your wish is finally about to be fulfilled."
"Yes," Mu Hongqing said, gazing into the distance, "It's finally about to be achieved, it feels like a dream."
He still can't believe that the two mountains that have been weighing on his heart have disappeared so suddenly.
He originally thought that he would have to pay a great price before he could have a chance to free his loved ones.
The higher you climb, the more you realize how difficult it is to surpass those two guys.
He even felt that he might never have this opportunity in his lifetime.
After realizing this, he will adopt and educate Chen Ying, trying to leave a lasting impression.
"Girl, after Chen Qing arrives, please pass on my words to him."
"Master?" Chen Ying was taken aback. "You're leaving already?"
"Why wouldn't you leave?" Mu Hongqing laughed. "Don't you know how anxious Master is? I wish I could fly to the capital right now to resolve this long-held obsession."
Chen Ying was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, but quickly replied, "Master, please bring Aunt back. We are confident we can cure her here."
Mu Hongqing looked at Chen Ying, hesitating for a moment. "Is it possible?"
"A bit difficult"
A helpless voice came from behind them, and both of them were startled. They looked over and saw Chen Qing dressed in white.
When did our lord arrive?
"Cough, I just arrived."
Chen Qing glanced helplessly at Chen Ying. He had actually arrived long ago, but he was just too embarrassed to come out. After all, even if she was his concubine's teacher, she was still his elder. He had never met his father-in-law in his previous life, so he felt a little awkward.
The reason I came out was because I was afraid that Chen Ying, that brat, might make a promise she shouldn't have made in a moment of impulsiveness, and it would be awkward if she took it seriously.
"Greetings, Father-in-law." Chen Qing took a breath and respectfully gave a deep bow.
Mu Hongqing was Chen Ying's mentor, but now that Chen Ying's parents have passed away, Mu Hongqing is Chen Ying's father.
Chen Ying was stunned, and her pretty face immediately turned red!
To be honest, although she had promised to become Chen Qing's concubine back then, Chen Qing had never touched her in the two years that followed, so she thought that Chen Qing had no such intention.
Mu Hongqing looked at the other person carefully and saw that the other person's bow was proper, and there was even a hint of unease in his eyes. He immediately smiled.
He had always thought that the person who could scheme to kill Lu Ming was a ruthless and powerful figure, but he never expected that he would have such a naive and inexperienced demeanor.
However, he didn't dislike it. It was a good thing to have some humanity; at least the other party genuinely cared about Chen Ying, otherwise they wouldn't have treated him this way.
" Chen Ying, I'm counting on you from now on."
"Don't worry, Father-in-law," Chen Qing quickly replied, "I won't let her suffer."
Chen Ying rolled her eyes upon hearing this. Was that even a proper reply?
"Is that so?" Mu Hongqing smiled with satisfaction. Although this straightforward answer was a bit blunt, he liked it. In his opinion, not letting Chen Ying suffer a loss was already the best reply. There probably weren't many men in the world who could do that.
"What did you mean when you said it was a bit difficult?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Qing gave a wry smile. It seemed the other party still cared about this issue. But then again, he had also heard Chen Ying mention Mu Hongqing's experiences; it would be strange if he didn't care.
"The hardest thing to heal is a person's mental state." Chen Qing took a breath and said seriously, "If the mind is damaged, no medicine can restore it. I've heard about the situation of your father-in-law's close relatives, but in my opinion, if a person has been turned into a man-eating flower for longer than they have been human, restoring their mind is as difficult as climbing to heaven!"
Upon hearing this, Mu Hongqing trembled slightly, but he didn't show much surprise; he had actually expected this.
"How could this be?" Chen Ying looked at Chen Qing with a stunned expression, filled with expectation, clearly hoping to find a glimmer of hope in this man who seemed to know almost everything.
Chen Qing was somewhat speechless at the pleading look in her eyes, which resembled that of a devoted fan, and could only continue to explain, "But it's not entirely without a chance. My father-in-law brought his loved ones to Jiangnan intact, and I will certainly do my utmost!"
"I've heard that once you reach the Jiangnan region, the dead will go to the Underworld?"
"Yes," Chen Qing instantly understood what the other person was thinking.
"Can one recover after entering the Underworld?"
"Yes!" Chen Qing nodded. "It can be done using the separation method, but humans and ghosts are on different paths. Even though I founded the Underworld, I cannot violate some of its rules. Father-in-law, have you thought this through? Once your loved ones enter the Underworld, it will be very difficult for you to see them again."
"It's alright." Mu Hongqing shook his head and smiled, "I just want to free them, not have them stay with me. As long as they're doing well, that's fine."
This father-in-law has such sound values!
Chen Qing's expression turned solemn, and he bowed again. "Then, Father-in-law, please return soon!"
"Okay," Mu Hongqing nodded, but then added, "I'm leaving in a hurry, so you'll have to persuade Zhou Hanyang and the others yourself. These guys are good, all tough guys, completely different from Lu Ming."
"I understand."
After Chen Qing responded, Mu Hongqing disappeared from the spot. Clearly, just as he said, he now wished he could fly back to the capital!
"Come in."
After Mu Hongqing left, Chen Qing looked towards a corner outside the military tent. After an unknown amount of time, a shadow formed from energy emerged.
As a sorcerer, Chen Ying immediately recognized the other person and her face turned icy cold. "It's you? What are you doing here?"
Lu Ming didn't even bother to look at her; in his eyes, Chen Ying wasn't qualified to speak to him.
" Uncle Lazybones?"
A soft, gentle voice rang out, instantly moving Lu Ming, who had been expressionless, to turn around stiffly.
Aren't I in spirit form? Why can Ke'er see me?
" Uncle Lazybones " Ke'er ran over with red eyes. "Mommy, Mommy, something's happened!"
The little girl lunged at Lu Ming, and Lu Ming almost instinctively tried to catch her, but he seemed to have forgotten that he was a spirit.
Yun Ke'er walked right through Lu Ming and was immediately hugged by Chen Ying!
" Uncle Lazybones?" Ke'er turned around, her eyes red, staring blankly at Lu Ming.
Lu Ming looked at the other person, and finally a smile appeared on his face, moved by their reaction.
Chen Qing is ruthless to herself, but she doesn't seem like a gentle person at all. The little girl still doesn't know that the person who harmed her mother is right in front of her.
"You just said that mental trauma is difficult to heal, but in the Underworld, the method of separation can be used to restore the person, right? What about Yu'e?"
"You have no right to decide any of this!" Chen Qing looked at the other person coldly. "Only this girl can decide her mother's fate."
You're letting a child decide?
"So, are you going to decide that?"
Lu Ming was stunned, but couldn't come up with a rebuttal for a long time.
That seems true. Letting a child decide is unreliable, but should we, the one who caused this, make the decision?
Chen Qing is right. What right do I have to make that decision?
"Let's go." Lu Ming closed his eyes. "Let's go see Yu'e."
Chen Qing nodded and led the way. Upon hearing that they were going to see their mother, the little girl behind her immediately clung tightly to Chen Qing's leg.
"If you want to come along, then walk properly!" Chen Qing frowned. Where was this little girl wiping her snot?
"My lord?" Chen Ying's eyes widened.
"Don't worry about her." Chen Qing glanced at the stubborn little girl. "She endured the deadly poison to find the Duke for me. She's stronger than you think. And like I just said, Yun Yu'e's fate can only be decided by her."
This logic is definitely sound. Even in modern times, wouldn't a critical illness notice still be given to the family?
Lu Ming paused slightly, then stopped after taking a few steps and said, " The Flying Star Bottle comes from the Great Snake Kingdom and is one of the Great Snake Kingdom's four great demonic artifacts!"
"A demonic artifact." A dark glint flashed in Chen Qing's eyes upon hearing this.
This concept was also my idea for the new version at the time, but I didn't upload it.
Could it be that the world I came into is a patched-up version of the original?
But if even I, the designer, have transmigrated, who's patching up this world?