270 - Destroyer of Ice and Fire
【Who has a mother like this?!】 【If you want to understand the origin of the poison, it’s best to start with Mother. After all, Le Yan doesn’t know anything.】 【Fortunately, these outsiders haven’t come to the continent in ages. They started using this thing a thousand years ago. If they came often, the situation would be much more troublesome.】 【It seems the mastermind behind this has lived for at least a thousand years, possibly even ten thousand years.】 【That makes it easier to find them. There aren’t many who are that old. Once I recover, I’ll hunt them down one by one.】 【Yeah, how was I supposed to know I’d be going to Feng Ling Abyss?】 【It’s like… how did I know Master was gravely injured?】 【Right, why would Master suddenly get seriously hurt?】 【The four great families being divided seems to be true.】 【Thanks to all of you, and your perpetual inability to unite.】 【Yes, we cannot keep hiding forever. What should we do?】 【I don’t know much about this place.】 【You?!】 Chapter 105: The Return Journey (2) 【……】 【……This is crazy.】 【What is this thing?】 【Doesn’t seem harmful, just insists on clinging to Luo Sheng?】 【As soon as we arrived here, the subtitles vanished, and then this thing appeared… Hiss…】 【Can this thing reveal past lives?】 【Then why can’t it show mine…】 【Soul of two lives… What is that?】 The guests dispersed, and the once lively Sima Mansion returned to calm. The household servants crowded into Ning Songwu’s small courtyard, eager to witness the bridal chamber festivities. Ning Songwu, holding a wine cup, stumbled along, being dragged toward the bridal room by the matchmaker. “Let the bride and groom drink the wedding wine.” “The ceremony is complete—” “Congratulations to the young lord and madam on your wedding! Wishing you many children—” The matchmakers and older women couldn't stop smiling, waving their handkerchiefs as they gracefully exited. According to tradition, Ning Songwu should now use the jade ruyi to lift the bride’s red veil, but he still struggled internally, trying to delay. Ran Fanyin had been wearing the red veil all day, feeling suffocated and a bit breathless. Seeing Ning Songwu’s hesitation, she finally couldn’t bear it. “Wulang, it’s time to lift the veil. If you don’t do it, do you want me to do it myself?” Ran Fanyin urged through gritted teeth. Ning Songwu paused for a moment, then slowly picked up the jade scepter from the table. He walked toward Ran Fanyin and gently lifted the veil. As the red veil dropped, he saw Ran Fanyin’s slender figure adorned in the wedding attire, which brought a blush to her cheeks. Her skin, as fair as snow, her nose straight and lips as cherry-red, her eyes sparkling like stars, made her look exceptionally beautiful. He was so captivated that he stood there dumbstruck. Who would have thought the capital’s top talent was also such a stunning lady! He smiled bitterly, thinking that it was a pity she married him, a fake son. Ran Fanyin was initially displeased, but once the veil was lifted and Ning Songwu’s handsome face came into view, her displeasure vanished instantly. Before her stood a figure in a red wedding robe, magnificent like a phoenix, with an impeccable appearance. Her refined eyebrows, delicate lips, and flawless features made an indelible impression. She couldn’t help but think: It’s true that girls can be handsome and boys can be beautiful. She inwardly cursed, damn, why is he even prettier than me! His waist looked so thin it seemed it could break with a gentle squeeze. His eyes were clean and bright, a hint of stubbornness within softness. But when she focused on his eyes again, she shook her head; what a pity, he had single eyelids. Ning Jingyang was formerly the strategist for Yang Lun. Following Yang Lun into battle, he ascended to the rank of Grand Marshal. Renowned for his talents and literary accomplishments, he was highly favored by Yang Lun. The Sima Mansion was filled with concubines, but he had no official wife. Despite numerous concubines, none bore him a son, so he decreed that whoever first bore a son would become the official wife. Ning Songwu’s mother, Zhou Huaxiu, was from a poor family. To secure her family’s future and her own position in the Sima Mansion, she bribed the midwife to cover up Ning Songwu’s true identity, thus becoming the head mistress of the Sima Mansion. Due to his mother’s personal ambitions, Ning Songwu lived cautiously, always hiding his talents and true self from a young age. Now, the capital’s top talent, Ran Fanyin, would also lose the blissful life she deserved because of her mother’s selfishness. Seeing Ran Fanyin lost in thought, Ning Songwu waved a hand in front of her and suggested, “My lady, today is our wedding day. How about we have a few drinks?” “I was just thinking the same.” She had been wondering how to coax Ning Songwu into drinking. Though she didn’t know what he was plotting, she handled drinking effortlessly, never meeting a match. After three rounds of drinks, Ning Songwu couldn’t hold his liquor anymore. Watching Ran Fanyin down cup after cup without faltering, he deeply regretted it, realizing he wasn’t her match at all. Realizing his intention to get her drunk, Ran Fanyin decided to play along. “Wulang, I feel so dizzy, my eyelids feel so heavy. Oh, why are there two of you?” Ran Fanyin, whose face didn’t give away her excellent tolerance, took the opportunity while Ning Songwu was dazed. She wiped the remaining lipstick off her lips and smeared it on her cheeks, mimicking a drunken flush. Ning Songwu struggled to stay conscious, squinting at Ran Fanyin, whose face was flushed. Her eyes, moistened by the alcohol, looked dazed and seductive. Her cherry-red lips moved, but he couldn’t make out her words. His willpower was rapidly waning under the influence of the alcohol. He pinched his thigh to stay awake. “My lady, let’s rest. Come to bed.” He said, supporting Ran Fanyin as they stumbled towards the bed. At the bedside, Ran Fanyin pretended to collapse, gripping a dagger she had prepared. She wanted to test what Ning Songwu would do next. To her surprise, Ning Songwu merely tossed her onto the bed, watched her fall asleep, and then, his last bit of consciousness crumbled. Overwhelmed by the alcohol, he collapsed beside the bed, passing out. What? That’s it? I didn’t even use the knockout powder yet. Ran Fanyin was stunned. What a failure.