Eyes like jade, innate corpse, a living evil ghost...
This is recorded as Jade Remains in ancient texts.
Why is Xiaozhao a Jade Remains?
Both Yan Yu and Li Yuan are aware of this.
But what to do, both remain silent for now.
In the past, it might have been fine, but in this era of "division between Martial Artists and corpses," it is quite deadly.
To Martial Artists, this is a "potential disaster-bringing demon seed," either kill to eliminate future issues or imprison it as a valuable rarity;
To the corpses, it’s a "treasure," whether to teach this treasure, use this treasure, or "dissect" this treasure to uncover the secrets of the Jade Remains, nobody knows.
In the side room, candle tears crackle, shadows fall from table and furniture, the blind girl oblivious, Lady Yan embraces her tightly, occasionally yelling nervously: "Call all the Wu Ya back, don’t let them fly away."
Her tension scares Xiaozhao.
The little girl, unaware of what’s happening, looks dearly at her mother, then her father, her glazed eyes welling with tears.
Li Yuan suddenly stands up, taking his daughter from Lady Yan’s arms.
Then, he smiles.
This smile breaks the icy atmosphere.
He lifts Little Cotton Pajamas, spins twice in mid-air, then says: "Because Xiaozhao is a big figure, different from everyone, it would be terrible if discovered."
The little girl "eh" sounds, looks at her father, and says: "Dad, I, little bird."
Li Yuan laughs: "Dad will call the birds back too, okay?"
The little girl adds: "Mom, I, in my dream..."
Lady Yan understands Li Yuan’s aning, laughs sarcastically: "No one governs your dream."
"Oh." The little girl begins to recall the Wu Ya.
Not long after, "fluttering" sounds co from the window, soft tapping on oiled paper.
Li Yuan opens the window.
Two polite Wu Ya stand on the window ledge, numbers of "35~36" hover above their heads, this is already genius-level power among Ninth Grade.
This night, the Wu Ya fly into the house like returning children, neatly lining up on the beams, totaling thirty-two.
Lady Yan coaxes Xiaozhao to sleep, then wears undergarnts, leaning her back and hips against her husband’s embrace, letting him hold her, quietly saying full of thoughts: "If Yan Mu hadn’t told us this child is Jade Remains, we’d still be in the dark. Husband, will we just keep Xiaozhao at ho from now on?"
Without waiting for a response, she softly sobs again, "This child is indeed unfortunate, born without eyes from heaven.
Now... even heaven cannot accommodate her?
The world so vast, yet must our daughter live only in this small courtyard?
What’s wrong with the corpses, or with the Martial Artists, they fight their own battles, what has it to do with us?
We didn’t provoke them... sob sob... didn’t provoke them."
Tears stream down.
Li Yuan hugs his wife’s shoulder, feeling its frail trembling.
He can imagine, once the child is discovered, once the truth can’t be hidden, he may only have two choices.
Either abandon the child, or... oppose the Martial Artists and corpses.
Of course, he wouldn’t foolishly oppose everyone. Forming alliances, smoke screens, fabrications, borrowing strength like a fox—is all possible, yet ultimately, it’s perilous and anxiety-inducing at every step.
This step will plunge into the era’s vicious vortex, never finding peace again.
Lady Yan cries for a while, then suddenly stops crying, her mind uncertain of thoughts, her wet eyes swelling in redness but gradually growing deep and resolute.
But in the next mont, this determination is shattered.
Li Yuan says: "I have a solution."
Lady Yan urgently asks: "What solution?"
Li Yuan says: "Eyes like jade, is Jade Remains. So, I’ll give her a pair of eyes, then wear a face-concealing conical hat, wouldn’t that be fine."
Lady Yan: ???
...
...
The next day, early.
Li Yuan finds Pang Yuanhua, takes a ghost coin of "1 denomination," and says: "Miss Pang, help buy another Gray Rouge Box."
Pang Yuanhua doesn’t ask much, and soon procures it.
Then, Li Yuan arrives at the Shanbao County prison.
Skimming the prisoner registry, he disperses the wardens to wait outside.
Once the wardens leave, Li Yuan locks the prison door, descends the cold stone steps.
The sound of footsteps, slow as a murderous demon.
Suddenly, these steps stop.
Li Yuan looks at the woman imprisoned in a solitary death row cage.
The woman is a broker, but what she does is far from simply trading living goods. She specializes in abducting children from villages when unnoticed, as for what she does after, Li Yuan rely glances, heart devoid of any compassion.
Clack...
He opens the cage.
The woman jumps in fear, shrieks: "What are you doing? I’m not due for execution yet, I..."
Li Yuan knocks her out, carries to a solitary execution room, binds her, then douses her awake with cold water, calmly saying: "Cooperate well, and I’ll spare your life."
Seeing his imposing deanor, and his free movent in prison, the woman hurriedly tries to please: "Yes, yes... Sir, please ask."
Li Yuan says: "I’ll cut out your eyes, then help you heal."
The woman is stunned...
Li Yuan moves a hand, a cold flash, blood spurts from her eyes.
The woman screams in agony.
Li Yuan says: "Don’t scream. I’ll heal you now."
With that, he retrieves the [Gray Rouge Box] from the "Equipnt Bar".
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