"A'mei, can you tell me how you were able to get out?" It was Huang Li Yun's most burning question.
Qiaoli was sitting next to his brother in the carriage. The fifth prince was with Yemin who was acting as his guard in another carriage.
"Out?" She didn't understand what he was talking about.
Li Yun was also confused at first until he remembered that Qiaoli didn't have the same understanding of Huo Ai as him.
"In Huo Ai, a baby will be tested on his 100th day to know whether he can cultivate. On the day of your test, you didn't have an affinity to any of the elements. Thus, practically speaking, you can't go out of Huo Ai."
The young lady digested what he said before asking, "People who can't cultivate aren't allowed to get out?"
She had a strange expression as though she couldn't believe it. She knew that she didn't have the same kind of power as her brother because it was absent in her body. Then Qin Yu must have used some strange voodoo on her to smuggle her away from Huo Ai. That guy gave off the feeling that he could do that.
As she was thinking of this, Huang Li Yun answered her question. "Yes, because the barrier asks for a huge amount of spirit essence when passing. Only direct descendants of the founding clans are exempted from this rule. However, even direct descendants without cultivation can't pass through. The invisible barrier was built by our ancestors to ensure the balance of this world won't be disrupted. Cultivators can't wreak havoc in Zhong Xin as they pleased."
>中心 - zhōng xīn - heart/center/core, what ppl in Huo Ai collectively call the four nations, it's like the name of the continent<
Hearing this, Huang Qiaoli pursed her lips. "Then... how did I get out?"
She gazed outside as though trying to find answers to this puzzle. She could say that it was Qin Yu who brought her here. But she didn't know who Qin Yu really was although she was sure he wasn't human because Si Hai treated him like his ancestor. Until she was positive that her association with Qin Yu wouldn't be troublesome, she wouldn't speak about him.
She was also relieved that all through the ride to the delegates' district, her brother avoided the topic of what really happened the day their parents died. Qiaoli wasn't aware that her eyes were still puffy from crying and Li Yun didn't want to open another deep wound. They could discuss heavy topics some other time.
He asked her who raised her and where. Were they good to her? If not, he could always pay those people a visit and teach them a lesson with a charming smile. He didn't dig how she was brought to the Hong family and she noticed how careful he was in trying to get her to open up to him.
Qiaoli assured him that the Hong family treated her just fine. But there was also one important thing... there was an old man who died protecting her. But she never got to ask his real name. She went on to tell her brother about Old Shang.
Huang Li Yun listened to her story very well. And he was amazed by how she concisely narrated that she was almost assassinated the night she decided to run away from the Hong family without missing out on the bloody details.
But when it came to the part that she was rescued by a friend, her story became vague. Li Yun didn't force her to tell everything as he could already guess the identity of the person she called Old Shang.
"Could it be? From your description, he seems to be Elder Shangxi."
Huang Shangxi was a former Pillar of their grandfather when he was still the duke. Their Grandfather Huang perished early because their Grandmother wasn't a cultivator. Her life wasn't lengthened by qi so she died of natural causes. Some of the old clans in Huo Ai were staunch believers that only death could separate love. When their grandmother passed to the yellow springs, their grandfather soon followed.
Old Shang stayed behind to be one of the silent elders of the clan and chose to live in the mountains to cultivate quietly. There were several other elders who lived like that too. They would rarely go down the mountains to make their presence known to the younger generation.
And because of respect, no one bothered them unless the situation was dire. Huang Shangxi was one of the elders who didn't show himself when the former Duke was assassinated even though he was Huang Hexia's beloved master of martial arts.
It turned out that he followed to protect his friend's granddaughter and disciple's daughter. He lived outside Huo Ai not minding how his cultivation was stripped each passing day just to guard Qiaoli.
Li Yun was overwhelmed by gratitude. "We should get his remains to burn incense for him at the ancestral hall back home."
He carried the burden of finding his sister alone all these years. He didn't ask for the elders' help because everyone knew that his sister wasn't a gifted cultivator. The clan wouldn't waste time and resources for someone that couldn't be an asset. Having cultivators in every generation was the same as rearing treasures and Qiaoli wasn't a treasure to them.
But... why didn't Elder Shangxi send a message to me so I can find you sooner?
Li Yun didn't expect her to answer this question so he didn't ask aloud. After all, she didn't even know how she was taken out of Huo Ai. Looking at his sister's side profile, he was thinking that there were still unsolved mysteries surrounding her disappearance but now that she was here, he could solve them one by one.
Even though he didn't say it, Qiaoli could figure out that his brother wanted to know more but was too afraid to startle her. It was unusual for her to be treated like she was a vulnerable little miss. Si Hai always trash-talked with her and Xiao Ting saw her as an omniscient genius. But how could she put this...
Being with Li Yun reminded her of those figures in her memory. Her brother was as reliable as Old Shang, as strong as their Ba ba but also as considerate as their Niang. Maybe this was what they called sibling connection?
She was comfortable with him and his voice soothed the explosive emotions she'd been having these past few days. She thought she would metaphorically detonate herself again as she couldn't control the intense agitation.
Qiaoli didn't know that her brother could be an effective medicine. From now on, she couldn't let him get out of his sight. Just as she was thinking of that, she didn't know when she was lulled to sleep.
Huang Li Yun was surprised to see his a'mei dozing off in this shaky carriage. It was nothing like their smooth transportation they had in Huo Ai, how could she sleep here? Was it good that she was so unguarded like this?
Was this the reason why she was prone to be attacked? He asked himself these questions while letting the young lady lie down on his lap. It would be uncomfortable but he was selfish because this way, he could stare at her all he wanted.
He missed so much of her childhood. He should have taken care of her on behalf of their parents but he failed.
Now, she was already in her marriageable age. How could he make up for the lost time?
Who was he kidding? He'd probably talk her out of marriage. He couldn't let just anyone marry his baby sister! Better yet, he should teach her martial arts. Even when she couldn't cultivate, she'd still have the means to protect herself from the average people.
The sound of soft laughter rang out inside the carriage as Li Yun remembered how he hated it when his sister was born. Back then, he just felt like she was a nuisance. He would never have expected that he would spend half of his life looking for her and planning a good future for her.
Right now, he just wanted her to be out of harm's way and to protect her with all his might.
As for those who tried to lay a hand on her- A smile bloomed on the duke's captivating face as he combed through Qiaoli's blazing hair...
When they arrived at the temporary mansion designated for Huo Ai delegates, Huang Li Yun carried his sister not daring to wake her up.
"We're really short on people now. Find a way to pull his Majesty's people to our side. Investigate the recently failed assassinations for real this time. I'll wrap up that Crimson something group as a meeting gift to my a'mei." The Duke started giving out his orders while walking to his courtyard.
He only brought a few people to Great Han because the Emperor of Huo Ai had his eyes on him. His Majesty even stationed Censor Wang by his side just so the latter could regularly report on what the Duke was doing. If that wasn't enough, even the stupid fifth prince was sent here.
But now that he found Qiaoli, the danger of taking the wrong step and implicating his sister's life vanished. Before, he thought that Xinyan Emperor kept his sister somewhere in Huo Ai so he didn't provoke his Majesty one bit. He even tolerated his favorite son and agreed to work with him on several occasions. Now, he didn't care for his dutiful image anymore.
>Xinyan is the title of the Emperor of Huo Ai and it came from 有心眼 - yǒu xīn yǎn - clever/sharp<
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