Chapter 97 City of Mist (11)

“Miaomiao, come here. I have something to tell you.”

In the lobby, a few fragments of sunlight fell through the flower windows on both sides, shining on the leaves of several pots of hanging orchids.

Liu Fuyi, with a worried look between his eyebrows, beckoned to Ling Miaomiao, who was walking across the courtyard, into the room, and pulled out the chair for her.

After a while, he still did not hear a reply, so he looked up, only to see Ling Miaomiao standing in place, seemingly troubled, and looking left and right. Suddenly her eyes lit up, “Brother Liu, sorry, wait for me.”

She darted over with her skirt in hand and intercepted Mu Yao, who was passing by the front of the lobby and was about to go to the courtyard to practice her skills: “Sister Mu, can you come in and sit for a while?”

With a bewildered face, Mu Yao let her pull her into the lobby and press her down to sit next to Liu Fuyi. Then Miaomiao moved over a chair and sat opposite them, setting up what seemed like the six-party talk.

“All right now.” She put her hands against each other and propped her chin up and smiled, “Brother Liu, you may start.”

“……” Liu Fuyi balked, exchanging glances with Mu Yao, both of them puzzled by the seriousness of her preparation, before speaking.

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“Psd’v jllr zssjkdt yv xl.” Nkdt Ykysxkys nswtble zktbvzu, “Gal usw vaukdt vs vlzz xl ycswv Ywasdt Fbk’p xyvvla?”

Yw Fbldt oldv vs vsod qkapv vbkdt kd vbl xsadkdt vs rknj wr rldp, kdj, yde ulzzso ryrla. Tl xspv zkjlzu oswzed’v cl cynj qsa y obkzl, yde vbkp oyp vbl qkapv vkxl kd vbl zypv qlo eyup vbyv bl oyp dsv ralpldv.

Nkw Wwuk oyp pkzldv qsa y xsxldv.

“Sltyaekdt Ywasdt Fbk, xyucl pbl pbswzed’v cl nyzzle Ywasdt Fbk.”

Nkdt Ykysxkys raknjle wr bla lyap vs zkpvld.

“Tla pwadyxl kp dsv Ywasdt, bla pwadyxl kp Yw, vbl Yw alqlaakdt vs vbl lhldkdt. Mbl ‘Yw’ pwadyxl, kd vbl elxsd aynl, kp y puxcsz sq vbl lmkpvldnl sq lvladyz dktbv. Mblu lxcseu vbl eyajlpv pkel sq elxsdp: plewnvkhl, awvbzlpp, yde wpkdt vblka rsola vs elnlkhl svblap.

“Ps usw pvkzz alxlxcla obld ol olal nasppkdt vbl Eyd Skhla sd vbl ckt csyv, R sdnl vsze usw ycswv vbl pwnnwcwp?” Mbl oyu Nkw Wwuk zssjle yv bla, oyp okvb y nyzx yde tldvzl lmralppksd, yp kq qlyakdt vbyv pbl oswze dsv ynnlrv kv, yde bl pllxle vs cl twkekdt bla zkvvzl cu zkvvzl, “Fwnnwcwp, vblu pkdt yde eydnl, yal pvwddkdtzu clywvkqwz, yde olzz-hlaple kd nyrvkhyvkdt rlsrzl……”

“Xb!” Ykysxkys rwaple bla zkrp yde lmvldele y qkdtla, “R alxlxcla, vbyv przkv rlapsdyzkvu……”

At that time, Liu Fuyi told her, if a succubus was betrayed, another completely different demon soul would split from their body, otherwise known as a resentful banshee, with an inherently evil nature, and bringing calamity to all sides, a being for demon catchers to avoid.

But they never thought that there would be such a coincidence……

Liu Fuyi nodded, still observing her expression: “Murong’er is a succubus, the mountain of her hometown that she spoke of is the Qilin Mountain in the far north, the number of surviving succubus there is very small, and she is one of them.”

“Oh……” Ling Miaomiao pondered, her fingers twisting unconsciously. She lowered her eyes and muttered, not knowing whether she was amazed or bewildered: “Then Mu Sheng—— is a succubus’s child.”

Her brain raced, slowly corroborating this fact. No wonder, in the first memory fragment, he could enter the carriage of the Marquis Qingyi without any sign; no wonder, when his hair grew and red light flashed, he could kill people without notice; that power to captivate, was not sorcery, but was probably an innate ability……

But what about the hair tie? Originally she thought Mu Sheng was using the power of the hair tie, but now it seemed that the hair tie was simply the gatekeeper.

The incense was burning quietly in the hall. The figure outside the window moved; the corner of his coat brushed the lush orchid and a long bud that had just been developed, rolled down to the ground.

The young man put his back against the wall, closed his eyes, trying hard to raise the corners of his lips, but his lips trembled, even a sneer could not be made.

As he had suspected…… He was half-demon.

He had such a background, but grew up in a demon hunter family who treated demons as their enemies. His hands were stained with the blood of countless demons, but in the end, he still could not be tolerated by the world.

He vaguely guessed his fate. But the moment it was finally confirmed, there was still a marrow-deep loneliness which rose up within him.

The past ten or so years had finally been judged to be a joke that was not even worth mentioning.

No matter which side it was, there should not have been an extra freak like him.

He turned around, through the gaps of the carved window, motionlessly looking at Ling Miaomiao’s lowered face. His nails that were resting on the wall turned white, and the black of eyes was a swirling and trembling universe, extremely dangerous.

Now, his mask had been stripped, and the girl he loved finally knew his shocking and unspeakable truth.

He knew he had no courage to continue listening, even a mere frown from her would be like a heavy hammer felled upon him. But he could not take a single step away, a mad desire to see her reaction overtaking him……

Not daring to hope, but he could not help but imagine.

“Miaomiao?” Liu Fuyi was a little worried about her long silence, and leaned towards her, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Miaomiao lifted her head, her tone light and slow, like telling a story on a warm afternoon, “I was thinking.”

Liu Fuyi was a little surprised at her overly calm response, “Thinking about…… what?”

She frowned, her voice containing a near inaudible sigh. Looking up, her voice still very soft: “I was thinking that Ziqi is pitiful.”

The people inside and outside the house were silent together. For a while, the rustle of fallen leaves could be heard from the outside.

She then said, “Being human has the joys of being human, being demon has the dash of being a demon. But he is caught in the middle. Where should he go?”

The sunlight poured into the interior. The girl tilted her head, there was sincere doubt in her eyes, and then she fell into contemplation.

Mu Yao did not expect Miaomiao’s reaction to be like this, and after a pause, asked tentatively, “Miaomiao…… is not afraid?”

Ling Miaomiao looked at her and asked in return, “Is Sister Mu afraid?”

“…… I’ve traveled far and wide and I’ve seen a lot, naturally I’m not afraid ……” her complexion didn’t look good, “just… . just a little surprised.”

Mu Yao felt that since Mu Sheng’s outburst that night, she had become more broad-minded, and continued becoming more broad-minded, seeming to have given up. Not to mention a half-demon, even if he was a pure-blooded demon, could she raise a blade to cut down her brother who she had raised for all these years?

Even if she wanted to, she could not raise her hands to do so. And even if she were to hide away, adhering to the principle of “out of sight, out of mind”, she did not want to face him directly.

For the past few months, she had been living in self-doubt and with internal conflict.

“Yep, there’s nothing to be afraid of.” Miaomiao nodded, “Isn’t he just he, what does it matter if he’s human or demon.”

“But……”

But you’re different, you’re his wife, humans and demons are different, in the end……

Liu Fuyi squeezed Mu Yao’s wrist; she did not speak further.

Liu Fuyi then said, “Zhao Gongzi, is someone you also recognize. He is Dowager Consort Zhao’s brother, Marquis Qingyi.”

A white hair tie fluttered in the wind.

Mu Sheng’s waist was leaned against the wall, his fingers pointing at the carved window, greedily tracing the outline of Miaomiao.

There was a slight rise at the ends of his upturned eyes, revealing a rare hint of warmth, and coupled with his peaceful profile, he looked like a warm piece of caressed warm jade. The dark eyes under the long eyelashes, stained with sunlight, reflected his internal chaos.

She said…… it didn’t matter if he was a human or a demon.

With just this one sentence, it was like a dying prisoner was sentenced to probation.

Then, he saw Ling Miaomiao raise her head in surprise: “Marquis Qingyi?”

She was stunned for a few seconds. Those bright almond eyes blinked unnaturally twice; her eyelids reddened; and she quickly lowered her eyes, resembling a rabbit more and more.

“What’s wrong?” Liu Fuyi was startled. Learning of a person’s identity surprisingly surprised her more than learning of a demon’s identity.

“Nothing.” Ling Miaomiao’s fingers were intertwined as she looked at the floor, feeling as if there was a hand in her chest kneading her heart.

Loved ones turned their backs, fathers and sons fought each other, the closest relatives stood at opposites, but could not recognize each other, only treating each other as foes, fighting with all their might…… How did they get to this point?

She lost herself in her thoughts again.

Had everything gone well, the black lotus should have been the little marquis of the Zhao family, living a life of luxury, surrounded by compliments and blessings, wearing luxurious clothes and growing up carefree.

Fulfilling his parent’s hopes, his name, Ziqi.

“……” Liu Fuyi stared at her worriedly.

“It’s okay.” Ling Miaomiao waved her hand and said with a forced smile, “Brother Liu, go on.”

“I once told you that succubus live within the mountains and forests, and once they stray into the world, they will surely invite disaster.”

Ling Miaomiao nodded: “Is it because of the resentful banshee?”

“Not entirely.” He paused, “Succubus are a natural existence, their demon power is vast, but once pregnant with a child, their demon power will be significantly weakened, and there’s even a chance of losing their demon power.”

He took in a breath: “Their children are to inherit …… or rather, you could say, ‘deprive’ the mother of her demonic power.”

Ling Miaomiao stared at him with unblinking eyes.

“If a male is born, the demonic power will be halved; if a female is born, the demonic power will be doubled. And boys are not considered as part of the succubus race, the demonic power they inherit cannot be passed on.”

Miaomiao’s mind raced: “That is to say, with the growth of the succubus race, the number of girls considered real “succubus” who inherit demonic power will dwindle…… but…..their demonic power will become even stronger……”

“Right.” Liu Fuyi nodded and looked at her approvingly, “This is the ‘evolution’ of the succubus race.”

“If they are allowed to ‘evolve’, what kind of powerful demons will be produced as a result, and whether this world can tolerate such power, no one can foresee. The succubus race also does not want their power to be slowly concentrated in a few people, thus, they hide themselves away and do not reproduce lightly.”

Ling Miaomiao took a long breath, and before she could finish taking in this breath, she heard his following words.

“But I guess, Murong’er was an exception.”

“She gave birth to a boy, but this boy’s demonic power was surprisingly not halved, but doubled. Alas, I don’t know if it’s because of the union with a human.”

“Accordingly, Murong’er was almost completely stripped of her powerful demonic powers, and after she had this child, she was practically as weak as an ordinary woman, and she didn’t even have the means to defend herself against ordinary people’s bullying.”

Ling Miaomiao listened in astonishment, squeezing her hands until they turned red.

The people in the hall did not notice the swaying of the orchid leaves outside the flower window, and with a flash of the corner of the coat outside, it disappeared silently.

“There’s a rumor going around.” Liu Fuyi said, “As long as you kill the child before he grows up, the demonic power belonging to the mother will return to her own body.”

“So that’s how it is……” Ling Miaomiao murmured, “No wonder when Murong’er first sought asylum at Hua Zhe, Lady Liu advised Murong’er to drown the child.”

So, in that lucid dream filled with heavy rain. Lady Liu, who was holding an umbrella, looked pityingly at the kneeling Lady Rong through the doorway, “I told you earlier, he’s a scourge if you keep him.”

And the reply Murong’er gave while kneeling in the rain with a tone that was soft but very firm was: “Little Sheng’er is my child, my precious child……”

……

“Murong’er did not want to kill this child.” Liu Fuyi said softly, “Even though Zhao Qinghuan had already negatively affected her, she still felt that this child was her baby.”

“She had wanted to return to Mount Qilin with the child in her arms.” He knitted his brows and said with some hesitation, “But something happened on the way that made her give up this intention and turn back to Wufang Town again.”

Ling Miaomiao was silent for a long time and asked tentatively, “Was it the red light on…… the boat?”

According to the old man’s story, Murong’er was bullied by evil people on the boat. Suddenly the baby let out a loud cry, the moment they tried to strangle the child, a red light from the sky descended, and four people died violently at the same time.

This scene, Liu Fuyi and the others may not know, but to Ling Miaomiao it was not unfamiliar.

In that lucid dream, when Mu Sheng was being held down and bullied by some older children at the end of the alley, this red light also suddenly burst out, and under this huge hostility that shook the mountains, several people around him died instantly, following which, his hair grew long, from his shoulders to his waist.

It was probably then that she guessed something, but she chose not say it.

“Yes” Liu Fuyi nodded, “I guess this time, Murong’er found his demonic power had doubled and was no longer at a controllable level. If she carried him back, the other succubus would possibly get rid of this dangerous outlier. As the child was usually no different from a human, needing cooked food and hot water, she decided to turn back to Wufang Town and figure it out for herself.”

“Lady Liu was probably a greedy being.” Mu Yao continued on, “She made a living by devouring the world’s sorrows or joys, and one of her purposes for opening Hua Zhe was to collect the tears of heartbreak from these suffering women, save them up, and then swallow them all at once.”

“Between powerful demons, there was not be deep friendship, and rather much hostility.” Mu Yao sighed, “I guess, Murong’er was really desperate, to be going to this greedy being, but Lady Liu do not want to be nosy, and persuaded Murong’er to kill the child in order to restore her own demonic power.”

“Later, probably because Murong’er shed precious blood tears and gifted them to her, Lady Liu agreed to give shelter to her and the swaddled child she had with her.”

Four taoists attired in taoist robes knelt on the floor in a row, holding four half-opened boxes.

Duanyang’s nail polish adorned fingers rested on the boxes, touching them one by one as she walked.

She stopped in front of the third one, took out the flimsy mask, and walked slowly to the mirror.

The four taoists kneeling on the floor looked at each other, shivering, as they watched her dress hem decorated with jewels and jade.

Duanyang looked back, and there appeared another clear, cold, and beautiful face. Her fingers touched her cheeks twice and said faintly, “It’s not similar enough.”

Saying that, she removed the mask on her face, crumpled it into a ball, threw it aside, took out the mask in the second box, and carefully put it on in front of the mirror.

The taoists shivered even more.

A while ago, they had heard rumors within the palace saying that the spoiled princess had gone crazy, and they didn’t believe it, but later they heard that the princess had gotten better, and not only had she gotten better, but also cast some kind of spell over His Majesty, so that the Son of Heaven, who didn’t believe in the supernatural, waved his hand, and directly assigned the neglected Astrological Bureau, to this little girl.

They only dared to think silently in their hearts that it seemed that the princess did not get well, but was in fact, crazy as hell.

Everything’s good and well, so why did she want to change another face?

“How useless.” She unmasked her face once again, her delicate face distorting while pulling off the mask, making for a frighteningly warped appearance. Her movements were rough and blunt; she didn’t seem to feel any pain at all.

The princess’s chestnut irises glittered in the sunlight, and her eyes were filled with a cold sneer: “Such a big Astrological Bureau, can’t you even make a decent mask?”

“Your Highness……” An old man seemed to have reached the end of his patience and raised his head, unaccepting of her words, “It’s already very similar……”

The princess bent down, and very disrespectfully pinched his chin in a sudden movement, her bright red nails buried in his beard. Shocked, the others let out a low cry, stupefied by this.

“It’s not good enough.” The corners of her mouth curved up and she looked at him coldly, the words seeming to be squeezed out from between her teeth, “I want it to be exactly the same, perfect, understand?”

“Your Highness……,” a eunuch ran over flusteredly, “there’s been an accident!”

He suddenly stopped under the princess’s intimidating gaze, swallowing his saliva, his voice gradually becoming smaller, “The Dowager Consort…… was…… attacked by assassins.”

“……” She looked blankly for a moment. But soon after, a cold and ridiculing smile appeared on her pretty face, “……this is all you’re able to endure?”

The message delivery eunuch widened his eyes: “What did……you say?”

“Nothing,” She lowered her head slightly and sadly tucked her hair behind her ear, “This princess said, the pastries for Consort Mother will no longer need to be made—— There’s no longer any need for them.”

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TL: The story is really coming together and the clues are finally adding up for me! Now, I just have to read and translate some more… Motivation, where’d you go? I’m super curious about Mu Sheng’s mother and I can’t wait to reach the end and see how Mu Sheng and Miaomiao end up! How about you?