Chapter 120.2: A Past That's as Obscure as Mist
He was wearing a black robe with strange flower patterns embroidered in dark gold thread. For some reason, they looked a little familiar. The silver butterfly mask only revealed a pair of extremely cold eyes. The chill those eyes gave off was completely different from the coldness that Mu Ye gave off. Mu Ye tended to create a chilling atmosphere that estranged all living things. However, the chill this guy gave off seemed to come from the darkness of the ninth hell. When Tang Doudou glanced over after entering the room, she almost peed in her pants from the chill.
How could a human have such gloomy and cold eyes!?
When the old sir saw her walk in, he laughed and beckoned Tang Doudou. "Xueyi, hurry and come over here. Grandpa wants to introduce an interesting friend to you!"
An interesting friend… is that pointing to this cold and gloomy man?
Since things had already gotten to this point, Tang Doudou could only shrug and head over to the seat the old sir pointed at.
Right after she plopped her butt down, she heard the old sir continue, "He's the son of Grandpa's old friend, his name is Ming Mengxin. He's a couple years younger than you. Xueyi, you're his senior and have also spent many years traversing the Jianghu so in the future you must look after Ah Xin, got it?"T/N
Oh, so his goal was to give her a task ah! Tsk, tsk. He's even younger than her but already like this… Wait a minute, something's off!
Ming Mengxin, isn't that the Hall Master of God Firmament Hall!?
Tang Doudou abruptly lifted her head and her eyes just happened to meet head-on with Ming Mengxin's cold eyes. The darkness contained in those eyes frightened her so much that her voice trembled a little as she said, "He, y-you, you're Ming Mengxin of God Firmament Hall!"
"Yes." Ming Mengxin stared at her for quite a while before coldly spitting out this word.
Tang Doudou stood up and looked at Ming Mengxin before looking back at that old sir. Then she said in a serious tone, "Just say it, what exactly are you guys trying to do?"
"Xueyi, what are you doing?" The old sir's face had also turned stern. "Sit down!"
"You can knock that off. I know everything already!"
"The fart you think you know!? Sit back down this instant!" The old sir seemed to be genuinely angry. He picked up the crutch next to him and struck it down on the floor, making a thumping sound.
His behavior caused Tang Doudou to recall her own grandpa again. She thought about it again and felt that this old man didn't seem to be acting.
Although she didn't feel close to this old man, his every word and movement seemed sincere.
As she was thinking, the old sir gave a long sigh and put down his crutch. His eyes and tone carried immeasurable regret and vexation. "It's all my fault for being too willful back then and insisting on sending you to Cloud City, to have not looked after you at all for more than twenty years. I've made you gone through a lot these past years, it's perfectly reasonable for you to refuse to acknowledge me. However, this current matter has to do with your safety. Even if Grandpa must stake this old life, Grandpa will help you survive this calamity."
Could it be that he really was Li Xueyi's biological grandfather?
Tang Doudou was once again stunned by this old man's words. She didn't speak, nor did she look at Ming Mengxin. The fact that this old man said these words right in front of Ming Mengxin meant that Ming Mengxin was trustworthy in his eyes.
Then again, God Firmament Hall really didn't do anything to her. She only viewed God Firmament Hall as an enemy because she stood on the same side as Baili Yu.
Tang Doudou didn't say anything or give any other reaction. Her behavior was abnormally calm. Ming Mengxin glanced at her several times. Emotions that outsiders wouldn't be able to understand were whirling in his eyes.
"Ah Xin can help you. In the future, you should just keep him at your side! God Firmament Hall hasn't been established for long. As the martial arts Alliance Head, you should give it appropriate assistance and look after it well. If you help God Firmament Hall stabilize and grow, it will benefit you in the future." As the old sir looked towards Ming Mengxin, Ming Mengxin nodded towards him. Tang Doudou didn't know what this meant.
"As for the things you want to know, come with Grandpa, I'll tell you everything!" The old sir stood up and headed towards the left compartment of the room.
Tang Doudou hesitated for a while. However, once the old sir left, she was left alone with Ming Mengxin. It felt exceptionally uncomfortable so she rushed to follow the old sir.
An old man versus a person in the prime of their life, even a fool would follow the old man. That way, if something happens, at least an old man would be easier to handle than a man in his prime.
Of course, this kind of thinking was limited to people who were simple-minded like Tang Doudou. When Ming Mengxin saw her hastily run off, his lips slightly hooked beneath his mask. It's been so long since they've seen each other, yet this guy still likes to resort to petty tricks just as before.
Tang Doudou soon reached the side room. She saw the old sir count nine down from the wall before flicking the area. Then, the wall loosened and slowly started to retract upwards.
A dark descending passageway was revealed.
Aiy, the ancients just love this type of stuff. They just love digging underground passageways beneath their houses. It's time-consuming and takes a lot of effort, so what exactly were they trying to do?
The old sir patted the side of the dark passageway and the ground uniformly lit up with dim yellow light. It lit up the entire passageway.
Dang! There are even occupancy sensor lights, it's high tech ah!
"Let's go. Everything you want to know is below!" said the old sir as he headed down the passageway. Tang Doudou hesitated for a short while but still followed after him in the end. Once the two entered, the wall descended heavily behind them and completely sealed off the entrance.
Luckily there was plenty of light inside. Otherwise, it was possible for the occupants to be frightened to the point that they wet their pants.T/N2
"Old sir, how much further do we have to go ah!?"
Although this dark passageway didn't look long at first, they had already been walking for about eight minutes. The surroundings were quiet and the only other person moving was the old man. Tang Doudou was getting a little creeped out so she opened her mouth to ask how much longer it was going to take.
"We're almost there."
Barely any time after he said that, he spoke again, "We're here, go in."
Tang Doudou moved forward and discovered that there was a wooden door at the end of the passageway. She looked at the old sir and then opened the door when his eyes urged her to. It was pitch-black inside but the strong light from the outside was able to faintly illuminate the interior. It was enough for Tang Doudou to make out the furniture and things that were inside.
The old sir stood outside the room and clapped his hands. Weak candlelight then lit up the room.
It was a very common-looking bedroom.
Tang Doudou scratched her head and looked towards the old sir, her expression full of questions. "Old sir, what exactly are you trying to convey?"
"You'll know once you go in." The old sir stood at the entrance without moving.
There was no way Tang Doudou would just walk in when the person who led her here was not going in.
"Aiy, seriously, child!" The old sir gave a sigh upon seeing Tang Doudou's on-guard reaction. "The reason I'm not going in is because I promised your parents back then that I wouldn't take even half a step into this room."
Da fudge? It's related to her parents again!
This ball of puzzles was getting bigger and bigger. If things didn't clear up soon, she'll really be driven crazy by these people.
She gathered up her guts and strode into the room, however, none of the scenarios she imagined occurred. She continued walking into the room. All around her were dusty furniture that silently told her that no one else has set foot in this room for a very long time.
"That year, your parents suddenly died in the Jade Capital. By the time I managed to get there, not even their corpses were there anymore… However, I happened to discover you in the wardrobe of Qin Palace. You had managed to survive. The situation back then was an emergency so I wanted to send you to Cloud City to protect you. Back then, all the elders in the clan strongly opposed it and believed that I shouldn't get involved with Cloud City for the sake of a child."
The old sir had started to recount the story as Tang Doudou slowly walked into the room.
"I wasn't even able to protect my own son and daughter-in-law and they died tragically. If I couldn't even protect the only son they left behind, how could I have the face to keep living!?"
"I took great pains to consider all the possibilities and finally found that incomparably mysterious Cloud City…"
What is this?
Tang Doudou was listening to the old sir's narration when she suddenly stopped in the middle of the room. Her gaze landed on the antique bed that was covered with so much dust that the patterns of the carved decorations couldn't be seen clearly. There was a neatly folded brocade blanket on the bed and quietly lying on the blanket, was a book.
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Credits: Translated by Chiyomira, Edited by ed.L
[Chiyomira’s Corner]
T/N – "Xueyi, you're his senior and have also spent many years traversing the Jianghu so in the future you must look after Ah Xin, got it?" Ah Xin!!! Is it our Ah Xin???
T/N2 – Did author-sama have a troubling day that day? Why are there so many pants-wetting in this chapter?
E: Think author super scared of the dark.