Chapter 57: Confirmation part 1
Ning Yunyi stood frozen in place, unable to recover for a long time after hearing Rui Hu’s words.
Many thoughts flashed through his mind, eventually converging into one possibility.
Rui Hu was forty years old and had escaped when she was nearly ten—roughly thirty years ago. That timeline… coincided with the years following the birth of the Bai Young City Lord.
And that was also around the time his biological mother, Lady Zong, had “sacrificed” herself in battle.
The reason he thought of it as “disappearing” was based on what he had later learned from City Lord Bai and Marshal Zong. When Lady Zong met with disaster in the insect tide, her body was never found. When the news came and she was buried, the coffin only contained the clothes she had worn.
But if such a place had existed for many years—even before Rui Hu was born forty years ago—then had Lady Zong really died in the insect tide back then?
After all, Lady Zong was a shifter with extremely strong mental power. Once she was trapped, the continuous supply of mental power she could provide would absolutely allow the Imperial Family to cultivate countless 3S-rank mental power experts.
This also explained why the Crown Prince didn’t care about the lives of one or two 3S-rank dead soldiers. As long as those shifters with extremely strong mental power existed, there would be an endless supply of mental power. He could have as many high-level dead soldiers as he wanted. Why would he care about one or two?
Ning Yunyi’s face was incredibly grim. Looking at the despair and sadness in Rui Hu’s eyes, he comforted her, “You won’t be okay. Don’t overthink things and just focus on recovering.”
Rui Hu looked at him pleadingly. She was truly worried she wouldn’t survive the next time or the time after that. She didn’t want her benefactor to disappear completely into the dust of time.
Ning Yunyi nodded. “I promise you, if there’s a day I can, I’ll speak of it.”
Moreover, what he was doing was already intended to change the current status of shifters. Even if the benefactor Rui Hu spoke of wasn’t Lady Zong, he would never allow such a place to exist in the world.
It would be one thing if he didn’t know, but now that he did, it was impossible to sit idly by.
The heavy weight on Rui Hu’s heart finally lifted. Exhaustion from her long struggle washed over her. Before she fell into a deep sleep, Ning Yunyi spoke again: “Do you still remember the appearance of your benefactor? Can you describe her?”
Rui Hu shook her head. “I don’t remember. I was too young then, and so many years have passed. I can’t describe her, but if I saw her again, I would definitely recognize her. It’s just… so many years have gone by, I’m afraid she…”
Ning Yunyi’s voice was also a bit hoarse. He patted her shoulder. “You’ve already done very well.”
Over so many years, by protecting these hidden shifters on her own in such a harsh environment, she had already done all she could.
Rui Hu’s eyes grew moist. As she closed her eyes, her still-young face looked thin and haggard, as if it would break at a touch. Ning Yunyi instinctively softened his movements.
The nearby Yousi clearly hadn’t expected her persistence to be for this reason. He was also trembling from the shock of this unbelievable secret.
Forty years… or even longer. What on earth were these royals doing?
Did they truly not consider shifter lives to be human lives?
For their own selfish gain, they were more cruel and terrifying than he had imagined.
Ning Yunyi and Yousi walked to a corner. Ning Yunyi stared at a spot for a long time without speaking, and Yousi remained silent as well.
After a long while, Yousi asked with a trembling, hoarse voice, “Those 3S-rank and 2S-rank dead soldiers who attacked us earlier… I could never figure out how so many high-level mental power experts suddenly appeared. Now… I know. After all these years, how many do you think they have in their hands?”
Once captured, there was no way out.
Yousi had originally thought he could do something for the Shifter Alliance. He had even confidently believed he could achieve something great. But now… could he really? It might just be like an egg striking a stone.
The blow was so great that Yousi didn’t recover for a long time. He finally felt a sense of powerlessness and frustration, more than at any other time.
Ning Yunyi looked ahead with firm and serious eyes. “But if we don’t try, how will we know who will lose in the end? Maybe we won’t be the ones who lose.”
If they did nothing, they were certain to lose; but if they tried, at least there was a chance.
He also understood why the Crown Prince had targeted Marshal Zong. Currently, Marshal Zong was still controllable, but his reputation and influence were too strong.
Was the Crown Prince afraid that once the truth of Lady Zong’s disappearance was known to Marshal Zong, things would become uncontrollable? Was that why he chose to strike first?
Or, perhaps the Crown Prince’s choice to befriend Marshal Zong from the very beginning was a conspiracy—nothing more than a way to monitor him and obtain first-hand information. The Crown Prince had always known that Marshal Zong’s initial reason for joining the military was to investigate the cause of Lady Zong’s disappearance.
As a result, it made sense that he could find nothing under the other’s surveillance and obstruction. Likely, Marshal Zong never imagined that beneath the ugly truth lay something even more cruel.
However, with Rui Hu here, she still remembered the person who had saved her. Although she couldn’t paint her benefactor’s likeness, Marshal Zong surely had photos of Lady Zong. He would only need to show them to Rui Hu to confirm it.
Even if it wasn’t her, they needed to investigate that place. Perhaps they could find the truth of Lady Zong’s disappearance.
Ning Yunyi and Yousi parted ways, and he reapplied his Invisibility Talisman to return to the Ning residence.
He reappeared in the small building. The big cat had been waiting there. Hearing the movement, he immediately stood up and looked up, only feeling relieved when he saw the familiar figure.
Seeing the big cat, Ning Yunyi’s heart was in knots. If his theory was proven true, wouldn’t the big cat be too pitiful?
He might have lived his entire life in a lie. His so-called years of friendship were nothing more than a complete act of exploitation.
Ning Yunyi looked at the big cat, his heart so complicated that he didn’t move for a long time, until the big cat looked at him in confusion. He circled Ning Yunyi and sniffed, but didn’t smell any blood. Why was he looking at him like that?
“Meow?” What’s wrong?
Zong Hao was afraid of waking the kitten, so his voice was very low, making the faint meow sound like he was acting spoiled.
Ning Yunyi’s ears felt a bit itchy. He sighed, casting a pitying glance at the big cat, and changed the subject. “I’m hungry and I’m going to make some soup. Do you want some?”
Zong Hao was overjoyed. He could have some too? Was it really this good?
Ning Yunyi was indeed hungry. He had consumed a lot of mental power and needed to replenish some energy, but he didn’t have much of an appetite.
So he simply went to the kitchen, intending to make Egg Drop Fermented Rice Soup with Tangyuan. It was filling and tasted good; drinking it would make him feel much better. Then he would tell the big cat about that matter. At least it would be a form of comfort, otherwise, it was truly… too pitiful.
Ning Yunyi took out a pot to boil water. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the big cat, who still couldn’t believe it, coming over for a look. Only when he wasn’t driven away did he finally believe that there was a portion for him.
However… why was he suddenly being so good to him?
It made him suspect if the other had done something to wrong him.
Ning Yunyi waited for the water to boil, took out the ingredients, and put the tangyuan in first. When they floated to the top, he added the fermented rice and rock sugar. When it was almost done, he beat several eggs and swirled them in. Soon, a sweet and light aroma of fermented rice filled the air. Finally, he added a handful of dried osmanthus flowers, and the entire kitchen was filled with a special and mouth-watering sweet fragrance.
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thanks for the chapter!