Chapter 34 – The Confrontation (Part 2)

"Mo clan?"

Zheng Qing Yao's brows arched slightly as he carefully repeated the two words again. A unique symbol that looked like blossoming flower yet at the same time resembled blood splatters. It was the first time he had seen it, but he had never expected it to be the symbol engraved on the legendary Devil's hand. The insignia of the Mo clan.

"Yes. This is what Jing Yun Sheng personally told me."

Gu Sheng solemnly recalled the moment he saw the insignia, and Jing Yun Sheng's every word to him during their encounter five years ago.

"According to him, this is the original symbol of the Mo clan. It was widely used during the ancient war time before the forming of the empire. Jing clan is one of the oldest clans that had fought side by side with the Mo clan a century ago, hence they were remarkably familiar with the history of Mo Empire. The Mo symbol that we are familiar with is only created after the forming of the Mo Empire. The first Emperor of the Mo wanted to honour those old clans that had fought side by side with him and supported him to unite the land, hence he changed his clan insignia to the Mo symbol that we all know today."

The courtyard immediately fell into a dead silence. Mu Yin held her breath in stupefaction as she turned her attention back to the sole figure standing by the door of the study room. She did not realize it when she first saw the symbol on the back of Meng Yu, because it was completely different from the Mo insignia that they had known all their life. There was a rarely seen complicated expression on the face of the young man that she had served for half of her life. It seems that even Zheng Qing Yao was quite taken aback by this revelation as well.

Gu Sheng narrowed his eyes at Zheng Qing Yao, the wheels in his head turning quickly. He took a few steps forward and said tentatively, "I heard half a year ago, you joined the expedition with the Yin army to the Mo empire."

His suspicion was confirmed when Zheng Qing Yao met his gaze silently.

"So, you really did bring her back from Mo Empire…" He murmured in exasperation.

"But… isn't the Scarlet Emperor is the last descendant of the Mo clan?" Mu Yin asked in disbelief.

"That is what we were told… but who really know the truth other than the Mo people themselves?"

It was true. They were not familiar with the Mo Empire history. Perhaps even the Mo people might not realize that Scarlet Emperor was not the last descendant of the royal family. It was not impossible for the Mo clan to still have survivor. There were too many possibilities, but those would only be assumptions without facts. Gu Sheng gaze slowly swept past Mu Yin and finally landed onto Zheng Qing Yao again.

"Everyone thought the Mo clan has perished from the world. Now… there is another girl who appears to be from the Mo clan. Her identity… will cause a lot of trouble."

Gu Sheng stared at Zheng Qing Yao unblinkingly, waiting for the other person to give a response. The Zheng Qing Yao he knew was highly intelligent and had always been prudent in his action. Despite being closely related to the Empress of Yin, he disliked getting involved with the court affair, and strived to stay away from the chaos. Hence all these years, he had threaded the thin line carefully. It had been an onerous task to keep the Zheng clan out of the royal battle.

However, this time, he had brought someone who was related to the Mo clan back into the capital of Yin. If this matter was discovered by others, whether that person had ill intentions or not, the Zheng clan will not be able to avoid this calamity. Even with Zheng Huo Yan's current position, she would not be able to protect the clan from harm. Instead, it would even drag her down together into this muddy water.

This was the sole reason why Zheng Huo Yan was so adamant in getting rid of this girl. She might not have discovered Meng Yu's identity yet, but she will not let go of anything that might pose a threat to her current position. It was not easy for her to achieve what she had today. She had sacrificed too much to let a simple misstep to destroy everything she had built over the years. Gu Sheng might not agree with Zheng Huo Yan's action, but he could understand where she was coming from.

Zheng Qing Yao did not say anything as he contemplated the matter. He understood what Gu Sheng was trying to imply. Both Yin and Mo was still trying to recover from the aftermath of the war. Even though Yin had won the war, but there were still many unrests among the people. The Yin Emperor was desperately trying to keep the Mo under his firm control now. Without the existence of the royal bloodline, it would be easier for the Yin Emperor to reform the Mo's court. Especially now he had the help of the Jing's clan, one of the oldest and influential clan from the Mo Empire. Hence, the last thing he wanted would be to have someone from the Mo clan reappeared in this world now.

Zheng Qing Yao had always thought Meng Yu's identity was not simple and ordinary, but this was totally out of his expectation. Everyone believed the Scarlet Emperor to be the last descendant of the Mo clan, but Gu Sheng will never lie about the matter with the clan symbol. Zheng Qing Yao suddenly thought of the earliest day when Meng Yu had just awoken from her coma.

She would spend those days sitting quietly on her bed, gazing out of the window. Those pair of deep black eyes always seemed to carry a hint of melancholy, as if she were carrying the weight of the world on her shoulder, yet she would never let it show. The unfathomable personality of hers that would readily take on a storm without fear for her life, and her distrust toward people no matter how much sincerity was shown. Throughout his life, he had met many kinds of people yet, there was something extremely different about her that he could not explain. Perhaps, it was because of her background?

Who are you, Meng Yu? Are you really the descendant of the Mo Clan?

Zheng Qing Yao turned to look at the direction of the courtyard Meng Yu was staying. Those pair of eyes flickered gently in the night as he stood still in deep thoughts. In the tranquil night, he could hear the faint jingling sounds coming from the windchimes hanging outside of her courtyard. Those were the windchimes that he had specifically asked Mu Yin to hang when he noticed Meng Yu had a special affinity toward them. For some unknown reasons, the jingling sound felt extremely soothing to his confused heart. Zheng Qing Yao's initially disoriented mind began to calm down.

Seeing Zheng Qing Yao's hesitation, Gu Sheng wanted to say something, but he stopped when he felt a gentle pat on his shoulder. He turned to look at Mu Yin who had walked up to his side. She shook her head at him. Gu Sheng knew what she meant and had no choice but to swallow back the words he planned to say. After all, Zheng Qing Yao knew better than anyone else what kind of risk and consequences in this situation, and now he had to decide as the clan leader.

After a long moment, Zheng Qing Yao finally let out an exhausted long sigh. He turned to Gu Sheng and took a big stride toward him. His pace was not too fast nor too slow. His robe fluttered lightly in the night breeze. There was an unfathomable composure in his eyes. He stopped a few steps away from Gu Sheng.

"I understand what you mean, but I forbid anyone to touch a strand of her hair as long as she is still under my care."

His voice was not too loud nor too soft, yet it carried a hint of heaviness in it.

"This is too risky! If anyone found out about it, it will implicate the entire clan!"

Zheng Qing Yao looked unwavering at Gu Sheng.

"I have made my decision, and I will take responsibility of this matter." His voice was sombre. His answer was clear. Tonight, Zheng Qing Yao's gaze was extremely different from his usual gentleness. There was an underlying determination and authority to his demeanour.

Gu Sheng did not speak anymore as he quietly studied Zheng Qing Yao. He realized nothing he said would change Zheng Qing Yao's mind. Whether he agreed or disagreed, Zheng Qing Yao would not listen to him. However, he was aware that Zheng Qing Yao did not make this decision out of a whim. He had taken everything into consideration and understood the consequences of his action.

In the end, he still chose to protect the girl. Was she even worth all this trouble?

Gu Sheng understood he had no choice at all. It was either he helped Zheng Qing Yao or let him solve this problem by himself. Gu Sheng whirled around and let out an exasperated growl at his stubborn friend. Taking a deep breath to calm himself again, he grumbled in a low voice, "So be it. If this is what you have decided, then I will abide to your wishes."

Zheng Qing Yao revealed a relieved smile as he nodded in response.

"However, putting her identity aside, you should also be prepared about Xia Hei. I do have an idea on how to get the antidote, but…" Gu Sheng paused as he gave a quick glance at Zheng Qing Yao.

"Xia Hei will come for us."

Zheng Qing Yao seemed unfazed as he hummed lightly.

"This, I have expected as well. Go ahead and do whatever you need to do." Zheng Qing Yao narrowed his eyes resolutely, "Let me worry about Xia Hei."