15. The Reason for Standing Here
“Don’t say anymore!”
Baiyao Sheng stopped her from continuing, clearly not wanting the reason to be made public.
This was perhaps the most crucial part of this quest.
“Yuli, I know you probably don’t want to be the Empress, and you never thought you could reach this position.” Gong Yiling slowly drew her sword, her eyes sharp. “But if you don’t approve of your sister’s actions, you can choose to correct her mistakes in your own way.”
“Whatever you want to do, I’ll support you.”
“Yiling…” Leng Yuli looked at her and nodded silently. “I know my sister’s purpose, and I really can’t agree with her methods.”
“And when my sister takes control of the entire dynasty, what does she plan to do?” The girl turned her head and looked at Baili Yue. “Will she annihilate the Baili family and repeat the mistakes of the past?”
“When Senior Baiyao and Senior Baili were married, whether for selfish reasons or otherwise, they certainly didn’t want future generations to engage in pointless wars.”
After learning her true parentage, Leng Yuli finally understood who the person she saw in the illusion was.
She had always guessed it was her mother, whom she had never met, but it was more likely—the senior who, perhaps coincidentally, shared her name, the founder of the Baiyao Dynasty, Baiyao Qin.
After witnessing centuries of conflict, the ancient ancestor was perhaps tired, or perhaps weary. She only hoped that the descendants of the Baiyao family could live the life they wanted, and not fall into a cycle of hatred.
After all this time, who still remembered the friendship that once existed between the Baiyao family and the Baili family?
Leave this place, go to a new place to live. This was the request the person in her memory had made, almost begging her.
“Sister, Baili Yue is the last one. After he’s judged before the people, the rest has nothing to do with us.”
“Then we’ll leave this place and no longer participate in the events here.”
Baiyao Sheng looked at the emotions on her sister’s face, and her heart, long shrouded in hatred, softened.
The long road of solitary revenge, playing the role of a humble servant for ten years, she had never revealed her suffering to anyone.
Even when she saw her own sister in the capital, she couldn’t acknowledge her, couldn’t even show her any kindness, only using strange and awkward ways to protect her.
Now, her grand plan was about to succeed, and she had indeed planned to slaughter the entire Baili clan to appease her parents’ spirits and to prevent any future revenge against her sister.
And even those who had been annihilated because of her, her so-called “revealing the truth” was nothing more than gathering everyone together, telling them the truth, and then dying with them.
This way, everything would end with her. But before that, she still had a thorny problem to solve.
But…
She had planned everything perfectly. All she had to do was follow the plan, and it would be foolproof.
But when Leng Yuli said those words, she hesitated.
Her memory seemed to drift back to a long time ago.
It was winter, and the snow was heavy. She held her quiet little sister, walking step by step through the blizzard.
Hungry… cold… tired…
To find something for the little one in her arms, she hadn’t eaten or slept for two days, wandering outside, praying for a kind soul to give her some food.
But she had already received so much charity from the pastry stall owners. They were also struggling through the winter and couldn’t possibly take in two more homeless children.
Recalling the rumors she had heard, she could only place all her hope on a person she had never met.
Grandpa… Leng.
Although her legs felt like lead, the girl used all her strength to walk step by step to the back door of that residence.
She had heard that because too many people were looking for this Master Leng, he had impatiently turned them all away, and to avoid trouble, he usually used the back door.
Almost using up her last bit of strength, the girl leaned against the door and sat down, gasping for breath.
The cold wind, like a knife, cut into her nostrils and mouth. The sharp, stinging pain made her more awake.
“Qin’er.”
Baiyao Sheng hugged her dependent little sister, her dry eyes seemingly moistening a little, but she held back her tears.
“Sister might not be able to stay with you anymore.”
The sleeping Baiyao Qin seemed to hear something, or perhaps she had a premonition.
The little one struggled to open her eyes, but she had no strength left, only able to move her fingers slightly, and said with difficulty, “Sis… sister…”
“Sister is here! Sister is here!”
Baiyao Sheng quickly pulled the little one into her arms, gently patting her back and comforting her softly, “Sister isn’t really leaving you. Sister just wants to find you a good home.”
“When sister is able to take you back, sister will definitely come and find you. Let’s make a pinky promise, okay?”
“Pinky… promise? Pinky…?” The drowsy Baiyao Qin didn’t hear clearly what Baiyao Sheng was saying. She only heard “pinky promise.”
Pinky promise, she loved making pinky promises with her sister.
Because after a pinky promise, her sister could do anything she said she would!
“Pinky… promise…” A smile seemed to appear on Baiyao Qin’s face, and she slowly hooked her little finger. “Sister… pinky promise.”
“Mmm, pinky promise!” Baiyao Sheng smiled and nodded. Just as she was about to extend her own hand, she heard voices from inside.
“Old Leng, why are you using the back door again?”
“Because I like it! None of your business!”
Hearing this, Baiyao Sheng quickly wrapped the little one up and placed her on the ground, then limped to the end of the corner.
Just as she reached a place where no one could see her, she heard the sound of the door opening and the old man’s voice.
“Strange… why is there a child here?” Old Leng, seeing the little one on the ground, his earlier anger seemed to lessen.
He picked up the child and looked around, but saw no one passing by, only some tracks that looked like they were made by a carriage.
“Old Leng, this…?”
Old Leng looked at the child in his arms. He couldn’t help but think of the scene after his daughter-in-law gave birth, when both mother and child died. He couldn’t bear it.
After a long time, he finally sighed. “Forget it. Perhaps it’s fate.”
