Chapter 482 - 399: Cannot Live Past 5 Years
Chapter 482: Chapter 399: Cannot Live Past 5 Years
After Empress Shi passed away, the Sovereign of Qin, following his wife’s last wishes, kept the funeral arrangements simple.
In the customs of the Qin Kingdom, the funeral of a parent is typically presided over by their children.
Thus, at Empress Shi’s funeral, Qin Siyao, as the Sovereign of Qin’s only legitimate daughter, fought back tears to preside over her mother’s funeral and watch as she was laid to rest.
After the funeral, Qin Siyao, dressed in mourning clothes, knelt in the ancestral temple to pray for her mother.
Xiao Mo arrived at the ancestral temple.
The young woman knelt with a straight back, her head raised, gazing at the Tokens of her mother the empress, her eldest brother, and her second brother.
Beneath her long lashes, her crystalline eyes blinked softly, a dazed look within them.
Perhaps she was reminiscing about her childhood, those days she could never return to.
Xiao Mo stepped forward, lit three sticks of incense, bowed once, and then sat down beside Qin Siyao.
Xiao Mo gently pulled the young woman into his embrace and said softly, "You don’t have to hold it in. If crying will make you feel better, then go ahead and cry..."
Nestled in Xiao Mo’s arms, Qin Siyao clutched tightly at his collar.
Soon, Xiao Mo felt Siyao’s trembling.
Her tears dampened his clothes.
At first, Qin Siyao only cried softly. But the longer she wept, the more her tears flowed, impossible to stop.
She gripped Xiao Mo’s clothes with increasing force.
Her sobs grew more and more heart-wrenching.
The one who had left her was the person who had been strictest with her, but also the one who had loved her the most.
After crying for an unknown amount of time, Qin Siyao gradually quieted down in Xiao Mo’s arms.
When Xiao Mo looked down, Qin Siyao was still clutching the fabric on his chest, but she had cried herself out and fallen asleep peacefully in his embrace.
Xiao Mo picked Qin Siyao up and carried her back to her bedchamber.
When Hua Sheng saw the Princess in the Frost King’s arms, her heart couldn’t help but ache in sorrow.
Hua Sheng quickly fetched a basin of water and wiped the tear stains from Qin Siyao’s face.
"Young Master, you should go attend to your affairs. I will take care of the Princess."
Hua Sheng said to Xiao Mo.
When Xiao Mo was young, Hua Sheng had called him "Young Master."
Now that Xiao Mo was grown and had been granted a title, Hua Sheng still called him "Young Master."
It was as if for Hua Sheng, no matter how old Xiao Mo got or what his status became, he had never changed in her eyes.
"Then I’ll leave her in your care, Sister Hua Sheng." Xiao Mo nodded, taking one last deep look at Qin Siyao.
"Please don’t worry, Young Master. Although the Princess may seem incredibly fragile, she is actually very strong," Hua Sheng reassured Xiao Mo. "Stronger than any of us imagine."
"I know."
Xiao Mo gazed at the sleeping young woman.
"I know..."
...
「A few days later.」 After sorting through her mother’s belongings, Qin Siyao returned to the Imperial Study to help her father, the Sovereign, with state affairs.
In the evenings, Qin Siyao would leave the Imperial Study and return to Prince Shuang’s Mansion to make dinner for Xiao Mo.
At night, the two of them would gaze at the stars together, chatting idly as they always had.
The only difference now was that Qin Siyao had begun to cultivate on her own initiative.
In the past, Qin Siyao’s cultivation had been passive; she would only slowly get around to it after Xiao Mo’s Realm improved and his lifespan increased.
But now, she was far more motivated to cultivate than before.
"Xiao Mo, from now on, I will stand by your side!"
Watching Qin Siyao cultivate so earnestly, Xiao Mo recalled the words she had spoken before.
For a moment, Xiao Mo didn’t know whether to be happy or to sigh at the circumstances.
’If it were possible,’ Xiao Mo thought, ’I would want the girl before me to never have to grow up.’
But it seemed the world was relentlessly pushing her forward, forcing her to keep moving...
Besides cultivation, Qin Siyao also began asking Xiao Mo about matters of the Imperial Court.
Regarding these court affairs, Xiao Mo held nothing back, sharing his insights without reservation.
Qin Siyao was often astonished by Xiao Mo’s breadth of vision.
She had always known Xiao Mo had some understanding of the Imperial Court, but she never imagined it ran so deep.
She felt that Xiao Mo wasn’t just a General who only knew how to lead troops and fight wars, but more like someone who had been immersed in the politics of the Court for many years.
「Before they knew it, another year had passed.」
Xiao Mo received intelligence from the Desolate Tower that the Qi Kingdom had sent envoys to the Ten Thousand Islands Country, hoping to secure their aid.
The so-called Ten Thousand Islands Country was a nation composed of over ten thousand large and small islands in the Sky Cloud Sea.
The Sovereign of the Ten Thousand Islands Country was an Ascension Realm Cultivator who ruled the entire sea region.
The Ten Thousand Islands Country was said to be a nation, but in reality, it was merely a Sect masquerading as one.
Part of the reason the Qi Kingdom had been the hegemon of the Warring States Period for a thousand years was that it bordered the sea and frequently traded with the Ten Thousand Islands Country, allowing it to accumulate considerable wealth.
And because the Qi Kingdom often dealt with the Ten Thousand Islands Country, their relationship was actually quite deep.
Now that the Qin Kingdom had nearly unified the entire World of Ten Thousand Laws—with only the Qi Kingdom and half of the Zhao Kingdom remaining—Qi was naturally in a panic.
Therefore, the Qi Kingdom planned to ask the Ten Thousand Islands Country for aid, naturally promising them land in the World of Ten Thousand Laws and various Blessed Land Grotto Heavens in return.
Furthermore, the collusion between the Zhao Kingdom and the Demon Race was hardly a recent development.
The Human Race and the Demon Race had once signed a pact that neither side would interfere in the other’s wars.
But now, with the Xi Gu Kingdom and Liu Huo Kingdom directly sending troops into the lands of the Human Race, not a single voice of opposition was raised in the Demon Race’s World.