Chapter 626: Ming Guangxin
Chapter 626: Chapter 626: Ming Guangxin
Master Gu was caught in a heavy downpour on his way here and broke his leg. He’s now stranded in the Lower Continent and won’t be able to make it for some time.
He could only write a very long letter and have the guards escorting him deliver it to Shen Ningning with the utmost speed.
According to the guard, it wasn’t just Ling Mountain City experiencing heavy rain; it was already raining in the Capital City when they left.
The shadow of a previous flood disaster once again loomed over Cangyun Country.
The fact that Shen Ningning was not in the Capital City made the Emperor frantic.
It was then that Mo Lingwei understood. "No wonder there’s been no reply to the letters sent to the Capital City. My father is likely preoccupied with this flood."
Master Gu’s letter also detailed his theory—
"When the spaceship was first built, a protection system was installed. Its purpose was to ensure that the supply space and the disaster-control space could both function normally. If a problem were to arise with the disaster and supply systems, the protection system would activate, thereby cutting off the functions of both spaces. Princess, you may not understand the technicalities, so to put it simply: a switch has been flipped off. This switch affects both spaces, causing everything to become uncontrollable."
Shen Ningning furrowed her brow as she read this.
’No wonder the Thunder Hall has been flashing, warning me that the magnetic field is disrupted.’
She read on.
Master Gu offered a theory of his own—
"The protection system must have been activated manually. There was a specific Deputy General on the ship in charge of this system. The one who set out with us was named Tian Xuezhen. If anyone could have tampered with the protection system, it had to be him, as only he knew the password. However, he was supposed to have died in that crash. Our ship suffered extreme damage when it exited the temporal rift. Captain Shen personally prepared their bodies for burial, and I recall that Vice General Tian was among them."
’Unless he didn’t die.’
Shen Ningning felt the situation was becoming more and more perplexing.
’If he was one of Mother’s own men, why would he activate the protection system and disrupt my two spaces?’
’The rain is this heavy because the space is completely out of control. That must be why even the golden fruits have no effect anymore.’
In his letter, Master Gu also mentioned a crucial object.
"The spaceship has a core, its most vital component. I call it the ’Ming Guangxin’—a device akin to a human heart. We can only find the way home by finding it and using it to recharge."
"If the Princess has come to Ling Mountain City in search of it, you must be extremely careful. If Vice General Tian isn’t dead and gets his hands on it first, he will undoubtedly use the Ming Guangxin to power the protection system. The consequence of this would be that the two spaces you control will gradually be rendered useless, while he, through the protection system, will gain a continuous stream of life force and supplies."
What Master Gu wrote was a bit convoluted. Shen Ningning had to read it several times, carefully cross-referencing it with the long explanation that followed.
She finally understood what Master Gu meant.
This Vice General Tian had flipped some switch, causing her Immortal Realm to malfunction. That was why she couldn’t stop the natural disaster. Because of this, the rain was out of control, its power immense. By now, it was probably raining all across the land.
To stop this, she had to use the Ming Guangxin to recharge her supply-providing Immortal Realm, ensuring it could be used again to stop the flood.
But if the Ming Guangxin fell into that Vice General Tian’s hands, he would use it to power his own protection system, strengthening its energy and completely destroying her supply-providing Immortal Realm.
’In that case... could the item Mother told me to find, the one buried beneath the Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus, be this vital component?’
Mo Lingwei frowned. "Such a vital object... So, you’re saying we’re now in a race against time to see who can get to it first?"
Shen Ningning nodded, her beautiful eyes looking out at the dark, rainy sky.
In fact, right after finishing Master Gu’s letter, she had secretly tried to re-enter the Immortal Realm. But for some reason, her several attempts had all failed.
’It seems it’s just as Master Gu wrote in his letter. The protection system is constantly growing stronger, interfering with the normal use of the Immortal Realm.’
’I could still get in yesterday, but not today.’
Mo Lingwei made a suggestion. "One option is for me to go and forcibly abduct Ren Pengyi. The men guarding the foot of Tianshan Mountain are all his. If we capture him, we can force him to withdraw his troops."
Shen Ningning pursed her lips, thinking for a moment. "If this Vice General Tian is real, then Governor Ren must be in league with him. He’ll only try to sabotage us, not cooperate."
Moreover, it was obvious this Vice General Tian had another ability: he could anticipate Shen Ningning’s moves.
Shen Ningning even suspected that Governor Ren’s sudden summons for his daughter and son-in-law to return to Ling Mountain City was also Vice General Tian’s idea, because he might have known in advance that she and Mo Lingwei would be passing through here.
All signs indicated that her opponent was far too capable. He held a prophetic advantage, having already seen through her plans and cut off her access to supplies, all without even showing his face.
After a moment of thought, Mo Lingwei made a swift decision.
"If it’s truly this dangerous, then we’ve walked into a trap. Everything happening now is just one of Tian Xuezhen’s ploys to capture you. We must leave at once. I’ve already made arrangements with Mr. Cui; we’ll go to his place to take shelter."
’He’s setting a trap to lure me out, but what’s the point? Can it be that he can’t get the Ming Guangxin component without me?’
Shen Ningning’s thoughts were in a turmoil. She couldn’t think of a better plan for the time being, but leaving Ren Mansion was definitely the right thing to do.
She immediately gathered her things and followed Mo Lingwei to leave.
But just before leaving, she thought of Ren Si and hesitated, wondering if she should give her a heads-up.
Mo Lingwei grasped her wrist. "There’s no need. Their target is you, not her. She’ll be safer once we’re gone."
Shen Ningning felt he had a point. Still, she saw the heavy downpour outside and knew Ren Mansion was in a low-lying area. The water in the courtyard was already over her ankles. She called over a maidservant. "Go tell your fourth young miss to leave the mansion and find higher ground to take shelter from the rain. After you deliver the message, all of you should find your own places to wait out the storm. There’s no need to return to this courtyard."
After she finished speaking, Shen Ningning gave the maidservants some of her valuable treasures.
The young maidservants hadn’t expected to receive so much gold and silver for just relaying a message, and they agreed at once.
Once the maids had gone, Shen Ningning and Mo Lingwei finally left Ren Mansion. Escorted by Hidden Guards, they donned straw rain capes and hurried toward the Cui Mansion.
Along the way, the rainwater in the main streets had already formed winding streams.
Mo Lingwei pulled her along as they walked through the splashing alleyways. Suddenly, Shen Ningning glanced up out of the corner of her eye and saw a tall, three-story platform in the distance.
It was the platform Ren Pengyi had built for himself long ago. ’So,’ she thought, ’he must have known this deluge was coming and prepared the perfect shelter for himself in advance.’
When they arrived at the Cui Mansion, the situation there was not much better. Maids and servants were all bailing water out of the estate. Mr. Cui’s face was pale with anxiety, but he still managed to settle Mo Lingwei and Shen Ningning in properly.
"Your Highness, I fear there’s been some unusual movement in the city. My men told me that last night, Governor Ren suddenly mustered his troops and deployed all of General Peng’s soldiers to the city gates. It looks like he’s planning to seal the city by force."
Shen Ningning bit her lip and exchanged a look with Mo Lingwei.
’His Crown Prince’s personal soldiers are about to reach Ling Mountain City,’ she thought. ’And Governor Ren has chosen this exact moment to seal the city by force. Could he be planning to use the flood as cover to murder us?’