Chapter 247: Fate — A Heart Pierced by Arrows
Little Eight said, “Now do you see why he’s lived so long? Witchcraft and stuff—you understand that better than I do.”
Nan Xun frowned deeply and said coldly, “Do you know what kind of price one pays for using such a heaven-defying secret art? Being cut off from descendants and dying a miserable death would be the lightest punishment!”
Little Eight’s voice trembled. “That brutal? No wonder…”
Nan Xun’s gaze suddenly sharpened. “No wonder what? Little Eight—what happened to the big boss in the original world in the end?”
Little Eight replied with some sympathy, “The big boss was ultimately killed by the Child of Fortune who swallowed up Southern Yun’s national destiny—he died with ten thousand arrows piercing his heart! Damn, that’s seriously tragic!”
Nan Xun clenched her fists, her eyes darkening.
Little Eight hurriedly added, “But afterward, Qi Hengqing ordered a grand burial for the Grand National Preceptor to placate the people of Southern Yun.”
Nan Xun sneered. “What’s the use of a grand burial when the person is already dead?”
Little Eight whimpered, “Don’t talk like that—it’s scary, okay?”
Nan Xun fell silent. Her gaze was cold and heavy; even Little Eight couldn’t tell what she was thinking.
The old ruler of Southern Yun, who had been bedridden with illness, suddenly recovered. Rejuvenated and full of vigor, his transformation shocked the entire court, including the princes who had been secretly fighting among themselves.
After regaining his strength, the first thing the old ruler did was deal with the restless officials. Upon learning that several princes had been scheming against each other—and even wishing for his early death—the last trace of guilt he had vanished.
“In five days, envoys from three nations will arrive. It happens to coincide with our annual Heaven-Sacrificing Prayer Ceremony,” the old ruler said, looking toward the white-robed man seated to his right. “What does the Grand National Preceptor think?”
The man sat on a gem-inlaid, silver-plated cushioned chair, his eyes half-lidded as if pondering something.
In the entire court, only the Grand National Preceptor enjoyed the privilege of being seated.
“Your Majesty,” Gong Mo Ran said calmly, “the date of the Heaven-Sacrificing Ceremony was chosen by this subject as an auspicious day. It cannot be changed at will.”
The Left Chancellor immediately stepped forward. “Your Majesty, the Heaven-Sacrificing Ceremony is a major event of Southern Yun. Since the envoys from the three nations happen to arrive that day, why not let them witness our Grand National Preceptor’s heaven-reaching arts, to awe the three nations?”
“I concur.”
“I also concur, Father.”
“My lord, are you truly going to perform the Heaven-Sacrificing Ceremony before the envoys of all nations?” Nan Xun asked worriedly.
Gong Mo Ran drank the tea she handed him and nodded slightly.
“My lord, I’m worried about you. Please take me with you when the time comes.”
Gong Mo Ran picked up two pieces of locust flower cake, ate them, then pushed the rest toward Nan Xun. “Eat.”
Nan Xun looked at him, then at the cakes. In just a few bites, she finished them, cheeks puffed out.
After eating, she began to pester him softly. “My lord, please take me with you. If you don’t, I’ll just sneak in myself.”
Gong Mo Ran looked at her, then suddenly reached toward her lips and gently flicked away a crumb stuck there.
Nan Xun froze, staring at him blankly.
Those dead-water eyes of his seemed to ripple slightly. “Of course I’ll take you. I’ve grown accustomed to your service. If you’re not there, who will pour tea and serve me?”
Nan Xun: …
Well, that’s just wonderful. Heh.
Gong Mo Ran suddenly changed his tone. “However, you won’t follow me under your current identity.”
Nan Xun blinked, pondering his implication.
That very day, Mo Ran Hall decisively held a formal disciple-acceptance ceremony.
Before the eighteen disciples, Gong Mo Ran personally accepted the tea Nan Xun offered, taking her in as the nineteenth disciple and granting her the name Gong Nineteen.
The disciples were utterly shocked. During each ruler’s reign, the Grand National Preceptor accepted only two disciples. Gong Eighteen had been taken in just three years ago as the second. This time, he had broken precedent again—accepting a third disciple, and a female one promoted from a Gu servant!
Nan Xun was very happy, because Little Eight said the Malice Value had dropped by another five points. She was quietly infiltrating the big boss’s daily life, and it was clearly working—at the very least, he had already grown used to her service.
Mo Ran Hall did not favor calling the Grand National Preceptor “Master,” perhaps feeling it would be disrespectful to such a lofty figure. Nan Xun therefore continued to address Gong Mo Ran as “my lord,” just as before.
After the ceremony, Gong Da wore a constipated expression and asked, “My lord, since this girl has become your new disciple, should we arrange for her to live alone in a side hall?”
Gong Mo Ran frowned slightly, then relaxed. “No need. I’m accustomed to the girl’s service.”
The disciples were stunned again, their thoughts immediately diverging.
Gong Seventeen looked at Nan Xun, his expression conflicted.
Once Gong Mo Ran left and the disciples dispersed, Gong Seventeen immediately grabbed Nan Xun and pulled her into a corner.
“Hey—Gong Seventeen, what are you doing? Let go!”
He angrily flung away her soft hand and said with restrained fury, “Li Yunduo, I’m asking you—do you, do you harbor some unspeakable intentions toward my lord?”
Before Nan Xun could answer, he snapped, “Stop daydreaming! My lord doesn’t like women, and he will never like women! Every disciple of Mo Ran Hall must remain pure. Only Gu refined by a virgin is the most pure. I advise you to kill those thoughts early!”
Nan Xun raised a brow at him. “Seventeen, aren’t you sticking your nose in a bit too much? Whatever thoughts I may have, even my lord hasn’t said anything—why are you the one warning me?”
Gong Seventeen said bitterly, “You foolish girl! So you really do have such thoughts! I’m warning you only because I don’t want you to die without even knowing how. Someone once tried to curry favor with my lord using a beauty trap. Do you know what happened to her? My lord mercilessly planted a Gut-Piercing Gu in her. She bled from all seven orifices, her body rotted, and she died. That woman was known as the most beautiful woman in Southern Yun, and my lord didn’t even spare her a second glance.”
Nan Xun smiled. “Thanks, Seventeen. So my lord is actually so chaste. If you hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known he’s still a virgin.”
Gong Seventeen: …
Enraged, Gong Seventeen shouted, “You wretched girl, do you even understand what I’m saying?!”
Nan Xun slung an arm around his shoulder like an old buddy, grinning. “Of course I do. But to die beneath peonies is romantic even as a ghost. If I could bed the Grand National Preceptor, I’d have no regrets in this life.”
“Y-you—you…” Gong Seventeen stared, speechless.
Nan Xun laughed loudly. “Seventeen-ge, I’m heading off. This is our little secret—don’t tell anyone. If the other senior brothers find out I’m fantasizing about my lord, they’d probably stab me with a sword.”
Watching the girl’s light, carefree figure walk away, Gong Seventeen’s handsome face twisted into a knot.
A foolish girl courting death with wild delusions.
Main Hall.
Gong Mo Ran reclined on a couch reading. When Nan Xun entered, he didn’t even look up. “Girl, I’ve had a small bed prepared for you in the outer hall. From now on, don’t sleep on the floor anymore.”
Nan Xun lit up instantly. “Thank you, my lord!”
Gong Mo Ran continued, “I’ve also instructed the kitchen to prepare some dishes. If you’re hungry, just tell them directly. Eat whatever you want, however much you want—it’s fine.”
Nan Xun’s eyes flew wide open. “My lord… you don’t mean you already know, do you?”
Gong Mo Ran raised a brow slightly. “Know what, exactly?”
“That I’m actually a… bottomless pit,” Nan Xun said with some embarrassment.
