Chapter 53
Note: Sorry about the delay. I got sick T_T
Some chaotic memory fragments suddenly pierce into Tang Yunxuan's mind.
The Zhaixing Tower is the very tower he saw in his dream. His footsteps falter, and his breathing becomes somewhat difficult.
Cheng Xuyuan and He Zhen don't notice anything wrong. He Zhen asks Zhao Xintong, "Has there been anything else unusual in your home recently?"
Zhao Xintong shakes her head.
Cheng Xuyuan asks, "Have you bought anything new lately, like antiques or such?" The reason for asking this is because Zhao Chao's situation is very similar to Lu Qin's.
Zhao Xintong bitterly smiles and says, "We've been spending on my father's treatment these past few months. We don't have money to buy antiques, but we did sell some."
At the mention of this, Cheng Xuyuan and the others immediately think of the golden compass.
As they talk, they reach Zhao Chao's room. Zhao Chao is lying in bed, his body thin and frail, looking haggard. Although his cancer has been cured, the pain from the nightmares is no less severe.
"Dad, I brought in the feng shui masters," Zhao Xintong says.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Zhao Xintong introduces the young and seemingly unreliable men to her father one by one.
When she mentions that Tang Yunxuan is the young master of the Tang family, Zhao Chao struggles to sit up on the bed. He insists on expressing his gratitude for the generous support they have given during this difficult time.
"Tai Sui is worth that much, I should be the one thanking the Zhao family for your life-saving kindness," Tang Yunxuan quickly responds.
After inquiring about Zhao Chao's health, He Zhen directly asks, "Mr. Zhao, do you have any antiques or the like in your house?"
Zhao Chao blinks in surprise, then shakes his head. "Before my father passed away, he left me some things," he says. "But I've already sold everything that could be sold, otherwise, I wouldn't have even been able to afford hospitalization."
"What did he leave you?" Cheng Xuyuan asks, frowning. "Perhaps your illness is related to these items."
Zhao Chao hadn't expected this potential connection and quickly ponders over it. "There wasn't much — a box of lingzhi, which I've already sold to the Tang family, and a compass, which I've sold quite cheaply to a family who collects antiques."
"Is there anything else?" Tang Yunxuan raises an eyebrow, feeling there must be more.
Zhao Chao ponders further then hesitates before answering, "My father was an archaeologist when he was young and left some archaeological materials and maps, but they're not of much value."
Both Cheng Xuyuan and He Zhen thought the same, but Tang Yunxuan suddenly says, "Could you let us have a look at them?"
Naturally, Zhao Chao agrees to Master Tang's request. Due to his physical condition, he asks Zhao Xintong to guide the three men.
Zhao Xintong leads them to a study. In a rural house, a study is a rarity. This reveals that Zhao Xintong's grandfather was a very sophisticated intellectual.
The study was filled with ancient books, showing signs of regular cleaning. These archaeological materials were likely the lifelong passion of Zhao Xintong's grandfather, shrouded in a mysterious aura.
After rummaging through a pile of books for a while, Zhao Xintong pulled out a locked wooden box.
"This is what my grandfather entrusted to us before he passed away," Zhao Xintong explained as she opened the box with a key. "We've looked at the contents before, and aside from the Ganoderma lucidum and compass we already sold, there really isn't anything valuable."
The items in the box saw the light of day once again, containing several handwritten manuscripts and one map.
The manuscripts were written by Zhao Xintong's grandfather himself. The writing was somewhat messy and hard to recognize, but it was still discernible as a part of his archaeological notes.
Upon opening the map, it appeared ordinary, with no markings or inscriptions on it.
Cheng Xuyuan said with disappointment, "These things really don't seem that important."
He Zhen looked at Tang Yunxuan, hoping for an explanation.
However, Tang Yunxuan seemed not to have heard Cheng Xuyuan's words. He stared at the map, unable to resist reaching out a hand.
In fact, at that moment, Tang Yunxuan's mind was blank. He had no idea why he was extending his hand. His state resembled someone being possessed, with no control over his own kirin arm.
The last time Tang Yunxuan made this movement was in Lu Qin's house.
The other three people watched him, puzzled.
Tang Yunxuan's fingers gently touched the map, starting from the capital city, lingering along a path, and finally landed somewhere on the map.
He snapped back to reality, murmuring, "Xing Country...is right here."
"Xing Country?" Cheng Xuyuan looked perplexedly at the map.
However, Zhao Xintong seemed to find this name familiar. She picked up the archaeological notes, which indeed mentioned fragments of information about "Xing Country". But these were all dear grandfather's conjectures.
In human history, there was no evidence proving the existence of this state.
Nevertheless, Tang Yunxuan was still in a trance, saying confidently, "Xing Country is right here."
The other three stared at him with strange looks.
After hesitating for a moment, Cheng Xuyuan asked, "Tang Yunxuan, are you sure the Xing Country you mentioned is in this location?"
Tang Yunxuan was jolted back to his senses. His mind was completely out of control just now, and he hadn't looked at the map at all.
When his gaze finally fell on the map, he was taken aback.
Where his finger pointed on the map, a vast desert lay.
Tang Yunxuan anxiously asked, "Are there any other items in the box?"
Zhao Xintong gave him a strange look, shook her head and said, "No more, only these..."
As soon as the words fell, Tang Yunxuan's gaze fell on the copper lock of the box, where a key with intricate motifs was inserted.
Like heeding a beckoning call, Tang Yunxuan reached out and gently pulled out the key.
"This key was left by my grandfather," Zhao Xintong said, watching him puzzled, "Is there anything special about it?"
Tang Yunxuan didn't answer, his gaze began to blur.
The key seemed to open a mysterious gate, and in an instant, Tang Yunxuan was transported back three thousand years.
His vision focused, and what he saw was an antique room exuding luxury. A faint scent of incense swirled around the elaborately carved beams and painted columns, everything around looked extraordinarily valuable.
"His Majesty's health is deteriorating day by day."
A voice came from somewhere not far, followed by the appearance of the previously seen young man dressed in white.
Tang Yunxuan's body was feeble. He could only gaze puzzledly at the young man.
"Your Majesty should refrain from staying up late dealing with official documents," the young man advised as he sat down by the bed with a face Tang Yunxuan couldn't clearly see, "If you entirely ruin your health, the world may plunge into chaos again."
Tang Yunxuan nodded involuntarily.
The young man then fed bitter medicinal soup to him; his actions were gentle and adept.
Tang Yunxuan furrowed his brows — the medicine was incredibly bitter, almost undrinkable — it was far more revolting than any medicine he had ever taken.
The young man watched as he finished the medicine, then handed him a piece of mung bean cake. "Your Majesty, I made this in the morning, please eat."
The mung bean cake was sweet and refreshingly fragrant. It melted in his mouth and brought some comfort to Tang Yunxuan's bitter palate.
Suddenly, another dizzy spell came over him. Like before, his soul left his body and floated mid-air.
The emperor looked at the docile young man by his bedside, his large hand grabbing the young man's arm, and spoke solemnly, "Yuan'er, you've mentioned unusual astrological signs and an impending calamity. Is it true?"
The young man froze for a moment, then answered calmly, "Your Majesty, do not worry. Even if something unusual occurs, I will stay by your side until the world is at peace."
This was a sincere and confident promise, and the emperor was no longer worried after hearing it. He simply sighed lightly, saying, "It's just that my health is getting worse; I'm afraid I won't make it past 25..."
"Your Majesty." The young man raised his Finger, pressing it against the emperor's lips. "Do not say such things."
"Yuan'er, I've never been afraid of death." Having fought on the battlefield for so many years, the emperor lived every day on the edge of a blade, never fearing death. "I'm just afraid that without my company, you'll be lonely..."
"Your Majesty, stop talking nonsense," the young man said, his voice tinged with annoyance. "With such noble fate, how could you possibly only live until you're 25?"
But the emperor smiled slightly, saying to him, "What if, one day, I truly become seriously ill? What will you do then?"
"Your Majesty, stop joking!" The young man sat down by the bed, looking down at the emperor. "Even if that day truly comes, I will turn into wild game in the mountains. Even if you have to cook me, I'lĺ do everything to save your life."
The emperor chuckled softly, "Wild game? You're a person; how could you become wild game? Besides, at your age, even if you become wild game, you wouldn't have much value in saving lives."
Wild game refers to lingzhi, a rare medicinal herb. Upon hearing this conversation, a chill ran down Tang Yunxuan's spine.
The young man stood up and tidied up the medicine bowl, but the emperor grabbed his sleeve from behind.
"Yuan'er, I'm serious. If there really comes a day when I can't be by your side, I hope that you can live on, even if it's for the sake of the peace and stability of the Xing Country."
The young man didn't turn around. He seemed to be holding back his tears, the glazed bowl in his hand quivering slightly.
A moment later, a tear slid down his face.
In that instant, Tang Yunxuan saw his face clearly.
But before he could be surprised, the view before Tang Yunxuan's eyes become blurred again.
"Tang Yunxuan! Tang Yunxuan!"
Cheng Xuyuan pinched Tang Yunxuan's philtrum forcefully, fearing he would faint again.
Fortunately, this time Tang Yunxuan wasn't as weak, regaining consciousness after swaying for a moment.
His expression went from being confused to shocked.
Because the face of the young man he had just seen was identical to that of Tai Sui.
"You..." Tang Yunxuan looked at Cheng Xuyuan, his face pale, "Who exactly are you?"
Cheng Xuyuan was puzzled by this question, he said, "I am me. Don't you know who I am?"
The other two people also felt that Tang Yunxuan was behaving strangely. The key in his hand was almost snapped by his tight grip.
Tang Yunxuan regulated his breathing, trying to convince himself that all he saw was an illusion.
A few minutes later, he held the key, his eyes pinpointed on the border desert area on the map, and decisively told Cheng Xuyuan, "We'll leave for this desert one of these days."
Cheng Xuyuan widened his eyes in surprise, questioning, "Are you insane?"
It was a desert known as the death zone; very few people managed to come out of it alive.
But Tang Yunxuan was exceptionally determined.
He believed that there must be something waiting for him to find in that place.
________________________
Author's note:
Tang Yunxuan insists that he can't faint.
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