Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Yun Deguang was silent for a long while. Finally, he sighed softly and said, “Alright. There are some things that we can never get over and never forget if we suppress them inside us for too long. Since you are willing to listen to the ramblings of an old man, then let me tell you about the events of my younger years.”
“I am ashamed to say, but back during the Resistance, our army represented Hua Xia in assisting our neighboring country.”
Yun Deguang was a veteran of the Red Army. His contributions to the war effort had been incredible, but very few people knew about them. In the final large-scale assault in assisting the neighboring country, as recorded by Hua Xia, Yun Deguang was severely injured and nearly died on the battlefield. The team he led was lost in a barren primeval forest.
The battalion that he led was completely wiped out. He was the only survivor.
Under normal circumstances, Yun Deguang would have been unlikely to survive the severe injuries and would probably have died as a result of being lost in a harsh, beast-ridden primeval forest. Fortunately for him, however, he was saved by maiden who was gathering medicinal herbs. The maiden had taken the heavily injured and unconscious Yun Deguang to Shangri-la. She took care of him every day, nursing him back to health little by little.
“Even right now, I can still clearly remember it. The place was called the Phoenix Tail Village. It was a very beautiful place. It was a simple village that was very welcoming of guests. I spent a happy and leisurely time there. The maiden that saved me was called Feng Ling’er. She was very beautiful, very kind, and pure.”
However, the reality was much crueler than fairytales. That maiden Feng Ling’er took care of Yun Deguang day and night with utmost care and attention. As time passed, she developed feelings for him. Both of them were young. Sparks flew and as expected, a fire of love was set ablaze.
“People make mistakes. Falling in love with her was my greatest mistake, my greatest regret, and my most painful memory. It was all my fault. I wronged her… I am not a good man…”
Yun Deguang’s expression was painful. Two streaks of tears rolled down his face. He had suppressed this for the past few decades. After revealing it to Mo Wen, he could no longer control his emotions.
“Back then, you abandoned the maiden called Feng Ling’er and returned to the city?” Mo Wen said softly.
Mo Wen could sense the regret from Yun Deguang. His story had allowed Mo Wen to understand that this so-called Shangri-la was most likely in the Ancient Sorcery Mystery Dimension. Why had the maiden called Feng Ling’er appeared in the main space? It was most likely just a coincidence, as was her encounter with Yun Deguang. After all, the two of them had no relationship prior to this.
“No, I wanted to bring her with me. I thought that she would follow me, but I was wrong.”
“Then, why didn’t you stay in the Phoenix Tail Village?”
“Speaking of that, I was a downright b*stard. Actually, at that time, I already had a family. The war began while my wife was pregnant at home. I received my orders to aid the neighboring country in the war. When my wife was delivering the baby at home, I could not be by her side and could not see her. Later, I would find out from letters that she had borne me a son. I had a wife and child at home, and also my elderly parents. I was the only heir of my clan. I could not stay in the Phoenix Tail Village.”
Yun Deguang breathed deeply. He had always kept this matter inside of him. Even his deceased first wife did not know about this. This was the first time he had spoken about it in decades.
From a moral standpoint, he was downright scum. However, he had truly never wanted to hurt Feng Ling’er. Back then, under the influence of the feudal thinking of the republic era, as well as the fact his father was a warlord of that era, polygamy was a very normal concept for him. However, he was not a womanizer. He only loved two women in his entire life. One was Yun Xiaoman’s grandmother; the other was Feng Ling’er.
Back then, he had wanted to bring Feng Ling’er back home to be his concubine. However, his thinking was too idealistic. On the other hand, reality was very cruel; Feng Ling’er could not accept that he still had a wife at all. In her heart, love was supposed to be pure and faithful. A couple should only have each other.
“Did you ever think of staying?” Mo Wen also had mixed feelings. Based on Yun Deguang’s point of view, he was most likely also not a good man. However, he was more fortunate than the old man had been. Mo Wen had not encountered a situation where he had to make such a difficult choice.
“Of course, I thought about it. I had never deceived her feelings. I loved her. I would rather suffer pain myself than hurt her. But with a wife and child at home, as well as my old parents, what else could I have done?”
Yun Deguang had a look of deep pain and helplessness on his face. Even after so many years, this pain still had not lightened. He had to return home. He was the only man in his family.
“How were you able to return back then? With your ability, you most likely would not have been able to return on your own.”
The Phoenix Tail Village was in the Ancient Sorcery Mystery Dimension. Yun Deguang was just an ordinary person. He did not have the ability to cross over spaces. If Feng Ling’er had not let him return, he most likely would not have been able to cross back to the main space.
“She said that the space was called the Ancient Sorcery Mystery Dimension. I could not find the way back home. I begged her to let me go. She did not force me. Back then, she gave me two choices. One was to stay. She was willing to be my wife and asked me to forget about everything in the outside world. The alternative was that she could send me away, never to return again, but I must carry with me a Purplish Blue Flower. I must always keep it by my side, until the day I die.”
Upon hearing this, Mo Wen suddenly had a realization. No wonder a Purplish Blue Flower had appeared in Yun Xiaoman’s house. By right, such a thing was hard to find even deep in the mountains and swamps. It was impossible for it to appear in the house of an ordinary person. Moreover, that Purplish Blue Flower was a mature stalk that was perfectly preserved.
“You also know about that Purplish Blue Flower,” Yun Deguang said dejectedly. It happened so many years ago. Only now did he realize that the Purplish Blue Flower was most likely a poison that Feng Ling’er had left beside him. It could take his life at any moment.
Back then, he had given the Purplish Blue Flower to Mo Wen. No one could understand the complicated emotions he had inside. He originally believed that after so many years, he would die of old age and turn to dust. The incident was in the past, hence he did not think much about it, and gave the Purplish Blue Flower to Mo Wen. He was not afraid of dying, but he was afraid of keeping the Purplish Blue Flower at home and harming his family.
“So that was why.”
Mo Wen finally understood why Mo Qingtian had said that the fact that Yun Xiaoman had been kidnapped by the Sorcerer Clan had something to do with Mo Wen. The Purplish Blue Flower must have had a mysterious power that he was not aware of. Once it was away from Yun Deguang, Feng Ling’er, who was far away in the Ancient Sorcery Mystery Dimension, would sense it. In order to seek revenge against Yun Deguang for breaking his promise from the past, she had kidnapped Yun Xiaoman.
“Little friend Mo Wen, please rescue Xiaoman. She is but a child. What does she know about this? It is all my fault. I am the one who has wronged her. If Ling’er wants to kill me, I will wait for her to come and take my life at any time. I will have no complaints nor regrets. But please, don’t let her harm Xiaoman.”
Yun Deguang grabbed Mo Wen’s hand. Sometimes, living was harder than dying. He only asked for death, hoping that Xiaoman would be safe in exchange.
