The White Moonlight Disdained by the Male Protagonist of Redemption - Chapter 10.2

“In Cangyuan, the Lord of the Mulberry and the East Lord have fought for thousands of years, like water and fire… The Mulberry Lord secretly exiled his own kin, turning them into slaves who are controlled by him after eating the dragon meat.”

Chu Xiao’s mouth dropped open. “But isn’t it true that outsiders can’t enter Cangyuan? Even if they’re controlled, they can’t help him, right?”

The man shook his head. “It’s not just for power struggles. The Mulberry Lord needs to strengthen himself to extend his life, and ordinary food isn’t enough. He needs the bloodline of ancient beings… The Xuanwu Clan is numerous and hard to attack. The Bodhi Clan has few members, but its spiritual energy is pure, and they’re the most likely to be targeted… Please, believe me, those who are exiled from Cangyuan are innocent…”

Before Chu Xiao could ask more, the man’s eyes glazed over, his body turned to mist, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished.

“That’s the end of what he said,” Chu Xiao spread his hands. “The last few words were too faint, and I couldn’t hear them clearly. I found a small river to gather his belongings and rushed back to meet you.”

Jie Zhongyi looked confused and said, “He spoke with difficulty, and then he turned to mist?”

“Yeah.”

“This is Cangyuan’s puppet technique. He resisted the will of the person controlling him and died for saying something he shouldn’t have.”

Jie Zhongyi spoke seriously, and the others fell silent.

After a while, Ning Yuzhu trembled. “So… we’re being targeted by the Cangyuan Dragon Clan? They want to eat us?”

Ning Yao replied, “It seems so.”

“What do we do?”

Ning Yao didn’t answer. She was deep in thought. “Feng’s words, ‘those who are exiled are innocent’… How should I understand that? Doesn’t exile carry a greater punishment than death? Master, why didn’t you mention this before?”

Jie Zhongyi was speechless. “It’s already good enough that I know a few secrets of others.”

That’s true.

Ning Yao thought for a moment. “Given the number and power of the Cangyuan dragons, they could easily take down Luoxiang Mountain without even needing to move their nests. Why would they risk their kin’s lives, turning outsiders into puppets? Why go through all this trouble?”

Ning Yuzhu’s eyes widened. “Damn, you’re so considerate. You don’t want to make it easier for people to eat you?”

Chu Xiao smacked him. “Don’t interrupt. Yao Yao is right. Isn’t it strange that they’re doing this?”

Ning Yuzhu replied, “It’s strange, it’s so strange, but I’m telling you, big brother and big sister, while you’re analyzing, have you thought about the bigger picture? They’re putting us on the table! Aren’t you thinking of a countermeasure?”

Ning Yao answered angrily, “I am thinking! We need to come up with different strategies for different situations. And if the Cangyuan dragons want to come straight to our door, what’s the point of strategies? We’ll have to run, understand?”

Ning Yuzhu didn’t believe it. “No way, you can’t beat the Cangyuan dragons?”

Ning Yao smiled. “Well, it depends on how many of them there are. One, I can fight back. A hundred… no one can win.”

They all fell into silence again.

Ning Yuzhu nervously broke the silence. “Big cousin, what do you think is the relationship between Feng and Jingzhuo?”

All of them fell silent as how to assess the situation.

Meanwhile…

Feng Jingzhuo remained in the water for a while after Ning Yao left.

At that moment, he had been so absorbed in her words that he forgot to look away and stared at her for too long. He noticed the cinnabar mark between her brows, red like jade, and her eyes sparkling with life, captivating him. His heart began to race and thumping loudly in his chest.

Then she smiled at him, and in a panic, his heart skipped a beat. Without thinking, he suddenly sank into the water.

After hiding for a while, he surfaced again, but by then, she was already gone.

Feng Jingzhuo leaned against the edge of the pond, his damp black hair sticking to his face and neck. The water flowed down unto his skin, and he slowly covered his heart, which was still beating rapidly. His mind was still replaying her face.

He looked up at the sky. The moon above seemed to mirror his solitude. A voice inside his head told him that life hadn’t been easy, and he shouldn’t be too harsh on himself. She was like a Bodhisattva, gentle and bright. His heart raced a little faster, but as long as she didn’t know, it wouldn’t be considered disrespectful, right?

He shook his head vigorously, trying to shake off the thoughts in his mind.

After a brief silence, he pushed himself up, dragging his wet body as he walked back to his room.

When he shut the door behind him, everything around him was pitch black, and he couldn’t even see himself.

He softly murmured, “Yao Yao.”

The darkness enveloped him, along with the youthfulness and shyness he felt, and the tiny sweetness that lingered on his tongue.

He opened his mouth again, but the motion froze as he thought about it. After a moment, he decided to stop himself and leave things as they were.

Feng Jingzhuo leaned against the door, remaining quiet for a moment before heading toward the table, intending to light the lamp.

However, before he could reach it, he tripped over something. His body lurched forward uncontrollably, and it felt as though invisible ropes had wrapped around his neck, pulling him toward the ground. He fell to his knees, using his hands and feet to crawl desperately like a dog, knocking over several chairs in the process.

He struggled to get up and his fingers are digging at his neck as he tried to break free from the suffocating grip. But nothing could be grasped. He lost his balance and was knocked to the ground.

The invisible ropes tightened around his neck, and invisible hands pressed down on his back, restraining him. He couldn’t break free or stand up.