sbdcsierra Chapter 196 Sea of Fire
Chapter 196 Sea of Fire
The entire tunnel was filled with a strong and pungent smell of alcohol.
As the smell of alcohol spread, the crackling sound of wood burning in the flames could be heard.
The raging fire devoured all the wood like a wild beast, one by one, without reservation.
In just a moment, all the wood was burned into ashes, making it unsightly.
Rong Su originally thought that they were about to die in the sea of fire, but the next second, Shen Xuan woke up and even dragged his weak body to show them the way.
Back away, all the way back to where you came out of the iron cage.
Just next to that place, Shen Xuan groped there for several seconds, just as the flame was about to burn over.
A secret door was opened with a swish, and Shen Xuan urged Rong Su and Shen Peiqing to go in.
After the three of them went in, the secret door slammed shut, isolating them from the sea of fire.
It was still very dark inside the secret door, and there was no light around.
Rong Su heard some footsteps. She didn't know whether it was Shen Xuan or Shen Peiqing walking. She only heard someone walking not far ahead, then stopped, and then whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, and a series of other sounds came one after another.
Afterwards, the whole place was illuminated by fire.
Her eyes blinked subconsciously a few times because of the sudden light around her. When she could see clearly inside, she found that there was a different world inside.
"This is, actually, a small courtyard."
Rong Su couldn't help but marvel that a small courtyard was built in a dark tunnel.
The top of the courtyard is connected to the top of the wall, which is made of solid stones. There is a small pavilion in front and a small well on the side.
The air in a sealed place should not be able to flow, but Rong Su could feel that she did not feel any oppression or discomfort when standing inside.
She cast her gaze towards the side away from the top of the courtyard, where there were some totem-like patterns. Those patterns were depicted with cracks, and she could feel the wind blowing in from those cracks.
Shen Xuan's body swayed, and Shen Peiqing immediately stepped forward to support him: "Father."
Shen Xuan seemed to be shocked after hearing Shen Peiqing's voice, and then looked at Shen Peiqing with surprise and joy in his eyes, and even a hint of sadness.
"Qing'er. You, you are not dead."
Seeing Shen Xuan's worried expression, Shen Peiqing had a complicated expression. He held Shen Xuan's arm tightly and said in a lower voice: "Yes. I'm still alive. Is my father disappointed?"
When Shen Xuan heard this, his weathered eyes suddenly turned red. He raised his hand tremblingly and grabbed Shen Peiqing's arm, his voice trembling.
"I'm sorry, it's my fault, it's my fault. If I hadn't been so suspicious, if I hadn't believed Yu'er's words, you wouldn't have become like that!"
Shen Peiqing lowered his head and remained silent.
Rong Su could see that he seemed very sad, but she couldn't express her sadness, so she could only express it through silence.
It seems that Shen Xuan knew about Shen Fengyu's frame-up of Shen Peiqing, but what's the use of knowing it? It will be of no use. The damage he suffered is irreparable.
Shen Xuan's eyes flickered as he shook his head and sighed, his face full of self-blame: "Perhaps this is my retribution. Imprisoned in an iron cage by Yu'er. Suffering utterly."
Speaking of this, Shen Peiqing raised his head and looked at Shen Xuan. Obviously, he was not dwelling on Shen Xuan's mistakes. Instead, he asked, "When did Emperor Father start being imprisoned by Shen Fengyu?"
Shen Xuan lowered his head, his age evident. "Half a year ago. Actually, my health started to show signs of problems long before you left Beizhou. I noticed something at the time, but I couldn't believe Yu'er. Later, Yu'er took advantage of the border conflict to learn about government affairs and asked me for my military command. One day, I fainted, and when I woke up, I found myself in a cage."
After hearing what Shen Xuan said, Rong Su began to have no good feelings towards Shen Xuan. He couldn't doubt Shen Fengyu, but he could doubt Shen Peiqing. Both of them were his biological sons, but he could be so biased.
I think Shen Peiqing also felt something, but he chose to remain silent and didn't ask.
Shen Peiqing didn't say anything, and the atmosphere was filled with awkwardness for a moment.
Seeing this, Shen Xuan sighed, changed the subject, looked around, and said, "It's safe here for the time being. This is the most secret place in the secret palace. Only the emperor knows it. So, Yu'er can't find it."
"Cough cough!"
Seeing Shen Xuan suddenly coughing violently, Shen Peiqing frowned, stepped forward to support Shen Xuan again, and said worriedly: "Father, you should go in and rest first."
Shen Xuan looked at Shen Peiqing with eyes full of shame, but he seemed not to know how to express it and could only express it with his eyes.
While watching Shen Peiqing helping Shen Xuan into the yard, Rong Su observed around.
There was an unexpected gain. I didn't expect that there was a courtyard in this tunnel surrounded by stone walls. It was already a magical place. I didn't expect that there was a Kuroda behind the courtyard.
Although the black field is not big, only one hundredth of an acre, it is enough to grow something.
Rong Su walked over and took a look, and then saw the firelight on the stone wall. No, to be precise, it was not fire, but a night pearl.
There are wonders everywhere here, whether it is the night-shining pearls hanging on the stone wall, the ventilation gap at the top of the courtyard, or the black field behind the courtyard.
Anyone who can design such a world is truly a talented person.
"When I was little, I heard that there was a secret palace in the northern capital, and the only person who could enter and exit the secret palace freely was the emperor."
At some point, Shen Peiqing had walked to her side, looked ahead, and spoke in a low voice. His tone was very calm, and it seemed that he was not at all curious about such a secret palace.
Rong Su was curious about his attitude. She glanced at him sideways, then turned her gaze away to look at the night pearl on the stone wall that was emitting a faint glow.
"Anyone who can build a secret palace is very powerful."
Shen Peiqing followed her gaze, looking at the night-shining pearls, and agreed, "Yes. Do you remember the person who helped the former Zhonghong City become the current Zhongzhou?"
In Zhonghong City, Rong Su thought of the heroic and meritorious first generation Tianfeng Lady Tian Ling that Wu Youyuan had mentioned.
"Of course I remember. The first generation of Tian Fengnu is a legendary figure in Central Continent. Those who have heard of her deeds will probably never forget her."
Shen Peiqing raised his chin slightly, his gaze seemed to be cast on the mountain wall, his voice was clear and cold, like a god who was not tainted by the world. At this moment, he could be described as clear wind and bright moon.
"I've read the Northern Capital History Records, which record that this secret palace was designed by this Tian Ling."
Hearing this, Rong Su couldn't help but be shocked. The blueprints of the secret palace were actually made by Tian Ling. That meant that Tian Ling and Beizhou had some kind of relationship.
Shen Peiqing seemed to sense her suspicions and spoke as if in answer: "I used to be very curious about Tian Ling, so I looked up all the books and files about her. Unfortunately, there seems to be very little description of her in Beizhou."
"Since Tian Ling is the first generation of Tian Feng girl in Zhongzhou, then her deeds should be searched for in Zhongzhou." Rong Su raised her hand, gently stroked her chin with her fingers, and said thoughtfully.
Shen Peiqing nodded and sighed softly, "I thought so too, so I also sent people to Zhongzhou to look for her deeds, but the people sent out to search were able to find very few records of her deeds. Even the files in the Zhongdu Palace only contained a few pages of records. They are exactly the same as what Wu Youyuan told you before. There is no difference."
So, Tian Ling is a very mysterious person.
Suddenly, Rong Su felt her hanging hand being gently wrapped by a warm object. She was slightly stunned and turned her head to look over. She was caught off guard and looked into Shen Peiqing's deep and gentle eyes.
As they looked at each other, she actually forgot to pull her hand away from his hand. Perhaps the touch between her hand and his hand could bring her warmth, or she was just trying to keep it as a souvenir.
Shen Peiqing took two steps closer to her, closing the distance between them. He lowered his head and spoke in a low and gentle voice, "I read the letter you gave me."
What letter? For a moment, Rong Su's mind was blank, but she felt a slight pain on the back of her hand. It turned out that Shen Peiqing had suddenly exerted force for some reason. She couldn't help but stare at him.
Shen Peiqing looked at her with a resentful look, and his tone seemed to be tinged with grievance: "You asked me to wait for you. I waited, but it felt like I waited for a long, long time. Now I finally waited for you. Can you accept my feelings?"
I could feel a cool breeze blowing over my head.
But such a cool feeling could not extinguish the sudden heat on her cheeks.
Rong Su suddenly tried to pull her hand away from Shen Peiqing, but he seemed to sense her movement in advance and held it very tightly, so tightly that she couldn't pull it away at all. She could only stare blankly, but when she looked into his eyes, her face felt hot and she was at a loss.
Shen Peiqing saw her pretty little face, which was as red as a ripe cherry. He couldn't help but curl his eyes, raised the corners of his mouth, and said with a smile: "Your face is so red. Is it very hot? My hands are cold, do you want me to cool them down?"
After he finished speaking, he raised his hand and gently touched her cheek with the back of his hand. The cool feeling slowly seeped into her warmth. Rong Su glared at Shen Peiqing fiercely, but the man smiled even more happily.
It seemed as if an unspoken feeling spread between them.
——Beidu Imperial Palace
In the imperial study, a group of guards knelt on the ground and trembled.
The leading guard was sweating profusely, his body shaking as if he was sieving chaff.
"Your Highness, the secret palace has been burning for three days and three nights, and no one has emerged alive. Then I sent people in to check, but I didn't find the body of Lady Tianfeng of Zhongzhou. There was no body of that person either, but there was the body of a guard outside the iron cage."
Suddenly, a sword came through the air, and the leading guard's head fell to the ground instantly. Blood exploded into blood flowers on the ground, scaring the group of people behind him so much that they lowered their heads even lower, almost sticking them to the ground.
"What's the point of me keeping a bunch of trash like you? We can't even find a single person!" Shen Fengyu's expression was grim, with a long sword in his hand. The sword was stained with blood, and at this moment he looked as cruel as a ruthless Rakshasa.
He looked at the group of frightened guards below, and became more and more irritable and uneasy, even having the urge to destroy everything.
With a "clang", the long sword was thrown to the ground by him. Shen Fengyu turned around with a cold face, walked to the dragon throne, and stretched out his hand to touch the noble seat.
"She would rather be a wandering spirit in Hades' Palace than be my woman. Very good, if she doesn't want to, someone else will naturally be willing."
-
Secret Palace Tunnel
In the tunnel, it is impossible to tell the time outside.
It is impossible to tell whether it is day or night.
But not long ago, Shen Peiqing actually discovered a deep pool in it.
When he said he wanted to go down and explore to see if he could find a way out, Rong Su was very surprised, because he was obviously not very good at swimming before.
But he just smiled calmly: "You are not very good at swimming either."
When Rong Su heard this, she was confused. What did this have to do with her swimming ability?
Before Shen Peiqing jumped into the deep pool, he said something profound: "Because I want to have the chance to be a hero and save the beauty."
After hearing this, Rong Su was puzzled for a long time, until Shen Xuan came out of the courtyard with a cane and stood beside her.
Compared to when they just met, Shen Xuan has had some rest and recuperation time now. He feels much better and his voice is more powerful.
"I apologize for what happened earlier. That so-called pill wasn't poison. It was just made from date paste."
Rong Su didn't care about this because she had smelled that the "poison" was just date paste.
"Your Majesty knows that I am a doctor. I naturally know whether it is poison or not."
Shen Xuan arched his eyebrows, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes as distinct as the texture of leaves. He calmly changed the subject: "Young lady, are you the new generation of Tianfeng Lady?"
When Rong Su heard this, she thought that Shen Peiqing had probably told this person, so she didn't think much about it and nodded in response, "Yes. It's just a title. I haven't achieved any great achievements like the first generation master. I am unworthy of this status."
After a brief silence, Shen Xuan looked towards the distant depths of the pool and spoke slowly, "From the moment I met you, I've known you to be a smart woman, calm and resolute. You'll definitely achieve something. Everyone has a different view of great achievements."
"In my opinion, as long as what you do is worthy of the world and the people, and as long as what you do can benefit the world and the people, then you are a person with great achievements."
Hearing these words, Rong Su was naturally moved, but she didn't quite understand why this person would talk to her like this, so she turned her head and looked aside.
This person seems to have experienced countless vicissitudes of life, but now he actually has a sense of peace, the kind of peace that is no longer disturbed by external affairs.
Shen Xuan could sense Rong Su's gaze, but he didn't turn to look at her. Instead, he talked about other things. He said calmly, "I know my life is coming to an end, so I hope Qing'er can have someone who can stay by his side. I think, girl, you should also have some feelings for Qing'er."
As he spoke, the weathered old man faced her, lowered his head, and spoke in a very serious and pleading tone.
"I am no longer the emperor of Beizhou, but only the father of a child. I implore you to stay with Qing'er. If you agree, I will write a decree that Qing'er cannot have another woman by his side, and I will stay with you for the rest of my life."
Such vows and promises made Rong Su at a loss for a moment.