Chapter 24: Galloping to Nanzhao!

Having left Mount Shu, Hao Yun’s fury remained unquenched as he stormed toward Tang Yu and his two companions.

"State Preceptor, I..." Lin Yueru dared not look him in the eye; she blamed herself for failing to persuade Ling'er.

"No need to apologize. The gap between you and the Sword Saint is simply too vast; the fault is not yours." Hao Yun waved his hand, cutting her off. He scanned the surroundings, then glanced at the gourd hanging from A'nu, who was trembling with fear. Frowning, he asked, "Where is Mo Yixi?"

"My father... my father has left. He told me to apologize to you on his behalf..." A'nu explained cautiously, "Father tried to talk the Sword Saint out of it many times, but he just couldn't defeat him..."

"Enough. I know your father had no ill intent, but I am determined to raze Mount Shu to the ground. No one can protect it!"

Hao Yun had no desire to revisit the topic of Mount Shu; he couldn't even be bothered to deal with the aftermath of the disciples or the Drunken Sword Immortal. In truth, he felt such a deep sense of dread from being manipulated by the Sword Saint behind the scenes that he no longer wished to remain in this realm.

The Oriental world was filled with endless schemes and machinations, their complexity far surpassing anything in the West. As someone who had grown up in the United States, he found it truly overwhelming. He just wanted to return to the Marvel universe, where he could rely on brute force to overcome obstacles. He was done meddling in these derivative Oriental Chinese planes. If he were to accidentally stumble into a world like *The Legend of Qin* or *Nine Songs of the Sky*, where pure strategy reigned supreme, he feared he might lose his hair from the stress.

"A'nu, give me the human-faced pendant. I will head to Nanzhao myself."

Hao Yun took the pendant, took a single step, and traversed ten thousand miles in an instant. He would handle the rest of the plot himself. After all, what were the Moon Worshipper and the Water Demon Beast to him? With his power, they were nothing.

...

In Nanzhao, at the residence of the Saintess of the Southern Barbarians, Ling'er, who had been resting on her bed, suddenly clutched her head and let out a piercing scream, tumbling onto the floor.

"Ah!"

"Ling'er?! Saintess, Saintess! Ling'er has fallen, come quickly!"

Li Xiaoyao rushed into the room upon hearing her cry, but as he reached out to help her, he recoiled in shock at the cold, indifferent gaze Ling'er fixed upon him.

"Ling'er, you..."

"Ling'er? Are you alright?" The Saintess rushed in, looking at Zhao Ling'er with concern, only to be met with the same icy stare.

"Ling'er, what is wrong with you?"

Seeing that Zhao Ling'er refused to let them help her and silently crawled back onto the bed, closing her eyes with an expression of utter despair, Xiaoyao couldn't help but rush forward to grab her hand, asking with deep concern.

"Hmph! What do you want from me? For me to lose my memory and marry you with no dignity left?"

Zhao Ling'er’s words were laced with malice. The Saintess paused, looking at the two of them in bewilderment. Li Xiaoyao stood frozen, struck as if by lightning, completely at a loss. Seeing his reaction, Ling'er closed her eyes in disappointment. So, he had known all along.

If Li Xiaoyao had been unaware that her memories were sealed—if he had simply been told by his master to marry her and had grown to love her over time—she might have considered forgiveness. But now, she felt only disgust. The very thought that she had clung to him after their marriage, combined with his status as a disciple of Mount Shu and the personal pupil of the Sect Leader, made her want to tear the child from her womb.

When had she, a descendant of Nuwa, a disciple of the State Preceptor, and a future Prime Minister of the Tang Empire, abandoned her pride? Her education and her cultivation would never permit her to bow her noble head.

"Ling'er, I..."

"Get out!" Zhao Ling'er roared, pointing at the door.

Li Xiaoyao left slowly, looking back with every step. The Saintess, not daring to utter a word, also turned and left, leaving the room in silence.

Touching her belly in silence, feeling the life forming deep within her, Zhao Ling'er wept. What was she to do? Master, what should she do?

"Ling'er... your master is here..."

Hao Yun’s gentle voice echoed in her ears. As soon as he entered the borders of Nanzhao, he had sensed her location and torn through space to reach her.

"Master, I...呜呜..."

Seeing her long-awaited master, Ling'er sobbed as she buried herself in his arms, like a child who had suffered a great wrong. Hao Yun gently patted her back, his own rage building to a fever pitch. The disciple he had raised with his own hands had been manipulated by the Heavenly Court and the Sword Saint, forced onto a path of sacrifice.

Sword Saint, Moon Worshipper, Heavenly Court—none of you will escape this!

"Rest easy, your master is here. I have already razed Mount Shu to avenge you. What do you want to do now? Keep the child, or..."

After a long while, Ling'er’s sobs subsided. She touched her belly, feeling that unique heartbeat, and whispered, "The child is innocent..."

"But you are even more innocent!" Hao Yun raged. "You are the victim, and this child is a life brought about by coercion, not a fruit of your own willing love. You have the right to decide whether she is born! Ling'er, you are my disciple; I do not want you to live with regrets!"

"I..." Ling'er fell silent. She couldn't bring herself to say she loved this child. Even if she were born, she probably wouldn't care for her. No, it was more likely that she would resent the child, perhaps even discard her. Yet, could she really sacrifice a life that was about to take form?

"I don't know, Master." Ling'er buried her head in his chest, refusing to face it. "I don't want to see her, I really don't! Master, can you send her away?"

"Of course."

Hao Yun manipulated the laws of time, reaching into Ling'er’s womb. Under the influence of his power, the fetus rapidly developed, reaching the stage of a ten-month-old infant in an instant. With a gentle pull, Hao Yun extracted the fetus and the placenta, cleansed them, and cast them through a spatial portal to an orphanage in the Great Tang, thousands of miles away.

"I have placed her in the Happiness Orphanage in Chang'an. If you regret this in the future, you can visit her. For now, I will send you back to the State Preceptor's mansion to rest."

With that, Hao Yun opened another portal and sent her away. Damn it, what a mess! The Heavenly Court in this world was even more despicable than Danzo from *Naruto*. To go to such lengths to plot against a descendant of Nuwa and a woman—did they not fear that Mother Nuwa would emerge from her seclusion to settle the score? No, this wouldn't do. He could no longer stay in this wretched plane. He had to eliminate the Moon Worshipper quickly and make his escape.

"Moon Worshipper! I’m coming for you!"