Chapter 382: The Ancestor Boils
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
The Su Family was engulfed in Heavenly Fire, sending shockwaves throughout Southern Capital.
Some recalled the mass of skeletal remains beneath the Su Family’s ancestral shrine, sparking rampant rumors across the city.
“It must be divine retribution! The Su Family must have committed countless atrocities for the heavens to punish them!”
“I heard the ground was littered with bones… No one knows how many lives were taken…”
“They say the largest bones belonged to a child no older than twelve…”
“Sigh, children have been vanishing in Southern Kingdom for years. Could the Su Family be behind it? But aren’t they supposed to be divine incarnations, embodying compassion? How could they commit such heinous crimes?”
The rumors spread like wildfire.
The families of missing children gathered, their grief turning into outrage. They decided to write a blood petition, demanding justice from His Majesty of Southern Kingdom.
Kneeling in the streets, they begged passersby to sign, and within two days, a petition with ten thousand signatures and bloodstains reached the imperial palace.
Inside Long Peace Palace.
The old emperor, his temples grayed, bore severe injuries. His body was wrapped in bandages, and the room reeked of incense, heavy with oppression.
“Father, please wake up and drink your medicine,” Nan Feng Yu knelt beside the bed, while Nan Mu Bai gently propped the emperor against his shoulder.
Nan Feng Yu blew on each spoonful of medicine until it was warm before feeding it to the emperor.
By day, she handled court affairs; by night, she personally attended to him. She entrusted no one else with this duty.
The old emperor’s eyes reflected immense satisfaction. It was as if his love for her was overflowing.
“You’ve worked hard, my dear Feng’er… cough, cough…” He let out a dry cough, prompting Nan Mu Bai to pat his back.
The pristine handkerchief he coughed into was stained with blood—a sign that his days were numbered.
Nan Feng Yu’s eyes were bloodshot, exhaustion etched into her face. “Father, we’re family; there’s no need for such words. Back when you lost your memory and nearly drowned, I regretted not being able to share your burdens. Now, let me fulfill my duty as a daughter.”
“As long as you are here, I have someone to rely on… I still have a father,” she whispered, red-eyed as she continued to feed him.
The emperor weakly raised his hand and patted hers.
“Did… Did they come?”
Nan Feng Yu hesitated before stammering, “They… came, but I couldn’t bear for them to disturb your rest, so I sent them away.”
Nan Mu Bai clenched his fists in anger. “You’re still covering for them?!”
“Imperial Grandfather, I feel sorry for you. On the day you were injured, Lady Ning only visited for half a day and never returned. Shi Yun and Lu Chao Chao never came at all…”
The old emperor fell silent, closing his eyes without a word.
“Forget it… I never raised them myself.”
His voice held a tinge of regret.
“What of the Heavenly Fire at the Su Family? Has Old Master Su come?” The emperor barely managed to ask before breaking into a cold sweat.
“Maternal Grandfather is waiting outside the palace. It’s said that when the Heavenly Fire descended, Princess Sunshine was inside the ancestral shrine. No one knows what she did to offend the Su Family’s ancestors.”
“You know how much the people revere the Su ancestors. They even served the God of Darkness. Perhaps she angered them and doomed the entire Su Family.”
“Father, please rest. Everything is under control. Your health is the greatest blessing to Southern Kingdom,” Nan Feng Yu sighed, filled with filial piety.
The old emperor nodded, saying no more.
Seeing him exhausted, Nan Feng Yu tucked him in and left quietly.
Outside the Inner Palace.
Stacks of memorials awaited her approval.
Nan Mu Bai glanced into the chamber. Seeing the emperor asleep, he whispered, “Mother, you should rest. You haven’t slept for two days. Your health—”
Seated on the Dragon Throne, Nan Feng Yu twirled a brush between her fingers. Her eyes gleamed with ambition.
She had waited decades for this moment.
How could she be tired now?
This was the seat she had dreamed of day and night.
“No matter, bring today’s petitions,” she said with a faint smile.
Outside, an eunuch presented a stack of memorials—and a blood petition.
“What is this?” Nan Feng Yu wrinkled her brow at the pungent smell of blood.
The eunuch bowed low. “A blood petition from the people.”
“Oh? Is there a grievance?” Nan Mu Bai handed the petition to the Eldest Princess.
Her brows furrowed deeply as she read.
“It concerns the Heavenly Fire at the Su Family. The people claim the shrine was filled with children’s remains. They demand an investigation.”
Nan Feng Yu barely skimmed it before tossing it to the floor.
“How inauspicious. Burn it.”
“Grandfather is old. Send him home. Tell him the Heavenly Fire was caused by Princess Sunshine offending the Su ancestors.”
“As for the bones… Who can prove they were human? If I say they were animal bones, then they were animal bones.”
The eunuch’s breath hitched, but he swallowed his fear and left to deliver the message.
“Mystic Turtle Ancestor has perished, his life tablet shattered. Great-Grandfather seeks to borrow the Mirror of All Things to glimpse his final moments…” Nan Mu Bai’s gaze drifted to the blood petition on the ground, his expression dazed.
Nan Feng Yu nodded. “The National Advisor is at the altar. Go find him.”
That night.
Nan Mu Bai finally retrieved the Mirror of All Things.
Meanwhile, Lu Chao Chao lay on her bed, rubbing her round belly contentedly.
“Get up and walk a little,” the youth beside her chided.
Lu Chao Chao lazily murmured, “Too full, don’t wanna move.”
“Whether I’m tired, thirsty, hungry, sleepy, happy, upset, whether it’s windy, rainy, or sunny—I still don’t wanna move…”
The tall young man groaned in frustration before resigning himself to his fate. He knelt by the bed and began rubbing her belly.
Suddenly—
Lu Chao Chao sat up, placing a finger to her lips. “Shh…
“Did you hear that crying?”
She leaped out of bed, dressed only in her undergarments. The youth hurried to grab her shoes and outer robe.
“I hear it!” Her voice was firm.
The spirits of Peach Source Village had already been stored in her dimensional space, barely hanging onto existence after years of suppression.
Lu Chao Chao pushed open the door. Xie Yu Zhou poked his head out and stealthily followed.
“The Su Family disciples… they’re secretly looking into a mirror.”
He pointed toward the main courtyard.
The entrance was unguarded, but a powerful barrier blocked the way.
But Lu Chao Chao was no ordinary person.
Barriers meant nothing to her. She strolled in as if she owned the place, Xie Yu Zhou and the youth swaggering in behind her.
Inside, the Su Family members stood rigid, their expressions grim.
The air was thick with solemnity and suppressed rage.
At the center of the room lay a stone mirror, ancient symbols covering its edges. Lu Chao Chao found it eerily familiar.
“Activate the Mirror of All Things!”
Old Madam Su pricked her finger, letting a drop of heart’s blood fall onto the mirror, then recited the ancestor’s birth date.
A white mist swirled within the mirror…
Gradually, a pair of slender, pale hands emerged from the fog.
But the face remained veiled, shrouded in an indistinct haze.
Between the fingers, a massive turtle was clutched.
Its shell was covered in intricate patterns, brimming with spiritual energy.
But the turtle’s eyes were shut. It was lifeless.
The Su Family members shot to their feet.
A chilling realization dawned upon them.
“What… What is he doing?! What is he doing to the Old Ancestor?!”
Inside the mirror—
The turtle was cleaned, chopped, and dropped into boiling oil. The aroma of sizzling wild mushrooms filled the air…
The soup turned milky white.
Even through the mirror, the rich fragrance seemed to waft out.
Their revered Old Ancestor… was boiling in a pot!