The Blood Crown - Chapter 178

Yan Sikong was stunned. After seventeen years, anything could happen. Looking at the mark of disgrace on Yuan Nanyu’s face and remembering the suffering he had endured back then, it was understandable that there was hatred in his heart. But looking at these almost identical faces, why did Yuan Nanyu claim not to remember?

How could he possibly not remember?

Yuan Nanyu sighed. “I’m not speaking out of anger. When I was about ten years old, I was exiled to the northwest. I fell seriously ill at the quarry and was thrown into a pit for the dead to wait for death. Fortunately, my master wanted to save me. He is from the Que family of Yao Valley and snatched my life back from the hands of the King of Hell. But when I woke up… I had no memory of the past.”

Yan Sikong was choked up, unable to speak for a long time. He just stared at Yuan Nanyu with a stiff expression.

The Que family of Yao Valley was well-known in the martial world. They were said to have achieved great mastery in medicine, with rumors of supernatural abilities to bring people back from the dead and mend broken bones. Their medical texts were considered essential guides for all practitioners.

Yuan Nanyu was saved by a member of the Que family? His brother, Yuan Nanyu, didn’t remember him?

Feng Ye gritted his teeth. “The person who walked a thousand miles in exile and endured great suffering in the quarry, almost dying… that person should have been you. You forced him to replace you in the exile!”

Yan Sikong was stunned, then shouted angrily, “No! We were like brothers. It was he who volunteered to take the blame for me. He knocked me out, and when I woke up, he had already been… taken away…”

Feng Ye narrowed his eyes and sneered, “You finally admitted it. You used Yuan Mao’s favor to coerce him into taking the blame for you!”

“Nonsense!” Yan Sikong’s eyes were red with anger. “Feng Ye, even if you resent me, how can you slander me? Since Yuan Nanyu no longer remembers anything, who told you all this? It’s nothing but malicious speculation!”

“I’m not you,” Feng Ye said with a smirk. “I don’t frame people out of thin air.”

“We had some suspicions at first, but we couldn’t be sure until…” Yuan Nanyu lowered his gaze, his eyelashes trembling. “I’ll start from the beginning.”

Yan Sikong’s heart ached as if it were being twisted. “Speak!”

Why was it like this? Feng Ye and Yuan Nanyu, the two people he cherished most in this world, why did they misunderstand him like this? What on earth had happened?

“My master saved me, taught me martial arts, and gave me medical skills. He treated me as his own child, but I still wanted to find my own family. My only clue was my Liaodong accent,” Yuan Nanyu said, touching his lips. “But now, I can’t even tell it apart anymore.”

He paused before continuing, “A few years ago, after taking care of my master in his old age, I set out to search for my hometown. I traveled through every city in Liaodong for two years. After many difficulties, I finally clarified my background in Guangning…” Yuan Nanyu took a deep breath, his voice trembling. “I was exiled due to an incident at the execution ground—Yuan Sikong.”

Tears welled up in Yan Sikong’s eyes. He recalled the days in front of the execution platform, how he could not stop the blade from falling on his father’s neck no matter how he shouted or argued. That kind of despair and pain was something he would never forget in his life.

Yuan Nanyu wiped his face with his hand. “I learned that I had a brother, a sister, and a mother. I learned how my father died. I learned that the Yuan family had moved away, so I followed the clues, hoping to find my family. But then I heard that the Feng family father and son were imprisoned unjustly, so I went to the capital.”

Yan Sikong clenched his fists silently.

“At that time, the court and the people were in shock, and everyone was afraid. The Feng family had a reputation for loyalty and virtue in the northwest and was loved by the people, yet they were imprisoned unjustly… Although I didn’t know the truth, I firmly believed that my father was wronged. I didn’t want to see loyal and righteous people suffer unjustly. I had nothing but my skills and my fervor, so I decided to save them. I hid in the capital and found that the name ‘Yan Sikong’ kept appearing in teahouses and taverns,” Yuan Nanyu said softly. “They said you had the talent of Guan Zhong and the appearance of Pan An, but you were a shameless person.”

Yan Sikong pressed his lips together.

Yuan Nanyu’s face grew paler. “I was curious about this person with the same name as me, so I found an opportunity to meet you. But when I saw your face…” He inhaled sharply. “Do you know how shocked I was when I saw your face? I didn’t understand what was going on. You should be my brother, but why were you also called Sikong? Who was I then? So I followed you and investigated you, learned that you were planning a jailbreak, and secretly assisted you.”

“You are Yuan Nanyu…” Yan Sikong murmured, “You are Yuan Nanyu.”

“You are Yuan Nanyu,” Feng Ye said sternly. “You were involved in smuggling salt with She Zhun in the Jiangnan coastal region under the name ‘Nan Yu.’ She Zhun still calls you Nan Yu. You changed your name to avoid being recognized as the descendant of a criminal when you entered the court.”

“Nonsense…” Yan Sikong felt dizzy, his mind swirling. He was almost too exhausted to refute the absurdity of it all.

Yuan Nanyu shook his head. “Why do you continue to lie? I originally planned to find you for a clear explanation after rescuing Feng Ye, but the search was too tight, and he could be discovered at any moment. In desperation, I had to leave the capital with him in a hurry…” He looked at Feng Ye. “When he saw me, I realized that we had known each other since childhood, but he did not know that I had a brother who looked exactly like me.”

Feng Ye glared at Yan Sikong. “Do you remember that afternoon, when I climbed the ginkgo tree at the Yuan residence with him? We met once. After I went inside, I felt that the person was not Sikong. The clothes were different, the voice was slightly different, and the expression was especially strange. But I was too young and didn’t know about your existence, so I didn’t think much of it until I saw him. I then realized there were two people. The one with the broken leg lying in bed and the one with his hand burned by coal was you.”

“No, no, at that time…” Yan Sikong recalled what happened that day. The explanation was quite complex, and his mind was growing more chaotic. He was tortured to the point of almost not being able to breathe. He said hoarsely, “Initially, he was burned. To avoid being discovered by you, I burned myself. His palm also had…”

Feng Ye’s face twisted into a cruel smile. “Is that so?” He grabbed Yuan Nanyu’s right hand and showed the palm to Yan Sikong. “Does it?”

Yan Sikong focused on it. His face had turned pale, and his lips were white. Yuan Nanyu’s palm was covered with layers of thick calluses, making it impossible to see any burn scars!

Yuan Nanyu opened both of his hands and said calmly, “When my master found me, I had moved too many stones, and my hands had no good skin. Whether there were burns or not… I don’t know.”

Yan Sikong closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face.

Feng Ye approached Yan Sikong step by step, grabbed his hair, and forced him to lift his head, speaking coldly, “We suspected you were impersonating him from the start. Even with so much evidence in front of me, I still didn’t want to believe it. I didn’t want to believe you were deceiving me and using me from the very beginning…” His voice trembled with immense humiliation and pain, almost grinding his teeth until they bled. He said hoarsely, “Until Yuan Shaoxu appeared and confirmed our suspicions.”

Yan Sikong stared in shock at Feng Ye.

“Yes, your eldest brother, Yuan Shaoxu. Six months ago, when I started the uprising in Shu, he came to join the rebel army out of admiration. He revealed everything about the past!” Feng Ye harshly pulled at Yan Sikong’s hair, his eyes filled with malice as if he wanted to devour him. “I, Feng Ye, treated you with sincerity, pampered you in every way. How did you repay me? How did you treat me? Do you even have a heart?”

“He’s not credible. Yuan Shaoxu has always resented me since childhood. He doesn’t believe it!” Yan Sikong’s tears flowed like rain. Every argument he made was so weak and pale. Every word from Feng Ye and Yuan Nanyu seemed like irrefutable evidence. How could this be? Did someone really need to prove they were themselves? How could such absurdity happen to him?

“If he’s not credible, can you be?” Yuan Nanyu frowned, his face full of desolation. “Eldest Brother and you are actual brothers. He said he knew about the coercion for me to take the blame back then but did not stop it. He has been tormented by his conscience all these years. He is currently leading troops to guard supplies. When he returns, what will you have to say?”

Yan Sikong’s tears gushed out. At this moment, he truly experienced what it meant to feel his heart die. In his life, he had been constantly deprived of everything—home, family, ideals, reputation, love. It seemed that even this was not enough for the heavens; now they wanted to take away his identity as well?

He is Yan Sikong. He is Yan Sikong!

Why treat him this way? Has he committed too many wrongs and is now suffering retribution?

Feng Ye looked at Yan Sikong’s pained expression, his own heart feeling like it was being cut. He grabbed Yan Sikong’s neck, secretly tightening his grip. He was filled with hatred, a voice in his head urging him to end everything, to end the person who had caused him such deep pain.

Yan Sikong looked at him with tears in his eyes, his gaze seeming to carry a hundred thoughts, eventually turning into a blank desolation. He had no strength or desire to resist; he was too exhausted.

Yuan Nanyu rushed forward and pried Feng Ye’s hand away. Feng Ye was pushed aside, turning his back, clenching his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh. Tears swirled in his eyes but never fell.

Yuan Nanyu stood in front of Yan Sikong and said softly, “Actually, even if I had taken the blame for you back then, I wouldn’t have hated you for it. After all, the Yuan family saved me, and I repaid their kindness. But you… the way you are, the things you’ve done… Why did you have to become like this for the sake of revenge?”

Why become like this for the sake of revenge? Yes, who wanted to become a venomous schemer, unscrupulous and ruthless? Who wanted to become a treacherous and reviled villain?

Yan Sikong gave a low laugh, accompanied by a painful cough. His laughter was like a dying person, broken and hoarse. He looked at Yuan Nanyu with blurred eyes, his mind almost shattered, and weakly said, “Yuan Nanyu, I’m your second brother… I’m… your second brother…”

Yuan Nanyu bit his lip, struggling internally. He could not bear to see Yan Sikong in such a pitiful state, yet he was repeatedly warned by Yuan Shaoxu and Feng Ye about how deceitful and untrustworthy Yan Sikong was. He dared not look at Yan Sikong’s sorrowful eyes any longer and began to avert his gaze.

Yan Sikong’s eyes grew increasingly hollow until they lost focus. His body went limp, and he fainted. (End of Chapter)

TL – was bawling my eyes out in this chapter

This phrase is a compliment that combines two famous figures from Chinese history, highlighting both wisdom and physical appearance.

1. **Guan Zhong (管仲)**: He was a renowned statesman and strategist during the Spring and Autumn period. Known for his wisdom, political acumen, and ability to govern, comparing someone to Guan Zhong implies they are highly talented, especially in matters of strategy, leadership, or governance.

2. **Pan An (潘安)**: Pan An was a famous poet and court official during the Western Jin Dynasty, known for his extraordinary good looks. He was considered one of the most handsome men in Chinese history. Comparing someone to Pan An suggests they are exceptionally attractive.

So, saying someone has the “talent of Guan Zhong and the appearance of Pan An” is a way of praising them for being both extremely intelligent and remarkably good-looking.