The Blood Crown - Chapter 247

As they rode out of the city and passed along the main street, which was usually empty at this early hour, suddenly, without warning, a man darted out.

It was just before dawn. Most of the merchants had already begun their work, but pedestrians were rare. The once-bustling street now had only a few people scattered around. Therefore, their horses were running fast, and when the man suddenly appeared, all three were startled and immediately pulled on the reins.

The horse’s hooves narrowly missed the man’s head. A moment later, and the man would have been kicked away.

After calming their horses, they took a closer look and found that it was a disheveled drunkard, his face unshaven, eyes clouded, and his face flushed red, as if he had just been pulled out of a vat of alcohol. The smell of alcohol was so strong that one could probably smell it from a mile away.

Yuan Shaoxu, angry, drew his whip and swung it at the drunkard. “How dare you, you lowly commoner! Do you know whose horse you’ve startled?”

The whip struck the man to the ground. The sound of the whip tightening against his skin suggested it was quite painful, but the drunkard didn’t even groan. He simply lay on the ground, tilting the wine flask to his lips, his bleary eyes glancing at Yan Sikong.

Yan Sikong was momentarily stunned because, in the drunkard’s hand, he saw a long, iron Staff.

“Still not moving?” Yuan Shaoxu swung his whip again.

Yuan Nanyu quietly stopped him. “Big brother, forget it.” He stared at the drunkard and said, “Are you… the Iron Staff(Crutch)?”

The drunkard chuckled twice but did not answer.

“Iron Staff?” Yan Sikong asked.

“He’s a figure from the jianghu,” Yuan Nanyu replied. “I heard about him when I was with my master, but I never expected to meet him here in Taiyuan.”

“What’s his reputation?” Yan Sikong asked.

“He’s not a law-abiding person.” Yuan Nanyu spoke sternly to the drunkard with the Staff. “Though you haven’t done anything wrong, your name is notorious in the jianghu. Since you’re old, if you want to spend your later years peacefully in Taiyuan, you’d better behave yourself. Don’t think you can cause trouble just because you know some martial arts, especially under the watch of the Wolf King.”

The drunkard chuckled and, while struggling to get up, mumbled, “Commoner… dare not, heh heh, dare not. General, forgive me…” As he struggled, he managed to steady himself and knelt before the three men.

“Don’t bother with him, let’s go,” Yuan Nanyu said.

Yan Sikong glanced thoughtfully at the drunkard. His intuition told him that the man’s appearance here was no coincidence. How many coincidences are there in the world? What was Chen Mu trying to do? Why send Iron Staff here so blatantly?

But with the Yuan brothers present, Yan Sikong couldn’t question the drunkard, and had to act as if he knew nothing.

The three of them mounted their horses and passed by the drunkard.

However, as Yan Sikong’s horse passed by him, no one noticed what had happened, but the iron Staff snagged the military bag on Yan Sikong’s horse. Due to the horse’s momentum, the straps of the bag were ripped apart, and the bag was tossed away.

Yan Sikong was startled and turned around, pulling on the reins again.

The Yuan brothers quickly turned back.

The drunkard crawled over, picked up the bag, and knelt on the ground, repeatedly begging for forgiveness. “General, forgive me, forgive me…” As he apologized, his body swayed uncontrollably, clearly drunk to the point of near collapse.

Yuan Shaoxu gritted his teeth, saying, “This lowly commoner…”

Yan Sikong stared coldly at the drunkard, feeling his scalp tingle. What was this man really trying to do?

Yuan Nanyu flicked his whip, wrapped the military bag with it, and pulled it back. The bag was now in his hand, which he tossed to Yan Sikong. “Check if anything is missing.” He eyed the drunkard suspiciously, sensing something off.

Yan Sikong opened the bag and checked. There was nothing important inside, just food and drink. He didn’t believe the drunkard’s intention was to steal the contents. Coldly, he stared at the drunkard and said, “Nothing is missing.”

Yuan Nanyu narrowed his eyes. “Was this intentional? What are you trying to do?”

The drunkard, still kowtowing, slurred, “I dare not, General… forgive me…” After several bows, he suddenly collapsed in the middle of the road and fell asleep.

Yuan Shaoxu sneered, “Throw this lowlife into prison for a few days and sober him up.”

“Today is Father’s death anniversary. It’s not appropriate to punish him,” Yuan Nanyu said in disgust. “Let him go for now. We shouldn’t waste time on him.”

Yan Sikong felt uneasy. He couldn’t figure out the drunkard’s actions and had a bad premonition. Whatever Chen Mu had planned, it definitely involved him. He was certain the drunkard had a mission from Chen Mu. Whatever it was, Yan Sikong had to deal with it after today. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to rest easy.

The three of them ignored the drunkard and rode out of the city, heading for the mountains.

The snow on the mountain had yet to melt. By the time the horses reached the mountainside, it was already difficult to continue. They carried the offerings for the ritual and walked on foot to the mountaintop, where the sun had just risen above the horizon.

Yuan Shaoxu set up a spiritual tablet for Yuan Mao facing the direction of Liaodong, arranged incense, candles, and food offerings, and the three of them knelt before the tablet, ignoring the freezing ground.

“Father,” Yuan Shaoxu carefully wiped the immaculate tablet with a silk handkerchief, his voice choked, “I, your unworthy son, have been away at war and couldn’t visit your grave. It’s still hundreds of miles from here to Liaodong. Can you hear my voice?”

Yan Sikong stared at Yuan Mao’s name, recalling the past twenty years. The overwhelming grief and sorrow he had suppressed for so long suddenly surged within him, and his eyes reddened.

Yuan Shaoxu continued, intermittently talking about how the family was, how his relatives were, and how he was doing.

But Yan Sikong noticed that when Yuan Shaoxu mentioned his two younger brothers, he deliberately glossed over their identities. It seemed that, even in his cunning, Yuan Shaoxu did not dare to lie before the spirit of Yuan Mao.

Once Yuan Shaoxu finished, Yan Sikong kowtowed three times and said, his voice trembling, “Father, I’ve avenged you. I hope you can rest in peace in the afterlife.” He had originally intended to correct his and Yuan Nanyu’s identities in front of Yuan Mao’s spirit, expecting that Yuan Shaoxu would not dare to argue. However, he ultimately chose not to do so. Out of respect for Yuan Mao, he didn’t want Yuan Mao to see his son and the eldest son at odds. As he had said, he hoped Yuan Mao could rest in peace. Moreover, he had always only wanted to prove his identity to Feng Ye, but now, he no longer cared.

Though Yuan Nanyu had no memory, the sorrowful atmosphere still made him tear up, and his tears fell uncontrollably. Fragments of old memories churned in his mind, but they were unclear and confusing. The more he tried to remember, the more his head throbbed, so he bowed to the ground and softly called out, “Father.”

The three of them remained at the mountain top for a long time.

Yuan Shaoxu occasionally sobbed uncontrollably, speaking of the hardships of the past twenty years. Yan Sikong listened, feeling deeply pained. His disdain for Yuan Shaoxu softened a Little. For Yuan Mao’s sake, he didn’t want to argue with the man he had called elder brother for so many years.

They stayed on the mountain until noon before returning to the city.

On the way back, Yan Sikong noticed that Yuan Nanyu seemed off. Though his face was hidden behind a mask, making it hard to read his expression, he was walking with his head lowered and looking listless.

“Que Wang, what’s wrong with you?” Yan Sikong asked.

“I might…” Yuan Nanyu rubbed his head with his fist, “I think I remembered something from my childhood. Was there a large ginkgo tree at our home in Liaobei?”

Yuan Shaoxu’s expression changed slightly.

Yan Sikong widened his eyes. “You… remembered this?”

“So it really exists…” Yuan Nanyu said, his expression complex. “Actually, over the years, I’ve sometimes recalled fragments, but I could never connect them. Today, in front of Father’s spirit, it seems I remembered a lot, but the more I think, the more it hurts.” He continued to rub his head, clearly uncomfortable.

“Don’t force yourself,” Yan Sikong said. “This kind of thing can’t be rushed, but I believe one day, you’ll remember.”

“Really?” Yuan Nanyu sighed. “I also hope I can remember. During the ritual, I felt so sad, but I have no memories of Father. It’s really unfilial.”

Yan Sikong comforted him. “This is not your fault. Father knows, and he would only feel heartache, not blame you.”

Yuan Shaoxu coughed lightly. “Yes, you don’t need to blame yourself. Heaven has eyes, and it has allowed us brothers to reunite. You can return to your roots, and Father can rest in peace.”

Yuan Shaoxu nodded. “How about you both tell me more about the past when we were younger? Perhaps it will help me remember sooner.”

“No problem,” Yan Sikong answered without hesitation. “If you want to hear it, I’m more than happy to tell you.”

Yuan Shaoxu smiled faintly, then dryly laughed. “That would be great.”

—

Back at the mansion, Yan Sikong immediately found Ah Li and told him about the encounter with the drunkard with the iron crutch earlier that morning.

Ah Li’s face was filled with anger as he gestured: He must have some ulterior motive. Is he trying to harm the young master?

“I don’t know, but acting without consulting me is mostly to my disadvantage,” Yan Sikong narrowed his eyes. “This man is not under our control, and he’s too dangerous to keep. Go find someone from She Zhun’s group and figure out how to get rid of him.”

Ah Li nodded and turned to leave.

Yan Sikong stopped him. “Wait. He’s already been noticed by my elder brother and Yuer. If he suddenly dies, it will arouse their suspicion. Don’t act too hastily in the next few days. It must look like an accident. Understand?”

Ah Li nodded firmly.

After Ah Li left, Yan Sikong thought about everything that had happened before and after the drunkard’s appearance, still feeling uneasy. This feeling was terrible, especially since he couldn’t figure out what the drunkard wanted to do. It was as if he knew there was a trap ahead but had no idea where it was, yet he had to keep moving forward.

He just hoped to remove the man discreetly before long, to avoid unnecessary complications.

—

After several days of writer’s block, I thought for a long time, and I’ve decided to add a new storyline. This is something I’ve been debating since before I started writing. Adding it will definitely make the story longer, and it will take more time to finish, but the story will become much better. Even though I always want to finish a story once it reaches 100,000 words (I tend to start new ones after that), I still feel like I should make this one better and more complete. I can’t rush it.

By the way, this new storyline is related to Yuer.