Nan Menghua, the former Mistress of the Hundred Flowers Palace who once struck terror into the hearts of the entire martial world, was now a pitiful, mindless creature. Covered in filth, she crouched on the ground, barking back and forth with the dog named Wotou. Occasionally, she would break into a senseless giggle, even grabbing a handful of dog food from the dirt and stuffing it into her mouth.
"Menghua, spit it out..."
Opposite her, Wotou bared his teeth and growled. Not only was he protecting his food, but he was clearly protecting his territory. When his owner approached, he immediately stood in front of her, barking fiercely. If Chu Ruo hadn't called him off, he likely would have bitten the woman.
"Wotou!" Chu Ruo barked a command at her dog, then rubbed his head. "Go on, go find Wowotou and play."
The little creature seemed to truly understand her. He wagged his tail, yapped once, and ran off. Turning her head, Chu Ruo saw Wowotou run out as well, and the two small dogs began to frolic and chase each other around the vast grounds.
Chu Ruo sighed. Who could have imagined that a legendary Palace Mistress would fall to such a state? Moreover, this was her Little Snake-Scorpion’s mother. No matter how much Nan Menghua had tried to persecute them in the past, seeing her like this was a humiliation that ultimately reflected on Muxue.
"Senior," Chu Ruo began.
Baixue, who was busy tidying Nan Menghua’s appearance, looked up and gave a polite smile. "You can just call me Baixue. Phoenix should have told you—we Miaojiang people don't care much for formal titles like 'Senior' or 'Junior.'"
"It's just a form of address," Chu Ruo said, squatting down. By now, Nan Menghua no longer recognized anyone. Seeing Chu Ruo, she gave a foolish grin and even extended a dirty hand, trying to offer her some of the dog food. It was a truly lamentable sight. "The Hundred Flowers Parasite triggers once every hour. I haven't seen her in pain these past two days. I assume you have a way to treat her."
"I thought you would want her dead," Baixue remarked.
"She is Xue'er’s mother. She tried to kill us, and I do hate her—I once wished I could tear her into a thousand pieces. But seeing her reduced to this... for someone like her, this must be worse than death. I think she would rather be dead than live so wretchedly."
"I see you’re quite close with Phoenix, so you must know I used to be a Witch. I love researching parasites, poisons, and medicine. To me, those three are inseparable. Whenever I have the chance to learn something new, I do everything I can to study and master it. When I met Menghua years ago, the Hundred Flowers Parasite was the ultimate treasure of her sect. Naturally, I was curious. I have to admit, it is a formidable parasite. I haven't found a way to truly dispel it in all these years, but I can use other parasites to suppress it. I had hoped to see the Violet-under-the-Leaf as well, but it seems I won't get the chance."
Chu Ruo felt a wave of irony. "Sometimes, I think she’s luckier than Xue'er. Everything she suffers now is of her own making, yet there’s still someone willing to help her. She truly has a blessed fate." Chu Ruo genuinely couldn't understand why Nan Menghua was so loved. Qingshuang, Baixue—they were all such good women. Even Bai Ji. One after another, they all fell for her. Did she really have that much charm? It was a mystery.
"Regardless, everything is in the past. You and Menghua’s daughter will be fine from now on. Though... you are a woman too, aren't you?"
"Yes," Chu Ruo didn't deny it. It didn't matter who knew; she and her Xue'er would never let anything influence them again. "Phoenix realized it the moment she saw me, too."
"That girl only learned one thing from me, and that was running away from home," Baixue said with a self-deprecating smile. "If I hadn't left Miaojiang back then, perhaps none of this would have happened."
"So you hid yourself. You watched her commit atrocities, watched her hurt Xue'er step by step, watched her slaughter the martial world, and you did nothing. Only when the situation became irreversible did you finally appear. That confession of love you gave her... how devastating that must have been for her. But if you had appeared sooner, so much pain could have been avoided. Xue'er and I brushed against death so many times. Sometimes I wonder if your appearance now is helping her, or helping us."
"Think of it however you like. I know I’ve lived my life wrongly. I thought hiding was a way to punish myself, but it seems I was mistaken. I’ve wasted twenty years of my life." Baixue looked at her. "At least Menghua’s daughter and you are not making the same mistake."
"Why didn't you go back to Miaojiang in the first place?"
"I was young and arrogant. I believed the people of Miaojiang should come out into the world, not keep themselves shackled there. That idea went directly against the ancestral laws passed down for generations. I ran away in secret. I even swore in my heart that I would bring glory to Miaojiang and our parasite arts. Before I left, I went to the Holy Land and took the books containing the records of our poisons and parasites."
Chu Ruo wasn't surprised. "So the person who went to the Holy Land was you. I once took Xue'er to Miaojiang to seek medical help. Phoenix told us to retrieve something from the Holy Land, but when we arrived, we found it had been ransacked long ago."
"I was full of ambition that day, determined to make a name for myself in the martial world and let everyone know of Miaojiang. In the end, I overestimated myself. I couldn't escape the word 'love.' I felt I had no face to return to Miaojiang, so I chose to hide."
Chu Ruo sighed. "Senior Tu Ao'zhi told me most of what happened back then. I came to find you today to ask one thing. Nan Menghua said that Xue'er is..."
"You want to ask about her parentage." Baixue’s expression became complex, unreadable. "Her name is Muxue..." She shook her head. "Muxue... *sigh*."
"You don't know either..."
Baixue shook her head again. "However, there is one thing they don't know."
"What?"
"Do you know how the Hundred Flowers Palace continues its bloodline?"
"I do. Xue'er mentioned it. Why bring this up? Unless Nan Menghua..."
"At that time, I noticed Menghua was always depressed. I asked her why, and she told me. She said it had been this way for generations in the Hundred Flowers Palace—it was the destiny of every Palace Mistress. I wanted to help her, so I gave her a Pregnancy Parasite..."
"What!" Chu Ruo’s voice rose several octaves. "Right, that makes sense! It was you! No wonder Xue'er was afflicted with a lost Pregnancy Parasite—you gave it to her! You nearly killed her!"
"I’m sorry. I didn't know what would happen. I gave it to her, and she took it, but she said the Palace needed a true successor. I felt so much pity for her then; I didn't think it should be that way. But one day, while the two of us were out together, we encountered someone. It was Menghua’s mother, the previous Palace Mistress."
"Ruo'er!"
Chu Ruo was listening intently when she heard someone call her name. She turned around just in time to be pulled into a tight embrace. She knew who it was from the voice alone and wrapped her arms around the other woman. "What’s wrong... why are you wearing so little?" This Little Snake-Scorpion had run out in nothing but a thin silk robe. Did she have no fear of the cold? "Quick, let's go back to the room..."
"Where did you go!" Anxiety, urgency, desperation, and care—all of Nan Muxue’s emotions were packed into those four words. Heaven knew the panic she felt when she woke up to find her bedmate gone again. Only last night, this woman had said she wanted to marry her. She couldn't lose her again. In the dead of winter, the Young Mistress of the Hundred Flowers Palace had sprinted out of her room in nothing but her sleeping silks, eyes frantic, searching like a madwoman just to call out one name. "Ruo'er..."
Chu Ruo pulled her closer, wrapping her own cloak around the woman. She knew Muxue had only come out like this to find her. No one would ever know that the formidable Little Snake-Scorpion could be so fragile and soft when it came to her. She could be like any ordinary girl, worrying over her beloved, acting almost childish in her need. They had been through so much; how could they not cherish this hard-won happiness?
"Alright, alright, it’s my fault," Chu Ruo said with ultimate tenderness. "I should have waited for you to wake up. Shh, I’m right here. It’s okay..."
"You aren't allowed to go anywhere!" Nan Muxue buried her head in Chu Ruo’s chest. "I want to see you the moment I open my eyes!"
"Okay, okay, I promise. From now on, the first thing you see every morning will be me."
Chu Ruo wanted to coax her back inside before continuing the conversation about Muxue’s past, but the woman refused to let go. She had no choice. "Xue'er..."
"What were you going to say?" In just a moment, the peerless woman had regained her composure, her voice calm once more. "Tell me."
"You..."
"It’s about my birth, isn't it?"
Baixue chuckled. "Menghua’s daughter is indeed very clever. But are you sure you want to hear it?"
"The only thing I care about is Ruo'er. Since she came to find you for my sake, there is nothing I cannot know."
"Very well. When Menghua and I were out alone, her mother came to find her. They talked for a long time. I don't know what was said, but after they finished, Menghua drank a lot of wine. She told me that as long as she continued the bloodline, she could become the Palace Mistress."
Chu Ruo frowned. "I thought she was forced. I even wondered if the old Mistress treated her poorly as a child, which was why she was so cruel to Xue'er..."
"No," Nan Muxue shook her head. "According to Yun Ji, the old Mistress was merely strict. She was nothing like my mother. At least, that’s what the older disciples said when I was young."
"I thought so too. I remember Yun Ji describing her as having a twisted heart from a young age. Looking at how she treated others, how she treated you, how she treated..." Chu Ruo glanced at Baixue, not wanting to say it out loud. "In short, her actions weren't those of a normal person."
"Menghua was extremely competitive, even radical," Baixue continued. "Rather than being forced, it was more like she struck a deal. She drank too much that night. I looked after her until she fell asleep and then went back to my own room. The next morning, I went to see if she had a headache. Instead, I saw a man sneaking out of her room."
"What?"
"I didn't expect it to happen so fast. It was too sudden. I didn't react in time; I thought he was an intruder and captured him. Then the old Mistress appeared and told me to let him go. She told me that as long as Menghua gave birth to a child, she would become the new Palace Mistress. She also said she wouldn't interfere with me and Menghua. It was only then I realized Menghua loved me too. The old Mistress actually told me once that even she was a little afraid of Menghua. Menghua was the kind of person who could make your blood run cold—ruthless and ambitious from childhood. In truth, the idea of bearing a child to take the throne was Menghua’s own suggestion. The old Mistress wanted to retire anyway. But she made me promise to forget everything I saw that day. It was a secret of the Hundred Flowers Palace. Besides, the Martial Arts Assembly was approaching, and the Palace intended to fight for the position of Alliance Leader. Menghua wouldn't want anyone to know. So, I agreed."
Chu Ruo was stunned. She had originally wondered if Nan Menghua had some tragic past that made her hate Xue'er so much. It turned out it was all her own choice. What right did she have? "Did this happen around the time she was with Bai Ji and Tu Ao'zhi...?"
Chu Ruo couldn't finish the sentence, but Baixue understood. "It wasn't long before—just a few days. After the old Mistress left, I went into Menghua’s room. I realized then that she had drugged her own wine so she wouldn't feel anything. I saw the crimson stain on the bed. For a moment, I felt sorry for her. You know the rest of what happened."
Everything clicked. Tu Ao'zhi said he hadn't seen the "fallen red" of virginity. Bai Ji said she wasn't a virgin but never clarified that he wasn't the one who took it. Nan Menghua had slept with the man arranged by her mother first, and her encounters with Bai Ji and Tu Ao'zhi followed shortly after. "Then Xue'er’s father..." Chu Ruo felt a pang of intense heartache. "Xue'er, it’s okay. I’m here."
Nan Muxue, however, remained calm. "I’m fine. I never knew who it was, so knowing this doesn't change anything."
"I suspect even Menghua herself didn't know," Baixue added. "She simply told whoever she was with that it was theirs. She always loved playing with people's hearts."
So, the truth was that there was no truth. There was no definitive answer. Nan Menghua remained insane, and when they left, Baixue was still by her side.
Chu Ruo carried her beloved through the snow, step by step. "In the end, she still has the person she loves by her side, despite all the evil she did."
"Ruo'er," Nan Muxue said, leaning into the embrace. "I have you by my side now, too."
"Your parentage..."
"Didn't I say? It doesn't matter who it was. I truly don't care."
"Sometimes I think... if you and Zhi'er were sisters, at least you’d have a blood relative. But that would be so cruel. I’d almost rather it be someone else. At least that way, it doesn't mean you killed your own... forget it, I shouldn't say that. Whether it was Tu Ao'zhi or Bai Ji... none of them were worthy of being your..."
Muxue kissed her amidst the falling snow. "Right now, you are my only family."
A crystalline tear escaped the corner of Chu Ruo’s eye. "Yes. And you are my only one."
***
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Master, Spare My Life: A Disciple's Sweet Rebellion | Chapter 212 | The Only One | Novela.app | Novela.app
