The Empress Is Dead

"Umm…young master Rui, you can be at ease . Eldest brother won"t harm your sister . Why don"t you take a seat and have some tea and snack for now while waiting?" Xing Tanxing offered . She really felt nervous around Rui, especially right now that they are practically alone together if they neglect the presence of the servants .

"I can"t be at ease when it comes to Lian"er . " Rui replied without facing her .

"You are really an admirable elder brother . You care about your sister so much . " Xing Tanxing said so that she can continue their conversation .

"She is not my sister . " Rui said emotionlessly . Xing Tanxing"s confusion on the other hand is obvious . "I am just an adopted son . We aren"t blood related at all . "

Xing Tanxing felt a pang in her heart . There is no explanation needed . She can clearly tell Rui"s feelings . "I see . Does she know about what you feel? But she"s married . "

Rui"s eyes dimmed . "She doesn"t need to know . As long as I can stay by her side, then it"s enough . "

Xing Tanxing cannot help but envy Lin Xulian for having someone like Rui loving her . But she also felt pity towards Rui because Lin Xulian obviously only sees him like a brother . "Love is complicated . What did I do? I should"ve stayed far away from this mess . " She thought . "Still, you need to sit down and wait for a while young master Rui . I can a.s.sure you nothing bad will happen to Lian . "

Resigning to her persistence, Rui decided to finally sit down . "Why do they have to talk privately? It"s not like we are strangers to them . " Rui said disapprovingly .

"I have no idea as well . All I know is eldest brother"s mother"s ident.i.ty is special and cannot be disclosed to anyone . If he wanted to keep others from listening, then it must have something to do with her . " Xing Tanxing replied solemnly . Hearing this, Rui has no choice but to wait and trust them temporarily .

*******
Back in the garden, Lin Xulian and Xing Guang remained in the pavilion . Lin Xulian sat cross legged in front of Xing Guang with her back facing him . Xing Guang then placed his palm on her lower back . He concentrated his internal energy and slowly infused it in her body . But If Lin Xulian is facing him, she would notice that the mole under his right eye is glowing with a purple hue .

Lin Xulian felt her body heating up and there is also a movement inside her belly . Then she felt nauseous and threw up some thick black fluid . When she finally felt better and the movement stopped, she noticed that the swelling of her belly lessened . But she can feel that it is still inside her .

"This can only help you bring back your strength . But once you meet Xing Baihe, who placed the Gu inside you, she can awaken it . When that happens, the effect would be drastic and you could immediately die . So as long as you are not completely cured, you cannot let her see you . " Xing Guang warned .

Then Xing Guang took out a purple colored seal with a mark of a coiling centipede and hand it to Lin Xulian . "What is this your highness?"

"To completely cure the Gu poison, you will need this . This is my ident.i.ty seal as a descendant of the Gu clan . But this is previously my mother"s . Present it to them and they would surely help you . And you will find them in the Qiangdu country . "

Lin Xulian took the seal and read the markings at the back . At the center of the seal, she read the character "RAN" . And under it there is crudely written character "ANG" in smaller lettering . "What are these markings at the back of the seal?" Lin Xulian asked curiously .

"Ran is the name of my mother . And Ang is the name she gave me . As a descendant of the Gu clan, no matter who our fathers are, we have to use the name Gu . So my mother named me Gu Ang . " Xing Guang explained .

Lin Xulian finds his explanation reasonable . She doesn"t have any knowledge about the Gu clan, especially their traditions, so doesn"t have a choice but to believe it . "But why are you sharing a single seal? Shouldn"t you get your own?"

"That is because no one in the Gu clan knows about my existence . My mother was fooled by my emperor father and ran away from home with him . None of them knows where she was, who my father is and what had happened to her after she ran away . " Xing Guang said solemnly .

"But why didn"t you introduced yourself? You have the seal anyway . You could"ve told them about it . "

"I can"t . My emperor brother"s people are constantly monitoring me . Once I step foot in the Qiangdu, my other siblings will be endangered . Including Tanxing . Since the Gu poison cannot harm me, they used my siblings instead . "

"Is this the reason why you helped me? I thought you want me to cure your eyes . "

"I know you could do that your majesty . But not now . Your tracks would be traced if you do . I would only ask a favor from you to look for my Gu clan and tell them about me and what had happened to my mother . Then I can proceed with my revenge with their help . " Xing Guang said with determination . Of course Lin Xulian will gladly lend a hand .