Chapter 48: The Past of Xiao Muchen

Hearing Murong Huan's question, Xiao Mucheng could not help but gaze steadily into her eyes, falling into deep thought. Murong Huan's pupils were as deep as an abyss, drawing him further inward the more he looked, and before long, some less-than-pleasant memories surfaced from the recesses of his mind.

The retreating figure of his mother, the white fox bitten to death by wolves in the snow, his stepmother's cold and mocking glances, and his father's head falling at the execution ground...

Feeling the emotional fluctuations within him, Murong Huan immediately sat back in her original position.

"You must not experience drastic emotional fluctuations, or it will trigger the icy silkworm venom within your body. If they are unpleasant memories, it is just as well to forget them!"

No wonder he always wore a smile, concealing his true joys, sorrows, and griefs—it turned out to be the result of having to constantly keep his emotions in check.

Xiao Mucheng paused slightly, then smiled with a faint trace of self-deprecation. "Actually, there is no harm in telling you. I am descended from the Lanling Xiao clan. The Xiao clan is a vast lineage, comprising two major branches: the Imperial Uncle branch and the Qi-Liang branch. The Qi-Liang branch is further subdivided into the Southern Qi minor branch and the Southern Liang minor branch, and my father's lineage belongs to the latter.

Just like the imperial court, a great clan is riddled with intrigue and bloody factional struggles.

Originally, my father had no ambition for temple politics; he only wished to immerse himself in writing and live as a carefree recluse. But my clan uncle was different—he wanted to elevate the clan's standing in the court, ensure the Xiao family's everlasting prosperity, and even restore it to the glory days of the Southern Dynasties. Therefore, they sent one clan maiden after another into the imperial palace. Some of these women vanished without a trace after losing the inner palace struggles, while others sank deeper and deeper into the contest for power.

Since the inner court is inextricably linked to the court itself, my clan uncle's faction suffered confiscation of property and exile due to the failure of one such woman. Originally, this matter had nothing to do with our Southern Liang minor branch. However, someone later sent an anonymous denunciation letter claiming that my mother was a spy from another country, and even secretly accused my father of writing poetry to mock Empress Wu's usurpation. Consequently, my father was falsely charged with treason by the notorious inquisitor Su Yuanli and thrown into prison. The Empress subsequently sentenced my entire Xiao clan to execution, along with the exile of our extended relatives!

Originally, I was destined to die as well. It was my master who interceded on my behalf before the Empress. Considering my tender age, the Empress commuted my death sentence and ordered me to enter the Northern Gate Academy to work for her and earn merits to atone for my sins."

"Your master?" Murong Huan suddenly interjected, "Is it the master from your dreams?"

Xiao Mucheng was startled once more. It turned out that the dream he experienced while under hypnosis in Madam Xie's courtyard had actually been glimpsed by her as well?

"Do not worry. Although I am skilled in hypnosis, I cannot completely view your dreams. I merely piece together the circumstances of your dreams as best as I can through your somniloquy." At this, Murong Huan paused and explained, "I heard you calling out for your master. He must be someone very important to you, right?"

Otherwise, he wouldn't exert such a profound influence on his emotions even within the realm of dreams.

When dreaming of his master, he seemed both happy and sorrowful, reluctant to part yet weighed down by guilt.

Prompted by Murong Huan's question, Xiao Mucheng remained silent for a long time, as if lost in remembrance, before finally answering, "Yes, he is someone of utmost importance to me. He bestowed upon me the grace of a second birth, imparting knowledge in astronomy, the Book of Changes, and arithmetic, and he saved my life twice."

"Twice?"

"Indeed. The first time was when I was eight years old. I accompanied a group of young nobles to a spring hunt organized by the late Emperor. After entering the Northern Mang Mountains, we were attacked by venomous insects and ants. At the time, the other noble youths scattered and fled, and no one came to my aid. Just as I was fighting desperately against the swarm, believing I was about to die, my master arrived in time to save me. The icy silkworm venom in my body was also contracted during that ordeal."

Hearing this, Murong Huan felt a thrill of shock and fell silent. She had once heard her master say that there were a few poisons in this world for which there was no known cure, and the venom of the icy silkworm was one of them.

No wonder he had never received a proper cure, yet had managed to survive so tenaciously.

How on earth had he managed to stay alive?

While Murong Huan was lost in thought, Xiao Mucheng continued, "The second time was when my Xiao clan suffered annihilation; my master saved me once more. That was precisely when he interceded for me before the Empress, as I just mentioned."

As he spoke, he smiled again, and the carriage interior suddenly lapsed into a profound stillness.

Just when Xiao Mucheng thought Murong Huan would not press further, she suddenly asked, "Then what manner of person was your mother? Why was she falsely accused of being a foreign spy?"

Xiao Mucheng replied, "I do not know who my mother truly was. My father said she was not a woman from a prominent clan; he encountered her on the battlefield while accompanying my grandfather on a campaign against the Kingdom of Silla. She saved my father, and as they spent time together, mutual affection grew, leading my father to take her as his wife.

My mother left me when I was very young. Before she departed, she left a letter for my father, and the words written therein were somewhat unbelievable..."

At this point, he smiled with a hint of self-mockery.

"What did she say?"

Xiao Mucheng paused for a moment and smiled. "She actually wrote that she was the incarnation of a white fox. Because my father had once saved her life, she had come to repay the debt. Now that the debt was settled, she had to leave.

She left with resolute detachment, leaving behind only that single letter, and never returned. However, a month after her departure, my father truly happened upon a white fox, and in a state bordering on delirium, he convinced himself that it was my mother, keeping it by his side ever since. This matter was deeply taboo to my grandparents, causing them great disappointment in my father and growing increasingly averse to me as well.

Later on, that white fox also died, seemingly torn apart by vicious hounds. Unable to withstand the pressure from the clan, my father took a wife from the gentry, a woman of the Cui clan.

True to the upbringing of a primary wife from a great clan, Lady Cui was dignified, virtuous, capable, and resolute. Shortly after marrying my father, she quickly seized control of our Southern Liang minor branch of the Xiao family, to the extent that even my grandfather trusted her more than my own father.

Yet I could sense that Lady Cui despised me utterly. Because of my mother's background, she once advised my grandfather to strike my name from the Xiao family registry.

It was my father's steadfast insistence that allowed me to remain within the family."

Pausing once more to gather his somewhat unpleasant emotions, he looked up at Murong Huan with a remarkably gentle smile.

"And what happened afterwards? When the Xiao family met its doom, did she also..."

"No. After my father was framed and imprisoned by Su Yuanli, Lady Cui petitioned the authorities for a separation on the grounds of marital discord, and my father wrote a letter of release allowing her to depart. Thus, Lady Cui managed to escape the catastrophe that befell my Xiao family."

Hearing this, a deep wave of sorrow and poignant reflection stirred within Murong Huan's heart. She immediately connected it to her own lineage and a scene from Xiao Mucheng's youth that she had once glimpsed in a dream.

"When the Xiao family was executed, were you playing the zither at the execution ground?" she suddenly asked. "Was it falling with heavy goose-feather snow that day?"

Astonishment immediately appeared in Xiao Mucheng's eyes: "How do you know?"

"I... guessed. I heard people say that you were spared because you composed a poem, which moved the Empress to cherish your talent."

"They also said that you escaped extermination through your beauty and literary skill..."

Listening to Murong Huan's solemn explanation, Xiao Mucheng instantly felt the blood rush to his neck, and he lowered his voice in mild embarrassment and reprimand: "Don't listen to their nonsense..."

"So none of that is true? The real reason was that your master pleaded with the Empress—then who is your master?" Murong Huan abruptly changed the subject, gazing at him with playful, reproachful eyes.

Feeling somewhat guilty under that intense gaze, Xiao Mucheng averted his eyes slightly and said, "He is a master of the Dao, as well as an old eccentric, but I do not know his name either."

Murong Huan nodded and murmured an acknowledgment, understanding inwardly that he had no desire to reveal his master's identity. She smoothly shifted the topic instead: "Your mother's story reminds me of a tale my master once performed for me with shadow puppets, titled *The Tale of Ren Shi*. It also tells the story of a fox fairy repaying a kindness, and the ending was not particularly happy either."

"*The Tale of Ren Shi*?" A trace of surprise flickered across Xiao Mucheng's face as he questioned.

"Yes!" Murong Huan nodded.

"Though I do not know my mother's true identity, she indeed entered our family under the surname Ren."

Xiao Mucheng said in astonishment. The moment his voice trailed off, the two of them seemed to realize something equally incredible simultaneously. They exchanged glances, yet both maintained a silent discretion.

In truth, it was not just this; the stories of Lady Huo Xiaolian and Xie Zi'e also felt strangely familiar.

Murong Huan fell into a deep and perplexing reverie.

After an indeterminate length of time, the carriage came to an abrupt halt, and Xuan Yu's voice drifted in from outside the window: "Master, we have arrived at the Xiao residence!"

"We've arrived already?"

Ah Zhu cried out in delight, leaping down from the accompanying carriage to find an estate that, while not resplendently luxurious, possessed an air of profound elegance. There were no stone lions or qilin guarding the entrance; instead, several ancient trees soared into the clouds, their dense green canopies casting generous shade. Dappled sunlight flickered through the swaying leaves, creating a wonderfully serene atmosphere.

Seeing the plaque inscribed with the two characters "Xiao Residence" rendered in the calligraphy of the Two Wangs, Murong Huan paused in contemplation until Xiao Mucheng took her hand and said, "Let us go in! If you do not mind, consider this place your home from now on."

Sensing that his goodwill was genuine rather than feigned, a sudden warmth surged in Murong Huan's heart, and she nodded in assent.

At that very moment, however, a voice rang out from behind: "A-Huan, come back with me!"