Mo Xi didn't expect to hear her father's name in this story. She had mixed feelings for a while.
The shopkeeper said, "Miss Chu asked around and found out that Mo Qingchi already had a daughter in his family. She was very jealous, so she finally set her target on Murong Xuan, who was still single."
Murong Chuyi asked in a low voice, "But … since Second Miss Chu was so fierce, how could she be willing to listen to her sister's arrangement? What's more, if she knew that her sister's plot and tolerance were all for her sake, how could she be willing to live? "
"Yes." The shopkeeper said, "So First Young Lady Chu's plan is to not let her sister know."
"She hoped that her younger sister would be able to live a good life without suffering. So one day … when the royal family of Mancheng went hunting in the suburbs, she took her sister with her. She took advantage of her sister's unpreparedness and put the Daylily Powder she stole into her sister's water. "
“！”
"After her sister drank the Daylily Powder, she forgot everything and fell into a coma. At this time, Miss Chu quietly carried her to the road Murong Xuan passed by. Murong Xuan saw an orphan girl dying in a pitiful state and felt pity for her. He ordered people to save her. "
"After Miss Chu did this, she knew that all her previous charms would be seen through, so she planned to risk everything and escape in the night. But before she could escape, the nobleman who had kidnapped her found out what she had done. He immediately flew into a rage and sent people to chase her back. In a panic, Miss Chu fell down a steep slope and fell into the Five Poisons Pool. "
Murong Chuyi murmured, "The pool of miasma in the eastern suburbs of Chong Hua City?"
"Yes … When Miss Chu struggled to get out of there, she had already inhaled too much miasma. Her mind was not clear and she began to become a little confused. But immortal, you should know that the effect of the miasma will not disappear immediately. It will become more and more serious as time goes by. "
"When Miss Chu was still clear-headed, she wanted to return to Lin 'an City to look for her father and younger brother with a glimmer of hope. But when she went to places with people and asked around, the news she got made her feel even more hopeless. She went crazy day by day, and when she found out that she was pregnant with that noble's flesh and blood, the mental stimulation reached its peak — she almost completely collapsed. "
The private room was eerily quiet. Not to mention Murong Chuyi himself, even Mo Xi immediately understood that Murong Chuyi was the child of Miss Chu and the aristocrat who had raped her.
Gu Mang looked at Mo Xi and said in a low voice, "Why do you look so pale?"
Mo Xi shook his head.
He really did not want to listen anymore. He wanted to leave with Gu Mang. But if he went out now, it would be easier to attract the other party's attention. And he did not know how to face Murong Chuyi at this moment.
In this embarrassing silence, Murong Chuyi suddenly asked without any emotion, "Why didn't she abort the child?"
"How can this be explained clearly?" The shopkeeper sighed and said, "She must not have understood what she was thinking. But ah … human emotions are the most unpredictable thing in the first place. Isn't it said that there is one devil and one Buddha? I think she must have been struggling for a long time between abandoning and keeping the child. She hesitated and hesitated, and then came the time when it was no longer suitable to abort the child. That was why she had the idea to abandon the child in front of a temple. "
Murong Chuyi suddenly closed his eyes.
The shopkeeper said, "Before Miss Chu died, she repeatedly told me that when she was hiding in the woods, she saw a woman in luxurious clothes carrying her child away. Apart from feeling relieved of a heavy burden, she also felt heartache. She was in so much pain that she suddenly regretted it and wanted to get the child back. But that woman had already left in a carriage. She could not catch up to her no matter how hard she tried. No matter how much she shouted, no one responded. "
"That was the last straw that destroyed her. That night, she went completely crazy."
The shopkeeper was in a daze for a while when he said this. Then he slowly added, "As for the youngest son of the Chu family … that child has always worked for me on the ship. Later, when I got older, I wanted to live a more stable life, so I went to Lin 'an and opened a restaurant. But he has feelings for the ship, so even now, he is still working at the docks and doing his old business. I have never told him in detail about his childhood. "
"…" Murong Chuyi's voice was low and a little hoarse. "How is he now?"
"He has a wife and a child. His life is peaceful. He said that he wants to make more money while he is young and strong. After a few years, he will take his wife and child back to Lin 'an to buy a family business and let his child study hard."
Murong Chuyi was silent again. After a while, he said, "That's good."
After a while, he asked again, "Shopkeeper, do you know who the nobleman who kidnapped the Chu sisters was?"
The shopkeeper's face changed slightly, and his fat lips trembled. Although he had never mentioned the nobleman's identity and name in the process of his narration, he obviously knew. It was one thing to say that it was a rumor, but it was another thing to name the man who was full of evil.
In this world, everyone's justice was different. Some people could only do so much, and no more courage. But after all, they had their own kindness, so it was better not to ask too much.
Murong Chuyi understood this very well. Besides, he did not need to get confirmation. He already had an answer in his heart.
Who else could it be?
Even Mo Xi, who had always been the least nosy, could easily guess the identity of the evil creature.
Murong Chuyi saw the shopkeeper's reaction and did not say anything more. He only said, "I understand. Thank you, shopkeeper. "
"No, alas, you don't have to thank me … What is there to thank me for?"
There was another moment of silence.
Suddenly —
"Shopkeeper, please answer one more question."
"Immortal, I want to take the liberty to ask."
The two of them almost spoke at the same time.
Murong Chuyi said, "Please ask."
The shopkeeper hesitated and said, "You … can't really be … Miss Chu's child … right?"
"…"
"Forget it, forget it. Alas, pretend that I didn't ask, pretend that I didn't ask. Let's talk about you. What do you want to ask me? "
Murong Chuyi was quiet for a while and said, "What I want to ask is, in the area of Lin 'an prefecture, are there many families who will tattoo some totems on their children's shoulders soon after they are born?"
Hearing this, Mo Xi's hand paused slightly. He could not help but be stunned.
"Oh … Yue people like tattoos. There is indeed such a custom, but not all Yue people do this."
The shopkeeper said, "Actually, this custom depends on the ancestors. I don't know the specifics, but I heard that a long time ago, some ancestors would worship the Flower God and recognize a kind of flower as a symbol of the family to ward off evil spirits. Then, they would ask a great cultivator at that time to leave a mark on their arms. For example, those who worshiped peony would leave a peony mark. Those who worshiped peony would leave a peony mark. "
Mo Xi's expression became worse and worse as he listened. At this point, he was almost pale.
The shopkeeper continued, "At that time, the great cultivator who presided over the mark used a very pure spell. This kind of mark not only fell on the believers at that time, but also passed down. Their children will also have this kind of birthmark when they are born."
"However, because the great cultivator cast the spell too long ago, the marks of the families are actually slowly fading away. Some of the marks are not effective enough, so they can't be seen anymore. It's estimated that after a few more generations, this kind of birthmark will disappear."
"…" Murong Chuyi was silent for a moment, then asked, "Then the family surnamed Chu back then … Did they also have this kind of mark?"
The shopkeeper thought for a while, then answered, "Yes."
The air was terrifyingly still.
"What is it?"
"Lotus."
Like thunder striking his heart, Mo Xi's eyes and ears were blurry. He looked up and saw Gu Mang's face through the dim candlelight in the wine shop. He did not know what had happened.
Lotus … Lotus …
Many fragments of the past passed through Mo Xi's mind like a merry-go-round: the rumors of Wangshu and Miss Lin 'an, the conflict between Gu Mang and the Murong Lian, the slight similarities between Murong Chuyi and Gu Mang …
Finally, an elegant and calm voice sounded in his memory. Not long ago, Jiang Fuli had said to him when he was treating Gu Mang's illness.
"Hmm? The lotus petal mark on his shoulder … I seem to have seen it somewhere before? "
—
It was Murong Chuyi.
Murong Chuyi must have asked Jiang Fuli to treat his illness for some reason, and he must have seen the birthmark mark on his shoulder.
Layers of coldness emerged from the depths of his bones. The truth was like a vast ocean that poured down from the sky, immersing Mo Xi in it and making it difficult for him to breathe.
He covered his eyebrows with his palms, and goosebumps appeared on his back. Murong Lian, Murong Chuyi, Wangshu, the Chu sisters, Gu Mang … and that … and that Aunt Lin whom Gu Mang had mentioned to him before, whom he did not care about at that time.
Everyone's relationships were entangled by this thread in his heart, and gradually became clear. Because of this clarity, it became more and more terrifying, and his whole person felt as if he was in ice water.
"Mo Xi?"
"…"
"Mo Xi!"
After an unknown amount of time, he was suddenly pulled out of his chaotic thoughts by Gu Mang's worried voice. Mo Xi suddenly came back to his senses and looked up, only to see Gu Mang's delicate and handsome face under the candlelight.
He was lost in thought for too long. Murong Chuyi next door had already left, and the shopkeeper had also slowly come downstairs. With a fat belly and a smiling face, he began to serve the customers again.
Everything seemed like a dream.
But Mo Xi knew that it was not a dream.
He had once seen Gu Mang and Lu Zhanxing's final farewell in the Time Reversal. Gu Mang had hoped so much that this lonely body of his could be accompanied by relatives.
He also remembered that Yue Chenqing once said that Murong Chuyi had always been a loner, like an abandoned baby at the door of a temple. He never knew who his relatives were, and whether they were still alive.
These two people, one cold and one warm, one fervently hoped, the other silently searched. They seemed to have no intersection, but it turned out … it turned out …
Mo Xi trembled and closed his eyes.
"Mo Xi, what's wrong?"
"Nothing …" After a long while, Mo Xi whispered hoarsely, and it was hard to tell whether he was worried or happy. It was needless to say that he was happy, but he was worried because Gu Mang was already like this. How could he withstand the shock of his birth and the recognition of his brothers? Not to mention, the bad debts of the Yue and Murong families would also fall on Gu Mang's head.
His emotions were complicated, and he did not know what to say. He just raised his hand and touched Gu Mang's head, asking, "If you … if you still have relatives in this world, would you be happy?"
Gu Mang was confused, "What is that?"
"It's the person closest to you."
"Then it's only you."
"What if there's someone else?"
"But no one will kiss me anymore." Gu Mang widened his eyes slightly, "If there is, why didn't he come to me?"
"He …"
Mo Xi was silent for a while, and finally said, "He will."
— —
Back at the inn, Mo Xi was not sleepy at all.
He stood in front of the window, looking at the full moon outside and the frost on the roof tiles. His mind was full of thoughts.
The nobleman who had humiliated the Chu sisters in the past was most likely a Yue Juntian. With Murong Chuyi's personality, who knew what he would do. The result would definitely be a loss for both the Yue and Murong Chuyi.
And if he wanted to stop Murong Chuyi from taking the risk to take revenge, then telling him that he still had a blood-related brother in this world who needed him was obviously the best way.
He did not know much about Murong Chuyi, but he could more or less see that Murong Chuyi also wanted to know what it was like to have a "family". Between the pleasure of revenge and long-term warmth, he believed that Murong Chuyi would choose the latter.
In fact, this was better for everyone.
"Mo Xi."
Hearing movement behind him, Mo Xi turned his head, only to find that it was Gu Mang talking in his sleep.
Gu Mang was curled up on the bed. The thin blanket was pulled up high, only revealing half of his face. He was frowning slightly because of his dream.
Mo Xi walked to his side and sat down on the edge of the bed.
He raised his hand and smoothed out Gu Mang's messy hair. Gu Mang opened his eyes in a daze.
Mo Xi's voice was gentle as he whispered, "Did I wake you up?"
Gu Mang sleepily shook his head. After a while, he squinted his blue eyes and mumbled, "Do I really have a … brother …"
Mo Xi's hand paused for a moment, and then he murmured, "Yes."
"Then will he really come to find me …"
"… He will."
"Will he like me?"
"He definitely will."
Gu Mang softly snorted, his frown slowly relaxing. There was a sense of relief and anticipation in his eyes.
In the long night, Mo Xi sat beside him, watching him sleep soundly. He was deep in thought. After a long time like this, he folded Gu Mang's thin blanket and stood up. He silently left the inn and headed for the cemetery on the outskirts of the city.
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