Liang Bo was once again stunned by the sight of the enlarged Snow Dragon.
Leng Ruo Li and Jun Mo Han stepped onto the Snow Dragon's back. Turning to see Liang Bo still in a daze, they urged him on.
"Uncle Liang, this is my mount, Snow Dragon. Hurry and get on."
Hearing Leng Ruo Li's clear and pleasant voice, Liang Bo quickly snapped back to attention. He hurriedly nodded and said, "Yes, yes, yes, I'm coming!"
After Liang Bo also mounted the Snow Dragon's back, Leng Ruo Li commanded it to fly into the sky.
Jun Mo Han instructed Leng Ruo Li to guide the Snow Dragon towards the deep mountains in the southeast.
In less than half an hour, they arrived at a mountain forest and landed. Leng Ruo Li quickly took out a flashlight from her spatial dimension and shone it around. She saw a thatched cottage by a small lake.
Liang Bo approached the small wooden house and took out seven colorful stones, each about the size of a quail egg, from his chest. He placed them in seven small pits on the ground and fiddled with them for a moment, then he put the small stones back into his chest.
"Alright, Your Highness, Your Consort, let's go in," Liang Bo prompted them.
"Good, thank you, Uncle Liang."
Jun Mo Han cupped his hands towards Liang Bo, then he reached out and took Leng Ruo Li's small hand, leading the way into the small thatched cottage. Liang Bo followed closely behind them.
Leng Ruo Li, with Jun Mo Han holding her hand, passed through the small thatched cottage.
When she emerged, her eyes lit up as she took in her surroundings.
Heavens!
This is too fantastical!
Behind the small wooden house was a hidden world, like a fairyland. The sky outside had already turned dark, but here, the sky was still a brilliant blue. The ground was lush green, with verdant trees and abundant flowers and grass. In the distance were residential houses, built on either side of a street. However, in such a large living area, not a single soul was seen, which made her feel a bit strange.
"Lier, do you also find it beautiful? This is where my mother grew up – the Zi Mou Clan," Jun Mo Han turned to ask Leng Ruo Li.
"It is indeed beautiful," Leng Ruo Li replied truthfully.
"The people who once lived here all possessed a pair of purple eyes, unusual for ordinary people. Furthermore, the men and women here were all skilled artisans, but they were very simple folk, unlike people outside who scheme and plot. There were no wars, and people lived in great peace, rising with the sun and resting with the moon, living lives of farming and weaving. However, after my mother rescued a severely injured man from outside, everything here changed, and it brought great disaster to this place," Jun Mo Han said with a face full of sorrow.
"Alas, life is truly unpredictable!" Leng Ruo Li exclaimed.
"No, it was my mother and my father who brought disaster here," Jun Mo Han immediately refuted Leng Ruo Li's statement.
"Alas..."
Leng Ruo Li sighed, then looked up at Jun Mo Han. She reached out and held his large palm, and they walked and talked, with Liang Bo walking beside them.
"My mother was the daughter of the Zi Mou Clan leader. Her parents doted on her, and the people here highly respected the clan leader's family. Everyone regarded my mother as the future clan leader, but my mother was quite rebellious and often sneaked out into the forests outside the Zi Mou Clan to play. One day, my mother happened to encounter my father being pursued and severely injured in the woods. My mother, filled with compassion, brought him back to the Zi Mou Clan. Little did she know that as they spent more time together, feelings developed between them. Later, my father eloped with my mother... and the subsequent events, you should already know."
Jun Mo Han slowly recounted the story of Zi Yi Yun to Leng Ruo Li.
"I've heard some of it, but not the complete story," Leng Ruo Li stated honestly.
At this moment, Liang Bo, who was walking beside them, suddenly interjected, "Later, the eldest daughter ran off to the capital with Prince Rui (the current Emperor). When she arrived, she discovered that Prince Rui was already married with children. The eldest daughter was furious and wanted to leave Prince Rui's mansion immediately, but Prince Rui stopped her and imprisoned her in a courtyard within the mansion. Later, the eldest daughter discovered she was pregnant. It was for the sake of the child in her womb that she gave up the idea of escaping Prince Rui's mansion. However, she was unhappy every day. Only after the young prince was born did her spirits improve somewhat."
"Sigh, Jun Mo Han, your father is truly a scoundrel. If I were in your mother's place, being deceived by your father like that, I would have blown up his entire nest," Leng Ruo Li said indignantly.
As she finished speaking, Jun Mo Han pursed his lips and smiled.
"Lier, don't worry! In this life, I will only marry you. As long as you are my wife, we will be together for a lifetime, just the two of us. I will not let you follow the same path as my mother," Jun Mo Han vowed to Leng Ruo Li.
"Heh! What you're saying now sounds better than singing. If you dare to bring any of those messy women into our home later, I'll castrate you first and then blow up your Cold King's mansion," Leng Ruo Li said with a firm tone.
Liang Bo, hearing Leng Ruo Li's words, immediately gave her a thumbs-up.
"Consort, this old servant truly likes your domineering spirit."
Liang Bo found Leng Ruo Li more and more pleasing to his eyes.
The three continued walking and talking, and soon they reached the street in the center of the Zi Mou Clan village. Since the villagers had been massacred, the village had become deserted. Some houses had collapsed over time due to lack of maintenance. It had become a desolate place.
Jun Mo Han and Liang Bo looked at these empty houses, and a wave of sorrow surged in their hearts. What was once a lively village of three to four hundred people had now become a desolate ghost town.
Subsequently, the three passed through the village's main street and arrived at a wide grassland. This area was densely packed with one grave after another.
Upon arriving at this place, Jun Mo Han and Liang Bo's expressions turned solemn. They immediately knelt and kowtowed three times. Seeing their actions, Leng Ruo Li also knelt and imitated them, kowtowing three times.
Afterwards, the three proceeded to a stone mountain. Liang Bo took out a triangular stone he had brought with him and placed it in a recessed area on the stone mountain. A stone door slowly opened automatically.
The three stepped inside, and the lamps on the stone house instantly ignited.
The stone house was not large. In the center was a white jade coffin, but the surrounding murals were vividly depicted. Leng Ruo Li carefully scanned the walls, which were carved with the life events of the tomb's occupant. The white jade coffin in the center of the stone house was sealed tightly.
"Lier, this is my mother's tomb."
Jun Mo Han said to Leng Ruo Li with red eyes.
Seeing the distressed look on Jun Mo Han's face, Leng Ruo Li tenderly reached out and held his large palm, comforting him.