Ancient Dragon Elephant Technique

Chapter 433: Chapter 19 Yu Ji’s Sad Past

”Brother Feng, get up, the sun is already on your butt.” Zi Ling’er lay on the bed, pinching Lin Feng’s nose with her small hands.

Lin Feng opened his eyes, looked outside, and said with a wry smile, ”It’s gloomy outside, there’s no sun.”

”But you still need to get up, Uncle Yan and Sister Yu Ji are already up.” Ling’er said cheerfully.

This is Fire City, the capital of Red Fire Country.

Red Fire Country’s capital is famous because it is surrounded by nine huge volcanoes, making it hot all year round.

Lin Feng planned to follow Elder Yan and Yu Ji to Martial Soul Hall, and temporarily needed to find a place for Ling’er.

...

Lin Feng got up, and Ling’er attended to him as he washed up, acting just like a caring little cotton-padded jacket.

Since leaving the Qingyang Sect with Lin Feng and spending some time with him, Ling’er had become much more cheerful.

After breakfast, someone sent by Elder Yan came to inform Lin Feng that Lord Yu Ji was going to visit the Red Fire Country palace and asked if Lin Feng wanted to come along?

Later, Lin Feng found out that Yu Ji’s background seemed to be related to Red Fire Country.

Ling’er really wanted to visit the palace of a country, and looked at Lin Feng with pleading eyes, holding his hand.

Lin Feng smiled and said, ”Then shall we go together?”

”Brother Feng is the best.” Ling’er seemed very excited.

When the bigwigs from Martial Soul Hall arrived, the king of Red Fire Country personally came out to welcome them.

Yu Ji nodded and headed straight into the depths of the Red Fire Country palace.

In that moment, Lin Feng felt a strong sense of sorrow emanating from Yu Ji.

”What’s wrong with Sister Yu Ji?” Ling’er, feeling Yu Ji’s emotion, couldn’t help but ask aloud.

Elder Yan said, ”This is Lord Yu Ji’s homeland.”

”Her homeland?” Lin Feng looked at Elder Yan with confusion.

Elder Yan said, ”A thousand years ago, Lord Yu Ji was a princess of the previous dynasty, but alas, she was born to a maid. Later, when the country faced a crisis, Lord Yu Ji was chosen for a political marriage...”

It was a piece of Yu Ji’s past; even now, she was reluctant to recall too much. When memories from the past surfaced, they brought only sorrow.

Yu Ji had an unfortunate childhood as her mother was a maid; a maid’s daughter was not entitled to be raised by her own mother, and Yu Ji was fostered under a noble consort, but never received motherly love as a child.

How could the former king, who had sixty-four princes and princesses, remember a daughter born to a maid?

At the age of six, Yu Ji finally met her biological mother, and it was only then that she began to experience maternal love, though they met secretly, which was strictly forbidden.

In the back palace, where intrigue was never lacking, Yu Ji’s mother secretly met with Yu Ji at the age of seven but was discovered by the noble consort. After that, Yu Ji’s mother was dragged away, and Yu Ji never saw her again.

”Lord’s mother died tragically, beaten to death and thrown into the back mountain, her body eaten by wolves,” murmured Elder Yan.

”Although Lord Yu Ji was young, perhaps because of enduring so many hardships, she was precocious. She heard about her mother’s fate, did not shed a tear, and did not even burn paper money for her mother,” said Lin Feng with a sigh.

”If she had been discovered, she likely would have been beaten to death too. The struggles in the back palace were always brutal; no one would leave behind a princess filled with hatred.”

”Yes... At the age of thirteen, Lord Yu Ji was selected for a political marriage. However, on the way, they encountered an Evil Demon. The entire marriage convoy was killed, and Lord Yu Ji almost died too, but fortunately, a bigwig from Martial Soul Hall appeared, vanquished the Evil Demon, and allowed Lord Yu Ji to enter Martial Soul Hall,” recalled Elder Yan.

”Was Uncle Yan also part of that marriage convoy?” asked Lin Feng.

Elder Yan nodded and said, ”Yes, I was the only surviving guard, who followed Lord Yu Ji into Martial Soul Hall. There, Lord Yu Ji displayed unimaginable talent, which astonished the eighteen Lords of the main hall of Martial Soul Hall.”

Elder Yan’s face showed a proud expression as he seemed to recall the stunned and incredulous expressions of those people from Martial Soul Hall during Yu Ji’s talent test, as if remembering the scene when all eighteen main hall lords hurried over to confirm it.

”Sister Yu Ji is a good person, and good people receive good fortune,” Zi Ling’er said softly.

”Yes, good people will be rewarded,” Elder Yan affirmed.

”What happened later? Was this kingdom eventually destroyed?” Lin Feng asked.

”That happened five years later. The already decaying kingdom suffered incessant internal strife. The King was strangled to death in the Taihe Palace by more than a dozen maidservants; numerous princes fought over the throne, plunging the nation into turmoil. The Dukes carved up the land. It took a century before someone quelled the chaos, but by then, the ancient kingdom had vanished, replaced by the Red Fire Country,”

Elder Yan said.

Lin Feng was moved. The King was actually strangled by more than a dozen maids, which likely meant he was a tyrannical and incompetent ruler.

”Upon learning of the King’s death, Lord Yu Ji stayed alone for a day. I know that although Lord Yu Ji deeply hated his ruthlessness, he was, after all, her father. Blood is thicker than water. Lord Yu Ji wept secretly. That was the first time I saw Lord Yu Ji cry,”

Elder Yan said.

This was a piece of Yu Ji’s past, a time when she had given up too much just to survive.

Later, Yu Ji severed all ties with her former homeland.

...

”This is the first time I’ve returned since leaving,” Elder Yan muttered.

A millennium had passed, and much had changed.

But this palace was still the same palace from a thousand years ago.

Yu Ji went to a small rear garden. She stood there, gently caressing the pavilion, the rockery, everything here with her hands.

She stayed there for a long time.

”Is this the place where Lord Yu Ji spent time with her mother when she was a child?” Zi Ling’er asked softly.

Lin Feng sighed, ”Perhaps.”

That was the happiest year of Yu Ji’s life. Every five days, she was able to see her mother.

She could nestle in her mother’s arms like other children, and, like them, express her grievances.

Despite the passage of a millennium, Yu Ji could not forget the deeply ingrained image of her mother.

But all of that had become the past.

”Are you well?” Yu Ji murmured, standing in the pavilion, her tears slipping down uncontrollably.

Her vision blurred.

She seemed to see a little girl standing not far away, emitting a bell-like, crisp laugh.

”Mommy, come catch me!” the little girl said, laughing.

A beautiful woman chased after her, lifting the little girl into her arms.

”Yu Ji never wants to leave Mommy,” the little girl clung tightly to the beautiful woman.

”Mommy will never leave my Yu Ji,” the beautiful woman embraced the little girl as well.

But the happy times were too brief. As the sky darkened, they had to part.

The little girl was reluctant, holding tightly to the beautiful woman’s clothes.

”Silly child, Mommy will still be here waiting for you in five days,” the beautiful woman squatted down, kissing the little girl.

”Mhm,” the little girl nodded seriously.

...

But Yu Ji knew that this was the last time she would see her mother. After five days, her mother did not come.

Watching that increasingly distant figure, Yu Ji reached out, trying to grab that fading silhouette.

But she grabbed nothing; everything had already been swept away by the wind... leaving only longing and grief.