Chapter 6: Mo's Decision

  "Now you have two choices: one is to inherit the nameless as the grandson of the old master, and the other is to be the princess of the Wang Dynasty and marry Lou Lan. The Nameless kidnapped Princess Yu Luo, Lou Lan will definitely not agree, if I don't choose another princess to marry him, the Wang Dynasty will start trouble again. If your mother stays with the Nameless, she will have to leave the palace, leave me, Mo Er, you don't want to ruin your mother's hard-won happiness, do you?"

  "Yes, mother's happiness" I replied silently "Can I think about it?" Helplessly looking up at Xing Chen.

  "Possible, but only for one night." Xing Chen didn't suspect that Niang wasn't the old master's daughter, it seemed she had made some effort. Niang's habit of saying "whatever you decide is fine" all day long hadn't changed, and instead became more pronounced.

  The night is cool and refreshing, with countless stars twinkling in the sky. But all I can think of are the two options that Starlight has given me. Ha! Either way, I'll be far away from my mother. Should I choose to remain anonymous? But do I have the courage of Lian Yue or the strategic mind of Li Si Xing? Not to mention my non-existent martial arts skills... In the end, won't I just defeat myself? Or should I choose to marry into royalty? Ah, what a distant and unfamiliar place that would be. Although I've never thought about what my future husband would be like, marrying into royalty means becoming queen and helping him rule the country. Ha! If I can barely manage one person, how could I possibly manage an entire nation?

  What should I do?!

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  With two panda eyes appearing, mother pulled me to sit beside her. "Mother," I only held her hand, in front of so many people in the hall, I was too embarrassed to lean into my mother's arms.

  "Mò ér, in front of the three hall masters, tell me your choice." Xīng Chén's face was cold and he wore casual clothes, it seemed that Lián Yuè and Qiān Yì also knew his identity.

  "And dear... I'm not a royal princess after all, growing up in the countryside since childhood, don't understand etiquette, afraid of disgracing the royal family" She looked up at her mother's astonished face, and heard Xing Ruyu exclaim "Brother, he is also male..." Covering her mouth, she felt like she had made a mistake. Her beautiful face was full of anxiety and guilt, bowing her head like a child, not saying a word. This was his childhood habit, he remembered that when adults scolded him for doing something wrong, as long as he looked up, he would receive a loud slap on the face. Li Sixiang seemed to sense Xing Ruyu's panic and handed over a cup of tea, Xing Ruyu smiled gratefully.

  "Are you going to take over Nameless?" Xing Yuchen continued the words I didn't finish. "I know my own abilities, when I take over Nameless, I will re-select a new master, and let those who are capable take it." I said out the answer that I had thought about for a whole night. There was another point I didn't say: staying in Nameless, I still have my aunt, and people I know, but if I went to Loulan, I would have nothing.

  "Moe, you can stay in the nameless place too." Mother looked at Xing Yuchen, and the danger was evident. Ah, mother's fantasy of taking me into the palace seems to have been shattered.

  "Your Majesty, you seem to be unaware of the unspoken rules. Traitors or their children cannot hold positions as nameless officials or hall masters, let alone the position of altar master."

  "Mò ér. Nǐ jiù zhǐ yǒu yī tiáo lù kě zǒu le" Xīng Chén said the decision I least wanted to hear.

  "Xing! Mo Er can't be with her family. So young... going far away to the desert... alone... how can you bear it?" Niang's words became urgent and confused, tears welling up in her eyes. She hastily grabbed Xing Chen's sleeve. When she saw the Emperor's discerning gaze, she bit her lower lip, her eyes flashing with a hint of desperation, and suddenly threw out a shocking statement that left everyone stunned: "Mo Mo is not Mo Tian Di!"

  What?! I was shocked on the spot as if struck by lightning.

  "Mother, Mo Er going to the desert is nothing. Don't talk nonsense!" I hope this is mother's lie to keep me from leaving.

  "Mò ér. You think mother would joke about her own chastity?" Mother's eyes flashed with determination "Mò Mò is not the daughter of Mò Tiān!"

  In people's gradually shocked eyes, Su Man's thoughts slowly sank to that snowy winter day sixteen years ago.

  "I only remember that I lost a memory, because no matter how hard I tried to recall it, it was all blank. But when I had memories, I was lying in front of a medical hall, freezing and starving. A little boy saw me and ran inside to call the person in charge, who carried me to the bed. At that time, the doctor had already diagnosed that I was pregnant. Later, since I had no money to pay for the medical expenses, I helped out at the medical hall. Coincidentally, Mo Ge (Big Brother Mo) was injured at that time, and the doctor asked me to take care of him. When Mo Ge found out about my situation, he paid the money and sent me home. But unexpectedly, my parents did not recognize me, fearing that I would bring shame to our family. It was also Mo Ge who brought me to Xilou Mountain, wanting to give me a place to settle down. Unfortunately, his master misunderstood him, crippling his martial arts skills and expelling him from the mountain gate. This caused Mo Ge and his master's sister to be unable to be together...".

  Mother said this, sighed, and slowly looked down at the tea bowl in front of her. She raised her head and looked at Lian Yue, saying "I'm sorry", then timidly glanced at Xing Yuchen. Xing Yuchen, on the other hand, tightly grasped Su Man's hand, as if to say: As long as you are by my side, everything is fine.

  My mother's words made me kneel weakly on the ground, and I suddenly smiled at them "Ha... Ha... You deceived me! Right? You are deceiving me, Mother... you said... you are deceiving me! I would rather go to the desert with my relatives than be deceived by you!" A heavy pain in my heart, looking at my mother's face full of guilt, knowing that what she said was true, but I still hoped she was deceiving me.

  The pain that's been pent up in my heart, I just want to find a way to vent it out, using all my might to scream it out. I throw my head back and let the tears flow freely down my face. "Do you know how I felt before? Despair! Resentment! I've resented him for so many years! Hated him for so many years! Every time I feel like a useless person, I think of his heartlessness and coldness, and it makes me hate him even more. I hope that one day I can overcome him, make him experience the same hardships my mother and I went through, the feeling of being bullied and humiliated! But after he took us away, I forgave him for abandoning me, forgave him for forgetting me, forgave him for not caring about me at all. However... however... haha... these years, I've been like a clown, hating someone who didn't deserve my hate! No wonder, what right do I have to resent him?

  Su Man slowly squatted down, hugging the exhausted Mo Mo, and burst into tears "Sorry... sorry... Mo Mo... I..."

  Mo Mo stared blankly at her mother, still kneeling, as if confronting something. Lian Yue squatted down and gently stroked Mo Mo's face. "Mo Mo, everything is over... In this life, even if one person makes a mistake, they will make amends, compensate, and be forgiven. Your mother... actually..."

  Mèi Mèi slowly lifted her head, tears already blurring her eyes. "Auntie, what should I do?"

  Lian Yue was silent for a while, staring at Su Man's guilty face, and muttered "This matter can't be blamed on anyone..."

  Mo Mo tightly grasped Lian Yue's hand and begged her, "Auntie, you won't abandon me, will you? Are you choosing Father or me?"

  Lian Yue fell silent, and tears slowly welled up in her eyes. She forced a bitter smile and said, "I promised him I'd always be with him... Sorry, Mo Mo, I also promised to take care of you for the rest of my life..."

  Mo's hand slowly left Lian Yue's palm, and she stood up with her head down, looking at Su Man's sorrowful smile. "I won't blame you, Mother, I won't be foolishly resentful of anyone again."

  Momo ran out hastily, bumping her shoulder on the door frame as she left. With a thud, she fell to the ground, but slowly got up, seemingly lost in thought. Then, just like that, she walked away and never looked back.

  Summan was despondently smiling "I'm really a failed mother, never properly protected Momo, but instead the child has to protect me" Her misty eyes looked at where Momo had left, and she got up wanting to chase after.

  "Moe is now in a state where she wants to be alone, when she figures things out, she'll naturally come find you. You going now will only add chaos." Xing Chen's hand pressed down on Su Manran's shoulder.

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  At this time, Wu Ming fell into a state of confusion due to Mo Mo's departure. No one expected that the usually filial and lovely person would quietly leave, so Wu Ming issued three orders to search for Mo Mo who was supposed to take over as the leader.

  Ink was running wildly on the Western Hill, not knowing where to go, until the black stone she tightly grasped in her hand slipped and fell to the ground. Only then did she realize she had climbed too high, her whole body frozen numb. She picked up the stone and tucked it away. Then with a thud, she fell onto the snowy ground...

  When she woke up, she was on a warm kang in a farmhouse. She was saved by a girl who had gone into the mountains to hunt and collect firewood, who had just pulled her back on a sled, and used the rabbits she had caught to make a pot of hot rabbit stew for her.

  "Thank you!" Mo's voice was hoarse, lying on the kang and taking over the hot soup bowl. He looked at the girl in front of him, wearing a neat short shirt and shorts, her black hair tied behind her head, a pair of big eyes with clear black and white pupils, her skin showing a healthy honey color due to years of outdoor labor.

  "No need to be polite, I'm Fei Fei, he's my little brother Xiao Hui," saying that, he pulled out the little boy from behind him for Mo Mo to see.

  "My name is MoMo... I don't know how to describe myself. Thinking of this afternoon's events, my heart knots up again."

  "Uh...never mind, don't say it if you don't want to." Feifei carefully tucked in the corner of the quilt for me.

  "Don't worry, stay here with me. This home is just for my sister and me. Xiaohui may be mischievous but he's also very sensible. There are plenty of wild game on the mountain and the land is fertile, enough for us to live comfortably." Nini generously invited me to join this poor household.

  "Thank you, I will also help with some farm work." I looked at Nini gratefully.

  I'm finally home! I wonder how mom and them are doing... Ah! Don't think about it anymore! Tell yourself not to think about it again!