NCCnovel Chapter 202 Hua Ling
Chapter 202 Hua Ling
No one can completely disappear from this world.
Upon seeing the red line on her hand, Xue Lan murmured to herself.
The woman in front of everyone took off her red hood and said in a spirited voice, "Officer Ming, I truly admire you."
Xue Tong couldn't help but look at the woman in front of her and scrutinize her closely. Although she had a face that was almost identical to Xue Lan's, compared to Xue Lan's gentle and bright appearance, this woman's eyes exuded more of a wanton and arrogant air.
However, this is not the kind of brashness that comes from youthful exuberance.
Rather, it is the arrogance of someone who has experienced the world, holds great power, and has everything under their control.
Even though her hair was styled like a married woman's and fine lines had appeared at the corners of her eyes, it did not diminish her elegance in the slightest.
Mingcheng stepped forward first and replied to Hua Niangzi, "Aunt Hua, you flatter me. We are really grateful to Miss Xue for this." He then pointed to Xue Lan behind him.
Mingcheng is a straightforward and honest person with the most genuine kindness of ordinary people, which Xue Lanzhi likes very much, but now he has a bit of a headache.
Hua Ling looked in the direction Ming Cheng pointed and saw a gentle and polite face.
Oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, peach blossom eyes.
She was pretty and elegant, but her peach blossom eyes were grayish-white and lifeless, which looked a bit strange.
"Thanks to Miss Xue's selfless act, we were able to rescue these children," Mingcheng added.
Hua Ling put aside her unease and slowly bowed to Xue Lan: "Miss, I am Hua Ling, the head of the Qianyun Chamber of Commerce. Please accept this jade pendant."
Xue Tong watched as the woman took out a fine jade pendant from her sleeve and handed it to Xue Lan.
Xue Lan's gentle voice rang out: "Thank you for your kindness, Madam Hua. I have suffered from an eye disease since childhood and cannot see clearly. Please give the jade pendant to my sister for now."
Hua Ling sighed softly, her tone full of regret: "If you wish to seek medical help, I am happy to assist you."
Xue Tong stepped forward and took the jade pendant from Hua Niangzi's hand, examining it in his own palm.
This is a white jade pendant, as smooth and warm as solidified fat, and cool to the touch. It is carved with an auspicious cloud, with its tail curling and flowing, making it exceptionally lively and valuable.
Hua Ling seemed eager to find the human trafficker involved in the abduction. After exchanging a few pleasantries with the others, she walked over to the still unconscious trafficker and kicked him awake.
The middle-aged woman had been kicked unconscious not long ago, and now she was inexplicably attacked. When she woke up, she struggled and spat out a mouthful of warm blood.
Hua Ling looked down at her, her bright and beautiful face filled with disgust: "Zeng Xuemei. Born in Shangshan County, Linyun Prefecture..."
Xue Lan didn't pay attention to Hua Ling's words, but instead turned her head to Cao Yike.
Cao Yike felt that this Miss Xue was indeed a celestial being. Although she was blind, she always gave him the feeling of being watched.
"Is there anything you'd like to ask, young lady?"
While eavesdropping, Xue Tong thought to herself that Cao Yi was really good at this.
Xue Lan glanced in the direction of the flower maiden.
Cao Yike watched Xue Lan's actions, thinking it was truly miraculous. The young man spoke softly, recounting a story from the Great Li Dynasty:
More than twenty years ago, when the late emperor was still in power, the Hua family was the leading imperial merchant family in the Dali Dynasty. Master Hua was ordered by the late emperor to support the 130,000-strong army in the southern border. Under the late emperor's instruction, he sent his two sons to the army, leaving only his youngest daughter, Hua Ling, to stay by his side and help him manage the family business.
As the third young lady of the Hua family grew older, Master Hua, reluctant to part with his daughter, took in a frail scholar as his son-in-law. The couple lived in harmony after their marriage and soon had twins, a boy and a girl.
Of these twins, the brother is perfectly healthy, while the sister is born with congenital defects and is in critical condition.
Just then, the late emperor fell critically ill, and the situation in the court became unclear. The fourth prince, the fifth prince, and the crown prince were locked in a three-way struggle for the throne.
The Hua family was caught up in this royal power struggle. Master Hua died of anger on the spot, and Hua Ling not only had to support the family business, but her youngest daughter was also in critical condition. She was overwhelmed and in great distress.
So the frail, scholarly son-in-law of the Hua family voluntarily gave up his hard-earned official rank and traveled thousands of miles with his infant daughter, not yet a year old, to seek medical treatment in Da Shun. He disappeared without a trace...
"After the disappearance of the Hua family's son-in-law, another change occurred in the court. The fourth prince ascended the throne and threatened Hua Niangzi with the lives of her two brothers, forcing her to hand over most of the Hua family's assets. Since then, the Hua family has suffered a heavy blow and has only recently established the Qianyun Chamber of Commerce to make a comeback."
"Even so, her husband and youngest daughter are a constant worry for Hua Niangzi. She has never stopped searching for them over the past decades."
After listening to Cao Yike's story, Xue Lan asked softly, "Does she believe her child and husband were abducted by human traffickers?"
Cao Yike shook her head mysteriously: "I don't need to say anything more. Miss Xue is very capable, so you might as well calculate it yourself."
Xue Lan immediately understood that this matter was likely related to the royal family, and Cao Yike, a commoner, dared not speak rashly.
Just then, the woman in red kicked the middle-aged woman in front of her to the ground, saying, "You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to drink the penalty cup." She then pulled out a blood-red whip from her waist. The whip was made of the hide of some animal, fine and soft, and seemed to have been soaked in salt water before it was taken out. Every time it struck the middle-aged woman, she let out a shrill scream.
Hua Niangzi acted decisively, giving the middle-aged woman no chance to beg for mercy, and directly whipped her several times until she was knocked to the ground.
Then, she stepped forward and grabbed the middle-aged woman's hair: "I'll ask you one more time, who is your master?"
The middle-aged woman seemed unable to bear the pain any longer and stammered, "I confess, I confess..."
Xue Tong glanced at the people around her. Everyone had their own things to do, and several burly men even blocked the children's view, seemingly unsurprised by Hua Niangzi's behavior.
Xue Lan heard the middle-aged woman's hoarse voice: "That sir is... he is... ah!"
Before the middle-aged woman could finish her sentence, a fierce flame erupted from her chest, threatening to engulf the flower maiden.
"Certainly!"
A clear and concise voice rang out, and Hua Niangzi noticed that the flames in front of her suddenly stopped, as if they had been frozen in mid-air.
“Tracing back!”
Another sound rang out, and the flames that had just been burning retreated back into the middle-aged woman's chest, as if they had never appeared at all.
In the imperial palace of the Great Li Dynasty, thousands of miles away, a man in black suffered a backlash from magic and spat out a mouthful of pitch-black blood.
"A cultivator? No, it can't be a cultivator? A god, how would a god know..."
The man in black was completely disoriented. He was in a huge underground palace, and behind him was an enormous black pillar.