She nodded at Feng Xi Wu with considerable composure. "I'd already guessed as much. The people of Da Qian don't know Princess An Yang's true face, and my father, with his stubborn nature, wouldn't have kept her portrait if he knew she wasn't Princess An Yang."
Feng Xi Wu hadn't expected to gain such an unexpected prize while out searching for medicine. He gently comforted Lu Qing Wan, his arm around her shoulders. "Don't overthink it. Whether she was Princess An Yang or the Saintess of the Samsara Hall, she was your mother. Her love for you and your father was genuine."
"I know." Truthfully, Lu Qing Wan didn't really care about her mother's identity. However, "Since she'd rather die than seek help from the Samsara Hall, I suppose being the Saintess wasn't a good thing for her. Since she chose to be Princess An Yang, and has now been buried as Princess An Yang, let's not disturb her anymore, alright?" She looked up at Liu Xun Ran. "The Samsara Hall is very powerful, but my mother was willing to die rather than return here. You wouldn't want her to die with regrets, would you?"
Every word Lu Qing Wan spoke pierced Liu Xun Ran's heart like needles. His face remained cold, but the harshness and arrogance he'd shown Lu Qing Wan the previous day were gone. "Child, you are right. Yan'er was unwilling to return to the Samsara Hall even unto death. I will not force her. However, she is my daughter, and I wish to see her. You..." His words were filled with heartbreaking hesitation and caution, as if he feared Lu Qing Wan would stop him from mourning Liu Han Yan.
Lu Qing Wan found it laughable. He hadn't cherished her when she was alive, yet now he acted this way after her death, which was simply disgusting. "That is your concern, not mine. Now, can my husband and I leave, Hall Master?"
Liu Xun Ran's face paled, but he stubbornly shook his head. "He can. You cannot leave."
"Why?" Lu Qing Wan's anger flared. "You act heartbroken over my mother's death, yet you restrict my freedom. Don't you find your actions contradictory?"
"The Teng Snake has recognized you as its master. If you wish to descend the mountain, you must first come with me to the altar and complete the succession ceremony to inherit the position of Saintess. Then, I will let you go."
"No!" Before Lu Qing Wan could speak, Feng Xi Wu refused on her behalf. Lu Qing Wan saw the tension in his expression, as if facing a great disaster, and understood. Liu Xun Ran, however, showed no such politeness to Feng Xi Wu. "When did the affairs of my Samsara Hall become your concern, an outsider?" He then said to Lu Qing Wan, right in front of Feng Xi Wu, "Qing Yi has investigated thoroughly. Your marriage was forced upon you by Emperor Jing You, and there is no affection between you. Stay here, and I will find you another husband. Anyone within or outside the Samsara Hall whom you fancy, I can bring to you, and they will be far superior to this sickly, short-lived ghost."
Feng Xi Wu's heart suddenly leaped into his throat, and he looked at Lu Qing Wan with apprehension. He hadn't forgotten that this girl had wanted to escape on the very day she was betrothed. Although they were now married, he could see clearly that his little princess consort had never truly intended to be with him for life. She hadn't left before perhaps due to various concerns, but with the backing of the Samsara Hall, he couldn't be sure if his little princess consort would stay.
The two men stared at Lu Qing Wan, their tension palpable, like two prisoners awaiting a judge's verdict. Just as they were about to break, Lu Qing Wan placed a hand on Feng Xi Wu's shoulder and spoke with clear articulation. "I will say this only once, so listen carefully. My man is the strongest and the most outstanding in my eyes. I do not need you to find me another husband. If I hear you or your subordinates call him a sickly, short-lived ghost again, I will turn all of you into true sickly, short-lived ghosts!" With that, she took Feng Xi Wu's hand and decisively commanded, "Let's go!" Da Bai had probably already found a way down the mountain. She didn't want to stay in this place for another moment.
Feng Xi Wu was so overwhelmed with surprise that he was momentarily stunned, moving like a puppet as he followed Lu Qing Wan. Liu Xun Ran's face turned ashen as he blocked their path. "If you don't want to change husbands, then so be it. But you must participate in the succession ceremony. Otherwise, you will not leave the Samsara Hall."
Feng Xi Wu suddenly came to his senses. "Impossible. The Saintess of the Samsara Hall is forbidden from descending the mountain for life. You want her to inherit the position of Saintess, which is no different from taking half her life!"
Lu Qing Wan's eyes widened in shock. "My mother fled the Samsara Hall desperately because of this?"
Liu Xun Ran, however, flatly denied it. "The Samsara Hall has never had the absurd rule that a Saintess cannot descend the mountain for life. This is all common misconception. In fact, it's just that successive Saintesses inherited the medical skills of Empress Qing Huang. However, Empress Qing Huang's medical skills were vast and complex, and it required immense effort to master them all. Once they entered the secular world, their energy would inevitably be divided, leading to the loss of Empress Qing Huang's medical skills. This is why there was a restriction on the age at which Saintesses could descend the mountain, but it was never a lifetime ban."
This was something neither Lu Qing Wan nor Feng Xi Wu had anticipated. Lu Qing Wan remained confused. "If that's the case, why did my mother flee the Samsara Hall desperately and prefer to die than seek help from the Samsara Hall?"
"She was my only daughter, but her aspirations were not in medicine; she was determined to practice martial arts and roam the martial world. I feared Empress Qing Huang's medical skills would be lost, thus failing our ancestral teachings. So, I deliberately spoke harsh words to her, saying that if she refused to study medicine, she should never claim to be a member of the Samsara Hall, nor its Saintess. Who knew she would be so stubborn and never return, even unto death..." Thinking of how his impulsive words had led to him and his daughter being separated by life and death, Liu Xun Ran was overcome with grief.
Lu Qing Wan felt no sympathy for him, even speaking somewhat cruelly. "Serves you right! With such a mouth, you just can't speak human words. I think you've been the Hall Master of the esteemed Samsara Hall for too long and forgotten how to speak normally! Kind words warm three winters, and harsh words wound six months of summer. As a father, you personally deprived her of the chance to practice martial arts for the sake of so-called ancestral teachings and then spoke such hurtful words. It's no wonder she left." For a Saintess of the dignified Samsara Hall, what glory would she have had if she hadn't been forced to leave? To have her body hidden in that cold lotus pond for eleven years, this father was less cruel than an enemy.
With things reaching this point, Lu Qing Wan thought Liu Xun Ran would finally give up on her inheriting the position of Saintess. To her surprise, while feigning deep sorrow, his words made Lu Qing Wan want to scratch his face. He said, "Yan'er's untimely death is indeed my lifelong regret. But since she left me a bloodline, you must complete her unfinished mission." Without waiting for Lu Qing Wan to retort, he continued coldly, "You can choose not to participate in the succession ceremony, but the Teng Snake will forever remain as it is now; you will not be able to cure its蠱. And don't think about finding the Liu Kun Yu Jin. The Medicine King Valley does indeed have the Liu Kun Yu Jin, but if I forbid it, they would not dare to give it to you."