diskusbooks Chapter 357 Crocodile
Chapter 357 Crocodile
Just as Xu Sheng was about to make a sarcastic remark to her, he saw Uncle Yun enter with his maids, each carrying a food basket. Breakfast consisted of porridge, cakes, and dishes, filling the table to the brim.
Luo An pointed to the empty seat next to him: "Uncle Yun, please sit down as well."
Yun Bo, adhering to his duty as a servant, replied, "Young master, please give me your instructions."
Nianyao jumped next to Yunbo and forcefully pulled him to sit down, which was completely beyond Yunbo's understanding of etiquette. Caught off guard, he was forced to sit down.
Nianyao placed her hands on Yunbo's shoulders, preventing him from getting up: "Yunbo, we've been traveling the martial world for many years, and we value loyalty and equality. The hierarchy and rank in the palace don't apply to us. Luo An, right?"
Luo An replied, "That's right, I happen to have something to ask Uncle Yun."
Uncle Yun couldn't help but chuckle: "If you sit with me, Madam, I can't run away."
Nianyao then turned around and sat down on the other side of Luo An with a smile: "Mainly because I was afraid of wasting food."
Luo An said, "I remember that Father's personal bodyguard back then was also surnamed Yun?"
Uncle Yun nodded: "That's me."
No wonder it felt familiar. After so many years, Luo An had assumed his father's personal bodyguard was long gone, but unexpectedly, he was here in this remote palace.
Luo An's tone relaxed noticeably: "Uncle Yun, Father has been gone for many years, so there's no need to keep the events of that year a secret. The Prince is nominally the adopted son of the Empress of Nan Yue and Feng Jun Qin Feng, but he was originally brought back to the Empress of Nan Yue by my father. Uncle Yun should know these things, right?"
When Luo An mentioned the names of the Southern Yue Empress and Qin Feng, his emotions did not fluctuate much. It was as if he were recounting people and things that had nothing to do with him. Xu Sheng and Nian Yao were both a little surprised: Had Luo An come to his senses?
Yunbo knew what Luo An wanted to ask: "I don't know where Your Highness comes from."
Luo An was twirling a wine glass in his hand when he heard this, and his fingers stopped, causing the glass to hit the stone table with a crisp sound.
Knowing that Luo An was unhappy, Yun Bo still spoke calmly and without panic: "The master has been gone for a long time, the young master has grown up and married, and we are all old. There is no need to hide anything."
Back then, it was the Shunchang Escort Agency that delivered the child to the Luo residence. As for where the child came from, the adults didn't say, and we servants naturally wouldn't ask.
Uncle Yun's words made perfect sense; a man who could be his father's personal bodyguard must be a skilled martial artist, sharp-eyed, and tight-lipped.
Luo An's expression softened slightly: "Given Father's status and power back then, buying a child of similar age for the household would have been an easy matter. Why go through all that trouble and have to hire a security escort agency to deliver the child?"
Having seen many people in the martial arts world, Nianyao generally speculates: "If a child is bought nearby, disputes are likely to arise when they grow up. If they are bought far away, it will be difficult to find their biological parents, which saves trouble."
This is true; now, Xu Sheng has nowhere to begin searching.
Luo An then asked, "When did Uncle Yun start guarding the palace? What's so special about this place that requires someone like Uncle Yun to guard it?"
Yunbo said, "After you and the young master settled in Heaven and Earth, I came to Penglai. This palace is connected to the sea, with plenty of water and land, and many aquatic species, but nothing else is particularly special."
It can't compare to the bustling capital of Bianjing, but it's quiet and peaceful. "As one ages, one's heart changes; the first half of life is spent toiling and calculating, the second half is simply a time for relaxation."
Seeing that he couldn't get anything out of Luo An, Xu Sheng said, "Could you please show us around the palace, senior?"
Uncle Yun was right. The palace was surrounded by water and land. As far as the eye could see, there were lakes and bridges, with only a few buildings, either built on the water or by the lake.
I couldn't see clearly last night, but now I realize that there's a large lake in front of their courtyard, with a waterway connecting it to the land.
As Yunbo walked, he introduced the palace to them: "There are nine lakes of various sizes in the palace, all of which are connected by bridges and corridors. There are also six courtyards, which are said to be based on the Eight Trigrams, representing the harmony of Yin and Yang."
The lake water wasn't clear, so they couldn't see what was in it, but Nianyao seemed to sense countless eyes watching them from beneath the surface.
Nian Yao got goosebumps and whispered to Luo An, "There seem to be quite a lot of things in this lake?"
Uncle Yun didn't even turn his head: "Madam, this lake leads to the small sea, and the small sea leads to the ocean. It's normal for things to be plentiful."
A crocodile was lying across the waterway, blocking their way. Is this normal? Nianyao pulled Luo An back: "Be careful, it might bite."
The image of Luo An as a frail, unskilled doctor on Chongming Island was deeply ingrained in Nian Yao's mind. Whenever danger arose, she would reflexively shield Luo An behind her.
Luo An wasn't afraid, but the feeling of being instinctively protected behind him in the face of danger was so heartwarming that he obediently stood behind Nian Yao.
Yunbo seemed not to see it, stepping over the crocodile and continuing forward. Xu Sheng glanced at Luo An and then stepped over, with Hailuo following behind Xu Sheng.
The crocodile remained motionless. Nianyao felt relieved and lifted her foot to step over it, saying, "It's asleep."
"Too much talk leads to mistakes!" The crocodile suddenly looked up and opened its eyes to look at Nianyao, letting out a long hiss, as if to tell her: I'm not asleep.
Nianyao was startled when she stepped on the crocodile's back, slipped, and was about to fall.
Luo An took her hand and lifted her up forcefully, then heard a crisp crack as her arm dislocated.
Nianyao screamed in pain, "Ah..."
The crocodile seemed startled, slid into the lake with a whoosh, and still looked up at Nianyao. Seeing Nianyao baring her teeth, it let out another long hiss.
The lake surface began to churn, and all sorts of animals that had been hiding beneath the surface emerged to see what was happening: fish, shrimp, turtles, eels, frogs, and everything in between...
Not only did its head pop out, but all sorts of sounds also arose. How is this any different from someone wrestling in the street and being laughed at by a crowd?
Nianyao whispered, "Are they laughing at me?"
Luo Anzheng was setting Nian Yao's arm back on: "You screamed so loudly that you scared them."
Conch honestly corrected Roan: "They're just laughing. That crocodile said the lady is a fool."
The crocodile came into Nianyao's sight and sank to the bottom of the water with a splash, disappearing from sight.
Nianyao asked curiously, "Do they really understand human speech?"
A psychic being that can understand human speech? Luo An instantly thought of the giant salamander in the back mountain.
When Luo An was in a bad mood, he would sit by Moonlight Pool. No matter when he went there, the giant salamander would always appear and lie at his feet without exception.
The giant salamander didn't speak, and neither did he. But he could feel the giant salamander's sincere companionship. He gradually grew up, but the giant salamander didn't grow; it remained the same.
When did the giant salamander disappear? Luo An only remembered that after his father left, he was in a bad mood and went to sit by Moonlight Pool in the middle of the night. He sat there alone from midnight until dawn, but the giant salamander did not appear. He was not giving up, so he sat there from morning until night, but the giant salamander still did not appear.
The giant salamander that his father raised—his father is gone, and so is the salamander. But where did the salamander go? If it was alive, Luo An never saw it again. If it was dead, Luo An never saw its remains.