Weapon seller in the world of magic-Chapter 744: Song Yue’s trauma

Lan Xia nodded, understanding his concern. Then she spoke again, her voice steady. "My master has no objection to betrothing her grandson to the princess. She already told me so."

Mark’s expression darkened instantly. "No. That doesn’t solve anything. I won’t sacrifice someone else’s future to solve my own problem."

Lan Xia didn’t argue. Instead, she calmly asked, "What if no one is sacrificed?"

Mark looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"What if Lord Hei takes Lan Yichen as his disciple?" she said.

Mark froze. "Disciple?"

"Yes," Lan Xia replied. "Think about it. Lord Hei is coming here anyway. If he accepts Yichen as his disciple, then Yichen won’t just be some hostage sent to the palace. He’ll be under Lord Hei’s protection."

She continued, laying it out clearly. "With that status, the palace won’t dare treat him poorly. On paper, he can still be sent as a ’hostage,’ but in reality, he’ll be untouchable. His cultivation, future, and safety will all be secured."

Mark stared at her for a long moment.

Slowly, the tension in his shoulders eased.

"That..." he said at last, a smile forming, "that’s actually a very good idea."

Lan Xia smiled back, faintly but with confidence.

Meanwhile, back in the courtyard, Song Yue and Shen Ling continued playing with the children, but their attention kept drifting toward the distance.

Every now and then, both of them glanced in the direction where Mark and Lan Xia were standing together, talking quietly. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

After the third time, Shen Ling finally spoke, lowering her voice a little. "I wonder what they’ve been talking about for so long."

Song Yue shrugged lightly. "Probably clan matters. There’s always something going on here."

Shen Ling giggled softly, then leaned closer. "Still... this Sister Xia is quite something."

Song Yue gave her a look. "What do you mean?"

"I’ve been observing her," Shen Ling continued. "Apart from us, she speaks very coldly to everyone else. Almost emotionless. At first, I thought it was just how she treated servants, but I asked around. She does the same with elders too. Saints, gods, people stronger than even Lord Yujiang from our world."

Song Yue frowned slightly. "It’s not nice to talk behind her back like this."

"I’m not insulting her," Shen Ling said calmly. "I’m just stating what I see. The servants say she only started smiling after Lu Zhen entered her life. Before that, she was like an ice statue."

Song Yue stayed silent for a moment, watching Lu Shan chase Shen Yi around the courtyard. "Everyone has their own nature."

Shen Ling nodded, then sighed. "Sister Yue... you should still be careful."

Song Yue turned to her. "Careful? About what?"

"She isn’t like Sylvandria or me," Shen Ling said quietly. "We don’t compete with you. We already know where our place is. But her... she will."

Song Yue’s brows knit together. "Ling’er..."

"Listen," Shen Ling continued. "Do you know what the servants whispered? She openly spoke against the former patriarch. She confronted the imperial prince without hesitation. She even declared that she would abandon the entire clan if it meant staying with Lu Zhen."

Song Yue’s expression stiffened slightly.

"And Lu Zhen himself admitted," Shen Ling added, "that she was the one who proposed to him. She was also the one who pushed for marriage."

She paused, choosing her words carefully. "Someone like her... she won’t hesitate. If you’re careless, she will grab onto him with everything she has."

Song Yue shifted uneasily and suddenly spoke, her voice sharper than she intended. "Please stop it, Xue Xue."

The words had barely left her mouth when the world seemed to pause.

"Eh?" Shen Ling blinked, genuinely startled.

Song Yue froze. The realization hit her a heartbeat too late.

Shen Ling slowly turned her head, her eyes narrowing slightly, curiosity replacing surprise. "Xue Xue?"

At that exact moment, Lu Shan tugged at Song Yue’s sleeve and pulled the blindfold from his own eyes with a triumphant grin. "Yay, I caught you, Mother! You’re out!"

He waited for her reaction.

But Song Yue didn’t take the blindfold back. Her face had gone pale, and she avoided Shen Ling’s gaze. After a brief pause, she forced a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. "Mom just remembered she has something to do."

Without another word, she turned and started walking back toward the palace.

Lu Shan stood there, confused, holding the blindfold. "Eh? Mom... you’re out. You can’t escape like this. That’s cheating."

He looked up at Shen Ling and complained, "Look, Second Mother, Mother is escaping again."

Shen Ling crouched down and gently ruffled his hair, her smile calm and soothing. "Mother must be tired in this cold weather. How about we rest for now?"

Lu Shan frowned but nodded reluctantly.

Nearby, Shen Yi was completely oblivious to everything. She was sitting on the snowy ground, clapping happily as she scooped snow with her tiny hands and let it fall again, giggling as if the world contained nothing but joy.

Shen Ling walked over and gently lifted both children, handing them to Sylvandria. "I’ll come back later."

Sylvandria accepted them without question. She could sense something was wrong, but she said nothing, only nodding quietly as she held the children close.

Across the courtyard, Mark noticed Song Yue walking alone toward the palace, her steps hurried and her back stiff. A moment later, he saw Shen Ling following after her.

Mark frowned slightly. "That’s strange... what just happened?"

Lan Xia glanced at him but didn’t speak.

Mark exhaled softly and turned toward the palace. "I’ll be back."

And with that, he followed after them, a faint unease settling in his chest.

Meanwhile, Song Yue walked faster, her steps uneven as she headed toward the palace corridors. The snow beneath her boots crunched softly, each sound echoing louder in her chest than it should have.

"Sis, wait."

Shen Ling caught up to her and gently grabbed her shoulder. Song Yue stiffened but didn’t pull away.

"What happened?" Shen Ling asked softly.

Song Yue turned her head slightly. Shen Ling saw it then. Her eyes were red, tears trembling at the edges, stubbornly refusing to fall.

"Not now," Song Yue whispered.

Shen Ling stepped in front of her and turned her around. "Tell me," she said quietly but firmly. "We might not be sisters by blood, but I’ve always treated you as my elder sister. I’ve never hidden anything from you. Don’t hide this from me."

Song Yue’s lips trembled. She tried to smile, failed, and finally looked away. "It’s nothing..."

Shen Ling waited.

After a few breaths, Song Yue spoke again, her voice breaking. "I just... remembered my best friend. My childhood friend. Lin Xue. She was like my sister."

Shen Ling’s expression changed. Her voice lowered. "She’s the one who betrayed you."

Song Yue’s composure finally shattered. Tears slipped down her cheeks as she nodded. "She stabbed my husband, Ling’er. How could she do that? How could someone I trusted with my life do something like that?"

At that moment, a familiar voice reached them.

"Schatz... what happened?"

Mark had arrived, concern written plainly on his face.

Before Song Yue could react, Shen Ling stepped forward and pulled her into a hug, turning slightly so Mark couldn’t see her face. Shen Ling looked at him calmly. "It’s nothing. Just women’s matters. We’ll handle it ourselves."

Mark hesitated, then noticed Song Yue’s shaking shoulders. "Are you crying? Why?"

Shen Ling’s gaze sharpened just a little. "Lu Zhen. I said it’s not something men should be involved in. Go."

Mark straightened instantly. "Yes, ma’am."

He took a few steps back, then paused and turned again. "Everything is alright... right?"

Shen Ling nodded. "Yes. Now go."

"Uh... alright," Mark muttered, retreating awkwardly. He didn’t understand what had happened, but experience had taught him when not to push.

Once he was gone, Shen Ling kept an arm around Song Yue as they continued walking.

"Thank you," Song Yue said quietly.

Shen Ling squeezed her shoulder. "It’s alright. Forget about it, sis. Look at you now. You’re safe. And Lu Zhen... he’s more than fine."

Song Yue shook her head slightly. "Lu Zhen suffered so many injuries saving me back then, Ling’er. Just when we thought everything was finally over, she almost killed him. To save his life, Lord Yujiang had to place that core inside him. Every time I think of her... I can’t bear it."

Shen Ling gently stroked her back. "Shh... shh... it’s alright. Forget about her. She doesn’t deserve space in your heart anymore. You survived. He survived. That’s what matters."

Song Yue closed her eyes, leaning into Shen Ling’s support as they walked on, the cold air slowly calming the storm inside her chest.