Free Web NovelChapter 517: Chapter 255: Sudden Death (Part 3)
"I suggest we have a good drink here."
Bao Longwei laughed.
"Hahaha, sure, I’ll go gather some firewood." freewebnσvel.cѳm
Jiang Feng didn’t refuse.
Anyway, he and Han Dong brought pots and pans with them, so as long as they got a fire going, they could immediately enjoy a steaming hot pickle and tofu hotpot.
"The Emperor told me something yesterday, and after thinking about it, I felt I should share it with you."
After paying respects to Han Tieshan, the three sat on the ground. Bao Longwei had drunk three jugs of yellow rice wine, not using his Qi Blood to dispel the effects. He spoke with a hint of alcohol and drunkenness.
"Go ahead, we’re friends."
Jiang Feng had long noticed that Bao Longwei had something on his mind, otherwise why would he choose to drink at Han Tieshan’s grave? He must have been worried that they might be upset upon knowing, so he chose to talk in front of Han Tieshan!
"It’s actually not that important. The Emperor told me that Xiao Ran died suddenly. It wasn’t at the hands of an enemy; his body had shown problems early on, and despite using many methods, the Emperor couldn’t save him."
Bao Longwei sighed deeply.
He took the wine jug and quickly took a big gulp.
Han Dong paused mid-air, her chopsticks holding a slice of soft, steaming white tofu. Hearing of Xiao Ran’s sudden death, her expression froze, and the tofu fell back into the pot.
"What exactly does Xiao Zhan want you to say?"
After regaining her composure, Han Dong picked up the tofu again and asked sorrowfully.
She knew Bao Longwei wasn’t just informing her of Xiao Ran’s sudden death; Xiao Zhan must have had additional instructions.
Ever since she followed Jiang Feng,
when entering the Imperial City with Jiang Feng, Xiao Zhan, fearing Jiang Feng’s strength, had Xiao Ran disappear in front of her. Initially, Han Dong found it hard to adjust because Xiao Ran had done so much for her, but for Jiang Feng, she knew it was the best outcome. Slowly, though she remembered someone who was once very kind to her, she gradually forgot about Xiao Ran.
Today, Bao Longwei’s mention of Xiao Ran’s sudden death reminded Han Dong of Xiao Ran’s selfless figure on White Tiger Mountain, leaving her feeling guilty toward Xiao Ran, with a twinge of sadness in her heart.
Jiang Feng saw all of this, fully understanding Han Dong’s feelings, and he too felt a bit sympathetic towards Xiao Ran. Xiao Ran had done so much for Han Dong, yet ended up with nothing.
People often say in a perfect relationship, there’s someone suffering in the shadows.
Xiao Ran was the wounded one.
It was precisely because of his sympathy for Xiao Ran, coupled with Xiao Ran treating Han Dong well, that Jiang Feng never made things difficult for Xiao Ran over the years.
Hearing of his sudden death today, Jiang Feng felt a sense of melancholy.
He knew Xiao Ran was also a martial arts genius, though not with Xiao Zhan’s extraordinary talent, but still becoming an Innate Powerhouse at a young age. He could have gone further to become a Martial Cultivator or Cultivator.
Dying suddenly at less than eighty indicates that Xiao Ran’s cultivation hadn’t progressed for decades.
This likely had a lot to do with Han Dong choosing to be with Jiang Feng.
Considering Xiao Ran’s infatuation with Han Dong,
when he saw Han Dong marry Jiang Feng and couldn’t do anything about it, he probably felt melancholic and disheartened. Later, when Xiao Zhan ascended, changed the Great Tang’s name to Great Zhou, and passed the Crown Prince title to Xiao Ran’s son, Xiao Ran’s heart surely took another blow.
Even though it was his son who would inherit the throne, the pain of missing the crown again due to Han Dong and Jiang Feng was surely unimaginable to regular people.
Xiao Zhan also understood his son’s state of mind.
Thus, after incorporating Turkic into the Great Zhou’s territory, he made Xiao Ran the Turkic King, but still couldn’t save Xiao Ran.
Since losing Han Dong, he had no heart for cultivation. Every thought of Han Dong was tormenting, and after losing the Crown Prince title, the torment multiplied, leaving him melancholic every day, making Xiao Zhan feel hurt yet helpless.
The sudden death wasn’t an accident.
"The Emperor hopes to bring Xiao Ran back to Great Zhou and bury him in the Imperial Mausoleum."
Bao Longwei carefully stated.
"Tell Xiao Zhan that when Xiao Ran returns to Dragon Capital, Sister Dong and I will go see him off on his last journey."
Jiang Feng had already discerned that Xiao Zhan had sent Bao Longwei to test his agreement to bring Xiao Ran back to Great Zhou for an honorable burial. He had no deep hatred toward Xiao Ran, who was fiercely loyal to his wife and had helped her a lot early on. Now that he had died in a foreign land, Jiang Feng, no matter how bad, couldn’t prevent Xiao Ran from returning to his roots.
Upon hearing this, Han Dong smiled slightly, intertwining her fingers with Jiang Feng’s. She knew he wouldn’t refuse, but hearing that Jiang Feng would go with her to see Xiao Ran off, she felt deeply touched inside.
