The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 407 Revealing Identity
Over the years, apart from Bao Xiruo herself often thinking about Niujia Village, no one else would mention it to her face. Others didn't know, and Wanyan Honglie certainly wouldn't say it.

That ordinary little village near Hangzhou, with a common name, a small village, and not very rich in resources, was the hometown that Bao Xiruo dreamed of countless times in the middle of the night, a place she dared not hope to return to in this life, and a nightmare place that evoked endless tears for her.

But this unassuming man in front of me, whom I had only met a couple of days ago out of politeness and to express my gratitude, unexpectedly revealed Bao Xiruo's identity.

Bao Xiruo clutched the handkerchief tightly in her hand, her hands trembling incessantly. Her skin, as white as jade, flushed red. Her eyes were fixed on Wu Chengyu, trying to see a trace of her old friend in him.

Unfortunately, even after searching through her memories, she couldn't figure out who Wu Chengyu was.

"Who are you? How do you know my identity, and why do you say you're an old friend of mine?"

Just as Wu Chengyu was about to speak, he sensed someone approaching from outside. His three-dimensional map immediately unfolded, and he quickly confirmed that the person who came was none other than Prince Yang Kang, who was holding a small white rabbit with two legs missing.

Yang Kang was about to get close when he heard unusual noises coming from his mother's room, especially Bao Xiruo's panicked voice, which made him stop immediately and listen carefully.

Wu Chengyu was secretly delighted. Yang Kang's arrival was perfectly timed. He was here tonight to cause trouble, but his target wasn't Bao Xiruo; it was his good disciple, Yang Kang. He had to make sure Yang Kang heard what he was about to say.

"Madam Yang, please don't be alarmed. In fact, I only met you once back then, so we can't be considered old friends. However, I had drinks with your husband, Yang Tiexin, twice, and I just happened to meet you there."

Upon hearing this, Wu Chengyu felt Yang Kang's heartbeat suddenly accelerate. Yang Kang never expected to hear the voice of Tian Boguang, whom he had just become a disciple of, and he never expected that his master would call his mother Madam Yang.

Why would Master know Mother? Or who is Yang Tiexin? Master calls Mother Madam Yang, so she can't possibly be this Yang Tiexin...

Yang Kang dared not think any further. He seemed to have discovered a shocking secret. His first thought was to leave and find his father, but the next second, he could no longer move an inch.

If my mother really was this so-called Lady Yang, does my father know? If he does, that's fine, but if he doesn't, wouldn't that ruin the relationship between my father and mother?

At that moment, Yang Kang did not think about whether his identity was different. Even when he heard that his mother might have had a husband, he did not doubt whether he was Wanyan Honglie's son. At most, he found out that his mother was a second-time bride.

All he wanted to do now was eavesdrop on the gossip. Since his master was going to secretly visit his mother at night, he probably didn't want to expose it, so he could only keep the secret to himself.

"More than ten years ago, Tian visited a friend in Niujia Village. It was quite a coincidence that he drank with two brothers, Guo Xiaotian and Yang Tiexin. These two brothers had a good capacity for alcohol, but I had an even better capacity. They both got completely drunk."

In the end, it was you and Madam Guo who came to the tavern to find them, and then helped them home. That's when I saw you. I vaguely remember Brother Guo Xiaotian calling Madam Guo Li Ping.

Upon hearing Guo Xiaotian and Li Ping, Bao Xiruo felt a moment of disorientation. She hadn't heard these two names for many years. Guo Xiaotian and Yang Tiexin were like brothers, and their families were very close. However, Guo Xiaotian was honest and upright, and he strictly maintained the separation between men and women with his younger siblings, so their relationship was not deep.

However, Li Ping and Bao Xiruo were best friends. When Bao Xiruo married into the Yang family, she was not good at managing household affairs, and Li Ping taught her many things step by step. The two had a very deep relationship.

More than a decade ago, on that night in Niujia Village, the Guo and Yang families were ambushed by villains. Guo Xiaotian, the elder brother, died on the spot while covering the retreat. Yang Tiexin, along with his sister, fought desperately to break through the encirclement.

They were then separated, and the fate of Yang Tiexin and Li Ping became unknown. In Bao Xiruo's mind, they should have been dead for many years, and their remains were buried somewhere unknown.

Now that Wu Chengyu had suddenly brought up this past event, Bao Xiruo thought of her husband and her most respected sister, and a wave of sorrow washed over her. However, she still couldn't shake off her doubts about the person in front of her, and she forced back her grief and asked.

"You said you were going to visit a friend in Niujia Village. May I ask which friend you are?"

"Madam Yang, do you still remember Qu San? He was disabled in both legs and ran a tavern in Niujia Village. I was a fellow student of his, and I made a special trip to Niujia Village to visit him back then. It was there that I met your Guo and Yang families."

I still remember the two of them hunting two pheasants and running to Qu San's tavern to exchange them for drinks. Knowing I was Qu San's friend, they didn't stand on ceremony at all and pulled me in to drink with them. It feels like just yesterday. Guo and Yang left a deep impression on me.”

Wu Chengyu then began to describe the location of Qu Lingfeng's tavern in Niujia Village, its layout, and Qu Lingfeng's appearance and everyday attire.

Hearing this, Bao Xiruo was now certain that Qu San had a somewhat eccentric personality and did not like to interact with the villagers. As someone else's wife, she had hardly spoken a word to Qu San.

However, back then, she often went to the tavern with Li Ping to buy wine for her uncle and husband, and she knew Qu San's appearance and the tavern very well.

Over the years, Bao Xiruo has been hiding in this Prince's mansion. With nothing to do on weekdays, she can only recall her life in Niujia Village over and over again. Gradually, every tree and blade of grass in Niujia Village and every person she met back then are deeply engraved in her mind and will never be forgotten.

Therefore, what Wu Chengyu said was exactly the same as the scene in Bao Xiruo's memory. From then on, she had no doubt that Wu Chengyu was an old friend.

Back then, Guo Xiaotian and Yang Tiexin were both generous and magnanimous men, good at making friends.

The two of them would often take the game they hunted to a small tavern and have it eaten and drunk with Qu San.

As for Naqu San, although he had an eccentric personality, he couldn't resist the outgoing nature of Guo and Yang. Over time, the three of them became drinking buddies. It was common for Bao Xiruo and Li Ping to pick up Guo and Yang and take them home after they got drunk.

So it's normal that there were other people drinking with them at the time who had seen her, but she had no recollection of them. In short, Bao Xiruo now truly believes that Wu Chengyu is the old friend she met when she went to Niujia Village, and that he happened to have drunk with her uncle and husband.

As for Wu Chengyu's side, they were all talking nonsense, three parts truth and seven parts falsehood.

When he transmigrated, the tragedy involving the Guo and Yang families in Niujia Village had already occurred. Qu Lingfeng happened to be absent that day and had no way to intervene.

He did indeed go to Niujia Village several years later, when he was preparing to deal with the Black Wind Duo and specifically went to Niujia Village to find Qu Lingfeng.

Therefore, his description of the layout of Qu San's tavern is true. The original novel also mentions that Guo and Yang often drank with Qu San, which is not his fabrication.

Bao Xiruo, on the other hand, was not very cunning and was easily deceived; gaining her trust was a piece of cake.

“Bao Xiruo has met you before. I never expected to see you again after so many years. Hearing the names of my uncle, sister-in-law and my late husband again, I am filled with gratitude.”

"It was just catching up with old friends. There was no gratitude involved. It's just that we haven't seen each other for many years, and things have changed."

Later, I went to Niujia Village again and learned that your two families had encountered misfortune. I had thought that you were long gone and felt very sorry for you. Who would have thought that I would see you here the other day, Madam, who is even the Princess Consort of the Zhao Prince's Mansion.

At this point, Bao Xiruo lowered her head deeply. In her heart, she had ultimately lost her chastity and was sorry to her deceased husband. Now, seeing her late husband's former lover, she felt even more ashamed and unable to face him.

Wu Chengyu understood what Bao Xiruo was thinking, but his purpose tonight was not to reminisce. There was nothing to reminisce about anyway. What he was about to say might make Bao Xiruo feel even worse, but he had to say it because he also had to tell Yang Kang outside.

“Madam Yang, I met the young prince for the first time the other day. At the time, I didn’t think much of it, but after recognizing Madam Yang’s identity, I couldn’t help but have some wild thoughts. This may make you feel a little embarrassed, but considering that we are old friends, I have to ask.”

The young prince is handsome, resembling his wife seven-tenths, with the remaining three-tenths possessing a heroic air, yet he doesn't resemble a prince at all. He's more like my brother Yang Tiexin from my memories. I wonder if Madam Yang would be willing to enlighten me.

"This matter is of great importance, as Madam Yang should know. The young prince has already become my disciple, and his status will determine my future attitude towards him. Please speak plainly."

Bao Xiruo's body trembled. Wu Chengyu's words seemed to tear open the wound in her heart, leaving her at a loss for words.

Yang Kang, outside, was utterly shocked. He had never doubted whether he was Wanyan Honglie's son, because Wanyan Honglie's affection for him was genuine, and the two shared a deep father-son bond.

He doesn't look like Wanyan Honglie, but everyone says he looks like his mother, which is why he is so handsome.

But Yang Kang never expected that the gossip would involve him. He dared not even imagine what he would be like if he weren't Wanyan Honglie's son.

No matter how deep his cunning, he was still a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy. He couldn't accept that he wasn't Wanyan Honglie's biological son, but rather a descendant of a Han Chinese whom Wanyan Honglie usually looked down upon. Moreover, Wanyan Honglie's status represented the young prince's position and wealth.

Yang Kang couldn't imagine what he would be like if he lost all of these things, and he didn't know how he would get along with Wanyan Honglie in the future.

After a long pause, Bao Xiruo finally spoke: "Just as you thought, Kang'er is indeed Tiexin's biological son, and has nothing to do with the Prince."

Back then, our two families were robbed, Tie Xin died tragically, and I was pregnant with Kang'er and my life hung by a thread. It was only thanks to the Prince's intervention that we were spared from disaster.

Later, the prince showed me great affection and was willing to treat Kang'er as his own son. Over the years, he has indeed done so. I am grateful for the prince's kindness and also want Kang'er to have a good background, so I gave myself to him. I can only repay the prince's kindness to my son and me with this remaining life.

After I die, I will go to the underworld to find Brother Tiexin and have him repay my sins in the next life.

This foolish woman still doesn't know that everything that happened back then was a conspiracy by Wanyan Honglie, and she's still grateful to him. However, Wu Chengyu doesn't intend to expose her, as it's none of his business. At the same time, he can't bear to reveal the cruelest truth to this weak woman.

His purpose today was to let Yang Kang know about his background, only in this way could he sow discord between Yang Kang and Wanyan Honglie.

“In that case, I understand. Madam Yang, rest assured, what happened tonight came from your mouth and I heard it. No one else will know about it.”

Young Prince, or rather, Yang Kang, I only agreed to take him as my disciple because I suspected he was the son of an old friend. Now it seems that it has fulfilled the friendship between me and my brothers Guo Xiaotian and Yang Tiexin.

From this moment on, I will no longer disturb Madam Yang. You are still the princess here, and I am just a guest servant of the Zhao Prince's Mansion. We have never met.

As for the young prince, I will also pass on some real skills to him, so he won't have been my apprentice for nothing. Madam Yang, no, Princess Zhao, I take my leave.

After speaking, Wu Chengyu bowed and turned to leave. Bao Xiruo bowed in return, and only stood up after Wu Chengyu disappeared from the room.

　My cervical spondylosis is acting up so badly; my vision goes white when I look at the computer screen. This is the first chapter; I'll start writing the second chapter right away. Thank you all for your support.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)