295. Experiencing Fatherly Love
When Rita opened her eyes again, a subtle tenderness flickered in her gaze as she looked at Yun Ling.
Her cherry lips parted slightly, and she instinctively called out,
"Husband...?"
"?!" Yun Ling (pretending).
"…" Kongming & Fu Hua.
"###" Luna Kindred.
"Let me confirm, Miss Rita, you…you're not calling me, are you?" Yun Ling feigned surprise.
Because Yun Ling could sense that if he truly admitted it, he wouldn't be able to handle this chaotic situation.
Rita paused for a few seconds, then looked at Kongming.
"Yun Ling, don't you know something about the history of the Ming Empire? Why don't you guess?" Kongming looked at Yun Ling with amusement.
"…Guess or not?" Yun Ling blinked.
"Are you scared?" Kongming saw through Yun Ling's thoughts at a glance and gave him a little reverse psychology.
"What do I have to be afraid of! In 1468, Prime Minister Rita married the Crown Prince of the Ming Empire, and until her death in 1501, there was no news of her having any other romances. If Miss Rita calls me her husband, then according to Miss Kongming, I am the reincarnation of that Crown Prince of the Ming Empire." Yun Ling continued, following her lead.
"If that's the case, then you, Sage King Zhuge Kongming, are my and Rita's daughter, am I right?" Yun Ling recounted everything from the online historical records.
"No, that's wrong. Although you and I are father and son in history, I am actually the daughter of the Third Prince. You and Rita had no children. I am merely your heir, inheriting the throne you did not wish to inherit."
Kongming corrected Yun Ling's error.
"And then, what do you want from me? If it's to see him again, I don't mind playing the part a little." Yun Ling winked at Kongming.
"Yun Ling, may I see your memories?" Fu Hua suddenly asked.
"See my memories? If you want to confirm whether I am the First Prince of the Ming Empire, of course, you can." Yun Ling seemed to have expected this and readily agreed.
Fu Hua was taken aback. She thought Yun Ling would refuse, but she hadn't expected him to agree so readily.
A crimson feather appeared in Fu Hua's hand and slowly rested on Yun Ling's brow.
They were all watching Fu Hua intently, completely unaware that the pendant on Yun Ling's chest was shimmering with a faint light.
Soon, Fu Hua withdrew the feather and looked up at Yun Ling.
"How is it?" Kongming asked.
"I can't see clearly." Fu Hua shook her head.
"What?" Kongming was somewhat surprised. Although she didn't particularly like Fu Hua, she still acknowledged Fu Hua's abilities.
"His mental world seems to be protected by something. I can't probe his memories; forcing it might hurt him," Fu Hua explained.
At the same time, Fu Hua began to wonder. This kind of mental defense was clearly something only a mental-sensory MANTIS warrior could construct. Why did Yun Ling have this in his mind?
Moreover, she could sense that this wasn't Yun Ling's conscious defense; he had genuinely allowed Fu Hua to probe his mind.
Hearing this, Yun Ling breathed a sigh of relief.
The pendant Aponia gave him—thankfully, he always had the habit of carrying it. He hadn't expected it to even defend against Fenghuang Down's mental probe; truly worthy of being the strongest mental-sensory MANTIS warrior.
"Since I can't probe him, and my words lack credibility, let's put this matter aside for now. Anyway, I'm not going to suddenly run away…"
"So, Teacher Fu Hua was so close to me before because I'm the reincarnation of that First Prince?" Yun Ling suddenly asked.
"I…" Hearing this, Fu Hua suddenly panicked, her heart pounding uncontrollably.
"Just kidding, Ms. Fu Hua, there's no need to be so nervous," Yun Ling waved his hand.
Kongming gave Yun Ling a deep look, but couldn't read anything on his face.
Master-level acting skills played a decisive role at this moment.
"Let's put aside such mysterious things as reincarnation for now. What are your thoughts on this mission, Miss Rita?" Yun Ling asked.
"I'm sorry, my mind is a bit confused right now. I'm starting to lose track of who I am," Rita said, bowing slightly.
Prime Minister Rita and Rita Rossweisse—two different lives kept flashing through her mind, making it impossible for her to calm down and think clearly.
"In that case, let's go back to St. Freya Academy first. As for the mission, I think Miss Kongming can answer our questions," Yun Ling said, directly pushing everything onto Kongming.
This demeanor was remarkably similar to that of the eldest prince, who didn't want to inherit the throne.
On the way back, Luna Kindred clung to Yun Ling, unwilling to part for a moment.
Zhuge Kongming, on the other hand, subtly inquired about Yun Ling's experiences in this life.
Yun Ling told her the truth, hiding nothing.
When Kongming heard the name 'Lin Chaoyu,' she suddenly looked at Fu Hua beside her.
Fu Hua, however, pretended not to hear, continuing to sip her tea as usual.
"Speaking of which, how did Miss Kongming live for five hundred years? From what I've observed, you shouldn't have cultivated the 'Void Unity True Technique', or even the Taixu Sword Qi."
Yun Ling asked the question she most wanted to know.
"The answer to that question... I won't tell you for now. After I meet Lin Chaoyu, you'll accompany me to Shenzhou, and then I'll tell you the reason."
Kongming decided to play the riddle-maker; after all, Yun Ling wouldn't get any useful information out of her, and revealing too much wouldn't make a difference.
"What does this have to do with Chaoyu?" Yun Ling pressed.
Kongming shook her head, still refusing to speak.
This annoyed Yun Ling, so he simply grabbed Kongming under her armpits and spun her around.
"What are you doing!" Kongming blushed, looking at Yun Ling with embarrassment and anger.
"Let me show you fatherly love! A mere cricket like Zhuge Kongming wants to be a riddler!"
Amid Kongming's screams, Yun Ling spun her around dozens of times before finally putting her down.
Kongming could barely stand and collapsed onto Yun Ling.
"Little Kongming, are you alright?" Rita rushed over, helping Kongming to the side to rest, then gave Yun Ling a reproachful glare.
Then, realizing her situation, a blush crept onto her cheeks.
"If I really were the Crown Prince of the Ming Empire, could I marry Miss Rita?" Yun Ling teased after looking at Rita's expression.
"Ahem, Yun Ling, Prime Minister Rita, and the First Prince's marriage is a political alliance. They are husband and wife in name only, so…" Rita explained with a light laugh.
"Oh, I suddenly find the First Prince's identity rather uninteresting," Yun Ling said, looking rather uninterested in it.
…