novel-bin Chapter 1265 Empty: My things were stolen
Chapter 1265 Empty: My things were stolen
So, Shao Yun stopped asking about Siker's injuries and turned to walk to the crib.
Shao Yun leaned against the crib railing, looking at Shen He, who exuded the air of a married woman, and then at the baby practicing crawling in the crib, and asked, "How is the baby?"
Shen He recounted everything that had happened on the ranch while Shao Yun was away.
After hearing this, Shao Yun felt a deep sense of guilt.
He raised his hand and patted Shen He on the shoulder, saying, "Thank you for your hard work. I'm sorry to have made you worry today."
Shen He gently shook his head, raised his hand to smooth a stray strand of hair behind his ear, and revealed a simple, honest smile, his tone still gentle.
"Hehe, it's okay, we're all family. And as long as the baby is alright, it's nothing for us to be a little frightened."
As he spoke, Shen He suddenly remembered something, turned to look at Ning Guang who was standing aside and treating him like air, and said a few nice words for her.
"But then again, Ningguang was really brave. Even though she knew she couldn't win, she still prepared to fight alongside me!"
When Shao Yun heard Shen He say that Ningguang had also stepped forward in the critical moment, he turned to look at Ningguang and asked with some surprise, "Really? Ningguang, you were also in front of them?"
Shen He nodded vigorously, his tone full of approval for Ning Guang.
"That's right! Ningguang is really brave! Although we both know we can't beat that black-armored monster."
"But she didn't back down at all. She fought alongside me, determined to protect the baby and this family, even at the cost of her own life!"
Shao Yun also believed that Shen He wouldn't lie. As the saying goes, good work is rewarded, and bad work is punished. He looked at Ning Guang and praised her:
“Well done, quite brave. To be honest, I thought you would change drastically because of what happened in Liyue, becoming decadent and weak, hiding behind Shenhe when in danger. It seems I was overthinking it.”
Hearing Shao Yun's praise, Ningguang's face lit up with a smile as beautiful as a peach blossom.
She gently shook her head and said sincerely, "This is what I should do. And I always believed that you would definitely come back in time, and even if you didn't, you would definitely have a backup plan to protect us."
Upon hearing Ningguang's "reserved" manner and her flattery, Shao Yun teased, "So good at sucking up to me, what? Do you feel your allowance isn't enough lately and want me to increase it?"
Ningguang quickly waved her hand and said from the bottom of her heart, "No, I was telling the truth."
“You gave me a safe place to stay, provided me with shelter, and allowed me to live without fear. It is only right that I protect this family.”
"It's much better than being displaced like before, or being sent back to Liyue and ending up being executed."
Looking at Ningguang's sincere expression, Shao Yun shrugged and accepted Ningguang's praise without hesitation.
He then pointed to the door, his tone returning to its usual casualness.
"Okay, I believe you're telling the truth. It's getting late, and everyone's had a long day. Let's go back to work and get on with our own things."
Although the praise put him in a good mood, he still had to do his job.
Ningguang was also very clear about her position and dared not overstep it in the slightest. She immediately replied respectfully, "Okay!"
After saying that, she went out and walked downstairs to continue the housework she hadn't finished.
……
After dealing with the women in the family, Shao Yun went to see Kong and Capitano to check on their situation and ask about the Extreme Evil Rider.
As soon as I reached the door of the empty room, I heard faint conversations coming from inside.
Shao Yun pushed open the door and immediately saw Kong and Capitano sitting on the bed and the sofa, respectively. They looked much more relaxed than before, clearly having realized that the Evil Knight had left.
Shao Yun leaned against the door frame, looking at the two of them, and couldn't help but complain, "So you two were hiding here. I thought you were going to stay in the nursery and act as the last line of defense."
"After all, there's a baby and a few girls there. It's a bit unreasonable for the two of you grown men to hide in the room, isn't it?"
Upon hearing this, Kong quickly explained, "I did have this thought when I went upstairs, but after thinking about it carefully, if the Evil Knights really start fighting, it won't matter if we hide in the Kingdom of Night God."
He paused, then added, "Besides... it's so awkward for two grown men like me and Capitano to be crammed into a nursery with Shen He and Ning Guang."
In the end, Sora didn't forget to flatter him.
"Most importantly, I believe that you, brother-in-law, can definitely solve the problem and protect all of us!"
Seeing that even his brother-in-law was starting to flatter him, Shao Yun helplessly waved his hand, interrupting him.
"Alright, alright, stop with the nonsense. Anyway, the danger is temporarily over, but I'm here to ask you about something."
With that, Shao Yun walked into the room and sat down in the chair opposite Kong.
"Both of you have ties to Kanria. Kong, you are the Crown Prince of Kanria, and Mr. Capitano, you were a Knight of the Heavenly Pillar. I'd like to ask, do you know the origins of the Extreme Evil Knights?"
"I'd like to hear what you two 'people with Kanria residency' have to say."
Upon hearing Shao Yun inquire about the past of the Extreme Evil Riders, Kong and Capitano exchanged a glance, realizing that they didn't actually know much either.
Capitano spoke first: "I don't know too much. When I was in Kanria, although I was a Sky Pillar Knight, I wasn't qualified yet."
"I've only heard that the Extreme Evil Knight has become a very powerful being."
I don't actually know much about Kong.
After all, he had relatively little contact with the outside world after he was summoned to Kanria.
Later, he was imprisoned deep within the Kanria Palace, used as a 'jar' to store the power of the abyss. He was able to learn some things, most of which he heard from Dain later.
He paused, closed his eyes, and tried hard to recall the details Dain had told him about the Extremely Evil Rider, then introduced:
"Dain said that the origins of the evil knight Surtroch were tragic."
"He is the son of a death row inmate. He was born in the prison in Kanria and was neglected from a young age. He could only survive by robbing and scavenging on the streets."
"Back then, despite the criticism and disdain he faced from others every day, he always maintained a smile and remained indifferent to the kindness and malice of the world, as if nothing could hurt him."
"It was precisely because of this indifference to everything that he gradually gathered a group of homeless villains like himself, indulging in the so-called 'freedom of villains' in the dark corners of Canria."
"Later, for some unknown reason, he entered the Knight Academy of Kanria."
"But at the Knight Academy, he suffered a lot of abuse, and his mental state was probably not good at that time."
"Later, the Kanria cataclysm broke out, plunging the entire country into chaos. It was at that time that he, along with the other four Kanria sinners mentioned by Dain, forcibly divided up the abyssal power stored within me."
“I never saw him again after that until we met again at the ranch today. That’s all I know.”
Capitano, who was listening nearby, added, "Kong is right."
"Actually, Kanria's problems were already very serious at that time. Not only Surtroch, but even the Black King Ilmin at the time had some mental problems."
"At that time, Kanria was beset by internal and external troubles, and the people were living in poverty. Not many people paid attention to the Black King's abnormality, and no one expected that it would cause such a huge disaster."
"Looking back now, it's highly likely that the Black King became like that because he was bewitched by the power of the abyss. The power of the abyss may seem strong, but it can slowly erode a person's mind and drive them insane."
"This is probably why Mr. Dain has always been at odds with the Abyss Order led by Prince Kong. After all, judging from past experiences, anyone who gets involved with the Abyss will not have a good ending."
At this point, Capitano suddenly realized that his words might be misunderstood by Sora, so he quickly waved his hand and explained, "Of course, I didn't mean to curse you!"
“I’m just worried… worried that the power of the abyss will affect you, and I don’t want Your Highness to follow in the footsteps of the Black King.”
"Therefore, I hope that you will be more careful in your future actions and never let the power of the abyss devour your mind."
After listening to Kong and Capitano's account of the Evil Knight and the Black King, Shao Yun suddenly made a startling remark, bluntly criticizing, "Did the Abyss dry up the brain of that Black King in Kanria?"
Upon hearing this, both Sora and Capitano were stunned.
They had never heard anyone evaluate Black King in such an "abstract" way before, and for a moment they didn't know how to respond.
Shao Yun ignored their reactions and changed the subject, giving the airdrop a suspicious look.
"By the way, brother-in-law, you deal with the power of the abyss every day, has your brain been damaged by its influence? I don't want to see you suddenly go crazy one day."
Upon hearing Shao Yun start speaking in such an "abstract" way again, Kong Yi complained, "Hey! Brother-in-law, can you please stop talking like that?"
Shao Yun grinned, putting on a "cold yet concerned" expression, and continued relentlessly, "I didn't mean to belittle you, I'm just really worried about you."
"Take back then, for example. You knew Ying was looking for you, but you just couldn't bring yourself to see her. You were hiding from her. Were you influenced by the Abyss back then and couldn't see things clearly?"
Seeing that Shao Yun was starting to settle old scores again, it seemed that he had lost all his options and decided to just let it go and apologize.
"Okay, okay, I understand. I admit I haven't been a good brother to my sister in the past, and she's suffered a lot. I'm sorry, is that alright?"
Shao Yun shook his head in dissatisfaction at Kong's perfunctory attitude.
"Your attitude is not right, brother-in-law. An apology should look like an apology. You're just going through the motions. That won't do."
Forced into a corner by Shao Yun, Kong revealed an expression that suggested he had been practicing for two and a half years, and said in a drawn-out voice, "Hey, what are you doing? Ouch!"
Seeing Kong's expression, Shao Yun instantly revealed a "little blackie" smile, clearly amused. He stopped dwelling on the apology and smoothly changed the subject.
"Alright, alright, I'm not going to mess with you anymore."
"By the way, I also wanted to ask you, why have you been sleeping later than a dog and waking up earlier than a rooster these past few days? You're nowhere to be seen all day, what have you been busy with?"
Seeing that Shao Yun had finally changed the subject, Kong Jian quickly tried to explain why he hadn't been home lately.
But when the words were about to come out, Kong hesitated, because the things that had kept him so busy and overwhelmed were things that even he found unbelievable.
"Well... do you remember the place where we first met?"
Upon hearing Kong mention the place where they first met, Shao Yun realized it was the Mondstadt Bridge. He had single-handedly broken through his brother-in-law's defenses against a thousand men.
"I remember, wasn't our first meeting on the bridge in Mondstadt? But I didn't get to say a word to you then?"
As soon as he said that, Kong's face darkened instantly. He would never forget that "humiliating history" for the rest of his life.
Even now that his younger sister has married Shao Yun and had children, and they are now family.
But whenever he recalls being unilaterally suppressed by Shao Yun on the Mondbridge, he still can't help but feel angry, and even has a faint urge to "kill".
"Don't mention that!" Kong said through gritted teeth, her voice full of resentment. "I still get angry when I think about it!"
"How was I supposed to know if you were interested in Ying or just lusting after her body? All I saw was a wild man trying to steal my dear sister away. Anyone would be furious!"
After saying that, he took a deep breath, trying to suppress his anger, raised his hand to his forehead, and reminded him with a helpless expression:
"I wasn't talking about the Mondstadt Bridge, I was talking about the secret place where you kidnapped me and Luminous to grow mangoes on an island! Have you forgotten?"
Reminded by Kong, Shao Yun slapped his forehead.
"Oh! You mean the cave with the upside-down wind god statue? I remember now, what's wrong? Is there something wrong with that cave?"