Chương 36: Deep Sea Frontier
As a seasoned online novel author specializing in fantasy and xianxia genres, here is the English translation of the text you provided, ensuring all specified names are accurately translated:
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Watching the dragon candle being lit, Yanding Longwang couldn't help but reminisce about the past.
Years ago in the Dragon Palace...
"Your Majesty, during today's patrol near the shore, we found this young boy."
A soldier presented a fainting child to Yanding Longwang.
Upon seeing the child, Yanding Longwang's pupils dilated in shock.
"The child is not seriously harmed, merely excessively weak and has not eaten for some days, which caused him to faint. He only needs a few nourishing prescriptions and some care for a few days." The Medicine King spoke slowly.
"Thank you for making the trip to our Dragon Palace personally," Yanding Longwang said.
"With our friendship, there is no need for thanks. This child, what are your plans for him?" Knowing Yanding Longwang's character, the Medicine King understood the child must be important to have him summoned.
"This child has a unique identity. I intend to keep him by my side and adopt him as my foster son," Yanding Longwang nodded, speaking earnestly.
Yanding Longwang gently channeled his magic into the child's body, sending a stream of blue light from the child's forehead, which startlingly twinkled with something inside.
"What is this?" Seeing the twinkling object within the blue light, the Medicine King exclaimed, looking at Yanding Longwang.
Yanding Longwang nodded slightly, withdrawing his magic and restoring calm.
Years later, the once young child had grown into a handsome young man, sitting alone by the shore in deep thought,
"Li Minghan~"
"Adoptive father~" Seeing Yanding Longwang, the young man stood up and knelt on one knee to salute.
"Li Minghan, how many times have I told you not to remove your veil?" Yanding Longwang said with slight displeasure upon seeing the young man without his usual veil.
"I thought there was no one around, so I just wanted to take off the veil to breathe some air," the young man quickly explained, bowing his head.
"Come with me to a place."
In a human world teahouse, within a private room, Li Minghan leaned against the side wearing a white veil, observing the bustling crowd.
Yanding Longwang sat beside, drinking tea, seemingly waiting for someone.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, uncle." With that, a man entered from outside.
A man about Li Minghan's age walked in, his hair crowned with a black and gold headdress, dressed in dark jade silk, with a golden belt at his waist and wearing dark blue boots. His eyebrows were cool as winter water, yet his voice was like a spring. Under his imposing eyebrows were long, jade-like eyes, and his straight nose was complemented by thin, pale pink lips.
Seeing the newcomer, Li Minghan was curious; Yanding Longwang had no children, and he usually saw only maids or soldiers. This regal and striking peer was a first for him.
"Shentu Zhajia, please have a seat," Yanding Longwang greeted with a smile, inviting the newcomer to sit.
Yanding Longwang gestured to Li Minghan to join them. Li Minghan returned to his senses and walked to the table, sitting to Yanding Longwang's right.
"Shentu Zhajia, let me introduce you. This is Minghan, my foster son. Minghan, this is Shentu Zhajia, my brother's son," Yanding Longwang introduced.
"Li Minghan," Li Minghan greeted formally.
"Shentu Zhajia. Since you are the son of my foster father, feel free to call me brother if you do not mind," Shentu Zhajia said with a smile.
"Since he was unwell, Minghan rarely left the palace. Now that he is of age, you two should spend more time together," Yanding Longwang suggested.
As Yanding Longwang mentioned, Shentu Zhajia and Li Minghan often met in a pavilion by a lake in the forest. Li Minghan played the qin while Shentu Zhajia practiced his swordplay. In this secluded setting, they would drink and talk all night long. Li Minghan had a qin called "Cang Lin Qi Lv," a birthday gift from Shentu Zhajia.
"Minghan, you've always worn this veil since I met you. Why can't you show your face?" One day, Shentu Zhajia couldn't help asking.
"My adoptive father has repeatedly instructed that I must not show my true face to anyone. I am not clear about the reason myself," Li Minghan laughed as he recalled his childhood.
"Not even to me?" Shentu Zhajia asked, his eyes filled
with distress.
Li Minghan shook his head.
"But I'm your brother. We've known each other for so long, and yet I don't know what you truly look like," Shentu Zhajia muttered, displeased.
"Really want to see?" Li Minghan asked again, seeing Shentu Zhajia's earnest look.
"Yes, very much," Shentu Zhajia nodded vigorously.
With a sigh, Li Minghan broke the seal on his veil with a spell, slowly lifting it.
Back in Yanding Longwang's study...
Li Minghan knelt on the floor, knowing well what consequences might follow from breaking the seal on his veil.
"Child, I know I'm wrong. Please take care of yourself, adoptive father," Li Minghan anticipated Yanding Longwang's anger but did not expect that removing the veil would provoke such a furious reaction, seeing the thrown books and paintings around.
"How many times have I told you not to show your face? Why won't you listen!" Yanding Longwang shouted angrily.
"Child, I don't understand why even he can't know my true face," Li Minghan said, feeling wronged.
"What I said stands. You must not interact with Shentu Zhajia anymore," Yanding Longwang said angrily, turning away.
Upon hearing Yanding Degengchen's words, the kneeling Li Minghan was completely panicked. After all, Shentu Zhajia was his only friend with whom he could communicate.
"Adoptive father, I know I was wrong, please spare me. I promise not to take off my veil again, please forgive me this time," Li Minghan said anxiously, crawling forward a few steps with a trembling voice full of pleading.
Yanding Degengchen, with his back turned, remained silent, only letting out a slow sigh.
Seeing no response from Yanding Degengchen, Li Minghan crawled forward again, his voice choked with sobs as he pleaded, "Adoptive father, Shentu brother is the only true friend I have. I just wanted to be honest with him. I promise not to take off my veil in front of him again. Please don't keep us apart, adoptive father. I know I was wrong, truly wrong."
Li Minghan's voice trembled with tears as he knelt on the ground. He knew Yanding Degengchen's temperament well—if there was no response, it meant refusal.
"Take him away, give him twenty strokes, and confine him to the dark chamber for three months. Without my permission, he is not allowed to step out of the Dragon Palace," Yanding Degengchen said coldly, reaching out to take away the token from Li Minghan's waist.
In the dark chamber, Li Minghan, beaten all over, curled up in the corner, silently crying. He couldn't understand why he had to wear this cursed veil all the time.
From childhood to now, every time he mentioned the veil, he would inevitably receive a beating. Usually, it was just a reprimand from his adoptive father, but today was the first time he was punished like this. Li Minghan recalled the moment he was dragged out, the cold look in Yanding Degengchen's eyes, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.
"Does adoptive father really not want me anymore?" Over the years, Li Minghan had always felt uncertain about Yanding Degengchen's attitude.
He knew he was an adopted son, and he knew that his current life was hard-won, so he always handled things with extreme caution, afraid that if he angered his adoptive father even a little, he would be thrown back into the water.
"Knock, knock, creak..." The door of the dark chamber was pushed open, and a figure quietly slipped in.
"Minghan, are you there?"
This voice? It's my brother! Hearing Shentu Zhajia's voice, Li Minghan's tearful eyes widened in surprise, hastily wiping away the tears from his face with his sleeve, and replied:
"Brother, I'm here."
In the dimly lit chamber, Shentu Zhajia lit a candle after groping around for a while.
"How did brother know I was confined here?"
"I came to see you today, but the guards at the palace gate wouldn't let me in. They even told me not to come see you again. I guessed that you were punished by your adoptive father because of the veil," Shentu Zhajia explained as he took out a bottle from his pocket.
"Later, I sneaked in and bribed the palace maids in your chamber, and that's how I learned the truth. It's just a veil. Why is your adoptive father so angry?" Shentu Zhajia tore off a piece of cloth and poured out the powder from the bottle, gently wiping the wounds on Li Minghan's back.
"Don't blame adoptive father either. This rule has been set by him since I was a child, and he must have his reasons. But this time I deliberately disobeyed, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to see brother again in the future." Li Minghan tried to keep his voice steady, even though the pain from his back made his hands white from clenching his fists, but he didn't want Shentu Zhajia to know.
"It's just a veil. Why is adoptive father so upset? You're not ugly, so why can't you show your true face? Adoptive father is really unreasonable." Shentu Zhajia continued to apply medicine to Li Minghan's wounds, complaining incessantly.
"I can't understand the reason behind this either. I'm afraid I won't be able to see brother again for some time. Maybe after a while, when adoptive father's anger subsides, I'll try to ask him again." Li Minghan sighed helplessly.
"It's okay, adoptive father won't let you out, but he didn't say I couldn't come see you. Rest for a while, and I'll come see you whenever I have time. Behave yourself during this time and don't make adoptive father unhappy again. Also, here, take this..." Shentu Zhajia continued to advise, taking out something from his pocket and handing it over.
Seeing Shentu Zhajia handing over a small black and gold pendant, Li Minghan couldn't help but grip it tightly, his gaze sinking into another memory...
In the secluded chamber of Wuming Demon Mountain, Li Minghan looked at the jade pendant in his hand, feeling as if his heart had been pierced with a hole, unable to breathe. He sat weakly against the wall, slowly sliding down to sit on the ground.
"So this is the real reason why I can't show my true face."
Li Minghan felt as if he suddenly understood why Yanding Degengchen had adopted him all those years ago, but he still couldn't understand it completely.
"Who am I? And who is he?"
After Li Luoning left, Li Minghan, who had been eavesdropping, slowly got up to leave.
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