Chapter 262: The Past of Mo Xiuyan

Chapter 262: The Past of Mo Xiuyan

Having confirmed that this person was indeed his ninth brother, Mo Xiuyan took a sip of the sweet rice porridge he had been fed.

The warm porridge entering his belly caused even this usually strong man to shed tears.

Mo family men were known for their toughness and resilience; it was the first time Mo Jiuye had seen his elder brother cry, and his heart felt as if it were bleeding.

"Fourth Brother, everything will be alright. Mother and Fourth Sister-in-law would be overjoyed to know you're still alive."

Mo Xiuyan gave a bitter smile, "I am now nothing but a burden. Returning home would only drag my family down. It might be better if I just died."

"Fourth Brother, you mustn't think like that. You believe in Ranran; she will heal you." Mo Jiuye could not allow his fourth brother to entertain such self-destructive thoughts.

Mo Xiuyan knew his ninth brother was pained by his condition and tried to force a smile, "Alright, I'll listen to you, Ninth Brother."

No matter what, seeing his family one last time before dying would be good.

Unfortunately, he would never be able to serve his mother or stay with his young wife.

These thoughts were kept within him, as he did not want to dampen his brother's spirits with his despondency.

Mo Jiuye held back his tears and fed his fourth brother a bowl of rice porridge spoon by spoon.

At this moment, Shunzi returned from purchasing supplies.

This fellow was quite considerate, bringing back not only a large iron pot but also some grains and vegetables.

It didn't matter what he bought since the reason for sending him away was merely an excuse.

After putting the items away, Shunzi came to Mo Xiuyan's room and gestured that he would take care of him.

Mo Jiuye, who had yet to inquire about his fourth brother's ordeal and had no intention of leaving, dismissed Shunzi first.

Shunzi left understandingly, allowing Mo Jiuye to sit beside Mo Xiuyan's bed.

"Fourth Brother, what exactly happened to you these past years?"

When asked about his experiences, a look of deep sorrow appeared in Mo Xiuyan's eyes.

He was unaware that the Mo family had already been exiled by Emperor Shunwu's decree and thought Mo Jiuye had come here on a mission from the border and accidentally found him.

"The Great Shun dynasty is doomed with princes like this..."

Seeing his fourth brother still concerned about the fate of the Great Shun dynasty despite his condition, Mo Jiuye felt a mix of emotions.

"Fourth Brother, our Mo family has already been exiled to the Northwest by Emperor Shunwu's imperial decree."

Upon hearing this, Mo Xiuyan's eyes widened in disbelief.

"What did you say? Our Mo family has been exiled? Why?"

If it had been in the past, Mo Jiuye would have found it hard to accept this fact.

But now, influenced by his wife, he had come to terms with it.

Especially after finding several of his brothers, he realized that high offices and honors were not as important as having the whole family live together in peace.

"Fourth Brother, I'll explain everything later. For now, our family is living well in the Northwest, and Mother is in good health. What I want to know now is what happened to you all these years?"

Mo Xiuyan took a moment to digest the news about his family before speaking slowly.

"In those days, Nan Heng and I defended the southern border together. During one battle, we won a great victory, but he insisted on chasing the enemy soldiers against my advice. Seeing that I couldn't persuade him, and fearing for his safety, I led a team to support him.

Nan Heng had already fallen into a trap set by the enemy. We fought hard to save him, and I managed to escape the scene, only to find myself at the edge of a cliff.

With many enemies around and severely wounded, I knew I couldn't fight them. To avoid being captured, I chose to jump off the cliff.

I broke both legs upon landing and couldn't leave. I hoped Nan Heng would send someone to find me, but instead, I was discovered and captured by the enemy soldiers.

At that moment, I knew death was inevitable.

Unexpectedly, when they carried me out of the abyss, I was drugged again and woke up in a cave."

Hearing this, Mo Jiuye couldn't help but ask, "Did someone try to put a curse on you?"

Mo Xiuyan nodded, "Yes, I overheard their conversation.

They said my legs were irreparably damaged and that there was no point in curing me. They decided to imprison me in a remote place where I might be useful someday.

Soon after, they severed my tendons, blindfolded me, and sent me to the place where you found me.

That place was dark year-round, and I don't know how long I lay there."

After listening to his fourth brother's story, Mo Jiuye slammed his fist onto the only wooden table in the room.

The table shattered instantly, sending splinters flying everywhere.

His anger was evident in the force of his blow.

"Fourth Brother, rest assured. I, Mo Jiuye, will find the person who harmed our family and make him pay dearly..."

He Zhiran stepped forward and gently stroked his chest, "Finding Fourth Brother is a good thing. Don't let that wicked person ruin your health."

Mo Jiuye's body still trembled as he held He Zhiran's hand firmly, "I understand."

Exhausted from recounting so much, Mo Xiuyan fell into a deep sleep.

Mojueye looked at the sky; it was still some time before nightfall. He called Shunzi to take care of his fourth brother and entered the space with Hezieran to rest for a while.

Calculating the time, they had barely slept for almost two days. While he himself was strong and robust, Mojueye was worried that his wife's body might not be able to handle the strain.

Hezieran was indeed quite tired. If not for the many pressing matters keeping her alert, she would have long been asleep.

Now that they finally had a moment to rest, she needed to regain her energy fully to avoid drowsiness during their nighttime activities.

Ever since finding Mojixiuyan, Mojueye's nerves had been constantly on edge. Now that things had suddenly calmed down, he still felt no inclination to sleep.

However, he knew that tonight held unknown challenges, and he needed to force himself to rest.

He held Hezieran as they lay on the comfortable bed, closing his eyes to conserve his strength.

When the sky outside turned dark, Mojueye had to wake his sleeping wife.

Hezieran stretched lazily, mumbling, "What hour is it?"

Mojueye replied gently, "It's nearly the hour of Xu."

"Ah? It's already this late? Why didn't you wake me up earlier? Fourth Brother needs his medicine, and his meals can't be too casual."

As she spoke, Hezieran quickly jumped out of bed, went to the kitchen to cook some porridge, and then ate a simple meal with Mojueye before leaving the space together.

Mojixiuyan was awake at the moment. Knowing that his ninth brother and sister-in-law might have a hard time these past few days, he did not let Shunzi disturb them.