Chapter 1625 — Fabricating Lies

"Palace Master, Tang is a common surname around here. In this whole town, plenty of families bear that name — it isn't necessarily the Hidden Tang family. That's why, back then, we never once thought in that direction." Xiao Qing waved a hand in explanation. "When we saw that surname, Tang, the old palace master named you Bing Tang — because he had seen your constitution and wished to take you as his last disciple, to inherit the Ice Palace one day! That is why you were given the Ice Palace's surname!"

"So that's how it was..." Bing Tang nodded, and said, a little self-mockingly, "In that case, let us go and meet this old gentleman of the Hidden Tang family, who may or may not be my grandfather..."

Xiao Qing nodded silently. She understood what was in Bing Tang's heart — especially after hearing of the events of those years, which had left Bing Tang's feelings harder than ever to settle.

The appearance of Bing Tang and Xiao Qing gave Old Master Tang and Tang Yu a real fright! It could only be described as appearing without the slightest sound, standing quietly before them like that — not even Old Master Tang, a fine hand at the early Heaven tier, had sensed a single breath of them!

Bing Tang aside — a master of peak late Heaven tier strength, formidable by nature. But Xiao Qing was only a mid Heaven tier expert, and yet Old Master Tang had failed to sense her as well. That made Old Master Tang understand: his own early Heaven tier skill was merely the first step through the door, and he was still far, far beneath them!

When Old Master Tang beheld Bing Tang in the flesh, he was deeply stirred! Though the woman before him could not be said to look exactly like Xiao Ming, the resemblance was striking! Excitement surged in his heart: if the Palace Master of the Ice Palace truly was of the Hidden Tang family, then might the Hidden Tang family not one day become the Ancient Tang family?

"This Tang pays his respects to the Palace Master of the Ice Palace!" Though his heart was racing, Old Master Tang's face betrayed nothing as he cupped his hands in salute. She might be his granddaughter — but for now she was not. Not yet.

"Tangtang... is that you..." Xiao Ming's gaze upon Bing Tang grew hazy; this young woman stirred in her an inexplicable feeling of closeness! She resembled Xiao Ming in her youth by seven or eight parts!

"You are..." A stormy sea rose in Bing Tang's heart. Seeing the woman before her, she too felt a strange familiarity — but because of the resentment she bore over what had happened back then, her manner stayed exceedingly cold.

"You're Tangtang... you must be Tangtang..." Paying no heed to whether the other was a master of peak late Heaven tier strength, Xiao Ming ran over and threw her arms around Bing Tang, making Old Master Tang and Tang Yu break out in a cold sweat! Such an insolent gesture — if the other party took offense, they would have no way out!

Bing Tang frowned, but in the end did not strike Xiao Ming away! In that instant she pressed the resentment in her heart down to its depths. Whatever Old Master Tang's designs might be, this woman's feelings were utterly genuine!

Bing Tang was a Heaven tier master — how keen was her spiritual sense? Xiao Ming was only an ordinary person; had there been the slightest trace of pretense in her, it could not have escaped Bing Tang's eyes. This Xiao Ming's feelings for Bing Tang came from the bottom of her heart, from her very marrow!

How could such a person be the cruel-hearted parent who had abandoned her all those years ago? Bing Tang was no fool; there must be something hidden in all this. She glanced at the deferential Old Master Tang, then at the overwrought Xiao Ming — comparing the two, Bing Tang understood it all in her heart.

"My name is Bing Tang. Auntie... would you let me go first?" Bing Tang hesitated a moment, addressing Xiao Ming as "auntie." Until matters were certain, she would not call her anything else — though in her heart she was already somewhat convinced that Xiao Ming must be connected to her.

Otherwise, how could there be such a likeness in this world? At first glance the two were remarkably similar; on closer look there were, of course, many differences — but an exact likeness belongs to twins, not to mother and daughter.

"Ah... yes..." Only then did Xiao Ming suddenly remember that the other's status was that of the lofty head of an ancient sect — an existence far above the Hidden Tang family. Seeing that even Old Master Tang, who was always so proud within the family, was now this deferential, Xiao Ming at once rubbed her hands in embarrassment, not knowing what to do with herself.

"Old Master Tang... there is one thing I want to make clear. Back then, how was your child lost?" Bing Tang did not blame Xiao Ming for her impropriety, but looked straight at Old Master Tang and asked.

"Replying to the Palace Master: back then... a servant took Tangtang out to play. The servant was taken short and wanted to find a place to relieve herself, so she set Tangtang down on the snow and went off to do so... Perhaps she was gone too long, for when she came back, Tangtang was gone..." Old Master Tang had long since prepared his story — this was the account he and Tang Yu had agreed upon beforehand. And though Xiao Ming knew it was a lie, knew her child had plainly been abandoned, she had no say in the matter; to have her daughter back at all was enough for her. So Xiao Ming pursed her lips and lowered her head, afraid her expression might betray something.

But Bing Tang had been watching Xiao Ming's expression all along. The more Xiao Ming acted so, the more Bing Tang grew suspicious. After hearing Old Master Tang's account, she said mildly, "Oh? So you are saying that servant carelessly lost the infant? Then where is that servant? Why has she not come?"

"That... that servant was executed long ago. How could I have kept her after such a blunder?" Old Master Tang feigned anger. "She lost my own granddaughter — and you think she deserved to live?"

"Oh? And what was her strength?" Bing Tang continued calmly.

"She..." Old Master Tang was startled, unable to guess why Bing Tang should suddenly ask about the servant's strength; for a moment he did not quite catch up. But he was a cautious man, and so he said vaguely, "That... it was so long ago, I cannot recall clearly."

"Nonsense!" Bing Tang gave a cold snort. "My master was a master of peak late Heaven tier strength. Within a kilometer of her, could she fail to sense whether anyone was present? Relieving herself? Your family's servants relieve themselves in rare fashion indeed — running a whole kilometer off to do it?"

"That..." Cold sweat broke out at once on Old Master Tang's forehead. He had not expected that the one who found Bing Tang back then was her master — and a master of peak late Heaven tier strength at that! And in that moment, Old Master Tang finally understood why Bing Tang had asked after that servant's strength.

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