Realms In The Firmament

Chapter 1242: Eventful; Family

Chapter 1242: Eventful; Family

Translator: RITF_Rain Editor: Chrissy

The Moon Queen looked around the crowd again and again. Eventually, she had confirmed that all the people who had the same terrible feeling were those who were close to the Prime Enforcer and the Vice-prime Master.

In the first place, since the meeting started, the Prime Enforcer and the Vice-prime Master were the only two of the leaders who didn’t attend this meeting.

The Moon Queen couldn’t help coming up with a terrible thought in her mind. Her face turned dark all of a sudden.

The others looked at each other with confusion in their eyes. They didn’t understand why the Moon Queen, who always kept calm and steady in any problematic situations, suddenly looked so embarrassed and worried.

However, it also came to their minds that something must have gone wrong for some reason, so they started to ask around, exchanged information, and eventually went to the same conclusion.

“After leaving the palace, the Prime Enforcer and the Vice-prime Master did send a message back a few days ago. The message only says that they have been quite close to Heaven’s Terrace already... However, no more words from them afterward...”

“It is pretty weird indeed...”

“What on earth... What happened?”

An elder frowned and said, “Did the Prime Enforcer and Vice-prime Master break the rule of the sect and go for the Divine Yin Yang Fruits? I hope they didn’t...”

As she said so, the others all looked sullen and embarrassed in the face at the same time.

Deep in their hearts, they all believed that to go after the Divine Yin Yang Fruit was the same as to suicide.

Disciples of the dominant sects, especially those in the leadership, would never take the risk to get the Divine Yin Yang Fruits. It seemed like a shortcut on the difficult path of cultivation, but really was a one-way ticket to death!

However, if the Prime Enforcer and the Vice-prime Master had truly lost their minds for the baits, it explained the truth that they hadn’t sent any more words back. Dead people could not send messages, could they?

“Impossible!” The Moon Queen decisively said, “The Prime Enforcer and the Vice-prime Master are always rational and calm, who would never do anything reckless. It was impossible that the two of them would try to take that stupid shortcut. Besides... many disciples have gone with them. If something as horrible as that happened, at least some of them could send a message back.”

The others nodded to agree. It was true. If something had happened the Prime Enforcer and the Vice-Prime Master, words should be sent back even faster by the other disciples.

“As far as I am concerned... if all of them have been lost in contact with us... there is only one possibility... I guess they all encountered the same thing at the same time and every one of them has been trapped into it. None of them are available to send the message back!”

The Moon Queen looked worried in the face and said, “However, I wonder what they have encountered. What was it? What happened that would trap all of them in?”

The others all looked pretty concerned.

Apparently, the Moon Queen didn’t want to speak out the worst part of the possibility to the others. She didn’t want to cause panic among the crowd. In fact, the Prime Enforcer, the Vice-prime Master and the disciples who were sent out for the mission might all have died far outside the palace!

The Moon Queen thought quietly for a while and then spoke in a deep voice, “Second Elder, Third Elder, send messages to the other sects. Ask them if their people have returned from the Heaven’s Terrace or not. I need every trace of the up-to-date information from now on!”

“Yes! We will get it done as soon as possible.” The two ladies stood up, responded humbly and politely, and hurriedly left the main hall.

They all knew why the Moon Queen gave such an order, so they felt even more depressed now.

If people of the other sects had returned or at least had sent messages back to their sects and Qiong-Hua Palace was the only sect that hadn’t received anything from the Heaven’s Terrace, it meant somebody was pointing against Qiong-Hua Palace.

If there was a force that could secretly kill the Prime Enforcer, Vice-prime Master and a lot of disciples of Qiong-Hua Palace, that must be somebody tremendously powerful. If Qiong-Hua Palace were going to fight against a force like that, it would be a disaster.

It might become a catastrophe.

Maybe not long after this, it was going to be a horrible war to Qiong-Hua Palace.

However, if the other sects didn’t get their people back or receive a word from their people either, it must be something much bigger... It would be more than just a war against Qiong-Hua Palace...

Instead, it would be some unbelievably powerful organization that had been working under the table starting a hostile move against all the sects in Qing-Yun Realm. A disaster was going to wreck the martial world! It might be a war that could stain the sky with blood in Qing-Yun Realm!

Whatever the truth was, neither possibilities were good things for Qiong-Hua Palace!

There was undoubtedly the third possibility though, the one the Moon Queen wished the best; Their people might have been trapped and whatever happened stopped them from sending messages back to the palace! They might still be alive, and the message from them might arrive at any second!

However, none of them truly believed in the last possibility. The martial world was never a world of good will after all. Suddenly, the atmosphere in the main hall seemed to freeze. It became incredibly silent.

No matter how worried they were, there was nothing they could do. It took time to exchange information with the other sects. That meant they were not going to have any progress in a short time.

“What do you say if we go out and inquire about it? The news out there may be incorrect, but it transmits fast. Maybe there is news about what happened in the Heaven’s Terrace spreading out in the martial world.” Yue Shuang frowned and came up with the idea.

In fact, though it was not a reliable source to get information from, it was the only way they could get at least get something soon!

“No! We should not do that. What we need is the truth. We have to make sure the source is reliable. The news always gets changed and exaggerated while being spread in the martial world. It won’t do any good for us.” The Moon Queen hastened to refuse, “What we should do is to wait till the message from the other sects. We will make further plans after that. If they haven’t received anything from Heaven’s Terrace either... I am afraid... The entire Qing-Yun Realm is...”

She looked sullen in the eyes, spoke word by word with deep concern, “Nobody in Qing-Yun Realm will be able to get away from this! We will all be involved in this calamity...”

Suddenly, as she realized something, she froze. What suddenly came across her mind was... [If Xue-er goes with Ye Nantian now, maybe... maybe she will be safe from this calamity!]

[After all... Ye Clan is merely a powerless ant that was the least valuable force for any dominant sects!]

...

That night.

The Moon Queen asked Yue Shuang and Yue Han out to somewhere private and had a conversation with them.

“You two sisters, just be honest with me already. What is going on? What happened?” The Moon Queen frankly asked.

“Nothing happened.” The two ladies answered at the same time.

[Good... As expected... I knew you wouldn’t tell me the truth...] The Moon thought, and then said, “Fine. Now, tell me everything about your trip to Ye Clan. I need every specific detail.”

As experienced as the Moon Queen, it wasn’t difficult to make the two ladies talk.

The two ladies were indeed brilliant in cultivation, but pretty weak in social experience. Deep in their heart, they thought they only needed to keep the secret of Ye Xiao being their brother, so they told the Moon Queen everything, exactly every detail, except Ye Xiao being their brother!

They mostly talked about how difficult it had been for Ye Nantian and Ye Xiao, particularly emphasized the hardship. They told her how hard Ye Nantian had been working in the twenty years and eventually reached Dao Origin Stage, and how his son, Ye Xiao was talented and potential with a kind heart. They told her that they liked the young man since the first sight because he was such a genius. They believed the father and the son were both utterly potential in cultivation, and it would great for Yue Gongxue to marry Ye Nantian. They tried to convince the Moon Queen on believing the marriage of Ye Nantian and Yue Gongxue was good for both sides because Qiong-Hua Palace could get better relations with Misty Cloud Palace and Cold Moon Palace at the same time! What a great deal!

The Moon Queen felt weird when she was hearing Yue Shuang and Yue Han describing the details.

[Do they have to give such an excessive compliment to Ye Nantian and his son? Isn’t it too much? They are merely two low-level Dao Origin Stage cultivators. Why would they praise them so exaggeratedly? That is definitely puffery, isn’t it?]

Aside from that, the Moon Queen didn’t hear anything abnormal, because Yue Shuang and Yue Han were telling the truth. When they talked about getting better relationships with Misty Cloud Palace and Cold Moon Palace, it did draw the Moon Queen’s attention. It was indeed a benefit to Qiong-Hua Palace. It would be even better if they could become allies to each other. Ye Clan being a bridge to connect Qiong-Hua Palace to the other two dominant sects was something only brought advantages to Qiong-Hua Palace...

However, what interested the Moon Queen more was something else...

“It seems to me... that you too have a pretty striking impression about Ye Nantian and Xue-er’s son. Am I correct?” The Moon Queen asked.

“That is... correct.” Yue Shuang was mealy-mouthed about it.

“I heard that his name is also Ye Xiao? If I remember it right.” The Moon Queen curiously asked, “What does he look like? Is he handsome? Does he have a pretty face?”

She actually sounded pretty hastening.

Yue Shuang and Yue Han both raised up their heads looking at the Moon Queen. They just felt weird about it.

The Moon Queen realized she had been acting improperly, so she coughed and said, “I just want to... I meant... That boy is... weird, isn’t he?”

Yue Shuang and Yue Han both twisted their own lips and said nothing to respond.

[Screw you... He is our brother. He is not weird at all. Do you know what is funny? Your attitude, Moon Queen!]

The Moon Queen stood up and started to pace around with her hands behind her back, murmuring with thoughts in mind, “According to what you said... this young man Ye Xiao must be a secret genius. He is the key to connect the three forces with a friendly relationship. This young man did it all...

“He is also the most talented and important disciple of Cold Moon Palace, the inherited personal disciple of the three grand elders, whose name is Ye Chongxiao. Correct? When he returned to Ye Clan, bold changes were made inside Ye Clan. He swept off those who stood against him, and became the one who really controls the entire clan... After that, Ye Clan was significantly boosted in power...

“Besides, Ye Nantian reached Dao Origin Stage in a short time after his son was back...

“I have heard... this young man, Ye Xiao is in his late teens? Is it true? Was he only sixteen and a half years old when he arrived Qing-Yun Realm from Land of Han-Yang? It has been one and a half year since he came to this world, yet he has become a Dao Origin Stage cultivator. Isn’t it too soon? What a marvelous improvement! No wonder you two have such a high comment about this man! It should greatly console Xue-er to have such a capable son!”

Yue Shuang and Yue Han kept slightly nodding while the Moon Queen was talking.

The Moon Queen’s eyes shined with the gloss of joy, and she tried to hold her strong emotion down a bit and maintain calmness at least in her face. Blandly, she said, “Well then, this young man is a super genius, isn’t he? According to the current cultivation improvement rate of his, he should be able to reach the peak of level nine of Dao Origin Stage within a hundred years. Isn’t it true? Isn’t he going to be one of the most powerful figures in Qing-Yun Realm?”

Yue Shuang and Yue Han looked at each other and said together, “A hundred years? Definitely no need for that long! In our opinion, this man should be able to climb to the top of Qing-Yun Realm within ten years!”

The Moon Queen took a long breath out. She appeared to be a bit tired, but she also looked happy and consoled. At the same time, deep in her heart, she felt a little bit regretful... Suddenly, she lost words. There was nothing she could say.

After a while, she took a long deep breath with a sigh again, waved her hand and wearily said, “Thank you. Bot of you, elders. You can leave for some rests now...”

Yue Shuang and Yue Han exchanged looks, still didn’t understand what the Moon Queen made this conversation for.

However, it would be pretty depressing to keep staying around. They did feel uncomfortable, so as they heard the Moon Queen, they hurriedly left the place without saying a word, as if they were seizing the time to run for life.

After Yue Shuang and Yue Han left, the Moon Queen sat in front of a window by herself. In the silence, she kept looking at the bright moon in the sky for a long time.

After staring at the moon in the night for a long time, a drop of tear silently flowed down on her cheek.

She stood up, hesitated for a while, eventually pushed the door open, and walked out.

She was heading to the Floating Flower Lodge, where Yue Gongxue currently lived in.

...

In Floating Flower Lodge.

Yue Gongxue had no idea what was going on in the world. Since the day when Jun Yinglian came to see her, she had been moved to Floating Flower Lodge from the Moon Punishment Cave. During the days in Floating Flower Lodge, she never stopped having more than enough food and clothes, even cultivation resources. More or less, she had gotten back the supplies she used to have.

However, deep in her heart, she understood that she was treated as an ordinary disciple, the lowest one. In fact, what she had was all given because of Jun Yinglian.

There was a problem being put under captivity in Floating Flower Lodge—there were always disciples wandering around this place. Everybody looked pretty annoyed and disgusted when eyeing this place. Sometimes there would be rumor and gossip spreading away from those people. However, Yue Gongxue had lived in Moon Punishment Cave alone for over ten years with silence and vapidity. Therefore, her patience, willpower, and mindset was unimaginably unrivaled. Nothing affected her easily. She just ignored whatever people said about her and lived her own peaceful days.

However, for the recent few days, she surprisedly realized that she was given even better treatment! Much better! Things were utterly changed!

Comparing to the life she had lived, what she had now was clouds in the sky while the past old days were specks of dirt in the ground.

Her furniture including beds with beddings and mattress, chairs, tables, desks, shelves, were all moved out and replaced with luxurious ones that were made from jade. Under the floor, there was a layer of full top-class warmth jade plates. Lots of bearskins covered her chairs...

Lots of chests full of spiritual jades which were used for cultivation were moved into her room. All the spiritual jade were high-class, glowing purple lights.

Her clothes were replaced with those made from Ice Soul Silk, giving her such a comfortable touch on the skin. Those were all kinds of clothes in different colors and styles...

The pieces of jewelry were all top-class in Qiong-Hua Palace too!

Yue Gongxue was totally shocked when she saw all those supplies. She couldn’t believe it.

[I... These... I wasn’t qualified to have such a treat even when I was the Saintess of the palace. This is totally the standard for elders in the palace. Elders in practical power.]

[What is going on?]

During the days, when people delivered her supplies to the lodge, they all looked extremely careful and respectful to Yue Gongxue. She couldn’t even think of any words to correctly describe these cautious people except the word maid, or eunuch...

It felt like they were so terrified that they might get themselves beaten to death if carelessly displeased Yue Gongxue...

“What is this about?” Yue Gongxue stopped a disciple, who was coming into the room with some warmth jade plates in her hands...

“I don’t know.” The young disciple looked scared. She was so cautious when she answered.

“Who told you to send these over?” Yue Gongxue frowned and asked.

“It... It is... Elder of Public Affairs...” The young girl answered in a panic. At least she had said something useful this time.

“Fine. Off you go now...” Yue Gongxue frowned. [Elder of Public Affairs is in charge of distributions of all supplies in the palace. She definitely has the power to arrange these things for me. It should be pretty easy. However, we are not so close to each other. We never are. Even when I was the Saintess, I was in a much lower position to her. I can’t think of any reason why this elder with practical power would do this to fawn on me!]

[I can be sure about one thing though. I am sure something must have happened recently, and it must be related to me. It must be something special.]

[What... What is it? What could it be?]

After a while, Cheng Bingmei came over accompanied with a bunch her people, showing exaggerated smiles in the face, talking regardful words, as if she and Yue Gongxue were dearest sisters who hadn’t been in touch for too long.

Yue Gongxue was totally lost.

[This woman... Since we both were lowest disciples in the palace, she has been an overt enemy who has always been hostile to me. She wouldn’t even disguise her hostility. Even when I became the Saintess, she never showed kindness to me. She always hates me. When I was living my darkest days, she used to humiliate me again and again in different ways. The conflict between us is impossible to cease!]

[What is happening today?]

[She actually comes to me with an attitude of a penitential.]

[Is anybody going to tell me what is going on? What happened?]

[Isn’t it too unbelievable? Too magical? Too weird?]

Cheng Bingmei looked at Yue Gongxue, who had changed into snow-white clothes and looked elegant and charming. It seemed the over ten years prison life hadn’t left any trace on the beauty. Cheng Bingmei felt like there were ten thousand worms of jealousy crazily biting her heart, ripping it into pieces.

[How could she?]

[How could Yue Gongxue have such a blessed life?]

[When we both first came to Qiong-Hua Palace, I am far better than her as a disciple in the sect. We were both beautiful girls back then. I was even more beautiful than her! Why? How could she? Why did she become the favorite of the Moon Queen and become the Saintess?]

[How come she could be sitting up there beyond us all?]

[Why? Why did she get the chance to become the future Moon Queen?]

[Everybody was taking care of her when we were all out for practical cultivation. Fine. She was the Saintess. I understood. Why was she always so lucky? Why did she always find something remarkable and I never did? Which part of me is weaker than her?]

[The most unacceptable thing is... I met a liar who nearly put me into the end of my life, yet she actually got to meet Ye Nantian, a man who has always been loving her so much, a real heroic man in the world! Why?]

[Nobody can get all the advantages in the world. It must be her fortune to meet Ye Nantian, but it was also the beginning of her suffering. The rules in the palace are strict. No disciples are allowed to fall in love, not to mention getting married. I am the one who exposed her secret of losing her virginity to a man. That’s right. I did. More than that, I made a few elders focus on it and made her filthiness a more significant impact than it should be to the sect. They were broken. She lost her position of the Saintess, imprisoned for years. I thought things would be ended just like that.]

[But... Jun Yinglian came for a visit and helped her out of prison. Things in Ye Clan started to change substantially. I went to Ye Clan myself but failed to fulfill my intent. Yue Shuang and Yue Han were asked out to take care of Ye Clan after me, yet they actually became friends of Ye Clan. Unbelievable! Now, this is what it becomes!]

[Maybe Ye Nantian is never bad luck to Yue Gongxue... instead, he is her best fortune!]

[Otherwise... how could she... How could she rise up beyond me again within one single night?]

[Why would Yue Shuang and Yue Han support her so recklessly?]

[Why couldn’t they support me instead?]

Deep in Cheng Bingmei’s heart, these questions had been haunting her, driving her mad!

When she saw the elegant and charming Yue Gongxue, she saw the clothes on the lady were all made from Ice Soul Silk. She had a few Ice Soul Silk clothes too, but all undergarments, and she always grudged wearing them because they were too good... However, as she saw Yue Gongxue, she saw every piece of Yue Gongxue’s clothes was made from Ice Soul Silk. In the opened wardrobes on the wall, there were all kinds of Ice Soul Silk clothes in different colors. [Come on! Really? Is she even able to wear every piece of those in her life?]

Yue Gongxue’s pieces of jewelry, the Qiong-Hua Phoenix Hairpin, the earrings... were all made from the Misty Gold of the Solar Cold Lake. When she moved, the jewelry shined in a beautiful glow. She walked like a moving flower, exuding the charm of her elegance...

Everything in her room had made her beautiful face look even more gorgeous and incredible as if she was a real fairy from heavens... [I don’t have any of such pretty pieces of jewelry...] Cheng Bingmei thought with the grudge.

She was nearly pissed to explosion... [Why? How could she... She is a traitor of Qiong-Hua Palace. How come she can enjoy such high-level treatment in the palace... Are the ladies in the leadership all crazy?]

When she decided to come and pay a visit to Yue Gongxue, she meant to make peace. However, when she saw everything Yue Gongxue had, her face looked dark. After a few meaningless words, she left, with a full face of hate and envy...

...

The night was a sleepless night for Yue Gongxue. She turned and turned on the bed, but couldn’t fall asleep.

She just couldn’t think it through. What had happened recently were unbelievable and unreasonable. She couldn’t help thinking about it all night!

The moon was high in the dark sky. The Floating Flower Lodge was like a paradise under the hazy glow of the moonlight.

Looking at the shadows of the flowers under the moonlight, Yue Gongxue made a few sighs. She didn’t know whether what happened was a good thing or not.

Suddenly, she was suddenly shocked. Wiping her eyes, she looked out the window...

Before her window, there was a white shadow standing under a flowering tree.

The white shadow was right there, staring at her through the window with the hints of warmth.

Having eye contact with that shadow, Yue Gongxue shook. She hurriedly opened the door and walked out of the room.

“Master...” Yue Gongxue stared at the white shadow with fear and spoke cautiously, “Master, why haven’t you taken rests in your place yet. It is late at night... Why are you here instead? I should be informed, and humbly greet you with respect !”

The Moon Queen looked back her and sighed.

“I am just here to see you.” She lightly said, “What? Are you not going to let me in?”

“Of course I will! Please, Master. Let’s get inside.” Yue Gongxue hurriedly let the Moon Queen enter her room, and said, “Master, please have a seat. I will make some tea.”

After a while, a cup of hot tea was done and put on the table.

The Moon Queen looked blank and lost, murmuring, “It has been over ten years... You still remember my favorite tea, Misty Ice Tea.”

“I will always remember. I won’t forget all that you have taught me, Master. I won’t forget the favorites of yours.” Yue Gongxue quietly said.

The Moon Queen gently took a sip of tea and then her eyes lit up bright. She gladly said, “You are the only one who can make the perfect Misty Ice Tea...”

Yue Gongxue lowered her head and said, “I am flattered. I am certainly not good enough!”

“Come over here, Xue-er.” The Moon Queen seemed to be sad, but gentle and soft, “Let me have a look at you...”

She just quietly observed Yue Gongxue’s face for a long time after that.

After a long while, she finally spoke again with a deep sigh, “Xue-er, after all the isolate years in prison... Do you hate me?”

“Hate?” Yue Gongxue bit the lips and coldly said, “I dare not, Master.”

She said she dared not to hate her. That was far from not hating her. Over ten years prison life didn’t mean anything for her though. However, what had been torturing her was being separated from her husband and son for such a long time. She could have heard about her husband and son’s death at any moment during those years. How could she not hate it? How?

The Moon Queen felt pain in the heart, self-mockingly said, “That’s right. Anybody would hate me if they were you. That was such a dumb question. I was having a wishful hope in vain... How could I expect a person who is definitely supposed to hate me to hate me any less... This is my fault...”

She looked away absentmindedly and vaguely said, “But... Xue-er... You must know that I... I hate you too... Maybe I hate you more than you hate me...”

Yue Gongxue raised up her head in fear and said, “Master?”

Apparently, she was surprised. She never thought that her master would be so frank all of a sudden. Besides, what her master said didn’t seem to make sense! She was confused!

The Moon Queen realized she was talking something inappropriate. Her facial expression became complicated. She wanted to say something else to skip the topic, cover it up but had nothing in mind to say.

“Girl, it doesn’t matter now. Hate me or not, it is not important now. Your happiness, the day you have been dreaming for, is coming. You are going to live the life you are yearning for soon.” When the Moon Queen said so, she sounded full of comfort.

“My happiness? The life I am yearning for?” Yue Gongxue was confused, big eyes looking at the Moon Queen.

“Ye Nantian has come for you.” The Moon Queen said it out frankly, “He is in Qiong-Hua Palace at the moment, waiting for the reunion with you.”

“Ah?” Yue Gongxue was shocked. Her limbs became stiff all of a sudden, and tears couldn’t help flowing out her eyes. “He... He... He is here... He came... Master! Please! Don’t hurt him! It wasn’t his fault... It was...”

She was still trying to protect Ye Nantian, even willing to give up on herself. The Moon Queen heard it and truly wanted to rage up in a fury. However, she took a deep breath to calm down, holding down the flame of anger in her chest. Coldly, she said, “How do I dare to mess with him. He has done what I asked. He is a Dao Origin Stage cultivator now. I made a promise after all... Besides, Yue Shuang and Yue Han have been supporting you two with full efforts... What left for me to do is to break the rules and wish you two happy marriage... not because I am happy to do it though...”

Yue Gongxue felt the joy suddenly filled her heart. She started to she tears of joy and said, “Oh... This is great... He... He is a Dao Origin Stage cultivator now... The two honorable elders are helping us... There is always kindness in the world...”

The Moon Queen heard it, and she felt utterly pissed, so her mouth was twisting.

She understood Yue Gongxue didn’t mean to satirize her, but still, she felt the sarcasm. [You damn wicked girl... Are you saying that I am the bad guy? So do you think that I am the one who should be blamed? Do you think I am the one who put you into the current situation?]

The Moon Queen opened her eyes wide, and she really wanted to aggressively added, ‘If I don’t approve it, you won’t stand a chance even the rest of the world support you. My word is the only thing that matters!! I can take that away from you with one word if I want...’

However, she didn’t actually say it.

It was easy to say something when driven by emotions, but it was too difficult to make it up when what was said had led to a wrong result!

After a while, Yue Gongxue finally calmed down a bit. She spoke to the Moon Queen excitedly, “Master, what are these...” She looked around the new supplies she had gotten in the room and started thinking...

“Since Ye Nantian has done what I asked, I have to keep the promise I made. In another word, you are going to be the bride... and marry the man you love...”

The Moon Queen sighed. She seemed pretty depressed, “This is going to be your wedding room... No matter what wrong you have done, you are a disciple of Qiong-Hua Palace after all. You have two elders backing you up there, but that’s not why we decided to do this... You are our girl. No matter how unwilling I am, I have to make sure you have a decent wedding; otherwise, we will be mocked and teased by Ye Clan and all the others in the world. Qiong-Hua Palace will not bear the shame.”

“Master...” Yue Gongxue’s eyes were full of gratitude. She wanted to rush over and give the Moon Queen a hug.

Ye Nantian loved Yue Gongxue because she was not only beautiful but also intelligent. She knew that her master was the absolute ruler of Qiong-Hua Palace. Her decision meant final. If the Moon Queen disagreed with the marriage, Yue Gongxue could do no better than escape from the palace after marked as an abandoned disciple.

Now she became the first bride in Qiong-Hua Palace’s history, enjoying such high-standard treatment, because of the support from the two elders, and mainly the permission from the Moon Queen.

Her master’s word was the most significant reason why she could have such preferential treatment and exclusive privilege.

Looking at Yue Gongxue’s face, the Moon Queen realized that her disciple knew how much she had done for her, so she was consoled, but also grieved. She sighed and finally opened her arms toward Yue Gongxue, warmly said, “Girl, you are going to be his woman after the wedding. When a woman gets married, she starts a second life... Come here... Let me hold you one more time. I am afraid there will not be many chances for us to hold each other like this in the future.”

“Master!” Yue Gongxue burst into tears, wailed out the cry, rushed forward fast to the warm hug that she had missed for the past eighteen years. She finally wept aloud, tears dripping down like two strings of pearls. After a moment, the Moon Queen’s sleeves were already soaked with her tears.

The Moon Queen was holding Yue Gongxue, who was shaking in her arms. She couldn’t help shedding tears too. She tried to hold it back but turned out unable to stop sobbing.

“The entire palace is busy discussing the business of your dowry...” The Moon Queen smiled with tears in the eyes, “In fact, I was too stubborn. I should... I should have let you marry the guy long ago... Eighteen years... You two are still deeply in love, but all the days you have suffered... Gosh!”

She made a long sigh and felt terribly sad in her heart.

“I don’t want any dowry.” Yue Gongxue made a sigh with satisfaction. “I don’t need it. I mean it. Today, I already got the only thing I want in my life. Master, your kind wish and your forgiveness are more than enough to my satisfaction. I don’t need anything more.”

The Moon Queen sighed and thought, [You don’t need it? Somebody else needs it after all...]

[It is not only for you to have a better life after marrying that man but also for the sect to show our pride. You can’t turn it down...]

The two of them continued the conversation quietly, and it was unwittingly late in midnight.

They felt the warmth that both of them had been longing for. The feeling of home was filling their hearts. Whatever stood between them was all gone from this moment on...

Yue Gongxue was happy now. She couldn’t help imagining what it would be like to meet her beloved one again... She wanted to look at his face closely. [I wonder whether he still looks the same... Maybe he has changed a bit in the appearance... And our son... Does our son look more like his father or me...]

The Moon Queen looked peaceful in the face, but deep in her heart, she wasn’t quite in peace.

Sometimes the Moon Queen didn’t understand her own thoughts. She didn’t know why she would think and feel the way she did.

Was it real? Somebody could actually be so self-contradictory?

It seemed absurd, but it was the truth about the Moon Queen...

When the Moon Queen first got to know what happened between Yue Gongxue and Ye Nantian, she was so mad, sad, disappointed, desperate... Actually, she was still the same even after eighteen years. Now that Yue Gongxue was going to embrace the happy life she had been dreaming for, the Moon Queen actually felt sad and disappointed again. She was even jealous. She even wanted to break her own promise and ruin the marriage...

She felt like the most precious treasure that she had been guarding for all her life was going to be taken away by somebody else! How could she not be reluctant about it?

[What is happening to me... How can I have such stupid idea... I... No...] The Moon Queen was questioning herself in her heart. Suddenly, an enlightenment stroke over her mind. She finally realized it.

[Is it real? I... Am I jealous? I envy my own daughter? Because she is having a better life than me?] Deep in her heart, she sighed, got lost in her thoughts. Suddenly, she didn’t even know where she was at this particular moment...

Many years before this...

When the peach flowers were blossoming everywhere, the Moon Queen was still a young girl. She was on her way to the south of the world, and met a man in a lakefront under the moonlight...

After that, she fell in love with that man, just like Yue Gongxue did with Ye Nantian...

Six months after that, one day, lured by the man’s sweet talks, she couldn’t help giving herself to him in the bed.

However, that man was not as responsible as Ye Nantian at all...

It turned out the man had been married before the Moon Queen. When the Moon Queen told the man she was pregnant, the man actually attempted to kill her along with the baby inside her, only because he didn’t want troubles from Qiong-Hua Palace. He failed several times trying to murder, and gave up in the end... She had never heard from him ever after...

If the man attempted murder only to protect his family, his kids, she might forgive him and spare his life, even though with the grudge in her chest. However, the man was selfish. All that he wanted was to keep himself safe. He did abandon not only the Moon Queen, but also his wife and kids, just to escape from the Moon Queen’s revenge!

She finally realized how filthy and despicable the man was, so she was furious, but also grieved. With the baby inside her, she traveled thousands of miles to track the man down and chop his head off with one sword! In the end, with a broken heart, she hid in a valley until Yue Gongxue was born to the world.

Several months after Yue Gongxue was born, the Moon Queen returned to the palace with her daughter in her arms. She went to her master and confessed. After hearing what she said, her wise master only punished her privately and kept her blunder a secret to the others in the palace. They sent Yue Gongxue somewhere safe to be raised by somebody trustworthy. One year later, Yue Gongxue took the little girl back to the palace and became the girl’s master...

The Moon Queen’s master died in an accident. She had kept the secret of the Moon Queen and Yue Gongxue for her entire life. She hadn’t mentioned even a word to others after she died.

The Moon Queen hated all men in the world because of what happened. She believed there was no good man in the world. All men were despicable creatures with a full mouth of sweet lies that only waited to lure young girls!

Now that she thought of it, reconsidered what she had been believing, she realized it was wrong...

So many times she wanted to tell Yue Gongxue the truth, but she would always hold the impulse down...

[It must be a lot easier for her to be unaware of our relationship...] The Moon Queen made a sigh in her mind.

When she knew that her daughter had slept with Ye Nantian and carried a baby of his... she felt like a bolt of lightning was striking on her heart on a sunny day!

She never thought that the same fate would happen on her daughter!

That was why she tried everything she could to stop the relationship. She sent people out to beat Ye Nantian, and even kept her daughter in prison...

When Yue Gongxue was begging her with painful tears, she didn’t change her mind. She believed Ye Nantian would fight his own way up to Dao Origin Stage if he truly loved her daughter. Is he couldn’t reach Dao Origin Stage, it meant he wasn’t mean to be her daughter’s husband. She would never accept a useless son-in-law!

Not until this moment...

Ye Nantian had indeed become a Dao Origin Stage cultivator. It was her turn to fulfill her promise now!

A lot had happened to the Moon Queen during those years. It was hard to imagine how her thoughts had changed again and again!

However, what impressed the Moon Queen most was the persistence of Ye Nantian’s loving heart. After eighteen years, Yue Gongxue and Ye Nantian were still deeply in love with each other. The Moon Queen realized that there was nothing to worry about putting her daughter’s hand into this man’s hands...

[I never had the chance to pursue happiness in my life...]

[Now my daughter has it...]

[I should be proud and glad she does...]

[Yet... I am actually jealous about it...]

She was lost in her minds, having her thoughts, as if she was in a dream.

Time flew.

Yue Gongxue had fallen asleep in the Moon Queen’s arms with hints of satisfaction in her face... She felt safe, comfortable, happy and warm... like... like she was back to the embrace of her beloved mother... whom she had never met but only dreamt about in her life...

...

No message from Heaven’s Terrace yet. However, the Moon Queen had sensitively realized how dangerous the current situation was.

Something horrendous must have happened in the martial world of Qing-Yun Realm.

A catastrophe was coming soon.

[Perhaps it is a good time for Xue-er to marry the man now. It could be the best for her.] The Moon Queen sighed in her mind and thought, [She might be able to seize the opportunity to get rid of this falling martial world... She will be living a peaceful life in the future, far away from the chaos. That is, however, all I want for her. I will be free of the everlasting anxiety, and do whatever I should to deal with what may be coming to us.]

[If the world is going to be a chaotic mess, Qiong-Hua Palace... It is possible that Qiong-Hua Palace will fall at some point, considering the current situation of the palace. This may be the most dangerous moment in history... Xue-er will be on her own to make her happy life ever after...]

[Just... kept it a secret to her. Let her believe that she has always been an orphan...] She held Yue Gongxue even tighter in the arms and continued the thought, [If she knows the truth... If she knows I am her mother... She will never stay away from the palace when the disaster hits over.]

After thinking for a while, she eventually made a long sigh.

[I have been paranoid in recent years... Maybe I am just too afraid of what may happen to her... because what happened to me didn’t end up enjoyable... My mind was ill because of it... One is scared by a rope after being bitten by a snake. It should be a true story...]

[I was actually jealous of my own girl... I can’t believe I was... Unbelievable...]

Looking at Yue Gongxue’s pretty face in her arms, the Moon Queen had an impulse to cease the plan. [I am still unwilling to part with my girl...]

[Oh!]

A peaceful night had passed just like that.

The next day, when Yue Gongxue woke up, she was lying on her own bed in the room. Her master had long gone.

She had slept over the most comfortable, safest, warmest night in her life.

She couldn’t help feeling a bit reluctant to leave this place, where had been her home for her life. With a smile on her face, she gently touched the quilt, and she found that the quilt was a bit soaked. She was moved.

Touching the tears on the quilt, she felt like crying out loud.

[Is this... Is this a stain of Master’s tears?]

“Master...” She called the Moon Queen below her breath, eyes turning red with grief.

Suddenly, all that filled her chest were guilt and sadness.

The Moon Queen had been saying the same words to her since she was a little girl. ‘Xue-er, you must take good care of yourself. You are going to become the new Moon Queen after me someday. You have to hold up your responsibility on your shoulders in Qiong-Hua Palace for me... Don’t let me down...’

The Moon Queen had a clear plan on Yue Gongxue since the very beginning. She wanted Yue Gongxue to take over the crown and become the leader of Qiong-Hua Palace someday.

However... what Yue Gongxue did after meeting Ye Nantian—falling in love with him and giving herself to him, had extremely disappointed the Moon Queen...

It wasn’t exaggerated to say that all the Moon Queen had done in her life was ruined when she found out Yue Gongxue was in love with Ye Nantian and pregnant...

All that she had been planning ended with nothing!

Countless days of hard work on the girl were gone in vain.

[All these years, the only thought in my mind is to blame Master for ruining my happiness, taking Nantian and my son away from my side... All I have kept in mind is hate, grief, and the grudge. Yet I never thought about how much Master has done for me and how little she has gotten from me in return.]

Yue Gongxue was shaking, tears shedding out.

[Master... forgave me in the end... She is taking the bitter fruit to her own...]

“Master...” She was sobbing, “I... I... am so sorry...” Touching the corner of the quilt, where there were tears from the Moon Queen’s grief, Yue Gongxue felt like her heart was broken into pieces, couldn’t stop the tears.