Chapter 316: Father and Daughter
“When I came home back that year, I coincidentally heard a few words between father and uncle. Back then, uncle had mentioned my name, and he used a strange tone to refer to me as ‘his child’. Frm then on, I had a suspicion deep down inside, but I was more willing to instead believe that I had just misheard or misunderstood uncle’s meaning. Thus, I didn’t ask anyone about these questions I had deep inside, nor did I dare to. It was only until that day, when a person who I truly respected brought what I had buried back up to the surface, that I was forced to remember all of it again. I cannot run away anymore. I won’t be able to live the rest of my life in peace anymore if I don’t find out the truth.”
“Men directly descended from the main line of the Southern Emperor will also bear a deep sense of loyalty to their ancestor imprinted into their very souls. This won’t change no matter how many generations pass. This is also something that person had told me. Yet, my father had long since abandoned seeking out the Southern Emperor’s Sword. If not for the fact that news of the Southern Emperor’s Sword suddenly resurfacing three years ago, then he wouldn’t have even believed in the existence of the Sword anymore. His will is now to reign over the world. Yet, my little brother Wuque has been stubbornly determined to travel the world and locate the Southern Emperor’s Sword ever since he was little, to the point where he refuses to heed father’s will no matter what. Because of this, they’ve become estranged and Wuque rarely returns home. He said that it’s because my brother holds the direct bloodline of the Southern Emperor, yet my father does not… Is all this really true?”
The madman’s wild screams continued on without any sign of resting.
“You… Have you really gone insane? He also signaled to me that you haven’t gone insane. You held yourself up despite the humiliation for the sake of seeing the light of day again, to lead the Southern Emperor Sect back in the direction that you hope for… Tell me, are you really insane… If you really are just a madman, then could all his deductions also all be just empty guesses? If that’s so, then I can lay down all my questions and stop thinking on them. If you’re not a madman… Then tell me. That you really aren’t mad.”
Shui Mengchan looked at the madman before her, searching for the eyes that were completely covered. Her heartbeat also sped up more and more. He was utterly covered in filth, but his still occasionally shifting gaze was still so very clear, not showing the slightly sign of dullness. She doesn’t know if anyone else has met the gaze that he was showing now, but at the very least, after all these years and having encountered countless people, she does gave an extremely good grasp of people. That gaze that hides his thought and feelings shouldn’t belong to a truly insane lunatic… Thus, she already gained half the answers that she sought.
She needs a definite answer though.
Her hand reached out to her neck and slowly drew out an icy blue, teardrop shaped water jade on a blue string. This water jade has been with her since as long as she can remember. Back when she’s first capable of remembering, she had learned that it was something that her parents had made together via combining the powers of their Art of Water Jade. The Water Jade Qi within it can not only allow her to develop flawless skin as she grows, but also aid her in the cultivation of the Art of Water Jade. In the 25 years of her life, the Water Jade Qi within it still haven’t faded, and the phantasmal azure light shined in the darkness. Her mother, Shui Fu’er had told her on the year of her third birthday that she must never throw away this piece of water jade. Thus, she had always kept it on her person. Only now did she start to understand just why her mother had never smiled, and why her mother told her to never lose this piece of jade.
It’s because it was formed of her birth parents’ combined powers. The jade hanging from her neck is a proof of identity that only their family knows of.
The dense light element did not cover up the phantasmal azure light. On the contrary, it seemed to be added to by that mysterious azure light, and thus the light now also held a weak and comforting blue glow within it.
The madman’s roars suddenly stopped. His wild flailing also ceased. The sudden quiet made Shui Mengchan’s heart skip a beat. Time practically stopped then.
The sudden silence gave Shui Mengchan the answer that she so hoped for, and yet was also terrified of.
“Chan… ’Er…”
The eyes hidden behind the man’s hair shook and, after a moment, started turning misty like it was looking through moisture that was becoming heavier and heavier. In the midst of the deathly silence, that madman actually spoke out in an unbelievably dry voice. Although the sound of the croaking was so terrible that it was nearly unrecognizable, Shui Mengchan still managed to clearly confirm that those two syllables that made her heart pound were “Chan’er”…
Shui Mengchan was stunned. Although she already prepared herself for it long ago, this strong and tough-minded woman was still stunned for a short while when she truly faced this terrifying and cruel truth. Then, she took a deep breath and spoke in a quivering voice, “You… You can talk?”
The madman… Well, he can’t be called a madman anymore, may have simply gone too long without speaking. His voice was not only dry but also quite heavily accented. He didn’t answer Shui Mengchan, but instead, he haltingly spoke, “Back when you were two… I asked what birthday present you wanted… You said, that you wanted snow to fall from the sky…”
Shui Mengchan violently shook like she was struck by lightning.
“… When I said that I couldn’t do it, you ended up crying in disappointment… Back then, I told you that when you grow up, I’ll personally go to the far off north to find you a snow maiden capable of making it snow for you… But, this promise, a promise from father to daughter, hasn’t been fulfilled even after 23 years…”
That sorrowful voice was mixed with a man’s heavy’s sobs. It held the bloody tears of his heart. At this moment, no one could have called him a madman.
His every word was like a heavy hammer pounding into the depths of Shui Mengchan’s heart. In that instant, her tears fell freely. Sorrow, bitterness, shock, and bewilderment… All kinds of complex feelings burst forth as one, rampaging wildly within her heart. The birthday present that she asked from her father back when she was two was a secret that only the two of them had known of.
It was also since she was two that she had never seen her mother smile again. Her father was still kindly, but she had clearly felt a sense of estrangement. She also never again experienced the fatherly love that could warm her heart and body and allowed her to act as spoiled as she liked.
The crystal ball that released light element and the teardrop shaped jade fell from her hands at the same time. The crystal ball fell onto the moist and rotten ground, but the water jade’s string was still wrapped around her hands, so it dangled in midair while giving off its blue glow. Shui Mengchan’s lips quivered as she uttered in a pained voice, “Father… I-it really is you…”
Why… Why is it like this…
This madman… Is actually her father… In that case then, just who is the man she called father outside? Just what is all this hiding!
“Chan’er, it’s been 23 years… You’re already so big… That I was able to see you again is enough to wipe away a number of regrets even if I end up dying soon.” The madman cried freely. He had it so difficult for so long, held on for so long, that the man who hasn’t fallen even through 23 years of inhuman torture finally allowed himself to cry, and those uncontrollable tears streamed down his face in clear lines…
23 years. How many of those 23 years can a person have in their life? 23 years ago, he was living in the best age of his life. He had a cute daughter and a wife who he adored and who also loved him back.
He was also the lone choice for the next Master of the Southern Emperor Sect.
However, ever since the enormous incident 23 years ago, everything changed. It was like a nightmare that flipped his entire life about before throwing him into another nightmare. A nightmare that lasted for 23 years.
In those 23 years, this kind of torment could have easily turned any normal person into a complete madman. Everyone had also already believed that he had already gone insane. However, he didn’t go mad.
“Live on…” His father, who met his end at the plot used his last, weak breath to tell him those two words. He can’t die, because if he died, then the direct bloodline of the Southern Emperor would have completely ended. Thus, he use the loyalty that was imprinted into his very bones, his unbelievable obsession, his love for his still living wife and child, and the hatred and wish for vengeance that he had kept in his heart for 23 whole years to keep living on. So long as he’s alive, there will still be hope. He’s waiting for a chance, and he also believes that the heavens won’t allow the bloodline of the Southern Emperor to end like this.
Later on, he heard from “Shui Yuntian’s” hateful words that his already pregnant wife had bore him a son. At that time, he cried his heart out while madly screaming… From that moment on, he had known the meaning for his continued life. He would hold on despite all the pain and humiliation piled upon him and life on. It’s because he has to tell the full truth of everything to his son. Only one who bears the pure and direct bloodline of the Southern Emperor would know that they have an unshakable loyalty to their ancestor, which won’t change no matter what. Thus, his son will definitely not have a change of heart when it comes to the faith that he should hold simply because of his “father”.
All these years, he had feigned insanity so that he can live on. It was also to make the one he hated so relax his guard and allow him that slim chance. Now, he had succeeded. Over the 23 years, his insanity has already become a habit. All those who still held their guards up against his existence also had their guard worn away by the passage of time, to the point where they don’t even remember his existence anymore. Other than “Shui Yuntian”, no one else was willing to come near where he is, and they also have no more interest in looking at this sorry condition. In fact, they try to keep away from where he is as much as possible.
The torment he had endured for those 23 years are beyond what normal people can imagine… But thank the heavens, today, he finally saw the single ray of light that he was hoping for – he met the daughter that he had been parted from for 23 years. His heart that was struggling in pain and misery had been awoken and come back alive, and with it, the tears that he had been suppressing for all too long finally fell like the rain. Back when Shui Mengchan first arrived, her word did greatly shake his heart, but there’s no way that he wouldn’t be extremely careful after holding on for so long, so there’s no way that he could have let his 23 years of silent labor go to waste. Only when Shui Mengchan brought out the water jade that he personally put on her after her birth that he had finally confirmed that this wasn’t a test… That he really did finally meet his daughter. The emotions from that instant made him want to cry out his heart, but he forcibly suppressed his near uncontrollable excitement in order to not alert anyone else. Even so, he couldn’t hold back his tears. Thus, this father’s stubbornness was so easily shattered before his daughter.
“Why… This can’t be real… Why is it this way… Tell me, just why did all this happen…” Although she can neither clearly see his face or recognize his voice, his reaction when he saw that piece of water jade and his words then had erased all of her suspicions.
He is her father…