by Mars Gravity
Yun Che stretched out his hand and gently wiped away the tears on his mother’s face, “Mother, do not cry, our family has finally come back together again. And the both of you have recovered all that you had lost, so all of those difficulties are now in the past.”
“Yes… Mother won’t cry… won’t cry… It is just that Mother is… far too happy…” Mu Yurou nodded her head. She diligently attempted to wipe away all the traces of her tears, but the amount of tears she had shed was simply too much, and even after attempting to wipe them away, her face was still wet with them.
“Che’er.” Yun Qinghong softly sighed, and said in a gentle voice, “All these years, how have you been? And how exactly did you come from the far-off Profound Sky Continent to make your way here?”
Yun Qinghong’s questions severely plucked at Mu Yurou’s heartstrings. She grabbed Yun Che’s hand and asked in an anxious tone, “Yes… Che’er, have these years been treating you well? Did you suffer a lot?”
Mu Yurou’s entire being was focused on her son right now, and she couldn’t think of much else. But Yun Qinghong knew that because Yun Che’s temperament completely did not fit his age, that what Yun Che had suffered, was not just simply ‘great suffering’; it must have been a torment that normal people would not even be able to endure. Or else, how would he possess such an extraordinary temperament, boldness, insight and ability?
Yun Che faintly smiled and replied, “All the events that I have lived through, I will definitely tell them to Father and Mother in detail. But before that…” He extended a hand, grabbed Yun Xiao, and said, “Father, Mother, now is the time to tell your other son of his origins. Yun Xiao isn’t a little kid anymore and he has long ago become a true man who is upright and filled with an indomitable spirit. He also has the right to know about the truth behind his birth.”
Yun Xiao went into a short daze, but then his eyes cleared up. He resolutely nodded his head, “Father, Mother, please tell me about my origins. I also want to know where I am actually from and who my birth parents are. And please do not worry Father and Mother, even though I am not your real flesh and blood, all these years of nurturing and love that you have given to me were definitely not false. In the future, even if I recognize my ancestors and return home to find my birth parents, the two of you will always be father and mother to me. For life.”
Before this, Yun Xiao still felt bewildered, hesitant and even slightly despondent. But now that he had said these words, He realized that all the apprehensiveness and bewilderment had melted away, and what replaced those feelings was calmness, relaxation and a happiness which came from the heart because his family had finally been reunited.
Even though he was not the flesh and blood of his parents, in all those years, they had regarded him as their own and had lavished him with care. Just this debt of love alone was already hard for him to repay in this life. His big brother had saved his life, had continually helped and instructed him time and time again. He was so conscientious of his feelings that he had delayed this family reunion by two whole months just for his sake…
So even though there was no blood relation, they had treated him with a goodness that was heartfelt, so why should he even feel a sense of loss or hopelessness? The parents he loved the most had finally found the son they had worried about for all these years, so he should naturally be happy for his parents. His most respected big brother was able to reunite with his parents, so naturally he should be happy for his big brother as well…
At this moment, he clearly felt that he had grown up quite a bit, and it felt like what Yun Che had described as…. An elevation of his spirit.
Yun Qinghong and Mu Yurou shared a look, and they laughed with joy and comfort. Yun Qinghong nodded his head, “Good! Good child! Xiao’er, your birth father and I were sworn brothers as well. Moreover, he is the only confidante I have ever had in my life. So the fathers of you and Che’er had always been closer than brothers, and our two families had long ago become as one.”
“Ah…” Yun Xiao’s mouth gaped open, “Father and my birth father… had known each other from the start?”
“Yes.” Yun Qinghong nodded his head and he pulled Yun Xiao’s arm, “Xiao’er, sit down. Today, your mother and I will tell you everything regarding your origins.”
In a room which was not spacious, the four sat facing each other. And no matter whether it was Yun Qinghong, Mu Yurou or Yun Che, the feeling of family became even clearer than it had ever been before. Yun Qinghong told Yun Xiao in a sentimental and appreciative tone the story of the three years he and his wife had spent in the Profound Sky Continent. He especially recounted how he had met Xiao Ying, and how they had gotten to know each other, had hit off, and how they became sworn brothers…. Until the part where he had managed to save their lives by putting together an escape route for them, how he had even swapped his own son with theirs….
Yun Xiao just sat there and silently listened. Once Yun Qinghong had finished his tale, he sat there in a daze, but after that he said to himself in a lifeless voice, “Oh… So my homeland… really is the Profound Sky Continent…”
“The Profound Sky Continent is not as sinister as the Illusory Demon Realm has made it out to be. Only a portion of the people there are truly sinister and vicious. Comparatively, the biggest difference that the Illusory Demon World has with the Profound Sky continent is the composition of races. The Profound Sky Continent is a world where humans and beasts rule, there are very few demons there.” Yun Che said. In the Illusory Demon Realm, the Profound Sky Continent was a heavily-demonized place, and he did not wish for Yun Xiao to harbor such needless prejudice and internal conflict towards the Profound Sky Continent because of this.
“Right…” Yun Xiao gently nodded his head. His expression was still a bit dazed. He needed sufficient time to process and accept these things, “Xiao… So my surname was actually Xiao… No wonder… Father and Mother gave me the name Yun Xiao…”
“Hoho, because we had always thought of one day letting you go back to the Profound Sky Continent to recognize your ancestors.” Yun Qinghong told him while laughing.
“Big Brother, my birth parents… Are they still well now? And are they still living in that place called… called Floating Cloud City?” Yun Xiao asked with a hazy expression on his face.
Even though Yun Che had known that this question was unavoidable and made sufficient preparation for it, once Yun Xiao asked this question, his expression instantly froze, and he could not make a single sound for the longest of times.
Yun Che’s expression immediately caused Yun Qinghong’s expression to change as well. After he once again thought of all the tribulations that Yun Che must have suffered for all these years, his heart tightened even more. He grabbed Yun Che’s shoulder and looked at him directly while asking, “How is Xiao Ying right now? In Floating Cloud City, his Xiao Family was also amongst the elite, so he is definitely… living a carefree life now, right?”
Yun Che gave a heavy sigh. He did not answer Yun Qinghong’s question. Instead, he looked at Yun Xiao and declared in a solemn tone, “Yun Xiao, remember what I had said before. A true man must calmly face the trials of fate. And anything that has happened on this earth, whether they be happy or sad. But once they have happened, you can only accept and confront them…. How you accept and confront your fate will be a test of your character.”
Yun Xiao looked at Yun Che and both his hands quietly tightened. After a while, his eyes grew determined and he said, “Big Brother, go ahead and say it… No matter what the conclusion, I will face it with calm acceptance.”
Yun Che nodded his head, closed his eyes, and said in a gentle voice, “Uncle Xiao, he… he already passed away twenty-two years ago.”
Yun Qinghong stood up in a hurry, his face had instantly turned as white as a sheet of paper. In this world, there were very few things that would be able to provoke such a strong reaction from him… But Xiao Ying was the only sworn brother he had in his life, the only true confidant
e he had ever had. Not only that, Xiao Ying was a man he owed his life to, and it was a debt of gratitude that was as heavy as a mountain. All those years ago, if not for him, he and his wife would not have been able to make it back to the Illusory Demon Realm alive.
But he had never once thought that he was actually already… dead… That he had actually died… twenty-two years ago…
And at that time… Could it be… Could it be…
“He… He… He, how did he die? How did he die?” Yun Qinghong said in a quavering voice.
Yun Che did not hesitate or try to conceal anything, he said straightforwardly, “Twenty-two years ago, after Father and Mother had escaped from Floating Cloud City, the scoundrels who were chasing after the both of you somehow found out about your interactions with Uncle Xiao. They found Uncle Xiao and they tried to force him to reveal your whereabouts, but Uncle Xiao would rather die than tell them anything, so… As a result…”
Yun Qinghong’s entire body shook violently.
“After Uncle Xiao died, his wife very quickly passed away due to grief and loss. And my grandmother drowned in such sadness that her melancholy quickly turned into malady. After she had given birth to little aunt, who was one year younger than me, she passed away as well. I do not even remember how they looked like in life… It was grandfather alone who raised my little aunt and I together…”
“…” Yun Qinghong’s mouth violently trembled and both his eyes protruded. His entire body suddenly gave a violent heave as a spray of fresh blood violently spurted from his mouth. His entire body collapsed heavily to the ground.
“Ah… Husband!”
“Father!!”
Mu Yurou and Yun Che cried out in unison. They hurriedly went to support Yun Qinghong’s body. The corner of Yun Qinghong’s mouth twitched and the scarlet red blood trail was startlingly eye-catching. His gaze lifelessly drifted to the sky and two fierce streams of tears poured from his eyes, “It was I… It was I who caused Brother Xiao to die… It was I who caused the death of his family… It was me… It was me… The one who harmed them was me…”
“The debt of gratitude I owe to Brother Xiao is as heavy as a mountain… But what I repaid him with… was only… death, and destruction…”
Chapter 529: False Alarm
Yun Qinghong’s reaction was even more intense than Yun Che had expected. For a person like Yun Qinghong, even if Mt. Tai fell in front of him, he would not flinch. However, the words “friendship” and “loyalty” were things that were more important to him than his life. How could he accept the fact that his best brother in this life, who had saved his family, died because of him. With even his own family having collapsed…
Mu Yurou went to hold Yun Qinghong. In this world, she was the person who understood him the most, and she clearly knew how big of an impact this would have dealt to him. She did not comfort him, and merely cried silently along with him.
Yun Che comforted: “Father, Uncle Xiao has already passed on for twenty-two years. He might have even reincarnated already and is leading a more perfect life than his previous one, so stop blaming yourself. You are the Patriarch of the Yun Family, the support of the whole clan, the father of me and Yun Xiao. In this world, there is nothing that can knock you down.”
“I’m alright… alright… alright… alright…”
Yun Qinghong uttered four “alrights” in a row. His eyes unfocused, his face was still pale white and he did not look one bit “alright”. Yun Xiao bit his lips, went forward and said loudly: “Father, don’t act like this. This isn’t your fault, furthermore… furthermore, you are good brothers with my birth father; even if he died while saving you, I’m sure he died without any hatred or unwillingness. I believe if the one escaping at that time was my birth father, even if you knew the consequences, you would still make the same choice… Therefore, Father, please don’t blame yourself anymore. This is the choice my birth father made. He won’t blame you, and neither would anyone else… Father, only if you live on properly and take care of yourself would you allow my birth father to rest in peace…”
Even though Xiao Ying was Yun Xiao’s birth father, he had never seen him before, nor had his name appeared in his memory before. It was only today that he had found out about his existence. Thus, other the blood relations, he did not hold any feelings towards his birth father. Hearing that he was no longer in the living world, other than feeling an intense pain and emptiness deep within his veins, he did not feel too much sadness; or, at least, it was not as overwhelming as what Yun Qinghong felt… and towards Yun Qinghong, there was the gratitude of bringing him up for more than twenty years.
Yun Che did not expect that Yun Xiao would be so calm and actually console Yun Qinghong. For Yun Qinghong, Yun Xiao’s consoling would triumph over any words others said to him, because Yun Xiao was Xiao Ying’s descendant, and was of his bloodline. His gratitude and remorse towards Xiao Ying could be repaid and placed onto Yun Xiao, and from his consoling, what he received was the same as Xiao Family’s forgiveness…
Focus slowly returned to Yun Qinghong’s eyes. He looked straight at Yun Xiao, then, his arms suddenly reached out, strongly clasping Yun Xiao’s shoulders: “Xiao’er, you really… don’t blame me? I was the one who caused you to lose your birth parents…”
“I don’t.” Yun Xiao shook his head without hesitation: “Even though I did lose my parents, the heavens were kind to me and gave me two loving parents… Towards Father and Mother, I only have respect and gratitude, why would I blame you two… My birth parents in heaven would also not blame the two of you either. Instead, using one’s own life to exchange for the life of a good brother could only bring about satisfaction and happiness. For instance… if one day, Big Brother encounters any danger and I am able to save him using my life, I would do so without hesitation…”
“Yun Xiao…” Yun Che mumbled.
“Good… Good child!” Yun Qinghong patted his shoulder heavily, raised his head, and suddenly laughed loudly: “Hahahaha… It’s no wonder you’re my son, no wonder you’re Xiao Ying’s son! Brother Xiao, if you can hear this from above, you must be laughing heartily as you look upon the son you had… Brother Xiao, your son is my son! Rest assured that as long as I, Yun Qinghong, still have one breath, I will not let anyone bully our son!”
“Xiao’er, thank you.” Mu Yurou’s gently said. She knew that if Yun Xiao had not said those words, Yun Qinghong, who viewed loyalty and friendship above his life, would not be able to accept it so quickly.
“Che’er, is the Grandfather Xiao who brought you up still fine?” Yun Qinghong asked.
“Grandfather is doing well, he’s still very healthy.” Sadness flashed past Yun Che’s eyes: “It’s just that he has been living bitterly all these years. The pain of losing his son, the sadness of losing his wife… He still needed to withstand all of this while bringing me and Little Aunt up. Furthermore, my profound veins were crippled since I was young. I was unable to cultivate the profound, and became the family, even the whole Floating Cloud City’s laughingstock. This caused Grandfather to be ridiculed as well, causing his position within the Xiao Family to drop drastically… However, even though he was burdened with all of this, Grandfather had never shown any bit of hatred towards me, ‘the culprit’ behind all of these, and instead showed me the same amount of love and care he showed Little Aunt. He brought me up, shielded me from rain and storm, taught me life lessons, and continuously consoled me, who was constantly ridiculed and bullied… All this time, he searched for the culprit who harmed Uncle Xiao while also constantly looking for famous doctors who could mend my profound veins…”
To be able to bring up a child like Xiao Ying, Yun Qinghong did not even think for an instant that Xiao Lie was not a great father. He sighed in deep regret: “Che’er, we must always remember Xiao Family’s kindness in our hearts and never forget it! The Grandfather Xiao who raised you… will forever be your grandfather! In the future, no matter how strong you become, how much achievements you obtai
n, you must never forget all of these!”
“Mn!” Yun Che nodded heavily. He turned towards Yun Xiao, and said: “Yun Xiao, even though your birth parents are no longer here with us, you still have Grandfather. He’s a very benevolent and noble grandfather. A few years back, when I obtained some achievements, he was finally relieved, and started having thoughts of passing on. However, when I told him that you were most likely to still be alive, he finally found hope, and all his negative thoughts disappeared. If I am able to find a way to return to the Profound Sky Continent one day, I must bring you along to let Grandfather see you. He’ll definitely be happy… You still have a little aunt who, even though is one year younger, is still your blood related aunt. She’s mischievous and kind, and when you see her, you’ll definitely be elated to have such a relative… Also, you still have a prenatal betrothal… Uh…”
“Prenatal betrothal?” Yun Xiao widened his eyes.
Yun Che was a little agitated, unconsciously blurting out the matter regarding Yun Xiao and Xiao Qingyue’s “child marriage”. Once he said it, he was perplexed, and upon seeing Yun Xiao’s innocent expression, he could only smile out of embarrassment, and said: “Erm, Father, Mother, I have something I forgot to tell you two. During my time in the Profound Sky Continent, I have already gotten married.”
Two times, in fact!
“Oh?” Yun Qinghong’s face revealed signs of a smile.
“Really?” Mu Yurou uttered in shock, her expression agitated yet at the same time nervous: “Does that mean I have a daughter-in-law already? Then… how old is she, who’s child is she? Is she pretty? How’s her temper, is she obedient? Is she nice to you?”
