Against the Gods

Chapter 1921 - Memory of the Moon (5)

The blood beads fused into one bigger blood bead instantly and without any resistance whatsoever. When the profound energy holding them afloat ran out, they slowly fell toward the ground before scattering on the verdant grass.

For a long time, Xia Qingyue simply stood there with a dazed, unfocused look on her face. It was like her soul had departed her body completely.

Yun Che was almost as stunned himself.

What… what is going on here!?

Not only did the barrier that should’ve barred everyone except a direct descendant not work on Xia Qingyue, but her blood had merged perfectly with Yue Wuya’s blood as well. That could only mean…

What am I thinking? That’s just impossible! Xia Qingyue’s birth father is without a doubt Xia Hongyi!

Yue Wugou was still a virgin when Xia Hongyi found her. Moreover, it was only in their third year together that they had Xia Qingyue.

It was just impossible for Xia Qingyue to be the daughter of Yue Wuya!

Did Xia Hongyi lie then? Was she already pregnant when he found Yue Wugou?

That made even less sense!

Xia Hongyi and Yue Wugou had married during the second year, conceived Xia Qingyue during their third, and Xia Yuanba during their fourth… the entire Floating Cloud City knew about this. They might have been able to fool one person or ten, but an entire city? Impossible!

It was at this moment Yun Che recalled the doubts Chi Wuyao had voiced to him some time ago:

…………

“He was way too indifferent toward Xia Qingyue’s death… Xia Yuanba is the bearer of the Tyrannical Emperor’s Divine Veins and a firm mind, yet he can barely control his pain after hearing the news.”

“On the other hand, all I felt from Xia Hongyi was a flash of pain. In fact, I felt more shock and pity from him. He reacted how a person would when they heard of their neighbor’s daughter’s death.”

“You are a father with only one daughter to your name. You know better than me how unusual his reaction was.”

“He is no profound way fool or cold-blooded ruler, but he could be emotionally detached by nature. That is the only other possibility I can think of anyway. People like that do exist. Like a person who is born without an arm or a leg, some are born without the seven emotions and six desires that drive us all.”

“However, his extreme reaction towards Yue Wugou’s death contradicted that completely.”

“Which brings us back to the question, ‘Why is a man this passionate reacting so coolly and rationally toward his daughter’s death?’ There was barely any sorrow at all.”

…………

“Do you still remember why Xia Qingyue was obsessed with cultivating the profound way?”

“Yes… long story short, she wanted to find her mother and reunite her family.”

“That is correct. Chu Yuechan told me the same thing… This tells us that she was a woman who cherished familial bonds deeply. At the very least, she was someone who gave it her all just to seek out a mother she barely remembered.”

“So why did a woman who values love and familial bonds so, so much… not visit her father even once after she married you and traveled to Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace?”

…………

Yun Che feigned indifference back then, but he wasn’t nearly as indifferent as he looked.

Today, her words had surfaced from his memories and mingled with the scene in front of him into a hot pot of utter confusion.

Xia Hongyi had acted unusually indifferent when he heard of Xia Qingyue’s death.

Yue Wuya had personally appeared to Xia Qingyue, a lower realm denizen despite being a god emperor.

If he had to make up an explanation for this…

The indifference was because they weren’t blood related, and the profound attraction was because they were?

However…

Even if Xia Hongyi wasn’t Xia Qingyue’s birth father, they had still lived under the same roof for sixteen years. How was it possible they were so indifferent toward each other that it was almost to the point of being strangers?

What was going on here? Where was the contradiction?

Did Xia Hongyi weave a lie that somehow fooled everyone? Or was the fusion of two bloods that should be utterly incompatible with each other just a coincidence?

Xia Qingyue had never spoken to him about this. Naturally, he didn’t know that she had been carrying a burden like this until now.

…………

It was at this moment that Yue Wugou opened her eyes. It was almost as if she had sensed her daughter’s distress.

She pushed herself into a sitting position and noticed that her daughter was staring mindlessly ahead. She hadn’t noticed her awakening or rising at all.

“Qingyue?” She called out softly.

Xia Qingyue twitched, and she finally returned to herself. However, there was still a bit of mistiness in her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Yue Wugou asked concernedly after noticing her daughter’s abnormal reaction. “Were you thinking about his proposal?”

Xia Qingyue shook her head. She sat down beside her mother and watched her eyes. A while later, she finally asked in a very soft voice, “Mom, did you… sleep with Senior God Emperor before you encountered dad?”

“Of course not,” Yue Wugou answered without hesitation before shaking her head smilingly. “Wuya had wanted to leave everything until our wedding night. In his words, he wasn’t willing to ‘tarnish’ my name [1] until then.”

“I told you this a long time ago, didn’t I? Why are you bringing it up again?”

Yue Wugou’s answer did nothing to chase away the mistiness in her eyes. Still staring into her mother’s eyes, she murmured almost unconsciously, “Really…? Not even once…?”

The abnormal reaction visibly startled Yue Wugou. Then, a bolt of realization struck her, her expression turned both panicked and painful at the same time. She gripped her daughter’s hands tightly and said in an urgent voice, “Please believe mom, Qingyue. I’ve never… I’ve never slept with him, not now, and definitely not before I knew your dad! Never!”

Yue Wugou’s suddenly disordered aura and terribly sorrowful voice finally brought Xia Qingyue fully back to the world. At the same time, she realized just how deeply she had wounded her mother with her words.

“Mom, no! That… that wasn’t what I meant—” She tried to explain herself.

“Qingyue,” Yue Wugou teared up as she tried to inject gentleness back into her voice, “I know I let your dad, you and Yuanba down. I don’t deserve to be called a wife or a mother for having abandoned all of you that day…”

“No! That’s not it!” Xia Qingyue shook her head with all her might. Her earlier daze had all transformed into panic and self-blame.

Yue Wugou watched her daughter with tear-stained cheeks. “The heavens have already pitied me once and united me and my grown-up daughter, and to think… that I dare to demand more. I cannot believe I was so engrossed in my selfish desires that I completely forgot about the harm it would bring to you.”

“Qingyue, I don’t have any regrets left in this life, not since the heavens allowed me to enjoy your company for the past couple years.” Yue Wugou caressed her daughter’s cheek gently. “Don’t worry. I will never force you to do something you don’t wish to do. Just the same, I will never allow a thing you don’t wish to happen to happen.”

“Mom, you got it all wrong! This really is just a misunderstanding!” Xia Qingyue shook her head again before grabbing her mother’s shoulders and staring into her eyes. “Listen to me, mom. You didn’t let anyone down, much less did anyone wrong your whole life!”

“Be it you, dad, or Senior God Emperor, you are all blameless victims. It is the villain who hurt you back then who is to blame.”

She had witnessed and felt the horrible tragedy that was her mother’s life. She also knew of the innumerable wounds, regrets, and pain weighing down her heart.

Her mother had become excessively sensitive and fragile from all the burdens, and she had just dealt a severe blow to her with her thoughtless murmurs.

Every tear dripping down her mother’s cheeks had splashed against her soul. Her mother’s nervousness, trepidation, absolute horror at the thought of having hurt her daughter, and the ensuing words that might as well be a vicious oath all made Xia Qingyue realize just how selfish her earlier stubbornness was.

“I asked you that question because I… want to tell you that…” she wiped away the tear stains on her mother’s face before continuing, “... I’ve changed my mind. I’ve decided to accept Senior God Emperor’s proposal.”

However, not only did Yue Wugou look consoled by her daughter’s reply, she unconsciously tightened her grip around her hands and said urgently, “Qingyue! I just told you you don’t have to force yourself to do something you don’t wish to do, much less for someone like me!”

“I’m not forcing myself to do this, and I’m definitely not… just doing it for mom.” Xia Qingyue shook her head and responded with a tearful smile of her own. “It’s just that Senior God Emperor was right. Without sufficient power, my special talents and ‘gifts from heaven’ will only bring me unending tribulations.”

“I still have no concept as to what a god emperor’s throne really entails, but I do know that the Moon God divine power is among the highest powers available in the world right now. It is something a normal person could not hope to obtain in a thousand lifetimes, and yet it was offered to me on a silver platter. It is both a much better gift from heaven, and exactly what I need.”

“I simply… don’t have a reason to reject it.”

“...” Yue Wugou watched Xia Qingyue’s eyes closely to see if she was forcing herself. “Do… do you really think that?”

“Mn.” Xia Qingyue nodded. “I know you’ve always held a deep-seated regret toward us. I know you can’t stand me suffering even the slightest bit of grievances or harm.”

“However, you really haven’t done anything wrong or let anyone down, mom. You left us not because you were heartless, but because fate is a cruel mistress. Out of all of us, there was no one who was more hurt than you.”

“Also, you and dad were properly divorced before you left. As a free woman, it is entirely up to you to choose whoever you wish to marry. You need not be held hostage by your own guilty conscience!”

Xia Qingyue’s smile grew a tad gentler. “As for me, you definitely don’t owe me anything. I am your daughter. You may not have raised me, but you still gave birth to me. I wasn’t able to do anything for you when I was younger, so I would only be infinitely happy to help you accomplish one of your greatest wishes in life.”

The dam in Yue Wugou’s eyes broke down completely. “Qingyue… my daughter…”

Yue Wugou hugged Xia Qingyue tightly. She still couldn’t determine if her daughter was speaking from the heart or just making a compromise, but for the first time, she truly felt that she could pass away to the afterlife with no regrets.

…………

“Have… have you really come around to the proposal?”

The next day, Yue Wuya was overflowing with joy after hearing Xia Qingyue’s answer.

He himself was surprised by how glad and relieved he felt.

“Yes!” Xia Qingyue nodded solemnly. She looked so tranquil that even Yue Wuya, a God Emperor couldn’t pick up any particular emotion that stood out compared to the rest. “However, I have two requests.”

“Okay.” Yue Wuya nodded without hesitation. “Speak.”

“First…” Xia Qingyue’s expression grew even more serious as she took a pause. Her gaze also looked a bit evasive for some reason. “I… would like to formally become senior’s adopted daughter.”

Yue Wuya looked surprised by the request, but he quickly shook his head with a smile. “You underestimate me, Qingyue. You are Wugou’s daughter, so I will never harbor any lustful intent toward you. Your insurance is unnecessary.”

He thought Xia Qingyue had requested the adoption to protect herself from him.

“You’ve misunderstood me, senior.” However, Xia Qingyue’s expression remained as calm as ever, and her gaze as pure as the divine moon in the sky. “Senior’s favor unto me and my mother is as heavy as the mountains. My request is purely personal.”

“I realize that the request is fairly outrageous for a humble and meritless woman such as I… but I would be very pleased if senior accepts it.”

Her seriousness and the slight tremor in her voice stunned not just Yue Wuya, but also Yue Wugou.

“Okay… okay!”

Yue Wuya nodded strongly when he said the first “okay”, and he broke into a wide smile when he said the second. “Not now though. If you are to become my adopted daughter, then we must hold a grand ceremony to celebrate it! Maybe not one that requires invitations to be sent to the entire God Realm, but certainly one that will be remembered across the Eastern Divine Region! Hahahaha!”

He guffawed… and was again surprised by how happy he felt.

Xia Qingyue closed her eyes. A long time later, she continued, “As for my next request… please tell me who the one who hurt my mom so badly was, senior!”

Her late husband…

Her sect…

Her homeland…

Each time, she had been pained and powerless to change their fates.

This time though, she would not fail.

It was said that the crime of harming one’s mother was bigger than the crime of harming heaven itself. When her mother passes away, and the divine power of the Moon God flows in her veins… vengeance shall be the only meaningful pursuit in her life.

Author’s Note: The ancient method of confirming one’s blood relations via merging blood is absolutely unscientific and purely fictional. Do not take it as gospel.

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1. (T/N: Stainless Moon)