"Patriarch, why has your face turned so dark? Why are your hands and feet trembling? Are your injuries too severe?"
Hong Tianduan asked blankly.
Although Hong Yuanfeng was not from his faction—and had even used his position as Patriarch to frequently suppress them, so much so that they would have been nearly crushed if not for the Grand Elder's intervention—the Third Elder still believed they were family. In his mind, there was no need for a fight to the death.
Therefore, his concern for Hong Yuanfeng was genuine.
Hong Yuanfeng, on the other hand, felt the urge to vomit blood.
He felt his head BUZZING as a trendous voice roared in his mind: 'Impossible, this is impossible. How can this lowly mber of a branch family be a True Disciple? And the First True Disciple, at that? What about my son, Renjie? Could it be that even my dear Renjie is no match for him?'
Before he could ask, Hong Tianduan was already comforting him. "Patriarch, don't worry. Hong Yu is even stronger than Renjie. He's powerful enough to take on a Celestial Soul Realm expert. Just tell us who injured you like this! As long as Hong Yu takes action, he'll surely get revenge for you!"
Hong Yuanfeng: "..." 'Revenge? Revenge, my ass!'
Right now, he wished he could dig a hole and bury himself.
Not long ago, he had sworn that Hong Yu was nothing but a discard from the Sword Sect who couldn't hack it. He had constantly brandished Hong Renjie's title as a True Disciple to mock Hong Yu.
Yet, from what Hong Tianduan was saying, even his pride and joy, Hong Renjie, had been defeated by Hong Yu.
And...
Hong Yu was actually the First True Disciple of the Cyan Nether Sword Sect.
He was even the Direct Disciple of an Elder.
A status like that was more venerated than that of an Emperor!
'And I had actually concluded that Hong Yu was a re discard?'
Hong Yuanfeng's head was buzzing. In a daze, he let Hong Tianduan pull him in front of Hong Yu, his lips trembling, unable to speak.
Wang Shicheng and Lin Mo, who had just co to, heard this as well. The two companions in misery, their faces contorted, exchanged a glance and, with a silent, mutual understanding, shut their eyes again and resud playing dead.
"Hong Yu, do you know who beat the Patriarch like this?" Hong Tianduan asked, looking at Hong Yu.
Hong Yu looked at Hong Yuanfeng with a half-smile.
Just as he was about to speak, Hong Yuanfeng cut in first. "Th-Third Elder, this... this wasn't the fault of the one who hit . It was my own fault for being blind to true greatness. Besides, I'm fine. It's just a scratch. There's no n-need to trouble Hong Yu."
"That won't do! You're the Patriarch of the Hong Family; you represent our family's honor! How can we allow soone to beat you and not get revenge?" Hong Tianduan said sternly.
Hong Yuanfeng, on the verge of tears from anxiety, cried, "Third Elder, we don't need to get revenge! Really, we don't!"
But Hong Tianduan would hear none of it. In his mind, the family's honor was paramount. "Hong Yu, I don't care what your status is now. You must rember that you have the blood of the Hongs in your veins. You must take charge of this matter."
"Alright, Third Elder."
Hong Yu smiled and nodded.
"..."
Hong Yuanfeng's eyes rolled back in his head, and he nearly fainted. He waved his hands frantically. "Third Elder, you and Hong Yu have traveled a long way from the Cyan Nether Sword Sect; you must be weary. My issue is a trivial one that I'll have dealt with myself. For now, let's head back to the family estate! A-and Hong Yu just returned. We can't have him just standing out here!"
Hong Tianduan paused, taken aback.
Rembering his miserable experience on the back of the Golden Holy Dragon, he suddenly felt nauseous. His face paled, and he nodded. "Alright, let's go back and rest first."
Hong Yuanfeng looked at Hong Yu, his eyes completely devoid of their forr lofty indifference, now showing a trace of fawning servitude. "H-Hong Yu, you see..."
"Then let's head back."
Hong Yu walked over to Yun ngyao and Xue Butong. "Yaoyao, Brother Xue, let's go together."
"Mm!"
Yun ngyao nodded obediently.
Xue Butong, still reeling from the shock, nodded numbly.
At a call from Hong Yu, the Golden Holy Dragon swooped down, then carried the three of them soaring into the sky toward the Rain Listening Pavilion in the Hong Mansion.
Hong Yuanfeng, no longer willing to stay a mont longer, gathered his n and made a disgraceful exit.
Only after confirming that Hong Yu was gone did Wang Shicheng and Lin Mo, who had been playing dead, finally sit up.
The two exchanged a glance, their faces twisted in wry smiles. "What do we do?"
Wang Shicheng's face was a mask of dejection. "What else can we do? Go ho, get things ready, and send soone with lavish gifts to apologize!"
"I suppose that's our only option."
Lin Mo nodded, depressed. He touched his crushed nose and wailed in his heart: 'Oh, heavens! Oh, earth! Is there no justice left in this world? I'm obviously the victim, so why am I the one who has to prepare lavish gifts and apologize?'
They supported one another as they walked, their shadows stretching long under the sun.
A picture of desolation.
And once these important figures had all departed, the commoners along the entire street erupted into a frenzy.
"Did you hear that? Did you hear? Hong Yu! He actually beca the First True Disciple of the Cyan Nether Sword Sect!"
"I heard that if a True Disciple of the Sword Sect is willing to enter the court to serve the Royal Family, they're granted a fiefdom of at least one city!"
"A fiefdom is nothing! I heard even the King will do whatever it takes to marry his daughters to a True Disciple, even if it ans a noble princess becos a re concubine!"
"This Hong Yu is incredible!"
"Hong Yu, I want to have your babies..."
"Get lost, you shaless hussy! Hong Yu is mine!"
"But you're a guy!"
"So what if I'm a guy? Is there a law against dropping the soap for him?"
...
「Hong Family, Rain Listening Pavilion.」
After getting Xue Butong and the two experts from the Spirit Pill Pavilion settled, Hong Yu took Yun ngyao back to his room.
The two siblings sat at opposite ends of a table.
Hong Yu sat ramrod straight in his silver Sword Robe. His features, more mature and defined than they were half a year ago, radiated confidence and an imposing aura.
Opposite him...
Yun ngyao was leaning halfway across the table.
Her arms were crossed on the tabletop, her smooth chin resting on them as her bright, dark eyes watched Hong Yu without blinking.
In the center of the table, flickering candlelight reflected off the young woman's flawless skin, creating an especially alluring scene.
*Cough, cough...*
Hong Yu was lost in thought about sothing and hadn't noticed Yun ngyao staring intently at him.
It was only a mont later that he ca to his senses and found the young woman staring at him unblinkingly. He paused, touched his own cheek, and asked in bemusent, "What are you looking at, silly girl? Is there sothing on my face?"
Yun ngyao blinked her large, shimring eyes and said in a bright voice, "No! I'm just checking to see if my charming big brother has gotten even more handso!"
"You cheeky girl, daring to tease your older brother..."
Hong Yu shrugged, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"I'm not teasing! Brother, you really are handso!"
Hong Yu chuckled. "Okay, okay, I'm very handso. But you don't have to keep staring, do you? There's not that much to see."
Yun ngyao sat up straight, her expression earnest and serious as she began counting on her fingers. "I'm looking at your eyes, your nose, and your mouth. I'm looking at your every smile and frown, at every single strand of your hair... I care about everything that has to do with my brother, and I want to see it all! Not only see it, but I want to commit it all to mory."
"Yaoyao!"
Looking at the earnest expression on the innocent young woman's face, Hong Yu sniffled.
He suddenly felt his nose prickle with emotion.
They hadn't seen each other in a year, and the little girl had grown up and matured so much.
But Hong Yu could also see that her body had weakened considerably.
Her delicate face was gaunt in a way that tugged at the heartstrings, and beneath her bright eyes, faint dark circles spoke of how poorly their owner had been resting.
Hong Yu reached out and gently stroked Yun ngyao's head.
This man, who had waded through seas of blood and mountains of corpses, who had walked the line between life and death without so much as a frown, now revealed a heart-lting tenderness. "Yaoyao, I promise you, I will never leave you again! I will always stay by your side and never leave you all alone!"
"Really?"
Yun ngyao's eyes went wide.
Hong Yu pressed his lips together, his eyes narrowing slightly as his gentle gaze fixed on the young woman's exquisite face. He nodded lightly, his voice soft but unbreakably firm. "Really."
"Mm!"
The young woman nodded emphatically.
The two siblings had relied on each other to survive, living together all these years.
But because of Yun ngyao's illness, their lives had been either exceptionally hurried or crushingly monotonous.
Hong Yu was busy cultivating to raise his strength, and even busier rushing about in the outside world, searching for a cure for Yun ngyao's illness. Each ti he returned to this warm haven, he would collapse into bed and sleep.
And Yun ngyao would obediently take care of her brother.
The two of them had truly had few opportunities to just sit and look at each other quietly like this.
"Silly girl, if you keep staring like that, you're going to make your brother blush!" Hong Yu said with a sigh.
Yun ngyao grinned. "Don't worry. My brother is way too thick-skinned to blush!"
"I..."
Hong Yu rubbed his nose, speechless. "Is that any way to talk about your brother? Alright, little rascal, stop looking and go get sothing to eat. I'm starving!"
Yun ngyao's eyes widened. "Brother, didn't you just eat? You're hungry again already?"
"Er, yeah, I'm really hungry."
Hong Yu nodded, a bit embarrassed.
Yun ngyao gave a sweet smile. "Then I'll go make sothing for my brother!"
The words had barely left her mouth.
She had already hopped up like a little rabbit and dashed out the door. Soon, a CLATTERING and BANGING ca from the kitchen. Even without seeing it, Hong Yu could picture the little slip of a girl flustering about as she cooked.
'This girl will never grow up. She's still so clumsy,' Hong Yu thought, rubbing his nose in exasperation.
A short while later, Yun ngyao returned with a bowl of fragrant fried rice. As she watched Hong Yu wolf it down, a serene and satisfied smile graced her face.
This was a smile and a satisfaction that neither gold and jewels nor noble status could ever give her.
In her heart, happiness could be found in one of Hong Yu's smiles, or in the boorish way he gulped down expensive tea, or perhaps simply in watching him quietly.
Just quietly and contentedly watching the person who filled her heart.
*If you are well, then my skies are clear.*
[This last chapter was tough to write; I hate writing emotional scenes. But it's done now, and here's the third update for today! Starting tomorrow, we're back to a regular schedule, with updates in the morning and afternoon!!!!!!]
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