Chapter 250: Family Affairs

Chapter 250: Family Affairs

The morning sun was rising, yet a fine drizzle fell like silk. Two natural phenomena that should have been contradictory appeared together, yet the world found nothing strange in it.

Sunshower, after all...

An old man strolled leisurely along the official road with his hands behind his back, while a young man led a horse behind him, trudging along with his head down.

The scene looked very much like a father and son out on business.

Only when this old fellow stood up did one realize how tall he was. Even now, aged and shrunken, his muscles no longer defined, the shadow of his prime could still be seen in his frame. Though old, he was not stooped, standing tall and proud like a mountain, which only enhanced the old man's bearing.

Then there was the tall young man, carrying a broadsword on his back, leading the horse with a look of grievance, following behind. They really did look like a family.

If one spoke of facial features, they weren't actually very similar. But if one was predisposed to look for commonalities, a few similarities could certainly be found. At the very least, they both shared a heroic handsomeness—handsome men have common traits. One could imagine that the old man was also a handsome man in his youth, though now the young man seemed more masculine and bold, while the old man had restrained his sharpness, appearing much more gaunt and scholarly.

Only when Zhao Changhe looked back in hindsight could he truly find similarities belonging to Chichi everywhere, especially when she had been dressed as Luo Qi.

Only an old handsome man could father such a beautiful daughter, though in terms of age, he could easily be Chichi's grandfather and then some.

Who would have thought this old codger would be so proud of his status as father-in-law? Zhao Changhe had imagined a thousand different scenarios for meeting Xia Longyuan, but never this one. He could only follow along obediently.

Xia Longyuan, however, seemed very leisurely. He looked around contentedly on the official road, as if admiring his domain, and said nothing for a long time.

Zhao Changhe finally couldn't hold back. He had countless topics he wanted to ask, but needed a starting point. He decided to begin with what seemed to make the old man happy—family matters: "You know Chichi is your daughter."

"Is that so hard to know?" Xia Longyuan thought for a moment, then patted his head: "Oh, others might indeed find it hard to guess. A brat like you suddenly appears, and Chichi willingly gives you her identity to help mislead them... If I were in Tang Wanzhuang or Cui Wenjing's shoes, I'd be dumbfounded too, haha..."

Zhao Changhe's face was expressionless.

He didn't know what was so funny. Wasn't the essence of this matter that his daughter didn't acknowledge him?

But it seemed Xia Longyuan genuinely found it amusing that everyone was running around in circles guessing.

"Those two are foxes too," Xia Longyuan said with a smile. "Do you think they really believe it's you? Once they've set their sights on you, whether you are or not no longer matters—they can make you be. Even if Chichi stood before them now and verified her identity, they would kill her."

This was a colossal act of deception against the sovereign, yet the sovereign said it with a smile, as if it had nothing to do with him. Zhao Changhe's heart pounded as he cautiously tested: "That won't happen. You're overthinking it."

"Why deceive yourself?" Xia Longyuan said. "Cui Wenjing's choice could be said to be for personal reasons, but Tang Wanzhuang is not. Even if I might be angry at Wenjing, I won't be angry at Wanzhuang. You don't need to be so nervous."

You being angry at Cui Wenjing also makes me nervous. And if your love triangle turns into a bloodbath at this level, then it really will be a bloody slaughter.

Zhao Changhe had a belly full of complaints but didn't know how to voice them. Xia Longyuan knew everything, so why didn't he do or say anything?

Because it was fun?

"Isn't it strange?" Xia Longyuan said. "I don't know what Chichi told you, or what Chichi's mother told her... Probably she thinks I'm the ultimate scumbag. Read fewer melodramatic stories; you can hear both sides."

Zhao Changhe: "???"

Your words...

"In her version, isn't there a key premise missing—why did Chichi's mother want to assassinate me?" Xia Longyuan smiled. "The Four Symbols Sect's doctrine is incompatible with any sovereign. Whoever sits on the throne would label them a demonic cult. But back then, they were still immature. 'Breaking dimensions to let gods descend upon the earth' was nowhere near happening. It wouldn't have been unreasonable to dismiss it as the ravings of fools. In other words, although the two sides were opposed, there wasn't yet a fierce conflict. Why did she suddenly come to assassinate me? Have you thought about that?"

Zhao Changhe scratched his head: "I never thought about it. I just assumed a demonic cult assassinating the emperor was normal... I did wonder how she dared to challenge the world's number one. What confidence did she have?"

"She wasn't trying to assassinate me from the start. She disguised herself as a maid from the Luo family to get close, purely to insert the Four Symbols Sect's schemes into the palace. It's not much different from what they're doing now." Xia Longyuan said. "Normally, this kind of thing shouldn't require the Saintess to act. The sect would have sent some snake or pig to handle it. She took it upon herself because she was a princess of the former dynasty—a two birds with one stone plan."

"...Damn."

"So later, she didn't dare send a message to the sect to come pick her up. If the sect found out that the Saintess had been deflowered and had a child, she would have died even more horribly. In the end, she died of illness, and the sect didn't even know where she was. This caused a lot of their operations to break down, like the exploration of the North Mound, which left the Four Symbols Sect in a panic."

Zhao Changhe suddenly understood. Why, when Chichi's mother was still alive, she didn't return to the Four Symbols Sect or notify anyone to pick her up... Some previous minor confusions were now completely resolved.

"For me, I actually had no interest in her." Xia Longyuan smiled. "Think about it—the crown prince was already ten years old by then. Why were there no other sons? I had already cut off all desires and emotions for seven or eight years. Where would I suddenly find the youthful passion?"

Zhao Changhe: "I previously guessed you deliberately caused the Four Symbols Sect's decline."

"I told you, you always think too highly of yourselves, believing everything is worth my scheming. Back then, was the Four Symbols Sect worthy?"

"..."

"Originally, I was only interested in the Four Symbols Sect's situation with the Night Emperor, and I suspected that my own cultivation method might align with the Azure Dragon. I thought, since I'm so powerful, could I replace the Night Emperor? So I tried. The best way to try was dual cultivation—that way, we could probe each other's deepest secrets. Since she wanted to seduce her way into the palace anyway, it was only natural."

"...And the result?"

"Ambiguous, I suppose. The Emperor's intent inherently aligns with the Azure Dragon's intent. In ancient times, the Azure Dragon was also a human emperor. To put it bluntly, the Four Symbols Sect's doctrine is a bit empty. I could easily claim to be the reincarnation of the Azure Dragon if I wanted. And Chichi's mother seemed to truly believe it—she was overjoyed." As Xia Longyuan spoke, his tone finally carried a hint of regret. "At that time, she genuinely thought she could bring me into the sect, and everything would be perfect."

Zhao Changhe considered his words carefully: "Actually, that would have been fine. You could have just deceived her kindly, and maybe even won over the entire Four Symbols Sect."

"If I could truly master all Four Symbols, then claiming to be the Night Emperor and taking over the sect would have been fine. Unfortunately, after trying, I found it impossible. I couldn't integrate her White Tiger divine art. So even if I joined, I'd only be a Venerable. That's not my choice. Why bother?" Xia Longyuan paused here and suddenly laughed: "Why have you never joined the Four Symbols Sect? Isn't it also because you don't want to be bound? If you could be the leader, would you join?"

Zhao Changhe was silent.

"You and I are the same." Xia Longyuan laughed heartily. "I think you have that chance..."

Zhao Changhe shook his head, not taking the bait, and instead said: "After you found out she was pregnant... Anyway, these matters have nothing to do with the child. Why didn't you take her back? Because of the former dynasty's bloodline?"

"At first, yes, because of the former dynasty's bloodline. How would the former dynasty officials like Huangfu react? And what would the Empress think? For a stable empire with a secure crown prince, stirring up such trouble was truly asking for it. So I left a jade pendant—both a token and a legacy. If it was a son, he would inherit my cultivation method and roam the martial world freely, with no thought of palace affairs. If it was a daughter, there would be no problem. I would bring her into the palace and personally guide her in a more suitable cultivation method, rather than a preset one, which would ruin her potential."

Zhao Changhe was dumbfounded.

He had thought Xia Longyuan valued sons over daughters, but according to this, it was the opposite—he valued daughters over sons!

So when he told Chichi's mother he would come for her, he meant it.

But why didn't he come later, leading to "Chichi"?

"Confused about what happened later?" Xia Longyuan smiled faintly. "At that time, my thinking was still that of an emperor considering the empire. But soon after, I encountered some things, and my thoughts changed. I was even considering whether to kill the crown prince. Why would I bring a daughter back?"

Zhao Changhe's heart skipped a beat. He knew that for them, talking about family matters would inevitably turn into matters of the realm.

Damn it. Did you actually kill the crown prince yourself?