Almost breaking apart under the oppressive hush, Chen Quan steeled himself and continued,
"Today in the council hall, the First Elder said Chen Fan had gone to Nameless Mountain and built a branch camp there. If you have arrangements there, could he disrupt them?"
"And lay your years-long plan in vain, Mother."
Upon hearing this,
"Ha."
An almost inaudible mocking sound left the woman's nostrils.
"Disrupt?"
"Sounds almost like real..."
The woman sat by the bed, her slender fingers supporting her chin in an elegant manner. As her eyes shifted, a pitying smile surfaced. She gave a slight tilt of the head, searching for a word that would not offend.
"How naive and adorable."
"Do you know whose former residence Nameless Mountain is?"
"It belongs to that person."
"Do you mean the Snow Lotus and Earth-Heart Fruit nourished by the 'Sky-Imprisoning Formation' set up by that person could be destroyed by a mortal?"
"If Chen Fan could manage that,"
"Then perhaps I should become his disciple instead. His methods seem far more impressive than my master's."
"Do you know why we named the Chamber of Commerce 'Sky-Flattening'?"
"Because our goal is to flatten the Sky-Imprisoning Formation."
"..."
His cheek pressed down close to the floor, Chen Quan felt as though the real world was unveiling itself to him bit by bit after stumbling upon such unheard secrets. He subconsciously asked,
"Then won't we offend that person?"
"That person is already mired in trouble himself now."
The woman raised a hand to cover her lips, a trace of unconcealed delight flashing in her eyes.
"Then why do you refer to him as 'that person,' Mother, instead of calling him by name?"
"..."
Her smile froze halfway before it could spread across her face. She went pale in a flash and subconsciously curled her fingers. Then, after drawing a deep breath, she regained her usual composure.
However, as she lifted the teacup,
Her fingertips still quivered ever so slightly.
Lowering her eyelids, she spoke softly, yet her voice carried a hint of hoarseness.
"It is a sign of respect for the strong."
"Then why did that figure cultivate the Snow Lotus? What is it used for?"
"To save a Mystical Beast."
"Mystical Beast... is that a type of Eerie Creature?"
The woman did not respond further. Instead, she turned her attention back to the rain outside and said softly, "It's already too much for you. You will understand everything in time. For now, behave yourself and wait for the rainy season to pass."
...
After Chen Quan left,
A man dressed in white, like a ghost, drifted into the room without opening the door. Standing where he was, his voice sounded now distant, now near,
"Last night, 'Monkey Champion' took action."
"The Flesh Worm Ghost Eerie Tide was driven toward Nameless Mountain as planned, but the wind direction suddenly changed halfway, causing a slight mishap. The Eerie Fire at Nameless Mountain did not extinguish. "
"..."
The woman did not speak or turn around.
A few days ago,
A Flesh Worm Ghost Eerie Tide attacked Rivernorth City. If she had not intervened then, Rivernorth City would have already perished.
It was laughable that the city folk had credited the Wild Wolf Gang with holding back the Flesh Worm Ghost Eerie Tide.
Merely a Level 1 city wall.
No matter how deep the Wild Wolf Gang's resources ran, they could never have withstood the Flesh Worm Ghost Eerie Tide.
These people had never seen a Flesh Worm Ghost Eerie Tide before and had no idea how terrifying it was. If she had not sent someone to intervene, even if the three major Clans of Rivernorth City had exhausted all their resources, they could never have held the city.
Only those who had known the rainy season Eerie Tide firsthand understood their horror.
Had Rivernorth City been breached under the Eerie Tide, she too would have died. She cared nothing for these commoners—their lives were not worth even one of her hairpins.
"Can Monkey Champion make another move tonight?"
The woman lowered her head in thought. Though she had said Chen Fan could not possibly cause much trouble at Nameless Mountain, to be safe, extinguishing the Eerie Fire there would be the most secure option.
She had provided service here for over a decade, so had Sky-Flattening.
So many people, so many years of endeavor—all for that Snow Lotus, and... something she had not mentioned.
It would mature once this rainy season ended.
She did not want any mishaps.
Once this matter was concluded,
She could leave this remote place at last.
"Not for now."
"We must wait until the Flesh Worm Ghost Eerie Tide is blown near Rivernorth City again. It is uncertain when that will happen."
Just then—
The man in white shot a narrowed gaze outside the door, then took a step back, before blending seamlessly into the surroundings. Unless upon close inspection, it was impossible to tell whether someone was standing there.
It was Chen Quan who had returned out of the blue.
Kneeling at the doorway with a mix of fear and determination, he looked toward his mother and asked tremulously,
"Mother."
"Did you ever have feelings for Father..."
"No."
The woman slowly shook her head, her delicate brows abruptly furrowing as if finding this question foolish.
"Then..."
Chen Quan prostrated himself to the floor, mustering the courage to ask, his tone hoarse, "Then, is my real father the Patriarch, or... Uncle Liu?"
After a long silence,
The woman's voice finally echoed from inside the room.
"Does that matter?"
Chen Quan, who had been filled with dread, suddenly looked up in confusion at his mother, "Doesn't... doesn't that matter?"
If even this did not matter,
Then what did?
Or was it the Snow Lotus that mattered?