Chapter 74
Meihua clenched her fists until blood dripped from her palms. For the first time in years...She genuinely hated that boy.
Meihua stood silently beside Ming's bed, her nails digging into her palms so deeply that thin lines of blood appeared. The rage inside her refused to settle no matter how much she tried to calm herself. Slowly she looked toward the window, as though she could see Wuming sitting somewhere inside the estate. A bitter laugh escaped her lips.
"Wuming..." she muttered quietly. "You are making me hate you more and more." Her eyes narrowed. "And more importantly, I truly misunderstood you." For years she had believed she understood the boy. Believed she could manipulate him. Believed she could make him grateful.
What a joke.
"I thought telling you how I took care of you would make you feel indebted to me." Her voice became colder. "I thought eventually you would acknowledge it." She clenched her jaw.
"But you're just like me." Her gaze darkened. "Too cold to accept a favor."
For a moment she remembered every time he had looked at her with those calm golden eyes. No gratitude. No attachment. No affection. Nothing.
As though every kindness she had shown him was merely another transaction that had failed to gain value. A humorless smile appeared on her face. "Bastard." The word left her lips like a curse.
"You destroyed years of preparation in a single day." Her fingers trembled. Not from fear. From humiliation. From fury. From wounded pride. Slowly she looked back at the unconscious Ming lying on the bed. Then toward the door Katsuro had just left through.
And finally toward the darkening sky outside. "You will pay for this." Her voice was soft. Dangerously soft. The kind of voice that came before disasters. "Greatly."
Her eyes turned colder than ice. "Just wait, Xuan Yin Wuming." She muttered to herself.
"I'll make sure one day you understand exactly what it feels like to lose something you cannot replace."
Kai and Ning sat quietly on the side while the physicians continued treating their wounds. Neither of them dared to make too much noise anymore. The atmosphere inside the pavilion had become suffocating after Meihua's outburst.
Ning carefully glanced toward their mother before leaning slightly closer to Kai. "Has she finally gone mad?" she whispered.
Kai immediately looked at Meihua, then back at Ning. "I think so." Ning swallowed. "Well... Wuming is gone for sure." Kai almost laughed before the pain from his injuries reminded him not to.
The image of Weiyang's spear pressing against his throat flashed through his mind. Honestly, he wasn't even sure who he feared more anymore. Wuming. Or the people around Wuming. Ning lowered her voice even further.
"Even your cultivation and big brother's cultivation weren't enough?" Kai let out a tired sigh. "Yeah." His gaze became complicated. "We're both at the peak of the Heaven-Will Stage." Yet despite that, the result had been humiliating. Ming had been defeated.
He had been defeated. And neither fight had even been close. Kai clenched his bandaged fist."My elemental abilities were completely useless."Ning blinked. "Both of them?" Kai nodded bitterly."Aquena and Tenera."
His eyes narrowed as he remembered the battle."Against Weiyang's Aerena Fa..." He shook his head. "The moment he entered that state, it felt like fighting a natural disaster." A bitter smile appeared on his face.
"You attack him."
"He attacks harder."
"You defend."
"He attacks harder."
"You make a plan."
"He attacks harder."
Ning stared at him.
Kai rubbed his forehead.
"I don't think that idiot even knows strategy exists." For the first time since entering the pavilion, Ning almost laughed.
"That sounds like a terrible thing." Kai sighed. "Anyone would be angry and irritated."His gaze drifted toward the unconscious Ming.
Then toward the direction of Wuming's residence. "We trained for years." His voice became quieter. "And somehow every time we think we're getting closer..." His lips twitched bitterly. "That monster moves even further ahead." Ning remained silent. Because now...She completely agreed with him.
Meihua slowly sat down beside Ming's bed, her anger cooling into something quieter. Her fingers brushed through her unconscious son's hair as she stared at him for a few seconds before speaking.
"The first time I saw Wuming was three years ago," Ning said. "The same year Wei Zhi entered the estate. Weiyang arrived with Elder Gu around that time too."
Kai immediately groaned. "Yeah, I remember that year." Ning looked at him curiously. "What was he like?" Kai pointed dramatically toward the ceiling. "A walking disaster." Ning blinked.
"That bad?"
"That bad," Kai confirmed. "Every time I saw him something exploded, broke, caught fire, or somebody got humiliated." Even Meihua's lips twitched slightly. Kai continued, "The first week he arrived, I genuinely thought he was cursed." Ning snorted.
"Maybe he is." Kai nodded seriously."I still think he is."The room became slightly lighter as the two children talked. Ning leaned forward. "Then why does Elder Gu like him so much?" Kai looked offended. "Who knows? Elder Gu collects strange people like they're spiritual treasures." "He also picked up Weiyang," Ning pointed out.
"Exactly my point." Ning immediately burst out laughing. Meihua rubbed her forehead while the two continued. Kai sighed dramatically. "Honestly, after today, I don't even know who's worse anymore." "Weiyang?" Ning guessed.
"Wuming."
"Weiyang nearly killed you."
"Yeah, but Weiyang does it to your face. And i enjoyed fighting with him."Kai shivered, while smiling lightly.
"If monsters beat us up, it's less embarrassing."Kai thought about it carefully.
"...You know what? That's a really good point."
For the first time since the fight, both children actually looked relieved. Even Meihua couldn't stop the faint exasperated smile that appeared on her face as she listened to their ridiculous logic.
He thought, monsters?
Meihua took a deep breath and forced her expression back under control. "Stop making useless assumptions and go back to your rooms, Kai. Ning." Her voice was calm again, though the coldness beneath it remained. Kai immediately stood up while Ning followed after him. The two boys exchanged a glance before walking toward her. Both lowered their heads. "We're truly sorry for embarrassing you, Mother," Kai said quietly. "We didn't mean for this to happen." Ning nodded quickly. "We really did work hard."
The anger in Meihua's eyes softened. A warm motherly smile appeared on her face as she gently placed a hand on Kai's shoulder. "It's alright." Her voice became surprisingly gentle. "This was only a match. Winning and losing are normal. What matters is that you continue working hard and becoming stronger." The two kids looked relieved immediately. Meihua smiled and lightly pushed them toward the door. "Now go rest. You both look terrible."
Kai and Ning bowed respectfully. "Good night, Mother." Ning waved slightly. "Take care of yourself too." The moment the door closed behind them and their footsteps disappeared down the corridor, the warmth vanished from Meihua's face completely. The smile disappeared as though it had never existed.
Her eyes turned cold.
"Mu Li."
A shadow appeared beside her almost instantly.
The man wore dark clothing and stood silently with his head lowered. His presence was so faint that it felt as if he had emerged directly from the darkness itself.
Meihua didn't even look at him.
"Get me every piece of information regarding the court and the upcoming sessions." She paused briefly. "And arrange a meeting with Elder Gu." Only then did she slowly turn her head. "I need to know what that old fox is planning." The smile on her face returned. This time it wasn't warm. It was sinister.
Her eyes looked hollow and cold despite the curve of her lips. Mu Li lowered his head further. "Understood." Before another word could be spoken, he vanished from the room.
A weak voice suddenly called out.
"Mother..." Meihua's expression immediately softened. She turned and saw Ming trying to sit up on the bed. His face was pale and his breathing uneven. She quickly moved beside him and gently pushed him back down. "Oh, Ming..." Her voice carried genuine concern. "Don't force yourself." Ming looked at her quietly for a few seconds before speaking. "Mother... I know you dislike the other family." Meihua remained silent.
Ming swallowed before continuing.
"Can you promise me not to meddle with Wuming again?" Her brows furrowed. "Why?" Ming closed his eyes briefly. "Because we've already made a vow." His hand tightened slightly around the blanket. "In four years... we'll fight again." The room fell silent. Meihua studied her son's face for several moments before finally sighing.
"Fine."
Her voice was calm.
"I won't do anything for the next four years." She gently adjusted the blanket covering him. "But right now your only concern should be recovering." Ming nodded weakly. His eyes slowly closed once again. Meanwhile, in another pavilion of the estate, Wei Zhi was busy patching up Weiyang's injuries. The young man sat unusually still while she wrapped fresh bandages around his shoulder. Cuts and bruises covered almost every visible part of his body. Blood stained his clothes and dried along his skin.
Yet despite all of that, he looked perfectly content. Wei Zhi narrowed her eyes. "Why are you staring at me?" Weiyang blinked.
"I wasn't."
"You were."
"I wasn't."
"You were."
Weiyang immediately looked away and whistled badly. Wei Zhi rolled her eyes.
The imperial palace was as grand and suffocating as Wuming remembered.
Golden pillars rose toward the painted ceiling, dragons coiling around them as if guarding the heavens themselves. Nobles, ministers, generals, and cultivators filled the hall while servants moved quietly between them carrying trays of wine and tea.
Wuming sat beside Yin Fu, Katsuro, Meihua, Kai, Ning, and Ming. He was wearing the robes personally sent by the Crown Prince. The black and gold fabric was luxurious beyond measure, embroidered with countless golden clouds and dragons. Any young master in the Empire would have proudly worn them.
Wuming hated them.
His expression remained indifferent while his thoughts wandered elsewhere.
What a drag.
Getting beaten by Elder Gu's training rod would have been more entertaining than sitting here.
Even Lin Yi's lectures sounded pleasant compared to this. The elders chatted amongst themselves while discussing politics, cultivation resources, and the upcoming court session. Wuming ignored every word. He was currently trying to calculate how long it would take before anyone noticed if he simply disappeared. Unfortunately the answer was not encouraging. A shadow suddenly appeared above him.
Yin Fu.
She was dressed in a flowing white hanfu embroidered with golden phoenixes and clouds. The sleeves alone looked expensive enough to buy an entire manor. The entire royal family seemed obsessed with gold. Yin Fu lowered herself beside him and smiled. "Are you bored?"
Wuming looked at her. "Can't you tell?" Yin Fu laughed softly. "I can."
"Then why ask?"
"Because watching you suffer is entertaining."
Wuming stared at her. Yin Fu smiled even wider. A few seconds later she finally took pity on him. "Relax. Zheng will be here soon."
Wuming remained silent.
That was at least slightly better news. A few moments later voices sounded from the entrance. The guards announced several arrivals. Yin Fu glanced toward the doorway and smiled. "See? I told you."
Wuming followed her gaze.
Walking through the palace entrance was Zheng alongside Mao Mao and Xuan Linghe. Mao Mao looked around curiously at everything like she had never seen a palace before. Xuan Linghe looked composed and elegant as always. Zheng himself appeared completely relaxed despite entering one of the most important halls in the Empire.
The moment he noticed Wuming, his eyes brightened. Wuming immediately felt trouble approaching.
Great.
Now there were two problems instead of one. The palace and Zheng. What a wonderful day.
Xie Maomao was wearing her general's attire as usual while Xuan Linghe stood beside her in a formal hanfu that matched hers perfectly. Meanwhile, Xie Zheng had changed into a white hanfu with red accents embroidered across the sleeves and collar. The moment he spotted Wuming, he immediately walked over with his usual grin. Before Wuming could say anything, Xie Maomao smoothly pulled Yin Fu away while Xuan Linghe dragged Katsuro into a discussion with several nobles.
End of 74