Chapter 1289: Wedding Truth

My father married my mother in Flowing Cloud City two years after he brought her back. Although he never knew her true origins, his love for her was always pure and without reservation.

I was born in their third year together, Yuanba in their fourth. In their seventh year, my mother's profound energy and memories suddenly returned overnight.

Then she left. She left my father, me, and Yuanba. Her departure was resolute; she completely severed her ties with my father and took nothing with her. She told my father, and us, to forget her forever and never to look for her...

As she spoke, Yun Che could still sense Xia Qingyue's sorrow. He sighed softly and said, "Qingyue, she wasn't heartless or cruel; she had no choice but to leave. Otherwise, once her aura was detected, it would bring immense disaster upon you all."

The woman he loved deeply, whom he had publicly announced would become his God Empress, had, while suffering amnesia, become another man's wife and borne him two children. No man could remain calm facing such a revelation. The more he loved Yue Wuya, the more furious he would become—especially since he was the Moon God Emperor.

If he were to find them, the almost certain consequence would be the deaths of Xia Hongyi, Xia Qingyue, and Xia Yuanba.

Therefore, she had to leave and could never return.

"I know," Xia Qingyue said softly. "Beyond that, there was also her affection for... and guilt towards foster father."

Yun Che said nothing.

"My mother said that during the seven years she was with my father, she felt very secure and happy. My father loved her, and she truly loved him. In those years, she never thought about recovering her lost memories; she even feared it, afraid that awakened memories would shatter her happiness and peace. But... the moment all her memories returned, everything was turned upside down."

Yun Che simply listened in silence, feeling a heavy sense of suffocation.

The Moon God Emperor loved Yue Wuya. For her, he took no other concubines, built the God Empress Hall, named her "Yue Wuya," intended to make her his God Empress, publicly announced it to the world, and completely broke ties with the Star God Realm.

Xia Hongyi also deeply loved Yue Wuya. The seven years Yue Wuya lost her power and memories were the most vulnerable and helpless years of her life. During this time, Xia Hongyi was by her side. She married him, became his wife, and bore him two children.

Yue Wuya was undoubtedly fortunate to have two men who loved her dearly... but when her memories resurfaced, this fortune transformed into heart-wrenching cruelty.

She had to make a choice.

Choosing Xia Hongyi would mean eternal guilt towards Yue Wuya and bring immense catastrophe upon Xia Hongyi and their two children.

Leaving Xia Hongyi meant she would never see her husband and children again.

It was indeed an extremely cruel choice.

As for Yue Wuya, she knew she no longer had the right to choose him again; only guilt and sin remained.

"Back then, after leaving us, my mother didn't actually return to the God Realm. Instead, she found a quiet place, intending to end her own life. She felt her existence would only bring disaster to our family, and as for foster father... she was too ashamed to face him again."

Yun Che said nothing.

She had done nothing wrong, yet she had become the greatest sinner... Yun Che sighed deeply in his heart.

"However, in the end, she abandoned the idea of ending her life and returned to the Moon God Realm. This was because she wanted to see my foster father one last time, or perhaps... it would be best to die by his hand."

"And even if she hadn't ended her life, and foster father hadn't killed her, she actually didn't have much time left."

Yun Che was slightly startled. "You mean, your mother..."

Xia Qingyue briefly closed her eyes, hiding the pain in them from Yun Che. "She suffered severe injuries back then and completely lost her profound energy. Each year, her vitality was depleting. During those seven years, giving birth to me and Yuanba also drained almost all of her Immaculate Divine Aura. Her eventual sudden recovery of profound energy and memories was, in fact... a final surge of life."

Yun Che's gaze was fixed, speechless.

It was widely known in Flowing Cloud City that Xia Qingyue's mother had always been frail. When Xia Hongyi mentioned it, he spoke of her extreme weakness, how walking was difficult when her condition was severe, and how she experienced a difficult labor when giving birth to Xia Qingyue. Even Xia Qingyue herself was born with a cold body and faint breath; if not for Xiao Ying's full efforts to save her, she might have died at birth.

This was also why Xia Qingyue was betrothed to "Xiao Che" immediately after her birth.

Furthermore, when Yue Wuya eventually left, Xia Hongyi publicly stated she had passed away due to severe illness and frailty... no one ever doubted this.

"My mother had quietly returned to the Moon God Realm, but for some unknown reason, she was discovered by others who then fanned the flames, severely damaging my foster father's reputation. My mother had expected foster father to resent and hate her even more, perhaps even kill her with his own hands, but..."

She took a soft breath and said, "He told my mother that his lifelong vow was 'Immaculate and Boundless,' not because she possessed the Immaculate Divine Body, nor because she was now 'impure.' Her ability to return was already an immense gift from heaven to him."

Yun Che said nothing.

"That wasn't just empty, hypocritical talk," Xia Qingyue softly explained. "After my mother returned to the Moon God Realm, everyone, including those in the Moon God Realm, thought she was imprisoned by foster father, living in darkness under his daily wrath, perhaps even tortured to death. But in reality, all these years, she had her own small world, with many maids specifically assigned to accompany and care for her. And foster father visited her almost every day, staying with her, and every so often, he would use his own power to prolong her life. The Moon God Realm's most powerful elixirs were also generously used on my mother without hesitation."

"If not for this, my mother would have long since passed away, and I would certainly never have seen her again."

Yun Che was deeply shaken.

His impression of the Moon God Emperor completely changed at that moment.

The incident involving "Yue Wuya" had brought immense humiliation upon the Moon God Emperor. Even Yun Che, who had only recently arrived in the Eastern Divine Region, knew about it; it was even called the greatest scandal in the history of the Moon God Realm.

Even a man with the strongest endurance would find such humiliation unbearable, let alone an emperor of a King Realm. For him to unleash all his anger and resentment upon Yue Wuya would have seemed entirely justified in everyone's eyes... even if they knew it wasn't Yue Wuya's fault.

Yet, the Moon God Emperor... treated the returning Yue Wuya just as he had in the beginning.

Yun Che asked himself, if he were in the same situation, could he have done the same?

"After my mother left, my father fell ill several times a year. He would quietly shed tears and sit for an entire day facing my mother's portrait. So, from a young age, I swore that one day I would find my mother, so my father would no longer weep, and our family could reunite. I dedicated myself to the profound way for this very goal."

"Finally, in the Moon God Realm, I found my mother, but I also had to face foster father. I once condemned him, disliked him, resented him, and even hated him, all because of him, my parents were forced apart, and our family could never reunite. But later, I gradually learned everything from my mother, and I saw firsthand his meticulous kindness towards her. I found I could no longer hate him."

"I was even willing to acknowledge him as my foster father."

The Moon God Emperor saved her life, saved Yue Wuya's life, and used his own dignity to allow Yue Wuya to truly live out the rest of her life "immaculately." How could she possibly hate him? How could she?

"The Moon God Emperor... uh, does your foster father know about the Azure Cloud Continent and Uncle Xia?" Yun Che asked tentatively.

"No," Xia Qingyue replied. "My mother refused to mention it, and foster father only asked once, never again."

They would never let the Moon God Emperor know about Xia Hongyi, and when she eventually returned to the Azure Cloud Continent, she would never mention the Moon God Emperor to her father. Perhaps, allowing Xia Hongyi to live forever in his longing for Yue Wuya was the least cruel outcome.

"Then your mother... is she doing well now?" Yun Che asked again.

Xia Qingyue gently shook her head, remaining silent.

Yun Che's heart ached slightly. Her sudden recovery of profound energy and memories back then had been a final surge of life. Yet, she had continued to live for over two decades since... If not for the Moon God Realm's immense resources and the Moon God Emperor's unreserved efforts, Yue Wuya might not have survived until now anywhere else.

But it seemed Yue Wuya's life force was completely exhausted; even the Moon God Emperor was powerless to save her.

Yue Wuya, the Realm King of the Moon God Realm, one of the Four God Emperors of the Eastern Region, a man standing at the pinnacle of chaos, could be so infatuated, so tragic... so humbly in love with one woman.

After all, even a God Emperor was a man of flesh, blood, and heart.

"So, was this wedding ceremony... meant to fulfill your mother's final wish?"

"...The one who ultimately completed the wedding ceremony with foster father wasn't me, but my mother..." Yun Che finally began to understand and grasp what Xia Qingyue had said earlier.

She had given Xia Hongyi seven years and borne him two children. For the remainder of her life, she wanted to dedicate it to Yue Wuya...

Unexpectedly, Xia Qingyue shook her head.

"Do you know why foster father specifically arranged for me to appear before the wedding ceremony?" Xia Qingyue asked.

This question made Yun Che pause slightly.

In any wedding ceremony, whether in the God Realm or the lower realms, and regardless of status, the bride's face would be completely covered—either by a red veil or a curtain of jade beads—and only removed by the groom after they entered the bridal chamber.

At least in his three official wedding ceremonies, with the exception of the one with the Little Demon Empress where he "married into" her family, the other two followed this custom.

Yet, Xia Qingyue had appeared publicly before the ceremony even began.

At the time, the Moon God Emperor had prompted Xia Qingyue to step out and be seen by everyone, seemingly provoked by the Star God Emperor's words. Now, thinking back, it appeared to be a... deliberate act, carried out under the guise of an opportune moment.

"It was intentional?" Yun Che asked.

"Yes. It was to make everyone remember my aura, especially my Glazed Glass aura. And that was supposed to be my only public appearance. After the ceremony began, I was to use the 'Star Transposition Moon Shifting' technique to temporarily transfer my aura onto my mother, allowing her and foster father to complete the wedding."

The Moon God Emperor personally went to the Moon Evasion Immortal Palace to remind Xia Qingyue to "prepare," which meant preparing for "Star Transposition Moon Shifting."

Yun Che was filled with emotion. Even if the Moon God Emperor had a thousand wishes, he couldn't publicly remarry Yue Wuya... because he was still the Realm King of the Moon God Realm.

He could only, out of helplessness, use such a deceptive method to fulfill Yue Wuya's last wish... which was perhaps also his greatest wish.

At the same time, because Xia Qingyue possessed the "Glazed Heart," this act could also wash away the Moon God Emperor's past humiliation and, simultaneously, announce to the world that the Moon God Realm would henceforth be protected by the Heavenly Way.

The humiliation the Moon God Emperor suffered was because of Yue Wuya. As Yue Wuya's daughter, Xia Qingyue must have been more than willing.

But why did she shake her head just now? And why had she said earlier that this wedding ceremony was not just for the world to see, but even more so for the Moon God Realm?

"At the same time, my 'Glazed Heart' could also cleanse foster father of his past humiliation and allow my mother to release her greatest burden," Xia Qingyue softly elaborated, echoing Yun Che's thoughts. But what she said next greatly surprised him: "However, these are not the full reasons for this wedding."

"Another important purpose was for me... to legitimately... succeed as the Moon God Emperor."