Chapter 1889: Summer Father (Part 2)

"Speaking of which, it seems something regrettable occurred between you and Qingyue," Xia Hongyi said with a touch of melancholy.

Both Xia Yuanba and Xia Hongyi clearly sensed the change in Yun Che's tone towards him, as well as the noticeable distance in his demeanor compared to before. Furthermore, Yun Che consistently referred to "Xia Qingyue" as "she," never using her full name.

"Five years ago, due to a conflict of 'ideologies' with her, I ended our marriage with a letter of divorce. I was in the God Realm at the time, bound by commitments that prevented my return, which is why I couldn't inform you sooner, Uncle Xia." Yun Che recounted this in the most understated and reserved manner.

"I see," Xia Hongyi said, looking intently at Yun Che. He didn't know how to interpret "conflict of ideologies," but he didn't press for details. Instead, he abruptly shifted the conversation to someone else.

"Che'er, while I want to know what happened between you and Qingyue, as an elder, I perhaps shouldn't interfere or pry too much into matters concerning your world. However, there's one other thing I hope you can tell me truthfully."

Yun Che knew what he was about to ask. "Please, Uncle Xia," he prompted.

"After you left five years ago, Yuanba mentioned that you told him personally that Qingyue found her mother in a place called the God Realm... Is that true?" Xia Hongyi's voice was noticeably trembling.

Yun Che nodded directly. "Yes, that's correct. She found her mother shortly after being unexpectedly transported to the God Realm and has remained by her side ever since."

Xia Hongyi instinctively leaned forward, his Adam's apple working uncontrollably. His usually placid eyes suddenly swam with chaotic, overlapping waves. "Is she... well now?"

Chi Wuyao remained silent.

The sudden turbulence in his eyes, and the violently pounding heart that threatened to burst from his chest... When Yue Wugou was mentioned, Xia Hongyi's emotional upheaval was a thousand times more intense.

Yun Che's heart stirred, and a hint of surprise flashed across his eyes. He answered truthfully, "Actually, she passed away eight years ago."

It was as if a heavy hammer had brutally struck his heart; the shock in that instant was horrifyingly intense. Immediately afterwards, his heart completely ceased to beat, as if he had suddenly died.

Chi Wuyao remained motionless.

Seeing Xia Hongyi suddenly freeze, Yun Che frowned deeply. "Uncle Xia?" he asked.

Xia Hongyi's lips trembled and turned ashen, and the color drained from his face at an alarming rate.

"Dead... she's... dead..." he whispered disconsolately, his upright posture seeming to melt into a boneless heap, sliding limply from his seat.

Yun Che quickly reached out, gently supporting Xia Hongyi's body with profound energy, and secretly applied a touch of soul power to calm his shattered spirit.

"Uncle Xia, she has been at peace for eight years now. Please don't grieve too much," Yun Che comforted him, still unsure how to refer to Yue Wugou.

"Dead... she's dead..."

When a person's senses fail and their spirit shatters under extreme grief, tears often refuse to fall. Xia Hongyi remained unresponsive to Yun Che's words, his eyes utterly vacant, his murmurs a piercing cry of agony. Despite over thirty years of separation, he had never let go. Perhaps for over three decades, beneath his outwardly calm and elegant demeanor, lay a sorrow and desolation that had never faded.

A faint black shimmer appeared in Chi Wuyao's demonic eyes as she forcefully gathered Xia Hongyi's scattered thoughts. While she could refocus his mind, she could not dispel his overwhelmingly intense grief.

His pupils regained focus, and as his senses returned, tears streamed rapidly from his eyes. He quickly straightened, turning his face away, and, struggling to suppress his sobs, said to Yun Che, "I'm... I'm fine... fine, you've seen quite a display... *hiss*!"

"Uncle Xia's profound affection, I believe she... surely sees it," Yun Che offered, his comfort strained.

He reached up to wipe his tears, and after a considerable time, his expression seemed to finally calm slightly. He exhaled deeply and asked, "Che'er, tell me, why... did she die?"

Though he was desperately trying to control himself, his voice still trembled violently, and his fingers, gripping the sides of the chair, were stark white and distorted. Yun Che had initially intended to tell him the complete truth, but seeing Xia Hongyi's state, he knew he couldn't. So, without batting an eyelid, he said, "Reportedly, she had always been in poor health. Although she strove to prolong her life over the years, she ultimately succumbed to her illness in the Moon God Realm." If he had revealed that Yue Wugou had died sacrificing herself for Yue Wuya, it would have undoubtedly been an unbearable blow on top of Xia Hongyi's immense grief. "Furthermore, when she passed... her daughter was by her side and personally laid her to rest." He hoped his final words would offer some comfort to Xia Hongyi, but he stubbornly refused to mention Xia Qingyue's name.

"Is that so... is that so..." Xia Hongyi murmured, his eyes brimming with tears. "I thought that in that world... she would finally be free from her illness. And if so... even if I never saw her again in my lifetime, I would have been content..."

"I never imagined... that it would still turn out this way..." He drew a shaky breath, the intense pain in his heart rendering him speechless.

Some sorrows cannot be alleviated by mere words of comfort. Yun Che understood this implicitly. He glanced at Chi Wuyao, then stood up. "Uncle Xia, please, take care of yourself. Yuanba still needs your presence."

"I'm sure a man with a heart as vast as yours, Uncle Xia, will soon overcome this grief. We won't trouble you any further now. I'll come back to visit you with Yuanba in a while."

Throughout his life as a merchant, Xia Hongyi had always prided himself on proper hospitality. But at this moment, his heart was overwhelmed with grief, leaving him no mind for visitors. He simply waved a weak hand. "Go... Tell Yuanba not to worry about me."

Yun Che said nothing more, preparing to depart.

Just then, Chi Wuyao suddenly spoke.

"Mister Xia, I have a question, if you wouldn't mind enlightening me."

Yun Che paused, puzzled.

Even without consciously infusing it with soul power, Chi Wuyao's enchanting voice still pierced the soul, something Xia Hongyi was utterly unable to resist. He slowly raised his head, his eyes still trembling and clouded. "Please speak," he managed.

Chi Wuyao spoke slowly, "When was the last time you saw your daughter, Xia Qingyue?"

Without hesitation, Xia Hongyi replied, "I haven't seen her since Qingyue married Che'er and went to the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace."

"Ah, twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye. I never imagined that day would be our final farewell."

Yun Che's brow twitched, but he remained silent.

Chi Wuyao nodded slightly. "Thank you for the information."

As they exited the Black Moon Merchant Guild, neither Yun Che nor Chi Wuyao tore open space to return to Flowing Cloud City. Instead, they walked forward aimlessly.

Chi Wuyao's crescent brows were tightly furrowed; with her mental prowess, she was rarely this perplexed. Yun Che also appeared to be lost in thought.

"Strange, strange, strange... This is too strange."

Chi Wuyao continued to murmur to herself.

"What's strange?" Yun Che asked absently.

Chi Wuyao glanced at him. "Xia Hongyi's reactions to his daughter's death and his former wife's death were simply too disparate; you couldn't possibly have failed to notice."

"I don't want to discuss anything about her," Yun Che stated.

Chi Wuyao smiled faintly, her voice languid and soft. "True indifference means your heart remains unstirred when you hear or see something. But your overly forceful avoidance, on the contrary, indicates that you find it difficult to forget her, and even harder to be truly indifferent... The stronger your aversion, the more evident this becomes."

"...Say what you will. I simply don't want to talk about her," Yun Che said, his face devoid of expression.

Chi Wuyao continued, unperturbed by Yun Che's attitude. "Hating her cruelty and heartlessness doesn't actually conflict with cherishing memories of her past beauty. It's certainly not a mistake."

Yun Che reached up to rub his forehead, a helpless expression on his face. "Here we go again," he muttered. He knew perfectly well that even though everything had settled, Chi Wuyao was still troubled by the matter of Xia Qingyue. Endowed with the Nirvana Devil Soul, her ability to perceive others was unparalleled, yet she had completely misjudged Xia Qingyue. This sole, and rather significant, exception continued to weigh heavily on her mind. While she was always willing to humble herself before Yun Che, her inherent haughtiness was truly unrivaled.

"His reaction to the news of Xia Qingyue's death was far too subdued."

Ignoring Yun Che's apparent aversion, Chi Wuyao continued, "Xia Yuanba, with his Tyrant Emperor Divine Veins and incredibly strong will, was overwhelmed with pain upon hearing the sudden bad news."

"But from Xia Hongyi, I detected only a fleeting pang of sorrow. In fact, lament and surprise seemed more prevalent. It was more akin to hearing about the death of a neighbor's daughter."

"You are also a father, and you have only one daughter. You must understand better than I how abnormal his reaction was."

Yun Che remained silent, but no longer tried to stop her.

Chi Wuyao's smile faded as she pondered aloud, "He isn't obsessed with the profound way, nor is he a cold-blooded emperor. The only explanation I can offer myself is that Xia Hongyi is an extremely emotionally detached person. Such individuals do exist, born with an emotional deficit, their emotions and desires exceedingly faint."

"However, the overwhelming sorrow that erupted the moment he heard of Yue Wugou's death completely contradicts that explanation."

"Why would a person so deeply affectionate, with such intense emotions, remain so calm and rational, showing almost no sadness, when confronted with his own daughter's death?"

Chi Wuyao's slender fingers tapped her brow. She had come today seeking answers, but her brief encounter with Xia Hongyi had only deepened her confusion and doubt.

Yun Che said, "From a young age, her personality was extremely cold and reclusive. She rarely left her private chambers and likely had very little interaction with her father. Perhaps that's why their father-daughter bond wasn't particularly deep."

"Does that explanation convince even you?" Chi Wuyao asked, tilting her alluring eyes.

Yun Che raised an eyebrow, an expression of complete nonchalance on his face.

"There's something else that's even stranger."

Chi Wuyao's brows furrowed, and her enchanting eyes, which could pierce through worlds and charm all beings, narrowed into two deep, hazy, elongated abysses. "Last night, I had a long conversation with Chu Yuechan about Xia Qingyue, and I learned almost everything about her past on this planet."

"And?" Yun Che turned his face, sensing the unusual shift in Chi Wuyao's mood.

"Do you remember why Xia Qingyue was so dedicated to the profound way back then?" Chi Wuyao asked.

"I remember," Yun Che replied. "Simply put, she hoped to find her mother and reunite her family." Chu Yuechan had told him this back then. Later, Xia Qingyue herself had said the same thing.

She wanted to reach a height where... perhaps she could touch her mother's silhouette... perhaps then her family could be reunited...

"Exactly, Chu Yuechan said the same." Chi Wuyao continued in a soft voice, "In this regard, she valued familial bonds deeply. At the very least, she spared no effort to seek out her mother, whose memory had already faded."

Yun Che remained silent.

"She also valued her feelings for you. Chu Yuechan said she almost died in the Heavenly Sword Villa's secret realm trying to save you... It was also at Heavenly Sword Villa that she cut her hair upon hearing of your death." Chi Wuyao softly recited, "If he is no longer in this world, I will cut my hair to be buried with him, and my heart will become cold and emotionless... These were the words she spoke to Chu Yueli and Chu Yuechan back then."

Yun Che's steps faltered slightly, and his breathing became shallow. He clearly felt nothing but hatred for her... so why did his heart still ache with such searing pain?

"And the Xia Qingyue I saw through Mu Xuanyin's eyes was precisely such a person."

"And a person so deeply affectionate, especially one who valued familial bonds so highly..." Her voice trailed off, and Chi Wuyao's brows furrowed in concentration. "Why, after marrying you and going to the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, did she never return to visit her father again?"