Chapter 1923: Moon Memories (5)

The blood drops merged seamlessly, without any difficulty or obstruction. They became one in the blink of an eye, then slowly descended as the mystic energy dissipated, shattering upon the verdant grass.

Xia Qingyue stood there in a daze, her eyes blank, unmoving for a long time, as if her soul had completely left her body.

Yun Che's mind was equally stunned.

What... what was happening?!

A barrier only accessible by direct bloodline, blood merging seamlessly...

No! That's impossible!

Xia Qingyue's biological father was clearly Xia Hongyi! How could this be...

Moreover, when Xia Hongyi found Yue Wugou, she was still a virgin, and Xia Qingyue was only born in the third year after their meeting...

How could she be Yue Wuya's daughter!

Could Xia Hongyi have lied? Was she already pregnant when he found Yue Wugou?

No! That's not right either!

Xia Hongyi and Yue Wugou married in their second year of acquaintance, Xia Qingyue was born in the third year, and Xia Yuanba in the fourth... Everyone in Flowing Cloud City knew this; it was impossible to deceive anyone!

At this moment, Yun Che's mind suddenly recalled the doubts Chi Wuyao had previously mentioned to him:

"His reaction to Xia Qingyue's death was far too calm... Xia Yuanba, who possesses the Tyrant Emperor Divine Veins and an unyielding will, was overwhelmed with pain upon hearing the sudden tragic news."

"As for Xia Hongyi, I only sensed a fleeting pang of sadness from him. In contrast, there was more lament and surprise. It was more like suddenly hearing about the death of a neighbor's daughter."

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

"He is not obsessed with the profound way, nor is he a cold-blooded emperor. The only explanation I could find was that Xia Hongyi is an extremely emotionally detached person—and such people do exist, naturally lacking in emotions, with very faint desires and feelings."

"But the grief he displayed at the moment of Yue Wugou's death completely contradicted this."

"How could a person who values affection so deeply, and whose emotions are so fervent, be so calm and rational when facing his daughter's death, with almost no sorrow?"

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

"I remember... Simply put, she hoped to find her mother and reunite her family."

"Exactly, Chu Yuechan also said the same... In this regard, she values family ties immensely. At the very least, she spared no effort to seek out her mother, even one already blurred in her memory."

"And why would a person who values affection so deeply, especially family ties, never return to visit her father after marrying you and going to Ice Cloud Immortal Palace?"

Yun Che was not as unconcerned about Chi Wuyao's words at the time as he appeared to be.

Now, those words and the heart-wrenching scene before him intertwined chaotically in his mind.

Xia Hongyi's reaction to Xia Qingyue's death had been unusually calm.

Yet, when Yue Wuya first saw Xia Qingyue, he descended from his divine emperor's status.

If there had to be an explanation for this...

Was it the indifference of no blood relation versus the mysterious resonance of a blood connection?

But...

Even if Xia Hongyi truly wasn't Xia Qingyue's biological father, sixteen years of living and eating together, sixteen years of raising her... it wouldn't lead to such indifference.

What on earth was going on? What was wrong?

Had Xia Hongyi woven a lie that fooled everyone, or was the result of this mystic energy blood fusion merely an error?

Xia Qingyue had never spoken to him about this matter. He also never knew that she had been carrying such a burden in her heart all this time.

As if sensing something, Yue Wugou slowly opened her eyes at this moment.

She propped herself up, but found her daughter staring blankly ahead, completely unaware of her waking and sitting up.

"Qingyue?" she softly called out.

Her moon-like eyes flickered, and Xia Qingyue finally came back to her senses, though a hazy mist still veiled her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Sensing her daughter's unusual state, Yue Wugou asked with concern, "Are you thinking about what he just told you?"

Xia Qingyue gently shook her head. She sat beside her mother, looking into her eyes, and after a long while, she spoke in a very soft voice, "Mother, back then, before you met Father, did you ever... have a marital relationship with Senior Divine Emperor?"

"Of course not." Without any hesitation, Yue Wugou smiled and shook her head. "Back then, Wuya cherished me deeply. He wished to save everything for our wedding night. Before that, in his own words, he was reluctant to 'taint' my 'Wugou' (purity) name."

"Haven't I told you about this long ago? Why do you suddenly ask?"

Yue Wugou's answer did not dispel the mist in Xia Qingyue's eyes. She still looked into her mother's eyes, muttering as if in a dream, "Really... never at all?"

The clear abnormality made Yue Wugou pause in surprise. Then, she suddenly realized something, and her expression instantly became fearful and pained. She tightly gripped her daughter's hand and said in a flustered voice, "Qingyue, believe Mother. Whether before I met your father, or after I left your father, I have never... never been with him!"

The sudden chaotic aura and the voice tinged with too much sorrow made the dazed Xia Qingyue suddenly snap awake. She then realized how much harm her earlier words had caused her mother.

"Mother... no! That's not what I meant..." She hastily tried to explain.

"Qingyue," Yue Wugou said, her eyes misting with tears, as she tried to make her voice gentle again. "I know I let your father down, and I let you and Yuanba down. I left back then; I don't deserve to be a wife, nor a mother..."

"No! That's not true!" Xia Qingyue frantically shook her head, her earlier bewilderment transforming completely into panic and self-blame.

Yue Wugou looked at her daughter, so close, tears staining her cheeks. "To see my grown daughter again is already a great mercy and gift from heaven to me. Yet I... selfishly, actually thought about completing a wedding ceremony with him before I die, forgetting the harm it would cause you."

"Qingyue, having you by my side these years means I have no regrets for the rest of my life." Yue Wugou's fingers gently touched her daughter's cheek. "Don't worry, I won't allow anyone to force you to do anything you don't want to. I also won't let anything happen that you don't wish to see."

"Mother, that's not what I mean, truly it's not!" Xia Qingyue shook her head repeatedly. She held her mother's shoulders, making her look into her eyes. "Mother, listen to me. You haven't let anyone down... and you haven't done anything wrong!"

"You, my father, and Senior Divine Emperor—all of you are just victims. The one who was wrong was the villain who harmed you back then."

She had witnessed and felt her mother's lifelong sorrow. She also knew that too much pain, wounds, and guilt had always weighed on her mother's heart, making her especially sensitive and vulnerable.

And her distraught words, spoken in a daze, were too heavy a wound for her mother's extremely fragile heart.

Every tear that fell from her mother's eyes seemed to land directly on her soul. Her mother's nervous, anxious words, almost like a desperate vow not to hurt her, made her suddenly realize how selfish her previous stubbornness, born of her thoughts, had been.

"My questions just now were actually to... to tell you, Mother..." She reached out and gently wiped away the tears from her mother's face. "I have changed my mind. I agree to everything Senior Divine Emperor just said."

Not a hint of relief appeared on Yue Wugou's face. Instead, her hands gripping Xia Qingyue visibly tightened, and she said urgently, "Qingyue! Have you forgotten what I just said?! You don't need to force yourself to do anything you don't want to. Especially not for me..."

"Of course it's not forced, and it's not... just for you, Mother." She shook her head, her eyes misty with tears, a faint smile on her lips. "Senior Divine Emperor was absolutely right. With my special talent, without sufficient power, this heavenly gift will become an endless calamity."

"The position of Divine Emperor is too illusory and distant for me. But the Moon God Divine Power is the highest level of power in this world, something ordinary people could not even dream of in a thousand lifetimes. To me, this is another heavenly gift, and a great fulfillment."

"I simply... have no reason to refuse."

"..." Yue Wugou's eyes trembled. She stared fixedly at Xia Qingyue, trying to see any struggle in her eyes. "You... do you truly think so?"

"Yes." Xia Qingyue nodded. "I know, Mother, that you have always harbored deep guilt towards us, afraid I'd suffer even the slightest grievance, and never wanting to harm me in any way."

"But actually, Mother, you've truly never done anything wrong, and you've never wronged anyone. Your departure back then wasn't heartlessness, but the cruel play of an unjust fate. You were the one who suffered the most."

"Before you left, you ended your marital bond with my father, and you have always been completely free. It is your freedom whom you wish to marry; you don't need to be burdened by your own heart!"

The smile on Xia Qingyue's lips softened further. "Mother, you don't need to feel guilty towards me. I am your daughter; even if you didn't raise me, you gave birth to me. And I've never been able to do anything for you since I was little. If I can help you fulfill a great wish in your life... I will be extremely happy."

Tears streamed from Yue Wugou's eyes like a spring, as if shattered jade. "Qingyue... my daughter..."

She tightly embraced Xia Qingyue... She still couldn't be certain if her daughter's words were truly from her heart or a compromise made for her sake, but with these words, for the first time in her life, she truly felt she could die without regrets.

"You... you've really come to terms with it?"

The next day, hearing Xia Qingyue's agreement, Yue Wuya's excitement was palpable.

The relief in his heart was so strong it surprised even him.

"Yes!" Xia Qingyue nodded solemnly. Her overly calm expression, even to someone of Yue Wuya's level, showed no clear emotional coloring. "However, I have two conditions."

"Good." Yue Wuya nodded without hesitation. "Speak."

"First," Xia Qingyue's voice paused slightly, her expression becoming more solemn, but her gaze seemed to subtly shift. "I wish... to acknowledge Senior as my foster father."

A look of surprise appeared on his face, then Yue Wuya shook his head and chuckled. "Qingyue, with these words, you underestimate me. You are Wugou's daughter. I could never harbor any improper thoughts towards you; there's no need for this."

He thought Xia Qingyue was using the "foster father-daughter" relationship to protect herself.

"Senior, you misunderstand." Xia Qingyue's expression remained calm, her gaze as pure and flawless as the divine moon in the sky. "Senior has been greatly kind to both me and my mother. Acknowledging Senior as my foster father is my personal wish."

"Qingyue's background is humble, and she has no achievements or merits; this thought is quite presumptuous... I humbly request Senior to grant it."

Her earnestness, and the slight tremor in her voice... not only Yue Wuya, but Yue Wugou was also deeply astonished.

"Good... good!"

Yue Wuya said "good" twice. With the first "good," he nodded heavily, and with the second, a smile blossomed on his face. "But not now. I, Yue Wuya, am happily gaining a foster daughter; how can I be careless?! Even if I can't celebrate throughout the world, the ceremony must not be taken lightly, hahahaha."

He burst into laughter... his heart was surprisingly joyful.

Xia Qingyue slowly closed her eyes, and after a long while, she spoke softly, "For the second matter, please tell me, Senior, who... who harmed my mother back then!"

Her former husband...Her sect...Her homeland...Loss and calamity, time and again, left her in painful helplessness.Her mother's revenge was greater than the heavens.When her mother passes away in the future... wielding the Moon God Divine Power, revenge would be the final meaning of her remaining life.

P.S.: The so-called blood fusion for recognition of kinship has no scientific basis whatsoever; it's purely fictional. Please do not apply it to reality.