Chapter 508: Twenty-Five Years Ago...

Chapter 508: Twenty-Five Years Ago...

"Good child..." Mu Yurou supported Yun Che, murmuring softly. Her vision blurred, and tears suddenly streamed down her face.

"Ah!" Seeing his mother suddenly cry, Yun Xiao was startled and quickly walked over: "Mother, what's wrong? This is great news, why are you suddenly crying?"

Mu Yurou shook her head. She reached up to wipe her tears, but they simply wouldn't stop, and soon her eyes were red. She choked out: "It's nothing, Mother is fine. Maybe it's because I have one more son... I'm too happy..."

When Yun Che called her "Mother," she felt her heart tremble violently, and tears flowed uncontrollably, without her even knowing why.

"Your mother's biggest trait is that she loves to cry," Yun Qinghong shook his head with a smile, looking at Mu Yurou with eyes full of affection. He guessed that Yun Che's words about "my parents left me since childhood" must have touched her heartstrings... Over the years, every time she thought of that child, she would weep countless times...

Mu Yurou wiped her tears, then shot Yun Qinghong a glare and said coquettishly: "I've only just become Che'er's mother, and you're already making fun of me in front of him. Just wait until Xiao'er and Che'er aren't around, and I'll deal with you... Che'er, don't believe him. Mother is just too happy. Get up now."

Yun Qinghong shrugged his shoulders, then laughed: "Our family has gained another son—this is a tremendous blessing. Today, I must have a few drinks no matter what. Che'er, you haven't eaten all day, so you must be hungry. Come, let us father and sons first have a few rounds, hahaha!"

Yun Qinghong laughed heartily, clearly in an excellent mood. But Yun Che shook his head: "If Father is willing, I am naturally ready to accompany you at any time. But the most important matter right now is the cold poison on your bodies, especially Mother's... The top priority is still to let me remove the cold poison."

"You've already been so tired earlier, don't push yourself. Mother is fine. We can deal with the poison tomorrow," Mu Yurou said gently.

But Yun Che shook his head without hesitation: "This concerns Mother's physical safety. I absolutely refuse to delay it."

Yun Qinghong slowly nodded: "Che'er's energy seems to have recovered quite well, and his words are correct. Alright, let's do as Che'er says."

"Yun Xiao, go rest. You're injured and have been busy all day. If you don't rest now, your wounds won't stabilize and might even worsen," Yun Che said seriously.

Yun Xiao had indeed been enduring the strain of his injuries on his body. He didn't insist, and with great confidence in Yun Che, he nodded: "Alright, I'll go rest. Big Brother, I'm entrusting Father and Mother to you."

After Yun Xiao left, Yun Che wasted no time and quickly began to remove the cold poison from Mu Yurou's body. He had her sit upright, then picked up the box of long silver needles Yun Xiao had brought. He pinched ten silver needles between his fingers, flicked his hand lightly, and the ten needles flew out silently, passing through Mu Yurou's clothing and piercing into her body.

When Yun Che raised his hand and flicked the needles, Yun Qinghong's eyes moved, and he instinctively opened his mouth and raised his hand. But before any sound came out, his body froze as he stared in utter shock at the positions where the ten needles had pierced—they were clearly the ten most core acupoints on the back of a Xuan practitioner.

Ordinary healers, when needling acupoints, not only had to remove clothing to confirm the acupoint positions but also had to insert the needles one by one with extreme care. Yet Yun Che did it through her clothes, from a distance, ten needles at once, and the positions were perfectly accurate... This could only be described as miraculous technique.

Yun Che kept changing positions, his right hand's five fingers dancing so fast they became a blur. In just a few breaths, a hundred silver needles were all inserted into Mu Yurou's body. Throughout the whole process, she not only heard no sound but also felt not the slightest pain.

The cold poison in both Mu Yurou and Yun Qinghong's bodies had penetrated too deeply. It could not be directly purified with the Heavenly Poison Pearl. Instead, using profound energy as a guide and the silver needles as carriers, the cold poison was drawn out from various parts of their bodies and then quickly purified with the Heavenly Poison Pearl. This sounded simple, but the process was extremely difficult and slow.

After inserting all the needles, Yun Che sat down behind Mu Yurou, placed his palm on her lower back, and slowly channeled his profound force into her.

Yun Qinghong did not leave. He witnessed every movement of Yun Che and every change in Mu Yurou. He wanted to see exactly how Yun Che would remove this cold poison that, in the eyes of all the great physicians, was incurable.

After a full two hours of stillness, a faint blue color slowly appeared on all 109 silver needles... The blue was very light, but when his gaze touched it, his whole body felt a terrifying chill that made him shudder. Yun Qinghong's eyes fixed on it, and he couldn't help murmuring: "Could these be..."

But he immediately stopped speaking to avoid disturbing Yun Che. However, at that moment, Yun Che opened his eyes and spoke: "That's right. These are the cold poisons in Mother's body."

As he finished, Yun Che moved his palm away from Mu Yurou. Just before he removed it, a green light flashed in his palm, and instantly, all the blue on the silver needles disappeared completely, purified without a trace. As for Mu Yurou, her eyes were still closed, and she had fallen asleep.

"Does that mean... we've succeeded?" Yun Qinghong asked, barely containing his excitement.

Yun Che shook his head: "Not yet. The cold poison I just drew out is only a very small part. The poison has been in Mother's body for over twenty years, penetrating deeply. So we absolutely cannot be greedy for quick results. Although only a small part was drawn out, it still inevitably took some of her vitality. Mother has lost some vitality and is tired, so she fell asleep. But Father, rest assured, the loss of vitality is not severe. As long as we proceed slowly, it won't cause any real harm to Mother's body, and it can be replenished quickly."

Having suffered from cold poison for over twenty years, the two of them were deeply familiar with that terrifying chill. Now, Yun Qinghong could clearly sense that the yin-cold aura on Mu Yurou's body had decreased by at least twenty percent. Instantly, his last doubts vanished like smoke, leaving only a heart full of joy and hope. He was so moved and grateful toward Yun Che that he didn't know what to say. He simply nodded heavily, with a hint of moisture in his eyes.

"Father, let me rest and adjust my breathing for a moment, then I'll start removing the cold poison from you," Yun Che said with a relaxed expression.

"There's no hurry for me. Don't overexert yourself because of us," Yun Qinghong said softly. Although he was endlessly curious about why Yun Che was so good to their family of three, Yun Che's sincerity and concern for them felt completely genuine.

After a short silence, Yun Che's spirit had largely recovered. He opened his eyes again and suddenly said: "Father, I sense that there seems to be a great knot in Mother's heart. Her injuries and poison are not as deep as yours, but her physical condition is much worse than yours. This is one reason... What is it that worries Mother? I want to know if there's a way I can... share the burden."

"Ah." Yun Qinghong let out a long sigh. "This matter is a long story. She does indeed have a knot in her heart. For over twenty years, she has never once truly smiled."

Yun Qinghong didn't continue. Yun Che involuntarily bit his lip, then said slowly: "I've only just arrived at Yaohuang City, but I've also heard rumors that Yun Xiao is not your and Mother's biological son. Is that... true? I'm just curious and also feel indignant for Yun Xiao. If my question is inappropriate, please don't take offense, Father."

Yun Qinghong shook his head and smiled faintly: "This matter is already known throughout the entire Huan Yao Realm, so what's inappropriate about speaking of it?" He paused briefly, then, after a short hesitation, made a decision. He said wistfully: "Perhaps it's time I found someone to confide in. Xiao'er has grown up now. There are some things we've kept from him, but this is his life and his origins. He should know. We just haven't found the right time to tell him... Since you and Xiao'er have sworn brotherhood, and you will inevitably help him a great deal in the future, perhaps telling you first will be better for Xiao'er."

Yun Che looked up: "The matter Father speaks of... is..."

Yun Qinghong said slowly: "As the rumors say, Xiao'er... is indeed not mine and your mother's biological son."

Yun Che: "..."

"I think you've also heard the rumors that he is actually from Tian Xuan Continent... That is also true." Yun Qinghong glanced sideways at Yun Che's reaction. He told Yun Che this not out of impulse. People of the Huan Yao Realm harbored deep hostility toward those from Tian Xuan Continent. The fact that Yun Xiao was from Tian Xuan Continent would eventually have to be revealed to the world... Besides, it had already been essentially confirmed by some, leaving only a thin layer of paper they were desperately protecting. Since Yun Che and Yun Xiao had sworn brotherhood, if Yun Che also harbored hostility toward people from Tian Xuan Continent, then it would be far better for him to know now than to find out later.

But he immediately noticed that Yun Che seemed completely unconcerned about this. He asked directly: "Is Yun Xiao a child you adopted from Tian Xuan Continent?"

Yun Qinghong shook his head. His gaze turned to the window, becoming hazy and deep, his memories going back to that unforgettable time: "Twenty-five years ago, in order to rescue my father, who had gone missing in Tian Xuan Continent, we activated the Yun Clan's secret artifact and staked everything on a journey to Tian Xuan Continent."

"In Tian Xuan Continent, we tried to infiltrate a place called Tian Wei Sword Domain, but we were discovered. Our husband and wife were alone and outnumbered, so we had to flee. But during our escape, through Arcane Firmament Soul Invasion, we learned from a member of Tian Wei Sword Domain that Father had not died but was secretly imprisoned in a place called Tian Jian Villa, located in one of the seven nations of Tian Xuan Continent—the Cang Feng Empire. So we evaded the pursuit of Tian Wei Sword Domain, traveled thousands of miles, and arrived at that Cang Feng Empire."

"When we first arrived in Cang Feng Empire, I met a man... the best brother I have ever had in my life."

Yun Che: "..."

"...It was in the eastern part of Cang Feng Empire, not far from a small city called Liu Yun." Although more than twenty years had passed, the name "Liu Yun City," which few in Tian Xuan Continent even knew, was etched firmly in his memory. "My meeting with him was by chance. At the time, he seemed to be out training and encountered a gang of villains bullying a woman. Without hesitation, he stepped in to help, but his profound force cultivation was not high, and outnumbered, he was quickly defeated by the villains... My wife and I were cautious every step of the way in Tian Xuan Continent, never meddling. But I was moved by his fierceness and unyielding spirit under the villains' blades even in defeat, and I couldn't help intervening to rout those villains."

"That... senior, what was his name?" Yun Che asked in as calm a tone as he could manage.

"He was called Xiao Ying."

Yun Che: "..."

"We became acquainted. After a brief exchange, I found that although his profound force was weak, he was upright and unbending, making it impossible not to like him. Moreover, his temperament was very similar to mine. I thought I had merely rescued a passerby, but as we talked, we felt more and more that we wished we had met sooner. At that time, Yu Rou was injured, and I also warned Xiao Ying that we were being hunted and could bring danger at any time. But he showed no aversion at all and instead found us an excellent place to recuperate and hide."

"During the time Yu Rou was recovering, Xiao Ying visited us every day, bringing all kinds of fine wine and food. He asked me about the Xuan Path, and I asked him about matters in Tian Xuan Continent. The longer we spent together, the more we realized how similar and compatible we were. So soon after, we swore brotherhood under the moonlight."

Yun Qinghong let out a long sigh: "I, Yun Qinghong, never imagined that the only kindred spirit and true friend of my life would be found in the most hated Tian Xuan Continent."

"We stayed in that place for three months. During those three months, Yu Rou unexpectedly became pregnant... but at the time, we didn't know. After Yu Rou's injuries healed completely, we bid farewell to Xiao Ying and, using a map he had drawn by hand, set out for that place called Tian Jian Villa, where my father was imprisoned."

"But we never expected that an ambush had been set there, waiting for us for a long time. As soon as we approached Tian Jian Villa, we were besieged by experts from Tian Wei Sword Domain. All the enemies they deployed were top-level masters. Though we eventually barely escaped, both of us were injured... After that, we fell into an unending, life-or-death pursuit by Tian Wei Sword Domain."

"Our combined strength wasn't weak. There weren't many in all of Tian Xuan Continent who could stop us when we fought together. The pursuit by Tian Wei Sword Domain, though harrowing, couldn't kill us. But several months later, besides Tian Wei Sword Domain, another group suddenly joined the hunt. We were caught off guard and walked into their poison formation, afflicted with severe poison—poison that couldn't be expelled with profound energy... These poisons are the cold poison we carry now."

"And at that time, Yu Rou had begun to show signs of pregnancy. Knowing she was with child, in order to prevent the poison from harming the baby in her womb, she used all her strength to gather the cold poison into her five viscera. For six full months, day and night, she endured the torment of the cold poison piercing her heart..."

Yun Che: "!!!!"