Chapter 853: Visitors to the Yun Family
After Xiao Yun and Tianxia Diyi brought the group, who were visiting the Huan Yao Realm for the first time, back to Yao Huang City, they headed directly to the Yun family.
The Yun family had received a sound transmission in advance, so Yun Qinghong and Mu Yurou were already waiting early at the main gate.
Seeing Yun Qinghong and Mu Yurou's eager figures from afar, Xiao Yun rushed over and knelt heavily on the ground: "Father, Mother, your son has returned."
Tianxia Diyi also followed closely, bowed, and said, "Family Head Yun, Madam Yun, it has been a long time since I last paid my respects."
Yun Qinghong smiled and nodded, reaching out to help Xiao Yun up. His gentle gaze fell upon the unfamiliar faces behind him and the group of stunningly beautiful ice palace maidens that dazzled the eyes. He was about to ask a question when he heard Mu Yurou urgently say, "Xiao'er, where is Che'er? Didn't he come back with you? And Little Demon Empress… has she already returned to the imperial palace?"
"Father, Mother, regarding Big Brother and Little Demon Empress…" Although Xiao Yun had prepared his words along the way, facing Mu Yurou's anxious and caring gaze, he still felt flustered inside. He silently swallowed a mouthful of saliva before forcing himself to speak lightly, "Actually, Big Brother was injured a bit before we came back, so after returning, Little Demon Empress took him to Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley to seek the Golden Crow Saint God's healing for him."
"Ah!!" Mu Yurou cried out in shock, her face full of anticipation and joy instantly turning into fear. She grabbed Xiao Yun's arm, her fingers turning white from the grip: "Che'er… how did he get hurt… is it serious… who hurt him… what exactly happened to him…"
"I… Big Brother he…" Xiao Yun was extremely bad at lying, especially when facing his most beloved and respected mother. He was at a loss, stammering and unable to form a complete sentence.
"Yurou, don't worry." Yun Qinghong, however, smiled lightly and patted Mu Yurou on the shoulder: "You truly care too much, which clouds your judgment. Have you forgotten that Che'er not only has excellent medical skills but also an extraordinary constitution that allows him to recover quickly from serious injuries? Even if he was particularly badly injured this time, hasn't Little Demon Empress personally taken him to Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley? With the Golden Crow Saint God's divine power, no matter how severe the injury, he will surely heal completely."
"Yes, yes, yes, yes!" Xiao Yun nodded eagerly, going along with it: "Although Big Brother's injury this time was… a little severe, once he reaches the Golden Crow Saint God, he will definitely get better soon. So Mother doesn't need to worry at all. Maybe Brother will be back safe and sound tomorrow."
Yun Qinghong's words finally calmed Mu Yurou's panicked heart a bit: "Right… the Golden Crow Saint God thinks so highly of Che'er, he will certainly not be stingy with his divine power. Che'er will be fine."
"Heh, naturally." Yun Qinghong nodded with a smile, but at the same time, a trace of heaviness flashed deep in his eyes.
He was well aware of Yun Che's extraordinary recovery ability… but this time, he was injured to the point that he couldn't even return home first and went straight to Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley.
His injury this time must have been extremely dangerous…
What exactly happened over in the Tian Xuan Continent?
"Oh, right! Father, Mother, I found Grandfather in the Tian Xuan Continent."
Xiao Yun quickly walked to Xiao Lie's side, supported him, and brought him forward, then said to Yun Qinghong and Mu Yurou: "He is my biological grandfather, and it was Grandfather who raised Big Brother into adulthood. Grandfather, these are my parents in the Huan Yao Realm. They raised me for over twenty years as their own, and in my heart, I have always regarded them as my real parents."
Xiao Lie looked them over, then bowed slightly: "I apologize for the abrupt intrusion. The kindness you two have shown in raising Yun'er is something I, Xiao Lie, can never repay in this lifetime."
As Xiao Lie's voice fell, there was a long silence without a response. The moment Xiao Yun stated his identity, Yun Qinghong's entire body trembled. He stood there, frozen like a stone statue, his eyes staring blankly at him, his gaze trembling, and soon even his body began to shake slightly.
"Father?" Xiao Yun looked at Yun Qinghong, puzzled, as if he had suddenly lost his soul.
Thud!!
Yun Qinghong knelt heavily on the ground, kneeling before Xiao Lie.
"Father!" Xiao Yun was startled.
"Ah! Fam… Family Head!" The Yun family elders and disciples behind them were also all shocked.
Xiao Lie stepped back half a step in surprise, then quickly reached out to help him up: "This… what is this… you mustn't do this!"
But despite his full effort, Yun Qinghong remained deeply kneeling, motionless. Beside him, Mu Yurou also knelt with him, tears glistening in her eyes.
"Senior Xiao…" As soon as Yun Qinghong spoke, tears streamed down his tiger-like eyes: "I, Yun Qinghong, have wronged you… It was I who caused Brother Xiao Ying to meet his untimely end, I who shattered your family and separated flesh and blood for over twenty years… Yet you bear no hatred or resentment, instead treating Che'er as your own flesh and blood, raising him with utmost care for over ten years, allowing my family to finally reunite…"
"I, Yun Qinghong, even through ten lifetimes, cannot repay my guilt and sin toward you, nor repay your immense kindness…"
When he had heard from Yun Che that Xiao Ying had died over twenty years ago, he was deeply devastated. The endless gratitude and unbearable guilt toward Xiao Ying had planted a very deep knot in his heart. Now, seeing Xiao Lie, all the emotions accumulated at the bottom of his heart burst forth like a mountain flood. This family head of the Yun family, respected and admired by so many, wept like a child before this seemingly frail old man.
Mu Yurou shed tears with him. The pain in his heart, she understood clearly. Now, before Xiao Ying's father, he could finally vent it all.
Xiao Lie's eyes also grew moist. Across from him was the most powerful large family in the Huan Yao Realm, the Yun family's head and his wife—figures of the highest status. Yet they knelt before him and wept. Though he was bewildered, the sincerity in their words and tears moved him deeply.
"…Child, I had some words arrive today." Xiao Lie's voice was low, but there was a sense of relief: "Back then, what happened to that child Ying was his own choice, never a matter of your fault. Even today, I firmly believe that if he had to choose again, he would make the same decision."
"If I were to bear you any grudge, I would not have sent Che'er to return to the Yun family in the first place. And now that I have come to the Huan Yao Realm, it is precisely to see this family he spent so many years guarding with his life, and to see his brother and sister-in-law."
The more composed Xiao Lie's words, the more uncontrollable Yun Qinghong's emotions became. Yun Qinghong trembled as he knelt, his tears flowing freely. It took a long time before he could be pulled upright by Mu Yurou.
"It's all in the past, all in the past. No matter how much we have wronged you, it can never be undone. All we can do from now on is to do our utmost to make up for it. This is not only for you, but also for the brother Xiao Ying." After saying this, Yun Qinghong took a deep breath, and his expression finally relaxed slightly. Then he looked at Xiao Yun again: "Xiao'er, why haven't you introduced the other young friends?"
"Ah, yes, yes!" Xiao Yun quickly responded, first bringing Xiao Lingxi before him: "Father, Mother, this is Big Brother's… cousin, Xiao Lingxi. She grew up with Big Brother and was raised by Grandfather Xiao Lie. Their relationship is… very, very close!"
Xiao Lingxi's pretty face flushed slightly. She hurriedly bowed her head and said softly, "I, Xiao Lingxi, pay my respects to Uncle and Aunt."
"Ah!" Mu Yurou exclaimed softly, blinking as she looked at Xiao Lingxi, and asked in surprise, "Che'er's cousin? Could it be that you are Mr. Xiao Lie's granddaughter?"
"Yes." Xiao Lingxi nodded gently, her eyes slightly avoiding Mu Yurou's gaze, looking a bit nervous.
"Oh my, what a beautiful and delicate child." Mu Yurou gazed at her affectionately, her eyes full of tenderness: "Lingxi, since you were raised by Mr. Xiao Lie, you must have grown up with Che'er, right? I really don't know how to thank you for being with Che'er all these years."
"Uncle and Aunt, you flatter me." Xiao Lingxi said softly, "It is my good fortune to have grown up with Big Brother Yun."
"Haha, good, good." Yun Qinghong let out a hearty laugh, looking at Xiao Lingxi, then suddenly said, "Lingxi, the relationship between your grandfather and our Yun family is extraordinary. If you don't mind, how about considering me your foster father? From now on, you can call me godfather, and we can be considered a real family."
"Ah!" Xiao Lingxi was stunned. Her beautiful eyes widened, and her heart was in chaos. She didn't know whether to agree or not, stammering without forming a complete sentence.
A woman's unique intuition made Mu Yurou sense something vague from Xiao Lingxi's reaction. She smiled as she stepped forward, affectionately taking Xiao Lingxi's hand, then gave Yun Qinghong a harsh glare: "Look at you, she's still a half-grown little girl, and you, an old man, are already trying to claim her as a sister. You're making the little girl feel old."
Looking at Xiao Lingxi, Mu Yurou's face softened into a warm expression: "Lingxi, don't mind him. From now on, just treat this place as your home. If you need anything, feel free to tell me, and don't be shy. As for how to address me, call me sister if you like, or aunt if you prefer. There's no need to follow the men's way of doing things."
Yun Qinghong was completely baffled by Mu Yurou's glare, so he simply kept his mouth shut.
"…A-Aunt." Being held by Yun Che's mother, Xiao Lingxi grew even more nervous and blurted out the title "Aunt" in a daze.
This address also amused Mu Yurou inwardly. At that moment, her gaze suddenly fell upon a girl standing quietly there. Her profound force was quite weak, but she exuded an indescribable grace and nobility—a nobility that no ordinary family could cultivate. Among all the women she had encountered in her life, only Little Demon Empress had ever given her such a feeling.
Coming to a strange world for the first time, and to the Yun family for the first time, everyone was more or less nervous and restrained. Only she was serene as a dream, elegant as a painting.
"And this young lady is?" Mu Yurou was momentarily lost in her gaze and asked directly.
"Hehe," Tianxia Diqi chimed in, smiling sweetly: "Father, Mother, weren't you two always talking about that princess daughter-in-law you've never met? Well, she's standing right in front of you now."
"Ah… could she be…" Mu Yurou exclaimed in surprise, and Yun Qinghong's gaze also fell upon Cang Yue, a look of admiration flashing in his eyes.
Cang Yue stepped forward, gracefully bowing: "Daughter-in-law Cang Yue, pays respects to Father and Mother."
Finally seeing the daughter-in-law she had been talking about day and night, Mu Yurou hurried forward to help Cang Yue up, looking her over again and again, so excited she didn't know what to do: "Good child… look at me, a mother, and I even forgot to prepare a meeting gift…"
"You can make up for the meeting gift later. Mother, let me tell you a secret." Tianxia Diqi laughed charmingly: "Sister-in-law is no longer a princess now, but the female emperor of the Cang Yue Kingdom. Her beauty is renowned throughout the entire Tian Xuan Continent. It's simply amazing."
"Hahaha!" Yun Qinghong laughed heartily and said sincerely, "No wonder she is the woman Che'er set his heart on. Che'er is truly blessed."
"On your wedding day, we, as parents, were unable to be present… Child, you have truly been wronged." Mu Yurou looked at Cang Yue with great affection, the more she looked, the more she felt she was one in a million, rare even in the heavens.
Cang Yue gently shook her head: "Being able to marry my husband as his wife is the greatest fortune of my life. How could there be any grievance? Finally meeting Father and Mother today, I have fulfilled a very important wish. From now on, together with my husband, I will serve and honor you both well."
"You are truly a good child." Mu Yurou was so happy that tears filled her eyes, but she hadn't forgotten the other guests. She looked at the ice maidens behind. Even with her experience, she had never seen so many women of heavenly beauty and extraordinary temperament at once. One glance left her somewhat dazzled. She hesitated, then asked, "These… couldn't they all be… Che'er's concubines?"
Although the number was somewhat exaggerated, since the main wife was an emperor, it didn't seem too outrageous for him to have a few thousand concubines. After all, there was always the saying of "three thousand beauties in the harem"…
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[Huh? What did I write in this chapter? I can't recall it at all?]