Chapter 630: Mother and Son (Part 2)
He had encountered this middle-aged woman many times and was not unfamiliar with her.
He had often pondered her identity, but could find no clues whatsoever. She seemed very mysterious, yet she was undoubtedly a major figure within the palace.
Tonight, a storm was brewing over the capital, and a light drizzle had already arrived. Given this middle-aged woman’s status and position, by all reason, she should not have appeared here at all.
Chen Changsheng suddenly thought of a possibility, and the fine rain on his face felt a bit colder.
Perhaps she had come to kill him?
Fortunately, that did not happen; otherwise, he would have truly felt some sorrow.
The middle-aged woman lightly tapped her finger, as usual, signaling him to sit and drink tea.
Chen Changsheng breathed a sigh of relief.
This grove in the Herb Garden held great significance for him. It was the place in the capital where he could find the most peace of mind.
Over the past two years, those nights spent sitting opposite this middle-aged woman, drinking tea, were the moments in the capital when his heart was most tranquil.
If the middle-aged woman had chosen this grove, this stone table for tea, to kill him, he would have found it deeply unpleasant.
He enjoyed this feeling of sitting quietly without words—comfortable, at ease, easily reminding him of Xining Town…
His brow furrowed slightly, because he no longer liked being reminded of Xining Town.
Well, but the stream behind the old temple was still clear.
His brow gradually relaxed.
…
…
Watching him furrow his brow, watching him relax it, watching the youthful greenness between his brows, she suddenly remembered—oh, it would still be a few days before he turned seventeen. But wasn’t that false? Still, what a remarkable little fellow. On the verge of death, he could still stop, sit at this table in the grove, pick up that cup of warm white tea, and let his mind wander to other things.
The corners of Tianhai’s lips slowly curled upward at an extremely gradual pace, and a hint of a smile was caught within them.
If this young man truly were her son, it might not be a bad thing. At least he wouldn’t bring her too much shame. That way, when she watched him die, she might be able to feel more of what she wanted to feel, thereby finding the hidden traces of the Heavenly Dao among the starry sky and ultimately gaining true freedom.
The corners of Tianhai’s lips slowly flattened at an extremely gradual pace, and that trace of smile vanished to somewhere unknown.
She gazed quietly at Chen Changsheng, then extended a finger toward his brow.
Chen Changsheng snapped back to reality, slightly startled, but did not dodge.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to dodge; it was that he couldn’t.
Whether when he first entered the capital or now, whatever she intended to do to him, he had no way to oppose it.
At first, he had found it hard to get used to, especially when she sometimes grasped his chin or lightly stroked his cheek—it felt humiliating. But later… perhaps he had grown accustomed to it.
Her fingertip touched him, and in his sea of consciousness, a faint popping sound echoed, like a bubble being pricked.
The night wind threaded through the Herb Garden, bringing the fragrance of medicinal herbs and spirit fruits, along with some scents only she could detect.
Because her finger had pierced the holy light laid down by Xu Yourong in that instant, her divine sense carried this breeze, and within the breeze was his aura.
She closed her eyes quietly, carefully savoring that aura, her expression gradually softening.
That aura was indeed like a spring breeze, intoxicating. It was hard to imagine that if fully released, anyone could resist such temptation.
She opened her eyes, lightly tapped the table, and signaled Chen Changsheng to drink tea.
Chen Changsheng had been holding the teacup in his hand. He took a sip, then set it down.
He looked at the middle-aged woman, wanted to say something, closed his mouth, but finally couldn’t hold back.
“I… probably won’t be coming here anymore.”
He paused for a moment, then looked at her and continued, “I am Chen Changsheng.”
She gazed at him quietly, her expression unchanged.
Chen Changsheng was first surprised, then laughed self-deprecatingly. In two years of so many encounters, with the middle-aged woman’s unfathomable level of cultivation, she had naturally long known his origins.
“Since you know who I am, you probably also know my current situation,” he said, looking down at the tea in his cup, as clear as water, his voice also becoming as light as water. “I still don’t know who you are, and perhaps that’s why I feel I can say things to you that I can’t say to others.”
She gazed at him quietly, still without any reaction.
In Chen Changsheng’s view, or perhaps he chose to see it as encouragement.
He thought for a moment, then said, “I’m about to die.”
Then he began to tell his story, starting from before his birth—of course, it was the result of the Heavenly Fortune Elder’s divination and calculations—then moving to after his birth, which was a scene described by Senior Brother Yu Ren: the clear stream and the golden dragon. Next came his life in the old temple of Xining Town, then his journey to the capital to break off the engagement, and all the stories that followed, up to the present.
In the old temple of Xining Town, there had been no one to talk to, so he had developed a taciturn nature. Only after arriving in the capital had he improved, especially after meeting Tang Thirty-Six. Occasionally, he would show his talkative side. With Xu Yourong, he also had many things to say, but none of it matched the amount he spoke tonight.
He sorted through his life, then murmured it all to her.
“The Demon Lord went to the Cold Mountain. I had my suspicions then, but no evidence. Now, though… the situation is clear. I know my master is using me.”
He concluded, “But I’ve always had that illness. It’s ultimately a matter of bad fate. Who can I blame?”
No matter what he said, she only listened quietly, occasionally taking a sip of tea, her expression very calm.
It was as if names like Xining Town’s old temple, the golden dragon, the Holy Light Continent, Chen Xuanba, and Zhou Du|fu held no shock for her.
After finishing his account, Chen Changsheng’s mouth was dry. He drank the remaining tea in his cup before realizing she had been too calm.
This made her seem even more mysterious in his eyes.
“You… who exactly are you?”
He looked at her curiously.
The Herb Garden was very quiet. Not a single breeze stirred, so naturally there was no wind sound. The light rain suddenly stopped, so there was no rain sound either.
Even the mournful cries of insects in the corners of the walls and among the grass vanished.
After a long silence, a voice suddenly rang out.
“Who am I?”
Chen Changsheng was extremely startled, because she had spoken.
He heard it clearly—those three words came from her lips.
He had always thought she couldn’t speak.
In two years, he had always done the talking, and she had never uttered a word.
Yet it turned out she could speak; she just didn’t want to.
Who was she?
Beyond his shock, Chen Changsheng suddenly felt an intense alertness and unease.
Because she stood up.
She suddenly became immensely tall, as if a mountain had appeared between heaven and earth.
She slowly clasped her hands behind her back, her robe sleeves lightly brushing, and a great wind arose in the grove.
She looked down at Chen Changsheng from on high, her expression indifferent, and the temperature in the grove dropped several degrees.
The night wind lightly brushed her face. Her brows extended toward her temples, like swords about to fly, or wings about to spread.
Her eyes became exceptionally bright and spirited, as if stars shone within them.
That ordinary face, in the span of a few breaths, transformed into the most beautiful face one could imagine.
The aura emanating from her became overwhelmingly powerful.
Who was she?
She was, of course, the one and only under heaven and earth: Her Holiness the Heavenly Sea Empress.
The grove in the Herb Garden grew even quieter.
Chen Changsheng held his teacup, too shocked to set it down.
No one knew how long passed before he came to his senses and placed the cup on the table.
He was silent for a long time, then looked at the teacup and said, “Greetings.”
Two very simple words, the proper courtesy, but they were the last thing that should have passed between them.
His voice was very calm, but his emotions were unimaginably complex.
At the same time, he figured out a few things.
When Xu Yourong entered the Zhou Garden, she had also disguised herself, and no one could see through it. Later, she said it was a secret technique of the Qing Yao Thirteen Divisions. But he had read through the Daoist canon and never heard of it.
Now, of course, he knew that Xu Yourong’s disguise and the Empress’s methods were the same—perhaps because of the Phoenix’s ability to freely transform?
“Shouldn’t you call me mother?” the Heavenly Sea Empress said, looking at him.
When she said this, her voice was very indifferent, though it was unclear if it truly carried no emotion.
Chen Changsheng raised his head and looked at this woman, so beautiful it was hard to gaze upon. He thought, is this my mother?
In the years since his master had picked him up by the stream and brought him to the old temple of Xining Town, he had of course pondered this question countless times: who were his parents? But he had never found an answer.
It wasn’t until last year, when that rumor began to spread in the capital, that he started to face this question again. Then, some time ago in the Cold Mountain, he had received a certain degree of confirmation.
Whether before or after the rumor, he had occasionally thought: if they met… what would that scene be like? What should he do? Even when he jumped out of the small building window at the National Academy, determined to go to the palace and face her, he was still thinking about these questions.
But now that the real meeting had come, he realized all his preparations were meaningless.
His mind was dazed, his body cold.
He looked at her indifferent, beautiful face and couldn’t find even a trace of what he had once tried to seek—like warmth.
The Heavenly Sea Empress sensed his emotional shift and raised an eyebrow. “Worthless thing. I shouldn’t have given birth to you in the first place.”
When she said this, her brows were like swords, as if they might fly into the night sky at any moment.
Combined with the indifference in her eyes and brows, it made her feel even colder.
Chen Changsheng was a bit angry, his breath slightly rough as he said, “I just went to kill Zhou Tong.”
This statement, appearing at this moment, seemed somewhat abrupt and inexplicable.
The Heavenly Sea Empress said, “Trying to prove you’re somewhat useful? Have the courage to face this world? Asking me for a few candies?”
Chen Changsheng thought, that’s not it. I just wanted to tell you that some things you don’t care about, I can also not care about. I have the courage to kill Zhou Tong, so I have the courage to face you.
Even if we are mother and son, even if you are a mother cold enough to kill her own son with her own hands.