1243 Route of Retreat; Resolve (2/2)
The ladies were shocked.
”There was nothing about this calamity heard in the world. Suddenly, it started. For some days, nobody even noticed it's existence. Whoever is performing it must be powerful enough even to turn the world upside-down… Therefore, even though having faith in our sect Qiong-Hua Palace, I still can't be certain for a positive result. Nor can I face it with a relaxed mood.”
She blandly continued, ”In this critical time, I insist that we should hold a big wedding ceremony, because first of all, we need to show the world our unquestionable dominant power, to tell the world how destructive our counter-attack can be to those who dare to offend us, and second, we should tell the entire world that Yue Gongxue is no longer a member of Qiong-Hua Palace!”
”We may get through the calamity till things were settled, and by then, Yue Gongxue won't be one of us anymore. It is reasonable that we hold a proper wedding for her before anything unfortunate happens. If… If Qiong-Hua Palace doesn't get the fortune to survive the disaster…” The Moon Queen spoke in a deep voice, ”If we all die before the end… Yue Gongxue, whom we are expelling from the sect, will become… the only remaining seed of Qiong-Hua Palace… She used to be our Saintess. Maybe she is weak in cultivation, but what she has mastered were all the best parts of Qiong-Hua Palace's martial arts. We all know that this is why I wouldn't let her go with Ye Nantian. I would never take the risk of leaking our secret martial arts to the world! However, things have changed. We may need her to keep the continuity of the great Qiong-Hua Palace!”
”No matter she is or not resentful and full of grudge about the palace, what she has… the significant knowledge in her head…” The Moon Queen took a long breath and said, ”…is always the heritage of Qiong-Hua Palace!”
”That would be the last step we make! The most helpless one!”
The elders all took a tumble. They never thought that the Moon Queen would have had such a profound view of the future.
No matter what the calamity in the future would bring to Qiong-Hua Palace, the Moon Queen had prepared for it.
The inheritance of a great sect always went beyond the vicissitude of it, because it was much worse to lose inheritance than to end in collapse. If the inheritance were cut, the sect would lose the possibility to last any longer!
”I am afraid I am not the only person in the palace who are making way open for the future…” The Moon Queen spoke in a deep voice, ”I hope that… what I said will be the what happens in the future.”
The others nodded, with sullenness in the face.
It was an important issue for the palace to protect the inheritance. Whoever leaked the information would definitely become a sinner in the history of Qiong-Hua Palace, that would be ironed with the mark of a traitor for a lifetime!
”From now on, all members of Qiong-Hua Palace, including the elders and the grand elders… must keep in mind the names of the people to whom you have the most to complain about… because for the coming days, you will be practicing with the people you hated the most in the palace so that we can be more and more in unity and harmony. We shall give up all the personal animosity against any others, and prepared both your souls and bodies to confront the calamity before us!” The Moon Queen sounded strict. ”Whoever dares to haggle over every petty thing during this critical time… I will be happy to see her death!”
The main hall was in sudden silence.
”Ladies, let's wait for more messages to come!”
The Moon Queen looked around the ladies with a profound look in the face and then walked away.
”The wedding is tomorrow. It is a good day! All must join the ceremony! We don't need the other sects to come for congratulation. Just cut it.”
The last few words were resounding in the hall, yet the Moon Queen had already gone.
The ladies in the hall all looked sullen and anxious. Nobody dared to leave even after a long while.
…
When Yue Shuang and Yue Han arrived at the Moon Queen's residence, the Moon Queen was staring at the ice and snow of the mountains in the distance. All that filled her sight was desolation.
”Yue Gongxue will leave for Ye Clan with Ye Nantian. You two will protect them on the way… I am afraid there will be troubles… Please, elders, go with them on the same way back to Ye Clan. Make sure everything goes right.” The Moon Queen didn't turn to look at them.
Yue Shuang nodded and said, ”We certainly will. However…”
”What?” The Moon Queen blandly asked. That was just one word, yet it sounded powerful like the abruption of a volcano.
Yue Shuang hesitated and said, ”We, all that have attended the meeting, understand what you have in your mind as we all heard your words… However, Yue Gongxue, as the bride, doesn't know a word of it. She will become an abandoned disciple, leave the sect to marry a man… Isn't it unfair for her to keep the truth from her?”
The Moon Queen fast turned around and stared at Yue Shuang.
In her eyes, there seemed to be tears, but also the flame of anger.
Yue Shuang was frightened, so she said, ”Moon Queen! Why? Did I say anything wrong?”
The Moon Queen couldn't bear the emotion anymore, so she grabbed Yue Shuang's clothes and spoke in a sincere voice word by word, ”Elder Shuang, I know you are asking this dumb question for the sake of her… even for the sake of Ye Clan… But… you know what…”
She paused and spoke in a low voice, but with the voice growling through her teeth, ”Yue Gongxue… is my daughter!”
”She is my daughter! I brought her to the world after ten months of difficult pregnancy… I am her mother! Elder Shuang, I will give up everything to protect her! How would I do anything to hurt her?”
Her voice was no longer elegant and imposing as usual. She was more like a wounded animal, growling in pain for her beloved child.
Yue Shuang and Yue Han were both stunned!
[Yue Gongxue… is the Moon Queen's daughter?]
[What…]
[Is this even possible?]
[Isn't it unbelievable? Isn't it scary?]
”You have all the rights to have doubts about it, but I won't waste my time explaining it. I can only assure you that all I am doing is merely the best way to protect Xue-er. Don't you agree, elders?”
The Moon Queen bitterly laughed and continued, ”Two halls, three palaces, and seven great sects have sent people to Heaven's Terrace. It made an incredibly powerful team… All these people together must be even stronger than the entire Qiong-Hua Palace. So many superior cultivators… actually all have gone missing at the same time… We can't be careless on this, can we? Isn't it obvious? Don't you see what is going to happen?”
”I am surely not as good as you at shouting out for fights and acting on impulse without consideration!” She fiercely said, ”But when we are talking about self-protection, protecting the inheritance, playing schemes, cutting our hearts to achieve the greater thing for the palace…”
”You have to know that you are not a patch on me!” She shouted out the last words.
Yue Shuang and Yue Han both lowered their heads.
”Grievance… they say… Well, who can really escape from grievance in the history?” The Moon Queen furiously said, ”Is there anybody who actually had a successful and fortunate life? If we can not even endure such grievance, then Qiong-Hua Palace deserves to die, and the only people we can blame are ourselves!
”Yue Gongxue is my daughter! And she has to accept the fate to be a daughter to me!
”She was the Saintess, so she had to bear the responsibility!
”In the past, at present, or in the future… she has to bear it!
”No excuses!
”Do you understand?
”Do you?”
She tried to lower her voice down and growled through her teeth like crazy. Finally, she got the opportunity to vent out all the grudge and sadness that had been buried inside her for all those years!
The growl of her made every of her word sound like bursting out from deep inside her heart with blasting!
She didn't know why she would lose control either. Nor had she thought that she would expose the biggest secret in her heart to someone else!
After all, she needed to let it out!
If not… she might never be going to have the chance anymore.
…
The next day.
It must be the most memorable, enjoyable, and cheerful day in Ye Nantian and Yue Gongxue's lives!
Qiong-Hua Palace had approved the marriage due to the Moon Queen's promise. Yue Gongxue was going to marry Ye Nantian officially.
The entire palace would wish them all the best!
However, they would also expel Yue Gongxue on the same day. Yue Gongxue and Qiong-Hua Palace wouldn't be related anymore after the wedding. Even though she would still be in touch with Qiong-Hua Palace, the palace would never admit her!
That meant Yue Gongxue got to do whatever she wanted after leaving Qiong-Hua Palace.
No matter what happened afterward—maybe she would become wealthy, powerful, dominant, or world-reigning… Qiong-Hua Palace would share no joy of it.
No matter what happened to her, death or life, honor or shame, she would never get any warmth from Qiong-Hua Palace.
She was no more than a stranger to the palace.
When Yue Gongxue heard the announcement, she nearly freaked out because of the sadness.
She was still recollecting the warmth of her master's arms… enjoying the tenderness…
Yet after just one night, her world was turned upside-down. She was no longer close to the Moon Queen anymore. In fact, she felt like just a stranger to her master and the palace!
…