To Yun Che, it was a love debt that could never be paid back in full.
Xia Qingyue had given him her whole life and left behind only infinite regret, guilt, sorrow, infamy, and an old bronze mirror for herself.
Yun Che held the bronze mirror gently as his tears splattered against its surface. Realistically, palming the bronze mirror was the most intimate he could be with her now. If he still wished to hold her in his arms, he could only do so in his dreams, now and forever.
She used to treasure the bronze mirror so much that she wore it around her neck day and night. However, it later became a constant reminder of her essence and the cruel truth behind itâŠ
Even still, she probably hoped that Jin Yue would disobey her order when she entrusted the object to her to destroy. She was an intelligent woman, and she knew Jin Yue like the back of her hand after all.
Her fate pained her and filled her with resentment, but it was still her only memento of her late mother. That was why she ultimately gave up the choice to her most trusted aide, Jin Yue.
Later on, she forbad Jin Yue from getting close to her to the point where she wouldnât even speak to her unless they were separated by a curtain. It was because she was afraid that she would bring calamity upon her aide. The fact that she chased her away instead of making her leave with Yue Wuji and the Moon Gods was proof of her love for Jin Yue.
However, he had nearlyâŠ
He slowly flexed his stiffened joints and rose to his feet. The scene before him was exactly the same as it had been, but the world in his eyes was no longer the same as before.
It was a world without the Ancestral Will, Xia Qingyue, and the Chain of Fate.
âYou donât have the right to lead a bad life.â
If it wasnât for the Ancestral Willâs rebuke, he wouldâve taken much, much longer to step out of his dark, dark mental prison.
He pressed the bronze mirror against his chest and whispered, âFrom the Xiao Che whom everyone could scorn, to the Emperor Yun whom everyone had to look up to. Once, I believed that my journey had begun with the Heretic Godâs inheritance. It is only now that I have realized that it was your whole life as well.â
âMeiyin once asked me to treat the world with kindness and compassion⊠I now know that that was your wish. Despite everything you suffered at the hands of fate, you would still repay it with the greatest good.â
âWatch me, Qingyue⊠I promise I will live my life the best way I can, live better than everyone else in this universe, and most of all⊠protect the world who once joined our fates together and made us husband and wife.â
Many years later, when âEmperor Yunâ became worshipped as every living beingâs eternal faith, when no one from the lowest lower realms to the highest king realms would allow even the slightest slander on his person⊠no one knew that his actions were spurred by this, his eternal promise to Xia Qingyue.
Space shifted, and Yun Che appeared in front of Chi Wuyao, Qianye Yingâer, Shui Meiyin, and Mu Xuanyin. He stared at the surprised women who had been watching over him all this time, shot them a faint smile and spoke in a raspy but warm voice, âSorry for worrying you all again.â
âI had a long dream. I think I understand why my dreams have been so dark now. Itâs because someone stole all the light in the dreams and reflected them all into my reality. They continued to do so even after their world had succumbed to eternal darkness.â
âThat is why,â he opened his arms wide, âI no longer have the right to disappoint any ray of light that exists in this world.â
His soft words struck their hearts like a hammer and slowly melted the heavy pressure and worry they had been holding until now.
âBig Brother Yun Che!â Shui Meiyin jumped into Yun Cheâs embrace and cried her heart out. She had already cried too many times in the past couple days, and they only worsened the weight and pain in her heart each time she gave in to the impulse. But no more. Finally, she could cry in relief instead of pain.
Yun Che held Meiyin tightly. She had already endured too much for his sake over the past couple years. From now on, he wouldnât allow her to hide a soul-wrenching pain behind her smile any longer.
He suddenly looked at Chi Wuyao and asked, âCan an emperor have two empresses, Wuyao?â
Surprised flashed across Chi Wuyaoâs features, but she quickly broke into a smile and answered, âIf you were any other emperor, then there are many things you must consider before making such a decision. But you arenât any other emperor, are you? Whatever your wish may be, you simply need to will it to see it done!â
Yun Che couldâve made the decision without asking her opinion, but he still did it because he respected her and cared for her feelings. She understood that.
âYou wish to make Xia Qingyue your queen?â Mu Xuanyin cut to the chase in the most direct manner possible.
âYes.â Yun Che nodded. âWhat I owe her can never⊠ever⊠ever be repaid. I can only⊠onlyâŠâ
Although he had returned to a state of calm a while ago, a light poke at the wound still pained him to the point of suffocation. He shook his head to steady himself before continuing, âWhen she and I were married in Floating Cloud City, we had had a feast, a ceremony, the blessing of the elders, and half the city as our witnesses. Every step of the wedding ceremonyâescorting the bride, crossing the brazier, ritual kneeling to heaven and earth, and binding our hair together [1]âwas also carried out properly. We were without a doubt husband and wife in every way.â
âMy declaration of divorce back then⊠was just me spilling my blood to vent my emotions. It neither followed the customs nor obeyed the law, so it is completely ineffective!â
âMoreover, our names are still written in the marriage records of Floating Cloud City. Therefore, we have always been husband and wife.â
Even before he realized the truth, he never asked anyone to remove his and Xia Qingyueâs name from Floating Cloud Cityâs marriage records⊠it was almost as if he had completely forgotten about it until just now.
âSo yes⊠I wish to posthumously confer her as my empress.â
âUnderstood,â Chi Wuyao said only one word, but there was no hesitation whatsoever.
âAlsoâŠâ He continued, âI wish to rename our future emperor realm asâŠâ
âDoes âCloud Moon Realmâ sound okay to you?â A smiling Chi Wuyao voiced his thoughts like she could read his mind.
Yun Che was clearly doing everything in his power to make up for past mistakes. One might even say that his decisions were made thoughtlessly. However⊠Xia Qingyue was gone forever. No matter how much he tried to make it up to her, it was all empty and meaningless.
Suddenly, the silent Qianye Yingâer turned away and fell soundlessly toward the ground.
A hand caught her wrist firmly before she could do so, however.
Her eyes trembled against her will. The only person who could grab her without triggering her defensive instinct at all⊠was Yun Che.
âWhere are you going?â Yun Cheâs voice rang behind her. There wasnât enough emotion in his voice for her to identify his current feelings.
She replied without turning back, âYou probably donât want to see me right now. Come find me in the Brahma Monarch God Realm when youâre ready.â
Qianye Yingâer was an extremely prideful woman. She had tried to keep her voice perfectly indifferent and dignified. However, a slight tremor still managed to slip into her voice.
The grip around her wrist loosened a little, but Yun Che didnât let go of her. Instead, he spoke in an extraordinarily warm and gentle voice,
âIf she was the moon who gave me light when I was sunk in darknessâŠâ
âThen you are the shadow who never left my side even during my darkest moments⊠after everything we went through together, do you really think I would let you escape from my side?â
ââŠâ Qianye Yingâer froze, and her eyes suddenly turned terribly blurry.
âRemember what I said about the âfutureâ back when we were still in the Northern Divine Region?â He said softly while staring at one side of her face and golden hair. âIâve never forgotten about it, and you shouldnât either.â
Chi Wuyao: ââŠâ
Mu Xuanyin: ââŠâ
ââŠâ Qianye Yingâer didnât give him an answer. A breeze that was in no way chilly brushed against their bodies, but she started trembling harder, and harder, and harder⊠it just wouldnât stop no matter what.
Still not letting go of Qianye Yingâer, Yun Che patted Shui Meiyin once on the back before whispering, âTake me to⊠that place, Meiyin.â
âQianying, you should come with us as well.â
Qianye Yingâer didnât listen to him, however. She abruptly flung his hand aside before shooting toward the horizon at high speed. She never turned back because she didnât want Yun Che to see her face.
Shui Meiyin was an intelligent girl. She immediately knew where Yun Che was referring to even though he had been vague about it.
âMn!â She responded softly before summoning the World Piercer.
A faint crimson flash later, both of them vanished into thin air.
Mu Xuanyin and Chi Wuyao exchanged a glance with each other.
âHe has changed,â Mu Xuanyin said with a sigh, but it was clearly tinged with relief.
âNo, itâs the world in his eyes thatâs changed completely,â Chi Wuyao replied smilingly.
âMn.â Mu Xuanyin nodded in agreement.
âSay, do you think we should tell him about âYun Xiâ?â Chi Wuyao asked suddenly.
It was rare to see Chi Wuyao consult anyone on anything since she was usually so intelligent and decisive. This was one thing she really couldnât decide, however. Was this a suitable time to tell him the other secret⊠or would there never be such a time?
ââŠâ Mu Xuanyin shook her head. âItâs best we forget about this. Also, youâre the empress. You should worry about yourself first.â
Chi Wuyao bloomed into a smile. âI wouldnât mind making your child the crown prince though?â
ââŠâ Mu Xuanyin turned away and said, âI leave his requests to you. Wuxin must be worried after her father suddenly went missing for so many days.â
Mu Xuanyin went away, but Chi Wuyao didnât leave immediately. She watched the sky for a very long time.
âXia Qingyue, I⊠wasnât wrong about you after all,â She whispered with a smile and finally put down the puzzlement that had rooted itself in her mind for too long⊠or did she?
âWhat was the reason behind your final departure though⊠you wouldnât say it, he wonât say itâŠâ
âSecret. What a wonderful yet annoying word.â She continued smiling. âI suppose I may never be able to let go of you.â
âŠâŠâŠâŠ
In a distant corner of the Southern Divine Region.
Yun Che and Shui Meiyin appeared before a barrier that was forged using the World Piercerâs spatial divine power as the base, and the Moon God Realmâs unique Hidden Moon power as the support. Although it was only a thin layer, it was rough to conceal the auras hidden behind the barrier to a great extent.
This special barrier was the main reason Chi Wuyao was ultimately unable to find the vanished Moon Gods despite mobilizing the forces of all four divine regions to find them.
Now that he was close enough, Yun Che could sense eight different Moon God auras residing inside the barrier.
There were also the auras of twenty seven Moon God Divine Envoys.
âSister Qingyue found this planet and laid down this barrier almost from the very beginning,â Shui Meiyin said softly. âShe told me that she was going to hide the core of the Moon God Realm at this place after Big Brother Yun Che returned. She also asked me to ask you to pardon them and return the Moon God Realm to them after you became the lord and master of the God Realm.â
âŠâŠ
âMeiyin, you are the one who saved his family and his life. Therefore, Iâm sure heâll agree to your request no matter what. Iâm sure that someone as intelligent as you will come up with a better way than me to explain things; a better method that will lead to a better outcome.â
âŠâŠ
Shui Meiyin could never forget anything Xia Qingyue had told her.
ButâŠ
Yun Che didnât say anything. As he began walking, Shui Meiyin made a slicing motion with the World Piercer and followed behind Yun Che into the barrier. No one detected their entry at all.
The Moon Godsâ auras immediately became clear after they entered the barrier. Surprisingly, all eight Moon Gods and twenty seven Moon God Divine Envoys were present at the scene.
Moreover, it sounded like a fierce argument was going on between the Moon Gods; so much so that some of their auras were going out of control.
1. (T/N: yeah, there are a shit load of steps in a traditional Chinese wedding)
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