CH 132

Hope

The door of the Immortal Hall, which sits between the clouds, was open, and there was a sad-faced little boy sitting on the door barrier. When he saw Yan Yuan's figure appear at the bottom of the jade steps, A’Zhi immediately got up and ran down, jumping into Yan Yuan's arms, who was crouching low, and wrapped his arms around his neck.

"Father... you and Mother have gone to a good place and did not take A'Zhi with you."

Yan Yuan smiled as he picked A'Zhi up and gently evaded, "I'll take you there next time."

The injuries he had sustained were so severe that Yan Yuan was still asleep this morning when Lian Bi came to deliver the message. When he heard that Xuan Long had asked him to meet him at his usual place, he got up in a hurry and asked the immortal eunuch to come in and dress him and tie his hair. A'Zhi was so happy to see him leave, but he seemed to have lost his soul when he returned. Even though he was smiling, the father and son knew each other so well that it was impossible for A'Zhi not to see that Yan Yuan was in a depressed mood.

He knew that his father was in pain and did not want him to hold him, so he told him that he wanted to get down and walk on his own, but Yan Yuan was still smiling, looking at him with a look that A'Zhi did not quite understand, and said in a soft voice, "Father wants to hold A'Zhi more."

There would be plenty of opportunities for him to do so in the future, and he wouldn't grow up so quickly that he couldn't be held by his father. But since Yan Yuan had said so, A'Zhi could not bear to refuse him, so he nestled in his arms and did not move, asking in a small voice:

"Has Mother forgiven Father?"

"Not yet."

"Then when will Mother forgive Father?..."

In A'Zhi's perception, there was no such thing as a hurdle that a family could not overcome; Father was so good, even if he had made a mistake, how wrong could he be?

He did not know how complicated the world of adults was, and Yan Yuan was not prepared to explain it to him.

"Maybe it will be soon."

A'Zhi looked worriedly at Yan Yuan's bloodless face and lifted his small hand to touch it gently, "Father, don't be sad, A'Zhi will always be with you."

Yan Yuan stepped through the door and leaned over to kiss him on the forehead, “En, Father is not sad."

A'Zhi was still young, and having grown up in the mortal world, he had not changed his habit of eating his meals on time every day. He was so worried about the injuries on his father's body that he could not eat his meals, but when he saw that Yan Yuan had returned safely, he was relieved.

The breakfast was nicely laid out on the table, the bowls and chopsticks untouched. Yan Yuan knew that A'Zhi was waiting for him, so he carried the little boy and placed him on a chair at the table, then sat down next to A'Zhi. He picked up a white jade spoon and gave him a small bowl of porridge from the larger container.

"In future, if Father is not here, A'Zhi should not wait."

"Remember to eat well so that you can grow taller quickly and protect your mother."

As for why his father would not be here, Yan Yuan had already explained that as the Heavenly Emperor, he would have many things to do. A'Zhi did not have any doubts, and holding the porridge handed over by his father, he softly answered:

"A'Zhi understands."

"A'Zhi will grow up quickly so that he can protect Father and Mother."

Only when Yan Yuan had finished serving the congee to him, did A'Zhi pick up the spoon with his little hand and put a mouthful into his mouth.

"Father, this fish congee smells so good, will Mother like it?"

The soft fish congee melted in his mouth, with a mellow fragrance and umami flavour. The fish was from Yao Chi, so it was much tastier than the fish in the mortal world. A handful of spring onions garnished the congee with colour, fragrance and flavour.

Yan Yuan suddenly remembered that when he was in the mortal world, he was so obsessed with Ning Zhiyu that he did not care about Xuan Long, and even transferred the competent palace staff at the dragon's side, causing him to be bullied by the evil servants, so he could only eat rancid steamed buns and white rice every day. It was only when Hu Le had the guts to steal a fresh fish that Xuan Long could eat one.

For the sake of the two carp that Ning Zhiyu had raised, he put the dragon in the heavenly prison and told him to suffer the pain of imprisonment while pregnant...

"Father, what's wrong with you... why are your eyes red?"

Yan Yuan returned to his senses, conscious of his lapse, and did not move to stifle the sourness in his eyes. Lifting his chopsticks, he served A'Zhi some small dishes and smiled.

"You love fish, just like your mother."

"When A'Zhi has finished his breakfast, bring some fish congee to your mother, and you can ask him yourself if he likes it."

A'Zhi nodded and said okay, and later looked at his father with his spoon in his hand, "Perhaps Mother has already had his breakfast."

"It's alright, even if your mother has had breakfast, he will be happy to see you." Yan Yuan looked at the little boy beside him and raised his hand to touch his dragon's horn.

A'Zhi was concerned about his mother, otherwise he would not have thought of Xuan Long when he ate a bowl of delicious porridge, but the state Yan Yuan was in now made him feel uneasy for no reason, and he did not want to leave him. He asked in a whisper, "Then shall Father and A'Zhi go together?"

“En." Yan Yuan said in a low voice. "Father will see you off."

Father will see you off.

The same as last time, not entering the door.

A'Zhi wanted to ask another question, but for fear of upsetting his father, he held back, squeezing his spoon and stuffing his mouth with congee.

Yan Yuan asked the immortal eunuch to prepare another hot fish congee in a white jade box, and after the meal, he took A'Zhi to General Xuan Hall.

The doors of the hall were closed and there were two immortal eunuchs outside the door watering two white trees, one on the left and one on the right. Yan Yuan appeared outside the hall with A'Zhi in his arms, just in time to bump into Xuan Long who had returned from an unknown location.

The three of them appeared at the same time and their eyes met unexpectedly, and they all froze. It was Yan Yuan who reacted first, smiling unhurriedly at the man in black clothes in front of him, his expression all soft and serene.

"This morning's fish congee was good, A'Zhi missed you and insisted that I bring you some."

The two of them had met not long ago. After Xuan Long had asked him to marry a new empress, he had promised Xuan Long that he would never appear in front of him again, but he had never expected to see him again so soon.

After all, there was little A'Zhi in their lives, and it was impossible not to see him forever. Yan Yuan cherished every chance he had to see Xuan Long again, and even though his heart was churning with waves that were strong enough to drown him, he exchanged pleasantries with him as if he had not seen him for a long time, a familiarity with a touch of distance.

After all, they could not go back.

Xuan Long stood a few feet away from the father and son, watching them in silence.

Yan Yuan bent down and placed A'Zhi firmly on the ground, manifested a white jade carrying box and handed it to A'Zhi, then finally stroked A'Zhi's head and said with curved lips, "Go."

A'Zhi took a step forward with the white jade food box, then turned back and looked at his father for a few good moments before slowly walking towards Xuan Long, lifting the box with both hands and handing it to him, "Mother... have you had breakfast yet?"

Xuan Long took the white jade box and curved his lips, "Not yet."

"Thank you, A'Zhi."

A'Zhi was happy to see his mother, his eyes shining brightly as he whispered, "This porridge is delicious, A'Zhi ate two bowls this morning."

"Mmm." Xuan Long's heart softened.

A'Zhi went to Xuan Long's side and took his empty left hand, and the two of them stood together, the morning sun falling on them, coated them with a thin layer of golden light.

A'Zhi looked at Yan Yuan, who was not far away, and felt that his father was standing there alone, which made him very sad. With red eyes, he tilted his head and said to Xuan Long, "Mother, it is actually Father who misses you..."

"Mother, don't be angry with Father, okay?..."

Xuan Long did not say anything, seemingly indifferent.

Yan Yuan knew he was sad to see A'Zhi, and his heart would certainly not feel better. Originally, he wanted to see him, so he was a bit reluctant to leave and wanted to wait for Xuan Long to take the child inside before he left.

Now that the child was making things difficult for him, Yan Yuan was not very happy in his heart.

This was the person he had loved for tens of thousands of years. Before he fell into the mortal world, he had fought against the Heavenly Way in order to love and hold on to Xuan Long. Once he got him, he loved and cherished him like a treasure, not wanting to let him suffer even a little.

Who would have thought that after a life spent in the mortal world, he would have gone blind and not recognised the person next to him, forcing Xuan Long to the brink of extinction.

Anyone who has caused a loved one to die in front of his or her eyes would not be able to accept it after sobering up. Yan Yuan was still unable to reconcile with himself, and could not bear to see Xuan Long feel any more sad.

"A'Zhi, don't speak of this anymore, don't make things difficult for your mother."

"Father has things to do, so I'll leave now. Be good and listen to your mother, say something cheerful, and don't mention anything that upsets your mother, okay?"

After Xuan Long's departure, A'Zhi became Yan Yuan's only concern, the most precious thing in his heart that even a heavy word would cause pain to him, so Yan Yuan was never angry with A'Zhi. At this time, he still explained his words without any haste, and with a gentle smile.

A'Zhi held back his tears: “En... I know."

"A'Zhi is the most obedient." Yan Yuan coaxed him.

"Later, Father will reward you."

"How about candied haws? Father will go to Earth to buy them, so you can eat them when you return."

A'Zhi didn't really want candied haws, he wanted his father, his mother and him, all three of them to be happy together; that was the wish he shared with his father on earth.

But his father's smile caused him a lot of heartache. He had no choice, and he couldn't bear to refuse, “En,  okay..."

A few breaths later, Yan Yuan turned around. No more words were spoken with Xuan Long.

A'Zhi looked at his father's distant back. The morning sun was vibrant, clearly revealing the sadness. He thought of the way his father took his hand before he died in the mortal world to tell him how much he missed his mother, and now that he saw it, he had to pretend it didn't matter.

"Father..." A'Zhi called in a small voice.

His father was not busy with anything, his wounds had not yet healed and he was mostly bedridden these days, so when he said he was busy, it was just an excuse not to talk to his mother.

When he had gone farther, Yan Yuan conjured up a jade pendant with an iris in his hand, held it over his heart and looked at it carefully, then put it to his heart.

As a god himself, he could sense when his fortune was about to fall and when heavenly punishment was about to come, his time was running out.

His vision was blurred and his throat itched. Yan Yuan lifted his sleeve to cover his lips and coughed, and a large splash of blood spread on his snow-white sleeve. He had been poisoned by the ancient divine beast and his wounds were slow to heal as a result, but none of that mattered.

When he returned to Dongji Hall, his consciousness was already blurred, and he was about to collapse as he held onto the doorway. His eyes went dark and he was about to collapse when he was suddenly held by a pair of arms.

Yan Yuan twisted his head sluggishly to see the other party, who was dressed in black, and murmured joyfully, “A'Po..."

"Look at who I am clearly." Ye Ling said with his voice transmission technique.

A stern voice bore into his mind and Yan Yuan came to his senses afterwards, "… Mother."

Ye Ling assisted Yan Yuan into the hall and helped him lie down on the bed.

"You will be marrying a new empress on the 15th of next month, so cheer up."

"Drink the medicine." A white jade bottle appeared in his palm and he handed it to Yan Yuan.

Yan Yuan's eyes were closed and he did not move.

Ye Ling knew that his heart was dead, and that he needed something to motivate him to live.

"The demon bewitched you with demonic compulsions, causing you to lose your mind and forcing Xuan Long to die. Before your great revenge could be fulfilled and before you could get your wife back, are you really willing to degenerate like this?"

Yan Yuan did not respond at first, but after a long time, he slowly opened his bloodshot eyes and twisted his head to look at Ye Ling: "Demonic compulsion?..."

Ye Ling pondered for a moment and conjured up the Mirror of the Past.

"The reason you were able to do this to Xuan Long was because you were confused by the demonic compulsion. Whether you say it was arranged by Heaven or fate, the demon is ultimately to blame for this matter. I did not tell you earlier because the time was not yet right."

"Now that the Xuan Long has been resurrected, it is time for you to know the truth."

The palm-sized round mirror was thrown into the air by Ye Ling and instantly became a thousand times bigger. The image of the demon compelling Ning Zhiyu to plant the demonic compulsion in Yan Yuan's past life appeared in the mirror.

Yan Yuan saw that he had fallen in love with Xuan Long all over again, and after being infected by the demonic compulsion, he had changed his heart overnight, becoming iron-hearted and tyrannical.

The more he loved Ning Zhiyu, the crueller he became to Xuan Long.

With his fingertips dug deep into the bed, Yan Yuan stared at the nightmarish scene in the Mirror of the Past, as tears of blood flowed from his eyes.

People have seven emotions and six desires, but Yan Yuan had lost his desire for evil and anger in Nuwa's realm, as well as his senses of hearing, smell and taste, these two emotions and three senses, his soul and body were no longer intact. Even after the greatest torture, he was unable to feel anger again, and what he felt instead was the ultimate sadness.

The question that once eluded him became clear.

It turned out... that he had been struck by a demonic compulsion... no wonder... no wonder...

"Do not blame Immortal Monarch Zhiyu, he is destined to love you, he is also a victim of the demonic compulsion. If you want to avenge Xuan Long, then go and kill the demon."

"Bring back Immortal Monarch Zhiyu."

"Save your life first, and later, perhaps you and Xuan Long will still have a chance."

Ye Ling bent down and wiped the bloody tears off Yan Yuan's face with her fingertips, "If you live... there is hope."