Heavenly Star

After repetitive expressions of gratitude, the civil and military officials stood up in unison. They aligned themselves to neither side to remain uninvolved. Ye Wuchen’s face composed, his thoughts wandered. Apparently, Grandpa Chu had a good reputation in Tian Long Nation for single-handedly rescuing the entire nation. Could it be that the so-called God-level indeed held such extremely high levels of strength? Furthermore that Long Yin, the better he treated me, the more it indicates that he had strong intentions to kill me. His so-called betrothal to the princess seemed like a particularly special favor, but in reality...... if the person died, then the princess would not have to get married. So the so-called special favor would not only disappear, but it would keep the entire Ye family indebted to such a “favor” compelling them to do their best efforts in protecting the Tian Long Royal Family.

“Ye Wuchen, step in front to receive the command.”

“Yes!”

“Please accept the Mandate of Heaven, the Imperial Order of the Emperor… bestowing the title of third rank marquis, a reward of a thousand pieces of gold, thirty thousand pieces of silver, three boxes of jade artifacts, and a marquis residence for one. Furthermore, the granting of the marriage with Princess Fei Huang, to be completed when Princess Fei Huang has reached the age of sixteen. With the blessings of His Majesty! Wuchen of the Ye Family, please receive this Imperial Decree.”

…………………...

Stepping out of the main hall, the sky shone brightly outside. Ye Wuchen yawned, then asked Ye Wei beside him, “Princess Fei Huang is?”

“You’ve already met her.” Ye Wei said with a smile. How could he forgot the incident where Ye Wuchen had offended Long Huang-er previously. It was known to everybody in the entire palace because of this little chaos-starting princess. However, from the beginning to the end Long Yin did not involve himself in this incident, so this matter had been left unsettled.

“Oh, so it was that little princess.” Ye Wuchen shrugged, feeling listless. Long Huang-er did not have any of the graceful and honorable traits that a princess should have. Obviously a spoiled, crafty, and unruly girl. This kind of girl can only be kept for amusement, but was definitely not fit to be a wife.

“Princess Fei Huang is the most favored daughter of the Emperor. Her birth mother had been the most loved imperial consort of the Emperor, who died after Princess Fei Huang’s difficult birth. The Emperor suffered a lot of pain for a very long time. He dearly loved the daughter that was left behind, docile and obedient to her wishes. That is why her character was like that of a spoiled child, it should gradually improve after a few years.” Ye Wei said.

Ye Wuchen laughed nonchalantly, “I hope so.”

However, in his mind, he knew that the marriage was just a pretense. If he still remains with the Ye Family after three years, Long Yin will surely use any excuse to cancel this marriage. If the Long Yin allowed it to push through, he would no longer be a part of the Ye Family after three years. A month… or even half a month, after he does what he needs to do for the Ye Family, he would leave. He would not owe the Ye Family and neither would he agree to be the young master of Ye.

Back at his own courtyard, he saw someone standing beside the pond. The figure looked like a very thin ice sculpture. Before approaching, he felt a distinct coldness. Upon hearing his footsteps, the figure turned, staring directly at Ye Wuchen.

Ye Qi promptly approached them, groveling. “Young Master, you have returned. A while ago I just…”

Ye Wuchen lifted his hand to quiet Ye Qi then gestured for him to withdraw. He faced Leng Ya and said, “Take me to your mother.”

He did not have superfluous words for this kind of person. His kind did not need to be pacified or motivated, his kind only heeded facts.

Leng Ya headed towards a room in the east side, where Ye Qi and Ye Ba had originally resided. They had gone to fetch Leng Ya and his mother, after which they were not able to find a place for them and did not dare to act on their own volition, so they let the sickly woman lay in their room.

Leng Ya slowly pushed the door open, then headed inside. Ye Wuchen saw a woman with half a head of white hair lying on the bed. Upon hearing the sounds, she used her hands to prop up her body, and said weakly, “Xiao Feng, is that you?”

Leng Ya hurriedly go over to help her, speaking softly, “Mom, it’s me. Don’t get up. You must be tired from the journey, you need to rest.”

“No need, I’m okay. I heard two sets of footsteps, are you with the one who has offered us shelter?”

After becoming blind, her other senses would certainly improve, particularly her hearing. In addition, Leng Ya and Ye Wuchen purposely refrained from lowering the sound of their footsteps, so she could clearly hear them. Ye Wuchen smiled and said, “Auntie, it’s good to see you. My name is Ye Wuchen, Leng Ya’s friend. This is my home.”

Leng Ya did not rebuke, or respond at all.

She was moved by emotion and responded, “Good… thank you for offering shelter to us mother and son. Can I call you Xiao Chen?”

“Of course.”

Ye Wuchen approached, then his gaze swept across her face, after which he asked, “Auntie, what happened to your eyes?”

Leng Ya’s mother forced a smile. “My eyes have been blind for ten years. I’ve already gotten used to it. The one and only hardship is, despite Feng-er always by my side, I am not able to see him and not know what he has become….”

“Mother…” Leng Ya called out emotionally, his whole body twitching slightly.

Ye Wuchen suddenly reached out a hand, covering her eyes. Slowly brushing over them, a colorless light permeated through her eyes. When he withdrew his hands, he left without saying a word, even as he closed the door.

Leng Ya followed him with his gaze, making no sound or even attempt to stop his actions. When they were left alone in the room, he still did not understand what happened.

As soon as Ye Wuchen left, he turned around to look over his mother to discover her once turbid eyes now clear. Moreover… he had felt her sight, as well as her gaze.

Leng Ya was suddenly stunned, directly looking at the pair eyes in front of him but could not believe the voice in his heart. Those eyes were also flickering with both surprise and confusion, mirroring his own thoughts that refused to believe that this was now reality.

A pair of withered hands trembled while reaching for Leng Ya’s face, slowly caressing and stroking, “Xiao Feng…. You are Xiao Feng… mother can now see you, mother is finally able to see you…”

Leng Ya seemed like he was struck by a heavy hammer, his whole body shaking intensely. The next second, his tears gushed out like a small stream. Circumstances hardened him long ago, but now this cold-blooded man tossed everything away at this very moment to throw himself into the embrace of his mother and wailed. Unburdened after the ten long years of pain and resentment. It continued for a very very long time…...

“Struck by a sword, and judging from the wound, both eyes were blinded at the same time. The eyeballs stayed intact, but had completely gone blind. The level of difficulty she experienced was quite unimaginable. There were only a few people in Heavenly Star Continent who could do such a thing.”

He can faintly hear weeping from the mother and son. Ye Wuchen returned to his room still pondering.

Upon entering his room, Ning Xue, still hiding under the quilt, opened her eyes. She extended her petite arms, and said affectionately, “Brother, help me put on my clothes.”

Ye Wuchen laughed, approaching the bedside to retrieve her clothes. “Xue-er, you are becoming more and more lazy.”

“That’s because I like being dressed by brother.” Ning Xue said softly, still acting like a spoiled child. Ye Wuchen gathered her quilt bound body in his arms and helped her dress up.

Translated by: Fatty_Uncle

Edited by: seriouspopato and patrick_father_of_dragons