Suddenly, a clear, crisp, and melodious female voice rang out from the courtyard, "No need to ask anymore, I will personally discuss it with Sect Leader Shi."
My master and I were both stunned for a moment. Lady Qi chuckled and said, "Well, she's come in person. Shi Jing, you can talk to her yourself."
Mother arrived so quickly? The beaded curtain was lifted, and Aunt Gu walked in.
I was so nervous I could barely breathe. My body felt like it was nailed to the spot, and only my eyes could move as I stared blankly at her.
I had met her a few times, but I never imagined she was my mother, so this meeting felt like the first time.
She stood before me, looking at me tenderly. I could almost feel a surge of blood connecting us, a tingling, numb sensation coursing through my body, a particularly intense ache and tingling in my heart, swelling within me.
"MoMo." She smiled slightly at me, a layer of mist flashing in her eyes. My eyes stung, and I didn't dare to blink, afraid that what I was seeing was fake.
The mother smiled bitterly and lowered her eyes. When she looked up again, her beautiful eyes were bright and clear once more. Her gaze shifted, and she glared at her master: "Shi Jing, how dare you threaten me!"
My master was a bit dazed; he didn't speak, just stared at my mother. I noticed that the moment my master saw my mother, his earlier arrogance vanished instantly.
The mother snorted, "You're getting bolder and bolder these days."
Master looked at his mother quietly, as if his tongue had been swallowed, his face showing a peaceful and serene expression, his gaze as gentle as the clear moonlight.
Perhaps my mother felt embarrassed by my master's gaze, because she turned to me and said, "Mo Mo, come with me, I have something to tell you."
Lady Qi quickly smiled and said, "Come, come, let's talk here."
She led my mother and me to a side room and then closed the door.
Like my master, I stared at her intently. She gently raised her hand and rubbed her ears a few times, then slowly peeled off a mask as thin as a cicada's wing from her face. I was stunned.
My mother was so beautiful, so young, with such exquisite features, just like the woman I had always imagined. I wanted to cry or laugh, but I couldn't move. All I could do was stare at her intently.
She came over, took my hand, and said softly, "MoMo, you've grown up."
My eyes welled up with tears, which were about to spill over. I was afraid that they would blur my vision and I wouldn't be able to see my mother's face clearly, so I held them back.
The word "Mother" choked me up. It had been waiting on my lips for many years, and finally it came out naturally, as if I had been calling her that for many years.
Her mother's eyes reddened, and tears streamed down her face. "Mo Mo, you don't blame me?"
I sniffed and quickly said, "I don't blame my mother. I didn't know about my background before and thought I was abandoned by my parents, so I was a little resentful. But Yunzhi told me about my background, and I realized how much pain my mother was going through. How could I resent her then?"
"You've seen him? What did he say?"
I asked cautiously, "He told me about Yun Zhifei. Is he really my father?"
The mother's expression suddenly changed, and she angrily said, "Nonsense, it's not that beast at all."
I was stunned.
"Shi Jingcai is your father."
I was both surprised and delighted, and it took me a long time to come to my senses. Really? I suddenly remembered that when I was a child, my seventh uncle had joked that Xiao Mo's nose and eyebrows looked so much like Shi Jing's. Could it be that children really do resemble their parents? I also suddenly realized that my personality was very similar to my master's.
Overjoyed, I cried, "Mother, why did you send me to the Free and Unfettered Sect without telling Master the truth? He never knew I was his daughter!"
The mother lowered her eyes and said in a low voice, "His uncle is the leader of the martial arts alliance, a highly respected figure, while my father is seen as a demon by righteous people. Good and evil have always been irreconcilable. Your maternal grandfather and his uncle both disagreed with this marriage. I was young and willful, so I thought I would force them to accept it."
As my mother spoke, her eyelids drooped slightly, her long eyelashes fluttered like wings, and a blush rose to her face, making her breathtakingly beautiful. I never imagined that my mother would be so bold as to do such a thing. Not to mention doing it, just listening to it made my face burn.
"Later, I discovered I was pregnant and went to the Xiaoyao Sect to find him. But he happened to be at his uncle's place. I had no choice but to wait for him to return. Yun Zhifei was his fellow disciple, and I had saved him before, so I was not wary of him and told him my identity. Unexpectedly, he harbored evil intentions, hoping to obtain me and then the Chongshan Sword Manual. I was drugged, and in the nick of time, I said I was pregnant with Shi Jing's child. Taking advantage of his momentary shock, I stabbed him with all my might. Actually, I was drugged at the time and my strength was not great, so the stab was not fatal. But it was the dead of winter, and he lay naked on the ground freezing all night before he died."
"At that time, Yun Zhishi had just been appointed as the Commander of Fujian. His men, eager to curry favor with him, sought revenge against me everywhere and even led a group to attack Liujin Island. My father was recovering on the island after being wounded in a fierce battle with Jiang Ruiyang. Not wanting to implicate him, I left Liujin Island. Later, Yun Zhishi finally found me. I was outnumbered and outmatched. To protect you, I told him that I was carrying Yun Zhifei's posthumous child. He was skeptical but ultimately couldn't bring himself to kill me and let me go. After you were born, I took you to Xiaoyao Sect, only to hear that Shi Jing had become the new sect leader and would soon be marrying a new wife. I was heartbroken and furious. In a fit of anger, I put you down and left."
My mother sighed sadly as she finished speaking. I couldn't help but hold her hand, and thinking of her situation and feelings at that time, I felt heartbroken.
"Not long after, I couldn't let you go, so I sneaked back to try and take you away. However, Shi Jing loved you very much and kept you by his side day and night, so I didn't have a chance to make a move. Seeing how much he loved you as his own daughter, my anger subsided a lot. Later, I heard that he had rejected the marriage proposal, and I realized that I had misunderstood him."
"Then why doesn't Mother tell Master and Father the truth so the family can reunite?"
The mother sighed deeply: "How could I not want to? I thought about it for seven whole days at the ferry crossing outside the city. Finally, I decided to leave you."
Why?
"Looking at you reminds me of my childhood. Back then, I was just a child, yet people in the martial world called me a witch. They not only looked at me differently, but also treated me with suspicion and contempt, and some even sought revenge. So my father made me a mask, and I always traveled the martial world incognito. I don't want you to follow in my footsteps. If you're with me, you'll be branded with the mark of the Golden Wave Palace, forever a member of the evil sect, the granddaughter of Murong Chou. I hope you can have a clean background. I'd rather you resent me than bear the name of the little witch of the Golden Wave Palace and be despised by others. I'm even more afraid that your marriage will be as turbulent as mine when you grow up."
I looked at my mother, overwhelmed with emotion. Although she placed me in the Xiaoyao Sect, her maternal love was deep and restrained, no less than the kindness of my master in raising me for more than ten years.
"Furthermore, I killed Yun Zhifei, which makes me unacceptable to the Xiaoyao Sect. Yun Zhifei is of a prominent status and is a sworn brother of Uncle Shi Jing. If I stay with him, I will only make him an enemy of the entire martial arts world and cause him to turn against his uncle. Therefore, after much thought, I have decided to leave and just watch you all live in peace and happiness from afar."
Upon hearing this, tears welled up in my eyes: "Mother, you... you only think of me and Father, have you ever thought of yourself?"
The mother smiled slightly, tears welling in her eyes: "My child, you will understand one day that if you love someone, you lose yourself. I found Madam Qi, became Aunt Gu, and no one will know who I am anymore. The name Murong Qiao will disappear from the martial arts world. Actually, this is a good thing for me."
I hugged my mother and said reproachfully, "Mother, don't you miss us? How can you bear to see us without recognizing us?"
The mother smiled and said, "I often visit you. Every time I give you a gold lock, you pawn it in a huff. I know all about it."
Hearing this, and seeing my mother's forced smile with a hint of forgiveness, I felt extremely guilty. "I was young and ignorant, Mother, please don't be sad."
Jiang Chen returned that golden lock to me when he arrived at Flowing Gold Island. I wore it around my neck afterward, and I will never take it off again. I will keep it safe and treasure it.
She ruffled my hair and said softly, "My mother never gets angry with children, just like your grandfather. Even when I caused him a great deal of trouble, he never blamed me. The mask I wear was made by him himself, using cicada shells. His ingenuity is unmatched in the world."
Cicada molts used to make masks? I've never heard of such a thing!
“Since his passing, I have never wanted to go back to Jinbo Palace. However, that island is the culmination of his life’s work, and I cannot bear to destroy it.”
"Mother, you'd better not go back. Why don't you marry Master, no, marry Father, and go back to the Free and Unfettered Sect?"
The mother smiled faintly: "As I get older, my feelings of love have gradually faded. I only wish you happiness and that you don't follow in my footsteps."