Shock filled An Jin’s eyes.
She had never expected her daughter to retain memories from her previous life.
Seeing the fear and deep hatred in the child’s gaze, An Jin’s heart ached.
Those emotions should never belong to a child.
No matter what, this was the daughter she had carried for eight months. She was the child she and Brother Yue had long awaited. An Jin didn’t want her daughter to spend her life hating her own Father because of a tragic misunderstanding.
Looking at the man beside her, she suddenly asked,
“Brother Yue, if I had died giving birth today, what would you have done?”
The man’s eyes darkened slightly. Still shaken by the thought, he pulled her tightly into his embrace.
“What nonsense are you saying?”
He knew just how dangerous the day had been, and he was grateful that both Mother and child were safe. But every time he thought of the other possibility, murderous intent surged uncontrollably within him.
“Come on, tell me. Would you forget about me and marry someone else?” An Jin teased deliberately.
Gong Yue cupped her face, his expression incomparably serious.
“No.”
“I would avenge you. None of the people or sects that surrounded us today would escape.”
His voice carried a bone-chilling coldness.
A trace of bitterness welled up in An Jin’s heart.
Of course she knew he wouldn’t.
That was exactly what had happened in the original story.
“And what about our child? How would you take care of her while seeking revenge? She’s still so small.”
Gong Yue lowered his head in thought.
“I would probably send her to the Minister of Rites’ residence. That’s her maternal family. Your Mother would feel guilty toward you and would certainly take good care of her. Once I finished taking revenge, I would bring our daughter home.”
“Would you really go back for her? What if you forgot about her and left her there forever?”
“Impossible.”
“If I never came back for her, there would only be one reason.”
“That would mean I died.”
His expression remained calm, as though discussing something ordinary.
Yet those words struck Yao Yao’s heart like a bolt of lightning.
An Jin never expected that a few words would immediately erase years of resentment.
She merely wanted her daughter to understand one possibility.
The possibility that her Father had truly loved her.
The world’s greatest swordsman had never suffered defeat in his life.
And yet, he had lost everything.
As a youth, he had sought revenge for his Father.
After marriage, he had sought revenge for his wife.
The bloodshed of the martial world had never ceased.
In the end, he had died while searching for his daughter, while that very daughter had suffered endlessly and hated him for her entire life.
Things should never have turned out that way.
Remembering the ending from the original story, An Jin’s nose stung.
“Brother Yue, there were so many enemies earlier. Were you injured?”
Gong Yue lowered his gaze and instinctively hid his left arm.
Without hesitation, he replied,
“No. This blood belongs to other people.”
His unusual movement immediately caught An Jin’s attention.
She noticed the wound on his left arm, so deep that the bone was visible.
Tears instantly gathered in her eyes.
“You’re lying.”
Originally, she only wanted her daughter to understand that Gong Yue had been protecting them outside the temple.
But now, seeing his injury, she genuinely felt worried.
She still remembered what the system had said.
Gong Yue had died young because old injuries never fully healed, and new wounds kept piling up.
An Jin anxiously said,
“Brother Yue, let’s go to a clinic.”
The man looked at her.
“Alright. You should be examined as well.”
She had just given birth under such terrible conditions. Gong Yue worried she might suffer lasting health problems, so seeing a doctor was necessary.
He bent down and carefully wrapped her up before lifting her into his arms.
An Jin held their daughter close and nestled against his chest.
The moment they stepped outside the temple, a large hand covered her eyes.
“Don’t look.”
An Jin didn’t need to imagine.
The battlefield outside must be filled with corpses.
She didn’t dare look anyway.
Neither of them noticed that the baby had pushed aside the cloak wrapped around her.
The snow outside had been dyed red.
Corpses were piled everywhere.
Severed limbs littered the ground.
Even though Yao Yao had experienced countless hardships in her previous life, the gruesome sight still made her feel sick and terrified.
Thinking of the blood covering her Father’s body, she finally realized how dangerous her Mother’s childbirth had been.
Was that why her Mother had died from difficult labor in her previous life?
If so, these people truly deserved death.
As they walked farther away, the snow stopped.
The endless snowfield stretched to the horizon, untouched and pure white.
Suddenly, An Jin remembered something.
They still hadn’t named their daughter.
Looking up, she asked,
“Brother Yue, what do you think about naming our daughter Xue’er?”
Her daughter had endured too much scheming and suffering in her previous life.
This time, An Jin only wished for her to remain as pure and spotless as fresh snow.
More than anything, she hoped her daughter could forget those painful memories.
Before Gong Yue could answer, the baby in An Jin’s arms began waving her little hands and making happy sounds.
Mother, I like this name!
In her previous life, her grandfather had hated her and refused to give her a name.
For a long time, everyone simply called her “that bastard child.”
The servants followed his example.
Only her grandMother could no longer bear it and personally named her.
But she liked the name her Mother chose even more.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t speak yet and could only make soft babbling sounds.
Seeing her daughter waving excitedly, An Jin couldn’t help smiling.
Lowering his head and seeing two smiling faces, Gong Yue’s heart softened completely.
“Alright.”
…
When they arrived in a nearby town, they rented rooms at an inn.
Since An Jin had just given birth and couldn’t be exposed to the wind, she and the baby remained inside while Gong Yue paid extra to bring a doctor to the inn.
The old physician had been rushed all the way there and was still breathing heavily when he arrived.
After catching his breath, he checked An Jin’s pulse and frowned.
“Was it a premature birth?”
An Jin’s heart tightened.
“Yes. I was only eight months along.”
The physician clicked his tongue in amazement.
“Seven-month babies live, eight-month babies don’t. The fact that you gave birth safely is already a miracle.”
“Was it a boy or a girl?”
An Jin found the question strange but answered honestly.
“A girl.”
The physician looked at the young couple and shook his head.
“What a pity.”
Both An Jin and Gong Yue frowned simultaneously.
“Your wife wasn’t properly cared for during childbirth. Cold entered her body.”
“I’m afraid she won’t be able to conceive again.”
Yao Yao…
No.
She was Gong Xue now.
Gong Xue clenched her tiny fists and stared at her Father’s expression without blinking.
Her grandMother had once told her that perhaps her Father had abandoned her because she was a girl and a burden.
Her Mother was beautiful and gentle.
The fact that she had chosen him was already a blessing earned over several lifetimes.
Gong Xue silently swore that if he showed even the slightest dislike toward her or her Mother because of this, she would never acknowledge him as her Father again.
Once she grew up, she would definitely take her Mother away.
However, Gong Yue’s brows furrowed even deeper.
“We never planned on having a second child anyway.”
“Besides that, is there anything seriously wrong with my wife’s health?”
Surprise flashed across An Jin’s face.
She herself had only wanted one child.
It was difficult to love children equally, and her daughter had suffered so much in her previous life.
She only wanted to cherish her wholeheartedly.
But she had never expected Gong Yue to think the same way.
The physician looked at Gong Yue sympathetically, assuming the man was merely pretending to be strong.
After all, what man didn’t want a son?
Without a son, who would perform funeral rites after his death?
“Her blood and energy are depleted. As long as she properly observes her confinement and nourishes herself with expensive medicinal herbs, she’ll recover.”
Thanks to the system, An Jin already knew her body wasn’t in serious danger.
She brought the baby over.
“Doctor, could you examine my daughter? Since she was born prematurely, will it affect her?”
The physician lowered his head.
He had expected to see a frail, shriveled baby.
Instead, a pair of bright, round eyes stared back at him.
Her skin was snowy white, and she was unbelievably adorable.
In all his years, he had never seen a newborn this healthy and beautiful.
Then again, with parents this handsome and beautiful, it wasn’t surprising.
Gong Xue still remembered him saying that having a daughter was a pity.
She glared at him fiercely.
The old physician couldn’t help smiling kindly.
Carefully checking her pulse, he exclaimed repeatedly,
“Remarkable!”
“This child is healthier than many full-term babies.”
Only then did An Jin finally relax.
No one understood the importance of a healthy body better than she did.
…
After the physician left, An Jin lay down to rest.
But suddenly, she opened her eyes.
“That’s right! Brother Yue, your injury!”
Gong Yue rolled up his sleeve and showed her his bandaged arm.
“I’ve already had it treated.”
Sitting beside the bed, he watched over his wife and daughter.
“Sleep peacefully.”
Only then did An Jin finally drift off.
The town they had settled in was relatively peaceful.
Though winter was cold, charcoal supplies were plentiful.
An Jin spent her confinement period at the inn.
Every day, she lay in bed while Gong Yue gradually became accustomed to taking care of everything for her.
One day, he entered the room carrying a nourishing medicinal soup.
He saw his wife reclining against soft pillows, her silky black hair falling over her shoulders.
In her hand was a rattle.
She gently shook it while amusing the baby lying on the bed.
It was the very same rattle he had bought back when they still lived in the embroidery tower.
Originally, he had bought it because she was bored.
Now, it was being used to entertain their daughter.
An Jin thought their daughter was easy to raise.
She rarely cried or fussed and always smiled at her.
Every time she saw that little smile, her heart melted.
Meanwhile, Gong Xue thought,
Mother’s games are so childish.
But she loved the feeling of having her Mother play with her.
After her grandMother died in her previous life, she had been abandoned in the rear courtyard.
No one had ever played with her.
“Wei’er.”
Gong Yue walked over.
The moment she saw him, Gong Xue immediately shut her eyes and pretended to sleep.
Although she knew things might not be his fault, her feelings were still complicated.
She only wanted to play with her Mother.
She didn’t want to pay attention to him.
Seeing her tiny act, An Jin almost laughed.
“Our little Xue’er is asleep? Don’t you want to play with Mother anymore? Then let Father play with you.”
Without hesitation, she placed the baby into Gong Yue’s arms.
“Brother Yue, hold Xue’er for a while.”
Gong Yue stiffened.
For some reason, he felt as though his daughter didn’t like him.
Only when he changed her diapers did she seem happy to see him.
In truth, Gong Xue simply didn’t want her Mother to deal with the smell.
So she intentionally left those dirty tasks to him.
Feeling herself transferred from her Mother’s soft and fragrant embrace to a pair of firm arms, Gong Xue opened her eyes.
She was about to cry dramatically.
But seeing her Mother drinking medicinal soup, she held it back.
Father and daughter stared at each other.
Looking at the little girl who resembled his wife by half, Gong Yue’s heart softened.
“Is Xue’er sleepy?”
Watching him gently rock his arms to lull her to sleep, Gong Xue’s emotions became complicated.
Over the past few days, she had witnessed how deeply her parents loved each other.
She also knew that her Father truly took good care of both her and her Mother.
So…
Had there really been some misunderstanding in her previous life?
Was it really as they said?
Had he sent her to the Minister of Rites’ residence because he needed to seek revenge, not because he wanted to abandon her?
And the reason he never returned…
Was because he had died?
…
That thought lingered in her mind all day.
That night, Gong Xue tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
Then she noticed the man sleeping on the outer side of the bed suddenly sit up.
At first, she assumed he was just going to relieve himself.
But soon, she heard the faint sound of someone getting dressed.
Turning her head, she saw him fully dressed and preparing to leave.
Her eyes instantly sparkled.
She thought she had finally caught him red-handed.
Sneaking out in the middle of the night?
He must be doing something bad behind Mother’s back!
The answer to all her doubts was about to be revealed.
Just as she turned around, Gong Yue met his daughter’s bright, gleaming eyes.
“…”
Gong Xue stretched out both arms toward him.
Clearly, she wanted to go along.
Gong Yue frowned slightly and remained silent for a long time.
Gong Xue knew he definitely didn’t want to bring along a burden like her.
She puffed out her cheeks and pretended she was about to cry.
If she cried, Mother would wake up.
She only wanted to scare him.
As expected, the man compromised.
With a helpless expression, he picked her up.
And immediately covered her mouth.