“It’s all your fault, all your fault! You let Gong Yue escape, and ever since then, I haven’t known a moment’s peace. Every time I close my eyes, I dream of him coming to take revenge with his sword in hand. Why did I ever give birth to a daughter like you? You’re the one who ruined me!”
Old Master Tao’s eyes were bloodshot as he wrapped his hands around Tao Qing’s neck, his face twisted in madness.
Living in constant fear had reduced him to skin and bones. His cheekbones protruded sharply, and his bloodshot eyes seemed ready to burst from their sockets. He looked terrifying.
Struggling to breathe, Tao Qing kicked her legs desperately. Tears streamed down her face as she stared at the Father she barely recognized.
The air became thinner and thinner.
At last, the final glimmer in her eyes faded.
Slowly, she stopped struggling and closed her eyes.
Perhaps this was for the best.
If she died, she wouldn’t have to suffer anymore.
“Master! Master, something terrible has happened!”
One of the manor guards stumbled in, nearly crawling in panic.
“Gong Yue is here!”
Old Master Tao abruptly released Tao Qing and leapt to his feet.
“What?”
Fear flooded his clouded eyes.
Clutching his head, he cried out in horror,
“He’s here… he really came!”
Thrown aside, Tao Qing collapsed onto the floor, coughing violently.
Looking at her crazed Father, she called out sorrowfully,
“Father…”
She still didn’t know what he had experienced.
But ever since returning, he had lost his mind.
Because of her…
Her Father had become like this.
Confusion filled Tao Qing’s heart.
Had she truly made the right choice back then?
Suddenly, Old Master Tao burst into hysterical laughter.
“That’s right! I still have the secret passage! Hahaha! He’ll never find me!”
Abandoning everything, he staggered out of the room.
…
Outside, the moon hung brightly in the sky.
Without clouds to block it, silver moonlight illuminated the mountain path.
Leaning against a tree, Old Master Tao gasped heavily before throwing his head back in laughter.
He had escaped.
He had escaped!
But before long, it was as though someone had seized his throat.
His laughter stopped abruptly.
His pupils contracted violently.
Under the moonlight, a man slowly approached.
One hand held a sword.
The other cradled a swaddled infant.
With every step Gong Yue took forward, Old Master Tao retreated another step.
The man’s black eyes gleamed coldly in the shadows.
He slowly raised his sword.
Old Master Tao’s legs gave way, and he crashed heavily onto the ground.
Meanwhile, nestled comfortably in her Father’s arms, Gong Xue yawned lazily.
She had thought her Father was sneaking out in the middle of the night to visit some pleasure house.
Then she could have tattled to Mother.
Who would’ve thought he had simply come to kill someone?
How boring.
Had she known, she wouldn’t have followed him.
Seeing his daughter’s sleepy face, Gong Yue decided to end things quickly.
Without another word, he swung his sword toward Old Master Tao.
“Brother Gong!”
A woman’s anguished cry pierced the night, startling birds from the trees.
Gong Xue frowned.
Her sleepiness vanished immediately.
Tao Qing rushed over and threw herself in front of Old Master Tao.
Her eyes were swollen from crying.
“Brother Gong, please spare my Father! He’s already gone mad. He’ll never commit evil again. Please, spare his life!”
Gong Xue’s round eyes spun with interest.
This woman called her Father “Brother Gong” so affectionately.
There had to be something between them!
Had she finally caught her Father’s little secret?
But Gong Yue’s expression remained as calm as still water.
“He isn’t mad.”
Old Master Tao froze, then hid behind Tao Qing like a frightened child.
“Daughter, save me! Save me!”
Regardless of whether her Father was truly insane or merely pretending, Tao Qing couldn’t bear to watch him die before her eyes.
She dropped to her knees before Gong Yue and begged over and over again.
“Brother Gong, please spare him! Consider it repayment for the kindness I showed when I led you out of the manor through the secret passage. Brother Gong, I beg you!”
Not a trace of emotion appeared on Gong Yue’s face.
Coldness flashed in his eyes.
“If you hadn’t shown kindness back then, I would’ve killed you as well.”
At the time, Wei’er had been by his side.
Even if Tao Qing hadn’t led them through the secret passage, he could have escaped with Wei’er all the same.
And now he had learned the truth.
His Father’s death had been connected to Old Master Tao.
It was Old Master Tao who had spread rumors about the Gong Family Sword Manual, inciting the martial world to fight over it.
He had even tried to lure Gong Yue away in order to harm his wife and child.
He was the reason Wei’er had nearly died giving birth under such terrible circumstances.
One grievance after another.
How could he possibly forgive him?
The icy look in Gong Yue’s eyes made Tao Qing shiver.
Seeing his daughter was useless, Old Master Tao suddenly shoved her toward Gong Yue’s sword and fled with all the internal energy he could muster.
He didn’t know that Gong Yue had been watching him the entire time.
There was no possibility of escape.
Before Old Master Tao could even run a few steps, a sword pierced straight through his chest.
Gong Xue inwardly clicked her tongue.
Even vicious tigers don’t eat their own cubs.
This old man was truly insane.
Then she paused.
When had she started thinking like that?
Did this mean she had already begun believing there was another reason behind her Father’s abandonment?
…
Tao Qing’s chest rose and fell violently.
Her heart felt as though it had been torn apart.
Pain spread through her entire body, and all the spirit seemed to drain from her.
Gong Yue looked at her coldly.
He had noticed the bruises around her neck from the beginning.
Knowing Old Master Tao’s selfish and ruthless nature, he immediately understood what had happened.
The reason he hadn’t killed Old Master Tao right away was because he wanted Tao Qing to see her Father’s true colors.
Whether she hated him or not didn’t matter.
But since Wei’er had once been close to her, he hoped she would completely give up on that shred of familial affection and gradually emerge from the darkness.
Whether she understood or not had nothing to do with him.
Putting away his sword, Gong Yue prepared to leave with his daughter.
“Wait, Brother Gong.”
Tao Qing didn’t even look at Old Master Tao’s corpse.
Slowly getting to her feet, she forced a pale smile and gazed at the baby in his arms.
“Is this your child with Sister Wei’er?”
“May I hold her?”
Gong Yue’s eyes turned cold.
He had just killed her Father.
Who knew whether she harbored resentment?
He didn’t move.
Instead, Gong Xue poked her little head out.
Only one or two months old, she nestled obediently in her Father’s arms, fair and chubby, with bright, sparkling eyes.
Anyone could tell she was being raised with great care.
Seeing the child, Tao Qing froze.
“She looks so much like Sister Wei’er.”
“Is she a boy or a girl?”
“A girl.”
“So it really is a daughter…”
“Sister Wei’er guessed correctly.”
Tao Qing’s voice broke.
How had things come to this?
Back then, Sister Wei’er had taught her music and flower arrangement at Qinghe Cottage.
She had even joked that she wanted to become the godMother of their child.
But now…
Now an ocean of blood separated them.
Gong Yue neither understood nor cared about her emotional collapse.
Holding his daughter, he turned to leave.
But Tao Qing called after him once more.
“Brother Gong, now that you have a child, you can’t continue wandering forever.”
“My Father wronged your family.”
“Yungu Manor belongs to you now. Consider it compensation.”
Having spoken those words, she seemed lighter somehow.
Her Father was dead.
Let all grudges end here.
She could never protect Yungu Manor anyway.
She might as well hand it over.
“I don’t need it.”
Gong Yue’s patience had run out.
This time, he didn’t even look back.
Perched on her Father’s shoulder, Gong Xue bared her gums at the devastated Tao Qing.
Unfortunately, she didn’t have teeth yet.
Tao Qing thought the little girl was smiling at her, and tears poured down even harder.
Gong Yue reached out and turned his daughter’s face back around.
Meeting her somewhat indignant gaze, his expression softened.
“Can we keep tonight’s events a secret from Mother?”
He had already eliminated nearly everyone involved in the ambush.
Only Old Master Tao remained.
Originally, he had intended to sneak out quietly as usual to avoid worrying his wife.
Who would’ve thought his daughter would catch him?
Gong Xue rolled her eyes.
Silly Father.
She couldn’t even talk yet.
…
Winter gradually passed.
The snow on the fields melted, and the villagers of Dongyang Village headed out with hoes slung over their shoulders for spring planting.
Dongyang Village wasn’t wealthy.
Every family depended on their few acres of land to survive, making spring planting the busiest season of the year.
Men, women, and children alike, anyone capable of moving, worked in the fields.
“Have you heard? A new family moved into the west side of the village. A young couple with a baby a few months old.”
“So what? People move in all the time.”
A middle-aged woman scattering seeds answered absentmindedly.
The gossip had been started by Old Madam Wang, who loved discussing other people’s affairs and always knew the latest news.
But everyone was busy and had little time for idle chatter.
“They’re not ordinary people.”
“That woman is as beautiful as an immortal.”
One of the young men laughed.
“Oh? Is she prettier than the village chief’s daughter?”
Old Madam Wang pursed her lips.
With her long face and sharp features, she looked somewhat mean.
“Not even close.”
“I doubt even the Emperor’s daughter could compare.”
Now everyone’s curiosity was piqued.
Someone joked,
“You’re making me want to climb over their wall and take a peek.”
Old Madam Wang waved her hands repeatedly.
“Don’t do that! Her husband carries a sword around. He looks dangerous.”
“Who knows? He might even have killed people.”
…
Unaware that they had already become the subject of village gossip, An Jin and her family had spent a long time searching before deciding to settle here.
The village was remote and peaceful.
Most villagers had never left in their entire lives.
Neither the imperial court nor the martial world would disturb them.
Their home was a simple three-room house with blue roof tiles, enclosed by a low wall.
There was little entertainment in the countryside.
So Gong Yue had specially bought a guqin for An Jin from the market.
Seated in the courtyard, An Jin plucked the strings.
Elegant music flowed gently through the air.
Her silky black hair was pinned up with a wooden hairpin.
Her skin was smooth and luminous like jade.
Wrapped in happiness and tranquility, she looked graceful and beautiful.
Following the rhythm of her music, Gong Yue danced with his sword.
Suddenly, a tiny head peeked out from the doorway.
Watching her parents, one playing the zither and the other wielding the sword in perfect harmony, Gong Xue felt her heart swell.
These ordinary moments…
Were the happiness she had longed for all her life.
In truth, she thought less and less about her previous life now.
Some painful memories had already begun to fade.
And she understood more clearly than ever.
She was no longer Yao Yao.
She was Gong Xue.
Gong Xue, who had a Mother and Father.
And because of that, she cherished everything she had now even more.
Sitting down on her little legs, she clapped her hands happily and babbled excitedly, cheering for her Mother.
An Jin quickly noticed.
Smiling, she said,
“Brother Yue, look! Little Xue’er can crawl now!”
Gong Yue glanced over and saw that the new clothes he had just changed her into had already become filthy from crawling around.
His expression darkened.
Putting away his sword, he strode over and scooped his daughter up.
Gong Xue blinked innocently at him.
It wasn’t her fault.
She was still just a baby.
Besides…
Who told them not to include her when they played?
Gong Yue sighed softly.
Pinching her chubby little cheek, he smiled helplessly.
Forget it.
He would just wash her clothes again later.