Chapter 56: Mu Family's Decision (3)
Second Sister frowned at that statement. She knew that her husband's earlier years were filled with strife and bloodshed. However, she only knew that much and was unaware of the more intricate details. She had only met him and fallen for him during a later period.
"Explain," she curtly instructed.
"I'll keep it short," said Third Sister. She then assumed a reminiscent tone and explained, "As you know, husband and Eldest Sister were childhood sweethearts and were engaged from birth. However, on their sixteenth birthday when the two of them were set to marry, a few hostile forces lusting after Eldest Sister's beauty and talent crashed the event, causing great grief and turmoil. They nearly succeeded too but fortunately, due to the mercy of the heavens, their plots came undone. The sect behind Eldest Sister stepped in and resolved the chaos."
"The Sacred Snow Heart Sect," Second Sister absentmindedly muttered. This was the sect that the Eldest Sister, Bai Xiulan, had belonged to and was currently the Sect Master of. It was also one of the most powerful sects in the North Aislu Continent!
"Indeed," nodded Third Sister. "And the one that had stepped in to personally resolve the issue and save the couple was Eldest Sister's master and the then leader of the sect – Chu Yuechen."
Second Sister inwardly cringed at that revelation. Inwardly, she grumbled at her husband's philandering nature and the innumerable amount of trouble that it caused.
"Naturally, the Sect Master's help did not come for free and it had conditions attached to it; namely, the dissolution of the marriage contract and the separation of the couple." The Sacred Snow Heart Sect's chief scripture possessed a flaw in that it could only be cultivated by pure maidens with clear, icy hearts.
Shaking her head, Third Sister continued, "Our husband, being the prideful man that he is, naturally rejected those conditions. Alas, the Sect Master did not relent and used force to see her wishes done."
Second Sister also shook her head at this point. Naturally, with her intelligence and wisdom, she could see the consequences of such an action and could more or less guess how things transpired.
"Later, when husband had reached Rank 3, he came across a fortuitous encounter that would allow him to inherit a portion of the extinct Dragon Race's inheritance. And as fate would have it, Sacred Snow Heart's Sect Master was also present in that same inheritance."
"One thing led to another and the duo ended up falling in love with each other and consummating their love." Third Sister sighed at this point. Her narration had reached its climax. "Naturally, the Sacred Snow Heart's Sect Master possessed a pride that was equal to the phoenix. And while husband did not mind it, her pride did not allow her heart to be at ease with the fact that she had essentially stolen her disciple's man. She was filled with great shame and this caused her to leave."
Second Sister understood this point and could even sympathize with it to a certain extent. Oftentimes, having a disciple was akin to having a child. From Third Sister's words, it seemed that the Sacred Snow Heart's Sect Master had treated Eldest Sister, her disciple at that time, like her very own daughter.
And for a mother to fall for her daughter's man and even sleep with him before her… could there be anything for shameful than that?
"What happened next?" Second Sister could not help but ask.
"What else?" Third Sister shrugged her shoulders. "Misfortune struck once again. News about the inheritance had spread and the greed of men had been incited. Enemies poured forth like a tidal wave and husband had once again sunken into strife."
"A particularly strong force had taken notice of husband and sent an extremely strong cultivator to deal with him and retrieve the inheritance. Just when husband was on the verge of losing his life he was saved by Yuechen. The strong cultivator lost his life and the great force had its anger roused. Many strong experts were sent and Yuechen, in a bid to draw fire and protect husband, sacrificed her life."
"Husband's life had been saved and the eyes of the great force had been temporarily blinded. This had brought him much-needed time to cultivate and eventually… forge his legend." Third Sister ended her story.
Second Sister sighed for the umpteenth time. She felt deep admiration towards the unflinching, self-sacrificial love that this woman had shown towards her husband. It was impossible for one to not be moved in the face of such selfless love.
"No wonder it left just a deep scar on our husband's heart," she quietly remarked. Even a heartless man would've left something towards such love. Her husband, being of plentiful emotions, had sustained an irrevocable scar from this incident.
Suddenly, a frown appeared on Second Sister's face. "Wait a minute… when did this happen?"
"Twenty-eight years ago," Third Sister immediately replied. She then leveled a look at the azure-haired fairy and said, "Seems like you've noticed it too."
Second Sister immediately summoned the relevant information in her head and arranged it properly. She then used her methods to scour through and cross-reference the data. In mere instants, she arrived at the point of incongruity.
"If Yuechen and our husband had only consummated once, twenty-eight years ago, then it means that Wuzhi is the product of their consummation from that time. However, during our meeting, he clearly told us that he was only twenty years of age!"
The gestation period of a pregnant woman was between eight to ten months. If Wuzhi had been born from their act of love back then, nature and logic dictated that he be of at least twenty-seven years of age. But clearly, the youth's words had been otherwise!
"'Twenty years, four months, and 3 days,' those were his exact words," Second Sister drew from her memory. "Could he have been lying?" she asked out loud. "But why?"
"It is unknown," Third Sister admitted. After taking a deep breath, she spoke. "There is also another matter. There is no doubt that Wuzhi greatly resembles his mother, Yuechen. This matter has been corroborated by both Eldest Sister and husband. However, a single discrepancy exists within this truth."
"Neither Yuechen nor our husband possesses argent-colored eyes. And genetically speaking, it should be impossible for their progeny to possess this character."
"Are you implying that Wuzhi might not be our husband's son!?" asked Second Sister, aghast.
A weary look appeared on Third Sister's face. "If only the truth were that simple." She shook her head. "When Wuzhi first showed himself, our husband felt a bloodline connection between himself and the youth."
"Additionally, after the event, I used my secret art at the cost of my lifespan to prod the heavens and searched for an answer. The result," a bitter smile appeared on Third Sister's face, "Wuzhi is the eldest son of Sovereign Mu Wudi."
Second Sister's entire body convulsed upon hearing her answer. Her eyes widened to the point that they threatened to spill out of her head. Cold sweat appeared on her forehead and spine, and goosebumps broke out all over her limbs.
"Heavens!!" Even the two other fairies, Fourth Sister and Sixth Sister, who had been treated as forgotten spectators all this while, reacted to this explosive news. Their conditions looked similar to Second Sister's own.
If Wuzhi truly was the first-born son of the Mu Household then… the implications of this truth were too frightening to imagine.
"Who else knows about this?" Second Sister quickly regained her calm, an exceptional display by a talented [Wisdom Path] cultivator, and asked.
"Only me, and now, the three of you as well," replied Third Sister. Her dainty shoulders were visibly relaxed after sharing this heavy burden.
"Not even husband," asked Second Sister, surprised.
Third Sister shook her head. "The revelation of Yuechen's passing was enough to destabilize his foundation and give birth to a frightening Heart Demon. Were he to know about this matter too, I'm afraid…" She did not complete her words.
Second Sister nodded her head. Her thoughts then clashed at tremendous speeds as she deduced. A few short breaths of time later, she spoke. "We must guard this truth with our entire strength. Not a single word of this must be leaked out. For if it does leak out…"
Taking a deep breath, she spoke with incomparable solemnity. "The demise of our Mu Household would be swift and immediate."
Fourth Sister and Sixth Sister nodded their heads with all their might. They understood that these words were especially spoken for the two of them to hear.
After ensuring that the two of them had understood the gravity of the situation, Second Sister turned towards Third Sister and asked, "Is there a possibility for the Heavenly Spirit Empire to find out about this?"
"I have already made a few arrangements to shield this truth from heavenly mysteries. With my arrangements, all attempts of divination or scrying will be blocked," she stated, confidently. "For as long as the related parties do not reveal the truth, this matter will stay hidden."
"In other words…"
"We must immediately find Wuzhi!" Second Sister finished her sentence.