Chapter 10 - Her Identity

"Tell me, who is Yun Xia's mother?"

Yue Dongmei was silent. She furrowed her eyebrows as if contemplating something. Yun Ling also didn't disturb her and just waited for her response. He had her in his grasp, she wasn't going anywhere so he could at least give her that.

He already waited for two weeks, it wouldn't hurt to wait for even a few minutes more.

"Why do you want to know?" instead of telling him the answer directly, Yue Dongmei questioned back.

Yun Ling only scoffed.

"Do I need to have a reason to know who the mother of my child is?"

"Fair enough."

Yue Dongmei gave a curt nod.

Even though Yun Ling's response might come out as rude or sarcastic, Yue Dongmei didn't get offended by it. She just nodded and understood that her question was a bit silly.

"Now then, tell me who it is," Yun Ling demanded as he pushed her further against the wall. He gave her no opening she could use to escape from her predicament.

If other people were to see them in their current position, there would surely be some misunderstandings that would arise. Their bodies were almost sticking with each other while their faces merely a few inches apart. If someone saw them, it would be hard not to get the wrong idea. They were like a couple about to do some intimate act.

Of course, neither of the two thought of it that way. They were talking about something serious and were preoccupied with something else: Yun Ling being determined to know who Yun Xia's mother is and Yue Dongmei contemplating how to answer his question.

After a few minutes had passed, Yue Dongmei finally answered.

"I can't tell you."

Yun Ling narrowed his eyes.

Yue Dongmei shook her head.

"I can't tell you, at least not now."

Yun Ling wasn't surprised. He didn't expect it to be easy, in fact, he already expected it would be quite hard to get the answer from her especially since his father already asked her but still didn't get anything. Still, Yun Ling was able to confirm something after all this.

Yun Xia's mother certainly wasn't a prostitute or a nobody.

His father sent his men to investigate Yun Xia and Yue Dongmei's background, hoping to find out the identity of Yun Xia's mother from it. His father's men might not be the best of the best when it comes to an investigation but they were still worth their salt. Even so, they came up with nothing.

Yue Dongmei was Yun Xia's caretaker but she clearly wasn't some simple character. Yun Ling knew that this woman was a cultivator who was a realm above the Core Formation realm. Reaching Core Formation before the age of 30 was enough for one to be considered a genius in the empire. Looking at Yue Dongmei, she couldn't be any older than him, she was probably the same age as him, being 23 years old.

She was 23 years old at most yet she was already above the Core Formation realm, speaking of cultivation realm alone, she had already far surpassed many geniuses in the empire.

Someone who could make a genius like her become a mere caretaker couldn't be simple. Also, the fact that his father's men weren't able to find anything after their investigation meant only one thing.

Yun Xia's mother was someone with great power or authority.

Someone powerful enough to make a genius like Yue Dongmei become Yun Xia's caretaker, someone with great authority who had exceptional people under her command who can erase Yun Xia and Yue Dongmei's background, history, everything about them so much that even his father's men were unable to find anything about them.

That was the identity of Yun Xia's mother.

"And why is that?" Yun Ling asked as if he didn't know anything.

"Because I don't trust you," Yue Dongmei answered.

"I am Yun Xia's father. I deserve to know."

"That doesn't mean anything," Yue Dongmei simply said as she narrowed her eyes at him. "You might be Young Miss' father but you are, in the end, a stranger to us. The fault might lie on Young Miss' mother for not informing you that you have a daughter but that doesn't change the fact that you are a stranger, to me, and to Young Miss."

Yun Ling went silent as he looked at her gravely.

"I don't have anything against you, nor your family for that matter. However, if I tell you, and this information somehow spreads out, it could endanger Young Miss's life. Her mother is in quite a precarious situation. Even back home, not many people know that they are mother and daughter. That's why I will not tell you. Not until I'm sure I can trust you, or your family." Yue Dongmei explained.

Yun Ling remained silent for a long time as he thought about her words over and over again. In the end, he agreed with what she said. If he was in her position, he also wouldn't be willing to trust anyone with valuable information no matter who they were if they had just met each other.

Only stupid people would do that.

"Alright, if this concerns Yun Xia's safety, then I won't ask anymore. I'll just wait until you can trust me and tell me of your own volition," Yun Ling said after contemplating for a while. "It's just as you said, despite being father and daughter, Yun Xia and I are strangers. However, even if that is so, ever since I have learned that she is my daughter, her well-being will always be my concern. That is my duty as a father."

"And your point is?" Yue Dongmei coldly asked.

Yun Ling let out a smile. His right hand went towards her face, then he lifted her chin so they could look straight at each other. If one were to look closely, they could see a faint blush on Yue Dongmei's face.

"My point is, I, as her father, will not allow any danger to happen to Yun Xia. I will kill anyone who dares harm her no matter who they are," Yun Ling said, "be they princes, geniuses, sect disciples, elders, emperors, or even sect masters, I will kill them regardless."

Yue Dongmei frowned.

"Elders? Emperors? Sect Masters? You really are arrogant."

Yun Ling ignored her remark and said, "Anyway, you should get dressed. Yun Xia and I are going to a banquet tonight, you are coming along too."

He didn't take her words to his heart. After all, she was right, he was indeed arrogant and he didn't intend to deny it.

Yue Dongmei didn't have any complaints regarding this. Her duty was to take care and protect Yun Xia, if they were going to leave the premises of the clan, then she was going to tag along.

"Ah!"

Before Yue Dongmei could say something, the two heard someone shout. They turned towards the source at the same time and saw the panic-stricken face of a middle-aged woman. She was one of the Yun Clan's servant.

The woman looked at them in fear and quickly said, "Young Master, I saw nothing!"

Yun Ling and Yue Dongmei were both wondering what the hell she was talking about but then they realized the suggestive position they were in. If one didn't know any better, they might think that the two of them were going to engage in some bold, intimate act in the hallway, which was what the woman was exactly thinking.

Yun Ling froze for a second but quickly regained his composure.

He calmly said, "This isn't what it looks like."

"I understand Young Master, I saw nothing!" the woman respectfully bowed down and left in a hurry before they could say anything.