At last, Ved stepped outside and delivered the news.
"Everyone is safe. There is no danger. All they need now is rest."
Those words were like a surge of warmth in the freezing air.
The crisp morning breeze carried a rare sense of peace.
Today, the snowfall was light, the sky clear, the wind carrying a faint fragrance.....as if the sun itself, after many long years, had chosen to scatter a beautiful morning across the earth.
Faces that had been drawn tight with worry slowly eased.
One by one, people let out long, relieved breaths.
A faint smile spread across Wey Xiong's face.
Without a moment's pause, he ran to Yu Sui's room.
Standing at the doorway, he spoke with the excitement of a child who had just discovered a new toy, calling for his mother to come and see. The joy on his face was just like that.....bright, innocent, brimming over.
His voice rang with eager excitement, and the room seemed to brighten with it.
"Master… your parents are safe now. The treatment was a success!"
Yu Sui and Mo Yan rose to their feet instantly.
Their faces lit like flowers blooming under warm sunlight, and they walked quickly, stopping only when they reached the room where Yu Sui's parents rested.
There, Su Nian, Duie, Wuzu Lao Duan.....all were seated beside their own parents.
Mo Yan's joy came from seeing Yu Sui happy. Even though he himself was still in pain, his heart was lightened. Yet, deep within, he knew a pain awaited him...one that might eclipse even the eruption of a volcano.
Mo Yan and Yu Sui moved to sit beside Lady Guso Hun.
The beds had been laid out upon the floor.
Even in her condition, Lady Guso Hun felt both relief and joy.....for her three children, Joye, Shu Bi Suan, and Fui Lon, were all before her eyes.
She recognized Yu Sui....not as "Fui Lon," but as the emperor Yu Sui.
But Joye and Shu Bi Suan… to her, they were still her children, unchanged.
Lady Guso Hun smiled faintly, bowing her head in respect to High King Mo Yan and Yu Sui.
From the Xuan Ming Guan crown in Yu Sui's hair, she knew without a doubt.....her son was now a High King.
The very crown spoken of in old tales now rested upon her child's brow.
Pride filled her eyes, and one by one, tears like pearls fell.
But when her gaze shifted to Mo Yan, her composure shattered.
Her heart broke into pieces.
She died inside while still breathing.....for Mo Yan's calm, innocent face made the truth of his mother's betrayal even harder to bear.
Mo Yan was like a storm cloud in stillness.
He knew something...something for which he was already steeling himself.
His hand, almost of its own will, began to drift toward his sword.
Yu Sui saw it.
Though he did not know the cause, he understood enough. Without a single word, he placed his hand over Mo Yan's.
The moment Mo Yan felt Yu Sui's touch, the rage inside him melted away.....dissipating like morning mist.
---
Elsewhere, morning had already caught up with Yin Fengxian along the road.
It was nothing surprising...after all, the carriage wheels had sunk into the snow many times during the night, forcing delays.
But now, under the bright morning sun and the clear sky, the road ahead seemed to open up....not just the path, but the hearts of those traveling.
The destination was now only a short distance away.
The children, along with Lady Mei Ying and Master Ren Zhou, stepped outside.
In an instant, the children began playing in the snow...throwing handfuls at each other, running about, their laughter ringing in the crisp air.
Su Ri emerged too, rubbing her eyes and yawning.
Yin Fengxian, exhausted from the long night's journey, felt the heaviness vanish without realizing when or how.
Leaning against the carriage, he simply watched the children's joy.
The trees and plants stood sharp and clear under the sunlight.
The air was fresh, carrying the fragrance of newly blossomed flowers.
And mingled with it....faint traces of sandalwood.
These were the sacred sandalwood groves nearby.
It could only mean one thing: they had reached the Xuemo Sect.
But then, the atmosphere shifted.
From afar, the sound of hooves thundered...many horses, racing toward them.
---
Meanwhile, in the medical wing, disaster had already struck.
All stood around Lady Guso Hun.
Faces were pale, and spirits seemed to twist into something dark and unrecognizable...
Because everything… had been revealed.