"What right do you have to say this?" Chu Feiling was overcome by a rush of anger. Sweat started to stream down his body.
Spontaneously, he shouted out, "I'm your father!"
Upon hearing these words, Chu Yang's face darkened.
Both confused and surprised, Old Master Chu gaped. This was far from the reaction he expected from someone who had lost their son for eighteen years.
He stared at Chu Feiling and stammered, "What's the problem?"
Chu Feiling could not bear his excitement for Chu Yang's return. Yang Ruolan, who knew what had spurred Chu Feiling's reaction, was about to burst into laughter.
Embarrassed, Chu Feiling's could barely string words together. "I…"
"What?" Old Master Chu boomed, "Your son was lost for eighteen years, and now he has returned. But have you treated him like a son? What are your intentions?"
Turning towards Chu Yang he continued, "Dear grandson, don't be scared. Your father's temper is just like a bear's. I will defend you."
Chu Yang looked at him in shock.
After a long time, he spoke softly, almost with uncertainty, "… Is this… really… the Chu clan?"
His father, mother, and grandfather were dumbfounded by his words.
Did this child really think that he was dreaming?
The couple nodded at the same time. "Of course it is!"
Chu Yang took a deep breath. "Then… you are my grandpa? And both of you… are my parents?"
The three of them nodded. They were smiling with tears in their eyes, but affected by the bittersweetness of his words.
Chu Yang closed his eyes. When he finally opened them, he said, "Pinch… pinch me….. I… I can't move…"
He wanted to sit up but had no strength.
Yang Ruolan burst into tears. "Darling…"
She hugged him while sobbing violently. Chu Yang could feel his mother's tears fall and become cold on his chest. He felt deeply melancholic and muttered, "So it turns out that I'm not dreaming…"
In his mother's embrace, tears began collecting in Chu Yang's eyes. He felt washed over by a wave of weakness. At that moment, King of Hell Chu found himself wanting to cry despite all he had lived through and the strength of his character.
This sudden feebleness had nothing to do with courage; it was the type of feeling that could only be felt in front of family.
Usually, he was as headstrong and arrogant as a child. He faced hardship independently and with determination. Even when he was bitter, bullied, or in pain, he would grit his teeth and sneer at his circumstances.
Yet in front of his own parents, he could not help but cry. He might have been laughing previously, but the sudden reunion with his loved ones overwhelmed him.
Chu Yang lay calmly in his mother's arms, gritting his teeth to prevent himself from crying.
His eyes stung and his nose wouldn't stop twitching. Two rivulets of tears trickled down his cheeks. Then, his tears started streaming, like water rushing out of open sluice gates.
Chu Feiling and Chu Xiongcheng were caught in a flurry of emotions, faced with the mother and child hugging after being separated for eighteen years.
Both of them wanted to say something but felt something caught in the back of their throats. They couldn't speak and would not have been able to hold back their tears if they did.
Choking on his words, Old Master Chu said, "Ruolan, your child has returned… If you cry like this, Chu Yang will also be upset… This is something to be happy about. Stop crying…"
Yang Ruolan raised her head. She was kind of embarrassed by how wet her son's chest was with her tears. She wanting to turn and wipe her tears away, but couldn't bear the thought of removing her eyes from her son. She could only wipe them away with the back of her hands.
"This is your grandpa…" Chu Feiling coughed a bit, and said, "Chu Yang, greet your grandpa."
Chu Xiongcheng looked at Chu Yang eagerly, and exclaimed, "He's called Chu Yang? His name is Chu Yang?"
"Yes," Chu Feiling acceded.
"Greetings grandpa," Chu Yang awkwardly laid on his bed. "I don't know why but… I don't have strength to get up… Please don't be offended."
"Why would I be offended?!" Chu Xiongcheng stroked his beard and smiled. "Everything's fine as long as you are back! Don't worry about your strength! I will find the best doctor in the Upper Three Heavens to treat you. You'll be sure to recover!"
"Yes," Chu Yang responded weakly. Looking at Chu Feiling, his lips smiled for a moment, and his face became red.
Chu Feiling watched Chu Yang nervously, fearing that the little bastard would call him big brother… if that happened, he would have to dig a hole and hide there…
"Father…" Chu Yang finally called his father.
Chu Feiling suddenly relaxed. It was as if a heavy burden had been lifted. Happily, he said, "Son, this is your mother."
Chu Yang turned to look at Yang Ruolan.
Yang Ruolan looked nervously at him. She could feel tears welling but dared not blink. She tried hard to force the corners of her mouth upwards into a gentle smile but the bitterness in her heart distorted the shape. The harder she tried to remain calm, the less she was able to maintain it.
Chu Yang smiled meekly, and his eyes gazed deeply into his mother's. His lips opened only to close again. He tried to control himself and finally flattened them. His handsome face became strangely warped. His heart beat like rolling drums and he could feel it rising to his mouth.
He would never have expected, not even in his dreams, to be so weak to the point where he could not utter a single word.
Moments passed.
"Mother…" Chu Yang finally blurted out. His voice was guttural, sounding almost like a cry.
"Yes!" Yang Ruolan answered eagerly. Tears streamed down her face and her whole body shook. "My son… my good son! My child…"
She choked on her tears. She recovered her breath after a couple of minutes and hugged her son almost pulling his body into her own. She blinked desperately and gasped heavily. She looked like she was crying and smiling at the same time. She finally spoke, "You… you finally… you finally came back home…"
She behaved with no propriety. She hugged her son tightly as if he were about to vanish.
Yang Ruolan jumped up and held Chu Feiling's hands. "Feiling! Feiling, did you hear him? Our son called me Mother… our son called me Mother!! I've waited for nineteen years to hear this word! Nineteen years! I've finally heard it! Our son is back! Back! Back!!"
Chu Feiling grasped her hands tightly. "Yes, yes, our son is back! Back…"
Thinking of the hardships and distress that the couple experienced for nearly nineteen years, tears were brought to Chu Xiongcheng's eyes…
Old Master Chu tilted his head slightly, and two lines of tears gently streamed down his aged cheeks.
…
Yang Ruolan was already by her son's bed. Her fingertips gently touched her son's face and hair. She looked satisfied. Though her eyes were still wet and a lone tear trickled down her face, she had already calmed down.
"Darling, how did you get by… all these years?" Yang Ruolan's heart throbbed as she thought about what Wu Qianqian had told her of Chu Yang's past.
"How?" Chu Yang smiled softly and said, "I actually lived through the past few years very peacefully. Nothing significant happened to me. I was raised by my teacher. He is a very, very nice person, and he cared for my every need. I don't have any grievances. Everything happened more or less how I wanted it to. These years went by… easily for me."
"Easily…" Yang Ruolan could not help but feel like crying again. She quickly held back her tears. She knew her son had framed it this way to alleviate her guilt.
But… isn't it too understated?
How much danger? How many narrow escapes? Alone and with your little education, you had overthrown the state of the entire Three Lower Heavens. This is much more than 'dangerous'!
When infiltrating the enemies' heartlands in the Great State of Zhao, despite the ever-changing circumstances, how much danger did you expose yourself to?
You fled 13 miles alone to escape your enemies, enemies of a whole nation's scale and with power more than tens of millions of times your own. How did you prevent them from besieging and capturing you?
Why didn't you say anything about this?
In the Middle Three Heavens, you led your brothers to fight in the final battle at the Lake of Despair. That battle was an intense one… You didn't say anything about it, so I shouldn't be worried!
Yang Ruolan felt her throat close. Looking at her son's pale smile, she searched for any trace of wind and frost on his face and found herself lost.
"Good child…" Yang Ruolan said dotingly, "Your father and I couldn't take care of you by ourselves… and yet you look so handsome…"
Chu Feiling smiled said, "That can't be changed. My child looks like me. No matter where he grew up, he would still be this handsome."
"You're just boasting!" Yang Ruolan broke into a smile. Suddenly, she felt that something was amiss and asked, "Where's Father?"
Chu Feiling said, "He requested that I take care of our child while he arranges for people to look for a doctor." He smiled and continued, "I saw him crying just now… I suppose that he was embarrassed to cry in front of his daughter-in-law… so he fled."
He tried hard to be funny. Yang Ruolan and Chu Yang gave each other a smile, and both of them felt that the stifling and doleful atmosphere was gradually vanishing into the distance.
"I thought you would flee first… you're the first great immortal in history to become sworn brothers with your own son!"
Now that there was only the family of three left, Yang Ruolan was definitely not trying to save Chu Feiling's face.
"Haha…"
Chu Yang burst out laughing.
Yang Ruolan saw that she had finally managed to get her son laughing and could not help but smile lightly. Her heart brimmed with pride. She was overcome with warmth: the same warmth she felt when she held her newborn son in her arms and tried to coax him to stop crying.
Maternal love flooded her heart as her gaze softened. Looking at her son was like looking at a precious treasure—no matter how much she looked at him, it wasn't enough.
Handsome eyebrows, smart eyes, and a perfect face… he even smelled fresh and pleasant…
"You're still young! It's all your fault! You punk!" Chu Feiling's face was flushed as he pretended to be angry. "You should have thought about it just now. You thought I wouldn't be able to sense the awkwardness and fear written all over your face? But you just didn't say it… y-y-you—you deliberately cheated me!"
…