"Dong dong dong—"
Qian Renyue's small body stood at the entrance of the sleeping hall, knocking on Qian Daoliu's door.
Qian Daoliu opened the door and looked at the little one before him. He couldn't help but ask curiously: "Yueyue, it's so late. Why are you not resting properly to prepare for your Martial Soul awakening tomorrow, and instead came running to Grandpa?"
"Handsome Grandpa, there is a secret, go inside." Qian Renyue raised her head to look at her handsome grandpa. Clearly already so old, yet still so good looking.
Qian Daoliu didn't understand, so he could only pick up the little ancestor before him and bring her into his bedroom.
"Handsome Grandpa, can you tell Yueyue why Mother wanted to kill Father back then?" Qian Renyue lay on Qian Daoliu's shoulder and asked in a muffled voice.
Over the years Qian Renyue had also tried to get close to her beautiful mother, but Bibi Dong never looked at her directly, and she also showed extreme disgust toward Qian Renxue, that older sister. This time she even sent Qian Renxue to carry out that usurping-the-kingdom plan.
Qian Renyue truly could not understand why their mother hated them so much. This made Qian Renyue involuntarily think of how six years ago, when she was still an infant, Bibi Dong killed her father Qian Xunji right in front of her eyes. That made Qian Renyue unable to help coming this late to disturb her handsome grandpa.
Hearing Qian Renyue's question, Qian Daoliu suddenly froze. This secret had been buried in his heart for six years. Even the other Worship elders didn't know it; they all thought Qian Xunji had been heavily injured by Tang Hao and eventually died from his wounds.
"Who did Yueyue hear nonsense from?" At this moment Qian Daoliu was somewhat angry. He definitely would not allow these two children to know. If it was Bibi Dong, Qian Daoliu felt a trace of killing intent rise in his heart.
"Handsome Grandpa, actually, Yueyue saw it with her own eyes back then."
"Saw it with your own eyes? How is that possible! Did Bibi Dong tell you? Yueyue don't be afraid, tell Grandpa."
"No, Handsome Grandpa, Yueyue has had consciousness since birth, and also has memories."
"Yueyue remembers first hearing Grandpa asking big sister to name Yueyue. Big sister looked at the bright moon outside the window and named Yueyue Qian Renyue, and Yueyue likes it very much. Later, Mother brought Yueyue to see Father, but in Father's sleeping hall, Yueyue personally saw Mother kill Father. Yueyue remembers their conversation. Mother seemed to hate Father very much, so…"
"After that, when Mother brought Yueyue out, we met Grandpa too. Grandpa also talked about grudges from the past and karma. Grandpa did not take action to avenge Father. These years Mother has not been close to me and big sister, and even shows disgust. She even suggested big sister go to the Heaven Dou Empire to carry out the usurping plan. Yueyue wants to know why. Why Mother wanted to kill Father, why she hates me and big sister so much."
By the end Qian Renyue was somewhat wronged. No matter how clever and precocious she was, at this moment she was just a six-year-old child. Even though Grandpa, big sister, and the Worship Hall elders spoiled her to the heavens, just like Qian Renxue, she also hoped to receive her parents' care and affection.
Hearing Qian Renyue's words, Qian Daoliu couldn't help feeling sour. Back then she was only an infant, yet witnessed her own mother kill her father with her own eyes, and for six years had not received even a trace of maternal affection. At this moment, Qian Daoliu also had some resentment toward Qian Xunji. What on earth had he done, making two children bear such things.
Qian Daoliu gently patted Qian Renyue's back to coax her: "Adult matters are complicated. Yueyue is still young. When Yueyue grows up, Grandpa will tell you, okay?"
"Grandpa, Yueyue is already not young. Tomorrow I will participate in the Martial Soul awakening. Grandpa, tell me. Yueyue can handle it." Qian Renyue lifted her head and looked at Qian Daoliu seriously.
"Ai, all sins committed by the previous generation." Hearing Qian Renyue's answer, Qian Daoliu knew that if he did not tell her today, this little ancestor would not give up. She might even go ask Bibi Dong. Rather than letting her hear it from Bibi Dong, he might as well say it himself now.
"Back then, your mother was still the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall, and your father was the Pope of Spirit Hall. Bibi Dong was your father's disciple. Your mother had twin Martial Souls, exceptional talent, and even had outstanding talent in Martial Soul theory. Relying only on herself, she solved the problem of twin Martial Souls."
"Twin Martial Souls are rare, but not unheard of on the continent. However, when a Soul Master begins attaching soul rings to the second Martial Soul, problems appear and they end up exploding and dying. But Bibi Dong found a method to cultivate twin Martial Souls herself. All of Spirit Hall placed high hopes on her."
"Later, she fell in love with someone, a man with a trash Martial Soul. This man came from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, but his Martial Soul mutated, and his soul power could never surpass level 29. Somehow, he and your mother ended up together. That man also gave up soul power cultivation and began studying Martial Soul theory. If he truly had real ability and sincerely researched theory, Spirit Hall would not have treated him unfairly."
"But he did not. He wanted fame too much, wanted to prove to the world that although his soul power was trash, he himself was not trash. He plagiarized theoretical knowledge summarized by generations of Spirit Hall, fused it together, and published it, establishing his so-called Ten Core Martial Soul Theories."
"Spirit Hall discovered his deceitful act and decided to expel him. But your obsessed-in-love mother actually decided to leave Spirit Hall with that trash. Your father was furious when he learned this. First, he drove that man out in a humiliating way, then locked your mother up."
At this point Qian Daoliu paused. On one hand, as a father he could hardly speak of what his son did back then. On the other hand, Qian Renyue was still too young — such matters were ultimately difficult to speak of.
"Father tore apart Mother and that man, locked Mother up, and then when Mother was unwilling, he forcefully kissed Mother and made Mother give birth to Sister Xue, right?" Hearing the elders' past, Qian Renyue understood. No wonder Mother hated Father so much and killed him so cruelly. The word 'R*pe' suddenly appeared in Qian Renyue's mind — she roughly understood what it meant, an extremely bad act toward a woman, so Mother unwillingly gave birth to Sister Xue.
"Yes. After Xue'er was born your father was very happy, thinking the child's birth could ease the hatred in your mother's heart. She could continue being the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall, and the three of them could live happily together, so he gradually gave Bibi Dong some freedom."
"Your mother at first indeed acted very obedient, focusing on cultivation and handling Spirit Hall affairs seriously. But she secretly never gave up searching for that trash. When your father discovered this, he was completely enraged. She ignored her daughter yet still longed for that hypocritical trash."
"Spirit Hall began searching for that trash's whereabouts, and the result was interesting. After leaving Spirit Hall and leaving your mother, that trash only felt downcast for a few days before meeting a man and another woman. The three of them had high Martial Soul compatibility and gained a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. They gradually became known across the continent as the Golden Iron Triangle. That trash had long forgotten your mother and got together with the female Soul Master in the trio. That woman was actually his cousin, an illegitimate daughter of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."
"When your father told your mother everything, she didn't believe it at all and blamed your father. She thought he had torn them apart and she wanted to find that trash. Your father once again locked your mother up in anger. Some things happened during that time, and not long after, your mother had you."
"What your father did was indeed vile, making your mother hate him deeply. But your father thought that since that trash had a new woman, and your mother was pregnant with you, their family would eventually be fine. When he heard that beside Tang Hao of the Clear Sky Sect was a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast in human form, and your mother was close to reaching the Titled Douluo realm, he brought Spirit Hall experts to capture that Soul Beast. Unexpectedly, the hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast sacrificed itself for Tang Hao, and Tang Hao thus became the youngest Titled Douluo on the continent, heavily injuring your father. What happened after that, you already know."
Qian Daoliu recalled the past and couldn't help but feel pain. That son, although not as talented as himself and Xiaoxue, and with poor conduct — especially regarding Bibi Dong — was still his only blood son.
After hearing the whole story, Qian Renyue felt stifled. Now she understood why Mother hated Father so much and killed him personally, and why she disliked her and big sister. She sympathized with her mother. If such a thing happened to herself, chopping the man into a thousand pieces might still not quench the hatred. But a child cannot speak of a father's faults — as a daughter she had no right to judge her father's right or wrong.
Moreover, Mother was not completely without fault back then. Spirit Hall spent so many resources cultivating her. As the Holy Maiden and future Pope, she wanted to betray Spirit Hall for a hypocritical, fame-seeking trash. No matter who was in power then, they would not let her go easily. It was just that Qian Xunji used the wrong method and treated Mother in such a humiliating way. That created a tragedy across two generations.
(End of this chapter)