Sean Xuan had always believed that, no matter how foolish his father was, he would eventually realize just how much this incident would affect him...
For the sake of Skyvault Palace Sect, and for his own reputation, he would surely try every possible way to salvage his honor. Sean had even prepared his own countermeasures, but in the end, he realized...
He had simply overthought everything.
His father was no longer the shrewd and forceful Palace Master of Skyvault Palace Sect; now, he was just a fool bewitched by beauty.
He used to think that when history books described kings doing absurd things for a woman, it was just the historians trying to smear the emperor’s name. But now...
There really are men so hopelessly foolish that, for a woman, they would abandon their wives and children, forsake their kingdom, and ignore everyone else’s lives!
Loving beauty more than power!
His father...
Heh...
There were times when Sean Xuan wondered: if he hadn’t taken his father to meet Aunt Mo back then, would his father have ended up like this?
But soon, Sean Xuan realized just how ridiculous that thought was. His father hadn’t abandoned his son and the sect for Aunt Mo—he’d done it for a counterfeit!
After living with that woman for over a decade, he still hadn’t noticed she was a fake. His father’s stupidity was truly beyond belief!
Since his father didn’t care about his own reputation or the foundation of Skyvault Palace Sect, Sean Xuan cared even less. He was attached to Skyvault, but not so much that he’d swallow his pride for it.
Sean Xuan still lived at Skyvault Palace Sect. Even though his father ignored him, and Irene Lu openly and secretly tried to push him out, Sean Xuan didn’t take it to heart, because...
He realized that Skyvault Palace Sect’s influence was vast. There were places he couldn’t easily send people to investigate, but Skyvault’s own members could go and gather information. Plus, smaller sects always tried to curry favor with Skyvault, so it was much easier for him to get news.
To use Skyvault’s power to search for Aunt Mo’s whereabouts, Sean Xuan stayed on at the sect. But...
No matter how hard Sean Xuan tried, he still couldn’t find a single clue. Aunt Mo seemed to have vanished. He’d considered giving up, but every time that thought surfaced, he immediately pushed it away...
If he didn’t find Aunt Mo, what would happen to his future little wife?
Besides, if he didn’t look for Aunt Mo, what was he supposed to do next?
Pursue the highest martial arts achievement? Seek revenge?
He practiced martial arts only to protect himself, so he wouldn’t be bullied, and so he could protect his wife and children in the future, making sure they never suffered. He’d never wanted to be a peerless master, nor did he want to waste his life training every day.
As for revenge?
What revenge would he even seek?
Revenge against that woman?
He honestly had no interest in that!
Sean Xuan had never cared about Irene Lu or her son. They survived solely on his father’s favor. Once Sean Xuan dethroned his father as Palace Master, would Irene Lu and her son still dare to be so arrogant?
No matter how his father and Irene Lu tried to make things difficult, Sean Xuan didn’t pay them any mind. He put most of his energy into searching for Emma Lu, and even after repeated disappointments, he never gave up.
Heaven never lets down those who work hard. Just when Sean Xuan was searching desperately, good news finally arrived!
Consort Xuan had seen someone—a woman who looked eighty percent like Emma Lu.
In this world, it’s not impossible for two people to look alike. A resemblance doesn’t mean anything. When Sean Xuan heard the news, he was excited but kept his composure, immediately ordering an investigation...
This time, with a clear target, the information quickly returned. The woman who resembled Consort Xuan was indeed Aunt Mo’s daughter, but Aunt Mo herself had died long ago...
No wonder he hadn’t been able to find any trace of Aunt Mo all these years—she had gone incognito to Eastlyn and married Eastlyn’s great general.
After a woman marries, she rarely reveals her maiden name, and in Eastlyn only the wealthy and powerful knew Emma Lu’s original name. These weren’t people the martial world could easily reach. What’s more, Emma Lu had been dead for over a decade, so even fewer remembered her name, and with the Empress quietly suppressing any mention, no one brought her up at all...
Under such circumstances, it was completely normal that Sean Xuan’s people couldn’t find any trace of Emma Lu.
Once he got news of Emma Lu, Sean Xuan couldn’t sit still for a moment—especially after seeing the report detailing Aunt Mo’s daughter’s experiences over the years. He was even more restless...
Aunt Mo’s daughter was named Serena Feng—a dazzling, vibrant woman, but fate had been cruel to her!
Of course—a weak girl without her parents’ protection, how could she possibly have a happy life?
Fortunately, Aunt Mo’s daughter was just as resilient and unyielding as Aunt Mo herself. Even when fate was unfair, she still lived brilliantly and boldly. But...
Reading about everything she’d gone through, Sean Xuan couldn’t help but ache for her.
The humiliation on her wedding day; Prince Rowan forcing her to kneel at the city gate, the commoners throwing vegetable leaves at her... and those countless struggles at the edge of life and death...
Though he’d never met her, Sean Xuan felt a deep ache for her, and at the same time, profound admiration...
Only such resilience could withstand so many hardships; only by enduring so much suffering could she grow into the person she was now.
She should have been a cherished daughter, held in her parents’ hands, but instead, she’d been trampled again and again...
If only he’d found Aunt Mo’s daughter sooner—he would never have let her suffer so much.
Sean Xuan blamed himself deeply, wishing he could fly to her side right now, hold her in his arms, and tell her not to be afraid—he would shield her from the world...
Sean Xuan rushed day and night to the capital, unable to wait even a second. As soon as he dismounted, he knocked on the gates of Feng Manor...
That was the first time he ever saw Serena Feng.
Dressed in mourning clothes, Serena Feng was shrouded in an invisible sorrow that made Sean Xuan’s heart ache even more—and his guilt grow deeper.
He was too late!
Without any hesitation, Sean Xuan revealed their childhood engagement. He knew Serena Feng already had someone she loved and didn’t expect her to agree to marry him right away, but he never imagined she’d say it was just a childish joke, not something to take seriously.
(Irrelevant system message skipped.)
Maybe, in Aunt Mo’s eyes, it really was just a child’s careless words, which was why she never told Serena Feng. Maybe, to Serena Feng, this suddenly appearing fiancé was just a huge nuisance. But...
That engagement, to him, was a lifelong commitment and the goal he fought for all these years.
The moment he handed over the jade token, he’d already seen Aunt Mo’s daughter as his wife, as his responsibility...
All these years, he hadn’t struggled for Skyvault Palace Sect. He’d just wanted to become strong enough to protect himself and his future wife from being bullied by anyone. But...
All his effort and persistence was repaid with a single sentence: ‘It’s not something to take seriously...’
Hearing Serena Feng’s rejection, his heart clenched for a moment. But he didn’t notice it then, because at that time, he had only stubborn resolve for her—not the deep, passionate love that would come later...
Back then, he just blamed himself for coming too late, for failing to protect Serena Feng, for failing to protect his future wife. So when she refused, he didn’t press her—he didn’t have the right.
He stepped back, never thinking of giving up. He thought he still had a chance, but never realized that retreat in that moment meant he would never again be able to move forward...
From then on, he could only step back into the role of ‘older brother,’ guarding the woman who should have been his wife, protecting her as a brother when she should have been his partner...
Serena Feng, do you know how much I envy Nolan Dongling, and how jealous I am of William Wang?
I envy Nolan Dongling for being able to marry you, and I’m jealous that William Wang can say he loves you without restraint.
The worst pain in the world isn’t loving without return, but loving without the courage to speak...
Serena Feng, do you know? I never wanted to be your brother. I only wanted, as I once promised, to make you my wife.
But I’ll never dare say these words, not even if it costs me my life, because...
I don’t want you to feel guilty. I don’t want you to think you owe me anything.
Serena Feng, I don’t dare wish to marry you in the next life; all I ask is that, in the next life, I won’t appear by your side as your older brother...