Sean: Beyond Love and Hate (Part Four)

That first-birthday banquet ended in farce; his father and stepmother became the laughingstock of the entire martial world.

Everyone who attended that banquet learned about the Skyvault Palace Sect scandal, and each one looked at him with the deepest sympathy...

"If your mother were still alive, none of this would have happened."

"A child without a mother is like grass—unless you’re strong, you’ll just be trampled. Sean, if that woman dares bully you, fight back. Your uncles and elders will stand behind you."

"Your grandfather really misjudged him—thought he was a man of loyalty, but it turns out he’s just like this."

......

Everyone who came to the banquet left disappointed in his father. They valued loyalty, but even for loyalty, none would risk their lives.

Skyvault Palace Sect is one of the top martial clans; no matter what, none of them dared to act against it. All they could offer him was words of comfort.

But Sean Xuan didn’t need anyone’s pity. Whatever Sean Xuan wanted, he would earn by his own strength.

Even if he abandoned Skyvault Palace Sect, he would never let that woman take it for herself.

His master treated him well, and his senior brothers looked after him too.

Of course, there were jealous ones among them, but that didn’t affect his life—he was perfectly capable of handling their trouble, and none could get the better of him.

Training in martial arts was tough; he was always battered and bruised, and before he turned fifteen, there was never a time he was free from injuries.

His master said he had exceptional talent and so demanded much of him. He worked hard, knowing that without effort, he could never openly return to Skyvault Palace Sect, let alone search for Aunt Emma.

All these years, Sean Xuan never stopped searching for Emma Lu, but there was never any news—she seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Sean Xuan thought he simply wasn’t strong enough, so he worked even harder, quietly building his own network. The street urchins from back then were a good choice—at least for gathering information, they were more convenient than he was.

But no matter how many people he sent out, there was no news of Aunt Emma, which left Sean Xuan deeply disappointed.

Time passed day by day; he stayed in the sect for more than a decade, becoming his master’s final disciple. Yet his skills surpassed those of his senior brothers—not just because of talent, but because he could endure hardship more than any of them.

On the day he left the sect, his master told him that accepting him as a disciple was not only because of his talent, but mainly because of his mother.

His mother was a clever woman. She saw things clearly and, knowing her only son would suffer in Skyvault Palace Sect after her death, arranged a way out for him before she died.

During her final illness, his mother wrote to everyone she knew, begging them to look after him and help him if he was ever in danger.

Reading his mother’s letters, Sean Xuan couldn’t hold back his tears.

His mother had long seen through his father’s character—he was loyal and emotional, but his feelings changed quickly, and for the sake of others, he could ignore his own son.

His mother truly understood his father.

His mother truly loved him; even on her deathbed, she was thinking of his future.

Sean Xuan said farewell to his master, used the secret passage in Skyvault Palace Sect to quietly return, worshiped at his mother’s grave, and then prepared to leave.

It wasn’t the right time for him to return; for the next two years, he would roam the martial world, build his reputation, make connections, and most importantly, use the opportunity to search for Aunt Emma.

As he was leaving, he saw that woman and her children...

That woman was undoubtedly lucky—and happy. Her two children: the son looked like their father, not like Sean, who resembled his mother.

And the daughter? If she didn’t speak, she looked very much like Aunt Emma.

His father treated that woman well, and her smile was gentle and loving, with no trace of unease—despite it being stolen happiness.

She truly was a frightening woman.

I truly didn’t want to look at that woman again. She wore Aunt Emma’s face and used her identity, but did things Aunt Emma would never do.

Sean Xuan didn’t linger for a moment, quietly left Skyvault Palace Sect, and began his life wandering the martial world.

In the martial world, strength mattered—but so did background. Even if his father didn’t care for him, Sean Xuan was still the Young Palace Lord of Skyvault Palace Sect, and no one could deny it.

Sean Xuan had both strength and status, acted with skill, and quickly made a name for himself as a leader among the younger generation. Some even wondered: if Sean Xuan ever fought Lance Quinn, the greatest martial artist, who would win?

Unfortunately, the two never had a chance to fight. Lance Quinn was elusive and low-key despite his fame; ordinary people couldn’t even find him.

And Sean Xuan?

Although Lance Quinn’s presence dimmed his own reputation somewhat, Sean Xuan didn’t mind at all. He had long since outgrown the age of seeking glory through violence; though still young, his heart was old.

Sean Xuan didn’t care about such things. Others tried to provoke him many times, but it never worked, and gradually lost interest. The older generation saw Sean Xuan’s maturity and resolve, and thought highly of him, often praising him to their children.

Sean Xuan was already popular among the martial women for his looks, family, and temperament; many admired him and wished to marry him, but he refused them all.

Now, with the elders praising him even more, these young women became anxious, fearing someone would snatch him away, and rushed home to ask their parents to propose marriage to Sean Xuan.

These families truly valued Sean Xuan, offering generous terms and even their own estates, but…

No matter how good the offer, Sean Xuan was unmoved. He refused everyone, saying he already had a fiancée!