Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 850 - 533 Destiny_2

Chapter 850: Chapter 533 Destiny_2

Reflecting on this, Feng Yuanqin took the teaset, with a hint of a smile spreading gently through his heart.

This temper really takes after him.

Heh heh...very good, very good...

Feng Yuanqin’s reputation as the Tea Saint wasn’t for nothing.

The same Xilong fried tea, the same clear spring water for brewing, but the tea made by her grandfather was always more delicious than what he made.

Even Big Ice Lump, who knew nothing about the art of tea, couldn’t help but let out a light "eh" after taking a brooding sip.

Seeing the reaction of the two young ones, Feng Yuanqin smiled happily and said in a low voice,

"It seems this old man’s skills haven’t deteriorated, back in the day even Li Huanzhong, the old Emperor, had to depend on my mood to get a taste. Changtian, if you want to have some, come to your grandfather’s place, I’ll make it specially for you."

Li Huanzhong, the previous Emperor, Li Yaoxuan’s father.

As she spoke, Feng Yuanqin added another cup of tea for Xu Yuan, hesitated for a moment, and then asked gently,

"Changtian, did you come to see your grandfather for something?"

As the former Feng Family Patriarch, even though she hadn’t seen daylight for decades, her discerning gaze from years in a high position had not changed.

Xu Yuan looked up at her and said softly,

"Today is the first day of the month."

"...."

Hearing this date, Feng Yuanqin’s aged eyes fell and she counted her breaths before murmuring softly,

"Is it already the New Year... What year is it in Jiaying now outside?"

"Forty-seven years."

"It’s been seventeen years then..."

Feng Yuanqin’s rough fingertips gently brushed her linen grey clothes and looked at Xu Yuan, asking softly,

"Qian’er... How has she been these years?"

Xu Yuan fell silent, and watching her grandson’s silence, Feng Yuanqin seemed to understand something and raised her hand to press against her aged face,

"It’s as I expected, I’ve always said these things shouldn’t be tampered with, why brave such enormous risks? What a foolish girl."

Xu Yuan said softly,

"You... don’t hate mother?"

"Hate....."

Feng Yuanqin absentmindedly fiddled with the teaset in front of her, her voice carrying a faint complexity, "Of course I do, I’ve wronged many in my life, but I’ve only done right by your mother and maternal uncle, yet they betrayed me because of an outsider...."

Speaking, Feng Yuanqin smiled slightly,

"But over the years, even the deepest hatred has dissipated.

"Moreover, the actions of your mother and uncle were probably my own fault..."

"...."

Claiming to have done right by her progeny, yet also saying she was to blame for her own misfortune...

Hearing these contradictory words, Xu Yuan looked puzzled.

Feng Yuanqin glanced at Xu Yuan and said with a gentle laugh,

"It seems your father has erased that incident from the history records, huh? Well, it makes sense; such an event is not exactly honorable, and it’s somewhat undesirable for the younger generations to know about it."

Xu Yuan asked softly,

"Can you tell me about it?"

"You want to hear the story, huh..."

Feng Yuanqin’s eyes held a touch of tenderness, then she sighed lightly, "But there’s not much to tell in this story. Simply put, your mother and your maternal uncle, along with your father, attacked me while I was breaking through to Saint level and placed me under house arrest, usurping the power of the Feng Family. Then they declared to the outside world that I died from backlash while attempting to Break Saint."

Thirty years ago, she was on the verge of Break Saint; no wonder in the "Cangyuan Chronicles", her grandfather was able to withstand levels over a hundred upon their reunion.

The thought flashed through his mind, and Xu Yuan refocused his attention, looking at the old figure across from him, he asked,

"Why?"

Why would mother and maternal uncle betray her grandfather?

Feng Yuanqin didn’t answer immediately; her fingertips gently rubbed the tea board for a while before speaking softly,

"Are there still records about me within the Prime Minister’s Mansion?"

"....?"

Xu Yuan didn’t understand why his grandfather would suddenly bring this up, but he still said,

"There are."

"Are they unfavorable?"

"Turn away if it doesn’t suit your fancy, kill if it doesn’t," Xu Yuan muttered.

"Heh... your father at least did not deliberately vilify me."

Feng Yuanqin smiled, carefully refilled Xu Yuan’s teacup, and whispered:

"The Feng Family is a millennial sect, with branching lineages that are intricate and complex; if not handled with care, just as the Dragon Family of the Capital City serves as a warning example."

Feng Yuanqin quietly asked:

"You must know of the Dragon Family’s situation, right? After the Family Head died, the various lines of heirs fought among themselves, weakening each other considerably, ultimately allowing your father to pick the fruit of their labor.

"At its root, it was because Old Long was too indecisive during his life, not consolidating power, reluctant to kill, allowing his children to struggle against each other.

"I, Feng Yuanqin, am different from that old man, Long Tianyu. For a millennial sect to continue and grow stronger, one must be ruthless and centralize power, promoting the useful to positions of authority, and killing those who are high-ranking but useless."

At this point, Feng Yuanqin’s hand clenched tightly as she continued softly:

"To ensure the absolute secrecy of information, I killed your mother’s friends; to secure your uncle’s right to succeed, I killed your restless uncles; to guarantee the absolute power of the Feng Family Patriarch, I killed your grandmother and brought the Feng Family kin under control.

"These actions may not be what your uncle and mother wanted, but indeed, I was paving the way for them. After a hundred years have passed, they will take over a powerful Feng Family with centralized power.

"This is the destiny of a sect. Even now, I do not believe that I have made a mistake."

The old body trembled slightly, and the deep voice was hoarse with emotion:

"Changtian, under the sway of power, bloodline is mere inheritance, and kinship is no longer absolute."

"...."

The room’s sole ever-burning oil lamp cast a warm yellow glow onto the elder’s sunken eyes, shadowing them, making his gaze indistinct.

Silence slowly unfolded, Xu Yuan remained quiet with his eyelids downturned.

His grandfather’s words were fact.

The Prime Minister’s Mansion is a special case; the Feng Family and Dragon Family are the norm for sects. A small plot of inheritance land could lead a family of farmers to fight to the death. How much more so for the supreme power that could influence the Qing Empire?

"Rustle..."

In the silence, Feng Yuanqin straightened her robe, instantly retracting the dominant aura, returning to the careful elder she had been before, and chuckled:

"Heh... I, the old man, may have spoken a bit too much, Changtian, you don’t need to take it too seriously; these are all things of the past.

"Over so many years, the old man has seen enough to know that in the end, everything will return to dust, will return to Earth."

With drooping eyes, Feng Yuanqin lifted the porcelain cup in front of her and took a delicate sip:

"So, Changtian, when you ask me if I hate your mother, of course, my answer is no. I don’t hate her because she did not agree with what I did, so I can understand her resistance."

Xu Yuan pondered for a moment, then asked softly:

"Then my mother, because of the Sect’s demise..."

Feng Yuanqin’s white beard was dampened by the tea, his aged voice low and hoarse, "When your mother came to see me in those years, she would often tell this old man about many things she and your father were doing. I had advised her, but she did not listen. At that time, I told her that she had to bear the consequences of the path she chose.

"So, don’t think about having me come out of seclusion to help her avenge."

At this point,

Feng Yuanqin chuckled softly, half-jokingly:

"I, the old man, really hate your father. Your father would never allow me, the Feng Family Patriarch, to go out."

"....."

Silence.

Xu Yuan looked at the hunched figure of the old man opposite and gently nodded his head.

Decades of paving the way went unappreciated; decades later, confined and reflecting back.

What’s past is void, efforts grow cold, without name, without hate, without love.

"Let’s not talk about this anymore."

Feng Yuanqin shook her head, then asked gently, "Qian’er has gone, how is Jiu Xuan doing?"

Xu Yuan replied:

"My uncle is well. The recent disturbance in the Black Prison was caused by his battle with a Saint."

"Is that so?"

In Feng Yuanqin’s eyes was a faint sense of relief: "He has been extraordinary since he was young. His current cultivation level is probably something this old man can no longer contest."

After opening the box of conversation, the grandfather and grandson spoke of many things, including the current situation and the plans Xu Yuan intended to make.

Feng Yuanqin, as the former Revival Master of the Feng Family, although imprisoned for decades, still had the capability, and he carefully gave Xu Yuan some advice.

Finally, Xu Yuan stood up, ready to leave.

But then he was stopped by Feng Yuanqin.

The old man slowly walked to his grandson’s side, his gaze tender as he patted his shoulder:

"Changtian, if you have time... go visit Xifeng Mountain, just outside the Feng Family Ancestral Land."