Love & Redemption
Chapter 206: Volume 5 Phoenix Flower Blooms - 13 Phoenix in Flight (3)

Chapter 206: Volume 5 Phoenix Flower Blooms Chapter 13 Phoenix in Flight (3)

The count reached 250 votes, honoring my promise, today includes three updates. Here is the first.

**********************

After a long while, the room was still dead silent, no one spoke, only the Great Palace Master’s heavy suppressed breaths could be heard, coming in waves. Yu Sifeng quietly watched him, under the faint blue dawn light, the Great Palace Master’s face was blurred and vague, his jawline distinct, his face slightly turned, his nose straight.

Yu Sifeng sighed softly, whispering, "I really am a fool, Dad. Doesn’t your profile look just like mine? I can’t believe I only realized it now."

The Great Palace Master slammed his palm on the table, which followed with a huge crash, shattering the table into pieces, scattered across the floor. He bellowed, "Was it Liu Yihuan, that old thief, who told you?! He broke his oath! What did he tell you all?!"

Yu Sifeng spoke quietly, "No, he didn’t tell me anything. I guessed it myself. I was right, wasn’t I? Actually... you are my real father."

"Stop talking!" the Great Palace Master shouted sternly, taking deep breaths, and finally, he gradually calmed down. After a while, he spoke softly, "You must never mention this again. Today, I will pretend I heard nothing. I’ve left the antidote here, whether you want to drink it is up to you. You are grown now, and it is time to take responsibility. Think carefully about what you should truly be doing, and don’t disappoint me!"

He turned and walked away, while Yu Sifeng called out from behind, "Dad! What really happened back then, can’t you tell me?"

The Great Palace Master paused, then continued walking out, saying sternly, "Do not use that word! Remember, this is Lize Palace, and you are merely my disciple!"

Yu Sifeng took a deep breath, sat on the bed staring blankly for a long while, then slowly lowered his head to look at the medicine placed on the table. It was already broad daylight, and the medicinal liquid shimmered under the morning light, radiating a jewel-like glow. Its gem-like blue color was so beautiful, like a dream—a dream that made him forget all enmity, love, and hatred.

The Great Palace Master was right, Yu Sifeng had reached an age where he should take on responsibilities. He couldn’t always act on whims because of his preferences. Lize Palace was equivalent to his home. Could he abandon his whole family out of selfishness? To always do what he likes, to be forever joyful—those are the naive thoughts of Xuanji’s child. To live in the world is inherently to not always be happy.

He gently picked up the bowl, the medical liquid gently swaying, its colors blending, which for some reason reminded him of many past memories. Meeting her, being with her, parting from her—it was just a short five years. Yet, those five years seemed to have spanned his entire life, his life’s every possible source of power and emotion had burned out in those five years.

Yu Sifeng brought the liquid to his lips, just about to drink it determinedly, when suddenly Xuanji’s face appeared before him, smiling at him, saying softly, "Si Feng, we will always be together."

A sudden pain struck his heart, as if stung by a scorpion, a numbing pain spreading in waves. It felt sweet, bitter, sour, loving, hateful, resentful... an array of flavors intertwined. He had once cautiously and shyly told her: There are better people in the world. Yet now, he was choosing to leave her.

Between the two of them, it was unclear who had wronged the other more, they were now entangled beyond distinction, unable to determine who lost or won.

After a long time, Yu Sifeng finally went to the window, and poured out all of the medicine.

His whole life had truly fallen into madness, utterly defeated by her, not a single bit of leeway remaining. He sighed deeply, picked up the seven-stringed zither by the window and began slowly plucking the strings again—Phoenix Seeking Phoenix, Lianyun Cao, melodies that transcended the heavens—had she ever heard even a slight hint of the melancholy and agony in his heart?

In a blur, it seemed as though someone was calling his name insistently: "Si Feng, Si Feng... do you hear me?" He suddenly startled, the music halting, outside there was a cacophony of noise, many people running, talking in hushed tones, amidst the noise someone yelled, "Si Feng! Yu Sifeng! You little bastard, get out here now!"

It was Brother Liu’s voice! Yu Sifeng sprung up from the bed, threw on his coat, and ran out the door.

*****

When Liu Yihuan heard Zhong Minyan retelling Ruo Yu’s words, he immediately understood that Yu Sifeng’s identity could no longer be hidden in Lize Palace. When the Great Palace Master had his illegitimate child, he too had been kept in the dark at first; when the Old Palace Master visited him in the dungeon, he hinted at it vaguely, so he knew only that Yu Sifeng was the Great Palace Master’s son, as for who his mother was, how they met—he knew nothing.

Since he was the next Palace Master, bearing Shieryu, having a child was also Shieryu, so breaking the iron rules of Lize Palace was a matter that absolutely must not be leaked. When the Old Palace Master passed away, some of his senior brothers also left. Those who remained were tightly controlled by the Great Palace Master, and no one would speak out about this secret.

Leaking this secret, considering someone with the courage to do so, was likely only that whimsical Vice Palace Master. There was no official distinction of a main or vice palace in Lize initially. It was purely because the Old Palace Master resented the Great Palace Master for breaking the rules that he forcefully split the role of the palace leader between the two brothers.

Liu Yihuan didn’t know much about the brother duo; he had interacted with the Great Palace Master a few times because of Yu Sifeng, and found him to be reserved but unstable, sometimes even impulsive and hasty, evident from his recent sending of men to disrupt Fuyu Island. The plan was good, but he had been too impatient. If he had waited a little longer, led the cultivation sect leaders like Chu Lei to a secluded place before making a move, even Xuanji with all her might wouldn’t have been able to save them.

As for the Vice Palace Master, his first impression was one of aversion, unwilling to be near him. The Vice Palace Master gave him an unpleasant feeling. If the Great Palace Master was like the water in a deep pond, appearing calm yet with undercurrents swirling, the Vice Palace Master was like a cloud of mist, hazy and indistinct, utterly unfathomable.

If this person were ambitious, it would indeed be troublesome for the Great Palace Master. Now that Yu Sifeng has returned to Li Ze Palace with such a person by his side, it was tantamount to jumping into the Dragon Pond and Tiger Cave. Moreover, although the Great Palace Master had promised not to involve Yu Sifeng in the mission to save Wuzhiqi, if the Vice Palace Master were to push too hard, it was not guaranteed that the Great Palace Master wouldn’t make a desperate move and get Yu Sifeng involved. As Yu Sifeng’s surrogate father, he absolutely could not agree to this.

He left Shaoyang Peak and immediately headed for Li Ze Palace. Without the formidable War God General Xuanji this time, he was inevitably alone and weak. He hovered over Li Ze Palace, afraid to descend. He sat on the Stone Sword, incessantly shouting, trying to curse Yu Sifeng out by his yelling.

When Yu Sifeng came running out, what he saw was a chaotic scene at the entrance of Li Ze Palace. Many young disciples were pointing and discussing on the beach, while a huge Stone Sword floated in mid-air with Liu Yihuan sitting on it, holding a book in his hands, which he held in a circle close to his mouth, loudly shouting, "Yu Sifeng! You rascal, get out here to me!"

Walking over with a laugh, he called out, "Brother, how did you get here?"

Upon seeing him, Liu Yihuan’s eyes instantly lit up; he tossed the book aside and waved him over, "Little Phoenix! Come here, let Brother have a look at you! You’ve lost weight! Haven’t seen you for a few days, doesn’t your master feed you?"

Yu Sifeng laughed and said, "Brother, you’re still the same. Why sit so high? Won’t you come down?"

Liu Yihuan shook his head repeatedly, "No, no! Your master is too fierce! I’m afraid he might suddenly attack; it’s better to stay up here so I can escape more quickly! By the way, Little Phoenix, come here, did your master say anything to you... um, anything suggestive?"

Yu Sifeng paused, slowly lowered his eyelashes, and did not speak. Liu Yihuan angrily said, "Damned thing! He truly broke his vow! Forget it; come with me! Don’t stay in this damned place! Leave with me now!" He bent down to pull Yu Sifeng, who hesitated and said softly, "No, Brother, my dad, I still don’t understand..."

Liu Yihuan urgently said, "Brother came to find you! If you really stay in this damned place, that’s real ignorance! Your old man is simply insane..."

Before he could finish, a stern shout came from ahead, "Liu Yihuan!" They saw the gates of Li Ze Palace burst open, and a crowd surged out, led by the Great Palace Master who had just shouted angrily. The five elders and fourteen hall masters of Li Ze Palace stood behind him with an air of unmistakable confrontation.

Yu Sifeng exclaimed, "Brother, you should go first!"

Liu Yihuan scoffed and sat upright, shouting loudly, "You, the Little Palace Master, bring all these people here, trying to scare me? I’m not buying your tricks! Now that everybody is here, why not let them listen to the heroic deeds of their marvelous Palace Master when he was young, so they can admire and learn?"

The Great Palace Master’s face turned ashen as he said in a deep voice, "Liu Yihuan, do not overstep!"

"The one who is overstepping is you!" Liu Yihuan spit out, "What about the vow made back then? What do you plan to do with Little Phoenix now?! Aren’t you the one who broke the vow?"

The Great Palace Master took a deep breath, remaining silent for a long while. Behind him, several elders whispered, "Palace Master, this man has always been unrestrained and crazed, keeping him is always a threat, why not seize him today?"

He slowly shook his head, then suddenly instructed, "All of you go inside, and take the disciples away. I want to speak to him alone."

Everyone was shocked: "Palace Master! Leaving this man behind will be an endless trouble!"

He shook his head, "Hurry!" The crowd had to withdraw the disciples inside the gates, closing them off. The beach instantly became empty except for the desolate wind and the continuous drizzle that felt ice cold. The Great Palace Master stood for a while before saying, "I too have my difficulties, Sifeng, as a disciple of Li Ze Palace, has the duty to bear its responsibilities, and running away will never be a solution."

Liu Yihuan scoffed, "Excuses! You’re full of crap! It’s all because you hope to rescue Wuzhiqi and have him return the Juntian Ring to you! There are so many people in Li Ze Palace, who couldn’t handle the matter? Why bother Little Phoenix at all!"

The Great Palace Master’s expression changed slightly, seemingly surprised, "You know about the Juntian Ring too!"

"Did you think I am a fool? Don’t change the subject, we’re talking about Sifeng now. Have you decided to tarnish the vow made back then?"

The Great Palace Master pondered for a long while before saying, "The greater good is paramount, such personal vows are naturally put last. Sifeng carries the twelve feathers, and he alone is undoubtedly destined to be the future Palace Master; Li Ze Palace’s affairs may not be eluded whatsoever. I have said all I intend to, how you take it is your own concern."

Liu Yihuan laughed twice, "So, it seems the vow is thus annulled. Very well, very well! Sifeng, you must have realized it by now, your dad is this Great Palace Master. His courage was big enough when he was young!"

Seeing the Great Palace Master’s expression fluctuate, knowing he was looking for an opportunity to strike at him, he continued, "Killing me would certainly be easy for you, but while there is no one around, why not speak the secrets of many years to him? Sifeng, although he’s your child, is grown up now; surely he has the right to know his own origin?" (To be continued, for further details, please log on to www.qidian.com, for more Chapters and to support the author and licensed reading!)