Love & Redemption
Chapter 208: Volume 5 Phoenix Flower Blooms - 15 Phoenix in Flight (5)

Chapter 208: Volume 5 Phoenix Flower Blooms Chapter 15 Phoenix in Flight (5)

The third watch. Hehe, the third-watch task is completed, thank you all for your support. I’ll release a fourth Chapter if the monthly tickets reach 300.

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The Great Palace Master said in a low voice, "Spreading lies to mislead the public! What do you know of the truth regarding my affairs!"

The Vice Palace Master replied with feigned ease, "Big brother, don’t rush to scold me, you should have had enough of that over the years. To take care of you, I followed the Old Palace Master’s orders and have played the fool for many years, shouldering an undeserved bad name for betraying my own brother. Actually, the matter is quite simple. Just look at Si Feng, and you’ll understand. His mask was also removed. Why is he suffering the backlash of the Lover’s Curse while you are not? There has never been an exception to the workings of the Lover’s Curse."

The Great Palace Master sneered, not deigning to speak with him. It was Liu Yihuan who said, "If he and Si Feng’s mother were truly in love, how could there be any Lover’s Curse! Your question is incredibly stupid!"

The Vice Palace Master wasn’t annoyed but rather clapped and laughed, "Exactly! It is indeed mutual love! Only with mutual love and an unwavering commitment can the Lover’s Curse be broken. Big brother, has your Lover’s Curse truly been lifted?"

His question was even sillier, and even Liu Yihuan sneered, too lazy to entertain him. Yu Sifeng, on the other hand, seemed to pick up on something and said in a soft voice, "Vice Palace Master, are you implying that... the Lover’s Curse has not been lifted?"

The Vice Palace Master laughed, "You are the smart one. My big brother is only pretending to be clever; to think his son turns out to be the truly intelligent one! Correct, in fact, the Lover’s Curse was never lifted. He just believed it was. How about I tell you about what really happened eighteen years ago?"

The Great Palace Master said coldly, "Fine! I want to hear what sort of pearls of wisdom can come out of a dog’s mouth! Go ahead, you say!"

The Vice Palace Master said, "Big brother, don’t be angry. All of this was ordered by the Old Palace Master; I merely carried it out. Everything was done for the sake of Lize Palace. We couldn’t allow you to be so willful and reckless. The story you just told is nothing but a cliché plot of a talented man and a beautiful woman, a hero saving the damsel in distress. In reality, you are no talented man, and that Yu Haofeng is far from a beautiful damsel. You did meet Yu Haofeng when you left the palace to gain experience, and the incident with the hairpin is indeed true, but it is completely different from what I know."

"In fact, before you left the palace, the Old Palace Master had instructed me to keep an eye on you. His assessment of you was: intelligent but reckless, conceited, and impulsive. You looked down on everyone, relying on the power of the Twelve Feathers, everyone in the palace yielded to you. If you truly took a liking to someone, that would be a big deal; you would not rest until you got what you wanted. That poor Yu Haofeng, a pure and innocent girl, caught your eye. You followed her every day, matching her every move: when she flew with her Sword Control, you flew with yours; when she ate, you ate; when she slept, you guarded her door, frightening the girl to the point she was nearly sick."

Before he could finish, the Great Palace Master interrupted fiercely, "Nonsense! I warn you, stop talking rubbish!"

The Vice Palace Master smiled and said, "Am I talking rubbish? Well, let’s assume I am, but listen to me till the end. Yu Haofeng was also out to gain experience and, unfortunately, got separated from her peers. She wandered near Dragon Mountain, waiting for her fellow disciples. You harassed her so much that she ran everywhere to escape you, from Germu to Dragon Mountain, but couldn’t shake you off. She couldn’t defeat you in a fight, and when she scolded you, you seemed even happier, acting every bit the rogue. In the end, she got angry and fought you desperately. Perhaps her words were too harsh, and you didn’t treat her kindly either, hurting her so badly that she couldn’t move, then took advantage of her injury to confine her in a small town near Dragon Mountain."

"Yu Haofeng was a fiery woman; when she regained consciousness and saw you, she immediately attempted suicide. Yet she didn’t succeed and instead was violated by you. Big brother, I know you were madly in love with that woman but didn’t know how to love her properly. Every time she avoided or insulted you, you were deeply hurt. You didn’t know when to back off; instead, you tormented her even more, only making her hate you more. To be violated by you, she lived days incapable of living or dying. She was just a girl of sixteen or seventeen, forced to fake smiles and constantly looking for a chance to escape. Yet you kept a tight watch on her, not even allowing her to be alone while bathing or relieving herself. Big brother, you were simply insane in her eyes. How could she fall in love with someone like you? You had no idea how to love someone. That hairpin wasn’t a token of pledged love at all. Although you gave it to her, in the end, she pulled it out and returned it to you when she died. Heh, big brother, she never loved you, yet you were fixated on her and even let her take off your mask. How could the Lover’s Curse not backfire on you?"

"When the Lover’s Curse backfired on you that day, you were helpless, and she took the opportunity to escape. Have you forgotten? That day, the Old Palace Master and I found you in town, crying bitterly, almost deranged. The Old Palace Master feared for your safety and ordered me to stay with you while he chased after the woman, hoping she would give you some closure because the story you told us was just your own fantasy. The Old Palace Master doted on you and couldn’t bear to see you so distressed. After he caught up with her, he intended to bring her back. She tearfully begged the Old Palace Master to spare her and recounted what had happened after meeting you. You can imagine how angry the Old Palace Master was! But he still brought Yu Haofeng back to confront you. I saw it all, big brother! Yu Haofeng trembled at the sight of you, cowering in a corner, scared stiff. You looked like you were going to kill her, which caused her to faint. Then and there, the Old Palace Master and I grasped the truth and decided to take you back to Lize Palace, not realizing Yu Haofeng was pregnant until she started bleeding. We hastily called a midwife to take care of her."

"You know the Old Palace Master’s temper. He would never allow that child to be born, but you were already acting insanely, and any disagreement would have made you more impulsive. The Old Palace Master had urgent matters and could not stay long, so he left me to take care of you two and returned to Lize Palace first. After more than half a year of care, Yu Haofeng gave birth to Si Feng. When the Old Palace Master arrived with others and saw that Si Feng had the Twelve Feather Bloodline, he took pity and couldn’t bear to kill him. Yet he couldn’t kill Yu Haofeng either, as she refused to feed Si Feng. The child, starving from birth, cried incessantly until the Old Palace Master had no choice but to take Si Feng overseas and found a pair of Golden Winged Birds to foster him temporarily. I guess the Old Palace Master returned this time determined to kill Yu Haofeng. She cried every day or just sat in a daze, and I couldn’t bear to watch, so when you were asleep, I secretly let her escape. I didn’t foresee the rest; after she returned to her Sect, she probably faced gossip and scandals and ultimately couldn’t bear the pressure and killed herself. Hearing this news, you rushed to Dianjing Valley overnight, slaughtered hundreds of their people, retrieved Yu Haofeng’s body, and buried it under Dragon Mountain. When the Old Palace Master arrived, you had already been struck by the Lover’s Curse and were at death’s door."

"What followed is as you said. If you continued to dwell on the present, the Lover’s Curse would have killed you. With the Twelve Feathers, you are the future Palace Master of Lize Palace, yet you acted so irrationally. The Old Palace Master was utterly disappointed in you, and out of helplessness, he cast a spell on you to make you believe that the story you had imagined was true, which stopped the Lover’s Curse from continuing to lash back, allowing you to survive. Heh, you’ve always thought the Old Palace Master divided the role of Palace Master into two because he hated you for breaking the rules, but the truth is that you disappointed him too much. How could he be at ease entrusting Lize Palace to someone so willful and stubborn? I’ve kept this secret in my heart for over a decade. Now that Si Feng has grown, it’s time to tell him the truth. Don’t deceive yourself any longer. Who do you think is telling the truth, given what you know about yourself? Think carefully."

After this speech, a deathly silence fell upon the beach. No one spoke; only the waves brushed steadily against the shore, and the light rain grew heavier, pattering down on the ground, punching tiny holes in the sand. Drenched to the skin, Yu Sifeng’s long hair clung to his cheeks, his face as pallid as a corpse’s, yet his eyes sparkled with intensity, an eerie look upon his face. He moved his lips as if he wanted to speak, but ultimately, he said nothing, only letting out a faint laugh full of bitterness.

The Great Palace Master suddenly burst into laughter, laughing so hard he almost ran out of breath. He pointed at the Vice Palace Master’s face, his wrist trembling slightly.

"Lies! You treacherous little man! I knew you had premeditated plans, but I never thought it would be such absurd nonsense! Do you think I would believe you? Who should I believe, you or myself?"

He gasped for air, his eyes intensely red, and his expression was extremely ferocious.

The Vice Palace Master spoke gently, "Big brother, just think of it as me fooling you. Don’t be so upset; there are bigger things at stake."

The Great Palace Master stared at him blankly and murmured, "That’s right, you’re fooling me, you’re lying to me... all lies..." His face turned white, then red, then blue, clearly due to an abnormal fluctuation of emotions. Liu Yihuan was shocked and shouted, "Hey! Hey! Pull yourself together! How could you believe the nonsense of such a man! He’s doing it on purpose to provoke you! I’ve been in Lize Palace for so many years, and I’ve never heard of any spell that can alter memories!"

The Vice Palace Master chuckled softly, speaking tenderly, "Big brother, I’m just fooling with you. Everything you said is right, ’Phoenixes fly, their feathers ethereal,’ you and Yu Haofeng are truly a match made in heaven, causing much envy in us. Actually, she’s not dead. Look behind you; she’s standing right there, smiling at you..." His soft and gentle words were chilling, and Liu Yihuan yelled fiercely, "Have you said enough?! Shut your mouth!"

The Great Palace Master seemed not to hear, just standing there in a daze. After a while, he softly called out, "Haofeng!" A line of fresh blood slowly slid down from his ashen lips, and he let his shoulders slump. ’Phoenixes fly, Phoenixes fly’... Was it all just his own fantasy? Was it really so? It seemed as if the beautiful girl with alluring eyes appeared before him, smiling gently at him. Then, that smile turned into a deep-seated hatred, glaring at him sinisterly, blood sliding down from the top of her head, staining her pale cheeks. She said with a ghastly tone, "I would rather die than be with you!"

A sharp pain struck his chest, and he suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his body swaying and then crashing heavily to the ground. Yu Sifeng rushed to help him, urgently saying, "Father!" He opened his eyes, looking at him in a daze, and gently touched his face, whispering, "Sifeng, you should leave. The farther, the better, do not stay. Your father can’t protect you."

Yu Sifeng quickly checked his pulse and was suddenly shocked. His pulse was erratic, fast like pounding drums and slow like a drifting thread, an extremely dangerous sign. Coupled with his pained expression, it was clearly a symptom of the Lover’s Curse taking effect! His heart ached, and his voice trembled as he said, "Father! You, you really..."

The Great Palace Master took a few breaths, his fingers suddenly tightening, gripping Yu Sifeng’s wrist firmly. Yu Sifeng winced in pain but dared not to pull away, only to hear him whispering, "Haofeng! Haofeng! Where are you going?" Yu Sifeng felt a bitter ache in his throat, wanting to persuade him, but he couldn’t utter a word.

So his origin, his mother, his father... it all turned out to be like this. It was actually like this.

Suddenly, the sound of light footsteps came from behind, and Yu Sifeng quickly stood up and turned coldly, only to see the Vice Palace Master stop beside him, his piercing gaze penetrating the mask, fixed onto his face. After a long time, he finally said, "Aren’t you going to help your father up and take him into the palace for treatment? We’re still waiting for him to retrieve the Juntian Ring from the Netherworld."

Yu Sifeng responded coldly, "You deliberately said all those things, and now you play the good guy, what’s your angle? Don’t think I don’t understand; you intended to disturb my father’s peace of mind so the Lover’s Curse would manifest, and then you could deal with me."

The Vice Palace Master burst out laughing in surprise, "What nonsense are you talking, child!"

Yu Sifeng didn’t entertain him, turning around instead and saying, "Don’t get too smug, thinking that without my father, Lize Palace will be yours alone. The Elders are all watching behind the door; do you think they’re helping me or supporting you, a mere Six-Feathered Golden Winged Bird?"

The Vice Palace Master fell silent. Perhaps he didn’t expect this young man to be so stubborn and difficult to handle. He couldn’t wait for him to grow up any longer; if he did, he would become even more troublesome than his father. If possible, he should be eliminated right now. Just as he harbored this thought, he heard Yu Sifeng say icily, "Are you thinking of simply killing me now to avoid future opposition from me, is that it?"

His plan exposed once again, he could only give a sheepish smile, unable to proceed with the act. Yu Sifeng said calmly, "You’re a smart man; you should know that killing me now would do you no good. How about this, let’s make a deal. You promise to take good care of my father, keep everything as it is in Lize Palace, you continue as the Vice Palace Master, and my father remains the Great Palace Master. Then I will make a trip to the Netherworld to retrieve the Juntian Ring and also promise never to return to Lize Palace. How does that sound?" (To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)