Divine Emperor of Heavenly Destiny

After Cheng Yunxiang confirmed with a heavy nod...

Cheng Weishan’s expression turned savage. He looked toward Cheng Yunsu’s room and changed his tune. ”You unfilial child and grandchild! How utterly outrageous! I gave you an inch and you took a mile! Why would this old man be threatened by you?”

Everyone stared dumbly at Cheng Weishan. How could the Patriarch change his attitude in the blink of an eye?

Cheng Weishan then said in a chilling voice, ”We’ll see about this. Everyone, get up. Let’s go.”

After speaking, he left with an air of immense bravado.

Cheng Chugong, Cheng Chuyan, and the others exchanged bewildered glances before quickly following, utterly clueless.

Pausing his steps, Cheng Weishan barked again, ”Don’t bother fixing the door. All of you, get out.”

In an instant, the scene of apologies from just a moment ago had vanished.

Only Cheng Chuming was left in the room, baffled and disoriented. He looked at Lu Chao and asked, ”Were the conditions too harsh? Or is Yunxiang’s grandfather doing this on purpose? Is he trying to act tough to negotiate further with us?”

Frowning, Lu Chao also had no idea what trick Cheng Weishan was pulling.

After a moment of contemplation, he said coldly, ”He must have found some new backing.”

”My three conditions were already extremely merciful. He wouldn’t act tough just to negotiate with us.”

”Or maybe, he wants you to soften up, Father-in-law.”

Cheng Chuming’s mouth fell open. Thinking about all the things Cheng Weishan had done...

He felt that Lu Chao had a point. His father just wanted him to soften up and beg Lu Chao to relax the conditions.

Suddenly, Lu Chao asked, ”Father-in-law, is it a problem that I told Bai Xin to get lost?”

Hearing this, Cheng Chuming’s eyes reddened as he replied, ”I never liked her in the first place. The family forced her on me. After she’s been so vicious this time, I’m determined to divorce her. I wish I could... kill her.”

By now, Cheng Chuming was of course convinced that over a decade ago, it was Bai Xin who had deliberately abandoned their daughter, Cheng Yunsu, outside the Great Wu Imperial City.

And just before, she had even wanted to drive his daughter to her death.

”If it weren’t for Yunxiang, I would have killed her.”

Cheng Chuming was seething with hatred. It was rare for a man of his gentle nature to hate someone so intensely.

Gazing at his tormented father-in-law, Lu Chao fell silent, unsure how to comfort him.

Finally, he turned to Cheng Yunsu and asked, ”Xiao Su’er, what exactly is the situation with Mother-in-law? Why did she leave so suddenly?”

Only now did Lu Chao have a moment to ask about Cheng Yunsu’s mother...

If not for her mother, Xiao Su’er would likely have taken her own life when her family treated her so cruelly.

Cheng Yunsu and Cheng Chuming exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with sorrow.

Cheng Chuming spoke first. ”Yunsu’s mother is named Xue Hongying. She was like a celestial maiden descended to the mortal world, and she appeared in my life...”

...

As the father and daughter were telling Lu Chao about Xue Hongying...

Cheng Weishan and the others returned to the main hall of the Cheng Mansion.

Having escaped disaster, the siblings Cheng Chugong and Cheng Chuyan quickly asked, ”Father, what happened? Why did you suddenly...”

Before they could finish, Bai Xin, who had been taking care of Bai Wenrong, strode in.

”Let me explain.”

”While Yunxiang was looking for medicine for his maternal grandfather, he overheard a conversation between Fan Jinhua and someone from the Hundred Flames Trading Company. They said the only reason Cheng Yunsu was able to recover her True Qi was because she used a Demon Beast Bone to replace her original Heavenly Destiny Bone.”

”She has no future and can’t possibly get into Tiger Flame Academy.”

”So even if we shamelessly tag along with them to the Tiger Flame Kingdom, we’ll just end up being miserably dragged down by her Life-taking Bone.”

”Rather than leave our home, it’s better to stay in Yangzhou City.”

As Bai Xin spoke, everyone in the Cheng Mansion finally understood why Cheng Weishan had suddenly regained his backbone.

Upon learning that Cheng Yunsu was still a semi-cripple, everyone’s face filled with glee.

Cheng Chuyan touched her stinging face and said resentfully, ”So it was just a Beast Bone replacement? She can’t even get into Tiger Flame? That damned little bitch! She made me slap myself ten times. She deserves to be sliced into a thousand pieces.”

But Cheng Chugong wasn’t as excited. He was still worried...

”But if we stay in Yangzhou City, the City Lord’s Mansion won’t let us off the hook either.”

Hearing this, the glee on the faces of the Cheng Family members vanished. Now they were stuck—they couldn’t leave, and they couldn’t stay.

”It’s all that little bitch Cheng Yunsu’s fault! A cripple should know her place as a cripple! If she had just listened to the Patriarch’s arrangements, none of this would have happened.”

”And here we thought she’d recovered. Turns out she’s nothing.”

”She should have just gone off and died alone, and let the rest of the Cheng Family enjoy wealth and glory.”

Everyone in the Cheng Mansion was cursing and swearing, frustrated to the point of exploding. Cheng Weishan also had a grim look, cursing Cheng Yunsu.

But Bai Xin spoke up with a faint smile...

”I have an idea...”

”Yunxiang, go get your father. Tell him your grandfather wants to have a deep talk with him.”

After Cheng Yunxiang left, Bai Xin immediately revealed her idea. Everyone’s fists clenched, and they all proclaimed it a brilliant plan.

...

「In Cheng Yunsu’s room...」

After hearing the father and daughter’s story, Lu Chao realized that his never-before-seen mother-in-law was very mysterious. Twenty-some years ago, she had suddenly appeared in Yangzhou City and had a chance encounter with his father-in-law, Cheng Chuming...

And what’s more, she had inexplicably wanted to marry his father-in-law.

And his father-in-law had been captivated by her beauty from the very first glance.

Naturally, Cheng Weishan had disagreed at first—Cheng Chuming was meant to be used for a political marriage. But Xue Hongying was extremely assertive, and her own Martial Dao surpassed everyone in the Cheng Mansion.

In the end, of course, Cheng Weishan had to agree even if he didn’t want to.

”Because Hongying was too overbearing, no one in the entire Cheng Mansion liked her.”

”She never mentioned her own origins. She wouldn’t tell me even when I asked. Then, the year Yunsu turned four, she suddenly left.”

”She just told me to take good care of Yunsu, and then she was gone.”

Recalling the past, tears streamed down Cheng Chuming’s aged face.

Cheng Yunsu’s eyes were also red-rimmed as she continued, ”I was too little back then. Mother seemed to have said something to me, but I can’t remember most of it. I only remember what she looked like and a few scattered words.”

”I just remember that before she left, she said many, many things to me in my sleep. I just remember her crying and telling me ’I’m sorry’ over and over again.”

”When dawn broke, she was gone, leaving only this bracelet.”

Lu Chao looked at the teary-eyed father and daughter...

He could only offer some gentle comfort. ”Mother-in-law must have had her reasons. I’m sure we’ll be able to see her again.”

The words had barely left his lips...

...when Cheng Yunxiang’s voice sounded from outside, repeating Bai Xin’s words that his grandfather wanted to have a deep talk with him.

Cheng Chuming wiped away his tears and left with his son.

Before leaving, he promised emphatically, ”Don’t worry. I absolutely won’t go soft on them.”

In a flash, only Lu Chao and Cheng Yunsu were left in the room again.

Lu Chao pulled Cheng Yunsu into his arms and said softly, ”Xiao Su’er, your mother is no ordinary person. The Heavenly Destiny World is vast and boundless. I think she must have come from a very distant place.”

With a soft ”Mm,” Cheng Yunsu murmured, ”It’s probably related to the Fire Phoenix Divine Emperor...”

A slight tremor ran through Lu Chao’s body. He had never asked Cheng Yunsu about the Fire Phoenix Divine Emperor.

Everyone has their own secrets, even his wife, so Lu Chao didn’t press. But he knew that the Fire Phoenix Divine Emperor was absolutely terrifying.

’After all, a single flash of fire was able to resurrect him. That’s completely unheard of.’