Bai Yunxi met her gaze without flinching, a quiet strength radiating from her, her chin lifted slightly.
"Li Fang is my son. I raised him from infancy—I know his heart better than anyone else in this world." Her voice was steady, carrying a profound, maternal conviction that seemed to fill the small, lantern-lit courtyard.
"He will never harm me. He could not." She exhaled slowly, her expression resolute, almost fierce, the emerald of her eyes darkening with unwavering certainty. "Therefore, I will stop him—no matter what it takes. That is my promise."
Su Chen studied her carefully, the intensity of his gaze unwavering, searching her composure for any hint of doubt. "You truly believe he will listen to you, even after all this?"
"He will have to. Nothing will happen to Su Kang as long as I live," Bai Yunxi declared, her voice carrying the undeniable weight of an unbreakable oath, each word resonating with fierce protectiveness, her hand instinctively covering Su Kang's. "If my son ever raises his sword against my husband, then he will have to kill me first."
A heavy, profound silence settled over the courtyard, broken only by the distant rustle of unseen leaves. Su Kang's fingers tightened around Bai Yunxi's hand, a silent affirmation of his trust in her. He remained silent, allowing her to speak for herself, to convey her resolve in this difficult situation.
Su Chen and Dong Yue exchanged another long look, the weight of the situation and the depth of the commitments made having fully settled upon them. They began to exchange silent words using Qi voice transmission, their brows furrowed.
"What do you think?" Su Chen asked, his mental tone grave.
"I'm not fully convinced yet. Why is Su Kang so confident? Is he giving us a false impression?" Dong Yue replied, her maternal instincts warring with a cultivator's ingrained caution.
"I think it must be because he has obtained some kind of opportunities. Either he is overconfident, or he must have a plan," Su Chen answered.
After a long silence that felt like an eternity, Dong Yue finally exhaled, a sound of weary acceptance, and crossed her arms, her posture softening almost imperceptibly, shoulders drooping.
"Understood. But remember this—your relationship must remain a secret. And when the time comes for you to leave for the Central Plains…" She met Bai Yunxi's gaze with quiet finality, her voice firm. "We will discuss this entire matter again, in detail."
Su Chen and Dong Yue were planning to wait and observe their son; things had already progressed too far for them to undo it completely. They could only give this situation a chance. They would reassess the situation later. If things didn't seem favorable then, they would intervene.
Su Kang felt a wave of relief wash over him at his mother's final words, a tension he hadn't fully acknowledged easing from his shoulders. Though he had prepared himself for some opposition, he was grateful that his parents hadn't outright rejected his relationship with Bai Yunxi.
Beside him, Bai Yunxi felt the tightness in her chest ease. When she decided to reveal her past, she had braced herself for the worst. Now, standing here with Su Kang, she realized that the burden she had carried for so long felt a little lighter, the air a little easier to breathe. She glanced at him, warmth blooming in her heart, a soft gratitude shining as mist formed in her eyes, before bowing deeply to Su Chen and Dong Yue. Su Kang followed her lead.
"Thank you," they said in unison, their voices soft.
Dong Yue studied them for a long, silent moment, her expression unreadable. Her hand moved slightly, a brief, aborted gesture as if she wanted to reach out, but in the end, she withdrew, her maternal mask firmly back in place.
"Su Kang, come meet us tomorrow morning," Su Chen's stern and authoritative voice followed, breaking the quiet.
Su Kang nodded. "Understood, Father."
Just as Dong Yue turned to leave, she paused, her back still to them, and spoke again, her tone carrying a sharp, clipped edge. "Bring Su Ting as well."
Su Kang's brows twitched slightly. He could already imagine the scene that awaited them. Looks like Mother has a lot to say… Su Ting's probably going to get dragged into this too, he thought with an internal sigh. Without another word, Dong Yue and Su Chen left, their retreating figures soon swallowed by the deepening twilight.
Su Kang exhaled deeply, a smirk tugging at his lips as he turned to Bai Yunxi. "It seems my parents were in a good mood after the mission."
Bai Yunxi looked at him in confusion, the sudden shift in his demeanor jarring her. "What do you mean?"
"They agreed too easily," he explained, a teasing glint in his eyes. "I had prepared for far harsher words… even planned several ways to convince them."
Suspicion flashed in her eyes, her head tilting slightly. "What exactly did you prepare?"
Su Kang's smirk widened. "I was planning to reveal my secret about Fate and its powers."
Bai Yunxi's expression shifted, a delicate frown forming. "Fate? Powers?"
"Yeah." He chuckled, a low, rumbling sound. "You see, I started pursuing you after Fate told me to become your husband. I even dragged out our journey to Liyun City just to spend more time with you." Bai Yunxi's eyes widened, a stunned silence falling over her.
"I made you emotional with my sob story, then conveniently found your mother to heal your heart. In the end, I successfully tied your destiny to mine through marriage."
His laughter deepened, rich with amusement as he sensed the rising storm in her. "Now, you can't escape from my clutches. I'll use your power and your destiny to accomplish my grand goals."
Bai Yunxi's body stiffened, her breath catching in her throat. Her fists clenched tightly at her sides, knuckles turning white. A storm brewed in her heart as she listened to his words. Su Kang, acting oblivious, continued, "And of course, your beautiful body—haha—"
Before he could finish, a sharp fist slammed into his chest, the impact surprisingly solid. "Oof—wait!"
Her expression was ice-cold, her eyes blazing with fury. Her fists rained down mercilessly, each blow carrying the sting of betrayal.
"Ow—stop! Have mercy!" Su Kang barely had time to dodge as another punch landed squarely on his shoulder, the force making him stumble.
"You villain—!" Thud. "Liar—!" Thud. "Schemer—!" Thud.
Her fists didn't stop; if anything, her attacks became fiercer, driven by a sudden, raw anger. Su Kang groaned dramatically, though a genuine wince touched his lips. "Xi'er! Forgive me! I am wrong!"
Bai Yunxi, however, showed no mercy in her attacks. Her knuckles reddened, but her fury didn't subside, her movements quick and forceful. "Forgive?! You and your stupid jokes...I had enough of it."
Su Kang swiftly grabbed Bai Yunxi's hands, halting her flurry of attacks. She struggled to break free, her breath coming in sharp gasps, but his grip was firm.
"Xi'er, at least use Qi to protect your hands," he chided, his voice tinged with amusement despite the situation. "Look, they're already red." Before she could retort, a gentle warmth spread through her fingers as his Qi flowed into her hands, soothing the soreness.
Bai Yunxi huffed, turning her face away. "Hmph, don't talk to me anymore. I don't want to see your face anymore."
Su Kang sighed dramatically. "I was trying to confess my crimes, yet you won't even listen to my full, heartfelt apology."
"You and your weird jokes," she grumbled, the fire in her voice still present. "Hmph."
He chuckled, a soft, warm sound. "My wife, you don't believe in fate?"
"I don't believe in your nonsense," she muttered, still refusing to meet his gaze, the corner of her lip twitching.
He raised his hand towards her face, wiping a single teardrop that had formed in her emerald eyes. "You have tears in your eyes, so I tried to change your mood."
"These tears are because of happiness; they don't mean anything else," she whispered, lowering her gaze, feeling his fingers caressing her face.
"You promised to change yourself on our bridal night. Did you become like this after that, or were you already like this? Maybe I have to ask Mother-in-law about your childhood," he smirked.
"No... don't ask my mother about this. I'm telling you, I don't cry often," she raised her gaze in protest. Mother might tell him embarrassing things, the thought surfaced in her mind.
Then she thought about something, her tone shifting to questioning him instead. "Now that I think about it, isn't this your responsibility? You promised to make me happy; now who should I hold responsible if I get tears in my eyes?"
"Ah…this," he didn't know how to answer her. Her points were valid. He was not able to handle the situations on his own, and she had to go through rejection because of this. He exhaled. "I'm sorry, dear. This situation is the result of my failure."
"Good, I will forgive you this time. But your jokes are really bad. You even made such inappropriate remarks in our first encounter." She nodded her head at his apology, her face holding the expression of an elder guiding a junior.
She crossed her arms, eyeing him with the calm gaze of a seasoned elder. "I think I'll have to correct your behavior from now on—otherwise, you'll end up making a fool of yourself."
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