In regards to Yao shi, Feng Yu Heng was feeling a little remorseful. She had promised the body’s original owner that she would get revenge. Later on, Feng Jin Yuan attempted to have her assassinated on her way back to the capital. She became enemies with the Feng manor from that moment forward. In truth, she really wanted to be close with Yao shi. It was for no other reason than the body’s original instincts combined with Yao shi having the exact same appearance as her mother from her previous life. This made it impossible for her to be indifferent toward this woman.
But she was being too indecisive and overly cautious. Feng Yu Heng never feared people viewing her as an enemy; however, she was always worried that people would get revenge on others. She sent Zi Rui to Xiao Zhou and left Yao shi to be protected in the imperial daughter’s manor. She kept her under her eyes, but she never got very close. She was just afraid that others with bad intentions would see that she valued her mother and younger brother then use all kinds of methods to attack them.
But what was the point if she did not get close? In the end, she had a blood relation to them. Regardless of whether or not she got close, the reality was always present. From the previous time, when Yao shi had become afflicted by spirit-altering drug, she had already realized it. Unfortunately, it was too late.
Her deliberate avoidance of Yao shi caused her heart to gradually become distant. As a mother, she was always very attentive, especially when it came to her own daughter. Even if it was just a very slight change, it could be seen. No matter how indifferent the body’s original owner was, she was still very close with her mother. At some point, she had unknowingly given herself away.
Feng Yu Heng held Yao shi’s hand and gently said: “He did not, but he will not be able to live happily. Mother was very brave. That knife struck his family jewels. As a man, he is already a waste.”
She used a narrative tone and spoke as though she was talking about something unrelated to her. Her voice was relaxed, and it was even accompanied with a faint smile.
Feng Yu Heng had heard Ban Zou mention the matter yesterday. On the day that she had gotten drunk at Refined Deity Building, she had run into Xuan Tian Ming, who had just returned from the military camp. Xuan Tian Ming saw her appearance and felt distressed, thus he rushed over to the imperial daughter’s manor to settle this debt with Yao shi. Xuan Tian Ming had said a great number of things to Yao shi, and he had said that her martial arts were learned from him and that he had already met her in the mountains of the Northwest. That was why it was not surprising that her martial arts ability was so outstanding.
Feng Yu Heng thought that the reason that Yao shi had come back to the Feng family was to kill Feng Jin Yuan. She definitely thought it through that she was getting justice for her children and getting revenge for those years in the Northwest. Although she had suffered a severe injury, Feng Yu Heng was still quite happy. Yao shi had finally been able to think things through and no longer rejected her. In fact, she no longer spoke about whether or not he was her father. Hearing her speak about how she had gone to the shameless Feng Jin Yuan with a knife, from this day forward, the divide between mother and daughter should have been bridged, right?
She was feeling a little moved. When she spoke up once more, her voice was a little urgent: “Mother, don’t worry. A-Heng has already taken care of your wounds. We just need to rest ten more days before you can return to the imperial daughter’s manor. In the future, A-Heng will definitely take good care of mother. I will never allow mother to suffer in the slightest again.”
She went from urgent to quiet. By the end, her voice was a little bit toady. At this moment, Feng Yu heng was indeed trying to ingratiate herself with Yao shi. As long as Yao shi could live happily and did not think about what was real and what was fake, she would live a happy life with her. No matter where she was, she would remember that she still had a mother at home.
Feng Yu Heng was full of confidence and enthusiasm while looking at Yao shi, but this enthusiasm was very quickly put out like a fire by Yao shi’s cold and unfamiliar gaze. In Yao shi’s eyes, she saw an estranged look accompanied by traces of despair. She also saw some helplessness.
She was a little scared and asked with a trembling voice: “Mother, what’s wrong?”
Yao shi finally retracted her ice-cold gaze from Feng Yu Heng and blankly stared at the bed. After a while, she finally spoke in a cold tone: “Thank you for your kindness. I will not be returning to the imperial daughter’s manor. My father has now returned to the capital. I will be living together with him. I do not have the ability to get revenge for my own daughter, nor do I want to push this responsibility to you. You are someone that will accomplish great things. Without me, you will be able to live more freely.”
Feng Yu Heng’s hand suddenly trembled, and a chill filled her body. The chill caused her teeth to begin trembling.
“Mother, what are you saying? Daughter does not understand.”
Yao shi looked at her once more. Furrowing her brow slightly, she looked at her seriously. But by the end, she still shook her head and sighed bitterly, “My daughter is already dead.”
Feng Yu Heng practically went insane and began screaming: “No! I am your daughter! I am your daughter!” While screaming, she felt at her own face. Pushing aside her bangs, she pointed at her face and said to Yao shi: “Take a look, take a good look. What is different? Why do you keep saying that I am not your daughter? I am A-Heng! I am the genuine article. I am definitely authentic!” By the end, she was screaming herself hoarse: “Mom, why do you not recognize me. Why do you not recognize me!”
For the first time, she began to cry in a loud voice in front of Yao shi. By the end, she made a mistake. Looking at Yao shi’s face, she ended up calling her mom. At first, Yao shi was carefully looking at her face, and she had become a little flustered. With the exact same face, if this was not her A-Heng, who was it?
But once the word mom was said, Yao shi’s slight panic was dispelled. She sobered up and recovered, immediately shaking her head and saying: “No! I am her mother. I carried her for ten months. I would not be unable to recognize her. Although you and her look the same, and you even have the same body… in the end, you are not my A-heng. But I will thank you for living on for her. Perhaps she is also living on inside someone else right now. If I acknowledge you now, if my A-Heng comes back someday, she would no longer have a mother.”
Feng Yu Heng, who was on the verge of a breakdown, was suddenly shocked. It was as though someone had poured cold water on her. That chill became heavier and heavier, until she could no longer stand steadily.
In the end, it was the connection between mother and daughter. Yao shi, had she noticed something?
Bu Cong had once raised this concern before. Back then, she had been worried, but after she had found out about Yu Qian Yin’s appearance changing abilities, she knew that Bu Cong was suspecting her from that angle. As for Yao shi, however, she had seen through her face and body and saw her true essence.
She felt a little flustered. In the end, she felt guilty. Suddenly being seen through so clearly by someone, Feng Yu Heng did not know how to explain this matter.
She staggered back a couple steps and tripped over a chair, falling to the ground. Yao shi looked like she could not bear to see this, but Feng Yu Heng understood that this was because she felt distressed for this body, fearing that she would ruin it.
Tears dripped to the floor uncontrollably. She felt a great deal of grief, but she had no place to complain. She wanted to call for someone to find Yao Xian. Only her grandfather could understand her, and only he would not view her as a monster. But Huang Quan had not slept the previous night and had been sent back to rest by her. Ban Zou should be nearby, but she had informed him that she would be accompanying Yao shi to chat, thus Ban Zou could not come out.
Facing this fundamental problem on her own, Feng Yu Heng felt extremely powerless. It was as though if Yao shi said another few words, her soul would leave this body, returning it to the original owner. She was like a child that had stolen something. Standing in front of that thing’s owner, she had been accused by the owner, and she did not have any ability to argue back.
She just sat on the ground and continued to cry. Who knew how long she cried for. Perhaps it was because Yao shi’s heart softened, as she took the initiative to say: “Don’t be like this. I will not tell anyone.”
Feng Yu Heng’s head was given a fierce stimulation, and it suddenly began to hurt. In pain, she sat on the ground while holding her head and trembling.
Yao shi asked her: “What’s wrong?”
She wanted to say that she was fine, but her headache was intense, and she could not say a single word.
Yao shi had become accustomed to seeing Feng Yu Heng’s strong appearance. She never thought that there would come a day when she would also be weak and isolated. Thus, she did not think that Feng Yu Heng’s head was truly hurting. She thought that Feng Yu Heng was faking it and trying to get some sympathy. Her expression sank a little, and she said once more in a cold voice: “I already said that I would not expose you. What are you doing? Do you insist on forcing me to act out your play as your mother? I am unable to do it. I really can’t do it. I won’t ask you where my A-Heng went. I just ask that you let me go.”
The more that Feng Yu Heng heard, the colder her heart became, and the more despair she felt. The feeling of some sort of collapse surged forth and immediately suppressed the pain from the headache. She did not know where she found the courage, as she suddenly raised her head and stared at Yao shi, loudly saying: “Then ask! If you ask, I will tell you! I will tell you that the real Feng Yu Heng died in a mass grave in the mountains of the Northwest. A man and a woman from that damn village drugged her and threw her into the mass grave in order to sell her to a brothel later in the night! But they never thought that Feng Yu Heng’s body would be too weak. That bit of sleeping drug that normally would not kill anyone ended up becoming a poison to her. She was killed by that couple. Right before passing on, she wanted me to get revenge for her.” She shouted at Yao shi, “Do you know who she wanted me to get revenge on? It was not that couple, she wanted me to get revenge on the Feng family. She wanted me to get justice here! The one that she hated the most was the Feng family!”
She used the last of her strength to get these words out. That pain in her head began to ache once more. She was in so much pain that tears began to flow beyond her control. As for Yao shi, who was lying in bed, she had been shocked by this truth and was laying there slack-jawed. She was unable to say a single word.
This was the first time that Feng Yu Heng had spoken of the truth behind the original’s death. At first, she did not want to tell anyone, but she could not pass this hurdle with Yao shi. She felt that if she did not tell the truth, she would never be able to pass this hurdle. But what happens after the truth is told? Her head felt as though it was splitting in two, and she truly did not have any time to think about what she should do; however, the sound of knocking came from the door, and it became more and more urgent.
She did her best to calm herself down to listen and very quickly recognized Zi Rui’s voice. That child was calling out: “Elder sister, what happened to you? Is elder sister crying? Quickly open the door and let me in!”
Who knew how long that child shouted for before a “bang” sound came, and the door was forcefully kicked down. Following this, a pair of strong hands picked her up, and this familiar hand began to gently pat her head.
In her trance, she heard Xuan Tian Ming say: “Heng Heng, don’t be scared. Even if nobody in the world acknowledges you, I will.”
