Su Ning’er was also the Eagle Empress. Her tone was not aggressive, but the way she spoke made Jiang Yi feel as if he was receiving orders from a superior.
She did not want Jiang Yi or Jiang Xiaonu to remain in contact? He was not allowed to see her again?
Perhaps…
From the Eagle Empress’ point of view, there was nothing wrong with her making such requests. As the Clan Empress of a supreme great race, she naturally would not want her own daughter to have any connections with a farmer from the Lower Domain countryside. Jiang Yi and the entire Stellarsky Domain were probably as worthless as ants in her eyes, and her own daughter was a distinguished phoenix. How could a phoenix be friends with an ant?
Jiang Xiaonu was destined to become a princess, well-known throughout the Earth Domain and Heaven Domain once she returned. She was going to be blue-blooded nobility. Countless young gentlemen would come knocking, looking to be her companion. If she was allowed to keep in contact with Jiang Yi, her own status would be affected. What’s more, Jiang Yi’s existence was representative of Jiang Xiaonu’s own past. The Eagle Empress wanted Jiang Xiaonu to forget her own past and start an entirely new life.
To the Eagle Empress, not killing Jiang Yi or Yi Piaopiao was already doing them a big favor. She did not want Jiang Xiaonu to be upset, but she definitely would not allow her to keep in contact with Jiang Yi any further.
Jiang Yi fell silent. Things were not that bad now. Today, the Eagle Empress was the one who came knocking, and not the Green Eagle King. However, he still could not accept this ending. Jiang Xiaonu was his reverse scales, his maidservant… his younger sister. She was the person whom his heart ached the most for. He could not imagine a life where he would never get to see her again. That would be unbearably sorrowful and painful.
However, the Eagle Empress’ request was not ridiculous. From her point of view, she was not wrong to ask this of him at all. Parents always had a heart for their children!
Jiang Yi heaved a long sigh and forced himself to smile. “Lady, can I leave the Earth Emanations Domain with my skills alone? There is no need for you to worry. I have no opinion about you bringing Jiang Xiaonu home. I hope that Xiaonu will have a good life ahead as well. However, you would have to ask her whether she is willing to follow you or not. If she is willing to go back with you, then it would be easy to settle everything else. If she does not, I hope you will not force her. She is very strong-headed, and I don’t wish for anything bad to happen to her.”
Jiang Yi did not give any promises. She wanted him to forget Jiang Xiaonu? Impossible!
To never see Jiang Xiaonu again; Jiang Yi would never make a promise like that. That would break Xiaonu’s heart for sure. At the same time, he made it very clear that he wanted to respect Jiang Xiaonu’s wishes entirely. Although he had no right to fight for anything, he still wanted to try.
The Eagle Empress looked at Jiang Yi as if deep in thought. Then, without saying anything more, she stood up and walked towards the room where Jiang Xiaonu was. She knocked on the door gently with her hand. The restrictions flashed, and the gate opened automatically. She did not go in of her own accord. Instead, she remained where she was, smiling gently at Jiang Xiaonu, who was inside and fearful. Guilt and love filled her eyes.
“Ay…”
On seeing the Eagle Empress and exchanging a meaningful look with her, Jiang Xiaonu’s body began to tremble uncontrollably. She looked down, not daring to look at the Eagle Empress again. She grasped her dress with both of her hands, and her breathing became labored. It was obvious that she was struggling inside.
Which child would not want to see their own parents? They would be lying if they said so.
Although Jiang Xiaonu had no relationship with the Green Eagle King or the Eagle Empress, their blood still ran in her veins. One look at the Eagle Empress, and she knew that this person was her mother. At that moment, both of them felt the blood connection. Nobody could deny this fact.
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter!
Tears began to drip down the Eagle Empress’ face and onto the floor. However, she still did not move; neither did she make a sound. Even her face remained devoid of any intense emotion. Her status and her upbringing prevented her from displaying any weakness. Yet, one would be able to tell from her gaze how much she loved and missed her own daughter all this time.
On seeing the Eagle Empress’ gaze, Jiang Yi’s felt moved. He nearly went to persuade Xiaonu to follow the Eagle Empress home. The noblest love in the world was that of the parents for their child. He could only imagine how guilty the Eagle Empress had been feeling and how much she must have missed Jiang Xiaonu all these years. The daughter that she loved the most was left to wander outside, putting her own life at risk. Any ordinary, weak woman would not be able to take it; they would surely be crushed like jade or withered like a flower by now.
Jiang Yi looked for a while longer and then closed his eyes. Images of Yi Piaopiao filled his mine. At that moment, the Eagle Empress’ expression reminded him of Yi Piaopiao. His heart began to hurt as if he were being stabbed right through it. The sadness that the Eagle Empress had been feeling for the past twenty years must pale in comparison to Yi Piaopiao. After all, Yi Piaopiao knew where her own son was, but she was not allowed to find him nor meet him.
The Eagle Empress stood there for a full five minutes. Jiang Xiaonu stayed silent the entire time as well. Finally, the Eagle Empress sucked in a deep breath to calm herself down and to make her own voice sound gentler. She said, “Child, I am your mother. My name is Su Ning’er. Outsiders refer to me as the Eagle Empress. Please forgive your mother for allowing you to wander outside for too long. You’ve suffered so much. Come home with me. I promise that I will not let you suffer again. Your Empress Mother and King Father will do our best to make it all up to you.”
As the Eagle Empress spoke, she walked slowly towards Jiang Xiaonu. Both of her hands were trembling. It took all of her willpower not to reach out and hug her immediately. She wanted so badly to hug this daughter of hers, whom she had been dreaming and thinking about day and night. The desire to hug her ran deep in her bones.
Swish!
Surprisingly, just before she touched Jiang Xiaonu, the latter jumped up like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on. She rushed out and hid behind Jiang Yi.
She still did not dare to look at the Eagle Empress. With her voice shaking, she said, “I am not your child. I am not going back with you. I will only follow Young Master. Get out. I don’t want to see you! Leave, now! Leave!”
Jiang Xiaonu’s voice became more and more high-pitched and was bordering on becoming hysterical. Even Jiang Yi was shocked. He quickly hugged her. His heart ached as he said, “Xiaonu, don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. Young Master is here!”
The Eagle Empress saw Jiang Xiaonu’s frightened expression and watched as Jiang Yi hugged her own daughter. Suddenly, her expression became cool. She could not hide her killing intent any longer. If not for Yi Piaopiao, would she have been separated from her own daughter? Would Jiang Xiaonu be too afraid to even look at her now? Would Jiang Xiaonu not even want to acknowledge her as her mother?
Once again, she sucked in a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. In a gentle and steady tone, she said, “Child, do not be afraid! Empress Mother and King Father are your closest kin. We would never hurt you. En, hurry and come back with me. Otherwise… if your King Father comes, Jiang Yi’s life may be in danger. Your King Father has a bad temper. Empress Mother would not be able to hold him back.”
The Eagle Empress came in secret, but she would not be able to hide this matter from the Green Eagle King. The Eagle Empress was telling the truth, but her words hurt Jiang Xiaonu deeply. Jiang Xiaonu looked up all of a sudden and glared at the Eagle Empress with a cool expression. Emphasizing each word, she said, “I will fight it out with whoever dares to hurt Young Master, no matter who that person is! If Young Master dies, then I… will die as well!”
The Eagle Empress stiffened. Jiang Xiaonu’s glare stabbed at her heart. She looked so much like the Green Eagle King himself. The exceptional determination and aggression; nobody else could change that. Yet, her own daughter would fight it out with them for the sake of an ant from the Lower Domain?
