“I get it, father,” Mo Yutian said. “Long Rui killed my mother while Huo Yunshen killed my brother and took a leg from me. He even toppled my control over many countries! I’ll have to settle the score with him sooner or later!”
Mo Xie did not respond to his son and looked outside through the window, staring at the quiet ocean.
Even if the ocean looked quiet on the surface, beneath it lay many undercurrents.
It was as if the quietness on the surface was the calm before the storm.
Mo Xie waited until Mo Yutian had left the castle and descended to a dungeon beneath it.
The dungeon was a place where sunlight could not reach, and it reeked of mold.
In it was a woman being tied up.
Her messy long hair covered half of her face, and her shirt was covered in dirt and mud.
It was as if the woman had just climbed out of sewage sludge.
Even when the woman heard footsteps closing in, she gave no response, as if nothing in the world mattered anymore.
Mo Xie looked at the woman from above as if he was looking at some trash.
“You know, I never expected you to be able to live so long. 20 years have passed, and you’re still alive,” Mo Xie grinned.
The woman did not react to Mo Xie’s insult.
“But I’m curious as to what gives you the strength to live on,” Mo Xie continued. “Are you waiting for your son to save you?”
The woman finally moved her head when she heard Mo Xie mentioning her son.
“Do you want to see him?” Mo Xie asked.
“Give me back my Xiao’er!” the woman screamed and lunged at Mo Xie, but was pulled back by the chains that were holding her.
“Don’t worry, you’ll see him soon enough. And by then, I will send both of you to meet with your husband!” Mo Xie laughed and left the dungeon, leaving the woman crying in her cell.
…
Xu Xiyan was jogging with her mother in Yunjing Manor.
Even though it was a very slow jog, Jing Ruyue was already gasping for air.
“Stop! I can’t run anymore,” Jing Ruyue said.
“All right, let’s take a rest,” Xu Xiyan replied and pulled her mother to sit on the bench in the garden. “Just take it slow, we can rest whenever you feel tired.”
“Okay,” Jing Ruyue smiled. “I think I’m already stronger than before.”
Jing Ruyue could feel her body recovering after sticking with her daughter’s diet plan.
“Wait here, I’ll go check if the herb is already cooked or not,” Xu XIyan said. “You can play with your violin if you’re bored. I’ve already sent someone to pick it up for you.”
“All right.”
After Xu Xiyan had left, Jing Ruyue sat on the bench and stared at the violin case that was brought to her.
She could instantly recognize the violin in it. It was the Artemis that she once had used.
Jing Ruyue put her palm on the case as she tried to hold back her tears. After a few seconds passed, she opened the case.
Artemis lay quietly inside the case. The violin was well kept and well maintained, it was in the same state as Jing Ruyue had left it.
