"Yes, Father… I need to know."
Empress Qingtian's voice trembled as she clutched her sleeves, her eyes begging for clarity.
Grandfather Yue exhaled deeply, his gaze sinking into the wooden table between them, memories flooding back with weight heavier than time.
"Yue Ling… she's always been sulking in the Crescent Realm," he began, his voice low and hoarse. "Ever since the day she found a loophole in the realm and sneaked out to the outside world, everything changed. She saw cultivators—real cultivators—soaring in their elements, bending power to their will. She came back with eyes full of questions."
He looked up, pain flashing through his aged eyes.
"She kept asking why she wasn't like them. Why couldn't she feel the elements? Why was she… different. I gave no answer. But she never stopped asking. She disguised herself in silly robes and kept sneaking out—again and again—to look for more loopholes."
He chuckled bitterly, voice strained with fatigue.
"She even started covering her tracks better each time. At some point, she began leaving without even the butler knowing. Butler San thought she was on the cliff, meditating. But what she did was worse—she crafted a human-sized clay figure of herself and placed it at the cliff's edge, pretending to be meditating while she wreaked havoc in the Toudou Village."
Empress Qingtian's jaw dropped. "She made a… fake version of herself?"
Grandfather Yue nodded. "She fooled all of us. But it didn't take long before the villagers labeled her a name… useless one, ugly duckling. Do you know how it felt to hear that?" His voice cracked. "To hear that about my granddaughter? My flesh and blood? I couldn't bear it."
He sighed heavily, shaking his head as if to shake off the memory.
"That was when I double-layered the entire Crescent Realm. I thought—surely, this will keep her inside. Surely, she won't find another loophole. It took her hundreds of years to figure out the first one. I thought I was safe."
He turned to Empress Qingtian with an unreadable look.
"But I underestimated her. Somehow, she still found a way out. I don't know how. Sometimes I wonder if she really inherited the Yue bloodline's knack for bending space. Who else could refine a barrier I created?"
Empress Qingtian clenched her jaw, speechless.
"But that very day," Grandfather Yue continued, his tone growing dark, "she snuck out again, as usual. Only this time… she was ambushed. Beaten to the point of death."
Qingtian gasped. "What?"
"If I had arrived two seconds later," he rasped, "we would have lost her. She was lying in a pool of her own blood, limp, silent. Her breathing… faint. Do you think Ye'er would be proud to see that? To see her only daughter reduced to that, all because we tried to protect her?"
He gritted his teeth. "Ye'er's last words were, let her live the life I never lived. She asked us not to unlock Yue Ling's cultivation. She made us promise. But how could I stand there and watch my granddaughter nearly die—again and again?"
He choked back a sob, his voice trembling.
"She woke up after seven days. And when she did, she asked me—why don't I deserve a cultivation root? She screamed. Screamed like her soul was tearing. Then she told me… she doubted I was even her grandfather."
Empress Qingtian covered her mouth in horror. "No…"
"She screamed, 'Get out of my chamber!' I stood there… frozen. My knees buckled. That pain, Qingtian… it wasn't just emotional. It burned to my marrow. But even as I tried to care for her, she stormed out. Went back to the cliff, crying again… again thinking of ending her life."
Grandfather Yue's voice broke into a whisper. "What was I supposed to do? Watch her jump? Watch her break again?"
Empress Qingtian wept silently now, unable to speak.
"I decided to open just a fraction of the seal," he continued, "just enough to let her protect herself. But… I underestimated what I had sealed away. The moment I released it, even just a part, her body responded in a way I never expected."
He swallowed hard.
"It wasn't just cultivation… her bloodline awakened that same day. The power surged through her, and her core started forming. But the impact was too much. Her meridians cracked. Her breath shattered. Her Qi spiraled. She was on the verge of Qi-deviation—pure destruction."
Qingtian stood frozen in place, holding her breath.
"If Butler San and I hadn't intervened… we would've lost her again. I'm still afraid, even now. That's why I've not released the final seal. But that incident… that's the reason I let her cultivate. It's the reason I broke my promise to Ye'er."
A heavy silence fell between them, only their breaths and sorrow lingering in the air.
After what felt like a lifetime, Empress Qingtian bowed her head.
"I've caused you so much trouble, Father," she whispered. "All this while, I thought you were being soft… but I never knew the cost you've been bearing. You gave up everything—your time, your healing arts, your alchemy—all for her. I'm sorry for every prank she pulled, every scheme you endured."
Grandfather Yue offered a sad smile. "She's still Ye'er's daughter. That blood runs deep."
They both shared a quiet moment, their minds heavy with memories and guilt.
Then Qingtian looked up, determination burning through her tears.
"Father… I think it's time. Time for you to return to the Heavenly Palace."
He raised a brow.
"You know Mei has a dual bloodline—something even rarer than we thought. And only you can guide her, train her… shape her to become the genius she was meant to be. Please… help her."
He didn't answer immediately, his fingers tracing the rim of his teacup.
She continued, voice urgent now. "And I know the emperor—he has already sent spies. They're watching me closely. Trying to find something… anything that will tie me to Empress Juan's death. But so far, they've found nothing. And the more they find nothing, the more desperate they become."
She paused, trembling.
"He'll keep disturbing me—pushing me to convince you to return to the palace. But… I'm not asking this because of him. I'm asking as a daughter… and as a mother. Please… consider it."
Grandfather Yue looked to the sky, his expression unreadable.
"Hm… I will consider it," he finally said. "But only after Yue Ling is done with her worldly training. She needs to know her roots before she faces the world beyond."
Empress Qingtian nodded with a bittersweet smile. "Thank you, Father… Goodbye."
And with that, she turned, the wind lifting her robe as she vanished beyond the mist, her heart heavier than it had ever been.