Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Chen Changsheng had met this middle-aged woman several times, so they were not at all strangers.

He had thought many times about her identity, but he could never find any clues. He found her very enigmatic, but she was certainly some powerful figure of the Imperial Palace.

Tonight, storm clouds were approaching the capital, a drizzle already falling. With the middle-aged woman's status, it made no sense for her to appear here.

Chen Changsheng suddenly thought of a possibility, and his face became somewhat cold in the rain.

Perhaps she had come to kill him?

Fortunately, such an event did not occur, or else he would truly feel rather sad.

The middle-aged woman lightly pointed, just as she usually did, indicating that he should sit and drink tea.

Chen Changsheng exhaled.

This forest in the Hundred Herb Garden had a deep significance to him. This was the place in the capital where he was best able to calm his heart.

In these two years, those nights where he sat with the middle-aged woman and drank tea were the periods in the capital where he was best able to calm his heart.

If this middle-aged woman chose to kill him in this forest, at this stone table where they drank tea, he would feel very unhappy.

He was fond of this feeling he had when calmly sitting in silence. It was very comfortable, very free, very easily making him recall Xining Village.

His forehead slightly creased as he realized that he did not like recalling Xining Village.

Well, the stream behind the old temple was still clear and limpid.

His brow gradually relaxed.

Watching his brow crease and then uncrease, seeing the unripe feeling about his face, she realized, oh, in a few days, he'll turn seventeen, but is that fake? But he's truly an extraordinary fellow. He's clearly on the verge of death, but he's still stopping at this table in the forest and taking up that cup of warm white tea, and he can even wander off and think about other things.

The corner of Tianhai's lip perked upwards incredibly slowly, a smile contained within.

If this youth really is my child, perhaps it's not too bad a thing. At least, he won't bring me too much shame. This way, when I watch you die, perhaps I might feel more of the feelings that I want to feel, thus find a trace of the Heavenly Dao concealed amongst the many stars in the sky, ultimately obtaining true freedom.

The corner of Tianhai's lip gradually turned flat incredibly slowly, and thus that smile vanished to parts unknown.

She quietly watched Chen Changsheng, extending a finger to prick at the space between his eyebrows.

Chen Changsheng awoke from his daze, somewhat startled, but he did not avoid it.

Not because he didn't want to avoid it, but because he couldn't.

No matter if it was him when first entering the capital or the him now, no matter what she wanted to do to him, he was incapable of responding.

At the very beginning, he was somewhat uncomfortable, especially when she held his chin or caressed his cheeks, which actually made him feel ashamed, but later onperhaps he got used to it.

With the light touch of the finger, there was an extremely light pop within his sea of consciousness, like a bubble bursting.

The wind blew through the Hundred Herb Garden, carrying with it the fragrance of herbs and spirit fruits, and also some scents that only she could smell.

Because in that instant, her finger had pierced the Sacred Light laid down by Xu Yourong. Her spiritual sense had brought this breeze, and this breeze contained his Qi.

She calmly closed her eyes, carefully experiencing this Qi, her expression gradually softening.

As expected, this Qi was like the spring breeze, causing a person to become intoxicated. It was difficult to imagine what would happen when it was completely released, whether anyone could resist this allure.

She opened her eyes and softly pointed at the table, indicating that Chen Changsheng should drink.

Chen Changsheng had the teacup in his hands this entire time. He took a sip and then put the teacup down.

He gazed at the middle-aged woman, wanting to open his mouth and say something, but closing it once more. Ultimately, he still could not hold back his words.

"Iin the future, I might not be able to come here again."

He paused, then looked at her and continued, "I am Chen Changsheng."

She quietly gazed at him, no change visible on her face.

Chen Changsheng was at first somewhat surprised, but then he smiled in ridicule at himself. After meeting so many times over these two years, with this middle-aged woman's unfathomable strength, she would naturally have figured out his background.

"Since my lady knows who I am, then you also probably know of my current situation." He lowered his head to gaze at the light tea like clear water within the cup, his voice also growing mild like water. "Even now, I do not know who my lady is, or perhaps precisely because this is so, I've always felt like there are some things that I can't tell other people that I can speak of to my lady."

She quietly watched him, still without any reaction.

In Chen Changsheng's view, or perhaps his wish, this was a sort of encouragement.

He fell into thought, then said, "I'm going to die soon."

He then began to narrate his story, starting from before his birth. Of course, this part was about the results of the Elder of Heavenly Secrets's calculations. After that, he spoke of his life after his birth, the scene described to him by Senior Yu Ren, the clear stream and the great Golden Dragon. Following that was his life in Xining Village's old temple, his coming to the capital to end the engagement, the stories that followed, all the way until the present.

In Xining Village's old temple, no one spoke with him, so he was raised into a taciturn personality. After returning to the capital, he greatly improved, especially after becoming friends with Tang Thirty-Six. He would occasionally display his talkative side, and when with Xu Yourong, he also had many things he wanted to say to her, but he spoke more tonight than on any other occasion.

He had combed over and organized his life, and then poured it out for her to hear.

"When the Demon Lord went to Mount Han, I had my suspicions, but I had no proof. Seeing the current situationit's very obvious. I know that Master has been using me."

He ended, "But I've always this illness. In the end, it's still a problem of my fate not being good. Who can I blame for that?"

No matter what he said, she only quietly listened, occasionally taking a sip of tea, her expression very calm.

It was like Xining Village's old temple, the Golden Dragon, the Sacred Light Continent, Chen Xuanba, Zhou Dufu, and these other such names were of no surprise to her.

After he finished his story, Chen Changsheng's mouth felt rather dry. After finishing off the tea in the cup, he realized that she was a bit too calm.

This only increased her mystery in his eyes.

"My ladyjust who are you?"

He asked her curiously.

The Hundred Herb Garden was very quiet. There was not even a wisp of a breeze, so there was naturally no sound of wind. The drizzle suddenly stopped, so there was naturally no sound of rain either.

Even the mournful cries of the insects at the base of the wall and in the grass had vanished.

After a very long silence had passed, a voice suddenly rang out.

"Who am I?"

Chen Changsheng was abnormally shocked, because she had spoken these words.

He had heard loud and clear these three words emerge from her mouth.

He had always believed that she could not speak.

In these two years, it had always been him speaking. She had never spoken a single word.

And yet, it turned out that she could always speak, she just did not want to.

Just who was she?

Still overcome with shock, Chen Changsheng suddenly had an extremely intense feeling of wariness and unease.

Because she stood up.

She suddenly became incomparably tall and vast, just like a mountain range suddenly appearing in the world.

She slowly placed her two hands behind her. With the light flick of her sleeves, a gale blew through the forest.

She looked down upon Chen Changsheng, her expression indifferent, the temperature of the forest dropping several degrees.

As the breeze caressed her face, her two eyebrows extended toward her temples, like two swords simultaneously taking flight, or like two wings unfurling.

Her eyes became particularly clear and holy, like stars lay within.

In the space of a few breaths, her mediocre face transformed into the most beautiful face imaginable.

The Qi emitted from her body became incomparably powerful.

Who was she?

Of course, she was the Tianhai Divine Empress who reigned supreme over the heavens above and the earth below.

The forest of the Hundred Herb Garden became even quieter.

Chen Changsheng was holding a teacup and, in his shock, had forgotten to put it down.

After quite some time had passed, he stirred from his daze and placed the teacup down on the table.

He was quiet for another long period of time, then he looked at the teacup and said, "Greetings, my lady."

Very simple words, a proper courtesy, but they should have never appeared between the two of them.

HIs voice was very calm, but his emotions were unimaginably complex.

Simultaneously, he also understood a few things.

When Xu Yourong had entered the Garden of Zhou, she had once disguised herself. No one had been able to see through it. Later on, she said that it was a secret technique of the Thirteen Divisions of Radiant Green. But though he was well-versed in the Daoist Canon, he had never heard of such a thing.

Now he naturally knew that Xu Yourong's disguise and the technique of the Divine Empress were both the same, or perhaps it was that Phoenixes had the ability to freely change their form?

"Shouldn't you be calling me Mother?" the Tianhai Divine Empress looked at him and asked.

As she spoke, her voice was very apathetic, yet he couldn't tell if it was truly emotionless.

Chen Changsheng raised his head and gazed at this woman so beautiful that it was impossible to look straight at her and thought to himself, is this my mother?

In those years living in Xining Village's old temple after being picked up by his master from the stream, he had naturally considered the question of his mother's identity countless times, but he never had an answer.

Only when that rumor began to spread through the capital last year did he begin to directly confront this question. Then, in Mount Han, he had obtained a sort of confirmation.

Whether before the rumor or after, he would occasionally wonder, if they metwhat sort of scene would serve as the backdrop, what he should do. Even when he was jumping out of the window of the house in the Orthodox Academy, resolved to enter the Imperial Palace and directly confront her, he was still considering these questions.

Yet when they truly met, he realized that all his preparations were meaningless.

His mind was somewhat dazzled, his body somewhat cold.

He searched her indifferent and emotionless face of beauty, unable to find a single hint of those feelings he had wanted to have, such as warmth.

The Tianhai Divine Empress sensed the changes in his emotions and arched her brows. "Useless thing, I should have never birthed you in the first place."

As she spoke, her two brows were like swords, seemingly ready to fly into the night sky.

Coupled with the apathy on her face, she gave an even colder aura.

Chen Changsheng was somewhat angry, his nose slightly flaring. "Just a moment ago, I went to kill Zhou Tong."

For these words to appear at this time was rather abrupt, rather inexplicable.

The Tianhai Divine Empress asked, "Do you want to prove that you have a little use? That you have the courage to face this world? To seek a few candies from me to eat?"

Chen Changsheng thought, that's not it, I just wanted to tell you that there are some matters that you don't care about that I can also not care about. I have the courage to kill Zhou Tong, so I also have the courage to confront you.

Even if we are mother and son, even if you are a mother so cruel that you would personally kill your own son.