Qing Mei and Cheng Yan
“Qing Mei, are you thinking of him again?” Daoist Qing Song joined his daughter on a rock located on a hill at Formation Sect.
Qing Mei shifted her gaze up from the river below to her father. “Dad.”
“Cheng Yan has special abilities; he’ll be fine,” assured Daoist Qing Song.
“Does he no longer want to be with me, Dad?”
“Dad doesn’t know. He lives in a world different to ours. Dad will protect you.”
Qing Mei did her best to catch up to Cheng Yan ever since he left so that she would not become a burden to him. The difference in level between Daoist Qing Song and daughter versus Cheng Yan was enormous, which was why he could not blame Cheng Yan if the latter chose to break up with his daughter; he did not even dare to assume the position of an elder in Cheng Yan’s presence. At times, he wondered if betrothing Qing Mei to Cheng Yan was a mistake. Having lived a decently long life, Daoist Qing Song had been at the pinnacle once and knew that people could view things differently depending on how high up they stood.
“He promised to be the man I need all his life, only to leave without a goodbye in the end and never visit once. I don’t know what I did wrong. I’ve done my best to catch up to him so that I wouldn’t be a burden. If he doesn’t need me anymore, I’d rather he tells me…” Tears coursed down Qing Mei’s cheeks.
Daoist Qing Song draped his arm over his daughter’s shoulder. “I may not be his match, but I won’t allow him to mistreat you.”
“I want to have some time alone.”
“Okay, I’ll leave you here.” Daoist Qing Song got to his feet.
“Father-in-law, Qing Mei.”
Qing Mei jolted and then slowly raised her head. Despite all those moments she yearned to throw herself into his arms and tell him how worried she was, she panicked when he finally appeared, worried he was no longer the Cheng Yan she once knew. She never forgot the emotions that gnawed at her heart when he told he that he wanted to break up once for his shifu’s sake. The fear of not being able to bear with a changed Cheng Yan flourished in her mind and her legs, whisking her off in the opposite direction he stood.
“Wait, Qing Mei!” Cheng Yan called.
Daoist Qing Song made good on his word, gripping Cheng Yan by the collar. “Cheng Yan, if you don’t like my daughter anymore, don’t you dare be wishy washy. I don’t want to see my daughter shedding tears every waking moment. I know I’m a weakling in comparison to you, but that’s no justification for you to toy with her feelings!”
“Father-in-law, I have never changed my mind or forgotten my promise. Sadly, there are things that require me to attend to. Please let me see Qing Mei.”
“How do you expect me to trust you when you’ve turned your back on her once in the past?!”
“There will not be a second time. She is my wife and a part of Mount Dustfallen. I never abandon family.”
“Oh, now you’re finally her husband? What happened to being a husband all these years? You think she hasn’t been living in terror all these years while you were supposedly busy?”
“I am cognisant of the fact that I have not fulfilled my duty as a husband. In saying that, I will never let Qing Mei down. I swear on my life that my feelings for her have never changed?”
“Elder Qing Song, you can trust him. He values family above all else,” Mu Yu stressed as he appeared from a small path.
“Mu Yu?” Mu Yu’s appearance calmed Daoist Qing Song, prompting him to release his hold on Cheng Yan. “Mu Yu, I can spare him out of respect for you; however, Qing Mei has he final say. I will not stop them from seeing each other if that is her wish. Right now, though, he best not bother her.” Daoist Qing Song glared daggers at Cheng Yan and then headed to his small house.
“Thanks.” Cheng Yan forced a smile.
“There’s no need for pleasantries between us.” Mu Yu sat down on the rock Qing Mei sat on previously.”
***
“Can I sit here?” Tian Ran inquired, showing up next to Qing Mei on the mountain peak.
Qing Mei looked up and wiped her tears. “Yeah.”
“Sister Qing Mei, can I give you a hug?” requested Xiaoshuai, blithely prancing.
Qing Mei gave Xiaoshuai the hug he asked for, so he complimented, “Your embrace is so warm.”
Tian Ran flicked Xiaoshuai’s head. “You say the same thing to every girl. You’re the biggest philanderer of Dustfallen Sect.”
Xiaoshuai pouted. “No, Mu Y-”
“You two have been with each other for so long that you’ve rubbed off on each other.”
“Hehehe,” giggled Qing Mei.
“Sister Qing Mei, Cheng Yan is a responsible senior to us and a loyal husband to you. He is merely busy with duties that he cannot shirk off,” conveyed Tian Ran.
“He may be dutiful to Dustfallen Sect but not me.”
“… You know my true identity, right? Besides my status as a disciple of Secular World Sect, that is.”
“Yes, you told me you’re True God’s daughter.”
Tian Ran rested her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands. “You know how Cheng Yan got his name?”
Qing Mei indicated she did not.
“My father gave him the name, hoping he would be someone who honours promises. He was the first to join my father and has been influenced the most, so you could say he’s the most identical. Duty, responsibility, they’re hard concepts to explain. My father has never been the most responsible man. You know, I didn’t tell him he was my father during the year I spent at Dustfallen Sect. In fact, I doubt he even knows he has a daughter, so I could say he’s not a responsible father.
“Despite him not being there for my mother or me, my mother has never complained because my birth was a surprise to even her. Though she told me he had bigger, nobler things to do, she never explicated what said things were until I eventually pestered her enough. That was when I sneaked off to Moyun Mountains to find him. I wasn’t sure if I should forgive when I first met him. Later on, though, I learnt he’s actually quite responsible. He left us to protect us. If he brought my mother along with him on his dangerous adventures, he wouldn’t have been able to do what he did.”
Previous Chapter l Next Chapter
