Chapter 453: 70. Mother
“Waah…”
Fisher glanced at Tang Zeming Asuka, who was constantly sobbing with her face covered and head down. He noticed tears seeping through her fingers, and he was somewhat taken aback—obviously, the amount of tears from Tang Zeming Asuka exceeded his expectations.
Fisher felt somewhat puzzled and looked up at Mikhail and Gouwen, who were resting behind Tang Zeming Asuka, seemingly seeking help. Mikhail turned away with an indifferent expression, preparing to find a place to rest, and soon disappeared behind a screen. Gouwen, however, remained seated, watching Fisher warily, making Fisher feel as if Gouwen’s gaze was guarding against thieves, which was rather baffling.
“What’s wrong, Tang Zeming?”
After failing to seek help, Fisher had no choice but to step forward and ask.
“Ugh, I’m sorry…”
But the response was still vague sobs. Fisher looked down and saw her lifting her head, but her tear-streaked face made it difficult for her to speak. Every time she wanted to open her mouth, larger sobs would replace her words.
The pink at the corners of her eyes spread, eventually covering her entire delicate face, and her long, wet eyelashes hung like morning leaves laden with dew, forming eyes glimmering with tears below.
Tang Zeming Asuka seemed a bit embarrassed being stared at while crying. She wiped her tears and lowered her head, deepening the pink hue on her face.
Fisher made no extra movements, just pulled her to sit on a nearby chair, then quietly stood in place, waiting for her to slowly calm down. Thus, within the grand hall, her sobs gradually led to a bit of tranquility. After a few minutes, only her faint, quivering sobs and warm breaths remained in the hall.
Seeing that there was no sign of improvement, Gouwen’s eyes flickered slightly, as if he had sensed the intense emotional turbulence within her. He gradually noticed an issue with Tang Zeming Asuka: once her emotions fluctuated significantly, she would be unable to stop and would take a long, long time to calm down.
It was the same as before when she was just in the Holy Realm’s prison, which could be explained by the severe stimulus she had received upon traversing. But had she received any stimulus just now?
Gouwen, silent, extended his hands, using completely transparent threads that no one else could see, to limit her outpouring emotions. After finishing, he gestured for Fisher to come over while quietly saying,
“I drained a bit of Tang Zeming’s spirit, but it won’t do to keep doing this. I didn’t notice her before; what exactly is wrong? Why is she crying so hard? Is it because of that rat lady? Shouldn’t be…”
“…”
Fisher paused for a moment, looking at Tang Zeming Asuka, who was still weeping in the chair after Gouwen had drained some of her spirit. After a moment of thought, he shook his head and said,
“It’s not because of pity; it’s likely because of envy.”
“Envy? Of the rat lady?”
Fisher kept his gaze on the face-covered Tang Zeming Asuka and suddenly recalled the words she had said that night in the Holy Realm’s cell.
“No, she envies the child that the rat lady is holding. Tang Zeming once told me that she lived with her mother since childhood, only living with her father after her mother’s passing. But her mother wasn’t kind to her. Most likely, seeing the rat lady’s actions made her recall her mother…”
Gouwen opened his mouth, taking a long time to recall the conversation between Fisher and Tang Zeming Asuka that night. He seemed surprised that Fisher could delicately identify the connection, squinting as he turned to Fisher and asked,
“How do you understand her so well?”
Fisher turned to Gouwen expressionlessly and replied,
“Because I have a good memory.”
“…”
Gouwen’s healing effect was almost instantaneous. Tang Zeming Asuka, who was sobbing with her face covered, quickly calmed down. It wasn’t until the hall gradually quieted that she pitifully wiped her eyes and lifted her head.
Her eyes were a bit red and swollen. Looking at the two individuals who were peacefully not disturbing her in the distance, she felt a bit shy.
“I’m sorry, Teacher Fisher, Mr. Gouwen…”
Tang Zeming Asuka apologized again.
“It’s okay.”
Fisher simply responded. Gouwen asked another question,
“Were you thinking of something just now, Tang Zeming?”
“Uh, yeah. But just now it seemed like I suddenly saw something. I think I saw that pair of mother and child die, thrown down from the tree, and then…”
Tang Zeming Asuka covered her eyes in pain because it was not just the tragic scenario of the rat lady and her child’s death; she remembered the time she lived with her mother.
Tang Zeming Asuka remembered that in her house in Tokyo, her mother left her in the vast house while she attended various gatherings and drank, thus forgetting her when she returned home from school. She had no food to eat and just waited at home for her mother to return, but it was very late, so late that even she couldn’t remember how late it was when her mother finally returned with another uncle she didn’t know.
Her mother casually gave her a few hundred yen, telling her to go buy something to eat from the convenience store, so she took the money to the store, buying a loaf of bread and eating for a long time before returning, because if she returned earlier, she would see her mother with the unfamiliar uncle.
Tang Zeming Asuka also remembered that sometimes she would be scolded by her mother. Her mother would say she was just like her father, that she was very stupid, that the alimony given by her father was very small, and that she couldn’t even buy a decent piece of jewelry. She had projected many of her unsatisfactory feelings onto herself.
Tang Zeming Asuka felt her mother hated her, and sadly, she felt guilty for this, learning to constantly apologize for this guilt.
“Tang Zeming, you said you saw that pair of rat lady and child fall down?”
“Ah, sorry.”
In response to Gouwen’s question, she was stunned for a few seconds before snapping back to reality. She quickly raised her head, rubbed her eyes, and nodded,
“Yeah, I don’t know how I saw it, but it felt real, as if it really happened right in front of me.”
Gouwen opened his mouth, stroked his chin, and muttered,
“Perhaps the Duke of Peach’s method really works; the Trans is indeed special. You are so sensitive to fate that you might really see the Trans surrounding the Elf King. But why can’t Mikhail even see a single strand? Is there a difference among Trans?”
“Uh-huh.”
Fisher watched Tang Zeming Asuka nod with a smile and didn’t say much more, turning instead to the back of the screen to say to Tang Zeming,
“Go rest for a bit; Lord Bai will be back soon. Gouwen can handle her. Rest well, tomorrow we will enter Jianmu Palace.”
“Okay.”
Tang Zeming Asuka rubbed her eyes, tiredly standing up to prepare to walk toward the back of the screen. As she walked past Fisher, she glanced at Fisher and Gouwen, who were still deep in thought, feeling as if she had burdened them again and hadn’t helped at all.
“Teacher Fisher, sorry…”
She pressed her lips together, instinctively wanting to say those familiar words to Fisher, but Fisher didn’t even look at her. He suddenly reached out his right hand and pressed it onto her head, instantly suppressing her aura and words.
“Ugh…”
“Look ahead, Tang Zeming. Go rest.”
In a place invisible to Fisher, Tang Zeming Asuka, like a small cat, comfortably squinted her eyes. When Fisher’s hand withdrew, her head instinctively leaned toward his retreating direction as if magnetically attracted, seemingly enjoying the touch. Only a moment later did she snap back to her senses, hurriedly answering,
“Uh-huh!”
Then she quickly ran away.
“Tsk tsk tsk!”
As soon as Tang Zeming Asuka left, Gouwen, who had been watching, immediately started “tsk tsking” like he was equipped with a machine gun, his gaze almost piercing through Fisher,
“How cozy! You even patted her head, what a gentleman, Fisher!”
Fisher shot him a glare, fell silent for a moment, and then spoke,
“Didn’t you seem to miss Lord Bai just now? Fidgeting around, weren’t you just waiting for her to come back?”
Gouwen was slightly taken aback and instinctively retorted,
“Who the hell…”
But before he could finish, a tall figure suddenly appeared behind him. When a fragrant breeze wafted from Gouwen’s nose, he immediately sensed something was wrong, hurriedly prepared to turn his head, but the next moment, his entire head was caught in a warm embrace.
“Ah, my dear little Gouwen! Were you just secretly thinking of someone? Seriously, I’ve only been gone for a brief moment. As expected, you’re tired of your old wife, huh? How about we have a little affair? Don’t worry; she won’t find out~”
The unexpectedly sunny Lord Bai hugged Gouwen’s upper body from behind and said cheerfully.
Hearing the phrase “tired of your old wife,” Gouwen felt a chill run down his spine, his face turning pale, and he began to struggle madly. But in front of the 18th rank Lord Bai, even a trace of fate’s shadow didn’t stand a chance to resist.
“Impossible! I’m devoted to my wife! Lord Bai, please have some decency and let me go! Fisher! Damn you ahhh!”
Fisher silently retreated behind the screen, leaving the biggest trouble for Gouwen, planning to find a room to rest as well. He still needed to prepare for tomorrow’s visit to Jianmu Palace.
Guided by the subhuman in the guest wood, Fisher was about to go to his room to rest for a while. But as he walked further in, he began to sense the presence of various mythical beings, and it felt like they were within reach.
He felt a bit puzzled because, from the outside, these palaces on the guest wood seemed far apart.
“This way, my lord.”
As Fisher walked, he glanced at the murals along the corridor. Indeed, the Elf Race also loved to carve various beautiful murals beside their buildings, just like the murals seen on the Phoenix Bridge in the Northern Region. It seemed that the culture of the Tree Continent was truly inherited, with the Phoenix Race surprisingly bringing the culture of the Tree Continent to foreign lands.
The story depicted in the mural before him was as follows:
In this world existed a giant tree, standing majestically between heaven and earth. It was said that she held all the wisdom of the world, being the most revered mother in heaven and earth, possessing unparalleled power. One day, she had many children, but only three were the strongest and brightest. They valued etiquette, respected one another, and were favored by the giant tree.
So one day, the giant tree called those three children to her and said the same words to them.
“My children, I wish to grant you a precious gift like my creator did, but I do not possess such great abilities. I can only let you choose one gift. Tell me what you desire, and I will grant it to you, then use this gift to help one another.”
First, the eldest child among the three said, “I want to know everything that has happened in the past, so I can repeatedly learn from it, making me unbeatable.”
The giant tree said, “Very well.”
Then, the eldest child left with the clear past beside the giant tree.
Next, the youngest child approached the giant tree and said, “I want to know the future, to know the predetermined outcomes, so I won’t have to feel anxious about doubts regarding the future.”
The giant tree said, “Very well.”
Thus, the youngest child left with every predetermined future beside the giant tree.
Finally, the middle child pondered for a long time and said to the giant tree, “I do not wish to know the specific past or the future because the possibilities of the uncertain are the most important. I want to explore the reasons things are formed, welcoming all possibilities of the past and future, like untangling a knot.”
The giant tree remained silent for a long time, and finally said, “I have nothing to give you, but I entrust the rest of the children to you.”
The last child received nothing but still left beside the giant tree, fully satisfied.
Such a brief story seemed to Fisher to be filled with artistic processing, possibly representing but not necessarily depicting real events.
Yet, such a fable caused Fisher to feel a connection to what the Moon Princess had mentioned.
She said that the future, in her eyes, was not a specific image but a kind of feeling. She had seen a grand deadlock, so she had to make plans in advance; meanwhile, Valentina, who was also a Phoenix Race, saw clear, predetermined images.
It’s hard to say whether a predetermined outcome, which wouldn’t change no matter what effort is made, is better than the vision seen by the Moon Princess. However, through the mural before him, Fisher vaguely sensed a fact.
That is, for elves, the “uncertain” in destiny is superior to the “predestined.”
As Fisher pondered, he followed the attendant in front toward the room. The process wasn’t lengthy, but as he walked, he suddenly encountered a familiar figure in the opposing corridor.
The person before him had long black hair, a pair of long ears adorned with twinkling ornaments. His handsome face wore a kind smile, instantly making people feel as if they were in a spring breeze.
“Hello, please help me pass these things to the rat lady in charge here.”
Chuan?
The elf suddenly appearing before them was none other than the Duke Chuan, whom Fisher and the others had encountered upon their arrival on the Tree Continent.
Of course, in this illusory realm of fate, he didn’t know Fisher; he was speaking to the attendant beside Fisher.
“Ah, Duke Chuan! It’s truly an honor. I said earlier that I would come to your guest hall to fetch this tonight. Why have you come personally?”
Duke Chuan handed some food and clothing to the attendant. Seeing him so humble and reserved, the attendant couldn’t help but say,
“It’s nothing; I should have left tonight. I called you here to take things to that rat lady. But now it’s no longer necessary; I still need to visit the king in Jianmu Palace tomorrow. By the way, who is this?”
“Ah, this is a guest invited by Lord Bai, resting here for a while. Don’t worry, Duke Chuan; I will definitely hand these over to the lady.”
After receiving the items, the attendant sneaked a glance at Fisher but said nothing. However, having just encountered the rat lady and her children, Fisher quickly grasped the situation. He knew the attendant had informed other officials about the rat lady secretly hiding her child in the guest wood.
Fisher remained silent. Duke Chuan gave him a warning glance, but even as a warning, he did not completely unleash the pressure of his mythical rank, leaving some leeway.
Then, he bowed respectfully to the attendant next to Fisher and said,
“Thank you.”
“You’re too kind! You’re too kind!”
The attendant was so frightened he nearly knelt down, but fortunately, before he could act, Duke Chuan had already left.
When the attendant finally straightened up, struggling with the food and clothing, he found that the warm-hearted Duke Chuan had already gone quite far, and he opened his mouth, whispering a sigh,
“What a pity about Duke Chuan.”
“What happened to Duke Chuan?”
Fisher continued walking forward after hearing the attendant’s remark and asked.
The attendant glancingly looked at Fisher in alert, but considering that Duke Chuan was still a noble elf, as long as it wasn’t related to the rat lady, it wouldn’t matter much.
After a brief sigh, he said,
“Duke Chuan is a good nobleman. He treats us servants well; those assigned to serve him are very fortunate. But I unintentionally overheard in the halls of other noble elves that the king was very displeased because Duke Chuan did not submit any slaves, and tomorrow he will probably be called to the palace because of this matter. We have arrived; your companions will rest here in turn. If you need anything, feel free to call us at any time.”
As he spoke halfway, Fisher had already arrived at the entrance of his resting room.
The attendant did not continue the topic, and Fisher lingered at the door for a long time before thanking him and entered the room alone to rest, awaiting the crucial moment tomorrow.
(End of this chapter)
