Chapter 1148: Chapter 89 Death Ambush
Three days later.
Ballon led his subordinates back to the Court of Justice. This half-year long pilgrimage representing the Court had left him extremely satisfied, as the Sacrifice Halls throughout the lands operated in perfect order. The thought of soon seeing his beautiful wife set his heart aflame.
Upon returning to the Court of Justice, Ballon ordered his subordinates to disperse and rest, while he quickly made his way home. As soon as he entered, he saw his wife tidying up the room. Gazing upon her familiar delicate figure, his heart warmed, and he called out softly, "Water, I’m back." Although they had been together for over twenty years, Ballon’s love for his wife had not diminished with time. He and Xuan Ye were known throughout the Court as exemplary husbands.
Ballon’s wife, Luo Shui, turned her head toward her husband and huffed, "You know to come back! You’ve been gone for so long."
Ballon replied with a playful smile, "I hurried back as fast as I could. You know how it is, traveling around the continent takes time, and half a year is already the quickest." Honey, I missed you so much! I’ve been gone for so long, did you miss me?" As he spoke, he reached out to embrace Luo Shui.
With a graceful twist of her waist, Luo Shui dodged her husband’s ’attack’. Looking at her travel-worn husband, she frowned, "Stop fooling around. Why don’t you go see your son first? These past few days, he’s been out of sorts, as if the sky were falling. He’s even stopped practicing his martial arts, as if he’s suffered some sort of blow."
Ballon chuckled bitterly, "My dear, you should be careful with your words. Talking about the ’sky falling’ might bring blame from the Sky God."
Luo Shui snorted, "Spare me. I don’t care about what the Sky God might think; I’m only worried about my son. No matter how much I ask him, he refuses to tell me. It’s as if he’s been traumatized. If you don’t figure out what’s bothering our son today, I’ll never let it go with you."
Ballon, who always had a healthy fear of his wife, quickly responded, "Alright, alright, I’m going now. The commands of my dear wife are as sacred as a divine decree; how could I dare not fulfill them?" After speaking, he turned and headed for his son’s room.
Ballon gently knocked twice on his son’s door, and a lifeless voice from inside asked, "Who is it?"
"It’s your dad," he replied as he pushed the door open. The sight of Ballon’s son startled him; the son who always cared about his appearance looked very downcast. His golden hair was messy, his face unshaven, and he sat listlessly on the bed, a picture of despair that made Ballon furrow his brow.
Ballon’s son glanced at his father with an indifferent expression, "Dad, you’re back."
"Yes, what’s happened to you? You’ve got your mother worried."
Ballon’s son lowered his head, his voice filled with dejection, "I’m fine, Dad. Please don’t worry about me, I just want some peace."
His son’s demeanor was all too familiar. Ballon himself had once spent a long time despondent while pursuing Luo Shui. A thought crossed his mind, and Ballon asked, "Is it because of Yue Yue? Didn’t I tell you to wait outside the Temple of Light for her? Did she reject you?"
Ballon’s son trembled all over, lifting his head to look at his father. For days, he had been wallowing in intense pain, his adored one having firmly rejected his feelings, causing him immense emotional and physical trauma.
Seeing his son’s expression, Ballon knew he had guessed right and said with a frown, "That shouldn’t be! You and Yue Yue grew up together; why would she reject you?" Seeing how you are, she must have been quite definitive."
Ballon’s son forced a smile, "Yue Yue utterly rejected me, Dad, why? Tell me, in what way do I fall short compared to that Ah Dai? Yet Yue Yue says she loves that person and that I don’t stand a chance!"
Looking at his son in such a state brought back Ballon’s own memories. He stepped forward and yanked Ballon’s son up, face to face, and stared into his eyes, "Just one rejection and you end up like this? How can you be so spineless? With you acting this way, how can you prove that you love Yue Yue? Do you think Yue Yue will just throw herself into your arms if you stay cooped up at home?"
Ballon’s son replied, dispirited, "But, but Yue Yue already has someone she likes; it’s impossible for her to accept me now!"
Ballon forcefully threw his son onto the bed and exclaimed angrily, "What do you mean ’impossible’? Do you know how many times I was rejected when I pursued your mother? You know your mother’s temperament, how does she compare to Yue Yue? She’s much more hot-tempered! And yet your father, for the sake of true love, faced all hardships and grew stronger with every setback, ultimately winning her over with sincerity. But what about you? Are you even my son? Just one setback and you turn into this; no wonder Yue Yue doesn’t fancy you." In truth, he had been much worse off than Ballon’s son now back in the day, but in order to maintain his dignity as a father and to ignite his son’s fighting spirit, he had to boast a little.
Ballon’s son stared blankly at his father and murmured, "Dad, do you think I still have a chance?"
"Nonsense, of course you have a chance, and a big one at that. Yue Yue and that young man have known each other only for a few months and aren’t married yet; it’s too soon to say anything. But you, you’ve grown up with Yue Yue since childhood; your emotional foundation is much deeper. Yue Yue might just be acting on impulse or attracted to some aspect of that young man, but eventually, she will realize that only you are the best choice for her. However, you need to fight for that opportunity yourself. Opportunities are seized by one’s own efforts."
