Chapter 947: Chapter 47: Return to the Holy See
Xuan Ye had been feeling quite down these past few days. It was not only because he had failed to retrieve the Sword of Hades from the Tian Gang Mountains, but also due to his daughter, Yue Yue. Although he had not managed to demonstrate the formidable strength of the Holy Church in the Tian Gang Mountains and had been utterly defeated under the oppressive spirit of the Sword Saint of the Tian Gang, losing to the Sword Saint was not a disgrace, and no one had seen the defeat apart from the people of the Tian Gang Sword Sect and his own daughter. However, after leaving the Tian Gang Sword Sect, or to put it more accurately, after his daughter parted ways with Ah Dai, the naive and lively Yue Yue, who used to be mischievous and playful, was gone. She had become exceptionally silent, never retorting no matter what he asked of her. Yet, on several occasions, he found Yue Yue secretly crying, and even during their journey together, her gaze seemed extremely lost, as if she had lost her soul.
"Yue Yue, we are almost at the church now, we’re going home," he said.
Xuan Yue glanced at the not-so-tall hills in front of her, showing no particular emotion, knowing that just beyond lay the Holy Church’s sacred land, her home. Since leaving the Tian Gang Mountains, her heart had never been at peace. Spending every day with Ah Dai had not seemed special at the time, but the sudden separation made her miss him painfully every day. She no longer lied to herself; she knew clearly that she had fallen for the foolish and somewhat dull Ah Dai. Her body might have left, but her heart was still with Ah Dai.
"Yue Yue, why aren’t you talking? Aren’t you happy to be going home?" he asked.
Xuan Yue came out of her thoughts and gently shook her head.
Xuan Ye frowned and said, "What’s so good about that Ah Dai that he’s worth all your thoughts? Neither his background nor his appearance is worthy of my daughter. Apart from having Dragon’s Blood and the Sword of Hades, he really has no true skills. Yue Yue, you are still young and it’s inappropriate for you to get involved in a relationship too early. Love is something that, while painful, is also hard to give up. You must be strong, and in time you will understand your father’s concerns. Be happy, we are about to reach home. Do you want to worry your mother? She’s been very anxious since you ran away."
Upon hearing Xuan Ye mention her mother, Xuan Yue’s body trembled, and a strong longing for her mother surged in her heart. She raised her head slowly, her eyes reddening as she said softly, "I, I really miss mom!"
Xuan Ye put his arms around his daughter’s shoulders and said softly, "Yue Yue, don’t cry, we’ll see your mom soon. You should be happy. After we get back to the church, I won’t force you to practice magic anymore. Take some time to adjust, and we’ll talk about it when you’re feeling better. Don’t think about all that confusing stuff anymore. Everything will pass, and time can dilute everything." In his view, the relationship between his daughter and Ah Dai was just a result of being together for too long; it was impossible for such a short time to establish any profound emotional foundation. Given his daughter’s playful nature and love for novelty, it wouldn’t take long for her to forget Ah Dai. But, was it really as simple as Xuan Ye thought? Could Xuan Yue truly forget Ah Dai?
Xuan Yue looked at her father and said, "Dad, let’s hurry, I want to see mom soon."
Under the protection of senior priests and the Silver Armored Judge, the group quickly entered the core area of the Holy Church. Given Xuan Ye’s status in the church, the priests all bowed deeply upon seeing him. The central area of the church consisted of several temples, with the central temple being where the high-level church discussions took place. The surrounding temples were for the priests of the church to rest, while the Court of Justice and the Holy Knights were stationed in the outer areas of the church, responsible for its defense.
Nasha, having heard that her daughter and husband were on their way back as soon as Xuan Ye entered the Holy Church Territory, was indescribably happy. She had never really agreed with her husband’s decision to let their daughter experience the outside world. Now that her husband had brought their daughter back, she was in a very good mood and came out to meet them alone.
When Nasha reached the entrance of the Church’s Grand Temple, she saw Xuan Ye and Xuan Yue approaching, surrounded by their attendants.
"Yue Yue—" Nasha could no longer care about proprieties and ran over quickly.
Hearing her mother’s call, Xuan Yue was greatly shaken, tears streaming down instantly. All the grievances she had felt these days seemed to explode in that moment. Crying, she ran to meet her mother and plunged into Nasha’s arms, sobbing loudly.
Holding her daughter, Nasha couldn’t help but tear up as well. Since the day little Xuan Yue was born, this had been their first separation. Stroking Xuan Yue’s blue hair, Nasha choked up and said, "Good girl, don’t cry, tell mom if you suffered outside. Don’t ever leave mom’s side again; mom was almost worried to death."
Xuan Ye walked over to his wife and daughter, the scene of their reunion banishing the shadows from his heart, his brow smoothing as he extended his arms to embrace his wife and daughter. Seeing such a scene, all the subordinates quietly withdrew, leaving the tender moment entirely to the Bishop and his family.
After a long while, Xuan Yue’s crying subsided, and she looked up at her stunningly beautiful mother, sniffling and said, "Mom, I really missed you so much! It’s all Yue Yue’s fault for making you worry."
