Meeting Fan Zhu Xia's questioning eyes when she just entered the room, Fan Hui Zhong couldn't help but slowly shake his head in a daze before turning back to look at his father who was wholly focused and concentrated on unsealing the young boy.
Although he was watching them, his mind barely noticed his daughter's presence when she moved to stand beside him because his head kept replaying the words father told him before he started the process of removing the seals.
"This boy... Zhong'er this boy is your son!"
Son.
My son.
Father just told him that the boy his daughter had just picked up was his son.
How under heavens name could that be?!
Didn't he bury his son along with his wife more than a decade ago?!
His father's words threw his mind and emotions into chaos.
That familiar dark abyss he'd climbed out of with difficulty felt like it was slowly creeping in, threatening to throw him back as memories of seeing his beloved wife dead with his newborn son in her arms all due to an attack by unknown assailants which also caused his already injured father to fall into a coma that he only recently woke up from.
The memories he tried so hard to accept and move past from once again filled him with that familiar grief that he felt his chest tighten painfully as if an extremely heavy rock was pressing onto him making it hard for him to breathe.
His eyes, although wide open seemed as if they were unseeing as his memories filled his head and it was as if he was reliving his nightmare all over again.
He didn't register his surroundings anymore.
It was as if he was sucked back into that particular day once more.
Fan Hui Zhong had received reports that a possible beast wave was brewing at Abyss Valley Mountain Range and since it was dangerously close to the capital, as one of the most trusted generals and as the newly appointed Lei Wangye, he had to go and check it despite of his reluctance.
It wasn't like he didn't want to go but he was just worried since his wife; Su Yue Wan was quite close to giving birth and it made extremely anxious since this was his first child and on top of that, his wife was a frail and fragile woman, a total opposite of his sister-in-law; Wei Rou Xiang who was a pretty decent cultivator despite her petite and dainty looks. Instead, his little wife was truly a delicate, sickly beauty which is why he has been on tenterhooks ever since he found out that she was pregnant.
Knowing that he had no choice, Fan Hui Zhong could only inform his wife and kiss her goodbye after telling her that he'll just quickly check things out to make sure nothing is amiss and immediately come back.
Although he was worried about his wife, he was also worried about a possible beast rampage since that can also put the capital in danger and if that happens, even his pregnant wife will be placed in danger so his only choice is to finish things as fast as possible.
Fan Hui Zhong has been gone for three days and on the day he was scheduled to go back he felt a sinking feeling on his stomach, filling him with anxiety which urged him to hurry back.
Among the soldiers he led to Abyss Valley Mountain Range, he left a majority there to stand guard and continue watching for any suspicious activity, with some of his trusted subordinates in charge while he only took a small group back with him.
The moment he entered the gates of the capital, his uneasiness grew and since it was already evening, he hurriedly rushed back home to find the estate doors shut tight.
Things seemed alright but when a breeze blew past him, it carried the faint hint of a familiar coppery-scent that made him freeze for a moment as his eyes dilated with fear for the fraction of a second before he immediately sprung into action.
Dismounting his horse, he jumped over the wall and rushed inside.
He focused on his surroundings and scanned his vicinity and before long, he managed to locate the source of the scent of blood.
Carefully approaching it, he realized the the prone figures lying in the shadows belonged to the estate guards who was supposed to be on duty.
After quickly checking to see if they were just knocked out, Fan Hui Zhong's expression increasingly grew dark when he found no pulse.
With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he stuck to the shadows and slowly made his way deeper into the estate.
Since it was bestowed upon him by the emperor for just barely a year, there still isn't too many structures that's been built, with only a few courtyards here and there so there was only a few places where one could enter and hide which made it easier for him to dispatch of all the unwelcomed intruders he came across with.
As he was nearing his wife's courtyard, he heard a soft cry echo out before the tell-tale clang of swords clashing echoed out.
Worried, he quickly made his way to where the sound originated from when he saw his eldest nephew, Li Jie looking extremely haggard as he tried fending off two assailants while his second brother, Yong Rui was trying to fight off another one as they defended their youngest brother Xian Liang.
Alarmed at the sight, Fan Hui Zhong jumped in and intercepted a sword swing that Li Jie failed to parry since his two attackers had struck at the same time with one aiming at his chest while the other at his back.
His unexpected arrival alarmed the three assailants and just as they wanted to take the chance and escape, Fan Hui Zhong made his move and with a burst of his qi, he pushed the two away and quickly jumped after them and swung his broad sword after them like a predator pouncing on it's prey.
The closest to him was immediately struck down, with no chance of evading as the blade sliced through his neck like a sharp knife cutting through tofu as his head was sent flying through the air as blood spurted out through the air.
Ignoring this, Fan Hui Zhong concentrated on the other one who managed to black his first attack and launched one of his own.
As he evaded it, Fan Hui Zhong spared a quick glance and saw his two nephews helping each other out and trying to suppres the other one so he quickly focused to deal with the one in front of him.
With a push of his feet to the ground, he rushed to the assassin and launched blow after blow and after a short exchange of attacks, he finally stabbed the man through the chest.
Just as he was about to rush in and attack the last assailant, he saw a familiar silhouette jump in before him and with a muffled shout, the petite figure had jumped up and delivered a killing blow towards the opponent's head, twisting his neck with a strong decisive kick.
Recognizing the person who just arrived, Fan Hui Zhong called out, the same time as his nephews.
"Mother!"
"Little Rou!"
"Mother!"
"Mother!"
Gathering her children into her arms, even the fifteen year old Li Jie hugged her mother back in relief.
"Little Rou, what's happening? Where's Wan-Wan?" Fan Hui Zhong hurriedly asked, worry heavily evident in the tone of his voice.
"Brother-in-law take heavens you're here! Wan-Wan was about to give birth when there was a sudden attack! I was just informed about it and on the way to her courtyard when I came across the intruders. Father was having tea with her and he was the one who sent the servant to notify us that sister-in-law was in labor. I don't know where Liang is but you must hurry and go to where sister-in-law is!"
Extremely alarmed at the news he received, Fan Hui Zhong could only spare a few words of caution before running off.
With his heart pounding, the only thing stopping him from descending into complete panic was his military training and experience at the battlefield.
He knew that panic was definitely of no help and would only cause him to make mistakes, mistakes he absolutely cannot afford at this moment.
A short distance away, a group of family soldiers were battling another group of assailants and from what he saw, the fight was neck in neck.
Jumping into the fray, Fan Hui Zhong managed to cut down three attackers in one attack immediately followed by two others, quickly turning the tide of the battle on to their side and with the opening he provided, the family soldiers managed to make the most of it and managed to take down the others after a short while.
Just as he was straightening up his eyes landed on a familiar face.
"Uncle Guo!"
"Eldest Master! It's great that you're here, we must quickly hurry to where Eldest Madam is! We don't know if they're also under attack but the Clan Head might not be able to fend all of them off!"
"Come then! Hurry!"
Along with the group of soldiers, all of them rushed to his wife's courtyard to see it's walls heavily damaged and a part of the roof caving in as dust and smoke hung heavy in the air while the place seemed eerily silent.
The mere sight brought a chill to his heart and throwing caution to the wind he rushed in.
With a wave of his hand, he cleared the smoke and dust in the air making things more visible and yet what appeared before his eyes horrified him more.
The thick stench of blood remained and pervaded the air, it's scent strong and cloying as more than tens of bodies lied scattered just in the courtyard's gardens.
Running inside towards the bedroom, he saw more and more bodies on the floor, from servants to guards to assassins.
Reaching the bedroom, he stepped in and saw a couple more bodies, along with the body of the midwife the estate had prepared beforehand as well as the family physician as well as several of his wife's servants making his blood run cold.
Scanning the room, he noticed that one of the room's walls were blown apart and as he stepped through the hole, he saw that the courtyard's outer wall on this side had fallen too.
Seeing that neither his father nor his wife could be found, Fan Hui Zhong's eyes met Min Guo Ji's and they both came to the same conclusion.
They must have escaped.
After that, all that Fan Hui Zhong could remember was a blur especially when they found his father's prone form, lying all bloody on the ground covered with injuries and surrounded by dead bodies of the unknown assassins and a couple of guards. His father only had enough energy to tell him to find his wife before passing out.
The fact that he still hadn't found his wife was a huge relief for him and at the same time tormented him at the thought of her injured and hurt but when they arrived where the trail ended, Fan Hui Zhong's heart stopped.
They knew that the fight that occurred there was intense and extremely violent because not many of the corpses there were complete and this goes for both the guards and assassins.
Among the few who had their corpses intact was someone who's figure has long been imprinted on Fan Hui Zhong's mind.
Su Yue Wan. His wife.
She was lying there on the cold hard ground in bloodied robes with disheveled hair and a bloodless face with her eyes closed and her arms wrapped protectively around a small bundle of cloth.
She looked so beautiful.
Even in death she had a peaceful smile.
As if she's accepted how things were going to turn out.
That her death was inevitable and yet her posture still exuded maternal love as her body slightly curled up as if shielding that bundle in her arms.
He couldn't accept it.
A loud keening whine filled the air.
For a moment he was startled but then he realized it came from him.
He couldn't help it.
He just lost it when he gathered his wife's body into his arms.
It was also at that moment when he realized that his son who was had just come into the world was no longer breathing.
No one was breathing.
Not his son.
Not Wanwan.
Not even him.
Gasping for breath, he felt like he was drowning. Choking as he tried to breathe.
He couldn't move yet he felt himself swaying.
All he heard was the pounding of his blood in his ears yet beyond that he heard a muffled voice saying something but he just couldn't make it out.
Breathe it said.
The voice was telling him to breathe.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Breathe. Yes, this was how it was like to breathe.
That darkness that filled him left him cold and yet there was a warmth around him. It surrounded him.
Breathing in he smelled the familiar scent of wine mixed in with something bittersweet like a mixture of herbs and flowers.
He knew that scent.
Reaching his arms out, he felt someone hugging him as they swayed. Sliding down to the ground, he held on as of his life depended on it.
"Zhu Xia..." Fan Hui Zhong hoarsely called out, his voice thick with unshed tears, making Fan Zhu Xia's heart clench tightly.
"Father I'm here..."
"They already died... my family... my Wan-Wan died with my little boy but why? How? Just how? Why did father say that?! Why only now? Doesn't that mean I failed him? I didn't even know about him, what kind of father am I?!" Fan Hui Zhong asked, his voice muffled against her shoulder as he shook with sobs filled with grief.
Seeing that her father was descending into a state of hysteria, Fan Zhu Xia couldn't help the tears that slowly spilled from her eyes as she comforted him and left with no other choice, she reached up to the back of his neck and pressed on his acupuncture point making him pass out and lose consciousness.
This was the scene that Fan Hui Liang witnessed when he arrived.
"Xia'er what happened?!" Fan Hui Liang asked worriedly as he hauled his unconscious brother off his niece.
"Xia'er will explain later but can Uncle help me get father to the spare bedroom so he can rest properly?"
"Of course, lead the way."
With Fan Hui Liang's help, the two of them were able to lay Fan Hui Zhong down on the bed without any problems.
Turning to his niece, Fan Hui Liang then opened his mouth and said, "Explain."
"To be completely honest, I'm not completely sure what happened to Father. When I returned, he was already in a daze then he started to shake and showed signs of anxiety and difficulty in breathing so I led him out and tried to calm him down until I had to knock him out... All I know is that Grandfather told Father something but I have no idea what it is."
"Are you sure? I've never seen your father like this. Ever."
Pausing for a minute, Fan Zhu Xia thought back to the words Fan Hui Zhong mumbled before she knocked him out before she hesitantly opened her mouth to speak.
"I think it has something to do with someone called Wanwan and son..."
"His wife and child?! Did father tell him something we don't know?"
"I don't know Uncle... I truly don't know but all we can do now is wait until Grandfather finishes unsealing Shi Hong's seals."