Over the next couple of days, Xue Chang spent most of his time with his sister in an act of apology. And finally, the day he had been waiting for had arrived.
The celebration came in the blink of an eye. Xue Chang sat on his bed slowly getting into a crimson gown and wrapping a specially made veil in his face.
The color red was usually worn during joyous occasions, so he prepared even a red veil to hide his appearance.
There was no doubt he was excited about the prospect of what was to come. But at the same time, he felt restless, this would be the first time he would be attending such a huge event since after his accident.
Could he act "normally"? How was he even supposed to act in the us situation?
He was basically using a disguise to enter into the birthday party of his own family member. It gave him an awkward feeling, like he didn't belong.
Shaking the uneasy feeling out of his head, he finished his preparations just before hearing a knock at his door.
"Are you ready Xue Chang? Tian Kai and I have finished all of our preparations." Tian Hai questioned outside of the doorway.
He and his brother were also extremely excited for the party, after all the event was hosted by the Xue Family. No way it would be simple or small.
Xue Chang responded quickly and exited his room. The three of them waited for a short moment before a familiar figure appeared at the front of their home within a carriage.
Sun Jianhong waved over to them in excitement while beckoning for them to enter the carriage.
They all entered quickly and made off toward the location of the venue.
Within the hour they arrived at the venue where everyone had gathered it.
The building used was the event center of the city, a large palace like building used by the nobles and high class members of society to host special parties.
Although it was a bit flashy for Zhou Wei's taste, he understood that high class families had appearances to keep up and didn't reject the use of the building.
Plus considering how big of a deal the party was and how many people were invited, it was the only building in the whole city that could fit everyone inside comfortably.
The four companions arrived and turned I. Their invitation to the party. It didn't take long before they were allowed into the building with open arms.
Xue Chang couldn't help but take quick glances around himself. Even he was surprised by the lavishness of the party decorations and food court.
Subconsciously, he couldn't help but think and compare this to his own celebration back when he was turning eight.
Back then they weren't the absolute rulers of Water Cloud City and didn't have as much influence and power as they had today. As such his own celebration wasn't as big as it was now.
Xue Chang didn't feel jealous or anything though. In fact he preferred it that way.
He still remembered how Xue Hai and he were so tired after a few relatives came over and chatted for hours on end about all types of things. Although he didn't interact with the adults much, he remembered that his dad forced them to stay there and listen in out of politeness.
To say the least, it wasn't fun. In comparison the amount of guests who Zhao Wei had to entertain was far greater than it was back then. Plus now most of these people were strangers.
This meant that the amount of suffering Xue Ai would face would be greater than what he faced back then.
Smiling to himself in reminiscence, Xue Chang silently chuckled to himself at the thought of how much his sister would complain to him about everything later.
And just as he thought this, as if on cue, the star of the party appeared. Xue Ai arrived in a beautiful dressed with her hair tied up and a gentle smile on her face.
It seemed that she had been taking etiquette lessons as she greeted all of the guests in a mannerly order and even gave a short speech.
Looking at the little girl acting like an adult, Xue Chang almost burst out in laughter. Only a small handful of people would know of her true personality. That martial maniac.
But watching her actions also gave him a sort of conflicted feeling.
As he watched his family interact with all of the guests present, he couldn't help but think about how much things have changed.
He still remembered back when Xue Ai was just a baby. He was able to hold her in his arms without any effort. The blubbering cries she released as an infant, unable to formulate even the simplest of words.
That small child who probably didn't even know who he was, now stood here as a someone almost as big as he was.
Not only that but, despite it being well hidden, he could see the grey hairs growing on top of his mother's and father's head.
Over the years they had all grown older and changed, yet he had not.
It was always a worry in the back of his mind, but now standing here facing the reality he realized just how scary it was.
Other than the issue with his soul, he was immortal. He could theoretically live forever.
Yong Heng had already told him that there were methods to repair his injured soul, if so would he have to watch his family grow old an die?
His father had already stated that there wasn't much hope in his future path of cultivation. His mother was a mortal and as for his sister it was still something they would have to discover in the future.
Yet if she also didn't have the ability to cultivate… then what would happen?
The same for Tian Hai and Tian Kai. They were alright now, but if they also eventually reached a point where they could no longer advance, would be outlive them as well?
The thought scared him.
Everyone always talked about immortality and cultivators worked in order to reach a point such as that. They worked to live forever, yet to him it was more like a curse.
As he thought more of it, a cold feeling encroached his heart. He felt empty inside, in a weird way his curse was like a joke.
One that didn't draw any laughter from him whatsoever.
It was like he was having an existential crisis.
Inside of purgatory Yong Heng couldn't help but tremble as a strange force eroded the space around him.
Pursing his lips tightly, he seemingly sat on the ground with his arms and legs crossed.
While it looked like he wanted to say something, he forced himself to remain silent.
Meanwhile Xue Chang still had the turbid thoughts float around in his mind. And just as he was about to fall into a deeper state of depression, something surprisingly took his mind off of his dark thoughts.
It was the plucking of a string.
His ears perked up at the sudden jerking sound the resonated throughout the room.
Then another sound cropped up, another pluck, then another, then another. More and more plucking sounds popped up, some different than others. Some were hard and fierce, while others were gentle and soft. Some felt like water flowing down a river, while others felt as unshakable as a mountain. And as they all came together, a melody began to form.
A harmonious bond of sounds and emotions crawled into Xue Chang's ears washing away all of the sad thoughts he had previously.
Looking up to find the source of the music, he found that everyone within the hall were also entranced by the sound.
Some even closed their eyes and bobbed their head along with the melody.
Xue Chang's eyes darted around the room, until he finally witnessed the source of the music.
His mother sat there in front of a zither moving her hands around it with as much skill as a grandmaster.
Xue Chang immediately became hypnotized by the seen. His mother, with an expression as tranquil as water, played fervently yet never breaking a sweat.
Just listening to the song, he could hear the emotions of her inner heart. Her fears, her worries, her hopes, the care she felt as a mother, the pressure she was under from everyday life along with the will to never cower nor fear.
He could hear and feel her courage and compassion. He could almost see her love for her husband, the feelings she had for her daughter and a myriad of other emotions piled up along with it.
And as the song came to an end, he could hear something else. It was another message of love. It was a heartrending one that spoke of pain and agony, yet something she still kept close to her heart.
Closing his eyes, Xue Chang could already see the scenario.
It was that of a mother losing her son, one whom she cherished with all her heart. She was filled with pain and agony everyday from being unable to see him. Yet her love remained strong. No matter how painful it was, this was an emotion she refused to give up. Because she loved him, he was her son and she'd give the world to him.
And through all of the pain, all of the agony there was a trace of a different emotion as well.
It was bitter yet sweet, hard to get ahold of yet one that was kept close to her heart. And while faint and almost untraceable, this emotion was undoubtedly there. It was evident and like a burning blaze, it refused to be extinguished.
Xue Chang slowly opened his eyes, only to be met with a blurry sight. His vision became impaired and everything around him looked obstructed.
Bringing his hands up to his eyes, he felt the droplets of water streaming down his face. He was crying.
For the second time that month, he was crying.
Wiping away the tears, he continued to listen to the song his mother played until finally the it all came to a halt.
Silence ensued, before a chorus of applauses responded throughout the venue. Everyone at the event cheered and applauded the piece, some even cheering through their own tears.
Xue Chang was one of the few who didn't act, instead he remained there seated as his emotions settled.
He felt better, all of the emotions he felt before were gone. Now all that filled his body was a sense of calmness he hadn't felt in a long time. Looking down at his hands, he couldn't help but notice how still they were.
Reflecting how he felt on the inside. Clan, without a single ripple of worry or fear. He felt… at peace.
Once he was able to put into words what he felt, he slowly raised his head up.
And as he did, all of the cheering and applauses drowned out into the background as all of his senses focused onto one specific scene.
It was that of his mother, Xue Mei, gazing at him with a loving smile on her lips. A knowing smile.