Now that the fight was over, Huang Yufeng and Huang Liyue both went back to the ground below. Immediately after, Huang Liyue kowtowed to her matriarch.
"Matriarch, please accept this unfilial one's deepest apologies. I was not there when the family needed me most. What is the current situation?"
"No need for your apologies. I know you well enough to be sure that you were otherwise busy. If there had been any way for you to come to our help, you would have. Luckily, this demonic beast was the last real threat. Our city suffered dire consequences but all things considered, this went fairly well for us."
While she was speaking, Huang Yufeng's eyes gradually went from Huang Liyue to Cao Yun. While they were coming down, he had left the cave and was now also kneeling in front of the matriarch.
"Unfortunately, the same can't be said for our neighbor cities. Many small villages were completely destroyed. It's still too early to make good estimates but tens of thousands of people were probably killed and ten times more displaced."
This time, Huang Yufeng's eyes were fully focused on Cao Yun. Even Huang Liyue could feel some kind of embarrassment. After all, Cao Yun was her benefactor more than she had been his, all things considered. And now he was put on the spot by the matriarch. Not only had he saved Huang Liyue, he had also saved Huang Cixi who was to be the next matriarch. Simply put, he was the benefactor of the entire Huang family.
At first, she was too bitter to accept that truth. In her mind, anyone who had harmed her family was unforgivable, especially when it came to brothers and sisters. Due to her past, she had a soft spot for a sister losing her brothers. Yet, she had to admit that Cao Yun had not been in the wrong. The Huang family was not made of saints, but planning an assassination on a little girl for such ridiculous reasons was not something that could be accepted. In fact, such an action would warrant death according to the laws of the family. For the grandchildren of the family head, they would have probably been more lenient. And in a way, maybe that had empowered the stupid Huang Longwei to go forward with his plan.
But as much as she had had a hard time accepting the whole truth of the matter, Huang Liyue was now worried that the matriarch would be even less forgiving. She wasn't a violent or cruel woman, but she was a real ruler. At no point in her life had she been afraid to use violent and cruel means if it was necessary. Being a good ruler was knowing when to use such means and when they were not entirely necessary. This was a fine line between a moral ruler and a despicable tyrant sometimes. Each time Huang Yufeng had been faced with this decision, she had chosen wisely. But still, Huang Liyue was a bit unsteady because deep down she knew her matriarch also had the same soft spot as her.
Her actions shocked her for another reason though. Suddenly, she expanded her spiritual senses all around the three of them. Of course, Can Mouye was also included, as well as the egg, but none of them were conscious.
All around the group, a ball of colorful flames entrapped them. Nothing could go in or out. As such, Huang Liyue was even more worried. But if her matriarch wanted to kill someone, such a show was clearly not necessary, so what did she want to do? Before Huang Liyue could interrupt Huang Yufeng, she finally spoke directly at the young man still kneeling. In his head, many scenarios were going on, but once again, there was nothing he could do. His only way to survive was to trust in Huang Liyue. Although he had not known her for very long, because she had been unconscious a long while, he had a good grasp of her character. She wasn't one to let him die just like that.
That being said, the matriarch's next words shocked everyone even more so than her earlier action.
"You have your grandfather's eyes."
For a few moments, there was complete silence within the ball of flames.
"Do not worry. No one can hear us within this barrier. I wasn't sure earlier but you truly have the eyes of Cao Wen. You must be Cao Yun, right?" Then, she turned toward Huang Liyue. "And you seem to know about it, too..."
"Matriarch, I just learned about it. I didn't try to conceal it."
"It's not important. However, I suspect that the little Cixi also knows..."
Hearing the name of Huang Cixi, Cao Yun was even more perplexed. He had never met her, or least he thought he hadn't. Yet, she seemed to know a lot about him. But again, he had slaughtered her brothers with his bare hands. Of course, she would try to learn everything she could about him. However, she had not acted against him. And from what he had heard from Huang Liyue, she had even decided not to pursue the matter any longer. One day, he would have to meet with her and make things right. But for now, Huang Yufeng did not seem to be an enemy.
"Matriarch Huang Yufeng, this one expresses his sincere sadness for the loss of Huang Longwei and Huang Lixin. I never meant to hurt your family, I swear."
"Do not fret about this. I heard all about it. This is our family who should ask for your forgiveness, not the other way around. The Cao family has always been a great friend of our Huang family. And not only could we not help you in your time of need, you even encountered more difficulties because of our side branch."
This time, Matriarch Huang Yufeng bent forward to take Cao Yun's arms and stand him up.
"Boy, your great-grandfather, your grandfather and your father were all great men. And it seems that their successor is cut out of the same cloth. If only I had not been in seclusion, I swear that your family would have not met with such misfortune." As she was speaking, Huang Yufeng kept on staring directly in his eyes. "I am sorry, but you truly have his eyes, this is uncanny... Despite our difference in seniority, Cao Wen was a close friend of mine. I have never met someone as learned as him in both art and philosophy. It is such a shame that he never got to see his grandson. He has especially been a huge help for dealing with the death of my son.
"Although it had happened such a long time ago, your grandfather was the first man who was able to find the right words to soothe the pain. He truly was an extraordinary man indeed. And I swore to him that I would protect his bloodline so that he may never have to go through the loss I had endured. Yet, he died and there was nothing I could do to help him. And after this unfortunate accident, this happened to your family... And once again, I wasn't there to help you at all. Worse, my own blood conspired against you.
"Cao Yun, I am the one who has to apologize to you. Although my word may not mean much after so many failures, I swear that my family will protect you! We may not be as powerful as the Wubei Sect, but we are still one of the most powerful families in the Hongchen Kingdom."
Hearing the matriarch being so sincere moved both Cao Yun and Huang Liyue. Huang Liyue was especially moved by her reminiscing the death of her son, her only son, but not in a good way...
"Matriarch Huang, your words touch me. I sincerely would like to hear more about my grandfather, but there is a matter that worries me even more..."
"I know! Your friends were in Yinmen City." There was a complicated look on Huang Yufeng's face.
"Matriarch Huang, what is it? What happened to Yinmen City?"
Cao Yun was completely panicked. Even with his mind cultivation, he could not suppress his worry. From his encounter with Can Mouye, he knew that there was a traitor amidst his friends, Zeng Minghe. Alone, he wouldn't be able to make much damage, but if he could give some indications to the demonic beasts during a stampede, he would be able to weaken the city's defenses.
"The stampede hit us not too long ago, around a month ago as it stands. Yet, Yinmen City was faced with it first. It happened a few months ago. And they were not prepared to deal with it."
"What happened?!"
"The city fell. Almost everyone is dead... When we heard the news of the attack, it was already too late. Only a handful of survivors were found."
"Sun Liao, Ren Chao, Yun Ping, what about them?"
The matriarch thought for an instant and remembered the names.
"They are among the survivors."
"And Zeng Minghe? If I'm right, he was..."
"A demonic cultivator, yes. He's been killed during the fight."
For an instant, Cao Yun heaved a sigh of relief. Then, he thought of someone else he cared about in Yinmen City. His name hadn't come to mind because his survival seemed obvious, but...
"What about City Lord Dun Mofan?"
Looking down, the matriarch answered with a bit of emotion.
"He died while protecting his city. When our men reached Yinmen City, they found him dead, still standing with his weapons tightly held. It was as though he was still fighting for his people, even in death. Without him, no one would have survived at all. However, most of the vagrant cultivators were still slain or gravely injured. Some will never be able to cultivate anymore."
All those declarations shocked Cao Yun. Right now, he had only one wish. He wanted to get to his friends as fast and as soon as possible.
"Cao Yun, I can swear that we are taking great care of your friends. And of all the survivors for that matter. However, after the most recent attack, we have also have been forced to deal with our own injured. The entire Baziyun City is in turmoil. That being said, if you wish to meet your friends, I will bring you to them straight away."
"Thank you, Matriarch. I wish that."
"Fine. We'll depart immediately." Then she turned to Huang Liyue. "On the way, you'll tell me everything that has happened."
"Of course, Matriarch."
Through telepathy, they could quickly share a lot of information. Just like what Cleansed Asura had done, Huang Liyue could literally send images of what she had lived through. It would be way faster than words and was often more faithful to reality. Besides, now that Huang Yufeng had discovered who Cao Yun truly was, Huang Liyue had absolutely nothing to hide. Even talking about Cleansed Asura would not be a problem. She knew her matriarch well enough to be sure that she wouldn't try to steal Cao Yun's Drop of Wrath, especially not after what she had just told.
In fact, Huang Liyue had never heard that Huang Yufeng had been good friends with Cao Wen. But she did recall that the man had come to the Huang residence quite a lot at a certain period. Maybe Huang Yufeng had invited him. But she had hidden it from her own bodyguard. The only explanation Huang Liyue could think about was that they had been talking about the matriarch's son. And she didn't want to expose her feelings in front of her. She would have to look into it, but there was an ominous feeling in her chest.
Just as they were about to leave, Cao Yun thought of something.
In his robe, he still had the fan that Huang Liyue had given him when she thought she was dying. Before he forgot again, he decided to give it back to her.
"Senior Huang Liyue, please take it back with you."
As soon as he revealed the fan, Huang Yufeng turned her eyes toward her former bodyguard.
"You still had it?"
"... Yes... I..."
"Your brother would have been proud of you. You should know that he would never have resented you or blamed you. As I should have... None of what happened to him was your fault, Lili."
As those words left her mouth, Huang Yufeng finally noticed the change on Huang Liyue's face. The stoic woman let out a single tear and it showcased that her eyes had been healed. There was no scar on her face anymore.
The matriarch took the fan from Cao Yun's hands and opened it. In front of her, the two names of Huang Liyue and Huang Lüfeng appeared. They had both been written by the same hand. And seeing this calligraphy again brought many memories back. After reminiscing for a while, Huang Yufeng closed it and gave it back to Huang Liyue.
"Your brother would have been happy to know that you still cherish it. If I remember correctly, you didn't like this gift when he first gave it to you... You were always bickering with one another. You were always getting yourself in trouble and he had to get you out of it every time."
"This was my fault. It was always my fault. Yet, until the end, I brought him down with me..."
"Don't talk like that! I admit that I... I did not handle it well. But..."
Suddenly, Matriarch Huang Yufeng realized that they were both talking in front of Cao Yun who was getting embarrassed.
"Lili... I mean, Huang Liyue, we'll talk about this later. For now, let's just focus on the fact that we're alive and fine. Sadly, many people can't say the same in the current crisis."
Finally, Huang Liyue took back the fan and composed herself. The two women held the fan a bit longer while looking at each other, until Huang Yufeng finally let go.
After all this, Huang Yufeng noticed the unconscious Can Mouye. For all intents and purposes, he now looked like a simple mortal who had been wounded. There was indeed no more any trace of him being a demonic cultivator.
"Who is this man?"
"Matriarch, this man is a demonic cultivator working directly for those responsible for this stampede. Many things happened and his seals were all erased."
"Are you sure?!"
"Yes! I wasn't confident enough to extract his soul myself, but with you here..."
Huang Yufeng's eyes shined with eight flames when she turned her furious gaze toward Can Mouye.