"Your son pays his respects to Father and Mother!" Yang Kai swept his robes aside, dropped to his knees, and performed a full formal bow.
"Get up, get up, quickly!" Dong Suzhu hurried over and helped him to his feet. Her eyes were faintly red as she looked up at him, reaching out to brush the hair behind his ear. She chided him with a pout: "You're already a Great Emperor now, and you still drop to your knees like this every time we meet? If outsiders saw, they'd laugh."
"So what if he's a Great Emperor? Does being a Great Emperor mean he doesn't have parents anymore?" Yang Siye snorted from the side. "I gave birth to him, I raised him — what's wrong with a little knee—"
He suddenly felt a wave of murderous intent wash over his face. Dong Suzhu was glaring at him through gritted teeth. He hastily lifted his teacup and took a sip, swallowing the rest of his sentence along with the tea.
Dong Suzhu shot him another warning glare, then turned back with a radiant smile, pulling Yang Kai over to sit beside her. She looked him up and down, unable to get her fill, her face brimming with pride and happiness.
This was her son! She never could have imagined that the little babe in her arms, crying helplessly for milk, would one day grow to such heights. Yang Kai had achieved everything he had today, and she shared in his glory.
As for herself, she had risen in status through her son's accomplishments. Her own cultivation wasn't particularly high, but across the entire Star Boundary, who would dare look down on her? Even those Pseudo-Emperors, whenever they visited Lingxiao Pavilion as guests, made sure to offer her their respectful regards.
She was content. As a mother, she didn't need her child to be fabulously wealthy or to stand above all others — she only wished for him to live a long and peaceful life.
Now Yang Kai was safe and sound, with all his limbs intact. That was more than enough!
She held Yang Kai's hand and chatted away, mostly asking questions while he answered casually. She didn't ask about the situation beyond the two worlds, because she knew that over the past fifteen-odd years Yang Kai must have faced countless dangers. She was afraid that learning too much would be more than she could bear.
Yang Kai was already a Great Emperor now. Every word he spoke and every action he took concerned the survival of billions of living beings across the Star Boundary. She could no longer interfere with his decisions the way she once had — to do so would be irresponsible toward the entire Star Boundary.
Yang Siye sat nearby with the serene composure of an old sage, appearing as calm as still water. In truth, however, his ears were perked up like windmills, listening with intense focus, unwilling to miss a single word.
Half an hour later, Yang Kai suddenly looked up. "Father, you've sustained a hidden injury?"
He had noticed it the moment he came in. His father's aura was steady for the most part, but occasionally there was a brief moment where it flowed with slightly more turbulence — a clear sign of some latent ailment. Had Yang Kai not already become a Great Emperor with extraordinary perception, even a Pseudo-Emperor standing right here would have been unable to detect it.
Yang Siye froze for a moment, then waved his hand dismissively. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."
Yang Kai's brow furrowed. "How long has it been?"
Before Yang Siye could answer, Dong Suzhu spoke up. "Over thirty years."
Thirty years!
That meant it had happened after the war between the two worlds, during the time he had gone into secession to refine the power of the Wood element. After that great battle, Yang Kai had secluded himself to refine the essence of the Tree of Immortality — a full fifty years — before finally leaving the Star Boundary.
But when he departed, he hadn't notified anyone. He left in silence.
"Let me see." As he spoke, he rose and walked over to Yang Siye, reaching out to place his fingers on the older man's wrist.
Yang Siye opened his mouth as if to protest, but in the end he said nothing and allowed his son to examine him.
Divine Sense surged forth, probing for a moment. Yang Kai's frown deepened. "This is a hidden injury from when you advanced to the Emperor realm?"
Yang Siye and Dong Suzhu's cultivation was not particularly high — only at the first level of the Emperor realm. After all, their natural aptitude was nothing special, and it was only thanks to Lingxiao Pavilion's generous support over the years that they had achieved even this much.
The hidden injury in his father's body wasn't severe, but neither should it be taken lightly. If left untreated, it would absolutely cause serious trouble the next time he attempted to advance further.
"This injury… it seems to have been caused by an unstable foundation. Father, why were you pushing your cultivation so recklessly?" Yang Kai didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The injury hadn't been caused by any external force — it was Yang Siye's own doing. He had cultivated too recklessly, and his body had been unable to bear the strain.
Yang Siye snorted. "You're already a Great Emperor now. As your father, I can't expect to stand beside you at your level, but I can't exactly be a disgrace, either!"
Yang Kai was at a loss for words.
"Can it be cured?" Dong Suzhu asked nervously from the side. The two of them had kept Yang Siye's condition from everyone. After all, ever since the war between the two worlds, the entire Star Boundary had been devastated, with a thousand things waiting to be rebuilt. They didn't want to impose too heavily on Lingxiao Pavilion's resources.
"It's a minor issue. Later, I'll have Ningshang refine a few spirit pills. Father, you take them daily, and every five days I'll come to clear your meridians. Within a month, you'll be completely restored."
If this were before, he might not have had much recourse. But now, with his current abilities, treating this sort of injury was well within his grasp.