Xu Qingxuan walked over, intending to take the earring to examine it herself, but Xu Meng gripped it tightly, staring at it over and over again, as if what she held was the world's greatest treasure, the very source of all happiness.
"Mother, let me see it," Xu Qingxuan said, feeling something was odd and wanting to understand.
Xu Meng held onto it for a long while before finally letting go, placing it carefully into Xu Qingxuan's hand, as if she was afraid the earring itself might be hurt.
A similar feeling stirred in Xu Qingxuan's heart. She knew this earring condensed all her mother's years of longing for her husband, all her love for him, all her hope.
Therefore, when Xu Qingxuan took the earring, she too treated it with great care.
The earring itself had nothing extraordinary about it—it was just an expensive ornament from a small place. True cultivators wouldn't deign to wear such things.
"Xuan'er, this earring cannot be fake. Tell Mother quickly, who brought you the letter? What did the messenger look like? He... he is very likely your father!" Saintess Xu Meng could no longer remain calm.
"Mother, that fellow is very young, not even thirty. There is a female disciple in our sect named Xu Shan, only twenty-eight, and he even calls her 'Sister'. That means he is younger than twenty-eight. How could he possibly be Father?"
Though Xu Qingxuan didn't want to dampen her spirits, she had to tell the truth.
Saintess Xu Meng let out a soft cry of surprise, but still wouldn't give up. "Even if he isn't your father, he must be your father's friend. Otherwise, where would he get this earring? And why would he specifically bring it to me?"
It had to be said, Saintess Xu Meng's words made sense.
Xu Qingxuan sighed. "Mother, there are some things I haven't told you. These past few days, I sent people to investigate the Eastern Kingdom. The Jiang Han territory still exists, but it no longer bears the Jiang name. The Marquis Jiang Han you mentioned, and this Jiang Chen, are both gone. My informants say it's very likely they were all annihilated when the Undying Heavenly Capital invaded the Myriad Image Region a few years ago."
"Im... impossible! The earring would not lie!" Saintess Xu Meng's face was resolute. "Your father is fine, and your brother is fine too!"
Xu Qingxuan didn't want to refute her mother; this was, after all, a deep-seated conviction in her mother's heart. What good would it do to tear that down?
Instead, she said, "Mother, let's see if there's anything else inside that Storage Ring?"
Xu Meng then remembered there seemed to be something else in the Storage Ring.
She hastily looked inside and found a small note.
She took it out and opened it impatiently—
Thirty years apart, thirty years of longing. Now I've come to Frost Moon City, waiting bitterly for us to meet.
There were only twenty characters, no signature, no further hints, no indication of identity. But after reading them, Xu Meng collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face.
"Xuan'er, it's your father! It's really him—this is his handwriting, his tone. Xuan'er, I must go down the mountain! I must go to Frost Moon City!"
Though Xu Meng was weak all over, her body softened by the powerful emotions crashing through her, her tone was incredibly firm.
Xu Qingxuan looked at those twenty characters. There were no heroic declarations, no vows of eternal love. But these twenty characters spoke of thirty years of separation, the bitterness and the perseverance within.
It was a great love story where the wind and snow of the years were invisible.
At that moment, Xu Qingxuan also felt a stirring deep within. If this truly came from her father's hand, then her father and mother must truly be a remarkable couple.
Guarding each other, never abandoning one another — neither time nor space could tear them apart.
Jiang Feng's brief letter had, in fact, been carefully considered. He had originally written thousands upon thousands of words, yet still felt he hadn't captured the full measure of his thirty years of longing.
But after careful thought, he realized that a thousand words would amount to nothing.
He had no way of knowing what his wife was thinking, even though he firmly believed she would never waver in her heart.
But at this juncture, what good was saying more? After going back and forth, he had condensed everything into twenty characters.
If their hearts were truly attuned, his wife would surely feel the depth behind those twenty characters, and she would come to meet him.
And if they couldn't meet, at least something would remain between them.
Knowing that the other was still alive and well — that alone was ten thousand times better than the blind uncertainty of the past.
Xu Meng gripped her daughter's hand tightly: "Xuan'er, didn't you say this morning you wanted to take your mother down the mountain for some fresh air? Mother has changed her mind. If we're going, we're going right now."
Xu Qingxuan knew her mother was emotionally overwhelmed and hurried to comfort her: "Mother, now that it has come to this, I will certainly find a way. However, this matter must be carefully planned. First, we must consider whether this could be a trap or some kind of well-meaning joke — though the likelihood is slim, we need to be mentally prepared. Second, we must think about safety on this trip. Not our safety, but Father's safety. If the Sect Masters learn that Father has come here, they will be absolutely furious. The consequences would be unthinkable. Third, we must also consider the matter of your reunion. Even if it means I face punishment, I will make sure you and Father are brought together."
"No, no, no, Xuan'er — Mother cannot be so selfish. If you would be punished, neither your father nor I would allow that. We can wait — wait until the day you become a Sect Master, when you have the power to decide Mother and Father's fate."