The Grand Cult Leader drew a deep breath, a trace of bewilderment in her eyes. "Young Master Jiang Chen, forgive me, but this humble one fails to understand. If you are not here to propose on your own behalf, then for whom do you make this proposal?"
Jiang Chen smiled. "I am here to propose on behalf of my father to the Moon God Sect."
His father?
At that, the people of the Moon God Sect grew even more confused. Was this some sort of joke? A son proposing marriage on behalf of his father? Was there ever such an absurd thing under heaven?
"Young Master Jiang Chen, your words have thoroughly confused this humble one. Who exactly is your honored father? Is your honored mother still living?"
"My mother is naturally still alive. In fact, I am here to bring my father and mother back together." Jiang Chen said with a calm smile.
"Preposterous!" The Saintess Xiyuan, standing behind the Grand Cult Leader, could not help but snap out a reprimand. She had once attended the Dragon Tiger Summit and felt that Jiang Chen had paid more attention to Saintess Xu Shan, leaving her feeling slighted. A seed of resentment had lodged in her heart ever since. Now, hearing Jiang Chen speak such utter nonsense, she seized the opportunity to vent.
The Grand Cult Leader sighed softly. "Young Master Jiang Chen has traveled a thousand miles to our Moon God Sect, only to make such a joke of this humble one. Come here to wed your own mother? Forgive me, but I cannot fathom this."
Jiang Chen was not offended. He smiled calmly. "When you put it that way, it does indeed sound rather absurd. So the Grand Cult Leader is not yet aware of the truth of this matter?"
"What truth?" The Grand Cult Leader frowned.
"Grand Cult Leader, this is a long story." Jiang Chen sighed lightly. "However, my mother is indeed here in the Moon God Sect, and has been placed under house arrest by the sect for thirty years. All these years, my parents have been torn apart against their will, separated from one another. I have come here to implore the Grand Cult Leader to show mercy and bring this reunion to pass. As the saying goes, better to destroy ten temples than to break up a loving couple. My parents are devoted to one another…"
The Grand Cult Leader's frown deepened. "Young Master Jiang Chen, I am becoming more and more confused. How could your mother possibly be in the Moon God Sect?"
"Does the Grand Cult Leader truly not know of this matter? Or is she deliberately deflecting?" Jiang Chen asked in a lowered voice.
"I truly do not know." The Grand Cult Leader shook her head.
"Then tell me — who is your mother?" The Grand Cult Leader drew a deep breath and pressed further. "Could it be that one of our sect's disciples went out into the world and formed a private attachment?"
At this point, even the Grand Cult Leader was not so certain anymore.
"That is not the case. My mother grew up in the Myriad Phenomena Territory, though she was originally of the Moon God Sect's bloodline. To learn the full truth, the Second Cult Leader must be present." Seeing that the Grand Cult Leader did not appear to be feigning ignorance, Jiang Chen replied with patience.
"The Second Cult Leader?" The Grand Cult Leader suddenly seemed to recall something, her expression shifting slightly. She turned to the Third Cult Leader beside her. "Old Three, go and summon the Second Cult Leader."
The Third Cult Leader nodded slightly and rose to leave. The Grand Cult Leader added one more instruction. "Go fetch her, but do not tell her what is happening here. Simply say I have something I need to discuss with her."
The Grand Cult Leader clearly knew the Second Cult Leader's temperament — headstrong, even somewhat extreme. If this truly involved the Azure Moon lineage, she might well refuse to come.
If the person sitting before her now were an ordinary sect member, the Grand Cult Leader would not have bothered with them at all and simply sent them away.
But the young man currently seated before her was now a figure whose every step could shake the entire human domain.
A genius of this caliber — the Grand Cult Leader naturally had no desire to offend him. More importantly, she could not afford to.
With the momentum the Glazed King City was currently displaying, even though the Moon God Sect was far removed from it, they would likely be unable to withstand its thunderous wrath.
Most critically, at this very moment, Jiang Chen had brought with him a formidable entourage. On the surface, these people appeared to be here to support Jiang Chen, to act as advocates for father and son.
But once relations soured, there was no guarantee these people would treat the Moon God Sect with any gentleness.
Setting everything else aside, more than a dozen Emperor-realm powerhouses pressing in at once — should they turn hostile, they could raze the Moon God Sect to the ground.
Though the Grand Cult Leader did not believe Jiang Chen to be so ruthless, this kind of matter was best handled carefully. If the young man's temper flared at the wrong moment, the consequences could be dire.
"Young Master Jiang Chen, now that you mention it, this humble one does seem to recall something. The Azure Moon lineage had an internal dispute many years ago, and it appears a female infant was lost to the mortal world. Could it be…" The Grand Cult Leader did have some memory of this matter.
Jiang Chen nodded. "That female infant was none other than my mother, Xu Meng."
The Grand Cult Leader fell silent in contemplation. Seeing how earnest Jiang Chen was, she suspected the matter was likely true.
For a moment, the atmosphere grew stiff.
Jiang Chen spoke evenly. "A gentleman has three joys, and the first of these is that both parents are alive and brothers are well. Though my parents yet live, they have been torn apart against their will, like the Cowherd and Weaver Girl on opposite sides of the Silver River, separated by an immense distance with no way to meet. The Cowherd and Weaver Girl at least have their reunion on the seventh night of the seventh month. My parents have been separated for nearly thirty years. A person's very blood comes from their parents. In such circumstances, what would the Grand Cult Leader have me do?"
Jiang Chen did not raise his voice or speak harshly, but it was precisely these measured words that cut deeper than any threat.
Every person was born of parents. To watch one's own parents be torn apart and do nothing — any martial artist with a shred of blood in their veins could not stand for it.
Let alone someone of Jiang Chen's current stature. If he could not even bring his parents back together, what face would the young master of the Glazed King City have left?