CHAPTER 142: CHAPTER 141: FATHER AND SON (PART 1)

Nighttime, Chu Family.

Ye Lan sat in the rocking chair, holding a swaddled baby, singing an unintelligible lullaby, while Wei Chen stood in the corner, watching her back with a complex gaze.

Repeating the same actions day after day, enjoying it too, only a madperson could persist.

Time had been kind to Ye Lan, leaving no trace on her face, as if pressing a pause button on her body and memory, staying as it was seventeen years ago.

Suddenly, the bedroom door opened, and Chu Yu, reeking of alcohol, strode in, prompting Wei Chen to quickly bow and pay respects.

Chu Yu approached the rocking chair in a few steps, crouched down, and looked at Ye Lan’s side profile, as gentle as ever. His blurry eyes softened, and he asked softly:

"Lan Er, how are you feeling today?"

Ye Lan’s expression and posture didn’t change in the slightest, and if not for the rocking motion, Chu Yu would have thought she was asleep.

"Lan Er, it’s rare for me to come back once, can’t you look at me and have a chat?"

Ye Lan remained like a clay statue, the creaking sound of the rocking chair amplified in the quiet room.

Ye Lan’s indifferent attitude, magnified infinitely by alcohol, unleashed Chu Yu’s dissatisfaction like a storm.

He snatched the swaddled baby away, yelling, "Can’t you put it down? You’ve held onto a ragged doll for over a decade, isn’t that enough?"

As her arms suddenly emptied, Ye Lan opened her eyes in panic, just in time to see Chu Yu raising the swaddled baby with a hideous expression, ready to smash it against the wall.

Ye Lan let out a scream, her frail body bursting with immense energy, she pushed Chu Yu away and flew to catch the swaddled baby.

The swaddled baby fell into Ye Lan’s arms, as she used her body as a cushion, her back hitting hard against the wall.

Ye Lan slid down to the floor with her back against the wall, her face pale. She cautiously opened the swaddled baby, and only after confirming that the doll inside was unharmed did she breathe a sigh of relief.

With her arms around the swaddled baby, gently rocking it, Ye Lan murmured, "Yun You, don’t be afraid, mommy’s here, mommy will protect you..."

The more Ye Lan cared for the doll, the angrier Chu Yu became. Burning with rage, he strode toward Ye Lan, only to be blocked by Wei Chen.

"M-Master, please calm down! The madam is not in her right mind now; in her eyes, there’s only Miss Yun You, and she won’t listen to anything else. If you want to talk to the madam, you can come back during the day when she’s in a better state..."

Chu Yu, already on edge, found the maid’s obstruction to be adding fuel to the fire, and immediately slapped Wei Chen:

"I don’t need a servant to teach me how to do things, get out—!"

Wei Chen was slapped to the ground, and seeing Chu Yu’s bloodshot eyes, she knew she was no match for the drunken Chu Yu, so she got up and ran outside.

She needed to get help; there was only one person in this house who could keep Chu Yu in check!

——————

Using the Freedom Fan consumed a considerable amount of spiritual power. After the competition, Chu Yun Yi declined Jiang Yuesheng’s invitation to the gathering and returned to the Chu home early to rest.

After a hot bath, his tense muscles finally relaxed. Chu Yun Yi made a cup of coffee and was sitting by the window enjoying a moment of leisure.

"Dong—"

The door was slammed open, and a woman stumbled in, collapsing to the ground.

Chu Yun Yi was about to scold but realized it was Wei Chen, looking anxious and panicked, with one side of her face swollen.

"Young Master, hurry, hurry—! The Master is in the Madam’s room!"

As soon as Wei Chen finished speaking, a gust of wind passed by her side, and Chu Yun Yi had disappeared. Gritting her teeth, Wei Chen got up and stumbled toward Ye Lan’s bedroom.

The swaddled baby was thrown to the side, and Chu Yu grabbed Ye Lan’s wrist, pressing her against the wall.

Ye Lan’s eyes remained fixated on the swaddled baby, continuously kicking and struggling, but her resistance was meaningless before Chu Yu.

"Yun You—Yun You—! Don’t cry, mommy’s here!"

"Yun You is dead! She’s been dead for a long time!" Chu Yu’s eyes were bloodshot, unclear whether he was angry at Ye Lan’s foolishness or grieving for the dead child.

Ye Lan’s face was close, her terrified expression gave her a strangely broken beauty, and Chu Yu couldn’t help but lower his head to kiss her forehead.

At that moment, a fierce Wind Blade struck, slicing Chu Yu’s lips but not harming Ye Lan one bit.

"Ahhhhh—!"

Blood splattered, and Chu Yu screamed in pain, quickly releasing his hold on Ye Lan, pressing his wound tightly, retreating a few steps, and glaring at Chu Yun Yi malevolently.

Ye Lan paid no attention to her injured husband, rushing over to hold the swaddled baby, her eyes full of tenderness.

"Yun You, did it hurt? Mommy’s holding you, don’t cry, don’t cry!"

Chu Yun Yi walked in with large strides, expressionlessly passing Chu Yu, gently helping Ye Lan up, tidying her disheveled clothes.

Seeing Ye Lan’s wrists covered in bruises, Chu Yun Yi’s eyes darkened for a moment.

"Mother, are you okay?"

Ye Lan’s foolishness varied by person; she didn’t recognize her husband but recognized her son.

She leaned on Chu Yun Yi’s arm, looking aggrieved, "Yun Yi, Yun You fell and got hurt, and she’s crying, I can’t calm her down, what do I do..."

Despite her own injuries, her mind was entirely on her daughter. Even though Ye Lan was mad, she was still a competent mother.

"Really? Let me check!"

Chu Yun Yi carefully opened the swaddled baby, reached out a finger, pretending to tease the baby wrapped inside.

"It’s alright now, Yun You is smiling, see!"

Ye Lan hurriedly leaned over, not knowing if she truly saw something or if it was a psychological cue, she actually believed her daughter stopped crying.

"Hmm? Really smiling! Yun You has always been close to you, she smiles whenever she sees her brother!"

Feeling bittersweet, Chu Yun Yi supported Ye Lan and handed her and the swaddled baby over to the breathless and rushing Wei Chen.

"Mother, the moonlight is beautiful tonight, and your favorite Moon Cherry is blooming. Why not take Yun You to admire the flowers? Such beautiful Moon Cherry, Yun You will surely like it, and she’ll have a good dream tonight."

Upon hearing that her daughter liked to see Moon Cherry, Ye Lan immediately forgot the earlier conflict and obediently let Wei Chen support her away.

As soon as the door shut, Chu Yun Yi’s brows furrowed sharply, and his figure vanished, reappearing in front of Chu Yu, grasping his throat, slamming him fiercely against the wall.

Chu Yun Yi, cold-faced now, eyes ablaze, was filled with a murderous aura, no longer showing any trace of his usual gentle grace.

Chu Yu was suspended in mid-air, the intense suffocation making him eager to break free.

He kicked towards Chu Yun Yi’s abdomen, but as soon as his leg came up, it got caught in a vortex of airflow, and no matter how much force he used, he couldn’t advance an inch.

Chu Yu’s slight intoxication had already sobered the moment the Wind Blade wounded him. Now truly angered, his hand gestures shifted, and countless metal needles suddenly appeared in the air, striking at Chu Yun Yi from every angle.

The attack power of a Gold Elemental Spirit is strong, but in the face of Chu Yun Yi’s Sky Wind Annihilation Array, the so-called "Thousand Face Needle" was nothing more than a paper tiger.

In just a few exchanges, Chu Yu was defeated by his son, completely bound by the Wind Rope, hanging against the wall like a crucified figure.