novelhk 1096. Father-Son Dialogue
1096. Father-Son Dialogue
"But decades later, she and I became pregnant again, and this time your mother refused to give up no matter what."
Upon hearing this, Lei Jingxiao roughly understood what Lei Ying meant by taking his anger out on others.
His voice had become hoarse: "So this time, the one saying she's pregnant is me... right?"
Lei Ying nodded, took a deep breath, and continued, "Even though we had made many preparations, fate played a cruel trick... plans still can't keep up with changes. The energy impact at the time of your birth was too powerful, and since others couldn't help in this matter, it still greatly impacted your mother's essence, completely draining her. Of course, it was precisely because of that change that you were exceptionally weak at birth, and the clan once suspected that if you had been born successfully, you might have been a truly perfect divine bloodline."
Upon hearing this, Lei Jingxiao's face turned ashen, and his lips twitched involuntarily. He said in a very low voice, "If that's really the case, and the price for this bloodline is my mother's life, then I'd rather not have it!"
Lei Ying glanced at him, not even daring to meet Lei Jingxiao's gaze: "After you were born, I tried everything to keep your mother alive, and your aunt searched all over the continent for a cure. But in the end... it was all in vain! We couldn't keep her alive. One year and three months after you were born, she... left us forever."
Lei Jingxiao swayed precariously, and Lei Ying looked at him, his eyes filled with struggle and contradiction.
"Jingxiao, to be honest, I don't know how to treat you. Countless days and nights, I've thought, if... if it weren't for you, I would never have lost her. She would still be alive and well, by my side..."
"But at the same time, I also know... you are absolutely innocent. And you have worked so hard, and you are one of the best in the entire ThunderClan. With these two emotions intertwined, I deliberately avoided you, which is why you felt that I, your father, did not care about you at all."
In Lei Jingxiao's memory, his father, Lei Ying, had never had such a long conversation with him. If they had talked about something else, or other topics, he would have been extremely happy and excited.
But now, Lei Jingxiao's heart is filled with self-blame and pain.
He blamed himself for taking his mother's life, a realization that nearly drove him to the brink of collapse.
At the same time, he felt immense pain. He had initially blamed all the problems on his own lack of strength, on his own inadequacy, which was why his father didn't value him. But now that the truth was out, he realized he was wrong, terribly wrong. His father's dislike for him had existed since birth.
Those past details, those neglects, those overlooked moments, now seem like the most biting winds, making Lei Jingxiao feel as if he's fallen into an ice cave, his limbs ice-cold.
"So... now, why are you telling me all this?" Lei Jingxiao's tone had changed. Gone was the excitement and anticipation from before; instead, it was filled with confusion and coldness, as if he were asking about something that had nothing to do with him.
Looking at Lei Jingxiao, Lei Ying's eyes revealed a pained expression: "Because... because you are, after all, my child. Over the years, I have been watching over you. This time, you defeated Lei Dong, and seeing your performance, I suddenly felt that if I said nothing, it would be extremely unfair to you as well."
Upon hearing this explanation, Lei Jingxiao made no further move, but instead let out a mournful laugh.
He had to admit that Lei Ying was right. If Lei Ying hadn't brought it up today, he would never have thought of it. Instead, he would have been excited to have finally defeated his nemesis and gained his father's approval.
But now, with Lei Ying standing in front of him, he felt a thick barrier between them.
"Your mother's death caused you unbearable pain and made you unable to let go, so you punished me for more than twenty years."
Lei Jingxiao spoke his innermost thoughts in the most indifferent and cold tone: "And I... after more than twenty years, finally... let you take a look at me."
This sentence fully expresses all his grievances, resentment, and ultimately meaningless efforts.
Then Lei Jingxiao knelt down with a thud, as if a mountain of gold had been pushed down or a jade pillar had been toppled. He bent down and kowtowed three times to Lei Ying, the force between his foreheads enough to shatter the ground beneath his feet.
After kowtowing, Lei Jingxiao stood up immediately, saying and doing nothing, and turned to leave without looking back at Lei Ying. Step by step, he walked away without turning his head.
The latter stood frozen in place. With his powerful cultivation as an eight-star Dou Sheng, he could easily stop Lei Jingxiao from leaving if he wanted to.
But he stood there, stunned, watching Lei Jingxiao leave. He knew very well that he had pushed away something important with his own hands and lost it forever.
Half an incense stick later, Lei Ying asked from the shadows beside him, "Although... I don't want to, I have no choice but to tell him."
From the shadows, a burly figure emerged—it was Lei Qingyue of the Lei Clan. He had witnessed everything that had just happened.
Do you think... I did the right thing?
Looking at the man before him, Lei Qingyue could sense the weariness and pain in his heart. He pondered for a moment, and finally gave a rather strange reply.
"It would be very unfair to Jingxiao if you didn't tell him."
……
Lei Jingxiao, like a soulless shell, wandered aimlessly, unknowingly arriving outside his aunt Jiang Yunyan's residence. The joy of defeating Lei Dong had long been washed away by his father's words.
Jiang Yunyan was incredibly strong, so she immediately noticed Lei Jingxiao's change. When she went out and saw her nephew like this, Jiang Yunyan's eyebrows furrowed tightly, and she was extremely worried.
When Lei Jingxiao saw Jiang Yunyan, it was as if he had found a savior. He rushed over and fell into her arms, saying, "Auntie..."
As soon as Jiang Yunyan caught Lei Jingxiao, she could feel his eyes were blurry with tears. After he threw himself into her arms, he cried uncontrollably.
She had always been extremely strict with Lei Jingxiao since he was a child, so Lei Jingxiao was also very afraid of her, and he often cried during his cultivation when he was young. But even then, his sadness and despair were far less than one-tenth of what Lei Jingxiao felt now.
Jiang Yunyan said nothing, steadily supporting the collapsing Lei Jingxiao in her arms. She simply let Lei Jingxiao cry, holding him close and waiting for his emotions to return. Her usually cold face was now incredibly gentle with heartache.