My game even includes ancient times

"Senior Sister, what brings you here?"

Chu Yunsi welcomed the person inside.

Xia Yuan put down the plate, and by the dim candlelight in the outer room, tilted her head to examine the other person's face. She smiled softly and said gently, "What's wrong? Something on your mind?"

Chu Yunsi turned her head away from her and whispered, "You're asking a question you already know the answer to."

Are you still angry with your senior sister?

Xia Yuan took out a handkerchief to wipe her still dripping hands, pulled her to sit down beside her, handed her a pastry, and patiently coaxed, "Eat something first, and listen to your explanation while you eat, okay?"

Chu Yunsi pouted, took the pastry, and took a bite: "It's dry and not tasty."

Xia Yuan very consciously poured a cup of tea for someone: "Here, have some tea, have some tea."

Chu Yunsi glanced at her, but in the end, she still politely picked up the tea and drank it. After snorting, she muttered, "Then Senior Sister, please explain. I want to hear what's going on."

"Yunsi is so good."

Xia Yuan's smile widened as she reached out and patted Chu Yunsi's head.

"There were too many people around this morning, and it's not appropriate for the Chu family to hear about our own family affairs, so your third senior brother and I stopped you from asking any further questions."

After hearing this, Chu Yunsi took another bite of her pastry, and her expression brightened slightly.

Xia Yuan's smile vanished. She stared blankly at the burning charcoal in the basin by the window. "What that man said was half true and half false. His original name was Chu Yunchuan. He was indeed Master's... biological son. He's about thirty-five now. When he left, Second Junior Brother hadn't come up the mountain yet. In the entire Chu family, there were only Master, Master's wife, and me."

Chu Yunsi had a pastry in her mouth and was so engrossed that she forgot to swallow it.

Was what that person said actually true...?

She had lived in the Chu family for eighteen years without knowing anything. Not only her, but even her second and third senior brothers didn't know, nor did her father, eldest senior sister, or the old people in the manor. They really kept it a secret...

No matter how complicated her thoughts were, Xia Yuan continued talking.

"When I first came up the mountain, Chu Yunchuan was a boy of fifteen or sixteen. He had a great talent for martial arts, and his iron fists could even withstand swords and knives. However, he didn't like to talk and always stayed in the courtyard by himself to practice his skills."

“His master had high expectations for him, so he was very strict with him. He could not be the slightest bit lax or careless in his martial arts training. If he did not complete the tasks set by his master, he would be punished by not being allowed to eat and would often have to squat in a horse stance all night.”

"Gudong."

Chu Yunsi swallowed the pastry, staring wide-eyed at Xia Yuan: "My father, he's not like this, he's very gentle..."

Xia Yuan gave a bitter smile: "Senior sister didn't lie to you. It's just that what happened later dealt Master an unimaginable blow, and that's why he slowly changed."

Before Chu Yunsi could ask a question, she continued:

“With a strict master and an overly loving mistress, Chu Yunchuan grew up in such an environment, which inevitably made him stubborn and violent. Like a nail that has been forcibly pressed down, it only needs a little external force to expose its sharpness and pierce through flesh and blood.”

"The change happened when he was eighteen years old."

"When he went down the mountain to do a mission, he unexpectedly met a female assassin from Moyun Tower. Perhaps because he had been suppressed within the rules for too long, he was attracted by the assassin's fearless and unrestrained nature. Behind the back of the manor, he developed feelings for her."

"A few months later, the mission ended and he returned to the mountain. Although he still practiced martial arts, ate, and slept, he had something on his mind. His walking, sitting, and lying down were different from usual. His master's wife, who was always watching over him, noticed this and asked him repeatedly. He then confessed the matter to his kind master's wife."

"His master's wife disagreed with him marrying an assassin. After her efforts to persuade him failed, she told his master."

"The master was furious and punished him severely, finally locking him in the room and forbidding him from going out."

"But Chu Yunchuan at that time could no longer be suppressed with just a few words. He broke through the window at night and escaped, going down the mountain to find that woman."

"At that time, more than half of the manor's forces were mobilized to search the entire dynasty for the two. Two months later, they were found in Yangzhou and brought back to the manor. When the master's wife saw the two and questioned them, she fainted on the spot."

At this point, Xia Yuan sighed: "So it turns out that the woman was already pregnant."

"Master was already angry. When he saw his wife faint, he was about to kill them both with his knife. Chu Yunchuan desperately protected the woman and was beaten so badly that he was bedridden for more than half a month. Even so, he still wanted to marry her."

"Master beat and scolded him, and his wife tried to persuade him until she cried all day long, but Chu Yunchuan was unyielding and insisted on fighting to the end. In the end, they compromised."

"Before the woman's pregnancy was even fully visible, he ordered people to prepare for the wedding."

"After the wedding, the day of the woman's delivery soon arrived. Unfortunately, two months ago, the village's most skilled midwife was sent by my master's wife to Haizhou next door to deliver her niece's baby. According to the original plan, she should have been able to return a month ago without any delay. However, Haizhou was suddenly hit by floods and epidemics, and the midwife was stranded there and could not return. After my master's wife learned of this, she found a midwife from Dingyun City to come to the village to stay with her."

"It should have been foolproof, but fate played a cruel trick on us. The woman had a difficult childbirth, and several doctors were helpless. After a whole day and night of struggle, both she and her unborn child died."

"Chu Yunchuan went mad at the time. He punched the doctor who came out of the delivery room to deliver the bad news to his death. He then rushed in. His master's wife was also there. In shock, she tried to stop him, but she forgot that she did not know martial arts and that her son had lost his mind. She was pushed against a pillar and vomited blood and fainted on the spot."

"In a short period of time, many things changed. When Master arrived after hearing the news, Chu Yunchuan was sitting in a pool of blood, holding the woman's body, in a daze. No one around dared to approach him."

"When his master questioned him about why he had attacked his mother, he replied that if she hadn't sent away the doctor who was skilled in childbirth, his wife and unborn child would not have died! His master was furious and stabbed him on the spot, cutting off half of his hair and severing their father-son relationship."

"The sword did not strike a vital spot. Chu Yunchuan carried the woman's body down the mountain and disappeared without a trace."

"After suffering that blow and being overwhelmed with worry, Master's wife fell ill. Master searched the world for a cure for her. During this time, he encountered his second junior brother, whose village had been massacred. He brought him back to the village. Then, Master's wife conceived you. Despite Master's objections, she gave birth to you. A year later, she passed away."

That concludes this account of the past.

Xia Yuan closed her eyes, which were a little sore from staring at the charcoal fire for a long time, and gently pressed the handkerchief in her hand to Chu Yunsi's face, silently wiping away a tear.