Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1268 - 1267 - Rejection

Lind had imagined a lot of punishments for his actions. Being totally abandoned was unlikely but on the list. Accepted back was equally unlikely but far more possible with reconciliation and a lot of open conversations.

Being told he would either be forgiven or rejected arbitrarily had not been on his list but it was fair. People were not the same. Some could see matters from all perspectives and still be unwilling to accept being cut off. Others did not give a damn but could still reject him for their own reasons.

It would hurt. He loved them and his guilt would not vanish even if he was rejected. His draconic healing repaired most of his damage quickly but he was now alone in his courtyard again.

His Mother was spending time with the family as it had been a short while since she recovered. He also knew she did not want to influence him too much.

He was not simply cutting people off nor was he suffering a heart demon. This matter was between him and his family. His children that had not attended had apparently been of 2 camps.

One that simply did not care as surviving as a cultivator meant hard choices and so long as he was still their father, they had no qualms about how he lived. The others had already rejected him.

He had several jade slips, far too few for the children that should have been alive. Some truly hurt while others made him smile.

His grandchildren hardly knew him aside from the first generation. Even then, they felt distanced from him already so they had no hard feelings one way or the other.

The rest of the Clan only saw him as the Founder. A powerful figure and one so far ahead that it was normal for him to be absent for thousands of years if not more.

It made him feel sad that the once warm and happy connection he had to his family was already so cold in a relatively short time.

The thought made him laugh as thousands of years were not short save to Immortals!

Even Heaven Realm cultivators would balk at his attitude there!

A light light lit up on one of the frescos to let him know someone wanted inside. He waved his hand and the panel slid away seamlessly to reveal a demoness.

It only took him a moment to recognize Katerina! Her being a 6 elemental demon also was clear as day!

He smirked but waited to see what she would do. She had grown so much! She was already an Immortal! A Sliver Tier! He had last heard she was only a Heaven Realm.

It seemed his reports were out of date!

"I remember you. I remember you teaching me a lot and my father and uncles. I remember Auntie Chu doting on me with Momma Nana." He smiled at those memories and nodded.

"Did you know Nana died?" He was startled. Why had no one told him?! How?! His questions were clear on his face.

"She died protecting me from bandits. They outnumbered us and father was injured. Help was coming but it would be too late. She burned her essence to reach the Crystal Tier and wiped them all out but became mortal after that. It was 7 centuries ago." Lind looked sad.

Guilt also washed over him. Maybe he could have helped her!

He let his memories drift until Katerina's voice pierced his thoughts.

"She believed in you. Even when rumors swirled, she would always stand by you. I did too until she died." Her voice was cold at that point and a pang of sorrow went through his heart.

"I see. Say what you will." He did not turn away but her aura rose until a sword formed from pure demonic Qi. It was amazing, honestly. He had to create Protean to make a similar effect.

Even now, as a Radiant Tier, he would need an artifact to do what she was doing. The sword aura was also immensely strong.

"I would not be here without you. You kept both my mother and me alive until I could be born. I also know my mother only lived to see me because of your intervention. For that, I will forever be grateful." There was no warmth in her voice as the sword aura became so sharp his own skin felt pain.

She could hurt him! What was her harmony?!

She then seemed to become a sword! The cold feeling of steel was at his throat.

"The only reason I do not kill you for betraying Momma Nana is because she loved you. You saved her and brought us together. From this day forth, we will have no further relationship." She drew some of his blood and left like the wind.

She was like the embodiment of a weapon! He had so many questions but he swallowed them all. A flash of a young toddler smiling in his lap tugged at his heart but he understood.

He had hurt the most important person to her by not being there when he was needed. He had been dead so perhaps she could have forgiven him if had stayed so but now that he was back, she faced him openly.

Cultivators could hold a grudge for a long time. Lifetimes of many mortals easily.

She might one day forgive him but he would have to accept the current circumstances. Despite how unreasonable it might seem to others, he knew if had put his mind to it, he could have made a safe passage using his harmony that no soulless could cross.

The Frey Clan had enough information to know what he was capable of.

He was about to resume his cultivation when he sensed a very familiar presence. Fear began to fill his heart as a gorgeous woman of sapphire and gold skin rounded the corner of his door.

Her robes shimmered but her eyes were enough to make his soul shiver.

Normally, Annabelle would smile warmly at him but now, she simply looked in on him. The tremor in his being was far worse than with Katerina.

Surely not–

"People are not tools. You remember saying that so many times, right?" She folded her hands in front of her and he nodded. He had not only said it but it was core to his soul.

Yet, he had broken it. The reason he was stuck was so obvious to him now. He had deviated from the core of his Dao.

"So, what were we to you again? Remind me." Her gentle voice made it so much worse. He suppressed his tears but did not shirk away from it.

"My family, my best friends, and more than I ever dreamed possible. I–I betrayed that." He looked at her directly and he saw the tear fall down her face clearly.

Pain seared his heart at it but he stayed sitting.

"It is good you understand that. I wanted to be sure. I will still aid the Clan but you and I are strangers going forward. Do you understand me?" His vision became misty then. Of all his wives, Annabelle and he knew each other best.

How could he not understand? He had betrayed his values and dismissed her as nothing when she pleaded with him? He was the one that broke his word and now he paid the ultimate price.

He did not turn away as his choked voice spoke.

"I–I under–I understand. I will–I will respect your wishes." More tears fell but she made no other sound as she nodded and left the doorway.

That made 2 rejections in 1 day. Katerina might be salvageable in the future as he did not feel the door slam in his heart as he just did now.

Lind watched her back shrink down the hallway and did not dare turn his head away. It might be the last time he was allowed to look lovingly at her. He was so focused he did not notice the shadow loom over him.

The crack of a whip against his back finally came when Annabelle turned a corner.

Blood spilled down his spine but it was a minor injury compared to what the wielder could do. The whip lay on the ground but it seemed to blend in nicely before a slim shadow coiled it back up.

"We are good, my love. Unlike the others, Qing and I know the feeling of the world being turned against you. We also wondered about the strange pattern of our lives being a little too convenient." Shoti looked down at him in the most serious face she had ever given him.

Her short hair was lovely as ever but he was not so foolish as to speak at that moment.

She then sat down next to him and pulled him to her chest. He listened to her heart as she pat his head.

"She was the most hurt. Cyntilla is enraged at you with only Ethry being first in line. Those 2 will forgive you after a real fight for sure but things will not be the same. You know that, right?" He nodded. Words failed him. He had spurned his happiness and had to face the truth.

"Shoti, why am I such an idiot?" She laughed at last and it felt so good to hear it.

"No one is infallible as you are so fond of saying but we took for granted our family. We took for granted things would never change. Just because we are Immortal does not really make us unchanging. You and I have changed a lot from those early days." A smile crossed both their faces as the Tri-Clan Tournament flashed in both their minds.

"What about the others?" Shoti had not listed everyone but she hugged him tighter.

"You have faced enough today. Just enjoy my company." His hands gripped her harder as those words were damning to his heart. Rejection was harsher than he expected.