Nine Star Hegemon Body Art (WN)

When the sharp Sword Qi shot out, it suffocated the three of them. Out of reflex, Long Chen was about to attack, but Yu Qianxue simply grabbed his arm and dragged him back.

“We just need to watch!” said Yu Qianxue.

Sensing the familiar aura, Zhu Yifeng reacted quickly and summoned a saber in his hand. With a powerful swing, sparks ignited and illuminated the surroundings. However, the force behind the attack was overwhelming, causing Zhu Yifeng to be sent flying out of the gate like a tumbleweed, unable to withstand the attack.

“Unfilial son! Your progress is too slow!”

As this cold shout rang out, a woman holding a sword shot toward Zhu Yifeng like a wild tempest.

“What is going on?” Long Chen was dumbfounded.

“What else? It’s a mere disappointment. This fellow has always been lazy and doesn’t work hard enough. Thus, he can’t reach satisfactory marks in any area. It would be strange if his mother didn’t get angry with him,” said Yu Qianxue calmly, indifferent in the face of this strange scene. She just watched indifferently as Zhu Yifeng wept and fled miserably.

Long Chen directly understood. No wonder Zhu Yifeng had wanted the two of them to accompany him. It seemed they were there to boost his courage, as well as help plead for mercy in a bit.

On the other hand, Zhu Yifeng’s mother attacked ruthlessly, her sword dancing. Zhu Yifeng was forced back repeatedly, unable to even retaliate.

Long Chen couldn’t help but sigh, “A caring mother’s sword leaves the child bloody as she tries to carve out his potential.”

“Shut up!”

Zhu Yifeng’s mother suddenly shouted. Following that, Zhu Yifeng screamed and was sent flying. Although dozens of wounds were present on his body and fresh blood was pouring out, Zhu Yifeng’s mother had definitely shown mercy.

But even with that mercy, Zhu Yifeng still looked quite frightening with blood soaking his clothes.

Zhu Yifeng just stabilized himself and didn’t dare to speak, his head lowered. He seemed completely terrified of this mother of his.

“I was the one who gave birth to him, so I’ll discipline him as I please. Do I need you to interfere?” Zhu Yifeng’s mother glared at Long Chen.

She looked to be in her thirties and appeared extremely formidable. With her battle robes, she looked very heroic.

“Even if you didn’t give birth to him and just found him in the wild, would it be alright for you to beat him like that? Just because you bestowed him with life doesn’t mean that you have the right to kill him, no?” said Long Chen a bit helplessly.

“Who are you?!” Zhu Yifeng’s mother examined Long Chen. Only now did she realize that she didn’t recognize him.

“He is my big brother! My big brother is amazing, and with him protecting me, I don’t need to worry about anyone bullying me!” declared Zhu Yifeng bravely as he hid behind Long Chen’s back.

“Big brother? You are a prince, but you accepted an outsider as your big brother? Do you not care about your future anymore?!”

“Mom-”

“Don’t call me mom!”

“Call her big sister then!” said Long Chen speechlessly.

“Big sister-”

“I’ll kill you, you little brat!” Zhu Yifeng’s mother hadn’t expected Zhu Yifeng to really call her that, so she raised her hand to slap him.

“Senior, why do this?” Long Chen hastily got in the way. He couldn’t just let Zhu Yifeng be beaten. After all, he was his brother-in-law.

“Why?! He refuses to properly cultivate, wasting his youth! Rather than improving himself, he wastes his time on worthless activities. Just look at Qianxue! She works so hard! Then look at yourself! You’re practically a spineless coward in comparison!” raged Zhu Yifeng’s mother.

“Well, you can’t blame Yifeng for that. Perhaps it’s hereditary,” said Long Chen with a smile.

“Are you saying that His Majesty isn’t strong enough?!” demanded Zhu Yifeng’s mother coldly.

“Perhaps he takes after you.” Long Chen smiled.

“You…!”

“It’s just a joke. Yifeng might just be a case of a tree taking a long time to spread roots before growing. No one can see the future. Perhaps Yifeng will suddenly soar soon?” said Long Chen.

“Exactly! Perhaps I’m only weak because my chance hasn’t come yet!” With Long Chen speaking up for him, Zhu Yifeng’s guts grew.

“Is this your excuse for being lazy?!”

“Senior, please calm yourself. Yifeng is not wrong. An expert becomes an expert because they have a reason to become strong. Beating him like this is not a way to force it. You can drive him for a while but not for a lifetime. In the end, your own path must be walked by yourself. In the end, the bitter wine that you brewed will be drunk by yourself. Every person has their own destiny and opportunities. You say that he refuses to improve himself, and you are comparing him to the other outstanding princes and princesses. Then can’t he compare you to the two empresses, or perhaps experts above Heaven Venerates? If you were strong enough, would he still need to work hard on cultivation? So we shouldn’t just judge people based on our own viewpoint, don’t you think? Everyone’s goals and targets are different. It’s very difficult to say who is right or wrong,” advised Long Chen.

Zhu Yifeng’s mother was left silent as she pondered this. She hadn’t expected Long Chen to be capable of saying such a thing. Thinking about it, in all these years, she had been the one forcing Zhu Yifeng.

But if Zhu Yifeng wasn’t outstanding enough, wasn’t it because his mother wasn’t that outstanding either?

When she reached that point in her thoughts, a great deal of her anger faded.

“Come here!”

Hearing this, Zhu Yifeng jumped in fright. He thought that his mother was going to beat him again, but he also didn’t dare to disobey. He just prepared himself and walked over.

In the past, upon witnessing her son's frightened demeanor, Zhu Yifeng's mother would have grown even angrier. However, now she realized something, so she spoke in a gentle tone, “Come. Your mother has prepared new ceremonial robes for you. Your mom personally made them. Indeed, you are my son, not a tool I use to achieve my dreams and compete with others. In truth, you have always been more important than my own life. I won’t force you anymore.”

Zhu Yifeng’s mother then helped Zhu Yifeng switch out his robes. Having never heard such kind words from his mother in his entire life, Zhu Yifeng couldn’t help but cry.

“Mom!”

Zhu Yifeng looked at his mother emotionally. Ever since he was an adult, the distance between them had only grown. It was to the extent that his fear of her grew greater than his love, and calling her dragged his emotions out.

“Good child, don’t cry. The banquet will start soon. Tidy yourself up or your imperial father won’t be happy.” Zhu Yifeng’s mother wiped away his tears and comforted him, adjusting his robes.

Seeing her act like this, Yu Qianxue had a blank expression. She seemed lost in some distant memories.

“Don’t worry, since Yifeng calls me big brother, I won’t mistreat him. He will grow up nicely,” promised Long Chen.

Zhu Yifeng’s mother was about to speak when a bell suddenly rang.

“Hurry, the feast is about to start.”