Chapter 1225 - 882: Father Isn’t Dead?!

Chapter 1225: Chapter 882: Father Isn’t Dead?!

"Plop."

The cane fell to the ground.

When Yue Lin turned his head again to look at the hunched elderly figure at the door, his expression suddenly froze—it was Elder Master Yun Hong of the Yun Family.

In his earlier years, Elder Master Yun Hong had suffered severe injuries on the battlefield, lost his superpower, and endured the pain of losing his son. Already in his sixties, he appeared ten years older than his peers. His body was no longer strong as before, and he needed a cane to walk when he went out.

Yun Hong stared blankly at Yue Lin, tears actually streaming from those aged, cloudy eyes, "Han’er...my child, is it you?"

Looking at the elderly man’s frail and weak demeanor, Yue Lin’s heart stirred with complex emotions, an almost uncontrollable sadness and deep guilt.

"I..." Yue Lin was momentarily at a loss for words—explaining that he was not Yun Hong’s deceased son might break the old man’s heart.

He had thought he wouldn’t be affected by the emotions left behind by the Crystal Core, but at this moment, he could hardly control the swell of feelings.

It was Gong Yao who quickly walked over to support him, "Father, why did you come out? You should be at home resting properly."

Then, she introduced Yue Lin’s identity to him, roughly explaining the situation.

But Yun Hong, looking at Yue Lin’s face, continued to cry without stopping, slightly trembling as he paid his respects, "Greetings, Clan Leader of the Moon Wolf Clan, this old man has been rude."

"I wouldn’t dare." Yue Lin hurried to support the elderly man.

He was usually cold and arrogant, but now his demeanor was humble and gentle, "To me, Yun Han was...like a twin brother. If the Elder Master doesn’t mind, please consider me as your son!"

Yue Lin felt a subtle connection, as he was the only child born to the direct line of the Moon Wolf Clan and had never had siblings.

In a sense, Yun Han could indeed be considered his blood-related twin brother.

On his way here, Yue Lin had quietly inquired about many things related to the Yun Family, learning that Old Madam Yun had died in childbirth, and it was indeed connected to him.

Initially, the Hand of Creation had chosen a branch of their Moon Wolf Clan, namely the Yun Family, for experimentation.

They had somehow secretly managed to place the experimental embryo into Old Madam Yun when she was pregnant, causing their real child to be devoured by the experimental embryo.

The nurturing of the experimental embryo completely drained the old lady’s body, causing her to die in childbirth... Although this was not Yue Lin’s intention, it was connected to him; otherwise, Elder Master Yun wouldn’t be left lonely and desolate in his later years, having lost both wife and son.

Considering all this, Yue Lin indeed owed the Yun Family two lives, and felt immense guilt.

He was willing to care for the old man until the end of his days, and to take good care of Yun Han’s wife and children, especially this young grandson of the Yun Family.

The atmosphere at the scene was indescribably silent and sad.

But the child, not understanding all the complexities, only heard that this uncle who resembled his father said he was his father’s brother—so he was his real uncle!

How wonderful! No wonder uncle looks so much like father!

Uncle seemed quite formidable, and he instantly felt reassured that he had someone to turn to when he didn’t want to study. He quickly changed his expression and ran over happily, holding Yue Lin’s hand, and called out, "Hello, Uncle, I’m Yun Kang. You can call me Little Kang or Tuantuan."

Yue Lin smiled and patted his head, "Alright, Tuantuan, I’ll be your uncle from now on."

Gong Yao watched his smile, dazed once again, even though she knew the person in front of her was not Yun Han, she couldn’t help but stare for a long time.

Gong Yao couldn’t help but speak up, "Sir, may I...take a photo?"

Yue Lin looked at her, "Hmm?"

Her face slightly flustered, Gong Yao explained with a hint of embarrassment, "Would you take a photo with us, mother and son? I know this request is abrupt, so if you don’t want to, that’s fine... It’s just that once you leave, I don’t know if we’ll have the chance to meet again, and I..."

As she spoke, her eyes reddened, and tears fell.

Yun Han left too soon—he never saw the child, never held the child, didn’t even leave a family photo, leaving her with nothing to hold on to.

Gong Yao knew the two people weren’t the same, but they looked so much alike, identical.

Even if just to deceive herself, she’d have something to comfort her in the coming decades.

Yue Lin truly couldn’t stand seeing a woman in tears and hurriedly said, "Yes, take as many as you want, besides, I should be visiting often, don’t be sad."

Finally, Gong Yao managed a faint smile.

Yue Lin then awkwardly lifted Tuantuan and held him in his arms, leaving behind a belated family photo.

Gong Yao’s finger gently caressed the photo’s youth, seemingly gazing at another person through the picture, at least easing a regret within her heart.

She softly murmured, "All these years, I never got the chance to ask Yun Han, did he really like me?"

Gong Yao always felt she was simply lucky to have met Yun Han at his lowest point, walking by his side when he most needed companionship.

Even if it hadn’t been her, any other woman could have fit the role.

She came from a humble background, without captivating beauty; how could the young master from the Imperial City, the future Head of the Yun Family, fall for someone so unremarkable?

"I wonder if he would like this child? Would he resent me for hiding it from him, conceiving his child without telling him?" Gong Yao bit her lip, anxiously crying out, "When separated by the avalanche on the Icefield, that was the last time I saw him, I still wish to know when he knew I was pregnant with his child, what was he feeling? Would he feel happy and look forward to it? Alas...I never even got to ask him my final question."

As Yue Lin listened to her whispers, memories seemed to drift farther away.

A moment later, he regained his senses, deeply observing Gong Yao, and assuredly said, "Yun Han, in his last moments, wished to tell you that he was pleasantly surprised and delighted, that he really liked you and his unborn child...and regrettably, couldn’t continue the journey with you both."

Gong Yao’s expression suddenly froze, her breathing grew increasingly rapid, staring blankly at him, "Really?"

"Yes, I promise." Yue Lin smiled lightly at her, earnestly saying, "There’s one last message he wanted me to relay to you."

"He loves you."

Gong Yao didn’t know how much strength it took to hold back her tears, "Thank you...thank you for telling me this."

"You’re welcome, these words were meant to be told to you a long time ago." Yue Lin, having absorbed Yun Han’s Crystal Core, had never fulfilled conveying these sentiments.

After saying all these things, Yue Lin felt a weight lifted off his chest, his body becoming lighter, as if some obsession had dissipated.