The Master's Mask Unveiled Again-Chapter 998 - 997: Sui Yuan’s Tears, Unstoppable

Next to him, Xiao Qimo’s expression dimmed. He instinctively looked around, as if searching for something.

Sui Yuan felt a mix of heartache and anguish. She carefully explained: "Mom, I really am Jing Chun. Look at me, look at the protective talisman you gave me, alright?"

Sui Yuan quickly turned to Lu Mian. She had previously given the talisman to Lu Mian.

Lu Mian did not disappoint. She fumbled in her clothing pocket for a moment before pulling out a small, well-protected waterproof case and handing it back to Sui Yuan.

She carried with her the precious gift Yuanyuan had given her, which was deeply moving.

Just as Sui Yuan always carried the hair clip that Lu Mian had given her — no need for agreements, only mutual understanding.

Sui Yuan opened the small box and displayed the talisman to Shui Yanmeng.

Shui Yanmeng moved her hollow gaze, first looking at the talisman, then at Sui Yuan. That face, slightly resembling her own, allowed her to finally lower her guard and believe Sui Yuan.

"Daughter... you’re my daughter..."

"Mom..."

To be recognized by Shui Yanmeng, Sui Yuan burst into tears, smiling through them.

To regain something precious felt like the luckiest and most beautiful moment in the world.

Standing outside, Jing Che slowly stepped into the room, laboriously uttering, "Mom."

Shui Yanmeng scrutinized him for a moment, and at last, the family of three reunited.

The three embraced each other, crying and laughing simultaneously.

But Shui Yanmeng’s body had been fundamentally damaged, and she had little strength left to sustain her. Before long, she began to struggle to breathe.

In panic, the group rushed her out to seek help.

Coincidentally, Ya Ling and Ye Jinwen arrived hastily at the Chixia Sect and took turns administering resuscitation efforts, finally restoring Shui Yanmeng’s breathing.

Jing Pei promptly arranged a room and ordered the Chixia Sect’s doctors to fully cooperate with Ya Ling and Ye Jinwen.

During this process, Sui Yuan discovered her mother’s skin beneath those clothes — covered in scars old and new, layered upon each other, horrifying to behold.

She could barely discern the causes: cigaret burns, whip marks, knife cuts.

After just one glance, she didn’t have the courage to look again.

That once gentle and beautiful woman — what kind of torment had she endured over the years in the Underground Palace?

Sui Yuan’s mental state collapsed.

Tears flowed uncontrollably as she sobbed so hard it felt like she might lose consciousness from her grief.

Why?

Why, even after their divorce, did her father refuse to let her mother go?

The scars on her mother’s body — who had inflicted those upon her?

If she had arrived just a few days later, would her mother have held on at all...?

Thinking of these things, Sui Yuan’s anger erupted uncontrollably.

She stormed up to Jing Heng, Xi Mei, and Hong Junhua, unleashing unrestrained resentment, loudly accusing them.

"Why did you do this to her? What did she do wrong? How did she ever wrong you?"

Jing Che’s lips moved, and he quickly wiped away a tear in secret where no one could see.

In truth, he could answer these questions for his sister.

Before his sister was even born, their parents’ relationship had already fallen apart.

As a child, he had personally witnessed his father beating his mother, seen their cold arguments and violent disputes.

If his memory served him right, as a child, his father had even cruelly called him a bastard.

Perhaps their father suspected their mother had betrayed him.

But the truth was, their mother hadn’t betrayed him. She divorced him while pregnant and gave birth to Jing Heng’s second child after the divorce — his sister.

Years later, when they finally brought him back, the first thing he did was conduct a paternity test.

The results were unmistakable; had they not been, he wouldn’t have been able to set foot in the Chixia Sect. freēwēbnovel.com

But even with such evidence, Jing Heng showed neither self-reflection nor regret. Even after Jing Che returned to the Chixia Sect in recent years, they still kept their mother captive, abusing her, hurting her.

As her son, it was unbearable.

He didn’t stop Sui Yuan; instead, he stood resolutely beside her, confronting the three of them.

Hong Junhua, her wounds now bandaged, sat arrogantly in the main seat, pretending she was still the elder who controlled everything, obstinate as ever.

"Is that any way to speak to your grandmother? What have we done to your mother? Isn’t she still alive and well? Better alive than dead, isn’t she?"

"She’s alive, but she’s living worse than death!" Sui Yuan’s voice was hoarse from shouting.

"What’s all the yelling for? Look at the mess you’ve made. Look at what you’ve done to the Chixia Sect!"

Hong Junhua felt pity for her son and unborn grandson. The three of them trapped in this room were all thanks to Sui Yuan — they had no time for Shui Yanmeng’s plight!

Sui Yuan and Jing Che were seething with rage.

Ya Ling walked out from the inner room, shaking her head at Lu Mian. "Her body is far too weak. The fact that she’s held on this long is already a miracle."

Lu Mian pinched the bridge of her nose.

Sui Yuan rushed forward, grasping Ya Ling’s hand. "Sister Zero, please think of something! Save my mother! I beg you!"

No words were necessary; Ya Ling was already determined to give her all.

But...

Some things are impossible to swallow without voicing them aloud.

Ya Ling patted Sui Yuan’s hand comforting, then suddenly lifted her gaze toward Xi Mei and Jing Heng. Her red lips curved slightly, and her expression turned icy.

"From my assessment, Shui Yanmeng’s internal and external injuries are extremely severe. Based on the force and depth of the external wounds, it’s clear the perpetrator was female. As for the internal injuries, there’s no need for me to elaborate."

Once Ya Ling finished speaking, everyone in the room understood.

Only Jing Heng and Xi Mei had access to the Underground Palace. Internal injuries were undoubtedly caused by Jing Heng, while external wounds were clearly inflicted by Xi Mei.

This couple had been so cruel they tortured a single person for years.

Sui Yuan clutched her chest in anguish, her growing hatred reflecting in her steely gaze toward Jing Heng and Xi Mei. She simply couldn’t understand.

"Why? Why would you do such things?"

Xi Mei, wobbling under the weight of her pregnancy, took a few shaky steps forward, displaying clear defiance. "Your mother was part of the Chixia Sect and colluded with the Mercenary Alliance. You tell me why I treated her the way I did!"

"But she already left! She already divorced you!"

Jing Heng rushed to protect his pregnant wife. "Even divorced, her life still belongs to the Chixia Sect!"

See this — classic patriarchal ideology, refusing to release his ex-wife even after the divorce, forever seeing her as his possession, doing whatever he pleased.

Sui Yuan trembled with fury.

Lu Mian stepped forward to embrace her, her gaze landing coldly on Jing Heng and the others.

Her eyes were tranquil yet deadly, as though looking upon three corpses.

Xi Mei shivered and suddenly recalled the scene of Lu Mian pressing a knife against her pregnant belly.

She shuffled back a step, trembling.

"W-What are you looking at? You’ve already saved the person you wanted. What’s left to be dissatisfied? Let me tell you — even if I’m truly guilty of something, I’m pregnant. The law can’t touch me!"

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