A Way to Heal

Part 102

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"Why didn't you tell me uncle? ", Jin Ling asked in a shattered voice, desperately looking around again and again to get a glimpse of his mother.

His voice was so low but still loud enough for Jiang Cheng to hear the pain of betrayal hiding in them. Miserably Jiang Cheng squeezed his eyes shut. He had no right to complain, had he?

"Here you owe him an explanation Jiang Cheng", Lan XiChen didn't want to provoke him but he knew it was not appropriate to stay silent either. Jiang Cheng needed to speak up though there should be a good enough reason for keeping Jin Ling in the dark all along his life. This was not just the matter related to his mother. But YanLi was also the young madam of the Lanling Jin sect. Safekeeping her demised body for all these years without proceeding for cremation or burial was not just unheard but also unconventional.

"It was intentional", after a while Jiang Cheng said, taking everyone's breath away.

Not only Jiang Cheng hid this factor from Jin Ling but he is not even guilty about it?

"Intentional? ", Jin Ling couldn't believe his ears.

Jiang Cheng nodded, slowly opening his eyes to face the wrath of his nephew.

"At first, I just wanted to wait to.... to.. if.... if anyone wished to see her for one last time", Jiang Cheng glanced at Wei WuXian. "I was going to cremate her just like our parents. But then....then the siege in the burial mound and the news of Wei WuXian's possible death flashed like a wildfire", his voice getting low as he spoke. "Though Jie was staying in Koi tower and Wei WuXian in the burial mound, they were at least safe. With both of their demise I was alone forever and I couldn't take in that fact well. I was not ready to let go and accept the fact that my dream of turning back to the perfect family is now shattered and turned to dust"

He tried to turn to Jin Ling. The hot liquid rolling down from the boy's eyes is burning Jiang Cheng's heart on the way. His fingers abruptly crushing the hem of his robes, Jiang Cheng continued, "I just wanted to keep her with me as long as I can. But I knew what I was doing was wrong, that She deserved to rest in peace. But whenever I thought of not being able to meet her I couldn't hold back"

"But you could have told me uncle", Jin Ling whimpered. "You knew I always wished to meet them. Even if it for once, uncle you knew how much I craved for their love"

"I know"

Jiang Cheng admitted. "It is not that I never wanted to tell you this. But.."

At his sudden pause Wei WuXian's heart hammered in his chest. He didn't want to jump into conclusion and unless Jiang Cheng provided them with the clear picture there was no way they could find a solution. So he was keeping himself silent and not interrupting Jiang Cheng who just now gathered strength to come out clean.

"But?"

"I did took you to meet her"

Eyes widened in shock, Jin Ling's brain started rummaging through his memory the moment these words left Jiang Cheng's mouth. But there was not a single time he met his mother. All he knew was stories about them. So how is that he never remembered it?

"You won't remember", it was not difficult for Jiang Cheng to read what was going on in his nephew's mind. "After Jin ZiXuan left, Jie-Jie was particularly protective of you. So You were very attached to your mother and in her absence nobody could calm you down", his mind wandering to those days. A pained smile bloomed on Jiang Cheng's lips as the reminder of all the simple silly tricks he had to use to put his nephew to sleep or make him stop crying.