"Wait, you said your mother was Xurang Xi?!"
Matilda's eyes widened, her face full of disbelief.
"So she really was pregnant back then... I thought it was merely a tactic to beg for mercy..."
"A tactic to beg for mercy? Heh heh..." Taowu shook his head, his expression turning sorrowful and bleak.
"I suppose Madam witnessed the entire process of my mother's death back then, didn't you?"
"Uh... not exactly." A trace of wariness surfaced in Matilda's eyes as she answered cautiously.
"I was only one of God's Favored at the time. I simply didn't have the strength to take part in the battle to become a god."
"I stayed behind in Haizhuobolia to protect the Neptune Domain and never left..."
"I only learned that your mother was pregnant afterward, when the Rimewind King, Ke Li'ang, told me."
"I... I regret what happened... Your mother, Xurang Xi, truly was the one within the Eternal Star Clan most likely to attain Promotion and become a god..."
"Heh heh... As expected of the holder of the Authority of Justice. I accept your goodwill." A smile returned to Taowu's face.
But that smile was more forced than any he had worn before.
"Madam should know who killed my mother, right?"
Taowu paused before continuing his question.
Matilda nodded, her expression grave.
"It was Xuanqiong Zhi, wasn't it? Your mother Xurang Xi's younger sister."
"I was quite shocked when I learned the truth back then..."
"Who would have thought that two sisters who had always seemed so close would turn against each other at such a crucial moment as the battle to become a god..."
"That's right, it was that bitch Xuanqiong Zhi!!" Taowu's emotions suddenly spiraled into madness, like a pot of boiling oil erupting.
"She killed my mother and took her place