Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1720 - 1228: To Leave or Not to Leave, Yanshan and Shaokang

At this moment, at the quiet and peaceful entrance of the Temple, there stood a woman draped in a black robe and wearing a veil, along with a silent child dressed in white clothes. This child was barely over four years old, yet possessed a quietness uncommon among peers. He pressed his lips tightly together, looking intently at the two figures standing distinctly ten paces away. He tightly grasped the woman's hand, reluctant to step out of the Temple's door.

"Mom, who are they?…"

"Shaokang, they are the teachers sent by your father to take you for education."

"Mom, do I have to leave here? Can't... can't the teachers stay here in the Temple to teach me?…"

Nashu, draped in the black robe, remained silent for a moment, gently withdrew her hand, and slowly but firmly shook her head. With the veil covering her face, young Shaokang couldn't see his mother's reluctant expression, nor the beautiful eyes filled with tears.

"Shaokang, go! Follow the teachers; study hard. Listen to the teachers well and treat them as respectfully as you would Itoya Grandma, consider them your elders!…"

Outside the Temple, Jia Wenshu in a High Priest's robe bowed respectfully to the Prince before him. On the other side, Olosh, in a samurai outfit, also slightly bowed, performing the samurai's etiquette. Neither spoke, patiently waiting for the Prince in front of them, and for their nominal student.

"Mom, I don't want to go!… I… I only have you, Mom, and you only have me!… I don't want to leave you; I've never left you before…"

"..."

Nashu stood in place, silent, saying nothing. Tears beneath the veil slowly trickled down, silently dripping onto her black robe. Visible tear stains spread across her chest, increasing like a silent heartache.

"Mom! You're crying! I don't want to leave… I want to stay here with you, Mom, in the Temple!…"

"...Go! Shaokang, be obedient; those teachers were sent by your father… Only by following them can you truly learn…"

"I don't want to! I want to stay with you, Mom!…"

"No… You must go!…"

"No! I don't want to! Mom, I've never had a father! I only have you! I don't want to leave…"

"Slap!!…"

A crisp slap landed heavily on young Shaokang's face. The force almost made him unable to stand steadily. He raised his head in a daze, staring blankly at his mother who loved him the most, tears of grievance flowing like a stream.

"Mom?…"

"..."

Nashu covered her face, standing even less stably than young Shaokang. She barely managed a bow to the two teachers, then turned and staggered towards the Temple. She hurried inside the pitch-black Temple as the heavy wooden door closed with a thud, leaving only Shaokang crying at the entrance and the two silent teachers.

"Mom? You don't want me anymore?"

"Mom! Mom!…"

"Mom, open the door, open the door!…"

"Please… Mom…"

Young Shaokang kneeled at the Temple's door, helplessly crying, like a broken stalk of Luwei. He knelt crying for a long time, called for a long time, until his voice became hoarse. Yet that heavy wooden door remained shut, unmoving, as if reflecting his mother's cold and heartless intention.

"Mom…"

After such a long time, until the sun began to set, Jia Wenshu finally couldn't hold back, letting out a long sigh. He stepped forward, gently extended his hand to grasp Shaokang's arm. His demeanor was respectful and composed, just like that of his teacher, the Kingdom's Chief Minister, the sage Jatili.

"Alas! Prince, the door won't open... let's go!"

On the other side, the Samurai-clad Olosh also sighed softly. Yet, he remained silent and solemnly guarded one side, just like his uncle, the Capital Army Commander, the honorable nobility, Olosh.

"Mother... I'm leaving..."

The young Shaokang knelt on the ground, towards that tightly closed wooden door, and kowtowed three times heavily. Then, he did not let anyone support him, and with great difficulty, he climbed up on his own, even though he got mud all over. And then, he stumbled out the door like that, walked out of the temple he had never left, heading towards an unknown future, a path he had never imagined... Behind him were two closely following teachers, the civil official Priest of Prepetcha, and the Warrior Camp Chief of the Jingji Legion...

"Ooh... ooh ooh!..."

In the pitch-black temple, Nashu collapsed powerlessly on the cold stone floor, her back tightly against the wooden door. She cried uncontrollably, like a faucet that had been slightly turned on, or a clay water jar with a cracked corner. The ticking tears gradually and completely soaked her black robe, tracing out heart-stirring curves and leaving her chilled to the bone.

At this moment, seemingly endless darkness enveloped her heart. She lost her son, who was her spiritual support, from now on she would be left alone, in the desolate temple. Yet this was all her own choice, a precious opportunity she struggled desperately to get...

"Alas! They have already gone..."

A long sigh came from the depths of the temple. The aged High Priest Itoya, holding a torch, lit the Sacred Fire in front of the statue of the Goddess. The flickering firelight slowly rose, illuminating the smiling face of the Goddess, and the tear-streaked face of Nashu, who had removed her veil.

"Oh, Nashu... you are too cruel! Shaokang is still so young, yet you insist on having me contact Sage Jatili, to send him away, into the hands of others..."

"..."

The firelight moved closer, bringing a faint warmth. Nashu sniffed, and wiped the tears off her face with the back of her hand. She tried to force a few smiles, crying and laughing, as she spoke to High Priest Itoya.

"Honorable High Priest Itoya... His Highness, in the Southern Expedition in the Cloud, beside the Divine King... His Highness, has sent back a son, right in the Colima Mountain Region... Given the current situation, I... ooh ooh..."

At this point, both fell silent. Nashu thought of that man, and couldn't help but shed tears again. After a while, she wiped her face again and tried to smile as she spoke.

"High Priest Itoya, we all remember your kindness, Shaokang remembers it too! He is closest to you..."

"..."

"Chief Divine witness! He doesn't understand now, only blames me. But when he grows up and understands, he will be twice as grateful to you! After all, without your midwifery, he wouldn't have been born alive..."

"Alas!..."

After a moment of silence, High Priest Itoya sighed again. She sighed and reached out to wipe Nashu's face, from which the tears could never be fully wiped away, speaking in a low, melancholic voice.

"Nashu, you needn't worry about me... A Priestess cannot bear children; this child is the only boy in the temple... Over the years, I have entrusted too much and staked everything. I have already looked at Shaokang as if he were my own child!... I will always stand by his side, watching over him in the Capital.

It's just hard on you... you still have to stay here, in this cold temple..."

"High Priest... it's fine, I'm already used to it... May the Chief Divine protect you, and protect Shaokang too!"

Nashu showed a smile, struggling to get up, and bowed to High Priest Itoya. Her eyes held some light, maybe reflected from the torch, or perhaps it was the light in her imagination. She smiled tearfully and hoarsely spoke, as if explaining to High Priest Itoya, or perhaps speaking to herself.

"Chief Divine's protection! Shaokang must go out... he cannot stay in the Goddess's temple. There's nothing here to teach him, and he won't meet anyone... He absolutely cannot grow up by my side, in the Goddess's temple!..."

"My background can't help him with anything, perhaps even being a burden... He must gain recognition from the Sage of Prepetcha, gain recognition from the warriors of the Capital!... He must grow up in the Capital from a young age, under the guidance of the Prepetcha priests, and the warriors of the Capital, to be seen as the Prince of Prepetcha, and to gain the support of these people!..."

"Oh Chief Divine! It's all for his future, it's his only path... He's still so very young, he can't see all of this, only I can harden my heart... Only I can harden my heart... That man, he doesn't care... ooh ooh!..."

At this point, Nashu wept again, uncontrollably. High Priest Itoya extinguished the torch and extended an old arm, holding Nashu tightly in her embrace. In the dim temple, the old priest of the Goddess chanted with a strong and aged voice, praying devoutly, seeking the protection of the Chief Divine.

"May the Chief Divine protect him! Protect the young Shaokang... Watching over him as he bravely leaps off the cliff to fly, like the young eagle of Prepetcha... May the Chief Divine protect him, so he may finally soar in his mountain forest, fly high in the vast sky over the entire lake!"