Chapter 64
At the graves of Gu Dashu and Liu Xiuer, Jie Shang and Cang Yi each held incense, silently bowed three times, and then placed the incense in the burner in front of the prayer mat.
Gu Wenzhu threw pieces of yellow paper into the fire, his mind replaying Uncle Wang’s words.
“Your father found you while chopping wood. He insisted you were a gift from heaven, saying that a ball of light appeared before him, and when the light faded, there you were, a naked two- or three-year-old child.”
“We all advised him not to take you in, saying that raising a child with such an unclear origin wasn’t a good idea. At first, your father put you back, but he seemed lost. In the middle of the night, during heavy rain, he rushed back into the mountains to retrieve you.”
“After that, he refused to let you go and vowed to raise you. The village elders knew about this, but no one would ever mention it in front of you. If your biological father hadn’t come today, I would have taken this secret to the grave.”
Xia Yi, filled with questions, saw that Cang Yi had already stood up and moved over quietly.
After hesitating over what to call him—”senior,” “father,” or “mother”—Xia Yi chose the safest option.
“Immortal Lord, I have a question that has been bothering me. May I ask you about it?”
Cang Yi lifted his eyelids slightly but remained silent. Xia Yi knew that this was a sign of permission to ask.
“Immortal Lord, in the world where I was born and raised, I had parents. But after crossing the spatial passage to the cultivation world, I saw them again, and I even found toys from my original world in that room.” Xia Yi carefully tried to explain the situation, knowing how strange it sounded.
To his surprise, Cang Yi showed no shock, as if this was completely normal.
Just as Xia Yi thought Cang Yi hadn’t heard him clearly and was about to repeat himself, Cang Yi’s calm voice rang out:
“The parents you saw in different places are the same beings—the flower spirits. They are your real, biological parents, born from the spirit of the bird of paradise flower.”
Oh, that explanation sounded logical, but Xia Yi couldn’t make sense of a single word.
Cang Yi turned his amber eyes toward him and continued, “Your real name is Wang Lan, and you were born from the spirit of the flower. After your spiritual body dissolved and your soul was scattered, I preserved your spiritual body and sent your soul to another realm to recuperate. The flower spirits, your parents, followed you there, pleading to stay with you.”
Xia Yi’s mouth opened and closed repeatedly.
Am I really the Wang Lan they’re talking about? Are my parents really flower spirits? Did they follow me to the original world because I needed time to restore my shattered soul?
And does that mean Cang Yi can open space-time portals?
Cang Yi glanced at him calmly, seeing through his thoughts, and continued, “To stimulate the growth of life, the spiritual body and soul must be placed in different spaces. So I created an illusion, where your spiritual body was raised as the son of a government official. Meanwhile, the bird of paradise flower couple stayed with your soul—that is, the person you know as Xia Yi.”
At this point, Xia Yi’s mind seemed to freeze. He just stood there, dazed. Gu Wenzhu, who had quietly approached at some point, gently wrapped his arms around Xia Yi’s waist.
“Your spiritual body and soul will continue to pull toward each other. Based on my estimates, they will fully recover in about twenty years. But when that time comes, they might tear each other apart due to the intense pull, causing Wang Lan to truly disappear.”
“Then… what about my parents? Did they really pass away in my world?” Xia Yi muttered.
Cang Yi shook his head. “It was only a spell I cast. Once the eighteen years were up and before you were torn apart, they would have been transported back here with their memories erased, living as ordinary, happy humans without the pain of losing a child.”
“But somehow, even without their memories, they managed to find the illusion I created to nurture your spiritual body and took it away, resuming their lives.”
“Seeing that the time for Wang Lan’s soul and spiritual body to heal was nearing, I sustained injuries from forcefully opening the spatial passage and was unable to leave the mountain. I instructed Tianxuan to bring the spiritual body back to the Qishan sect under the guise of taking on a disciple.”
“In the end, your soul and spiritual body didn’t tear apart. Instead, they fused when you crossed the spatial passage. Soon, when all your memories return, you’ll understand everything.”
“So that’s how it is…” Xia Yi muttered, staring blankly at Gu Wenzhu. “My parents didn’t actually die. They are my parents from the cultivation world.”
“Yes, they’ve always been with you,” Gu Wenzhu replied, noticing Xia Yi’s pale complexion and tightening his arms around him.
“And because of the pull between your soul and spiritual body, they once tried to fuse but failed,” Cang Yi added. “The passage I opened never fully closed. Over a decade ago, I sensed a soul had passed through the passage and entered the illusion I had created for your spiritual body.”
“Yes, that was me,” Xia Yi said eagerly. “I even left my toy there.”
Suddenly, 179’s voice of realization echoed in Xia Yi’s mind, “No wonder we couldn’t fully repair that glitch. It turns out that the rift Cang Yi forcefully opened years ago was never completely closed. Whenever there’s a spatial fluctuation, it activates again. This wasn’t a glitch; it was like Cang Yi planted a Trojan horse.”
Then, 179 continued quietly, “The time they came through, it was the tech system on duty. We were playing a farming game at the time and didn’t notice. Later, when we realized something was wrong, the tech system handled it quickly, so we didn’t report it and just quietly sealed the information away.”
Tech system? Actually, isn’t your so-called tech system the most powerful Trojan in the system world?
“Immortal Lord, when did you first open the passage?” Xia Yi asked.
“Of course, it was when I first came here,” Jie Shang quickly interjected, looking smug. “We were in the middle of a fight, and he wasn’t interested in continuing, so he opened a portal to leave. But as I struck at the same time, our combined forces unknowingly opened a portal to somewhere, and we both fell through.”
“We spent some time here. During those days, I—” Seeing Jie Shang growing more excited as he spoke, Cang Yi shot him a cold glance, instantly silencing him.
Jie Shang froze and awkwardly closed his mouth.
Cang Yi, seeing no one was paying attention to him, resumed his usual calm expression and continued, “But because of this spell, I was severely injured, my soul became unstable, and my cultivation hadn’t fully recovered when Zeyuan was born. So, he was frail from birth, and his soul was as unstable as mine.”
At this point, he looked at Gu Wenzhu, his eyes filled with a hint of guilt. “Thus, Jie Shang used his secret technique to plant two soul protection marks for us. At that time, I was in no condition to care for you and felt a lot of resentment, so I let him take you to the demon realm to raise you with care.”
Jie Shang, hearing this, let out a bitter laugh. “Your mother—” He had just spoken when Cang Yi’s sharp gaze sliced through the air like a blade.
Hurriedly, Jie Shang corrected himself, “Your father rested and recovered at Qishan Sect, and we, father and son, lived together for more than ten years.”
The yellow paper burned in the fire pit, the crackling flames reflecting in Gu Wenzhu’s eyes as he stared quietly at the fire.
Cang Yi continued, “Because your soul was already unstable, and you had lost half of your spiritual body and soul, like Wang Lan, you needed time to recover.”
As he said this, Cang Yi’s face flushed slightly. “At the time, I thought that placing you in the place where you were originally conceived might be better for your growth and recovery, so I put you here.”
“Opening two passages in a row nearly drained all my power. When I returned to the sect, I arranged a few follow-up matters and then went into seclusion.”
“Father,” Gu Wenzhu looked up and asked Cang Yi, “Why don’t I remember any of this? Is Xia Yi really Wang Lan? What is my relationship with Wang Lan, and why did his spiritual body and soul scatter?”
Xia Yi, hearing this, also stood up from the stone bench, anxiously looking at Cang Yi.
Cang Yi turned his head, nodded, and said firmly, “Yes, he is Wang Lan.”
“As for what happened between you two, you’ll have to wait until your memories return to recall it yourself.”
“You have half of your spiritual body and soul in Wang Lan. Once your memory is restored, he will also remember everything.”
On the way back to the village, Xia Yi walked absentmindedly, stumbling as his left foot tripped over his right foot several times. Gu Wenzhu, who had been keeping a close eye on him, caught him each time, much to the relief of Cang Yi and Jie Shang, who were watching with trepidation.
When they arrived home, Xia Yi walked straight to the bed, lifted the blanket, and burrowed inside.
With his head buried under the covers, he mumbled, “Brother Zhu, don’t talk to me right now. I need to think.”
Gu Wenzhu remained silent for a moment, seeing Xia Yi cocooned like a silkworm. In a gentle voice, he said, “Then rest. I won’t disturb you. I’ll go make dinner, and I’ll call you when it’s ready.”
Receiving no response from Xia Yi, Gu Wenzhu tiptoed out of the room and carefully closed the door.
So I really am Wang Lan.
And my spiritual body was destroyed, and my soul scattered… I must have died a terrible death.
The flower spirits followed Wang Lan’s soul to that other realm.
No wonder when I crossed into the cultivation world as a child, my parents didn’t ask any questions and quickly glossed over everything—they knew the truth all along.
My parents crossed multiple realms for me.
After that car accident, they didn’t leave me; they’ve been by my side the whole time.
I was never truly alone.
Xia Yi wasn’t sure if he felt joy or sorrow as a surge of bittersweet emotions filled his heart, and tears welled up in his eyes.
At that moment, the baby in his belly seemed to sense his emotions and began to stir uneasily.
“Baby, did you know? Grandpa and Grandma have always been with Daddy,” Xia Yi whispered, stroking his belly with a smile.
He bit the pillow, his shoulders trembling as he sobbed.
“Host, are you feeling better?” After lying in bed for a long time, alternating between laughing and crying, Xia Yi finally heard the system’s cautious voice.
“Gu Wenzhu came to the door twice but didn’t dare enter, worried he’d disturb you. Host, you should go eat. Even if you’re not hungry, the baby is,” 179 fretted, concerned that the baby might lack proper nutrition.
Xia Yi, now emotionally calm, sat up. “Yes, dinner. I need to keep the baby healthy, and then I’ll take him to meet my parents.”
Outside, Gu Wenzhu had already set the table with bowls and chopsticks, sitting with Cang Yi and Jie Shang at the table.
Qilin and its dog father were lying in the corner of the yard, each with a food bowl in front of them.
Qilin ate energetically while the dog father lovingly watched, occasionally licking Qilin’s head.
Although Cang Yi and Jie Shang didn’t say anything, when they saw Xia Yi emerge, they both let out a sigh of relief and picked up their chopsticks. “Let’s eat.”
After finishing the meal, it was time for a walk again.
Considerate as always, Xia Yi decided not to let Gu Wenzhu accompany him, wanting to give him more time to talk with his fathers. He took only Qilin and the father dog with him as they left the house.
Not far from the courtyard, two people approached from the opposite direction, one in front of the other. The one in front, who wore an angry expression, was Qi Zhou, while the tall man following him closely, anxiously explaining something, was Er Niu.
What’s going on? Xia Yi curiously stopped in his tracks.
At that moment, Qi Zhou spotted him. He hurried toward Xia Yi while pushing Er Niu beside him, angrily shouting, “Stop following me.”
With that, he stormed over to Xia Yi’s side. “Let’s go,” he said.
Er Niu had no choice but to stop, watching with a dejected look as the two walked toward the edge of the village.
“What’s wrong with you? That’s really rude. Er Niu has such a good temperament, he’s always hardworking and honest, and yet you treat him like this?” Xia Yi glanced back to see Er Niu still standing there, looking dejected. Despite his tall frame, he seemed pitiful.
To Xia Yi’s surprise, Qi Zhou immediately exploded upon hearing this, nearly jumping out of his skin. “Honest? Honest, my ass!”
He accidentally let out a curse.
Xia Yi was stunned. For someone like Qi Zhou to curse, he must be extremely angry. “What exactly happened to make you so furious?” he asked.
However, Qi Zhou suddenly began to stammer, his gaze shifting evasively to the side.
Seeing his reaction, a suspicion crept into Xia Yi’s mind.
Hadn’t Qi Zhou and Er Niu both been missing for several days? Could it be that… they’d been holed up together during Qi Zhou’s heat cycle? But didn’t he give Qi Zhou the heat-suppressant herb before?
Oh no, did he not understand how to use it? This is bad.
A breeze blew, lifting Qi Zhou’s hair. Xia Yi instinctively turned his head, his eyes landing on Qi Zhou’s neck.
Whoa. Those bruises… they didn’t look like injuries from a fight; more like… hickeys.
As someone with experience, Xia Yi immediately understood.
That Er Niu, who always seemed so quiet, had really taken down Qi Zhou.
Looks can be deceiving. Not so simple, not so simple.
Qi Zhou noticed Xia Yi’s gaze on his neck and quickly let his hair fall back into place, his expression turning awkward.
“Did you…?” Xia Yi cautiously asked.
Seeing that he could no longer hide it, Qi Zhou finally nodded slightly. Then, his face flushed red as he gritted his teeth and said, “I’m going to kill him, slice him into a thousand pieces, and feed him to the dogs.”
“But didn’t I give you the heat-suppressant herb? Why didn’t you use it?” Xia Yi couldn’t help but glance at Qi Zhou’s neck again, silently thinking how intense their “battle” must have been.
Using it and then wanting to slice him into pieces and feed him to dogs? What?
Qi Zhou’s face grew even more twisted at the mention of the Water Repellent Herb. “I took it back and showed it to him, asking if it was valuable. He said it was, that it would be very useful for my upcoming heat.”
“Well, he wasn’t lying, and he didn’t keep anything from you, so why are you so angry at him?” Xia Yi was genuinely puzzled.
Maybe it was Qi Zhou who had taken advantage of Er Niu?
Qi Zhou stomped his foot, stopping in his tracks. He turned toward Xia Yi, lowering his voice as if squeezing the words through his teeth. “He said it was so valuable that it needed to be kept safe so I could use it during my heat cycle. But since the village had been unsafe lately, with three rogue officials hiding out and stealing things, he worried they’d steal it.”
“So, to keep it safe, he got a bunch of wooden boxes, one inside another, with locks on each one. Then, in the middle of the night, he dragged me to a ravine and buried it behind a big rock while I watched.”
“But when my heat came, I could barely move, let alone walk all the way to the ravine to dig it up. And don’t even get me started on those locked boxes, one after another…”
Qi Zhou’s voice trembled with frustration, his eyes tearing up.
With red-rimmed eyes, he kicked a large willow tree by the side of the road, over and over, as if it were Gu Beicheng himself.
