Chapter 69: Epilogue
“Qilin, Second Treasure is crying.”
Xia Yi was picking chili peppers in the fields of Wangzhu Courtyard when he heard Gu Xing start to whimper in the cradle behind him.
Qilin, who had been batting at a small butterfly with its paw, quickly pretended nothing had happened, grabbing the specially designed handle of the cradle with its mouth and lifting it into the air, flying in circles around the courtyard.
Gu Xing immediately stopped crying, spitting out joyful bubbles and giggling in the gently swaying cradle, waving his chubby little hands in excitement.
Qilin was already an experienced babysitter. After taking care of First Treasure Gu Cheng for a few years, he had seamlessly taken on the job of looking after Second Treasure Gu Xing, always dutiful and reliable.
Gu Xing had just turned eight months old. The first time they brought him to the farming world, a red mark appeared on his forehead—it turned out he was a ge’er.
Unlike Gu Cheng, who resembled Gu Wenzhu in everything except for the shape of his eyes, Gu Xing took after Xia Yi. Aside from his slightly slanted peach blossom eyes, he had Xia Yi’s delicate nose and small, oval-shaped face.
Two years ago, 179 had completed its mission and returned to the system realm, but it still popped back occasionally to check on things, often appearing in Xia Yi’s mind without warning.
“Host, oh wait, former host, did you know? Your tasks were altered. The original tasks weren’t like that, and neither were the rewards,” 179 suddenly said one day.
“Of course, they were altered. You ended up in the wrong world, so you had to modify them into cultivation tasks,” Xia Yi replied casually, munching on a tomato.
“No, all the cultivation tasks were altered, and the rewards were different from the original ones too,” 179 said mysteriously.
Now that Xia Yi thought about it, all the tasks seemed to align perfectly with the events that unfolded. Not to mention the rewards—even the painless childbirth.
Seeing Xia Yi lost in thought, 179 lowered its voice and said, “It was the technical system that changed them.”
“Why would the technical system do that?” Xia Yi stopped chewing, looking puzzled.
“I asked him that too. It took a lot of pressing before he admitted it. Apparently, a long time ago, he was on a mission in the cultivation world and got stuck in a tree hole while in the form of a wild wolf. He was too embarrassed to ask for help from the system, so he stayed stuck there for several days, starving and dizzy, until a passerby named Wang Lan saved him.”
Did that really happen?
Xia Yi thought hard and suddenly recalled something.
Yes, there was such an incident.
One day, right after Xia Yi had return from meeting Ze Yuan and was heading home, he passed by an ancient tree and noticed an animal stuck headfirst in a tree hole, its rear end sticking out. It was clearly trapped. Xia Yi pulled it out like a turnip and found that it was a dog.
It was definitely a dog, one with the distinctive three-flame mark on its head from his original world.
So that was the technical system?
“Why was he stuck there?” Xia Yi was astonished.
“He said he thought he was just fluffy, but it turned out he was actually fat,” 179 said, barely able to conceal its glee at the story.
“But the important thing is that after that, he’s been secretly helping you.”
Xia Yi set down the tomato and spoke earnestly, “Please pass on my thanks to the technical system. Wang Lan saved him without thinking, but his help to Wang Lan has been intentional and deeply appreciated.”
“Where is the technical system now? If I get the chance, I’d love to thank him in person.”
“He’s on vacation, out of touch again.”
That glitch never got fixed.
The technical system had erased the data for that bug, allowing it to continue existing here, lingering between two worlds.
And he even fixed the rift location from being random to a fixed spot, right between the back courtyard of Wangzhu Courtyard and the yard of the house in the farming world.
Now, Xia Yi and the others can freely travel between the two worlds, going back and forth whenever they wish.
Seeing that it was getting late, Xia Yi prepared to call Gu Cheng home for dinner.
After reminding Qilin to keep an eye on the baby, Xia Yi headed to the backyard and entered the slowly rotating space-time portal in the corner.
The exit was in a small, enclosed area of their courtyard. After stepping out, Xia Yi first collected the dried diapers hanging in the yard, then made his way toward the village entrance.
Gu Xing wet countless diapers every day, and there wasn’t enough space in Wangzhu Courtyard to dry them all, so the extras were hung here.
As he passed the fields, he saw a figure in a Qishan uniform squatting beside Uncle Wang, each with a smoking pipe in hand.
No need to guess—it was Meng Wanzi.
Every day after finishing his cultivation, Meng Wanzi would come over to chat about the harvest with Uncle Wang and smoke.
Seeing Xia Yi, Meng Wanzi took a sip from his tea jar and smiled, “The kid’s over at the village entrance.”
His accent had even changed…
Six-year-old Gu Cheng had just finished wrestling with Tie Wa and the other village kids, tossing them all into a haystack near the village entrance. With hands on his hips, he proudly surveyed them, “Who else dares to challenge me?”
Tie Wa and the other defeated kids were in awe of Gu Cheng. “The king is mighty, have mercy, King!”
Little Gu Tian, who was five this year and as fair and clean as Qi Zhou, also echoed in her sweet voice, “The king is mighty, have mercy, King!”
Gu Cheng couldn’t help but grin with pride, then took Gu Tian’s hand and said gently, “Let’s go, I’ll walk you home.”
Qi Zhou, who was heavily pregnant, sat at the door eating a bowl of green plums. Seeing the two from a distance, she smiled, “Xiao Cheng, walking your little sister home? How thoughtful.”
After Gu Cheng politely greeted her, Qi Zhou took Gu Tian’s hand and suggested, “Your Uncle Bei Cheng is heading to Qishan for training later. Want to go with him?”
Er Niu, who was now studying under Liu Siqian, was both Qi Zhou’s husband and Gu Cheng’s junior disciple. He spent his time either cultivating at Qishan Sect or farming.
Gu Cheng shook his head. “No, I still want to play with Tie Wa and the others this afternoon.”
Just as he finished speaking, Xia Yi’s loud call echoed from the village entrance, “Gu Cheng, come home for dinner.”
“Ah, can’t play anymore, my mom’s here.” Gu Cheng’s dejected expression made Qi Zhou and Gu Tian chuckle.
“Go on, you can play again tomorrow. Head back to Qishan Sect first. Your grandpa and grandma are coming today, and your dad went to pick them up early this morning. They should be arriving soon.” As Gu Cheng approached, Xia Yi brushed a few blades of grass from his head.
Gu Cheng looked at Xia Yi, puzzled. “Grandpa and Grandma live just in the canyon over the mountain, right? I even visited this morning and picked lots of flowers with Auntie. Grandpa didn’t mention anything about coming to Qishan for dinner.”
The “Grandpa and Grandma” Gu Cheng referred to were Jie Shang and Cang Yi, and the “Auntie” was Cang Yi’s daughter, who had just turned three this year.
Even though Cang Yi insisted Gu Cheng call them “Great Uncle” and “Second Uncle,” whenever Cang Yi wasn’t around, Gu Cheng still called them Grandpa and Grandma.
Jie Shang often said that the canyon at the base of the mountain was his most cherished place, so he built a wooden cabin there and would occasionally take his daughter to stay for a while.
When Xia Yi heard Gu Cheng’s question, his expression froze, and he awkwardly replied, “I meant your grandparents from Huangzhong Mansion.”
“But aren’t they my maternal grandparents?” Gu Cheng shot his mom a glance. “Mom, are you confused?”
“Stop calling me ‘Mom,’ didn’t I tell you to call me ‘Dad’?” Xia Yi often encouraged his son to use the term for “Dad” from their original world whenever they were alone.
“Dad,” Gu Cheng obediently corrected himself, though he thought to himself, Pfft, you’re just indulging yourself.
Not long after Xia Yi brought Gu Cheng back to Wangzhu Courtyard, the chef from Qishan Sect arrived with the prepared dishes. Just as they were setting the table, Xia Yi’s parents’ voices were heard at the gate.
“Xiao Cheng, Xiao Xing, our precious grandsons.”
“Maternal Grandpa! Maternal Grandma!” Gu Cheng was entertaining his baby brother by making funny faces by the cradle, causing Gu Xing to giggle uncontrollably. Hearing his grandparents’ voices, Gu Cheng excitedly turned and shouted.
“Call them Grandpa and Grandma,” Xia’s father immediately corrected with a stern face.
“Grandpa, Grandma,” Gu Cheng cheerfully obliged. Xia’s father smiled and patted his head before turning to look at Gu Xing in the cradle.
Xia Yi’s mother hugged Gu Cheng and raised her hand to measure his height, nodding in satisfaction. “Have you been drinking milk every day and doing the exercises Grandma taught you?”
Gu Cheng nodded quickly. “Yes, Grandma.”
Cang Yi had already restored Xia Yi’s parents’ memories, so they retained many of their old-world habits.
For example, every evening after dinner, the two would hum and dance to square dances in the courtyard. Occasionally, they’d go fishing or have a picnic outside Huangzhong Mansion, and they’d have Gu Wenzhu drive them around on his magic artifact to travel.
Xia’s father had already scooped Gu Xing out of the cradle and was holding him, teaching the babbling baby the alphabet:
“A, O, E…”
Gu Xing, amused by the exaggerated shapes of Xia’s father’s mouth, grinned, showing his two tiny white teeth.
At that moment, Gu Wenzhu entered the kitchen, avoiding Gu Cheng’s gaze and carrying a bundle sneakily.
“What are you doing? You look like a thief,” Xia Yi, who was setting the table, asked curiously.
Gu Wenzhu stashed the bundle in the cupboard and grinned. “Mother-in-law made cakes for Gu Cheng. I’m hiding them so he doesn’t find them before dinner.”
Whenever Xia’s mother had free time at the mansion, she’d experiment with recreating foods from their original world, making things like cakes and cookies to send to Gu Cheng every few days.
Gu Cheng loved them, eating as many as were given to him, sometimes so much that he’d skip meals entirely, much to Gu Wenzhu’s frustration.
“Yes, hide them,” Xia Yi quickly agreed.
After helping to finish setting the table, Gu Wenzhu went outside to call everyone to dinner, only to find the courtyard empty.
“Mom has definitely gone to the fields to pick fresh cucumbers again, asking you to make her a face mask,” Xia Yi shook his head helplessly. “I’ll go call them.”
“Let’s go together,” Gu Wenzhu said, stepping forward and taking his hand.
When they got to the fields, sure enough, Xia’s mother was picking cucumbers. Seeing Gu Wenzhu, she excitedly said, “Wenzhu, make a face mask for Mom later.”
“Sure, Mom,” Gu Wenzhu quickly agreed, then went to pick some peppers and eggplants from the field. “Mom, take some of these home later. I know you love eating the vegetables we grow.”
Xia’s father, holding Gu Xing and watching the ants on the ground, chuckled and said, “Your mother loves the vegetables you grow—so fresh and crisp, perfect for a salad.”
They all laughed and chatted as they walked home. As they reached the courtyard gate, Xia Yi suddenly asked, “Where’s Gu Cheng?”
Everyone exchanged confused looks, all saying they hadn’t seen him. Only Gu Xing giggled and suddenly said one word, “Cake.”
Xia Yi’s face changed. “Oh no.”
Sure enough, Gu Cheng came out of the kitchen, patting his belly and with cake crumbs still on his lips. “Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom, I’m off to play. You all enjoy dinner, I’m skipping it.”
“Gu! Cheng!” Xia Yi’s face darkened, and his voice was full of frustration. Gu Cheng, sensing trouble, edged toward the courtyard gate and quickly bolted.
In the distance, his voice called back, “I’m going to find Uncle Tianji to practice!”
Qilin, the little mythical creature, sneakily followed behind him, darting out after him.
Great, no babysitting duties today.
After dinner, Xia’s father and mother took Gu Xing for a walk up the hill to help with digestion. Gu Wenzhu, after washing the dishes, came over to where Xia Yi was lounging in a deck chair and squatted beside him.
Xia Yi, with his eyes closed, was enjoying the warmth of the sun, when suddenly a shadow fell over his face, and he felt warm breath on his neck.
He smiled with his eyes still closed, turned his head, and puckered his lips, receiving a gentle kiss as expected.
“Come on, I want to show you something,” Gu Wenzhu’s low voice whispered in his ear.
Xia Yi lazily opened his eyes and asked, “What is it?”
“You’ll see when we get there,” Gu Wenzhu said, gently wiping the moisture from Xia Yi’s lips.
Xia Yi thought for a moment, then stretched lazily, “Alright, let’s go see.”
—
At the foot of the mountain, a field of purple medicinal herbs stretched all the way to the horizon, as vivid as an oil painting.
From afar, Xia Yi could see a small courtyard nestled amidst the purple expanse.
After stepping off their magical artifact, he gently pushed open the courtyard gate and walked inside.
The charming courtyard had flowers and plants growing along the walls, and in one corner, young pepper plants were sprouting.
The house had four spacious and bright rooms in a row. Xia Yi chose the one that looked most like a bedroom and opened the door.
Inside, the furniture and arrangement were exactly like their home in the farming world. It was clear that Gu Wenzhu had crafted everything himself.
On the window were paper cutouts of four people holding hands—two large and two small, exquisitely detailed.
A ceramic vase with wildflowers sat on the table, faintly emitting a fresh fragrance.
The familiar handmade wooden bed was already made with a silk quilt. On the quilt sat an Ultraman doll, fully dressed.
Xia Yi looked around in delight, his gaze finally drawn to a row of calligraphy hanging on the wall.
They were sheets of pale yellow rice paper, each with writing on them.
As he got closer, Xia Yi realized it was all about awards—“First Place in the Third Annual Baisha Youth Painting Contest, Xia Yi,” and so on.
Seeing Xia Yi’s surprised expression, Gu Wenzhu felt a bit shy and explained, “You once told me that your room was full of certificates.”
“Certificates,” Xia Yi corrected him with a smile.
“Right, certificates,” Gu Wenzhu nodded. “So I asked Mom about it, and she helped me write these.”
“Every time you talked about your past, especially about these, your eyes would light up. I wanted to give you that light back,” Gu Wenzhu said, looking at Xia Yi tenderly, his voice filled with affection.
As Xia Yi stood there in a daze, he suddenly felt Gu Wenzhu gently wrap his arms around his waist, his deep voice whispering next to his ear, “Do you like it, Xiao Lan?”
Xia Yi nodded, his eyes slightly misty, and softly replied, “Brother, I love it.”
[THE END]
