Xu Qingxuanâs lip curled, but she didnât give him a reply. She supported her mother as they walked towards the back garden. âMother, you absolutely must stay calm, alright? No matter what happens, please remember that your daughter is right by your side.â
Xu Meng nodded repeatedly while saying, âI know, I know.â However, she literally couldnât be more nervous than she was right now.
They quickly arrived at the entrance to the garden. A person suddenly ran out from behind a nearby flower rack and screeched to a halt, staring at Xu Meng and Xu Meng only. They felt as if the entire world had come to a standstill as they stared into each otherâs eyes. It had been thirty years. It had been an eternity.
Xu Mengâs tears fell like raindrops as she whispered, âMy dearest Feng.â
âMengâer!â Jiang Feng shed manly tears, and he rushed forwards to hold Xu Meng in a tight embrace. He was afraid that a sudden breeze would suddenly rip away the scene in front of his eyes like a dream.
They had been separated for thirty years and were reunited thirty years later. The outpour of emotions was something no language in the world could possibly describe. The only way they knew to express it to the utmost was to hug each other as tightly as they could.
âMy dearest Feng, Mengâer isnât dreaming, is she? Mengâer definitely isnât dreaming, is she?â Xu Meng whispered quietly and shakily.
âIt is not a dream, Mengâer. Iâm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long. The heavens have taken pity on us and reunited our family once more. This is fate, Mengâer. This can be nothing else but fate.â Jiang Fengâs voice was just as shaky and emotional as Xu Mengâs.
Xu Qingxuanâs eyes turned a little wet. Her body trembled a little with emotion. The human heart was made of flesh, so how could she not be overjoyed to see her father and mother reuniting with each other once more? She had never seen her mother as happy as she was today since young. It was as if her entire body was smiling and reverberating with happiness. It was a kind of happiness that Xu Qingxuan had never seen until now.
Xu Qingxuan wiped the tears from her eyes for a second before abruptly recalling that Jiang Chen was right beside her. She hurriedly tamped down her feelings and shot a slightly chastising glance at him. However, she noticed that his eyes were red as well. âHey, donât you think you should be⊠somewhere else? This is a private matter, you know. Also, what on earth are you crying about?â
Xu Qingxuan was confused by Jiang Chenâs reactions. Iâm crying because my parents have reunited with one another, but why are you, a messenger, crying? Donât you think youâre a little too absorbed in the drama?
Jiang Chen was greatly amused by Xu Qingxuanâs reaction. âIs there a rule that says that your parents canât be my parents?â
At first, Xu Qingxuan didnât understand his meaning. What? My parents are your parents? Are you taking advantage of me, boy?
She thought so was because the parents of oneâs spouse counted as the other spouseâs parents as well. However, when she saw that Jiang Chen was completely serious and not looking like he was taking advantage of her in the slightest, her mind abruptly turned blank. There was a buzz inside her head, but she was unable to decipher its meaning immediately.
âOh Holy Maiden Qingxuan, foremost holy maiden of Moon God Sect. Do you think Iâm worthy enough to be your older brother?â Jiang Chen smiled faintly.
âWhat? YouâŠâ The answer cut through the fog in Xu Qingxuanâs head like lightning.
My brother? Shao Yuan is⊠my⊠brother? Xu Qingxuan turned to look at her father, then back at Jiang Chen. For a time, she was completely speechless.
By now Jiang Feng and Xu Meng had managed to rein in their emotions a little. Their father happily led their mother by the hand towards them. âMengâer, today is truly the happiest Iâve ever been in the past thirty years, for we are not the only ones who have reunited with one another. Chenâer, come quickly and pay your respects to your mother!â
Jiang Chen dared not dilly dally as he smiled at Xu Meng, strode towards her and knelt on the floor, kowtowing. âYour child, Jiang Chen, greets you, mother.â
Xu Mengâs emotions skyrocketed yet again as her eyes turned red. âJiang Chen? Youâre⊠youâre Chenâer?â
She flung herself at Jiang Chen and hugged him. She pulled him to her bosom and rained kisses on him. For an instant, Xu Meng felt as if she had travelled back in time nearly thirty years ago. At the time, Chenâer was but a breastfeeding baby and knew only baby talk. It was as if time had rolled back to nearly thirty years ago.
âOh, Chenâer, my poor child. I have done so much wrong to you and your father. Come, Chenâer, let me see you.â Xu Meng shed tears while holding Jiang Chenâs head.
This was obviously not the time to care about his disguises, so Jiang Chen pulled off his mask and revealed his true face. It was obvious that he resembled both his father and his mother, excluding the parts of his figure that had developed from his growth. He had sharp, straight eyebrows that framed bright eyes, a sharply defined face, and a bearing that bespoke of something extraordinary. He was starting to look like a man who surpassed the greatest young geniuses in the Upper Eight Regions in every way.
Xu Qingxuan was completely stunned as she stared at the face that shared a bit of resemblance to hers. Is he really my older brother? Is he really Jiang Chen? I didnât realize my brother is this handsome and graceful! His cultivation is nothing like the small place they call the Eastern Kingdoms at all⊠Her thoughts were in disarray.
Xu Meng smiled through her tears and nodded repeatedly, âGood boy, good boy. You share your fatherâs features, but you are even more handsome than he is.â
Jiang Feng chuckled foolishly. âBut of course! He is my son, isnât he? Mengâer, you may not know this, but our son is not inferior to⊠to⊠heâs not inferior in the slightestâŠâ
The man looked at Xu Qingxuan with eyes filled with fatherly love. Xu Meng finally realized something and beckoned her daughter to come closer. âXuanâer, what are you waiting for? Come and pay your respects to your father!â
Xu Qingxuan wasnât heartless. Looking embarrassed, she walked closer towards them before kneeling. âFather, Iâve been jealous of you for the longest time, you know? Mother misses you every day. But itâs all worth it to see how happy she is today.â
âHaha, good, good! It didnât occur even in my dreams that I, Jiang Feng, would have such an amazing son and daughter. Mengâer, everything weâve endured until now is worth it. Chenâer, you are your sisterâs elder brother. You better take good care of her from here on out, you hear?â Jiang Feng said.
Jiang Chen smiled slightly. âI donât know, father. My sister is the holy maiden, so maybe she is the one who should be taking care of me.â
Xu Qingxuan snorted softly. âYouâre a smooth talker, I see. You want me to call you my brother? Well, donât say I didnât give you a chance. Beat me at something and Iâll do that without qualms.â
He smiled. âOf course. But how should we compete?â
âDonât you even think about pill battles. Letâs compete in martial dao!â Xu Qingxuan knew that there was no way she could beat her stinky brother in pill dao.
Xu Meng put on a straight face and chided. âXuanâer, stop it. How can you talk to your brother like this?â
Xu Qingxuan giggled. âOh mother, itâs only been minutes since youâve seen your son and youâre playing favorites already! Hmph, I donât care. He must beat me first if he wants me to call him brother. Otherwise, Iâll add the word âstinkyâ and call him âstinky brotherâ every time we see each other!â
Xu Meng looked a bit embarrassed as she looked at Jiang Feng. âMy dearest Feng, Iâm sorry. I think I spoiled Xuanâer too much. Sheâs not a bad person, but she can be pretty sharp tongued sometimes.â
Jiang Feng laughed loudly. âSheâs a girl, isnât she? It wonât do if she doesnât have a bit of a temper. Chenâer, you better work hard to earn your status, you hear? It wonât be easy to be Qingxuanâs brother.â
Xu Meng rolled her eyes at Jiang Feng. âWhat kind of father are you? Stop sowing discord between our children!â
Jiang Feng couldnât stop smiling. âIâm just kidding, Chenâer. You have nothing to be worried about at all. Sure, Xuanâer is a holy maiden, but Chenâer is no small fry himself. Do you know that Chenâer has a second identity? Heâs Pill King Zhen, also known as the young lord of Sacred Peafowl Mountain, Veluriyam Capital.â
âWhat?â This time Xu Qingxuan was completely stunned. âWhat did you just say, father?â
Jiang Feng rubbed his own nose. âWell Chenâer, please explain things to your sister, will you?â He threw the responsibility to his son.
Jiang Chen smiled wryly. âItâs a long story, and I still need to keep this identity a secret. I had to do something in Pillfire City earlier, and Veluriyam Capital and Pillfire City are sworn enemies. Thatâs why I disguised myself as Shao Yuan now.ââAre you really Pill King Zhen?â Xu Meng cocked her head and stared at Jiang Chen. âDid my stinky brother really beat that Pill King Ji Lang?â
âYour one and only,â Jiang Chen joked. He didnât put on airs. He briefly explained his experiences, with a white lie that the reason he possessed his extraordinary talents today were all thanks to his non-existent âteacherâ.
A story made up of half-truths and half-lies was generally more interesting than the truth itself. Xu Qingxuan was quickly absorbed in Jiang Chenâs legendary tale.
âBrother, you mentioned that a mysterious old man had taught you your martial dao and pill dao, right? Did he come from Myriad Abyss Island? Does Myriad Abyss Island really exist in this world?â
âIt does. It definitely exists.â This was one thing Jiang Chen could ascertain because Huangâer herself came from Myriad Abyss Island.
A hint of fascination passed through Xu Qingxuanâs clear eyes. âIt would be worth all the hardships of cultivation if I can visit that mysterious place one day.â
Jiang Chen smiled. âDonât worry, youâll definitely be able to go there one day.â
âReally? Did you teacher promise to bring you there, brother?â The light of expectation appeared in Xu Qingxuanâs pupils.
âWe donât need his help. We can go there ourselves when our strength reaches a certain level. There are no place in the world thatâs inaccessible if you have enough strength.â
Before Xu Qingxuan knew it, she was starting to address Jiang Chen willingly as her brother.
Xu Meng was very gratified to see how excellent her son had turned out. She looked at her daughter. âXuanâer, from today onwards, you are to remember that your surname is Jiang. The name I gave you at your birth, is Jiang Xuan.â
However, Jiang Feng remarked, âNames are unimportant, we are. There is no need to be hasty, Mengâer. Xuanâer is still a holy maiden of Moon God Sect, and it isnât something we can change immediately.â
Jiang Chen agreed with his fatherâs sentiment. âMother, for now sisterâs name is among the lower priority. Incidentally, would you happen to know where our younger brother is?â
Xu Mengâs eyes brimmed with infinite sadness once more. It was one of the wounds she suffered during her miserable life, and one that wasnât healed just yet.
Previous Chapter Next Chapteretvolare's Thoughts
Aw. Just pure love in this chapter. <3
I've been advised that the rankings update ~8am GMT+8 everyday, so we'll know yesterday's in yet a few more hours!