Under a certain starry sky, a man slowly stopped his steps. Before him, an image appeared.
Within the image, the figures of Li Xuan and Yuan Hao were clearly visible. However, on the side of the image, the scenes Li Xuan had witnessed were also playing out simultaneously.
The man hesitated for a moment, then finally stopped his hand.
"Fine, it's time you knew some truths," the man said, his gaze shifting, and three figures appeared before him.
"You should be the entity behind that destined person, right?" the leading figure spoke slowly.
The man waved his hand, instantly dispelling the image before him. He then looked at the three, sighing helplessly, "Originally, I intended for him to resolve this matter, but I didn't expect you to come knocking."
"The three of us jointly deduced that the only one who could obstruct our Anti-Heaven Organization was that destined person. However, if we were to kill the destined person, there would be great repercussions. Thus, we could only eliminate his helpers. Your existence, sir, is his greatest help," the leading man said sternly.
Upon hearing this, the man touched his nose with a strange expression, "The three of you indeed possess some strength, but it's not enough."
The faces of the three changed slightly, their expressions growing grim. As the three leaders of the Anti-Heaven Organization, they feared no one, not even the master of the Heavenly Dao Brush. Yet, the man before them spoke so casually. Such an attitude was unbearable.
"Since that is the case, then please enlighten us, sir!" The three exchanged glances, then with a single thought, they unleashed a punch in unison.
The man merely shook his head upon seeing this, then waved his hand. A wisp of sword energy shot out, and the three figures instantly froze in place.
"How… how is this possible?!" The expressions of the three changed drastically, and their hearts were tossed about like a stormy sea.
With just a wisp of sword energy, their physical bodies were erased!
"The three of you shall remain here for a hundred years," the man said, glancing at them. Then, his figure moved, and he continued forward.
The three, now only souls, dared not move at all. That wisp of sword energy still hung above their heads.
However, at this moment, the three understood clearly that the Anti-Heaven Organization was finished. The person behind the destined one was terrifyingly powerful; this was akin to an egg trying to smash a rock.
In the academy's pavilion, everything seemed frozen.
At this moment, within Li Xuan's mind, a faint light flickered again.
Anwu Continent, the lowest-ranked continent among the ten realms.
On this day, the once ordinary sky suddenly tore open, and a golden light shot towards a towering peak.
With a thunderous roar, the entire mountain peak trembled. Following that, the clear skies instantly turned into a torrential downpour.
"Strange, why did the weather suddenly change? And that sound just now, was it thunder?"
An old man in homespun clothes, who was diligently digging for yams on the mountainside with a bamboo basket on his back, looked at the pouring rain. He hurriedly opened his oil-paper umbrella, packed up the yams, and rushed down the mountain.
"Huh? Whose child is this?" As the old man reached the foot of the mountain, he saw an infant lying on the ground. Its body was bare, and in its hand was only a jade pendant. Yet, in the heavy rain, not a single drop of water touched it.
"Strange, first thunder and rain, and now I see an infant. But this child can somehow repel the rain, so its origins must be extraordinary."
The old man gazed at the quiet infant, suddenly feeling at a loss.
"Perhaps someone just left them here temporarily and will return soon," the old man muttered to himself, then bent down and picked up the infant.
It was strange, but as soon as the old man picked up the infant, its eyes fluttered open. It then looked at the old man and smiled.
What a cute child. Seeing this, the old man felt his heart melt.
As the rain intensified, the old man's oil-paper umbrella could barely withstand it. Looking at the infant in his arms, the old man felt reluctant.
The heavy rain gradually subsided, and as it stopped, a beautiful rainbow appeared in the sky. The child in the old man's arms fell asleep again.
Night gradually fell, and the old man, who had been waiting for over two hours, began to feel weary. He gazed into the distance once more, gritted his teeth, and carried the infant towards the village at the foot of the mountain.
The old man didn't know that as he left, a sword full of spiritual energy emerged from the ground where the infant had appeared. It then looked humanely at the old man's receding figure before piercing the void and disappearing again.
Ten years passed in the blink of an eye.
Watching the two little ones, who could now climb mountains and cross ridges, the old man's smile grew more profound. However, the wrinkles on his face deepened.
"Xuan'er, Chu'er, come here," the old man called softly after a moment.
"Grandpa, what are we picking today?" the two youths asked, immediately running to the old man's side.
One of the two youths was the infant the old man had found at the foot of the mountain ten years ago. In the month after finding the infant, the old man carried him to the foot of the mountain every day, waiting, but no one ever came.
Therefore, the old man eventually named the child Lin Chu, based on the character "Chu" on the jade pendant in the infant's hand.
The other youth was the old man's grandson, Lin Xuan.
"Chu'er, we're not going up the mountain today. Grandpa will tell you a story." The old man smiled, holding Lin Chu's hand. After a moment of silence, he recounted the story of how he found Lin Chu.
"Chu'er, do you understand?" After finishing, the old man gently patted Lin Chu's hand and looked at the thick-browed, bright-eyed Lin Chu.
"Grandpa, is Lin Chu brother that infant?" Lin Xuan, standing beside them, asked after hearing the old man's story.
"My child, Grandpa doesn't have much time left. While I can still move, it's time to tell you these secrets. Oh, and this jade pendant, which Grandpa found on you when I picked you up. This jade pendant might help you find your family."
The old man nodded slightly, then tremblingly took out a jade pendant from his embrace and handed it to Lin Chu.
"Grandpa, you're still young, you'll be fine." Lin Chu immediately grasped the old man's rough, broad hand tightly.
Lin Chu knew that the old man's health had not been good recently. Today, he had intended to go up the mountain with Lin Xuan to gather some medicinal herbs to nourish his body, but instead, he received this news. As for the jade pendant the old man handed him, Lin Chu didn't even look at it.
"Heh heh, silly child. We mortals live at most a hundred years in our entire lives. To have you by my side in my twilight years is already a great fortune. Keep this jade pendant close to you. If Grandpa truly cannot make it, you must find your parents when you grow up. Chu'er, do you understand?"
The old man smiled slightly, filled with comfort, and handed the jade pendant to Lin Chu again.
"Chu'er understands." Lin Chu nodded, then tucked the jade pendant into his chest.
"Lin Chu brother, don't be sad. When we grow up, I'll go with you to find them!" Li Xuan patted Lin Chu's shoulder.
"Okay." Lin Chu nodded.
"Alright, Chu'er, Grandpa has told you everything he needed to. From now on, Grandpa fears he cannot accompany you further. If Grandpa can't make it, you and Xuan'er can go live with your Uncle Wang. Grandpa has already made arrangements with your Uncle Wang."
Seeing that Lin Chu had put away the jade pendant, the old man nodded with relief.
"Grandpa, Chu'er isn't going anywhere, Chu'er just wants to stay by Grandpa's side." Lin Chu shook his head, saying with reluctance.
"Grandpa, me too." Li Xuan also looked sad.
"Heh heh, two silly children." A single tear rolled down the old man's eyes, his gaze filled with warmth.
"Brother Lin Xuan, Brother Lin Chu, are we going up the mountain today?" Just then, a clear, childlike voice came from outside the simple thatched hut. A girl, about seven or eight years old, skipped in.
"Grandpa Lin." The girl walked up to the old man and called out crisply.
"Meng Lan, you're here. Today, Grandpa isn't feeling well, so I can't take you and your two brothers up the mountain. How about you let your two brothers take you to play, okay?" The old man's eyes showed a flash of affection as he looked at the girl.
"Okay! Brother Lin Xuan, Brother Lin Chu, let's go play!" The girl's clear black and white eyes instantly lit up with excitement.
"Go ahead." Seeing the expressions in Lin Xuan and Lin Chu's eyes, the old man waved his hand and smiled.
"Brother Xuan, Brother Chu…" As soon as the old man finished speaking, the girl, holding Lin Xuan and Lin Chu's sleeves, pleaded.
"Cough cough…" Watching Lin Xuan and Lin Chu leave hand-in-hand with the girl reluctantly, the old man finally couldn't help but cough, spitting out a mouthful of pus and blood.
"Child, Grandpa knows your background is extraordinary. These past ten years, Grandpa has been content with your company. The road ahead can only be walked by yourself." The old man struggled to stand up and slowly walked towards the outside.
"Uncle Lin, please rest assured, I will treat Xuan'er and Chu'er as my own children. It's just your health…" In a square bamboo house not far from the thatched hut, a burly middle-aged man looked at the old man's sallow complexion and said.
"I am a physician myself and know my own condition well. I am content to have lived this long. Moreover, these past years, Xuan'er and Chu'er have accompanied me. I only worry about what will happen to Xuan'er and Chu'er when I die, as they are still so young. Now that I have your promise, I can die without regret."
"Besides, Meng Lan and Xuan'er and Chu'er have been childhood friends for three years. With you accompanying them, I believe they will also quickly overcome their grief. I have also told Chu'er about his background."
The old man nodded with great洒脱 (sa tò - free and easy), coughed twice, and then continued speaking.
"Lin Shu, please don't worry." Wang Zhai's expression also showed some reluctance.
"Wang Zhai, I… I have one last request. Do not let Chu'er leave until he is eighteen." The old man closed his eyes slightly, and as if a final burst of vitality, he suddenly opened them and forcefully grasped Wang Zhai's hand again, saying.
"Lin Shu, I have noted it down." Feeling the strength in the old man's hand, Wang Zhai's heart sank, and he nodded vigorously.
"Thus, I am relieved…" The old man's face gradually calmed down, and the hand holding Wang Zhai's slowly lost its strength.
"Uncle Lin!"
…
The image stopped. Li Xuan, now in the void, had tears streaming down his face. Some memories from his past life were gradually awakening.