The moment Ai Xiang spoke, her words were like a boulder crashing into a still lake, sending ripples of shock through the air.
“What did you say?” Meng Youdao stared at Ai Xiang in disbelief, his expression bordering on frenzied. “You said this was your mother’s?”
“Is your mother named Guan’er?!” His voice boomed, louder than anyone had ever heard it. The idea that Guan’er might have a child had never crossed his mind. Staggering forward, the chili powder on his shoulders cascaded down like snowfall.
Ai Xiang shrank back in fear, hiding behind Guan Muping. “Pingping…”
“Don’t be afraid.” Guan Muping patted her shoulder reassuringly and stepped forward, blocking Meng Youdao’s intense gaze.
Ye Wenshu, who had spent years collecting outrageous tales for his emotionally charged stories, took one look at Meng Youdao’s face and immediately pieced together the entire narrative. Leaning against the doorframe, he nudged Wu Boshan with his elbow, holding a chicken wing between his fingers.
“Bet you anything,” he whispered, “this guy’s about to realize that little girl is his kid.”
Wu Boshan whipped his head around, eyes darting between Meng Youdao and Ai Xiang. “No way. They don’t look alike at all.”
Meng Youdao was built like a mountain, towering and sturdy, while Ai Xiang was tiny and delicate—nothing about them screamed father and daughter. Wu Boshan shook his head vehemently. He refused to believe it.
“Just watch,” Ye Wenshu said with a dismissive wave, not bothering to argue further.
But it seemed Ye Wenshu wasn’t the only one with that thought.
A glimmer of realization flashed in Meng Youdao’s eyes. He wiped the chili powder from his face and gazed at Ai Xiang with cautious hope. “Little girl, what’s your name?”
His voice softened, straining to sound friendly. Under normal circumstances, it might have worked—but he’d forgotten his current state.
His once-golden robes were shredded by man-eating plants, and layers of chili powder clung to him like seasoning on Guan Muping’s roasted lamb leg.
Ai Xiang immediately ducked behind Guan Muping, refusing to look at him again.
“Don’t be scared.”
Guan Muping glanced down at Ai Xiang, conflict flickering in his eyes. Just as he was about to speak, Yuan Ji cut in coolly.
“You said this pouch is yours.”
She raised a hand, signaling him to stay silent. Then she looked at Meng Youdao, bracing herself—yet still finding the sight unbearable.
Taking a deep breath, she pinched the bridge of her nose, resisting the urge to toss him out immediately.
“So the reason you’ve been following us since the cave is because of this?”
The moment those words left her lips, the expressions of those who had returned from the cave shifted dramatically. None of them had noticed they were being followed.
Guan Muping’s gaze toward Yuan Ji grew even more reverent.
Unbeknownst to him, Qi Yan, who had remained silent until now, dropped a bombshell.
“You were involved in the Mu family’s affairs too, weren’t you?”
Mu Zhao’s face darkened instantly. His eyes locked onto Meng Youdao, unreadable and cold—until he turned to Yuan Ji, his expression reverting to one of innocent confusion, as if the earlier ferocity had been an illusion.
“Sister Yuan…” His voice trembled, cheeks flushed with anger.
Huang Li and Luo Qiushui exchanged glances, silently taking notes.
Impressive acting.
“The Mu family?” Meng Youdao’s narrow eyes gleamed as he studied Qi Yan. “Everyone wants a piece of the Mu family now.”
“You—!” Mu Dezhong, who had never been so insulted in his life, bristled. “The Mu family is one of the most prominent clans in Feiyun City! How dare you?!”
Meng Youdao laughed as if he’d heard a joke. Straightening up, he unleashed a crushing wave of spiritual pressure, thick and suffocating like the air before a storm.
“A prominent family? Maybe when the Mu patriarch was alive. But now? Hah—it’s a joke.”
Mu Dezhong staggered back under the pressure, blood rising in his throat.
Before Little White Lotus could even extend its healing leaves, the oppressive force suddenly shattered—as if crushed by an invisible hand.
The River God?!
Mu Dezhong spun around in shock, only to see Yuan Ji, her face dark, swirling energy gathering in her palm. He swallowed hard, deciding now was not the time to speak.
Yuan Ji stepped forward, her hair and robes fluttering without wind.
With just a single glance, an overwhelming pressure bore down on Meng Youdao. The force was devastating—in an instant, blood spilled from his lips, and he collapsed to one knee, barely propping himself up with a hand.
“What… do you want?” he gritted out, wiping his mouth.
Yuan Ji leaned down, her gaze icy. A flicker of flame danced at her fingertips, nurtured by spiritual energy until it swelled to the size of an apricot. Just looking at it sent a shiver down the spine—its power was undeniable.
System peeked at it nervously. “Yuan Yuan, calm down! If you burn him to death, you’ll have to clean up the mess!”
“…” Yuan Ji paused, speechless.
“You might not understand,” she said softly, her voice like a plunge into freezing water. “But right now, I’m the one asking the questions.”
Meng Youdao’s face cycled through shades of red, white, and finally ashen gray. His lips twitched. “This little girl has quite the mouth on her.”
Testing the waters, he sent out a thread of spiritual energy to probe her strength—only to find nothing. No cultivation, no aura.
She’s just an ordinary person?!
Fury simmered in his chest.
It must be Qi Yan pulling the strings behind her back. He’d recognized him earlier—the prodigious disciple of Tianji Palace.
Was Tianji Palace also after a piece of the Mu family?
The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
A sneer curled in his mind as a plan formed.
In the next instant, a golden light erupted around him. He lunged toward Ai Xiang, intending to grab her and flee.
Yuan Ji sighed.
Why is he so stupid yet so confident?
“Pathetic.”
“You—!” Meng Youdao barely managed a strangled sound before—
“Smack!”
Before he could finish, another merciless slap landed.
“SMACK!”
The sound echoed through the courtyard. Everyone winced and looked away.
Too brutal.
Wu Boshan handed Bao’er a handful of fried beans, watching the scene unfold with a sigh. “Why would he provoke her? The River God was being so polite. Couldn’t he just answer properly?”
Beside him, Ye Wenshu recalled the men who’d once been pinned to the wall and shook his head. “Stubborn people never learn.”
Wu Boshan blinked at him, silent.
Ye Wenshu: “…What?”
You wanna fight, old man? Just say it!
Ai Xiang, startled by the noise, peeked out—only to recoil at the sight of Meng Youdao’s bloodied face. Tears welled in her doe eyes.
“Fine, fine! I’ll talk!”
After a few more rounds, Meng Youdao clutched his nose, voice muffled. If this kept up, Guan’er wouldn’t even recognize him.
Yuan Ji withdrew her hand, yawning as she strolled to a stone table and sat down.
Gritting his teeth against the pain, Meng Youdao cast a cleansing spell to make himself somewhat presentable. “It’s a long story—”
A frosty glare cut him off.
“I’ll keep it short!” he amended hastily.
“I met Guan’er at a festival in Feiyun City. She was seventeen or eighteen then, bright as a flower bud, always laughing. So gentle.”
“But what really amazed me was her skill with mechanisms.” A dreamy smile crossed his face. “Back then, I couldn’t even fly on a sword. When she found out, she built a device to ‘show me the beauty of the mountains.’”
Ye Wenshu, intrigued, noticed the two kids listening intently. “Did she take you flying?”
“No. She took me cliff-diving.”
“Broke eighteen bones.” Meng Youdao sighed fondly. “I used to heal in half a day, but that time, I was bedridden for months. I’ll never forget it—the clouds were so white, like cotton. Soft and light, just like Guan’er’s hands. Heh…”
Guan Muping: “!!”
Ye Wenshu: “…?”
Everyone else: “Yeah, no wonder you remember.”
Noticing their “are you insane?” stares, Meng Youdao scoffed. “Philistines. You wouldn’t understand.”
His cheeks tinged pink as he radiated bashful energy. “After that, my heart raced every time I saw her. I knew I’d fallen in love. I vowed to marry her one day.”
His declaration hung in the air, leaving everyone speechless.
Silence.
Only the River God’s temple stood witness.
Yuan Ji listened quietly, then frowned.
“System.”
“Did he crack his skull when he fell?”
System hurriedly covered her ears. “Don’t listen, Yuan Yuan. This is a horror story.”
Yuan Ji: “…What?”
Even Yan Ku, usually unflappable, was stunned. “So… did you marry her?”
Meng Youdao’s face fell. He touched his forehead.
“Her father said I was insane and kicked me out.”
“Though, to be fair, my injuries hadn’t healed yet. Guan’er had built an automatic fishing device and asked me to test it. A frenzied water demon ate half my leg…”
All eyes dropped to his legs.
Huh. The muscles do look full.
“By the time I recovered, they’d moved away in the night. I’ve been searching for them ever since.”
Ye Wenshu patted his shoulder sympathetically. “Look on the bright side—ignorance is bliss.”
Meng Youdao: “…”
