The twilight descends, with scarlet hues of the sunset reflecting against the horizon, gilding the entire city.
ng Qianqian suddenly opens her eyes, taking a deep breath of the cool air.
"Mother!"
She blurts out, her gaze sweeping around her surroundings.
However, perhaps she had slept too long, as she feels a bit disoriented, unsure of where she is.
The only thing she rembers is seeing her mother.
But, where is her mother?
Was even that glimpse just a dream?
"Mother..."
Her throat chokes with emotion.
"I'm here."
Accompanied by a gentle and ethereal voice, a slender white wrist gently parts the curtains.
A beautiful face enters ng Qianqian's sight, and she is montarily stunned.
"Mother, is it really you? Am I not dreaming?"
Zhongli Yuan gently sits on the edge of the bed, pulling her hand over to rest on her own heart: "Silly child, this isn't a dream, feel your mother's heartbeat."
ng Qianqian feels the thumping and warmth against her palm: "But, but so many tis, so many tis I thought I saw you, only to wake up and realize it was just a dream. I'm scared."
Zhongli Yuan softly says, "Don't be afraid, this ti it's real."
"I, I, I—"
ng Qianqian pinches herself, Zhongli Yuan couldn't stop her in ti.
ng Qianqian yelps in pain, yet she laughs: "So it's not a dream, it really hurts."
Zhongli Yuan feels heartache, reaching out to stroke her fair cheek: "You silly child, already a mother yourself, why are you still like when you were a child?"
ng Qianqian mumbles, "Isn't it because I miss you too much? Afraid that none of this is real."
Zhongli Yuan understands her daughter's state of mind; she too worries that this reunion is just a dream, and that her presence might not last long.
ng Qianqian snuggles into Zhongli Yuan's arms, shedding all her burdens, returning to the innocent form of a child, her voice turning soft and gentle.
"Mother, I have so much to tell you."
Zhongli Yuan smiles indulgently: "Alright, don't rush. You've been asleep for a month, your body is very weak, and you're about to give birth soon, let's eat sothing first, shall we?"
"Mm, I'll listen to you."
…
"I'm full."
ng Qianqian sets down her utensils.
Zhongli Yuan takes out a handkerchief and wipes her daughter's mouth: "You ate so little?"
ng Qianqian pats her round belly: "That was a lot, I'm stuffed."
Zhongli Yuan looks at the empty plates, thinking that the child indeed eats more than when she was young, but as a parent, you always hope your child eats more, afraid they will not have enough.
"Are you sleepy?" Zhongli Yuan asks.
"Not sleepy." ng Qianqian shakes her head, "Mother, can I speak now?"
"Mm."
Zhongli Yuan nods.
ng Qianqian glances outside.
Zhongli Yuan understands, smiling, "Don't worry, everyone is here."
Even though mother and daughter haven't seen each other in years, their bond remains unbreakable.
Zhongli Yuan knows her daughter is searching for the figures of those she cares about: father, husband, brother, and the little kid with the tiger-headed cap.
ng Qianqian feels relieved, lifting her gaze to look directly into Zhongli Yuan's eyes: "Mother, where have you been all these years? I know a bit about the Witch, but what about the West Night Saintess?"
Zhongli Yuan holds her daughter's hand, sighing softly: "I am indeed the Witch, and I am also the West Night Saintess. Where should I start? Perhaps it's best to begin with the Gate of Qiankun."
ng Qianqian widens her eyes: "There really is a Gate of Qiankun?"
Zhongli Yuan nods: "Of course, I discovered it by chance. Actually, with your intelligence, you should have guessed that I'm not from this world, right?"
ng Qianqian: "I had so guesses, but I couldn't be sure."
Zhongli Yuan smiles faintly: "I co from a thousand years in the future, a world completely different from here. If there's a chance, I hope to take you there to see it."
ng Qianqian ponders: "A world a thousand years later... so the Gate of Qiankun, it connects a thousand years of ti?"
Zhongli Yuan says: "That's not a wrong way to understand it. It's like a passage, one end is my world, the other end is here. Now this is my world too. Because here I have my own family, people I care about deeply, to this is ho."
She speaks slowly, her voice carrying a convincing force as she recounts such extraordinary events.
ng Qianqian listens intently, watching without blinking.
Zhongli Yuan shakes her head: "I'm not very familiar with controlling the Gate of Qiankun, so sotis I can't resist its power. Initially, I didn't even know when it might act up. The Great Elder thought the Gate of Qiankun was on the mountain behind , but it wasn't. It might be right here in this room, or in the courtyard, in short, it could be anywhere unseen near ."
ng Qianqian suddenly understands: "No wonder you told Tan'er that you might leave at any ti."
Zhongli Yuan says: "That's right, gradually I sensed the Gate of Qiankun, I had a premonition it would act up soon, so I told Tan'er in advance, talked to her about you, hoping she would co find you. Only I didn't have ti to tell her you're her real sister, before being swept into the Gate of Qiankun."
Everything suddenly made sense.
ng Qianqian asked: "Will you leave again this ti, Mother?"
Zhongli Yuan softly says: "I don't know, I can only try to stay here."
ng Qianqian grabs her hand: "Mother, if you have to leave next ti, take with you."
Zhongli Yuan laughs: "You silly child, could you bear to leave your husband, your Treasure Piggy?"
ng Qianqian hesitates: "Then... then just take everyone. After all, you have taken people before."
"You even guessed that?"
Zhongli Yuan is surprised.
ng Qianqian raises her chin proudly: "Father disappeared for so many years, I suppose you took him into the Gate of Qiankun."
Zhongli Yuan is amused by her expression: "That's right, I did bring your father into the Gate of Qiankun, but we fell in different places. Finding each other took all our efforts, and it wasn't until this ti at the Holy Mountain that we t again."
ng Qianqian sighs: "So Mother and Father have always been suffering the pain of separation."
Zhongli Yuan strokes her bangs: "But it's okay, I believe as long as our hearts are together, there will always be a day of reunion. And this ti, I have a feeling it'll let stay longer, longer than any ti before."
Reviews
All reviews (0)