"Brother was indeed saved, but it was also from that mont on that he and I never t again."
"Wan'er, what do you an?" Jun Laoye asked softly, his eyes fixed on Nantian Wan'er, careful not to say anything that might wound her.
"About half a year later, I saw my brother once more," Nantian Wan'er lowered her head, her voice fading with each word. "That evening, I went to wait at the mountain gate. I really did see him that day. He was standing alone atop the gate, looking toward the Southern Forest with his face filled with sorrow.
"I ran toward him in excitent, but right before I could reach him, grandpa suddenly appeared and pulled back."
Her voice sank lower as she buried her head in her knees. "I was only nine then. I clung to grandpa's shoulder, crying and shouting for my brother, hoping he would look back at even once.
"But... but... Brother... he..."
"Wan'er..." Jun Laoye gently patted her back, trying to comfort her. "If it's too painful, you don't have to go on. Recalling grief only reopens old wounds."
"No... Brother Jun, I have to say it." Nantian Wan'er stubbornly lifted her head and shook it slightly. She wiped away her tears with both hands. "If all of you can overco your struggles, then I must as well. Even if it hurts, I need to speak it out loud.
"When I was little, no matter what he was doing, my brother would always co to whenever I called. But that night, no matter how loudly I cried, he didn't turn to look at ."
Jun Laoye's heart skipped a beat as he looked at her, a strange light flickering in his eyes. "Wan'er..."
"Grandpa kept carrying away, but I never stopped calling for my brother. I struggled with all my strength, trying to break free, but grandpa was far too strong. A single glance from him left powerless.
"At last, my brother looked at . My voice was already hoarse as I lay slumped on grandpa's shoulder, but I saw his body trembling. Just before we rounded the corner, when I could barely call out anymore, he suddenly turned, reached his hand into the air, and made a gentle patting motion, as if he were patting my head, just like he always did before leaving. Only then did I feel like he would return safely."
"As he made that gesture, he looked at and said the words he always did before leaving: 'Take care at ho. I'll bring you sothing when I return.' Then, he turned back and continued gazing toward the Southern Forest."
"Grandpa couldn't bear to see crying so hard. He patted gently and said, 'It's alright now. Your brother has matters to attend to. He'll be back safely in a few days.'
"But that night, all I saw was his back. His silhouette carried only resolute sorrow, so different from the ease he showed when leaving on expeditions in the past.
"At the ti, I was too young to think much of it. Rembering that pat on the head and grandpa's words, I eventually cald down, thinking only that my brother had encountered a strong opponent."
Nantian Wan'er slowly rose to her feet, walked to Lu Chen's side, and glanced at him before continuing. "I kept waving to my brother from grandpa's shoulder. Just as we turned the corner, I heard people whispering... saying my brother had changed his na to Nantian Jianzhu."[1]
"What?" Jun Laoye sprang up in shock. "Wan'er, did you say your brother's na is Nantian Jianzhu? The current Nantian Swordmaster? The Swordmaster of the Nantian Sect?"
"Yes. My brother is this generation's Nantian Swordmaster."
"So all this ti, the brother you spoke of is the youngest Swordmaster of the Nantian Sect. Since he still visits the Central Continent, then perhaps things turned out well after all."
But then, Jun Laoye's expression grew complicated. "No... that's not right. Wan'er, do you know what the title of Nantian Swordmaster ans?"
"Of course I do. I asked grandpa back then." Nantian Wan'er's voice brightened a little as she continued. "Grandpa told the Nantian Swordmaster is the sect leader of the Nantian Sect, just like your Heavenly Dao Spear. It's a title passed down within the clan."
"Is it really that simple?" Jun Laoye's expression tightened as he looked at Nantian Wan'er. It seed he had more to say but couldn't bring himself to voice it.
"Yeah, Grandpa said it really is that simple. Is there anything wrong?"
"N-No... Maybe I rembered it wrong." Jun Laoye quickly shook his head, then murmured under his breath, inaudible to others, "I recall that every Nantian Swordmaster eventually offered themselves to the stone stele in the Southern Forest. How could it rely be a matter of passing on the title?"
"What happened after that? Since your brother didn't die, why do you say you never t again?" Jun Laoye leaned closer and asked softly. "If he could appear in the Central Continent, surely he could have returned to the Nantian Sect as well?"
"There was never a chance for us to et," Nantian Wan'er replied. "My brother had been gone too long. In my impatience, I secretly trained on my own, which only worsened the cold poison in my body, leaving unconscious for a long ti each month."
A faint smile returned to her face. "But whenever I woke up, I always found new things left around . That was how I knew my brother had been back a few days earlier.
"In recent years, as the cold poison grew worse, grandpa had no choice but to take out, both for treatnt and to seek a cure."
She slowly walked over to Nantian Yijian, checked his condition, and fed him two Heaven Restoration Pills. "Grandpa and I traveled across the Nantian Region but found nothing. We were just about to enter the Jianghai Region through the Demonic Beast Forest to continue our search when, by chance, we ca across Uncle Jun opening the portal to the Green Emperor's secret realm. That's how I t all of you, and by luck, I obtained the Fire Essence that cured my cold poison."
Hearing Nantian Wan'er's cheerful laugh, Jun Laoye laughed along. "Hahaha, fate truly works in mysterious ways. This is wonderful. When we head to the Nantian Region, you'll finally be able to see your brother with your own eyes."
"Yes, it's wonderful indeed," Nantian Wan'er said with a light laugh, stretching lazily against the wall. "But enough talking. I think Lu-gege is about to wake up. Let's wait and see."
"Mm, alright, but..."
"Brother Jun, what is it? You seem like you want to say sothing."
"Well... you've shared so much about yourself. Do you want to hear my story?" Jun Laoye hesitated, fidgeting slightly before admitting, "The reason why I left the Central Continent and ca alone to the Jianghai Region to join Second Uncle?"
"Central Continent? Grandpa told it's a mysterious place. Cultivators from there are all prodigies," Nantian Wan'er said, hesitating. "But Brother Jun, are you really going to tell about your past? You've always seed unwilling to speak of it."
"Hahaha, that was long ago. There's no need to be reluctant anymore," Jun Laoye laughed, leaning against the wall. "If you're willing to listen, I'll tell you now."
"Alright. Lu-gege isn't awake yet anyway," Nantian Wan'er said softly, sitting a short distance from him. "If you truly wish to tell , I'll listen carefully, just as you listened to earlier."
"Hahaha, very well," Jun Laoye laughed a few more tis, cleared his throat, and started telling his stories. "You're from the Nantian Sect, so you should know that this continent is ruled by twelve great clans and tens of thousands of sects. But in truth, the real power rests with seven aristocratic clans. Four control the four cardinal regions, while the Central Continent is jointly governed by three."
He glanced at Nantian Wan'er, straightened up, and cleared his throat again. "And the story I'm about to tell starts with the Heavenly Rite Manor of the Central Continent—"
Boom!
Just as Jun Laoye ntioned the Central Continent, a deafening crash ca from where Lu Chen was. Jun Laoye laughed awkwardly. "So I've been interrupted again... Looks like I won't get the chance this ti."
"It's alright, Brother Jun. We have plenty of ti. We can hear it later," Nantian Wan'er quickly stood and moved toward Lu Chen. "Lu-gege must be waking up, or he wouldn't have caused such a commotion. Let's check on him first."
She sat in front of Lu Chen, split part of her consciousness, and entered his mind directly.
She found herself at the center of an isolated island. Watching the flickering light around her, she asked softly, "Lord Wind Dragon, how is Lu-gege's condition? Why is his mind fluctuating like this? Did sothing happen?"
"This is the power of the Ancestral Dragon. But what I don't understand is why Little Lu's mind has beco like this. And look at the mark between the brows of his Divine Psyche Incarnation. I've seen it before, in fragnts of an ocular art. That mark is the legendary Eye of the Ancestral Dragon."
1. Nantian Jianzhu translates literally as Nantian Swordmaster. We chose this rendering because he had changed his birth na to Nantian Jianzhu, which also serves as the title Nantian Swordmaster. ☜
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