by Translator: BornToBe; Author: Ordinary Magician (平凡魔术师); Licensed From: 17k
Long Chen smiled slightly. He knew it was because of the effect of the liquid given to him by the Spirit World expert. That liquid possessed extremely dense life energy and was exceedingly precious.
If Long Chen’s guess wasn’t wrong, it was most likely a trace of that expert’s life essence. That kind of gift was definitely not a light one.
With Wilde’s unique constitution, recovering that fast was only within reason since his body had been given such powerful nourishment.
But although his body was recovering, he definitely needed to replenish a great deal of energy after being tortured for so long. He was probably crazily devouring meat right now.
“As for Little Snow, we don’t know how he’s recovering. We set him up in a room and he won’t let anyone near him,” explained Mrs. Long.
“Haha, let’s go take a look.” Long Chen tidied up his clothes and arrived at an outer room of the Long estate. One of the room’s walls was torn down.
That was because Little Snow’s body was too big and he couldn’t fit through the door. They could see Little Snow lying there even from a distance.
“Wu!”
Long Chen had yet to even get close when the dozing Little Snow blinked his eyes and charged over.
Mrs. Long was given a fright and almost screamed. Facing such a huge beast, everyone would instinctively feel fear. Even Long Tianxiao felt a powerful pressure.
Long Chen laughed and hugged Little Snow’s head. “Looks like you’ve also recovered.”
His powerful Spiritual Strength swept out and entered Little Snow’s body. Little Snow’s broken bones had already mended back together. But there were still places where they hadn’t fully grown back and so there were many cracks.
But Long Chen’s medicinal pills were all high quality, and so they were very effective. Adding on Little Snow’s powerful recovery ability, there was already not much to worry about.
“Your major wounds have only just healed. You have to take it easy and not make any intense movements, understood?” Long Chen affectionately rubbed Little Snow’s head.
“Wu wu!” Little Snow rubbed his head against Long Chen’s chest.
Mrs. Long looked at that obedient and cute Little Snow that was practically acting like a puppy and couldn’t help but curiously ask, “Chen-er, can he understand what you’re saying?”
“Yup, pretty much. He grew up with me from the size of a hand, so he understands my intentions,” explained Long Chen.
In reality, Little Snow was unable to understand Long Chen’s speech. But due to their spiritual connection, he could sense and understand Long Chen’s thoughts.
At the same time, Long Chen could also sense Little Snow’s emotions. But this communication wasn’t through words and so it wasn’t that precise.
“Where did you get him? How come I didn’t know about it?” Mrs. Long was startled.
“Haha, he was sent to support me by Meng Qi.” Long Chen replied without thinking, but as soon as he said that, he saw his mother doing her best to signal him with his eyes.
Obviously, she was warning him not to mention Meng Qi in front of Chu Yao. Mrs. Long already regretted her big mouth.
“Mom, big sister Meng Qi sent such a precious Magical Beast to Long Chen. That is enough to prove that big sister Meng Qi has deep emotions for Long Chen. This is a good thing,” said Chu Yao.
“Mom? You’ve changed the honorific so fast?” Long Chen felt it was inconceivable.
But as soon as he said that, Chu Yao’s face turned completely red and Mrs. Long pulled her over to her side and fiercely told Long Chen, “Child, let me tell you, Chu Yao is the first daughter-in-law. If you make her feel wronged, I will not forgive you.”
Mrs. Long’s words were extremely clever. That ‘first daughter-in-law’ was used remarkably well, causing Chu Yao to feel much more comfortable. Long Chen definitely admired his mother’s skill in this area.
Long Chen looked from his mother to Chu Yao and didn’t say anything, only laughing foolishly. He laughed so much that Chu Yao wished she could find somewhere to hide herself.
“Ok, now that the crisis has passed and everything’s fine, let’s properly eat a meal. After all, we’re finally all together,” proposed Long Tianxiao.
To Long Tianxiao who spent his days fighting, being able to eat a meal with his family was an extremely rare and precious opportunity.
Their servants quickly prepared a sumptuous feast for them. But Long Chen noticed that the majority of them were all new faces, so he couldn’t help but feel astonished.
“Your father switched them all out,” explained Mrs. Long.
“What?”
“Child, normally you’re so smart, so how did you become so dumb now? They followed our Long family for so many years, always loyal and devoted. Having been implicated in such a terror, they almost lost their lives. Our Long family owes them far too much. Your father already gave each of them a huge fortune, enough to provide for them for a lifetime. That can count as compensation for them. But there was still a portion of the ones who didn’t want to leave and so they’re still working for us. In any case, we must remember this favor in our hearts,” sighed Mrs. Long.
Those people had been unrelated to their Long family, but when the Long family had been down and out, they hadn’t abandoned them.
In comparison, his mother’s family, which were clearly her blood sisters, had decided to hurt her as they had.
Looking at his mother’s sullen expression, Long Chen and Long Tianxiao exchanged a glance and quickly changed the topic to something happier, quickly bringing her out of her sadness.
“Dad, your son toasts you!” Long Chen raised a large cup of alcohol to Long Tianxiao. “To our family’s reunion!”
Long Tianxiao laughed heartily and also raised his cup, clinking their glasses. Chu Yao and Mrs. Long also raised their wine glasses. The four of them were all smiling happily.
Long Chen and Long Tianxiao directly emptied their cups in one go. As for Chu Yao and Mrs. Long, they obviously didn’t have such a high tolerance for alcohol. Chu Yao only drank one gulp before her face flushed, making her appear even cuter.
“That child Wilde still hasn’t returned in two days.” Mrs. Long felt a bit uneasy that they were missing Wilde from their group.
“Haha, Wilde’s probably still busy eating. Don’t worry,” laughed Long Chen. Pouring another cup for his father, he asked, “Dad how’s the situation in the capital?”
“It’s somewhat tranquil. Phoenix Cry’s biggest competitor was the Grand Xia, but now the Grand Xia has become a complete mess. The other prince was assassinated and now all the officials are busy greedily fighting for the position of Emperor. Even if one of them eventually becomes the new Emperor, their empire’s power will have dropped greatly. It’ll be impossible for them to threaten Phoenix Cry. As for Phoenix Cry, the other princes have already withdrawn from the power struggle. The seventh prince was recommended as the crown prince and is now in charge of the imperial court.” Long Tianxiao drank a mouthful of alcohol.
The other princes might be greedy, they weren’t stupid. They knew that none of them were able to compete with the seventh prince. That was because behind him stood a Tendon Transformation expert, his sister.
Furthermore, who didn’t know of Chu Yao’s relationship with Long Chen? With the backing of the Long family, no one would dare compete against him.
And since they couldn’t compete, the next best thing was to curry favor. The other princes all loudly acclaimed their praise for Chu Feng’s ascension, acting as if it was only to be expected.
Long Chen glanced at Chu Yao and suddenly laughed naughtily. “Haha, the sister of the Emperor. Come, a toast for you! Being the husband of the Emperor’s sister really is exciting!”
“You bad man!” Chu Yao glared at Long Chen prettily, causing the three of them to laugh.
“Child, you’re not allowed to bully Chu Yao!” Mrs. Long resisted laughing and lightly scolded him.
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In order to not miff Chu Yao, Mrs. Long revealed some embarrassing stories of Long Chen from when he was young. This time it was Long Chen’s turn to be helpless as Chu Yao laughed endlessly. Their family ate together in peaceful happiness.
After eating, Long Chen hesitated for a while before summoning up the courage to say, “Dad, mom, I want to go take a look at the outside world.”
Mrs. Long’s smile immediately disappeared. Chu Yao was also startled. Only Long Tianxiao had seemed to have long since expected that, his expression completely calm.
After a moment of silence, Mrs. Long’s trembling voice asked, “Chen-er, you really want to leave home?”
Long Chen lowered his head, not able to look his mother in the eyes. Their family had only just reunited. It was cruel to separate them again.
But Long Chen truly did want to see the outside world. His lover was still in that outer world. The Spirit World, Pill Valley, and that figure from his dreams with the power to destroy the very world, those things all told him that he had to leave Phoenix Cry.
“I’m preparing to leave with Chu Yao and Wilde.” Long Chen’s voice was so quiet that even he could barely hear it. His heart was filled with pain.
Chu Yao clearly relaxed a breath when she heard that. But looking at Mrs. Long’s heartbroken gaze, she immediately felt sad again.
“Our child has grown up. We should let him decide his own future. We have to learn to let go,” said Long Tianxiao suddenly. He continued, “Chen-er, since you’ve decided, it’s time for me to tell you a certain secret.”
“Long Tianxiao, you…!” Mrs. Long suddenly stood up and angrily glared at Long Tianxiao, giving Long Chen a fright.
As far as he could ever remember, his mother and father had always gotten along extremely well, never showing anger to each other like this. For his mother’s reaction to be so huge caused him to be at a loss.
“He has the right to know the truth.” Long Tianxiao firmly looked back at his wife.
“You… Long Tianxiao, I hate you!” Mrs. Long suddenly began to cry and ran out.
Chu Yao saw this situation and also left hastily, leaving behind only the two of them, father and son.
Chapter 114 The Truth
There was a certain river that flowed completely straight with no end in sight. It was bordered by high cliffs whose sides were as smooth as if they had been cleaved by a sword.
The river was hundreds of meters deep, and the racing water was like galloping horses, roaring into the distance, forming countless eddies.
Two people, one old and one young, were standing right on the edge of a cliff, looking down on the swirling river.
“Dad, why have you brought me here?” Long Chen was still confused.
The two of them had flown on a flying Magical Beast for a full day to arrive here. The view was definitely amazing, but Long Tianxiao wouldn’t waste that much effort just to bring him here for the scenery.
Long Chen also sensed that this river was a bit odd. But as for what part of it was strange, he was unable to tell.
“We came here so I can tell you the truth about your past.” Long Tianxiao looked down on the surging water, his expression complicated.
“The truth about my past?” Long Chen couldn’t believe his own ears.
Long Tianxiao sighed and patted Long Chen’s shoulders. “You are not actually my birth child. You were adopted.”
“What? How is that possible!?” Long Chen looked at Long Tianxiao in shock, his heart a complete mess.
“That is also why your mom went so out of control that day. She didn’t want you to know this secret.”
Even in the face of life and death battles, Long Chen had never felt so lost. He couldn’t accept this! His own father and mother weren’t his birth parents?
Long Chen’s mind became empty and desolate as if he had lost his soul.
“Chen-er, although you aren’t my biological son, in the eyes of your mom and I, you are our true son.” Long Tianxiao’s eyes blurred as he looked at Long Chen.
“If I’m not your biological son, why was I a part of your marriage agreement that you made before either Meng Qi or I were born?” asked Long Chen.
Hearing that, a pained expression appeared on Long Tianxiao’s face. Looking down on the surging water, he said, “Your mother and I were expecting a child. But in the seventh month of her pregnancy, an accident caused your mother to miscarry. We felt the painful loss of a child. At that time, your mother was in so much pain that she wished she were dead. Furthermore, at that time, I wasn’t even home as I had gone hunting. Your mother almost committed suicide. Only after I returned did your mother tell me about this matter.”
“Was it done by Marquis Ying?” Long Chen ground his teeth.
Long Tianxiao shook his head. “No. At that time, I had yet to sever his finger and still didn’t have that much of enmity with Marquis Ying. It really was just a careless mishap by your mother. That was also why she was filled with so much remorse and pain. I had just happened to find you as a baby and bring you back on my trip while I was still unaware of what had happened. You coincidentally filled the regret in your mother’s heart. Speaking of which, we both have to thank you, otherwise, with your mother’s constitution, that depression probably would have already taken her life.”
Long Chen continued to remain silent. Long Tianxiao patted him on the shoulder. “Real men don’t need to become a mess just because of some blood relationship or not. Even if you aren’t my birth son, I will forever spend my time trying to protect you from wind and rain. Even if I’m not your birth father, if I really do run into troubles, wouldn’t you still risk your life for me? There’s no need to worry about such senseless things as blood.”
Long Chen nodded. He also felt there was no need to split hairs over an insoluble issue. But still, for the parents he loved to not be his birth parents was still something that was difficult to accept.
“Your mother and I truly treat you as precious as our own lives. That is especially true for your mom. Having already lost a child, you are everything in her life,” said Long Tianxiao.
Long Chen shook. He finally understood why Long Tianxiao had told Chen Fei to protect Long Chen above everything else, even his mother, in the case of the worst case scenario.
Back then, he had thought that his father had given up on his mother. That he would protect him over his mother had caused him to feel some anger and disappointment. But now he finally understood his father’s pain.
His mother had already lost a child. She absolutely wouldn’t be able to endure losing a second child. If his father did end up saving his mother while letting Long Chen die, she would hate him for the rest of her life.
Thinking of how deep his mother and father’s love for him was, Long Chen couldn’t control his tears anymore and began to cry.
A father’s love was like a mountain; a mother’s love was like an ocean. He would never be able to repay their love in his lifetime. And now he was about to leave them. He was really too heartless.
“Dad, I-” Long Chen was about to say that he wouldn’t go when his father interrupted him.
“Chen-er, men must aspire to travel afar and make their mark on the world. Don’t give up your dream just for some familial love. If you do, your mother and I would feel guilty for the rest of our lives. I know your mom. Although she can’t really let you go like this, she truly wishes for you to be happy.”
Long Tianxiao had to stop for a moment before then continuing, “You’ve also become aware that someone has done something to your body.
“I also don’t know who did this. When I found you, you were barely over a month old. I have no idea who would do such a vicious thing to a baby, but when I found you, I realized your Dantian and abdomen had three strange holes in them that had yet to heal. If I haven’t guessed wrong, your Dantian’s Spirit Root must have been removed with some specific instrument. As for what the other two holes were for, I’m still not sure. But I assume it w
as furthering what had happened to your Spirit Root.”
Long Chen’s heart was racing. So what had happened to his body hadn’t been done by Marquis Ying. There was some other reason.
Long Tianxiao only knew that one hole had been facing his Dantian and realized that his Dantian was completely empty, his Spirit Root stolen.
But after Long Chen had merged with a Pill God’s memories, he was able to tell that it wasn’t just his Spirit Root. His Spirit Bone and his heart’s Spirit Blood had also been taken away.
Just how vicious would a person have to be in order to do such a thing to a baby only a month old?
“I knew then that you would perhaps never be able to cultivate. But I had thought that by relying on my capabilities, I could at least provide you with a basic, happy life. But unfortunately, I was drawn into a maelstrom and even implicated you and your mother, causing both of you to suffer much pain,” sighed Long Tianxiao helplessly.
“Originally, your mother and I thought that with our assistance, you would be able to live a carefree life. But now your fate has completely reversed. Even now, your mother and I are still unable to protect you. So even before you brought up leaving, I was long since mentally prepared. Today I brought you here to tell you these things. After all, you have your own birth parents. Your mother and I know the pain of losing one’s child, so I feel like you should know the truth.”
“Who are my birth parents?” Long Chen took a deep breath.
Long Tianxiao shook his head. “I don’t know. Back when I found you, it was right at this place. Two people were fighting intensely. The river you see here was formed by a slash from one of their swords.”
Long Chen was startled. He looked down at the river in disbelief, unable to say anything.
“If I hadn’t personally seen it, I also wouldn’t believe it. But it really is the truth. The two of them were fighting fiercely in the sky. Light shone from their bodies as they fought high up in the air. Sword Qi from them pierced through mountains…”
Long Tianxiao’s eyes became unfocused as he sank back into his memories. Although over ten years had passed since then, it was still as shocking as ever when he thought of it.
