Love Travels through Time (My father who traveled through time and space to cultivate immortality came back to pick me up) - Chapter 39
Chapter 39: Severance
Wh-what? Bai Xingxian couldn’t react in time, “An apology? Uncle, you resolved Silver Sand’s dire crisis, so why would you go apologize?”
Besides, what on earth did he mean by sewing its mouth shut to apologize?
It would have been fine if Bai Xingxian hadn’t asked, but the gaze Yin Changli directed at him grew somewhat dissatisfied.
“Little Bai, when I asked you to recount my life, you never mentioned that I was so arrogant and impolite as a person—that the moment I opened my mouth, I loved belittling and mocking others.”
He had simply thought he carried himself too loftily, constantly floating in the clouds.
He hadn’t expected his tongue to be so sharp, constantly flinging daggers at the ground.
Bai Xingxian let out an “Ah,” scratching the back of his head, “I-Is that so?”
“Is that so?”
Yin Changli asked Dao Chen inside his sea of consciousness this time.
According to Little Bai, Dao Chen had also stayed by his side for many years.
During those years, Little Bai happened to be undergoing his transformation, hiding trembling in a mountain gully covered in magic arrays to avoid his heavenly tribulation, so he happened to be missing a servant to pour tea and water.
“That’s nothing,” Dao Chen inside the sea of consciousness said with a chuckle.
“Senior Yin was already showing plenty of mercy toward Xiang Heng and his daughter.”
Understood. Yin Changli urged Bai Xingxian once more, “Hurry up and give it to me.”
“Uncle, don’t just act on every whim!”
How could Bai Xingxian dare? He snatched the snake jar away and bolted.
…
Inside the Hall of Law, Ye Qianzhi and Wumian were kneeling upright.
Ye Qianzhi kept his head lowered, while Wumian’s face was completely filled with shock after hearing the truth.
“Senior Brother is from the upper realm…”
If these words hadn’t come directly from his most trusted Second Senior Brother, and if Master hadn’t nodded in confirmation, he wouldn’t have believed it if he were beaten to death.
“Wumian, where is your brain? How come after all these years, you haven’t grown a brain at all? Did it all go to your fists?!”
Just looking at him made Xiang Heng’s blood boil.
He kicked him right in the chest, sending him sprawling to the ground.
His ribs were nearly broken by the kick, yet Wumian didn’t dare utter a peep.
He immediately scrambled back up to kneel properly, expertly slapping his own cheeks back and forth, repenting with regret.
“I was wrong, Master! I’ll go bow and apologize to Little Junior Sister right away!”
There were times Xiang Heng truly wanted to kick him to death, but he was just such a brainless, stubborn fool, something he had known ever since he picked him up.
Back then, Silver Sand was nothing like the peaceful landscape of today. It could be described as a wild frenzy of monsters and a carnival for evil spirits, where corpses regularly littered the wilderness.
Xiang Heng had accidentally saved a young, radish-sized Wumian once. Later, when he was injured and hiding in a subterranean cave, this little radish stood guard at the cave entrance for dozens of days. Using his sharp teeth and claws, he drove off the sand beasts attempting to approach, not making a sound even when one of his ears was bitten off.
Once Xiang Heng recovered, he naturally hauled him away.
Mindful of that devotion, even though the beastly nature in Wumian outweighed his humanity and he was constantly causing trouble, Xiang Heng had always borne the burden for him.
“Master, you shouldn’t blame Wumian this time. It’s all my fault…”
Ye Qianzhi prostrated himself, kowtowing on the floor.
Xiang Heng was merely angry at Wumian, but when his gaze shifted to Ye Qianzhi, his heart turned thoroughly cold.
When Ye Qianzhi was only two or three years old, he was snatched away by an heretical cult, turning from an heretical cultivator’s test subject into an heretical cultivator himself, controlled by the sect with venomous gu bugs all along.
Xiang Heng had extracted the demonic gu from inside his body and kept him by his side.
First, because he thought the boy was pitiable, having never truly chosen his own life.
Second, because Silver Sand was plagued by many wicked pathways, keeping an heretical cultivator around allowed them to trip fewer traps and speed up the process of reforming Silver Sand.
Though there was an element of utility involved, Xiang Heng had never hidden it from him.
Ye Qianzhi had braved life and death for him, and Xiang Heng had similarly granted every request Ye Qianzhi made.
“You said you were rejected by heaven and earth, so I took you in—and this is how you repay me? Your idea of acting for my own good is to kill my biological daughter?”
Ye Qianzhi remained prostrate on the ground, unwilling to rise.
“It is your disciple’s incompetence. Your disciple truly did not know how to cross this insurmountable mountain, and could only resort to this worst of plans. Furthermore, your disciple was also prepared to trade a life for a life…”
“You deserve to die! Can your life compensate for my daughter’s?” Xiang Heng said furiously, “Even if you think I am casting you aside after you’ve served your purpose, get out! Get out of Silver Sand, and don’t ever appear before me again!”
Wumian, who was busy slapping his own face, heard this and hurriedly spoke up, “Master, Second Senior Brother was indeed wrong, but he…”
Xiang Heng pointed at him and barked, “Say another word and you get out too!”
Wumian shuddered violently.
“It does not matter if your disciple leaves, but Master…”
Ye Qianzhi looked up and implored earnestly, “You cannot keep Tianqing in Silver Sand any longer. She will only continue to bring disaster upon Silver Sand. For every day she remains, you and Silver Sand will face immense risk.”
Xiang Heng said coldly, “She is the daughter I lovingly raised. As long as she is unwilling to leave, no one can force her away from my side—not even Jingwen.”
Besides, what on earth was going on with Jing Wen?
Who knew whether he harbored any sleazy intentions, using Tianqing to reminisce about someone from his past through her?
Just thinking about it made Xiang Heng feel thoroughly disgusted, and he had no intention of telling Tianqing whatsoever.
“Sword Venerable Jingwen?” Ye Qianzhi was slightly taken aback.
“Since the Sword Venerable wishes to take Tianqing away, that couldn’t be better. Master, Meng Xilou and the others wanted Tianqing to command the attention of the world in the future, which was also the purpose of her descending to the mortal realm for experience. You insisting on binding Tianqing to your side and keeping her in this barren border region isn’t protecting her—it’s obstructing her.”
These words struck right at the heart of the matter, leaving Xiang Heng momentarily stunned.
Indeed, Tianqing didn’t seem to need his protection.
Regarding the matter of Tianqing killing him with her own hands after he fell into demonic madness, he felt no heartache over it.
This was because Xiang Heng had always faced the risk of falling into demonic madness. Every time before he went into secluded cultivation to suppress the demonic poison, he would instruct Xiang Tianqing that if he showed signs of slipping into demonic madness, she must not be soft-hearted and must kill him with her own hands.
Xiang Heng understood himself very well.
If a day truly came when he lost his mind, the only ones capable of calling back a sliver of his sanity and approaching him safely were the two daughters he cherished.
“Master, please consider this carefully…”
Seeing him sitting in deep thought with furrowed brows for a long while, Ye Qianzhi continued his persuasion.
After a long silence from Xiang Heng, Xiang Tianqing’s voice came from outside the door.
“Dad.”
Xiang Heng snapped back to reality.
“Come in.”
Xiang Tianqing pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Her originally beautiful face was so pale that not a trace of color remained, though her split lips bled with a startling, vivid red.
She had fainted on the spot upon seeing Meng Xilou’s body.
When she woke up and wanted to check on her eldest senior brother who had always spoiled her the most, she learned that his corpse had already been sent off to the Royal Capital, without even stepping foot past the main gate of the City Lord Mansion.
Just as she was filled with shock, she heard that her deceased second senior brother had actually returned alive, so she hurriedly ran to the Hall of Law to see what was going on.
“Second Senior Brother, you really are still alive!”
When Xiang Tianqing saw Ye Qianzhi, a ray of light finally emerged within her lifeless, almond-shaped eyes.
Ye Qianzhi looked up at her, his gaze cool and void of any emotion.
Xiang Tianqing was about to throw herself over, but her footsteps shrank back, and she froze in her tracks.
Looking over at Wumian nearby.
“Third Senior Brother?”
Wumian looked up to glance at her swiftly with a complex expression.
His lips moved, but he swallowed his words and lowered his head once more.
The solemn and suffocating atmosphere inside the hall, alongside her senior brothers’ unusual attitudes toward her, made Xiang Tianqing not dare to speak another word.
Her fingers clutched tightly until her knuckles turned white. Apprehensive and uneasy, she walked up to Xiang Heng’s side, reached out her hand to gingerly nudge his arm, her voice trembling slightly, “Dad…”
Xiang Heng let out a soft sigh, raising his hand to stroke her long hair.
“Is your body feeling a bit better?”
His gaze remained affectionate, allowing Xiang Tianqing’s heart to settle somewhat.
“Why did you send Master Senior Brother’s body away?”
Furthermore, she couldn’t feel any sadness from her father over her eldest senior brother’s death.
Xiang Heng avoided answering. After hesitating repeatedly, he sent a voice transmission.
“Little Qing, Sword Venerable Jingwen told me that he wants to take you as his disciple and bring you to the Royal Capital.”
Xiang Tianqing was stunned for a moment, her beautiful eyes widening.
“Wasn’t the Sword Venerable going to take my younger sister as his disciple? How did it suddenly change to me?”
Xiang Heng: “He wants both of you. He fancies Little Kui’s talent in cultivating the sword, while you…”
The Sword Venerable had instructed him not to reveal the truth, but Xiang Heng hadn’t agreed, spilling her dramatic life story in complete detail.
The more Xiang Tianqing listened, the more astonished she became.
Xiang Heng said, “The specifics are far too complicated. Moreover, since I am merely a possessor of this body, he cannot teach you as a granddisciple. If you go to the Royal Capital and join the Sword Dao Academy, you will be his disciple. At the same time, you remain the eldest young lady of Silver Sand City, so you needn’t worry about him harboring any ulterior motives toward you.”
Through this encounter, he was certain that Jingwen still cared about saving face.
Only then did Xiang Tianqing learn the reason behind Jingwen’s confrontation—that it was actually the disaster brought upon her father by her own absurd birth parents.
For a moment, she was overwhelmed with self-reproach: “Your daughter isn’t going anywhere. Your daughter wants to stay in Silver Sand…”
Although the two were communicating via voice transmission, Ye Qianzhi saw her shaking her head and immediately said, “Little Junior Sister, you must leave. Staying here is harming Master and harming Silver Sand.”
“Second Senior Brother, what are you talking about?”
Xiang Tianqing couldn’t understand and looked at him blankly.
“I beg you, please let us go,” Ye Qianzhi said solemnly, disregarding Xiang Heng’s warning glare.
Xiang Tianqing truly didn’t comprehend what on earth had happened.
Just as she was about to ask further, she suddenly recalled the words Xiang Haikui had transmitted to her when she was framed for killing Ye Qianzhi.
Xiang Haikui had said she was a fairy from the upper realm who descended to the mortal realm to undergo a tribulation, and that Meng Xilou was her elder brother from the upper realm…
Heavens!
Xiang Tianqing’s breath hitched, and she nearly fainted once again.
So, they actually believed Xiang Haikui’s absurd claim?!
So, when Eldest Senior Brother died, they were completely indifferent?!
Xiang Tianqing felt as though she had fallen into an ice cave.
After standing frozen in place for a long time, her pale face was suddenly flushed red by surging blood and fury.
Grit teeth tightly, she uttered not a single word, turning around and walking right out of the Hall of Law.
…
Xiang Haikui slept in her room for two to three hours. Turning over, she pressed against her wound, waking up instantly from the jolt of pain.
When holding her breath in battle, she hadn’t felt exhausted.
Once she rested, the pain caught up instead.
Flipping over slightly brought out a head full of cold sweat. She simply got up and went out into the courtyard, executing a set of sword maneuvers under the moonlight to speed up her blood circulation.
Just as she was about to return to her room, her divine sense detected Xiang Tianqing walking briskly toward her, her red lips pressed tightly together and her eyes somewhat swollen.
Xiang Haikui stood under the corridor, waiting for her to approach.
When the distance was a mere twenty feet, Xiang Tianqing suddenly drew her sword, unleashing a wave of sword aura toward Xiang Haikui with fierce momentum despite lacking any technical skill.
Tian kuang didn’t seem to take her seriously, offering no warning whatsoever.
With quick hands and sharp eyes, Xiang Haikui side-stepped and spun around. Not only did she dodge the sword strike, but she also spun right to her side, firmly grabbing the wrist holding her sword.
That wave of sword qi sliced past the corridor pillar, carving a deep groove into it.
The building materials used in Silver Sand City were by no means ordinary, but the cacti and desert flora planted in the courtyard bore the brunt of the damage, completely uprooted by the sword aura.
Unable to break free from her grip even using spiritual energy, Xiang Tianqing raised her free hand high in a fit of rage, attempting to slap her across the face—only to have that wrist caught as well.
The four arms of the two women were twisted together.
Xiang Haikui could see her towering chest heaving up and down in fury.
“Sister, calm down.”
“Did you kill Eldest Senior Brother? Did you?!”
The way Xiang Tianqing looked at her was like staring at a terrifying monster.
Beneath the surface of her towering rage lay a deeply buried terror.
Xiang Haikui didn’t know what their father had told her, and for a moment, she wasn’t sure whether she should admit it or not.
With both arms immobilized, Xiang Tianqing tried to use her feet, yet she was still effortlessly suppressed by Xiang Haikui.
“You are truly terrifying!”
Xiang Tianqing cried as she launched her accusation.
“I know you harbor resentment toward me, feeling that I, an adopted daughter, stole everything belonging to you, the biological daughter! Even if you secretly killed me, I could accept it—how could you fabricate such lies…”
“It wasn’t fabricated by me; it’s the truth,” Xiang Haikui held her in a tight grip.
“And whether you believe it or not, I bear no resentment toward you.”
Upon learning that her father had soul-transmigrated to another world and gained another daughter by his side, she had felt a slight pang of discomfort at first.
However, looking at it from another perspective—that her father had been forced far from home in an alien world, and having a daughter to keep him company was a good thing—she had long made peace with it.
“Besides, I have no time to engage in petty rivalry with you. Just trying to survive the hands of your disgusting family has already left me completely overwhelmed!”
Xiang Haikui’s attitude was equally unyielding.
Holy shit, she had been kept entirely in the dark, yet she hadn’t done anything wrong.
Why should she take the blame and let her vent her temper on her?
Xiang Haikui released her grip.
Before Xiang Tianqing could react, she shoved her by the shoulder, sending her staggering back several steps.
Xiang Tianqing braced her sword against the ground and was about to attack again.
Without drawing her sword, Xiang Haikui blasted her sword aura away with a single palm strike, shouting sharply, “If you keep throwing a tantrum, I’m drawing my sword!”
“What are you two doing?”
Hearing the commotion, Xiang Heng rushed over from the Hall of Law, stopping her and stepping directly between his two daughters.
“Dad, do you believe the lies she fabricated as well?” Xiang Tianqing looked at him.
Xiang Heng was slightly taken aback by the question.
Xiang Haikui said, “When I was framed earlier, I told her about Meng Xilou being her brother.”
Xiang Heng remained silent.
Xiang Tianqing’s heart sank all the way to the bottom.
The courtyard had already been sealed off.
Ye Qianzhi, who had followed behind, advised, “Tianqing, this isn’t a lie fabricated by Little Junior Sister—it’s the truth. My physical body was destroyed by that demonic cultivator, and that demonic cultivator was Meng Xilou’s trusted confidant…”
“Nonsense!”
Xiang Tianqing questioned fiercely, “If it were true, why didn’t Eldest Senior Brother apprehend the demonic cultivator directly when he framed Xiang Haikui? Why did he even permit Xiang Haikui to duel him one-on-one?”
Ye Qianzhi remained silent.
Xiang Haikui defended herself, “That was because the master and servant had a conflict in their plans! Meng Xilou was far more interested in the ‘expert’ behind me, whereas Huaimie only wanted you to kill father to prove your Dao as soon as possible, achieving fame and glory!”
“Did any of what you said actually happen?” Xiang Tianqing glared at her, trembling all over with rage, losing even the strength to hold her sword.
What about Xiang Haikui being tortured to death, her father going mad, and herself killing her father to prove her Dao for the whole world to see?
Did any of that happen?
No!
The plain fact before her eyes was that within a brief span of time, Xiang Haikui had become a grand, towering figure in the hearts of Silver Sand’s people.
The duel challenge issued by Sword Venerable Jingwen had even made it effortless for her to become world-famous.
And what about herself?
The eldest senior brother who spoiled her was dead.
Second Senior Brother and Third Senior Brother had defected one after another, and even her father was hesitating about sending her away to the Royal Capital!
…
While Xiang Tianqing was spiraling in her internal deductions, Xiang Haikui simply pushed the door open and returned to her room.
Xiang Tianqing’s prejudice against her ran far too deep, making explanation completely impossible.
Rather than wasting her own time, she’d let her father and the others deal with the headache.
Xiang Haikui locked the door restriction and even activated a soundproofing barrier—out of sight, out of mind.
She originally intended to go back to sleep, but her agitated mood kept her eyes from closing. She pulled the jade slip out of her storage ring, closed her eyes, and projected her divine sense into it.
The jade slip seemed to be locked, constantly shutting her out.
Not knowing how to open it, she pounded on the door continuously with her divine sense.
After knocking roughly ninety-odd times, she suddenly felt as though she had bumped into a bundle of cotton—light and soft, wrapping around her.
The light and shadows around her shifted, and she knew her consciousness had entered the interior of the jade slip.
Once she passed the adjustment period, the scene before her eyes nearly made her pass away on the spot!
Above her head hung a full round moon, and beneath her feet lay a vast ocean, glittering under the moonlight.
She and Yin Changli stood face-to-face, so close that the moment she raised her head, her lips might graze his chin.
Xiang Haikui hurriedly took a step back.
“Senior?”
Clad in a light gray robe, Yin Changli stood motionless with his eyes closed, an unseen breeze gently fluttering his long hair.
“Senior?”
After shouting two more times and seeing no reaction from him, Xiang Haikui gathered her courage, stepped forward, and circled him several times.
What was going on here?
Did she need to press some kind of “button” to connect with him and bring him to life?
Xiang Haikui thought for a moment, extending her finger to poke him.
Her original target was his chest, but as she drew close, she diverted the path at the last second and poked the tip of his nose instead.
Touching and pulling away instantly, she leaped far back like a frog.
Unexpectedly, her lucky hit actually activated the “mechanism.”
Yin Changli slowly opened his eyes, his wax-figure-like face gradually coming alive.
“Very good. Your ability to come here indicates that half of Silver Sand’s crisis has been resolved.”
He paused.
Xiang Haikui was astonished, “Senior, is this a clone of yours as well?”
Yin Changli smiled faintly, “This is not a clone. No matter how strong a person is, they can only split off one clone at a time. This is merely a thread of consciousness I sealed inside the jade slip. Once activated, it will dissipate after an hour, so we need to keep this brief.”
With time so tight, Xiang Haikui said hurriedly, “Senior, outside right now…”
Yin Changli shook his head, “Do not tell me what has transpired outside. I do not wish to know, for fear that I might be unable to resist guiding you. If that happens, my archenemy will spot traces belonging to me. Just go ahead and handle things with a free hand; I merely need to brief you on a few minor matters…”
“Please go ahead, Senior,” Xiang Haikui responded, though doubt lingered in her mind.
The boss was replying seamlessly, but his eyes seemed slightly off.
Xiang Haikui shifted her steps a bit to the left, but his pupils did not follow her movement.
Sure enough, it wasn’t some thread of consciousness at all—it was just a projection, a pre-recorded image.
Presumably, he feared she might show disrespect toward his image, so even if it was just a shadow left behind, he had to maintain his noble demeanor.
Xiang Haikui raised an eyebrow, feeling rather sharp herself this time.
There was no helping it; working under this boss required constant vigilance.
Yin Changli continued, “The first matter: while I am heavily injured and suffering from amnesia, you need to protect me well and not let anyone bully me.”
He paused, letting out a cold chuckle, “I know you harbor plenty of dissatisfaction toward me. If you take this opportunity to bully me, humph…”
So what if I bully you? Xiang Haikui was currently holding in a stomach full of frustration. She strode right up to him and swung a fist toward his projection.
She didn’t dare hit his real body, but what was there to fear from a recording?
Unexpectedly, her wrist was suddenly grabbed.
It was solid, bearing a somewhat cool touch, causing Xiang Haikui to widen her eyes in shock.
Yin Changli slowly lowered his head.
His feigned dead-fish eyes came alive, laced with a hint of playful banter as he looked straight into the depths of her eyes, “It seems you truly would bully me.”
Xiang Haikui cursed herself for being careless and getting pitted once again, “Senior, aren’t you being far too bored?!”
Yin Changli burst into a fit of laughter, “Hahaha! I told you I am a living thread of consciousness—who asked you to be clever?”
Her wrist was still held in his grip.
As he shook with laughter, she trembled along with him.
Xiang Haikui looked up at the sky in speechless resignation—no anger, no emotion, she was used to it.
With curved brows and laughing eyes, Yin Changli said, “You’re angry and wanted to hit me because of how I described you earlier, aren’t you? Hasn’t it proven now that what I said was true?”
With demonic laughter ringing in her ears, Xiang Haikui felt utterly helpless, “Senior, please stop laughing. Don’t you only have an hour? Say what you need to say quickly?”
“No matter. What I have to say takes only fifteen minutes, so I can use the remaining time to laugh at you. You little brat are my recent source of joy.”
Help! Xiang Haikui screamed inwardly.
Who on earth could put this dog of a man in his place?
Seeing her expression, Yin Changli found it hard to stop laughing even if he tried.
However, in the next instant, his laughter came to an abrupt halt, as though someone had suddenly clapped a hand over his mouth.
Huh? He tried again, but could only utter a faint “hissing” sound.
Completely bewildered, he stroked his lips with his thumb.
What was going on? Why could he no longer speak human words?
