Love Travels through Time (My father who traveled through time and space to cultivate immortality came back to pick me up) - Chapter 62
Chapter 62: Senior Brother
In the past, aside from their employer-employee relationship, Xiang Haikui felt a sense of gratitude toward him.
No matter how much the boss emphasized that he was doing it for his own sake, Xiang Haikui was thankful to him.
Through ten years together, in caring for the puppy boss and in her bond with Little Bai, genuine affection had formed.
Things were different now.
Ever since the boss woke up, he had repeatedly stressed that they were completely square.
The two of them were now in a purely contractual relationship.
Yin Changli looked at the umbrella handle in his hand, a look of subtle disbelief gradually surfacing in his eyes.
“Xiang Haikui, believe it or not…”
Believe what? That he would fire her?
Xiang Haikui wasn’t afraid in the slightest; she was hot property right now.
“Senior Han Qi probably hasn’t walked far yet. If you want to kick me out, you’d better do it quick.”
Yin Changli’s lip line tightened slightly.
“Miss Xiang, I hope you understand that my taking you with me today is not because you are useful to me, but simply because I feel I have implicated you…”
“I understand,” Xiang Haikui interrupted, holding out her hands.
“It’s all a deal anyway—you’re paying money to buy peace of mind.”
She thought for a moment, then added, “Besides, Senior, you really don’t need to force yourself to protect me. It doesn’t matter if I follow Senior Han Qi. I don’t mind using his name for protection. I’m not a person with much pride—I’ve done all sorts of things just to survive.”
She was no naive college student unversed in the cruelty of society.
Back then, if it hadn’t been to keep up with her senior brother’s footsteps, she would have given up on taking the college entrance exam long ago.
She had struggled tremendously even just to get through high school.
As a good-looking orphan, she was frequently harassed by local thugs.
On the day her senior brother rescued her, a petty boss had wanted to keep her as a mistress; when she refused, he sent a crew of hooligans to corner her.
In that moment, she was truly just a hair’s breadth away from giving in—she had begun to question why she was pushing herself so hard when she had the face and the figure to easily live a comfortable life.
To survive, a person’s bottom line is constantly forced lower and lower.
Fortunately, she ran into her senior brother.
It turned out that the “ray of light in the darkness” written in novels really did exist.
That very night, she went to the petty boss’s residence carrying a fruit knife.
She first dialed the police, and then stabbed herself.
It terrified the petty boss so badly he never dared to trouble her again.
She began to study earnestly, chasing her senior brother’s footsteps to get into the best university in the province.
As her environment gradually improved, she slowly came to live like a normal person.
Yin Changli didn’t know what memories had surfaced in her mind; her eyelashes remained lowered the entire time.
He said nothing further, holding his umbrella as he walked on.
Xiang Haikui snapped back to reality and caught up with him.
All the way to the gates of the Royal Capital, they didn’t spot a single ferocious ghost or foul beast—they all seemed to be avoiding Yin Changli.
Although the Royal Capital was locked down by a massive formation, Yin Changli led Xiang Haikui through the barrier with effortless ease.
“Student Xiang.”
Just after leaving the barrier, Xiang Haikui actually heard a voice transmission from her senior brother.
She initially thought it was Han Qi, but Han Qi wouldn’t call her “student.”
Xiang Haikui quickly turned her head.
Jing Ran was catching up with sword in hand, only to be stopped by the city-sealing formation at the gates.
“Senior Brother?” Xiang Haikui was still unsure.
Jing Ran nodded.
“Senior Han Qi has already left.”
Having just returned to his own physical body, he still looked quite unaccustomed to it.
His aura was considerably erratic, and his complexion was extremely pale.
Most notably, there were faint dark bruises around his neck—left behind from Yin Changli choking him.
Xiang Haikui first glanced at Yin Changli, questioning him with her eyes.
Yin Changli darted a glance at Jing Ran and nodded slightly.
Reassured that it was truly her senior brother, Xiang Haikui asked with a smile, “Is there something you need?”
He had only just returned to his body; he ought to be resting.
“Is this Senior Yin?” Jing Ran instead looked toward Yin Changli.
“Yes,” Xiang Haikui answered on his behalf.
Jing Ran cupped his hands in greeting.
“Senior Han told me that you two are heading to the Underworld. I wonder if Senior Yin could take me along?”
Yin Changli knit his brows.
“What are you going there for?”
Jing Ran replied, “I have never been, so I would like to broaden my horizons.”
Yin Changli said nonchalantly, “No rush. Once you die, you’ll naturally go.”
Xiang Haikui sent a voice transmission: “Don’t mind him. He’s always had a foul tongue and snarls at everyone.”
Jing Ran didn’t mind: “Senior Han Qi said that Senior Yin dislikes owing others above all else. But Senior Yin, do you not owe something to me?”
“Oh?” Yin Changli found it amusing.
“If you are referring to how I intentionally gave Xiang Heng the wrong formation formula so he would fetch you here, I don’t feel I owe you anything. You inherently desired to cultivate, and I simply fulfilled your wish, did I not?”
“However… choosing to stay behind was my own choice, and taking a master was by my own capability. What does any of that have to do with you, Senior?”
Jing Ran lowered his eyes and said slowly, “Senior Han borrowing my body was, in the final analysis, caused by you, Senior. My staying alive is thanks to Senior Han’s benevolence; had I lost my life over this, shouldn’t this karma be tallied on your account, Senior?”
Xiang Haikui suddenly grew nervous, shifting a step closer between the two of them.
“You make a good point,” Yin Changli asked.
“Did Han Qi teach you to say that?”
Jing Ran did not answer.
“Senior only needs to take me there and back; I will by no means interfere with your matters. That way, we shall be square.”
Yin Changli didn’t answer either.
With a flick of his sleeve, the city-sealing barrier split open a gap down the middle.
Jing Ran passed through the rift and cupped his hands again.
“Many thanks.”
Yin Changli turned and continued walking.
Behind him, Xiang Haikui seemed to come completely alive, chattering endlessly.
He listened to her all along the way, his expression growing darker and darker.
After passing through the tunnel, Yin Changli arrived at the Netherworld.
Strangely, he was all alone—Xiang Haikui and Jing Ran had not appeared even by the time the tunnel closed.
The two of them had vanished together.
—
After returning to his true body, Han Qi regulated his breath for a moment, then stood up and walked out of the quiet room.
Star Slave greeted him respectfully.
“Master, you have returned.”
Han Qi nodded, walking outward without a word.
Seeing his lowered brows and deep contemplation, Star Slave didn’t even dare to breathe heavily.
Han Qi suddenly halted, turned around, and asked, “Star Slave, help your master analyze this—where on earth was what I said disgusting?”
He recounted to his disciple the two occasions where Yin Changli had cursed him as disgusting.
At first, Star Slave also looked utterly bewildered, but after pondering it for a moment, her lips twitched.
It originally wasn’t anything, but if one insisted on dragging it toward “disgusting,” it truly was quite disgusting.
If she didn’t know her master so intimately—knowing that beyond his poor acting skills, he was completely clueless about romantic affection—she really would have thought her master was flirting with him.
“Forget it…”
Seeing her hanging her head without answering, Han Qi assumed she didn’t know either.
After all, this disciple of his still lacked depth in her knowledge; Yin Changli’s realm was not something she could fathom.
Mulling it over, Han Qi walked out—this matter would likely give him food for thought for a long time.
Leaving Star-Plucking Palace, he arrived at the Emperor’s Palace of Listening Sky.
“Has the Emperor still not emerged from seclusion?”
When Han Qi had closed his doors to guests two hundred years ago to focus his energy on observing the star chart, the Emperor had already been in seclusion for over three hundred years. Counting to this day, it had been five hundred years in total, yet he still hadn’t emerged.
Just as he was preparing to head back, he was suddenly stopped by a voice: “Han Qi!”
Although the Celestial Clan looked down upon the Human Clan, very few dared to call Han Qi directly by his name.
Dugu He, the premier sword cultivator of the Celestial Clan—the very person who had defeated Qi Yin back then.
Han Qi particularly disliked him; or rather, Han Qi disliked all brutes.
“Senior Dugu.”
Han Qi remained expressionless, politely cupping his hands to him.
Dugu He walked forward. Extremely imposing and tall, he leaned slightly forward, squinting his eyes as he asked in a low voice, “How did it go? Success or failure?”
His eyes burned brightly, full of curiosity.
Han Qi shook his head.
“Hard to say—half and half.”
Dugu He was astonished.
“How can it be half and half?”
“Lord Changli has awakened, and I did not learn the whereabouts of the Divine Artifact. However, he now possesses a weakness.”
The time was not yet ripe, so Yin Changli would not act recklessly.
During this period, there was still an opportunity to obtain the Divine Artifact.
“However, his next step will be to release the prisoners of the Shanhai Clan. While a full-scale war won’t break out, small-scale friction will be unavoidable.”
A fanatical glint surfaced in Dugu He’s eyes: “Is that mad dog Qi Yin about to be released?!”
Han Qi nodded: “The sealing power on him is the strongest, so it will likely take a bit longer.”
“Wonderful!” Dugu He clenched his left hand into a fist and struck it into his right palm, his face flushing slightly with excitement. “That is truly wonderful!”
As the strongest of the Celestial Clan, Dugu He’s sole rival was Qi Yin.
When the two clans went to war back then, he had wanted to fight Qi Yin in an open and honorable duel.
Unfortunately, the Emperor—who was still the Second Prince at the time—had continuously tried to persuade him, begging him to prioritize the bigger picture.
Forced by circumstance, Dugu He had cooperated with a plot to bring Qi Yin down.
Winning through unfair means was the great regret of his life!
He laughed aloud.
“Fortunately, the Shanhai Clan produced a Yin Changli, giving that mad dog and me another chance at a duel! Hahahahaha…”
Han Qi truly had a headache over these brutes whose brains were filled with nothing but violence.
He subtly changed the subject.
“Is Senior Dugu also here to pay respects to the Emperor?”
Dugu He was still riding high on excitement, answering every question.
“Not at all. I am stationed at the Palace of Listening Sky to act as a guardian for the Emperor.”
“When did you arrive?”
When Han Qi came two hundred years ago, he hadn’t seen him.
“I’ve always been hiding. The Emperor didn’t permit me to step out,” Dugu He said with a smile.
“I saw that you looked displeased and thought you had failed, so I couldn’t resist coming out to ask.”
And sure enough, it had brought him good news.
Maintaining his smile, Han Qi said, “In that case, this junior shall take his leave.”
Dugu He concealed himself once more, “Go on then!”
After walking a distance, Han Qi turned back to glance at the towering gate tower of the Palace of Listening Sky.
Strange.
The Emperor was in seclusion—why would that warrant calling upon Dugu He to guard the pass?
Could it be that the Emperor had sent a clone down to the lower realm?
Even if a clone had descended, there would be no need for such extreme caution.
Unless… the Emperor was not inside the Palace of Listening Sky at all, and fearing an intrusion, he had asked Dugu He to guard the palace gates?
If that were truly the case, where had the Emperor been for over five hundred years?
With a war against the Shanhai Clan looming right on the horizon, would he really have the leisure to go out traveling?
Han Qi had arrived with a mind full of concerns, and he was leaving with even deeper anxiety.
Just as he stepped onto the stairs of Star-Plucking Palace, Han Qi’s footsteps abruptly came to a halt.
He suddenly understood why the person who tipped off Meng Nanting had acted so swiftly.
That person had complete mastery over his movements.
That person had been right “beside” him at the time.
Was it… Jing Ran?
Could Jing Ran be… the Emperor?!
The reason he hadn’t detected anything amiss was that the Emperor hadn’t sent down a clone—like Xiang Tianqing, he had directly reincarnated?
That was it.
Long before he and Yin Changli prepared to contend with Heavenly Fate, the Emperor had already reincarnated.
What’s more, he had reincarnated into an alternate world, becoming entangled with Xiang Haikui.
Could the Emperor foresee Heavenly Fate so far in advance?
No.
Han Qi guessed that the Emperor had reincarnated blindly, completely unaware of what he and Yin Changli would turn the Destiny Disk into.
Yet as a ruler blessed with immense fortune who chose to undergo a mortal tribulation through reincarnation, no matter how the Destiny Disk shifted, the god of luck would always favor him, reserving a thread of survival for him.
For instance, sending him to Xiang Haikui’s side.
Han Qi marvelled repeatedly.
To reincarnate and undergo a tribulation while completely in the dark, all to seek a sliver of hope for the Celestial Clan and himself—such boldness and decisiveness truly befitted the Emperor of the Celestial Clan.
And his own act of body-seizure had even trapped the Emperor inside the treasury for ten years.
The Emperor had, in all likelihood, awakened.
