Chapter 109: Containing Truth

Seeing the visitor, Han Su couldn’t help but be momentarily stunned. Since that day Huai Yin left for the Hexi Secret Realm, there had been no news from him.

The Hexi Secret Realm remained the same as before—it opened once every thirty years, each time lasting a month. For Huai Yin, who had reached the Great Completion stage, this was no obstacle. Even if he lacked knowledge of formation arrays, he could still tear open a gap with brute force, enough to enter alone.

Since then, Han Su had tried to contact him many times but never succeeded. Even when she was assigned to escort disciples on their trials to the Hexi Secret Realm, she never saw him again. After all, as one’s cultivation advanced, even a slight difference could become an insurmountable chasm.

Han Su and Huai Yin were separated by three major cultivation ranks. If he did not wish to meet her, no amount of searching or calling would change that.

She had thought they might never meet again in this lifetime. A hundred years was enough for both to mature. There was no crying, no blame—just a natural greeting, “You’ve come.”

“I have.”

What followed was a silent exchange, smiling quietly at each other.

The little Han Zhen in Han Su’s arms tilted her head, looking at him and then at Han Su, puzzled. Her lively eyes, very much like Dao Lord Heng Bo’s, rolled about in confusion.

Huai Yin couldn’t help but smile gently. Taking a few steps forward, he approached Han Su and stretched out his hands to take Han Zhen. “This is… your sister?”

His appearance was always dazzling, favoring splendid and luxurious ornaments. A magnificent long robe adorned his athletic frame. His long legs took a few graceful steps forward—words like “swaying elegance” or “stepping with the grace of blooming lotuses” might not suit him perfectly, yet somehow they fitted.

He was beautiful, yet without a hint of seductiveness. Compared to a century ago—the melancholy, the occasional playful air—he now seemed much sunnier. This emotional shift gave him a fresh aura. Little Han Zhen, looking at him, straightened her eyes. Seeing the hand he extended, she didn’t shy away but instead moved toward it.

Han Su watched the cat-like expression on Han Zhen’s face as she was held by Huai Yin, amused beyond measure. “Yes, this child’s fate is somewhat tragic. A hundred years ago, my mother was injured in an accident and then desperately gave birth to her, though her body was frail. Fortunately, Father used the Bailing Mushroom to concoct the Intermittent Pill, which saved her life.

“But Han Zhen was too young. Because of that injury, she carried a great deal of fire toxin within her. No matter how many pills she was fed, it was futile. At the time, we had no choice but to freeze her temporarily, relying on Mother’s water spirit energy to detoxify and Father’s wood spirit energy to sustain her. It wasn’t until ten years ago that she was saved.

“Now, although she’s out of danger, the toxin she carried since birth and the early trauma caused her growth to be slow. We can only feed her pills gradually to slowly change her constitution.”

Moved by her story, Huai Yin felt a pang of genuine pity for her. He gently lifted her a bit, looking into her innocent face, and instinctively held her tighter.

“How have you been all these years?” Han Su couldn’t help but ask.

“Alright.” Recalling the past years, Huai Yin smiled with a hint of melancholy. Back then, his heart was heavy with pain, and he chose to escape. He hid alone in the Hexi Secret Realm where he grew up, yet remained restless and uneasy.

Everywhere he looked were memories of times spent with Han Su—the cave dwelling she had personally altered, the places where he had trained her—each place seemed to hold lingering traces of their time together.

Moreover, it was a place filled with hope. Alone, he had spent thirty thousand years, from a naive little fox who couldn’t even control his human form, to the king of the entire secret realm, growing through countless trials and hardships, weathering every storm. There, he dreamed repeatedly of the world outside, imagining his loving mother, and his strong, doting father...

If only, if only he had never left back then. If they had stayed together in the Hexi Secret Realm, happily having children when joyful, and beating up monsters when angry...

Would it mean he wouldn’t have lost everything like he has now? Would all his dreams still be intact?

Han Zhen saw the sadness return to Huai Yin’s face and struggled to open the jade bottle stopper she held. Carefully tilting it to one side, she caught a pill—snow-white, round, with flowing golden cloud patterns—in her other hand.

Forgetting to replace the precious stopper, she pinched the pill and earnestly offered it to Huai Yin’s mouth. “Uncle, eat it. If you eat it, the pain will go away.”

Huai Yin’s lips were suddenly covered by the pill. A cool, refreshing medicinal aroma instantly swept through him, invigorating his spirit. Yet no medicine could compare to this warm gesture from the little girl. He looked at Han Zhen, somewhat surprised.

Han Zhen resembled Han Su very much—snow-white, smooth skin, chubby little cheeks, red cherry lips slightly puckered, giving her a very endearing look. Her eyes were round and large, with deep black pupils framed by long, curled lashes. The only difference from Han Su was the absence of dimples on her cheeks but a tiny bright red mole on her forehead. Against her snow-white skin, it resembled a resilient red plum blossom, adding a touch of brilliance.

“Han Zhen, Uncle’s pain is different from yours. Your medicine won’t work for him,” Han Su said, having noticed Han Zhen’s action. Then she turned to Huai Yin, “She no longer needs to be frozen, but the fire toxin in her body flares up occasionally. So I always make Ice Heart Jade Pot Pills for her. Taking one when she feels unwell helps.

“These pills only clear the heart and detoxify, and they won’t interfere with you. You can just spit it out.”

Hearing his sister’s words, Han Zhen hesitated, about to withdraw her hand. Huai Yin grasped her small hand, pressed it gently to his lips, and looked into her eyes as he swallowed the pill.

Han Zhen’s face brightened into a radiant smile, like a tree suddenly blooming with peach blossoms.

“You two really get along well.”

Huai Yin smiled softly, stroking Han Zhen’s back. “What about him?”

“Huh? Who? Oh, Lord Rong Ling? He has his own affairs to attend to. It’s been decades since we last communicated; I don’t know how far along it is.”

Huai Yin glanced at Han Su in surprise, not expecting they were not together.

“I received his message saying the Tongtian Mirror has been repaired and that I should find you. We’re to set out together for the Thousand-Mile Wasteland in five days.”

“It’s been repaired? Are you asking me to go?”

“Has she, my mother, come looking for you again?”

“No. Perhaps she’s given up.”

They fell silent, for there were too many unspeakable things between them. Neither knew how to avoid the past or move forward. They could never return to those days. Thinking back to their time together in the Hexi Secret Realm felt like recalling a distant lifetime.

Fortunately, Han Zhen’s presence eased the awkwardness.

“Uncle, let’s go see Bao Bao,” the clear voice of the child suddenly broke the subtle tension.

“Bao Bao?” Huai Yin looked at Han Su, seeking an explanation.

“Bao Bao is a Red Fire Dragon gifted to her by Elder Jiang. But now her cultivation is too low, and bonding with it would do more harm than good, so it’s locked in the back mountain for now. She loves it very much and visits it every day.”

Huai Yin nodded and gently asked Han Zhen, “How do we get to the back mountain?”

Han Zhen, thrilled by his agreement, cheered and quickly gave directions. The two of them left Han Su behind and went off happily toward the back mountain.

Only five days remained. Han Su did not understand why Rong Ling asked her to accompany him this time. But she instinctively felt that things would not go smoothly. If the worst happened... she needed to leave something behind for her family.

Since Huai Yin was taking care of Han Zhen, she began to organize their belongings.

Over the years, she had been refining pills every day, accumulating many for Han Zhen. Surely they would be enough to completely purge the fire toxin. Although her mother was gravely injured and nearly lost her life, at least she was saved. Unlike Han Zhen’s misfortune, aided by the Intermittent Pill, her cultivation had risen significantly after stagnating for a long time.

A hundred years had passed. Lan, Dao Lord, and she had all stepped into the Transformation Spirit realm, so they need not worry about them for now.

With them around, Han Zhen would have good care.

Han Su sorted through the precious items accumulated over the years, dividing them into piles. She also left a verbal message just in case. After packing everything neatly in her cave dwelling, the sun was already low in the sky.

Having traveled through two hundred years, the landscapes of her past life gradually faded. The grass and trees of Yaohua and the people she met here had come to occupy most of her memories. Reflecting on these two centuries, the saying “Life is a drama, and drama is life” was all too true.

From initially believing she was merely a bystander watching the show, to striving to seize the stage and become the protagonist, then continuously cultivating and improving herself, truly understanding the world, her place within it, and all the causes and effects, to these hundred years of focused cultivation...

She had endured so much and had never once changed her original intention or done anything against her heart.

Even if five days later she had to die and vanish from the Dao, she would have no regrets—except for… him…

Lost in thought, Han Su suddenly smiled. At this point, what was left to say or think? Perhaps it was simply a matter of fate not being enough.

Stepping out of her cave, she hadn’t received any messages from Huai Yin and grew somewhat worried. She hurried to the back mountain, where the two adults and one child, along with the dragon, were happily playing together. It was something Han Su had never expected.

Perhaps there was one less thing for her to worry about.

Author’s note: I’ve been busy with visa matters these past couple of days... so... please don’t be too hard on me! 166 Reading Network