The king, in a great hurry, dragged Xie Shuci toward the bedside.
Xie Shuci stared in disbelief at the extra figure on the bed. They hadn't left the cabin at all, nor had they sensed anyone else's presence. How could someone have appeared on the ship so quietly?
Xie Shuci was tense all over as she carefully walked to the bedside, worried that her footsteps would disturb the people around Xie An.
But even as Xie Shuci approached, neither of the two people on the bed made a sound.
At this moment, Xie Shuci realized that the person lying next to Xie An looked like a child of about ten years old. He turned his face to the side, so Xie Shuci couldn't see him clearly, but both of them were breathing steadily and evenly, obviously still asleep.
Seeing that it was just a teenager, Xie Shuci breathed a sigh of relief, but dared not let his guard down.
"Shuci, what happened?" Chu Guiyi and the others entered the cabin one after another, and were immediately surprised when they saw the scene on the bed.
Xie Shuci gestured for everyone to be quiet, then tiptoed past Xie An to check on the extra child.
Xie Shuci first gently touched his bare skin. The exposed skin was warm; he was a living person.
He then knelt on one knee by the bed and craned his neck to look at his face.
Suddenly, a boy appeared. His profile was very delicate and refined, giving Xie Shuci a sense of déjà vu.
Xie Shuci involuntarily frowned, his gaze involuntarily falling on the unconscious Xie An. He looked at Xie An, then at the boy beside him, and suddenly realized that the boy and Xie An were practically identical! Xie An was like a grown-up version of the boy!
He froze on the spot, staring blankly at the crowd behind him. His face was ashen, and he said in a heavy tone, "He is Xie An's illegitimate son."
Everyone: "..."
Chu Guiyi stepped forward and examined the boy's body and face. His brows furrowed deeper and deeper. He then said to Xie Shuci, "He not only looks exactly like Young Master Xie, but he also has the same aura."
Du Pingsheng exclaimed in shock, "He really does have an illegitimate child!"
He had barely finished speaking when he received a glare from Xie Shuci.
"How could that be? Xie An only turned seventeen the day before yesterday. Would he have a child before he was even ten?" Xie Shuci rolled her eyes at him.
Du Pingsheng shrugged awkwardly. "Does he have any brothers or anything?"
Xie Shuci sighed and said, "As far as I know, no."
Chu Guiyi said, "This should be a demon that can take human form."
“A demon…” Xie Shuci murmured. He couldn’t help but glance at Xiao Xie An’s face again. It really looked like a miniature version of Xie An, and it was quite handsome.
"Aow!" the king suddenly cried out.
The baby knows what he is!
The king jumped to the edge of the bed and touched the bell at Xie An's waist with his paw.
Xie Shuci lowered his head in confusion, looking at the place where the bells hung on Xie An's body, feeling that something was missing there.
"Awooo!"
Zhizhi! Daddy! It's Zhizhi!
Xie Shuci shuddered. "That peach branch?!"
"Aww!"
That's right!
Xie Shuci said in disbelief, "This is the peach branch I gave to Xie An!? I've always been puzzled that even after so long, not a single petal has fallen from the peach branch. It turns out it has become a spirit!"
Chu Wenfeng rolled his eyes at him and said, "I've never heard of a peach branch becoming a spirit."
"Then how do you explain this?" (From the novel "After Transmigrating into a Book, I Picked Up the Protagonist") Just then, Sikong Ye slowly walked up from behind the crowd.
He overheard the conversation, stepped forward to examine it, and then said, "A piece of peach branch certainly cannot become a spirit, but Xie An is the Holy Son of Heaven, born alongside the Frightened Feather Bird and sharing half of the Frightened Feather Bird's destiny. Nourished by his essence and blood, even a stone can become a spirit."
Xie Shuci frowned deeply, "Essence blood?"
"Awooo!"
Baby knows! Mother's blood tastes good and will help you grow.
Sikong Ye crossed his arms and looked at the two people on the bed, then said, "However, even the Heavenly Dao Saint Son could not have helped him refine the three souls and seven spirits in just a few months. This body should be an empty shell."
After saying this, Sikong Ye couldn't help but feel puzzled, and said while resting his chin on his hand, "Logically speaking, it's impossible to take human form before cultivating the three souls and seven spirits, unless..."
He paused, narrowing his eyes as he spoke.
Chu Guiyi continued, "Unless, Xie An transferred his three souls and seven spirits into it."
"Transfer?" Xie Shuci looked at the two bodies on the bed in confusion.
Chu Guiyi didn't speak, but bent down and took Xie An's pulse. After a moment of silence, he raised his head and said to Xie Shuci, "He has one soul and three spirits in his body, which should be Xie An's soul and spirit."
Xie Shuci asked, bewildered, "Why would he do that?"
Chu Wenfeng suddenly remembered something and asked Xie Shuci, "You said that you encountered Senior Tang in Huaizhou, who separated his soul from his body."
Xie Shuci was taken aback, then suddenly realized: "That's right! Senior Tang should have died at Xu Yi's hands, but the Water God saved her life and even helped her separate her soul."
Chu Guiyi pondered for a moment and said, "Young Master Xie probably wants to emulate Senior Tang and separate good thoughts from evil thoughts. In this way, a body with one soul and three spirits will not go astray."
Sikong Ye nodded and said, "That makes sense."
After listening, Xie Shuci was a little worried and asked, "Won't this have any impact on him?"
Chu Guiyi said, "It won't affect his body and soul, but his cultivation will definitely be greatly reduced."
Upon hearing this, Xie Shuci breathed a sigh of relief. He felt this was for the best; Xie An would neither suffer a qi deviation and kill him again, nor would his body be damaged. As for his cultivation level, there was nothing he could do about it. Xie An and he had caused a great disaster in Jiyue City, and he estimated that more and more people would be hunting them down in the future. All he could do was take Xie An into hiding and try to avoid getting involved in the conflicts of the cultivation world.
Chu Guiyi said, "Shuci, separate them. They are not usually awake at the same time."
Xie Shuci nodded. If he woke up and found another version of himself beside him, he would definitely think he had a split personality.
Fortunately, there was a secret room in the room, so Xie Shuci put Xie An inside and left little Xie An outside.
He figured that since Xie An had separated his soul, he must not want to suffer from demonic possession again, and he would probably wake up using the body of the young Xie An.
Because he didn't know when he would wake up, Xie Shuci was a little worried, so he told the others to go out and rest first, while he stayed in the cabin to watch over Xiao Xie An.
Fearing that their tracks would be discovered by others, Sikong Ye set up a barrier around the divine ship, making them invisible to ordinary cultivators.
Xie Shuci asked the king to stay with Xie An in the secret room, fearing that something might happen to his injuries.
Xie Shuci knelt down beside Xiao Xie An and checked his condition. Although he was a little weak, there were no other problems, which reassured Xie Shuci.
He looked at Xiao Xie'an's youthful face; although he was young, his features already resembled those of today.
Xie Shuci placed her finger on the tip of his nose, feeling his faint, even breathing. A thought suddenly popped into her mind: it wouldn't be so bad if Xie An could only wake up in this body forever, so he wouldn't suffer from qi deviation again. But, would his body ever grow up? If he remained the same age forever, wouldn't Xie Shuci be essentially raising a son?
It seems pretty good. This way, Xie An won't be in pain, and I can be with him forever.
After some time, there was no more noise outside; perhaps everyone had fallen asleep.
Xie Shuci rubbed his dry eyes, yawned, and unknowingly fell asleep.
It wasn't until the next morning that Xie Shuci slowly woke up from his sleep. The side effects of the injury and strenuous exercise from the previous night finally manifested. He felt pain all over his body, from head to toe.
He spread his arms and stretched, his arm touching warm skin. Xie Shuci was startled and opened his eyes. At the same time, he felt his wrist being grasped by a warm hand.
The hand wasn't large, but its temperature felt very familiar.
Xie Shuci's wrist was slender and almost completely enveloped by that hand. He had just woken up and was still a little dazed. When he opened his eyes, he met a pair of cold and sharp eyes above him.
"Xie An—"
Who are you?
Xie Shuci jolted awake and scrambled out of bed, speaking in unison with the boy before him.
Xie Shuci's surprised expression immediately froze on his face. His left hand was still being held in the boy's palm, and the boy's unfamiliar and wary expression deeply stung Xie Shuci's eyes.
He gasped, "You...you don't remember me?"
The boy tightened his grip on his wrist, demanding, "Where is this? Who are you? Who is Xie An?"
Xie Shuci was speechless for a moment. Xie An didn't remember him? Xie An didn't recognize him? Xie An didn't even recognize himself!
Faced with the boy's indifferent gaze, Xie Shuci took a long time to find his voice. He trembled and said intermittently, "I...I might...be your father...Ouch!"
No sooner had Xie Shuci finished speaking than the seemingly weak and powerless boy on the bed suddenly kicked him off the bed. Xie Shuci fell to the ground with a "thud," almost breaking his bones. He cried out, looking at Xiao Xie An with teary eyes, his eyes accusing, "You murdered your own father!"
Xiao Xun had no idea where he was or who was in front of him. He stared coldly at the man on the ground who was looking at him with accusatory eyes. If anyone else mentioned his father in front of him, he would never let it go, no matter who it was. But seeing the man's tearful eyes, he felt inexplicably uncomfortable, and even regretted kicking him off the bed.
Xiao Xun loathed this feeling; he had chosen this path himself, and he would never allow himself to regret it.
“You are not my father. My father is dead,” Xiao Xun said.
Xie Shuci rubbed her knees, looking at Xiao Xun with a resentful expression as she got up from the ground. "But you can't just use your feet, can you?"
"Who are you?" Xiao Xun asked again.
"Xie Shuci," Xie Shuci said irritably.
Where is this?
"The world of cultivation."
"The cultivation world?" Xiao Xun frowned with an old-fashioned look. He should have been in the Xiao family's water dungeon, so why did he suddenly appear here?
Xie Shuci, supporting his back, tried to sit on the bed, but as soon as he got close, Xiao Xie An gave him a cold look, as if to say, "If you dare come any closer, I'll kill you."
Xie Shuci stopped moving and dared not go any further. Damn it, this little brat is not cute at all. He doesn't know his own strength. His little blind boy is much cuter.
Helpless, not understanding Xie An's situation, Xie Shuci dared not act rashly and could only walk to the table and sit down in frustration.
He looked at the deep-thinking young Xie An and asked, "Do you know who you are?"
Xiao Xun glanced at him and said, "Xiao Xun."
Xie Shuci looked at him suspiciously, but gradually a clue formed in her mind. She asked, "How old are you this year?"
Xiao Xun glanced at him again, looking somewhat displeased, but inexplicably answered, "Nine years old."
Nine years old...
Xie Shuci cursed inwardly. This body looked to be only about ten years old. Could it be that he only remembered things before he was nine?
Xie Shuci frowned. At what age did Xie An start cultivating the Path of Slaughter? Could it be that he stopped this body's time and memories before he started cultivating the Path of Slaughter?
However, before Xie Shuci could think it through, Xiao Xun on the bed spoke up, "You saved me?"
"Huh?" Xie Shuci looked up in confusion, then nodded. "Yes."
It was indeed he who brought Xie An out of Jiyue City, but didn't the little guy not remember? He always felt that what little Xie An said was not the same as what he said.
As expected, Xiao Xun's eyes narrowed, and he asked, "The water dungeon is not a place you can enter and leave as you please. How did you manage to do it? What is your purpose?"
To stop him from cultivating the path of slaughter, the elders of the Xiao family used countless tortures on him, and even forbade him from stepping out of the Xiao family's immortal mountain. The water dungeon where he was imprisoned must be guarded by countless disciples. How could the man in front of him possibly bring him out of the water dungeon?
But who else could it be besides him?
A water dungeon?
Xie Shuci was stunned for a moment, recalling what Sikong Ye had once said: the Xiao family had used many tortures on him in order to prevent him from cultivating the path of killing. Could his memory have stopped at that time?
So, at this point, Xie An's heart for killing had not yet been established?
"Don't worry about how I rescued you. Anyway, you're out now, so I'm your savior." Xie Shuci simply went along with him to avoid getting kicked again later.
Xiao Xun's eyes darkened slightly. "What is your purpose?"
"Yes, of course. You'll have to stay with me for a while. I only have two requirements for you: don't hurt anyone and don't reveal your identity."
Xiao Xun's gloomy gaze fell upon Xie Shuci.
Xie Shuci felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze, thinking to herself, "He's only nine years old and he's already this scary. What will he be like when he grows up?" Fortunately, Xie Shuci hadn't seen his true face at the beginning, otherwise none of this would have happened, and the seeds of love in her heart would have been extinguished long ago.
It seems I can't fool him without giving him a decent reason.
Xie Shuci covered his lips and coughed lightly, saying, "Well... to be honest, I've liked you... for a long time. It's like loving someone because of their love for them, so I just rescued you."
Upon hearing his words, Xiao Xun narrowed his eyes, feeling inexplicably displeased, and repeated, "You like my father?"
Yes, yes.
This body of yours was created by Xie An, and your soul is also Xie An's. In short, he's your father. Is it wrong for me to say I like your father? Absolutely not!
Whether or not this reason convinced Xiao Xun, he stared at Xie Shuci for a long time with his dark eyes. Xie Shuci felt guilty under his gaze, but she knew that this man was not easy to fool, so she pretended to be calm and met his gaze with a stiff upper lip. "I really like your father. Your father is the most handsome man I have ever seen."
He couldn't very well say, "Your dad is actually you, so I just like you," because he felt that if he said that, the person would strangle him to death.
Finally, after a long while, Xiao Xun withdrew his gaze and lowered his eyes. "You have done me a favor, so I agree."
"Okay, you can rest first."
Having fooled Xie An, Xie Shuci decided to check on Xie An's condition. After giving a shout, he walked to the side, opened the secret room, and went inside.
Xiao Xun sat on the bed, gazing thoughtfully at his retreating figure, and murmured, "Xie Shuci..."
Xie Shuci entered the secret room, and the Great King immediately jumped on him, howling and licking and rubbing against him.
Xie Shuci hugged it tightly. The creature had grown quite a bit, and Xie Shuci almost couldn't hold it down, only to be kicked a few times by it.
"Alright, alright."
"Aww!"
It's so boring here! That jerk of a daddy! He never comes to see me!
Helpless, Xie Shuci could only hold it in his arms and then walk to the window to check on Xie An's wound.
His face was still somewhat pale, and his wounds were healing slowly, but his vital signs were completely normal.
Looking at his pale sleeping face, Xie Shuci thought of the little brat outside whom even he no longer remembered, and couldn't help but sigh. He gently stroked the little blind man's face with his fingers and murmured, "Little blind man, I miss you so much."
All that answered him was the silence of the room and the sound of the king groaning in his arms.
Seeing that Xie An was in relatively good condition, Xie Shuci didn't intend to stay any longer. He wanted the King to stay and look after Xie An, but the little guy clung pitifully to his clothes, as if afraid he would abandon him. Thinking that they would be safe in the secret chamber and wouldn't be discovered by others, Xie Shuci decided to leave with the King.
But after turning around and taking a few steps, he suddenly found someone standing at the door of the secret room.
Xie Shuci looked up and met a pair of dark eyes, and was stunned for a moment, "Xie...Xiao Xun?"
After realizing what was happening, Xie Shuci was startled and turned to look at the bed. Fortunately, there was a screen in front of the bed, so he could only vaguely see an outline.
Xiao Xie An's memories are only from when he was nine years old. If he were to discover that there is another person in the world who looks exactly like him, Xie Shuci suspects that, given his personality, he would simply destroy the other version of himself.
Xiao Xun stood by the door of the secret chamber, looking at him coldly, and asked, "Who is inside?"
Fearing he would be discovered, Xie Shuci strode up to him, holding the king in her arms, blocking his view, and said with a dry laugh, "A friend of mine."
Xiao Xun raised his head, clearly looking up at Xie Shuci, but under the gaze of his dark pupils, Xie Shuci inexplicably felt that he was a head shorter than him. He thought to himself, "As expected of the Holy Son of Heaven, his aura is just different."
"What's your relationship with him?" Xiao Xun asked.
Xie Shuci said, "My friend."
"friend?"
“Yes, he’s a little injured. Let’s go out first,” Xie Shuci urged.
Xiao Xun stared at him for a few moments, his eyes full of scrutiny, but in the end he didn't press further and turned to leave the secret room.
Xie Shuci breathed a sigh of relief without making it obvious, carried the king out, and locked the door to the secret room behind him.
"What are you locking? Are you afraid I'll come in?" A slightly childish voice suddenly rang out from behind, though Xie An had deliberately lowered his voice.
Xie Shuci found him a bit inexplicable, but Xiao Xun was indeed inexplicable, so she simply said, "He's ugly and never dares to meet outsiders."
"Huh?"
Father, what nonsense are you talking about! Mother is clearly the most beautiful!
Xiao Xun looked at Xie Shuci and felt inexplicably displeased, but he couldn't find a reason.
The king looked curiously at the little girl next to him who looked very much like her mother, and her scent was exactly the same. It quickly jumped off Xie Shuci's body, carefully walked to Xiao Xun's side, gently touched his leg with its paw, and when he didn't react, it immediately tried to rub its head against him.
Xiao Xun frowned and kicked the king away a few steps without any politeness, but compared to the kick he gave Xie Shuci, he was much gentler.
The king was kicked and let out a "howl". It looked at its mother in disbelief. Although its mother always threatened and scared it, she had never laid a hand on it, nor had she ever shown it such disdain!
Oh no... Mother also disliked it, but definitely not as obviously!
The king could not bear such humiliation. His round eyes immediately filled with tears as he looked at his mother, who had shrunk, with a resentful look.
Seeing the same tearful eyes as Xie Shuci, Xiao Xun felt inexplicably uncomfortable.
But this discomfort vanished instantly when he saw it turn its head and burrow into Xie Shuci's arms.
"Aww..." The king hugged Xie Shuci's leg pitifully. Xie Shuci sighed, bent down and picked it up, comforting it, "You've mistaken him for someone else. He's not Brother Xie An."
"Aww!" But he looks exactly like his mother, even their scents are similar, how could he not be his mother!
Xie Shuci sighed helplessly and rubbed the dog's neck. "Alright, stop being so affectionate."
"Ouch."
But she was really heartbroken!
Xiao Xun quietly watched Xie Shuci, watching him patiently coax the unruly dog in his arms. He felt inexplicably annoyed, not knowing why, but just wanting to pull the dog out of Xie Shuci's arms.
Although Xiao Xun had never met the man in front of him before, he felt very familiar with him and easily lowered his guard in his presence.
"Who is Xie An?" Xiao Xun asked, pursing his lips.
Xie Shuci raised an eyebrow and glanced at him. His stern expression was exactly the same as Xie An's, which made Xie Shuci laugh. He said, "Why should I tell you?"
Xiao Xun pressed his lips even tighter, his expression turning colder. "What exactly do you want me to do by staying here?"
Looking at his face, Xie Shuci thought of Xie An again and sighed sincerely, "Seeing this reminds me of him."
Looking at the young Xie An, I miss the old Xie An.
But to Xiao Xun, it sounded like he was looking at him and missing his father. His lips twitched down, his chest felt like it was being crushed by a stone, and his mood became increasingly irritable. "You really like my father?"
"Of course, I love it so much," Xie Shuci exclaimed.
Xiao Xun's dark eyes lingered on Xie Shuci's face for a moment, then a cold, sinister smile suddenly appeared on his lips. "Unfortunately, he's already dead. From now on, you can only look at me."
Xie Shuci looked at his wicked smile and his heart skipped a beat. Damn! He thought Xiao Xun was so abnormal because he cultivated the Path of Slaughter, but it turns out he's been abnormal since he was a child. Such a young face, but the words he says are astonishing.
The current Xie An is not the same one Xie Shuci knew. He felt that he couldn't handle this little brat, so he said, "Be normal, I'll take you to meet my older brothers."
Xiao Xun glanced at him, then suddenly pointed to the king in his arms and said, "Give it to me."
Xie Shuci immediately became alert. "What do you want to do?"
Xiao Xun narrowed his dark eyes slightly, "Are you afraid I'll hurt it?"
"It's very delicate, I'm afraid you might not be gentle enough to handle it."
Xiao Xun emphasized, "Give it to me!"
Damn it, this little brat has a big temper despite his young age. Luckily, Xie Shuci is a man who can be both flexible and resilient.
"Are you really only nine years old?" Xie Shuci asked with a suspicious look. He felt that Xiao Xie An's tone and behavior were no different from Xie An's. Had this guy been so arrogant since he was a child? Apart from his appearance, he didn't seem like a child at all.
No, not at all. When he closed his eyes and fell asleep, he still looked a bit like a little kid. How come his demeanor changed so drastically as soon as he opened his eyes? And to be honest, when he stood next to Xie Shuci, he was already up to Xie Shuci's shoulder! This doesn't make sense. Isn't he only nine years old? What did he eat to grow up like this?
Xiao Xun gestured to him with his eyes to stop talking nonsense. Xie Shuci reluctantly handed the king over, and the king lay still in his arms, looking at his little mother with expectant eyes.
All it knew was that its mother must love it too!
Although he inexplicably ended up having Xie Shuci give him the dog, Xiao Xun didn't understand why he did it.
So when he saw the dog being offered to him, he couldn't help but frown, somewhat reluctant.
Upon seeing this, the king's eyes began to well up with tears again, "Aww..."
It turned around and clung to Xie Shuci's sleeve, trying to climb into his arms.
Xiao Xun's lips tightened, and he grabbed the back of its neck with one hand, lifting it off Xie Shuci.
"Aww!"
You naughty mommy, I don't want you to hold me!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
