Chapter 415 Mother, or Daughter?
The small bowl isn't Zhu Jiuxing... isn't Zhu Shi?
I felt like my thought process had been paused, and for a moment I didn't know how to continue.
I had considered the possibility that "Xiao Wan isn't Zhu Shi" more than once, and Zhu Shi himself had mentioned this possibility to me. However, when this possibility materialized before me, I felt as if I had plunged headlong into a lake of utter confusion. This was because my previous thinking had been based on the solid premise that Xiao Wan was Zhu Shi. If Xiao Wan wasn't Zhu Shi—then who could it be?
Gradually, I came up with a candidate.
In the Zhu family today, only one person is suffering from amnesia: Zhu Jiu. Assuming the soul of an amnesiac travels to the post-apocalyptic era, then Zhu Jiu's soul should also be in that era. Is it possible that Xiao Wan is Zhu Jiu's soul that traveled to the post-apocalyptic era, experienced a series of mysterious events, shrunk to the size of a ten-year-old girl, and lost her memories as an adult?
However, this reasoning has obvious flaws. First, the young Zhu Jiu not only did not possess the proper Dharma body, but his talent as a demon hunter was never highly praised by Master Zhu. Second, when Xiao Wan mentioned the vague memory of "her mother keeping her abandoned dolls in a white box," it was clearly narrated from the daughter's perspective. If Xiao Wan were Zhu Jiu, she should have said "keeping her daughter's abandoned dolls in a white box."
Thinking about it all the time was useless, so I decided to try anything, even if it seemed hopeless, and asked, "So, do you remember the name Zhu Jiu? She's Zhu Shi's mother... If I told you that you're actually Zhu Jiu, would you feel anything?"
"Zhu Jiu?..."
Xiao Wan seemed to be racking her brains as well, and after a moment she said, "This name... it feels very familiar to me, but I shouldn't be this person named Zhu Jiu."
She's not even Zhu Jiu... so who is she?
Could she be Zhu Shi's daughter? I recalled my previous speculations.
This possibility isn't zero. If Xiaowan is Zhu Shi's daughter, it's reasonable for her to remember the names Zhu Shi and Zhu Jiu. The only questionable point is why Xiaowan would have memories of Zhu Shi from his childhood. To say that Xiaowan also experienced the same events as young Zhu Shi a long time ago seems far-fetched.
However, in this strange world, it's not impossible for a Witcher to inherit the memories of their parents. Take Chang'an as an example; even though he wasn't chosen by the Silver Moon to be his incarnation, his demonic bloodline gave him an innate ability to "inherit knowledge." Perhaps Witchers can achieve the same effect through mystical means, allowing their descendants to inherit their parents' life experiences. Although I don't know what's the point of making my daughter remember her childhood experience of abandoning her doll.
Given the Zhu family's naming tradition for their descendants, Zhu Shi's daughter should be named...
"'Zhu Shiyi'...Do you remember this name?" I tried to ask.
This time, Xiao Wan quickly shook her head: "I have no recollection of it."
It seems she's not Zhu Shiyi either... I'm getting more and more confused.
"What's the deal with this 'Zhu Shiyi'?" Xiaowan asked sensitively. "Judging from the way Mr. Number Three asked earlier... could it be that you and that girl named Zhu Shiyi have already decided on the name of your child in advance?"
To avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings, I explained my thoughts and related information to Xiaowan.
After listening, she relaxed slightly, then thought about it very seriously. After a while, she said, "...Objectively speaking, the possibility that I am 'Zhu Shi's daughter' still exists."
"Although I am definitely not called Zhu Shiyi, according to what you said, Zhu Jiu once hoped that his daughter would stay away from battle, so he named her 'Zhu Jiuxing,' which is not in the style of the Zhu family heirs; then Zhu Shi may also have given his daughter a name other than 'Zhu Shiyi' in order to keep her away from life and death dangers."
"Furthermore, Zhu Shi's daughter might not even have the surname Zhu. Mr. Third, you are a god... or as you would say in your area, the Great Impermanence. After you marry Zhu Shi, it certainly won't be you marrying into the Zhu family. According to tradition, the daughter you have will naturally take your surname. Therefore, my real name might not be 'Zhu Moumou', but 'Zhuang Moumou'."
“That makes sense. But… are you just going to accept the possibility that you might be my daughter?” I asked.
"Actually, my mind is still a bit blank right now, but that doesn't stop me from continuing to reason," Xiao Wan said calmly.
“But even if you are Zhu Shi’s daughter, it doesn’t necessarily mean you are Zhu Shi’s daughter and mine,” I said. “If Ma Zao hadn’t traveled to my time, I wouldn’t have known about Zhu Shi as a demon hunter, and she wouldn’t have realized that I was a superhuman. Following this development, of course, the event of her marrying me and then giving birth to you would not have happened.”
“But if Sister Mazao travels to Mr. Number Three’s era, it’s a fateful event that’s bound to happen in both the past and the future, while the apocalyptic era I’m in is based on the premise that ‘you and Sister Mazao met’?” Xiaowan asked. “Your meeting and engagement with Zhu Shi should have already changed Zhu Shi’s original future, but I, who am in the future, haven’t disappeared… Isn’t this proof that I am Zhu Shi’s daughter with you? The premise is that I really am Zhu Shi’s daughter.”
“If that’s the case, then there’s a very simple way to confirm it,” I said. “Xiao Wan, since you have memories of Zhu Shi, who might be your mother, and Zhu Jiu, who might be your grandmother, then… do you also have a special impression of the name ‘Zhuang Cheng’?”
"No," Xiao Wan shook her head.
"So……"
Before I could continue, Xiaowan said in a strange tone, "But...this only makes me feel more that you might be my father..."
"Why is that?" I wondered.
Xiao Wan looked at me for a few seconds, then continued in a strange tone: "According to what Mr. Number Three told me before... Zhu Shi's father is named Ying Lingyun, and he was your main opponent some time ago."
"And that man named Ying Lingyun has a beloved woman named Yinyue. Because he is obsessed with Yinyue, he neglects his wife Zhu Jiu and is rarely at home. As a result, his biological daughter Zhu Shi has never had a deep impression of Ying Lingyun since childhood."
"Hmm...Is that right?" I had a bad feeling.
"Perhaps saying this will offend Mr. Number Three, and I also hope that you can spend more time with Sister Mazao, instead of that girl named Zhu Shi..." Xiao Wan seemed to be losing her composure, "But... Mr. Number Three, aren't you and that Ying Lingyun just like the pot calling the kettle black?"
"If I replace 'Ying Lingyun,' 'Yin Yue,' and 'Zhu Jiu' in my previous description with 'Mr. No. 3,' 'Sister Ma Zao,' and 'Zhu Shi' respectively, it doesn't seem out of place, does it?"
Although I don't sweat in the virtual realm, I felt as if cold sweat was streaming down my head because of the little girl's questioning.
“Actually… although I vaguely remember having a mother, I don’t have much of an impression of my father. This shows that my relationship with my father a long time ago was probably not that deep.” Xiaowan said seriously, “If my father was a two-timing person like Mr. Number Three, then I really wouldn’t want to be close to him, and after losing my memory, I probably wouldn’t even react to his name.”
This was the first time I had ever experienced such a mental shock, so much so that I couldn't help but say, "So...would you rather I spend more time with your older sister Mazao, or would you rather focus on being with your mother Zhushi?"
"—Huh?" Little Bowl was immediately flustered. "I, of course I wish I had a father, but he would rather stay with my mother!"
"But I hope Mr. Number Three can be intimate with Asahi-nee... but that would be outright infidelity... but Mr. Number Three being with Asahi-nee is my wish..."
Despite her exceptional intelligence, she seemed to be completely bewildered by this chaotic relationship, muttering incoherently in a panic, and I could almost see steam rising from her head.
Could it be that Xiaowan really is my daughter? I pondered this question repeatedly in my mind, and at the same time, I realized that Lu Chan was right. There might indeed be some unconsidered aspects to my marriage with Zhu Shi.
For example, if Zhu Shi and I were to have children, and those children saw that their father didn't live closely with their mother but instead spent all his time being intimate with other women, it would obviously have many negative consequences. Even if I didn't care about this issue myself, Zhu Shi would probably have quite a headache.
But then again, if I really had a daughter who was obsessed with inciting me to cheat, I don't know how I would handle the situation.
"Well, anyway... let's put aside my true identity and Mr. Number Three's two-timing for now. We have too few clues to get anywhere. Let's talk about another issue first." Xiao Wan seemed to want to avoid this overly decadent topic.
I acknowledged her point, and also wanted to extricate myself from this quagmire for the time being, so I went along with it and said, "Okay. What's your question?"
Xiao Wan took a deep breath, as if readjusting her mind and body, and then said, "Mr. Number Three, you said before that you became the Great Impermanence in the real world... Is this a result of using the Divine Seal Fragment?"
“No. I became the Great Impermanence by fighting powerful enemies, following your plan. Although the opponent wasn't the Silver Moon as initially planned, but someone else,” I said. “Why would you ask that?”
“Because you are in a very dangerous situation right now,” Xiaowan said seriously. “Your connection with the virtual world has become too deep.”
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com