The story afterward
The ride-hailing car that Yu Miaomiao called arrived quickly.
The place she was going to was in the old town, which was quite far, taking more than an hour to drive there. She got into the car, closed her eyes to rest, and a heavy sense of fatigue surged over her the moment she closed her eyes.
For the past month, she hasn't been able to eat much, and she can barely sleep for two hours a day. Many times, in order not to worry Jiang Cheng, she would pretend to be asleep at night, and then go back to the study after he fell into a deep sleep. Even a demon's body can't withstand this.
Her phone rang several times. She picked it up and saw messages from online friends she had added recently.
He was a staff member of an archaeological research institute, and Yu Miaomiao added many people like him in order to search for information.
But this person was a little different. After learning that she was looking for human cultivation techniques, he kept nagging her to give up.
You'd better not waste your time.
I know what you're trying to do. You want to ask ancient demons for information about cultivation techniques. Do you think we haven't tried?
[The latest research proves that the concentration of spiritual energy as early as 600 years ago was already unsuitable for human cultivation. Demons could only live to be 500 years old at most, and only a very small number of powerful demons could live to be over 600 years old. We have visited all of these powerful demons, but we have not been able to obtain any information about them.]
[Just give up on this idea and live a good life with your human lover. At least you can spend a few more decades together. Don't try so hard only to end up disappointed; that would be even more painful.]
Yu Miaomiao saw the last message, her expression unchanged. She turned off her phone, but she was no longer sleepy. She turned her head to look at the dazzling street scene outside the window.
This wasn't the first time she'd seen such words.
In recent days, whether it was strangers on the forum, online friends, or former colleagues and friends, everyone has told her that human cultivation is impossible.
They have countless arguments to support their claims:
The history is too ancient, the lifespan of demons isn't that long, there are very few human cultivators to begin with, and cultivation techniques are extremely precious and not widely circulated...
Yu Miaomiao knew; she knew everything.
Because she had truly experienced every difficulty and encountered setbacks.
She finally found a monster over 600 years old through her colleagues in the system, only to learn a cruel piece of news from them.
Even in their time, human cultivators were extremely rare, appearing and disappearing like ghosts. Even if one were to meet one by chance, no demon would dare to offend them by probing their family's precious cultivation techniques.
Things seemed to have reached a dead end, but Yu Miaomiao still didn't give up because she thought of another possibility.
Human cultivators with verifiable records have lived for 500 years. If a human cultivator had mastered his cultivation technique before the spiritual energy was depleted and successfully lived until the depletion, then it is not impossible that some younger demons had seen him.
With this direction in mind, she consulted all reliable historical documents, including historical records, local chronicles, and travelogues, after 1400 AD. She extracted records of what appeared to be human cultivators and summarized the time and place of their appearance, concluding that there were three possible cultivators in Hanyang Prefecture, Nan'an Prefecture, and Hanzhong Prefecture.
After that, she asked a friend in the household registration system to help her filter out monsters whose age and place of residence matched, and then asked them one by one.
This task had taken up a lot of her time, and tonight she finally made her last call, only to get nothing in return.
She was utterly defeated, yet she encouraged herself, thinking that perhaps there were still some hidden monsters living deep in the mountains and forests that hadn't been counted. But she also had to desperately face the fact that...
If a demon lives in seclusion deep in the mountains and forests, how could he possibly have the opportunity to come into contact with human cultivators who believe in engaging with the world?
Just then, a friend from the household registration system sent me a message.
[Miaomiao, I just discovered that the data filtering was using the database from the last census. The latest census added a lot of new "monsters," so I used a new filter and found another one that fits the criteria, named Lu Ye.]
Upon seeing the name, Yu Miaomiao was taken aback.
She picked up her phone and asked her friend, "Do you have a picture of him?"
Wait a minute, let me look for it.
A moment later, my friend sent me a photo.
The person in the photo has bright golden hair, deep green eyes, and a blank expression, conveying a sense of bewilderment at having just encountered modern society.
Yu Miaomiao gripped her phone tightly.
It really is him.
How could she forget that Hanyang Prefecture is now City A, and that her mother and this man met in City A.
She has a good memory. Once reminded, those things she had deliberately ignored, the things Yu Jianqing had told her about men when she was young, would clearly surface in her mind.
[When we first met, your dad didn't dare tell me he was fighting with other monsters. Later I found out they were fighting over the ownership of City A. Your dad said he'd lived in City A for hundreds of years, it was his territory, and he would never give it up to any other monster. It was hilarious.]
[My dad is a very kind monster. He was raised by humans when he was little, and after growing up, he followed a Taoist priest and saved many people. He said that the Taoist priest was human, but even more powerful than him.]
Yu Miaomiao looked at the man in the photo and frowned.
That face was so stupid and repulsive that she preferred to call him a stranger she didn't want to see, rather than her biological father.
He had been gone from his life for many years.
Of course, this doesn't mean the man has completely disappeared. At certain times, Yu Miaomiao can still sense his presence nearby, but as long as the man doesn't appear, she pretends he doesn't exist.
She had decided to never have anything to do with him again, but then this happened, and he just happened to be the last demon with any hope...
Without much hesitation, Yu Miaomiao let out a deep breath.
No matter how low the probability is that a man knows human cultivation techniques, and no matter how much she doesn't want to get involved with men, she can't give up any possibility for Jiang Chengyi's sake.
A friend messaged me: "[Hey Miaomiao, it seems Lu Ye's contact information and address aren't registered. I'm trying to find out for you, but it might take a few days.]"
No need to ask anymore.
Yu Miaomiao slowly typed a reply: 【I know where he is.】
After acquiring the inner core, the already close blood ties between father and daughter were further strengthened, to the point that it irritated her—even when she was just driving quickly past a street corner, she could still inevitably feel that familiar and disgusting aura.
A new message popped up at the top of my phone; it was from a persistent netizen.
Even if you did find it, how can you be sure that this technique will still be applicable hundreds of years later, after the world has changed so drastically? And even if it is applicable, how can you be sure that your lover is one of those rare, chosen ones who can cultivate it?
Yu Miaomiao replied, "We'll talk about those things after I find the cultivation technique."
Then I tossed the phone aside.
Giving up because of difficulties that haven't even arrived yet is something only a coward would do.
-
The ride-hailing car stopped at the intersection of Wenchu Road.
The driver turned around and said, "Motor vehicles aren't allowed up ahead, you can only stop here."
Yu Miaomiao expressed her understanding and got out of the car.
After several renovations, the street is now lined with all kinds of shops. After dark, the streetlights and shop lights come on together, and pedestrians come and go, making it very lively.
She walked through the bustling crowd, following her memories deeper into the past, and stopped in a familiar place. Looking at the shops across the street, she froze.
This is a shop whose decor seems to have traveled back to the 2010s. Among the many clean and bright shops, its warm orange-yellow light is so out of place. The window displays many colorful pastries, and in the most eye-catching position is a cake shaped like a kitten. It is lifelike, with golden fur and big emerald eyes. It is extremely cute.
Yu Miaomiao's gaze moved upwards, and the five round characters of "Qingmiao Bakery" were embedded in the photo. The character "Miao" was cleverly shaped like a kitten.
The aroma of bread wafted out from under the door, reaching her nose—a familiar, sweet, and warm scent.
For a moment, she was disoriented and forgot why she had come here. She subconsciously walked across the street.
It's as if time has flowed back 30 years. Little Yu Miaomiao went to deliver bread to the neighbors for Yu Jianqing. She skipped and hopped home, shouting, "I'm back!"
She was already standing in front of the shop, staring intently at the entrance.
It seemed that at any moment, the glass door covered with floral curtains would be pushed open, accompanied by the crisp sound of bells, and Yu Jianqing would come out, hug her, and giggle, "Baby, you're so great, what do you want to eat tonight?"
A "ding-a-ling" sound pulled Yu Miaomiao back to reality from her fantasy.
The woman, carrying a bag of bread and leading her child, came out. "Baby, say goodbye to your uncle."
The little girl, with her braided pigtails and soft, white cheeks, waved obediently, "Goodbye, Uncle~"
Footsteps approached, and someone stopped at the door, their voice clear and cheerful, "Goodbye, Xiaoyu."
The man said goodbye to his guests and was about to close the door when he suddenly sensed something and paused.
He slowly turned his head and saw Yu Miaomiao standing on the other side, his expression instantly freezing.
-
Yu Miaomiao sat at the only table in the shop, coldly watching Lu Ye busy himself inside.
"Miaomiao, what brings you here? I haven't cooked yet, and I don't know how to entertain you. What would you like to drink?"
Finally, he brought over some black tea and a plate of bread, then stood aside, awkwardly wiping his hands on his apron.
"Miaomiao, these are all breads I made, try some..."
Yu Miaomiao didn't look at the bread. "Why did you open a shop here?"
“I deeply regret acting impulsively and abandoning Xiaoqing and you. The past cannot be undone, so I want to relive your life from back then.”
Lu Ye said in a low voice, "After I learned that you had lived here, I bought it. I searched for a long time and finally found an old photo of the shop. I restored it to its original state based on the photo."
“I asked many old neighbors and collected information on the types and flavors of bread they had bought from Xiaoqing’s shop, hoping to recreate them.”
Yu Miaomiao stared at Lu Ye expressionlessly.
More than ten years had passed since I last saw him. His golden hair was now mixed with a few strands of light gray, and his face looked much older. His apron was covered in flour, and his hands had many healed burn and cut marks.
Just like Yu Jianqing back then.
Yu Miaomiao looked away, no longer looking at his hands.
As he spoke, he became a little embarrassed, "The first few times they tried it, they all said it didn't taste like the real thing at all. So I tried it repeatedly, but in the end, they all waved their hands and said they wouldn't eat it even if it was given to them for free."
Finally, he looked at Yu Miaomiao, his expression a mixture of pleading and flattery: "Miaomiao... could you taste it for me? Does it taste similar?"
Yu Miaomiao pushed the plate away, her tone indifferent, "I've already forgotten."
Lu Ye picked up the bread again, looking somewhat disappointed. "Okay."
He changed the subject, saying, "Miaomiao, I've been following your company."
His tone carried a cautious pride: "I watched the entire press conference last month, and it was truly amazing. I never imagined Miaomiao was so incredible—"
"I'm not here to reminisce with you."
Yu Miaomiao interrupted the other party without any mercy.
The man's aura instantly plummeted.
She got to the point: "When you were young, did you know a Taoist priest?"
Lu Ye didn't understand why Yu Miaomiao suddenly brought this up, but he still replied, "I do know her; she's kind of my mentor."
"He is a human cultivator?"
"right."
Yu Miaomiao looked up, staring intently at Lu Ye, her eyes filled with a final hope, "Do you know his cultivation method?"
-
Jiang Chengyi parked his car at the intersection of the pedestrian street, following the location shared on his phone.
"Wenchu Road..."
He murmured the somewhat familiar name, gazing thoughtfully through the car window.
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