Chapter 296: Don’t Look Back, Father
Meng Mao’s expression froze. Just hearing the name, he could already feel an oppressive aura faintly approaching. After all, few people who carried the title of Old Ancestor were simple.
Further down were the specific introductions of evil cultivators. The more Meng Mao read, the more his heart sank. This so-called troublemaking evil cultivator was not an individual act at all. It was an entire organized crime syndicate. They had somehow received evil cultivator inheritances and were then connected through some secret technique. According to intelligence, “Blood Fiend Old Ancestor” had the most inheritances, and they were also the most bizarre and terrifying.
As Meng Mao was about to continue flipping through, the stir on stage caught his attention. What had been discussed earlier should have been insignificant matters. What was being said now seemed to be the key that brought all these people together.
“Next, please have the representative from our official organization give a briefing.”
Meng Mao looked up and saw a woman with a good figure walking onto the stage, holding a document. Her expression was solemn, and she skipped any “opening remarks” or similar procedures, getting straight to the point.
“Last month, our Space Monitoring Bureau received a communication from outer space.”
“After the hard work of hundreds of experts day and night… we could not translate it.”
“However, they soon sent another message. This time, it was in human language, and they sent information to all monitoring stations worldwide that could receive the signal.”
The woman paused here and read out the message.
“Hand him over.”
“Live, or die.”
The brief words fell. For a moment, the entire venue was dead silent.
…
…
It was late at night. The annex grew even more serene. Moonlight spilled onto the ground like silver frost.
For a cultivator of Chen An’s level, sleeping like ordinary people was actually unnecessary. But just as in his ninth life, he could fish without bait and wear padded clothes in winter, people always had other pursuits. As everyone knew, Chen An never liked arduous cultivation. However, tonight, he had indeed not closed his eyes. This was because he had promised to find the girl tonight to persuade her not to cause trouble. Of course, it was unlikely that anything else would happen. Just that the siblings had not seen each other for a long time, so they were going to catch up and chat?
Taking advantage of the night, Chen An performed the Divine Steps technique and easily slipped into Mu Sanniang’s room. The girl, perhaps knowing he was coming, had not closed the window, allowing the moonlight to fill the windowsill. She had removed her white skirt and was sitting at the head of the bed in a thin, single layer of clothing, her graceful figure faintly visible in the moonlight. Chen An saw this scene as he entered through the window. Bathed in moonlight, the girl was like the coldest snow lotus in the world. Unstained by the mud, untainted by the ripples.
His gaze was quickly drawn to her slender, moon-like waist that could be held in one hand. This was not Chen An’s intention; he simply possessed eyes that were good at discovering beautiful things. Her light blue eyes looked at him, meeting his gaze quietly. After a moment, she proactively opened her arms. Chen An knew what she meant and, without any pretense, stepped forward and embraced her. Her dark hair fell onto his nose, carrying a slightly fresh scent.
“Brother, you didn’t break your promise,” came the girl’s soft voice from his shoulder. Chen An paused slightly but did not speak.
Then, there was a new movement in his embrace. Mu Sanniang was slowly curling up her body, tucking her lower half, including her fair, bare feet, into her brother’s arms. Although she hadn’t had such intimateContact with her brother for many years, Mu Sanniang still seemed very proficient. The scenes from memory did not blur with the passage of time. Instead, they became more beautiful through the filter of nostalgia. Even recalling their first meeting now could make Mu Sanniang stare blankly for a long time. Perhaps, as Jiang Qiuchi said, she was just lucky to have taken the first few steps. And the little boy who had followed her faithfully had paid so much. It was that bowl of congee, the resolve to refuse to enter the city without hesitation, and the years of exchanging Qi Refining pills for Qi Gathering pills.
“There’s still so much more…”
“Sanniang can’t count it all,” the girl murmured softly, gazing at the face before her, speaking words only she could understand. Chen An followed the sound and lowered his head.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Love wasn’t just about carnal desires. He simply held the girl, without any unnecessary movements. Mu Sanniang shook her head and then gestured for him to lean closer. Chen An did as she said. The girl leaned close to his ear and gently licked his earlobe.
“I said…”
“Sanniang, I love you.” She couldn’t say many sentimental words, only expressing her feelings with the simplest plain language. For example, walking in the snow at the very beginning, she said she didn’t want pastries anymore, only her brother. It was still the same now. A young girl’s feelings are always poetic, especially for a childhood sweetheart sister? Chen An tightened his embrace slightly in response. Although he had experienced many things and seen through many people, his mentality had become exceptionally peaceful. Yet, when those sealed memories appeared vividly before him, he still felt a flutter.
However, this warm scene was soon
broken by the girl’s cool tone.
“Do you want treatment?” she asked, her tone carrying a hint of anticipation. Chen An’s initially moved emotions were immediately dispelled by her question. He couldn’t help but lower his head to look. He saw the girl raise her chin slightly, her light blue eyes shimmering at that moment, like twinkling starlight. He found it a bit difficult to understand how Mu Sanniang could say these two words with a straight face and no expression. It always gave him a sense of surprising contrast… So, who had corrupted his pure Sanniang? Chen An’s question, of course, went unanswered. To refuse would undoubtedly seem pretentious. But thinking of others next door, he felt a bit resistant.
“Sanniang, give me some time…”
The girl gave a soft hum. Her long eyelashes, like fan leaves, curled up slightly. As if thinking of something, she whispered, “Then, can brother wash my feet?” He felt a slightly cold, smooth sensation in his hand. Chen An was taken aback. He subconsciously squeezed it a couple of times and then tried to prove his innocence, “Sanniang, you misunderstood. I’m not a foot fetishist…” The girl blinked and hummed again, not sure if she believed him or not. Then, as if by magic, she pulled out a wooden comb from under her skirt. She offered the comb, her meaning quite clear. Her actions made Chen An feel a bit familiar. He still remembered that this seemed to be Chen Xi’s specialty… Speaking of which, it was understandable for Mu Sanniang to have a storage bag, but how did Chen Xi do it? Chen An didn’t have time to think, because the girl had already turned sideways, leaving her three thousand strands of soft, black hair to him. He picked up the wooden comb and began to meticulously groom it for her. Actually, Mu Sanniang’s hair had always been soft and smooth. As a cultivator, it was nourished by spiritual energy and didn’t need these extra steps. Chen An used to often groom Luo Cong’an’s hair because at that time, both of them were ordinary mortals, and the little girl’s white hair was rough and dirty when she was first picked up. If it wasn’t cleaned and cared for properly, how could it be kept so beautiful with daily maintenance? As for combing Sanniang’s hair like this now, it was purely to pass the time. But it didn’t matter; Chen An seemed to have plenty of time.
After combing in silence for about a few minutes, the girl took his hand. She turned agilely and said, “No more combing, this isn’t fun.” Her eyes moved, and she changed her mind, “I want to draw my eyebrows.” Hearing this, Chen An smiled helplessly. “Sanniang’s eyebrows are already exquisitely drawn, why do they need to be drawn?” The girl raised her eyebrows and mumbled, “No matter.” But at this late hour, where could Chen An find the tools to draw her eyebrows?
“Then next time.” Hearing his explanation, the girl didn’t insist. Her fair, tender arm hooked around Chen An’s neck, and her thin lips, with a sweet scent, kissed him.
…
…
It wasn’t until deep in the night that Chen An finally returned to his own room. He tidied his slightly disheveled clothes and walked into the room. The lights were off, and no candles were lit, leaving it quiet and dark. He wanted to be alone for a while and think about how to explain things to them. Explain why he could travel through myriad worlds, yet… His thoughts were suddenly interrupted. An extreme softness pressed against his back. Chen An caught a glimpse of elegant purple out of the corner of his eye and instinctively wanted to turn around, when he heard a trembling, soft whisper. “Don’t look back, Father, I am Eileen.”
