Chapter 632 - 614: Carving in a Dream

Chapter 632: Chapter 614: Carving in a Dream

"The Ding Palace Master’s granddaughter, is her name Wan Xiaoying?"

Yalan turned her head and said softly, "Although my lady hates you, Xiao Ying’er still took your surname. Her surname is Mu; she’s called Mu Xiaoying... San Shuimu."

With those last words, Yalan’s figure flickered and vanished in an instant, leaving only an ethereal voice echoing endlessly in Mu Chen’s mind...

’Mu Xiaoying... San Shuimu...’

’San Shuimu, blue hair and blue eyes, a shattered Innate Dantian, Wan Xianzhong’s granddaughter... Wan... Mu... It’s her!!’

BOOM! A deafening crash resounded in his mind. Mu Chen felt as if a mountain range had slammed into his chest, and his very soul quaked violently.

Suddenly, a lamenting sigh echoed in Mu Chen’s mind. The Profound Old Ghost’s figure then materialized out of thin air beside him. He gazed in the direction Yalan had disappeared, remaining silent for a long while.

Seemingly breaking free from the shock, Mu Chen suddenly grew much calmer. However, the profound guilt etched on his face was impossible to erase.

"Master... you figured it out long ago, didn’t you?" Mu Chen said abruptly after a moment of silence.

Gazing into the distance, the Profound Old Ghost nodded gently. "The child’s mother must be that young woman, Wan Xian’Er. Back then in the Netherworld Purgatory, I watched her leave. Xiao Chenzi, a man must take responsibility for his actions. You sowed the seeds, so you must be the one to reap the consequences. The reason I didn’t tell you immediately is that I wanted you to discover it and feel it for yourself. Her life must have been incredibly hard these past three years. Are you prepared to accept this responsibility?"

’Am I prepared?’ Mu Chen suddenly felt a fierce urge to slap himself. He silently took out the crystal carving he had hidden away and fell silent again, gently stroking the lovely, delicate face on the sculpture.

’Wan Xian’Er’s life these past three years has been more than just difficult. I can understand. I really can. I was in agony during my twelve years as a cripple, but I knew three people suffered even more than I did: my parents and Bing’Er. But when my parents were suffering, at least they had each other for comfort. Who did Wan Xian’Er have?’

’With no one to comfort her, she could only bear the pain of Xiao Ying’er’s condition all by herself...’

"Master is right. A man has to take responsibility. This is a debt I’ve owed for three years."

Taking a deep breath, Mu Chen clutched the crystal carving tightly. "Ying’Er," he whispered, "Daddy’s here... Xian’Er, from this day forward, let me make it up to you. Your husband, Ying’Er’s father—it can only be me!"

...

「Ding Palace」

The sun had already set. With the Ding Palace perched high above the clouds, the brilliant moonlight poured down like a silver curtain, blanketing the entire palace in a hazy glow.

"Hasn’t she returned yet?"

Frowning, Wan Xian’Er stood just outside Immortal Shadow Hall. She stared anxiously down the path, a hint of worry etched between her brows.

Just then, however, a slender figure appeared, walking slowly up the path under the moonlight. The knot of anxiety in Wan Xian’Er’s chest finally loosened.

"My lady." As the slender figure drew closer, her features became clear. It was Yalan, returned from the base of the mountain. She looked utterly exhausted as she walked up to Wan Xian’Er, cradling Xiao Ying’er in her arms.

Seeing Xiao Ying’er sleeping soundly with a smile on her face, Wan Xian’Er gently took the child from Yalan’s arms. Her eyes then fell on the white crystal clutched in Xiao Ying’er’s hand. "Yalan, what’s that Ying’Er is holding?" she asked in surprise.

Yalan took a deep breath. She glanced at the Original Memory Crystal clutched in Ying’Er’s little hand and smiled. "It’s the prize for completing a challenge game in Medicine City."

"A challenge game?"

Wan Xian’Er’s thoughts drifted back five years, to when she was still a young girl. She remembered her father taking her to participate once, but the challenges were so difficult that she hadn’t managed to win a single prize.

"Ah, so it’s that game." But then a strange look crossed Wan Xian’Er’s face. "I remember the challenge game requires a father and child to participate. How did Xiao Ying’er get the final prize? Oh, I know," she said, a realization dawning. "Yalan, did you buy it from another child?"

As she spoke, Wan Xian’Er reached to take the Original Memory Crystal from Xiao Ying’er’s hand. To her utter astonishment, however, the moment her fingers touched the crystal, Xiao Ying’er’s delicate eyebrows furrowed. The little hand clutching the crystal shifted away, as if she didn’t want Wan Xian’Er to touch it at all.

"Daddy..."

Along with the subtle movement, Xiao Ying’er even mumbled in her sleep.

"Daddy?"

Wan Xian’Er was even more astonished. It was clear she wouldn’t get any answers from Xiao Ying’er, so she turned her gaze to Yalan and asked, bewildered, "What’s all this about?"

Yalan had no intention of hiding anything, but as she prepared to explain, she suddenly realized she didn’t even know the man’s name. Shaking her head in resignation, Yalan began, "After we came down the mountain, I was taking Xiao Ying’er for a stroll through the markets in Central City when we happened upon the annual challenge game..."

Yalan went on to describe Xiao Ying’er’s reaction and her longing, how they had met Mu Chen, how he had pretended to be her father to help her win the final prize, and everything about their day trip in Central City. The tale left Wan Xian’Er stunned and speechless.

However, since Yalan was focused on recounting Mu Chen’s actions, her only description of his appearance was "a handsome, red-haired man," which wasn’t enough to spark any connection in Wan Xian’Er’s mind.

"A handsome, red-haired man?" Wan Xian’Er asked, a hint of sorrow in her voice. "Is he another one here for the marriage selection? If Xiao Ying’er really likes him..."

"No, my lady, you’ve misunderstood." Yalan shook her head, interrupting Wan Xian’Er with a wry smile. "At first, I also thought he was here for you, for the title of the Palace Master’s son-in-law. But I later learned he was simply here on behalf of someone else, to deliver something to the Palace Master."

"Oh, is that so."

Hearing this, for some reason, Wan Xian’Er felt a flicker of imperceptible joy. ’If he really had come for me,’ she thought, ’then for Ying’Er’s sake, I would have had no reason to refuse him.’

"Alright, Yalan, go and get some rest. You’ve worked hard today. I’ll take Ying’Er to her room."

Yalan nodded. "It was no trouble at all. Ying’Er was so happy today, and that made me happy too."

Wan Xian’Er smiled faintly. "Go on."

"Mm."

Watching Yalan’s retreating figure, Wan Xian’Er turned and carried Xiao Ying’er into the hall. After getting her ready, she tucked Xiao Ying’er into her warm bed. To Wan Xian’Er’s slight exasperation, however, she couldn’t pry the crystal from the little girl’s grasp, no matter how she tried.

Giving up, she gently caressed Xiao Ying’er’s cheek, her own heart full to bursting. All day, one question had plagued her: why hadn’t he come looking for her after all these years? Now, thinking it through, she realized she had been blinded by her grief over Ying’Er’s condition. ’I am the lofty daughter of the Palace Master, and he is just a young master from some family in a Border Empire. The gap in our status is immense, and the distance between our homes is vast. What’s more, I never revealed the slightest hint about my identity back then. How could he possibly guess where I was? How could he have traveled all the way to the Central State? That... that must be the real reason he couldn’t find me.’

’Otherwise, knowing his personality, he would never have let me suffer alone for so long.’ She sighed softly. "It’s been three years... and my heart still only has room for you. If you could just appear before me, if you could just come here... I would give up my status as the Palace Master’s daughter to live with you in your family, to be your wife. But... is that even possible?"

But at that very moment, a dazzling light suddenly erupted from under Ying’Er’s covers. The glow lasted for less than a second before it faded.

That one second, however, was enough to jolt the pensive Wan Xian’Er from her thoughts. Without a moment’s hesitation, she flung back Xiao Ying’er’s blanket. When she located the source of the light, her expression froze.

The source of the dazzling light was none other than the Original Memory Crystal in Xiao Ying’er’s hand. No—it could no longer be called an *Original* Memory Crystal, because at this very moment, it was being carved!

And the one carving it was the sleeping Xiao Ying’er herself!!

Wan Xian’Er was instantly intrigued. She was intensely curious about what could be happening in Xiao Ying’er’s dream. But as the crystal continued to transform, her surprise grew into shock, and her shock into utter disbelief. In the end, her rosy lips parted slightly and her pupils dilated as wide as they could go.

Before Wan Xian’Er’s very eyes, the Memory Crystal in Xiao Ying’er’s hand began to melt and transform. In the blink of an eye, the irregular sphere morphed into the shape of three human figures: two tall and one short, with the short one in the middle flanked by the other two. Beneath their feet, the rest of the Memory Crystal instantly formed a circular platform.

Countless flowers sprouted rapidly from the platform’s surface. The three figures began to stretch and take on more detail. The small, central figure transformed the fastest, solidifying in the blink of an eye. Its face was unmistakably Xiao Ying’er’s, rendered so lifelike it was even more moving than the one carved by the middle-aged shopkeeper.

Next, the figure on the right slowly grew slender and graceful—unquestionably, the figure of a woman. Based on its height, the proportions were a perfect match for her own. As time went on, the figure’s face finally took shape, revealing a visage identical to hers.

’That’s me... and that’s Xiao Ying’er... Then who is the other figure?!’

Her question did not last long. The tallest, remaining figure began to emerge from the mists and take shape. The Profound Celestial Robe, the Profound Jade Box, the binglan-blue long hair... and finally, the face she had yearned for day and night was fully etched into the crystal. Wan Xian’Er’s expression froze solid. "How can this be..." she murmured.