Luo Xiu's gaze slowly shifted away from Lin Shanshan's face as he simultaneously retracted his aura, turning himself into an "ordinary person."

This was because he had no intention of reuniting with his daughter. After all, his appearance had changed, and so had his life. If a reunion couldn't lead to companionship, it was better not to reunite at all.

Lin Shanshan, who was actually in her forties, looked to be just over twenty years old. For Cultivators, maintaining a youthful appearance was possible by expending some of their energy right up until their Lifespan ended. Being born an Earth Immortal, Lin Shanshan naturally had a Lifespan that could reach several thousand years.

Luo Xiu offered a polite smile. "I'm just passing by and came here to take shelter from the rain."

Lin Shanshan nodded gently without saying more, then carried the flowers to her family's graves. The young man in the suit glanced at Luo Xiu before acting as if he didn't exist, starting to fiddle with the incense and paper money in his bag.

Luo Xiu quietly walked a distance away, hiding behind a tree.

"Master, that man... he couldn't be Shan Shan's husband, could he?"

Upon hearing Hua Muyan's words, Luo Xiu felt a sharp prick in his heart, followed by a sudden wave of irritation.

But on second thought, I have no right to be upset. As a father, I missed far too much. I wasn't there to watch my daughter grow up, nor was I there to give her away at her wedding... In any case, as long as Shan Shan is happy, that's all that matters.

"Actually, I didn't spend much time with Shan Shan, and she was only four years old back then," Luo Xiu said. "Forty years have passed. I suppose her memory of me as her father is very vague by now."

"Is that why you won't reunite with her?" Hua Muyan asked.

"Reuniting with her now would only bring more sorrow," Luo Xiu replied.

Just then, Lin Shanshan and the young man began to speak. Although they were some distance away, Luo Xiu's heightened senses allowed him to hear them clearly without being detected.

After placing the incense sticks, Lin Shanshan began to clean the grave. "Prince, once I'm done with this busy period, I'm going to look for my mother. I might never come back. She's been gone for so long without any news, and I'm really worried. So, I'm leaving Shen Luo Company to you."

The young man's face was tinged with resignation as he forced a smile. "Come on, Sis, do you have to dump this mess on me? All the trouble always ends up in my lap. And stop calling me Prince in private; it gives me the creeps."

Lin Shanshan chuckled. "What, still scared of your big sister from when we were kids?"

The young man sighed and said seriously, "I knew you were going to leave, so I've already prepared."

Lin Shanshan patted his shoulder. "Grandpa Guan is around. He'll help you."

"Let's not," the young man said, waving his hand. "Grandpa Guan has protected the Lin Family his whole life. We shouldn't bother him anymore."

"You're right," she admitted.

...

Luo Xiu stopped eavesdropping and turned to leave, an unexpected sense of loss washing over him for some reason.

I can't believe that was Shan Shan's brother. When did Shan Shan get a brother? Could it be... Xi Yue remarried? Then again, forty years is a long time. It can change many things and cause many memories to fade.

"What is it with men and their wild assumptions?" Hua Muyan sounded exasperated. "I doubt Xi Yue would ever remarry. Maybe Shan Shan's brother is your child, too. Perhaps Xi Yue was pregnant with him before you died."

Luo Xiu, however, said, "But I don't sense my bloodline in him, only the aura of an ordinary person."

Hearing this, Hua Muyan fell silent. She knew that for an existence like Luo Xiu, who was at the Great Emperor Level, discerning a bloodline aura was simple. Confirming a parental relationship would be trivial for him.

Hua Muyan changed the subject. "We've visited almost everyone from the past. Where to next?"

Luo Xiu looked toward the Capital City. "Let's go see my senior sister, and then we'll find a way to the Upper Realm."

"The Starry Sky Ancient Path has long been severed," Hua Muyan said. "The Upper and Lower Realms are completely isolated from one another. In my current state, I have no way to connect to the Upper Realm."

Luo Xiu stated, "There must be another way."

...

「A few minutes later.」

Luo Xiu flew from Sea City to the Capital City. However, Di Xuanji was not in the Imperial Palace. He released his Divine Sense and searched for a long time before finally finding her in a manor surrounded by green hills and clear waters on the outskirts of the Capital City. This manor was the ancestral land of the Di Family.

However, upon arriving at the Di Family Villa and finding Di Xuanji, Luo Xiu was stunned. He concealed his aura and stood on a tree, peering through a window. Inside, an old woman lay on a bed, frail and on the verge of death. His eyes couldn't help but turn red.

"Senior Sister..."

He found it hard to imagine, and even harder to accept, that the once peerlessly beautiful Hua Country Female Emperor—the Empress who had crushed Emperor Hao and subdued Celestial Beings with a single sword—could now be so aged and dying.

It wasn't until late at night that the other people in the room left. Luo Xiu leaped down from the tree and flashed into the room. His eyes moistened as he looked at Di Xuanji on the bed.

As if sensing a presence, Di Xuanji slowly opened her time-worn eyes. She looked quietly and kindly at the tearful young man by her bedside. After a brief moment of staring, she suddenly grew excited.

"Little Mule... is that you?"

Luo Xiu hurried forward and grasped her withered, aged hand. "It's me... Senior Sister, I'm back."

Luo Xiu's voice choked with emotion as he pulled her into an embrace.

...

The senior and junior martial siblings talked for a very long time, until dawn was about to break. Luo Xiu sat on the edge of the bed with Di Xuanji leaning happily in his embrace, seemingly unwilling to part.

In the quiet room, Luo Xiu looked at a wedding photo on the wall. "Was he good to you?"

In the photo, Di Xuanji was dressed in a pure white wedding gown, looking sacred, noble, and beautiful to an unreal degree. He did not recognize the man beside her.

Di Xuanji smiled. "I was very happy. He was very good to me. His name was A Hua, an ordinary merchant. He passed away last year."

Luo Xiu reached out and stroked her silvery hair. "As long as you were happy."

Di Xuanji slowly extended a dry, aged hand to caress his youthful face. "Am I... dreaming? Little Mule, are you really... back?"

Luo Xiu pressed her hand against his face as a hot tear slid down his cheek. "Yes, I'm back."

Di Xuanji's body trembled. "It's a pity... we missed our chance. Forty years." She looked at him. "Luo Xiu, if there's a next life... let's not miss each other again."

"Okay."

Di Xuanji slowly closed her eyes. "It's so good... to die in your arms. For you to be the one to bring my life to its final close."

Luo Xiu gently lifted his hand, quietly releasing a thread of Fortune-Forming Power. But Di Xuanji gently grabbed his hand and shook her head softly.

"There's no need. Let me go peacefully... I want to find A Hua. He must be very lonely. In the next life, I'll marry you."

Luo Xiu met her time-worn eyes and suddenly understood. He withdrew his hand.

"Little Mule, what are your plans now?" Di Xuanji asked.

Luo Xiu took a deep breath to calm himself. "I'm going to the Upper Realm."

"That's good. Xi Yue, Qian Qing, and Xiao Yi all went to the Upper Realm. I wanted to go too, but after the great slaughtering calamity... every extra day I've lived has been a blessing. Little Mule, you must find them, and don't miss your chance again. Now that your illness is cured, you have an infinite future ahead of you."

Luo Xiu nodded lightly. "How did they get to the Upper Realm?"

"I don't know the details, but I think they went through some kind of Secret Realm."

"Alright. I'll look for it myself later."

Suddenly, Di Xuanji called out, "Little Mule."

"Hmm?"

"Can you... hold me again?"

...

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