The village lane grew silent as the sun slowly set. Zhenwu trudged onward, his steps heavy and deliberate, each one a testament to the guilt that weighed upon him. His mind was crowded with the things he had heard from the villagers—from Second Uncle, Aunt Liu—and, most of all, the deep disappointment he saw in their eyes.
Perhaps… perhaps all of this could have been different if I had come sooner. Mother wouldn't be sick. Father wouldn't have had to sell the family's ancestral paddies. Lin Xue and her daughter wouldn't be suffering… And Uncle Lin—I'd rather face the Heavenly Emperor than look him in the eye.
"..."
What excuse could he possibly give them? What kind of lie would suffice? Amnesia? No, that would only breed more lies to sustain it. "Should I just be honest? Explain my story from another world and show them my power? But… could their hearts truly bear the shock?"
Zhenwu's heart weighed heavily with the consequences of his choice.
No, I'll prove myself first—by healing their ailments. After that, slowly, I will be honest with them.
"Will they call me an alien?" he mumbled, grasping for a proper explanation. He sighed. Ugh… I'd rather fight the Heavenly Emperor than face Uncle Lin. For a moment, his thoughts drifted to the
Nine Heaven Fold, where everything felt so much simpler. He only had time to glance up at the sky when the name crossed his mind—just enough to feel something thin yet undeniably real touch his thoughts.
The moment his lips formed the Emperor's name, the sky above trembled.
Eighth Heaven, Heavenly Palace
On the highest throne, the Heavenly Emperor sat in stately splendor. His golden robe was embroidered with dragons that looked alive; his face appeared middle-aged, yet his eternal eyes held an immeasurable authority as he read an imperial decree to the assembled gods. Beside him, Xiwangmu—the Queen Mother of the West—listened intently.
"With this, I convey to the gods present—"
His voice suddenly stopped. The Emperor's entire body shuddered, startling the deities. "Your Majesty, why have you stopped?" Xiwangmu asked, confused.
"There is a tremor… neither from mortal prayers nor from any disaster," he murmured, pinching his fingers as if to perform a divination.
But in an instant, a crushing backlash struck his mind.
"GET OUT."
One word was enough to make the Heavenly Emperor spit fresh blood. His face turned pale; his body convulsed with terror.
"Your Majesty!"
"Emperor!"
"The Emperor!"
Chaos erupted in the Heavenly Court. Xiwangmu rose anxiously. "Quick, get the peaches of immortality!"
As soon as he consumed one, the emperor's face regained its rosy color. The gods breathed a sigh of relief, but a monumental question hung in the air: what had just happened?
Suddenly, a voice echoed throughout the heavens.
"You stinking old man, do you want to feel a beating again, like sixty thousand years ago?"
The Heavenly Emperor's body stiffened. "Y-you… Your Excellency, I did not mean to… please forgive me." He stood and bowed toward the source of the voice.
"Hahaha, I was just kidding. But in return, I want a bountiful harvest for my hometown—Qingshan Village in China."
Erlang Shen strode forward gallantly. "Who are you, daring to disrupt the palace—"
Before he could finish his sentence, a devastating pressure slammed into his body. The general fell backward as if an entire planet had been placed upon him; a soldier who tried to help him was thrown by mysterious light particles.
"Arrghh!"
"Your Excellency, please have mercy!" The Heavenly Emperor quickly intervened, bowing deeply. "I will fulfill your request."
Silence returned to the air. Once again, the Heavenly Palace bore witness to the might of Liang Zhenwu.
Qingshan Village
After swearing inwardly in confusion, Zhenwu suddenly realized he had arrived in front of Lin Xue's house—the woman he both loved and had deeply disappointed.
"Heh, fascinating… It seems that the old man in the sky really felt it when I mentioned his name," he muttered.
"GET OUT!" Zhenwu suddenly shouted, expelling the alien consciousness that was attempting to spy on him.
Inside the house, Lin Xue was having dinner with her father, Lin Yuheng, and her little daughter, Liang Jingxuan—affectionately called Xuanxuan. Lin Xue had long ago decided to use the Liang family name for her daughter as a sign of respect for Zhenwu's parents, who had sold everything to pay for the child's medical treatment.
The dinner atmosphere was warm and filled with laughter. Xuanxuan's innocent chatter always melted her grandfather's tough heart. "Grandpa, Xuanxuan wants to have a puppy! Baobao shows off his dog every day," she said, her mouth still smeared with oil.
At the age of just three, her small hand trembled as she held her spoon, and her skin was so translucent it appeared to glow under the oil lamp. She yawned, her smile quickly fading, replaced by a weariness too heavy for a child so small.
"Gyahaha… alright, Grandpa will find you one later," Lin Yuheng laughed, stroking his granddaughter's head. Lin Xue smiled but still reminded her gently, "Xuanxuan, if you get a puppy, you have to be responsible for taking care of it, understand?"
"Mommy, Xuanxuan promises! I'll bathe it, feed it, and take it for walks in the afternoon."
"Good, finish your food quickly. Mom still has to deliver vegetables to Uncle Liang and Aunt Wu." Even after Zhenwu disappeared, Lin Xue still considered his parents her own family.
But that warmth was shattered when a thunderous shout broke the night.
"GET OUT!"
Xuanxuan flinched, rice nearly spilling from her spoon. She cried out in fear. "Wooo… Mommy, Grandpa, Xuanxuan is scared!"
Lin Yuheng immediately got up, grabbing a wooden block from the corner of the house. "Stay inside, and don't come out until I see who is out there."
The shout caused a stir among the villagers. The doors opened, and people rushed outside.
"Old Ding, did you hear that voice?"
"Yes, from Lin's house!"
"Is it a thief?"
"Let's go see! Grab some rocks, just in case we need to throw them."
When everyone had gathered, Uncle Lin appeared with the wooden block in his hand. His eyes immediately fell on the figure he hated most—Liang Zhenwu.
"It's you… You bastard! You disgraced my daughter, and now you dare to shout in front of my house!" The anger that he had suppressed for so long exploded.
"Uncle, this is a misunderstanding! I didn't mean—" Zhenwu panicked, blaming his own carelessness.
"Do you still have the right to call me uncle!?" His voice was that of a deeply disappointed man.
"You curse at us? Telling us who are having dinner to come out and meet you? Good! I've wanted to beat up an insolent young man like you for a long time!" Uncle Lin advanced, raising the wooden block high.
But before it could strike, a small voice echoed from behind the door.
"…Daddy? Are you… Xuanxuan's Daddy?"
All eyes froze. The villagers who had gathered held their breath. The noisy night, which had been so full of tension, tightened into a single fragile moment around one innocent question from a little child.