Who said he wasn’t the one?
He’d instantly known he was the object of the search. Said search was cosigned by his mother Xu Meng, his sister Qingxuang, his father Jiang Feng, and some random elder brother called Jiang Chen.
He felt a little dazed. He’d only known about his mother, a pitiful one snubbed by the Moon G.o.d Sect.
There was also a sensible sister about his age, but unlike him and his mother, she’d been treated like a princess. The sect had coddled her as if a simple breeze would scatter her to the winds.
Other than these two, he’d never heard about a father, not to mention a brother.
As if on purpose, the scholar stayed for three months in Tilted Moon, taking him here and there every single day.
Wherever they went, they saw similar notices describing his childhood characteristics in great detail, painting a perfect picture of his younger self. The middle-aged man would even ask now and then, “Shopkeeper, how long have these notices been posted?”
“They’ve been up ever since Holy Girl Qingxuan reunited with her brother. They used to keep the search low-profile, but after the annihilation of the demons, almost every town in the region is looking for this child. That said, locating a child lost a century ago is no easy feat.”
The scholar chuckled. “That’s true. Even if they find him, the kid might feel emotionally estranged and refuse to admit his ident.i.ty, no?”
“Hehe, I doubt it.” The shopkeeper shook his head firmly. “Young lord Jiang Chen’s been looking for his lost brother way back before his rise to fame. You must be aware of his present status. His family is undoubtedly the most glorious one in all of Divine Abyss. Perhaps their only regret is this long lost child.”
“Indeed, it’s a tragedy to be separated from one’s blood kin,” the scholar sighed theatrically.
“Dearest customer, you can go to the Ancient Veluriyam Palace and look for the young lord if you know something. I heard he’s made a solemn promise to richly reward whoever provides him with a clue.”
The middle-aged man chuckled. “That’s very tempting.”
“Tempting doesn’t do it justice. It’s enough to drive you bonkers. You have no idea how many homeless wanderers dream of being his long-lost brother. Too bad none of them are, hahaha!” The shopkeeper laughed boisterously.
Silent so far, Jiang You suddenly interjected in an icy voice, “What’s so good about riding on someone else’s coattails?”
“Heh, young man, you’re mistaken. We’re not talking about climbing the social ladder here, but reuniting a family. Alas, they were forced apart. It’s not like they abandoned the child on purpose,” the shopkeeper countered.
With a smile, the scholar tossed him a tip and leisurely saw himself out.
The same pattern repeated itself day after day, slowly driving Jiang You up the wall. “How long are you going to drag me around? Didn’t you say we were headed to the Veluriyam Palace?”
“Ah? I thought you didn’t want to go? That’s why I took you on a tour instead. Did you have a change of heart?” asked the middle-aged man with feigned astonishment.
Jiang You knew the fellow was dissembling, but he didn’t expose the lies. After doing nothing but moving rocks for more than a century, he’d become somewhat detached from the world. Globe-trotting for the past year had dredged up memories of his childhood’s wandering days, slowly easing him back into society. Many thoughts that used to vex him to no end now seemed trivial.
“The Moon G.o.d Sect isn’t far from here. If you’re feeling vindictive, you can crash their place and beat up those who chased you away.”
For whatever reason, the idea didn’t appeal to Jiang You in the least. The travails of his youth were once etched deep in his heart, fostering a lifelong resentment, but they suddenly felt so distant.
Now, the only thing on his mind was to go to the Veluriyam Palace, the sooner the better.
This fixation grew stronger by the day. He kept his peace at first, but seeing the scholar continue to idle his time away, he could no longer restrain himself.
……
Inside Veluriyam Palace, Jiang Chen received a very distinctive calling card. It hadn’t been delivered by the pageboy at the door, but directly pa.s.sed through the palace’s restrictions to land in his hand.
It was a rather das.h.i.+ng way to announce oneself.
Jiang Chen puzzled over this card. After he’d purged the continent of demons, there shouldn’t have been particularly powerful existences left in this world. Not even Xia Tianze was strong enough for such sleight of hand.
There was no long, flowery rhetoric on the card, just a single line and two signatories. One was Jiang Huan, the other Jiang You.
“Jiang Huan? Jiang You?” Against all odds, both had the same family name as him. Was there another powerhouse in this world named Jiang?
The name Jiang Huan in particular stirred something deep inside him. He dimly recalled his father inadvertently mention this name in his former life, without explaining the man’s ident.i.ty. No one with that name was part of his father’s inner circle.
Nonetheless, this incident had left a deep impression on him, so it instantly come back to mind the moment he saw the name. He decided to meet the man.
Almost a ninth level G.o.d by now, he was without contest the supreme existence on the continent. Not even all the ancient powerhouses come back to life could have threatened him, to say nothing of these two.
Outside, the middle-aged scholar sized up the sect with great curiosity. However, his expression remained nonchalant. Rather than being awed by the place’s majesty, he seemed fully unimpressed.
In contrast, Jiang You bounced on the b.a.l.l.s of his feet. Despite his century-long equanimity, he could taste his own nervousness at this moment in time.
“The closer to home you are, the more your apprehension. I a.s.sume you don’t want to be taken lightly at first meeting? So, relax a little,” chuckled the scholar.
The gates opened, interrupting their dialogue. Jiang Chen strode forth, his eyes sweeping past the scholar and immediately landing on Jiang You’s face.
Both men felt their hearts shake in unison.
They both saw themselves in the other. They weren’t exactly carved from the mold, but the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
“Are you Jiang You?” Jiang Chen blurted out. “The one gone missing from Tilted Moon more than a hundred years ago?”