Greatly perturbed, Jiang Chen realized Jiang Huan’s origins might be even more mysterious than he’d imagined.
The latter smiled leisurely, his monologue finally finished. “I’ve rambled on long enough. Young lord, perhaps you also have thoughts to share?”
Jiang Chen had reached a few tentative conclusions. He was almost certain his guest came from another world. Too many details pointed in that direction.
The man was also certainly connected to his own previous life. There was no other plausible explanation for his numerous allusions.
“Fellow daoist, some might dismiss your talk as nonsensical jabber caused by a fever. It’s fortunate I can follow you. But let me ask you one thing. You say you were born before the primordial age. It was an era of wildness back then. There was no clear concept of race or ethnicity, to say nothing of family names. So why are you called Jiang? Where does the name come from?”
Jiang Huan laughed out loud. “An astute question, I like it.”
“Do you care to explain?”
“Gladly. In another life, my elder master went by this name. He’s the one who sent me to look for the little master.”
“Elder master? Little master?” Jiang Chen eyes stayed glued to his guest.
“Correct. My elder master was the celestial emperor ruling over a heavenly world known as the Taiyuan Plane. And my little master, as it happens, bears the same name as you do. What a coincidence, eh?”
Their words danced around each other, each probing the other.
One didn’t want to divulge his great secrets to the wrong person. The other was afraid of exposing his ident.i.ty over a misunderstanding.
Jiang Chen’s brows creased deeply. “Do you have any proof?”
Without further ado, Jiang Huan immediately flicked a jade slip at the young lord. Inside was a sealed fragment of consciousness.
“Jiang Chen, mine son. Your father has three deathsworn called Jiang Huan, Jiang Quan, and Jiang Kui. I’ve sent them to three different planes. They are trusted confidantes, so treat them as an uncle if you run into one of them. They bear the heavy mission of reuniting the two of us. They will play a crucial part in returning the Taiyuan Plane to our family, so don’t hesitate to rely on them.”
Bearing an authentic, if short, message from his father, the slip dispelled the young man’s doubts. He immediately bowed, “This nephew greets you, Uncle.”
Jiang Huan hurriedly rose and knelt. “Young lord, this old man is but a servant trained in secret. The elder master might have showered me with misguided affection, but how would I dare presume to put on airs in front of you?”
Though an attendant to the Taiyuan celestial emperor, he and his two comrades been brought up unbeknownst to all, even to Jiang Chen himself.
Perhaps the celestial emperor had set out long ago to look for a way out of the crisis that would one day befall him. That was the most likely explanation.
Why else would he have arranged for secret helpers ahead of time?
Jiang Chen beamed with joy. It was the first time he’d obtained clear, first-hand information about his father.
“Young lord, we couldn’t avoid the tragedy back then. Everything stemmed from the Sun Moon Pill. Going against heaven’s will naturally attracted their reprisal. But the real threat lies with the enemies we have to overcome in order to save the elder master and reclaim the Taiyuan Plane.”
“Who are they?” Jiang Chen asked solemnly.
Jiang Huan shook his head. “I don’t know. The elder master didn’t tell me a specific name before he sent me away. I left before the advent of the disaster that left our realm in tatters. Even so, the elder master transgressed the laws of the universe once again and used his mighty powers to force you into the wheel of reincarnation.”
It seems my own behavior is rather tame compared to my father. And I’m supposed to be the young whippersnapper here.
In character and in conduct, his father was the epitome of willfulness. Jiang Chen couldn’t be more proud of being son to such a man.
Refining the Sun Moon Pill, forcing open the road to reincarnation... weren’t these the very picture of an unyielding man who forged his way ahead against all odds?
Every child in the universe had a father, but Jiang Chen’s own was second to none.
“Young lord, the elder master pinned all his hopes on you the moment you were born. Sadly, destiny itself cursed you back then, but your life took a turn for the better the second time around. Soon, you’ll be able to realize your father’s dreams.”
Jiang Huan’s speech became more impa.s.sioned the more he went on. He’d bided his time for many moons. In the endless pa.s.sage of seasons, he’d sometimes second-guessed himself. Was he at the wrong place? Was he doomed to spend his life waiting in vain?
But remembering the mission his master had entrusted to him, he’d plodded along, day after day, year after year.
Now that he’d finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel, he had a hard time keeping his emotions under control.
The young lord was equally excited. Hadn’t he, just like Jiang Huan, also been looking forward to this day?
While the older man had been waiting for his little master to reappear in this world, Jiang Chen had always hoped to untangle the mysteries of his first life and find a clue about the crisis that had beset his previous world.
“Uncle Huan, when were you certain that I was the one?” wondered Jiang Chen.
Jiang Huan smiled wryly. “I woke up every few decades to observe this world, including Myriad Abyss and the other major territories. For a long time, I’ve kept tabs on every emerging talent, waiting for their future to unfold before coming to a conclusion. In most cases, a hundred years is enough for a conclusive a.s.sessment, even for the most ambiguous ones.
“But I only took note of you after you became Veluriyam’s young lord. And then, your previous accomplishments also seemed to fit. From that day on, I made sure to keep an eye on you whenever I woke up. My guess finally turned into certainty after the emergence of the demons,”
Jiang Huan said with a smile. “Don’t ask me why I did nothing to stop them from devastating the land. I could’ve solved the problem in a heartbeat, but the world would have deviated from its original path and stunted your growth. The elder master repeatedly forbade me to act even if you found yourself an inch away from death.”