Even if it felt like his mother's embrace, An Chen wouldn't truly believe she could become his mother.
That was impossible.
Life had to go on, and his efforts couldn't stop here.
He still had… so many, many things to do.
The warmth and comfort before him were only momentary; An Chen wouldn't do something as foolish as picking up sesame seeds and losing a watermelon.
"How could you…"
The woman was somewhat astonished.
How could this young man's attitude change so quickly?
"I have already embarked on the path of Cultivation. Once I take this step, there's no turning back."
Cultivators in the Qi Refinement Stage alone have a much longer Lifespan than Mortals. Cultivators and Mortals can't even cross the threshold of time.
One side would watch the other rapidly age, until the moment the other died, while they themselves were still in their "prime."
This wasn't An Chen's true feelings, but it was the most suitable reason An Chen could think of.
He wiped away the tears from his eyes and the tear stains on his face, then swallowed.
"Mom, tell Big Brother that I will always be his younger brother. It's a regret that we didn't meet today, but in the future… let's forget each other in the Jianghu!"
An Chen's gaze was firm as he stepped out the door and strode in the direction he had come from.
"Son!"
The woman chased him out the door, calling loudly from the doorway.
But An Chen didn't look back.
However, An Chen always felt a faint ache somewhere in his heart.
It doesn't hurt… it doesn't hurt!
An Chen recalled a time when he was little and fell, scraping his knee. His mother had whispered softly to him like that, gently blowing on the wound.
"It doesn't hurt… it doesn't hurt…"
An Chen murmured softly.
He had endured too many hardships and pains; this was just one more.
The woman's voice still echoed behind him, but An Chen wouldn't turn back. He even quickened his pace, activating Qingyun Step, and tried his best to leave that place.
…
"How do you… see it?"
"I'm sitting and watching."
Grand Elder and Zhao Qingfeng both had twisted expressions.
Grand Elder was scratching his head, while Zhao Qingfeng was rubbing his hair.
"What a Da Xiao Zi…"
"This isn't a good thing."
"Do you still think he's a Transcendent now?"
Zhao Qingfeng shook his head.
"Probably not."
Which Earth Transcendent would have relatives in Kyushu?
And it didn't seem like he was faking it.
An Chen's genuine emotional outburst left both of them speechless.
After all, who among them didn't have parents? And who didn't have to endure such pain?
An Chen today was their past selves.
However, at least An Chen's identity issue was resolved, and the stone in Zhao Qingfeng's heart finally settled.
There was no need to worry about the heir problem; An Chen was still An Chen, and there would be no estrangement between them.
"Let's go. We should return to the Sect early. Although the Grand Elder and Sect Leader disappearing for an entire afternoon isn't a major issue, if there's a real emergency, problems could arise."
The Grand Elder snorted.
"You just want to go back and Cultivate in seclusion, right?"
Zhao Qingfeng was momentarily speechless.
"Old Qin, there's a saying: 'See through, but don't speak through.'"
…
"Well done, you acted it perfectly."
Zhang Wei walked into the wooden house and said with a smile to the woman.
"Not bad, not bad. It's what I do for a living."
The woman also smiled, pursing her lips.
She was originally a stage actress, and it was precisely because of this identity that Zhang Wei sought her out to perform this play.
Only someone with a professional background like her could perform such a play well.
After all, their audience consisted of two Soul Transformation Stage mighty Cultivators. Although these two might not have any expertise in acting, they had lived a long time. As the saying goes, the older the person, the wiser they become. Against these two, simply finding an ordinary person would definitely expose the act.
The woman looked at Zhang Wei, suddenly hesitant. She struggled for a long time before finally saying:
"This item… I think it's a bit precious. Do you think we should return it to that young man?"
The woman took out the two bottles of Yangshen Pill and handed them to Zhang Wei.
These weren't her belongings, and she felt uneasy holding them.
What if this was just a "prop" that the young man bought at a high price for the act? She didn't want him to come back later asking for it, only to find out she had sold it all for money.
"He gave it to you, so it's yours now. He won't ask for it back. Don't worry, he wasn't lying. He's doing much better than you."
An Chen was now the Qingfeng Sect Leader's Disciple. While Cultivation resources might be slightly less than those of a major Sect, he certainly wasn't lacking anything.
Aside from his identity, An Chen's financial resources were definitely beyond what this woman could imagine.
Kunpeng had been secretly tracking the transactions between An Chen and Sun Zhijun, and had also learned the price at which An Chen supplied goods to Sun Zhijun, as well as the price at which Sun Zhijun sold them.
Sun Zhijun had already become wealthy, and An Chen also held a considerable amount of funds. Kunpeng estimated that he now had at least several hundred thousand.
And this money was earned within ten days, and theoretically, An Chen could earn this much money every time he Transmigrated back, and even more in the future.
So, a few bottles of Yangshen Pill were really not a lot of money for An Chen.
And it was indeed the case.
Zhang Wei smiled and pushed the two bottles of Medicinal Pill back, and at the same time, took out a small cloth bag.
"This is Kunpeng's reward for you."
The woman took the small cloth bag and saw that it contained a dozen small crystals.
"These are the hardest currency here in Kyushu, called Spirit Stones. The type of Medicinal Pill you just held, one Spirit Stone can exchange for one pill."
The woman's mouth slightly opened.
Then wouldn't one Spirit Stone be worth tens of thousands?
"Thank you, sir!"
Zhang Wei suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
"Why 'sir'? You can call me 'comrade' or 'young comrade'…"
He wasn't much older than An Chen, and this woman was old enough to be his mother. Hearing her call him 'sir' always felt strange.
Besides, he wasn't very educated.
"I actually really want to ask, what exactly happened to that young man just now? And who was this play performed for?"
The woman had never quite understood this matter.
From beginning to end, for several hours, only An Chen appeared. She hadn't seen even one so-called "audience member."
What exactly were they performing this play for?
"I can't explain that clearly to you, but someone was definitely watching. I also can't tell you about the problem the young man encountered; it's about protecting privacy, you wouldn't want your information to be known by others, would you?"
"Understood, understood. I won't ask anymore."
The woman nodded repeatedly, waving her hands.
"Speaking of which, that young man's acting skills are quite good. He doesn't seem like he studies acting, but his emotional expression was so genuine. He must have put in a lot of effort, right?"
This was actually just a casual question from the woman. She was not only a comedic actress but also a teacher at a school, and sometimes she would look for children suitable for acting.
This was purely an occupational habit.
Zhang Wei was suddenly silent for a moment, then spoke:
"Perhaps… that wasn't acting."