Chapter 57: Untitled

“Although I’m coming out of seclusion today, you guys don’t have to welcome me in such an exaggerated manner!” A refreshing voice said with an unconcealed teasing tone, dissipating the hazy atmosphere in the room like a gust of wind in spring.

Hearing this, the few of them looked towards the entrance.

Against the light, a slender frame strode in with big steps and a peerless face gradually appeared. Those gorgeous brows, sparkling eyes, seductive lips, as well as that extremely evil smile made her already beautiful face even more lively. Coupled with her unparalleled aura, she really dimmed the rays of sunlight behind her.

Wei Guoting was stunned for a moment. This stupid girl had once again undergone a huge transformation compared to three days ago. Such an outstanding fellow actually called him, Wei Guoting, Grandpa—he must have done a lot of good in his past life and accumulated much good karma!

Thinking of this, Wei Guoting shook his head nearly invisibly as darkness filled his eyes for a slight moment before disappearing.

“Stupid girl, just how did we welcome you from your seclusion in an exaggerated manner?” Wei Guoting covered up his emotions, stared at Zihou, and sneered coldly, not giving her any face at all.

“I just know it!” Zihou raised her brows up high, answering in a natural manner without the least bit of shame.

“You think too much!” Wei Guoting’s lips twitched as he stared at Zihou scornfully and said sarcastically. In fact, no matter what, he wouldn’t admit that he had been waiting for his granddaughter to come out of seclusion every day!

Wei Shirong and Zhao Xinrou saw the interesting interaction between the grandfather and granddaughter, exchanged looks, and smiled in a heartwarming manner…

The bickering between Wei Guoting and Zihou invited occasional remarks from Wei Shirong and Zhao Xinrou—even Chu Lingye commented from time to time, adding a faint smile to his quiet face. Momentarily, the entire living room was immersed in bliss—similar to the warmth of the break of dawn which could dissipate all darkness and evil.

“Cousin, why are you looking for me today?” Only after a long while did Zihou ask for the reason behind Chu Lingye’s visit today.

Once those words were out, the joyful atmosphere instantly diminished. However, it was still less oppressive than previously.

“Mother wants to meet you!” Chu Lingye answered gently after half a second of silence.

Zihou was quite stunned by this news. She didn’t have a deep impression of Chu Lingye’s mother, who was her aunt. The only memories that were left were fragments from her childhood that were blurry due to the passage of time.

However, fortunately, she still remembered that this aunt of hers was called Wei Qinxue and she had hardly returned to the Wei Estate since she entered the palace as a concubine. In fact, she hadn’t returned in recent years and there wasn’t any news of her—it was like she had disappeared from the face of the earth.

And now, she was actually informed that that mysterious aunt of hers wanted to meet her—how could she not be stunned?

However, Zihou didn’t answer Chu Lingye immediately. Instead, she looked to Wei Guoting and waited for his reaction, because she knew that Wei Qinxue was still an unhealed injury in his heart which would act upon touch—this was also why he had never mentioned Wei Qinxue all these years.

“Go ahead, girl! It’s time that you know about some things!” After a long period of silence, Wei Guoting finally took a deep breath and said, as if he had made a huge decision.

“Father!” Hearing this, Zhao Xinrou immediately got up in agitation, her anxious voice filled with complicated emotions.

Wei Shirong remained silent, but his face was covered in shadows and struggles.

“Never mind, everything is predestined!” Wei Guoting shook his head, sighed deeply, turned his back, and left behind an aged silhouette.

After Wei Guoting left, Zhao Xinrou took a deep look at Zihou and ran out in tears. Similarly, Wei Shirong took a hard look at Zihou, sighed, and went after her…

Seeing the three of them leave, although Zihou’s face remained calm, her eyes were stormy and filled with a myriad of emotions.

Actually, she could already guess some things long ago. Now, their reactions further firmed up the conjecture in her heart.

It seemed like she indeed needed to look into some things.

“When?” After a long while, Zihou retracted her gaze, looked towards Chu Lingye, and asked.

In the most remote corner of the imperial harem in the palace was an extremely dilapidated courtyard which was unknown to the world.

The aged walls of the courtyard were covered in moss and intertwining vines, the outward-facing sides peeling and covered in marks left behind by time. Compared to the fashionable and extravagant styles of the exquisite courtyards around it, it couldn’t fit in—it was like aged rouge forgotten in time.

The gentle breeze brought on a mild floral scent of hybrid tea roses in the courtyard which refreshed one’s mind.

The breeze made the wavering door of the courtyard swing open, producing creaking sounds. From the agar door of the courtyard, huge plots of hybrid tea roses could be seen in full bloom, vying with each other for attention.

Hybrid tea roses in all colors met her eyes. Amidst the flowers was a white figure moving along, carefully tending to the hybrid tea roses which filled the courtyard.

Buried within the bushes of the hybrid tea roses, although her face couldn’t be seen clearly, just her back view made her appear like a fairy among flowers, immensely beautiful.

Zihou’s approaching steps halted at the entrance and took in the scene inside through the ajar door.

This woman should be that aunt of hers?

This was the first that she formally met this aunt of hers. Nevertheless, although this silhouette was as beautiful as a painting, she could see the quiet desolation within it. The weight that sank deeply in time made her understand that there were definitely many stories of this aunt that people didn’t know.

While her nose was filled with the enchanting scent of hybrid tea roses, her heart also ached uncontrollably.

There was a saying of the last bloom of hybrid tea roses. Hybrid tea roses bloomed at the end of spring when all other flowers wilted. The blooming of hybrid tea roses meant the end of spring as well as the end of a woman’s youth as well as the most beautiful love in life.

However, undeniably, hybrid tea roses were extremely beautiful!

“Since you’re here, you’re a guest. Why isn’t the guest coming in?” The mild voice seemed like a gentle breeze in spring which soothed all of one’s emotions.

Hearing this, Zihou’s eyes flickered slightly. However, she didn’t stay there further and started walking in.

Within the courtyard, hybrid tea roses were seen almost everywhere and seemed to almost occupy every corner, speaking volumes of the owner’s love for hybrid tea roses. And the owner was focusing on tending to these flowers from the start to the end.

“It’s been a long time since anyone came over. How did you…” Only when Zihou neared did Wei Qinxue look up from the rose bushes and turned around. When she saw Zihou’s face, her speech stopped abruptly and the scissors in her hands that were used to tend to the flowers fell to the ground and sank into the soil.

“Changge, Changge—you’re Changge…” Wei Qinxue suddenly became extremely worked up as the tone of her voice went up by a few pitches. Hastened breathing could be heard from her face beneath the thin mesh covering it.

As she screamed, she rushed towards Zihou, grabbed her hands, and carefully sized her up…

Changge?

Zihou’s eyes flickered as she started to form her own conjecture in her heart.

“No, you’re not Changge!” After staring at Zihou for a while, Wei Qinxue finally let go of her hand, took a few steps back, shook, and looked slightly distracted.

“You’re not Changge—could you be… little Hou-er?” Wei Qinxue’s eyes lit up as her face was quickly covered by a tinge of excitement once again.

“Aunt, it’s me!” Only then did Zihou nodded and admitted.

“Little Hou-er, is it really you?!” Wei Qinxue’s eyes glowed and her face was overwhelmed by excitement. She went up, grabbed Zihou’s hands, and examined her carefully. Her focused attitude seemed to be making up for the regret over the years.

“Little Hou-er, it’s been more than ten years. Aunt finally gets to see you again!” Wei Qinxue shook her head gently as her eyes filled up with tears. The myriad of emotions that instantly overwhelmed those eyes seemed helpless at the hands of fate and the fast passage of time! Finally, she still couldn’t help but hug Zihou and started bawling out loud.

Perhaps she was overly excited, the mesh covering her face fell gradually, exposing the looks that had been hiding under it…

However, half of that face was peerlessly beautiful like a fairy while the other half was as ugly as a ghost. The flesh on the ugly half of the face was scrunched up and extremely frightening, a stark contrast to the peerlessly beautiful side. Even Zihou was secretly frightened upon seeing it.

She could tell immediately that this face had been burned to this state!

“I’m sorry, Hou-er—Aunt must have scared you!” Feeling the mesh falling off her face, Wei Qinxue frantically picked it up and put it on again.

“Hou-er didn’t get scared.” Zihou smiled mildly, shook her head, and said.

“Young Mistress, let Little Mistress sit down and have a cup of tea before chatting with her!” A hoarse voice could be heard before a woman in a grayish-black long dress stepped out from within the house.

That woman placed a tray with a teapot and teacups on the stone table, placed the cushion that she held in her other hand onto a stone chair beside Wei Qinxue, and helped Wei Qinxue to sit down. She moved skillfully and familiarly as if she had done the entire sequence countless times…

“Little Mistress, this is the tea that I made. It tastes alright—try it. I won’t disturb you and Young Mistress then…” That woman smiled kindly at Zihou, turned around, and went back into the house.

“So thankful for Qinghe for all these years!” Seeing the woman leave, Wei Qinxue’s face looked complicated and her eyes were hazy and mysterious as if recounting countless years. When that figure finally disappeared, she sighed deeply. Saying that, she shifted her gaze onto Zihou and asked, “Hou-er, I heard that you’re able to cultivate and are stunningly talented?”

“Yup, indeed, I’m able to cultivate.” Zihou nodded and admitted.

“Seems like everything is predestined!” After half a moment’s silence, Wei Qinxue shook her head gently and sighed.

“Why does Aunt say that?”

“Do you know why I looked for you today? Aunt thinks that our Hou-er is so intelligent and perhaps has already guessed it, right?” The complicated feelings disappeared from Wei Qinxue’s face as she smiled gently, emitting a wise aura.

“Hou-er, listen carefully. I’m not your biological aunt and the Wei Family isn’t your biological family either. This is what I want to tell you today!” Wei Qinxue turned solemn and stern.

Hearing this, Zihou’s slender brows lifted slightly as a dark glow flashed past her eyes.

She had long already suspected this when she had just transmigrated here. Everything that happened after that further confirmed the conjecture in her heart. However, guessing it on her own and being told about it were separate matters.

At this moment, for some reason, she was overwhelmed by complicated emotions…

There were too many untold secrets hidden in her body. Whether it was that sudden burst of energy from her body at the West Mountains or the unknown entanglements with the supernaturals, everything simply proved that there was really more than met the eye about the real identity of this body!

Actually, if she had a choice, she’d rather be under the Wei Estate—Wei Guoting that old foggy her biological grandfather, Wei Shirong and his wife her biological parents, and Wei Shirong her biological brother…

Because, even if they weren’t their biological family, they were even closer to her than family. Beyond a certain depth of relationships, biological bonds already ceased to be important.

“So what? I grew up in the Wei Estate, Father and Mother treat me like their own, and Grandpa dotes on me even more. Even without the biological relationship, I’m still from the Wei Family!” Zihou’s expression was slightly cold and her tone was slightly harsh.

To be honest, Zihou was still rather resentful towards her so-called biological parents. In her past life, she was an abandoned orphan, and because of that identity, she had lived in regret and longing for more than twenty years. In this lifetime, although she was reborn as a human, she was still the abandoned one. Despite having such loving parents as Wei Shirong and his wife, it couldn’t mend the hurt in her heart.

Sometimes, she also wondered if she was born to a tough life and was destined not to be fated with her parents?

“Hou-er, Aunt is very happy that you treat us as family,” said Wei Qinxue as she smiled faintly, comforted. Then, she got up, took a few steps with her back to Zihou, seemingly reminiscing something.

“Actually, Hou-er, you must believe that your parents love you! They have their own difficulties as well!” said Wei Qinxue suddenly as she sighed slightly.

These words made Zihou feel slightly at a loss. In her two lifetimes as human, she had been used to solitary and loneliness. However, now, she suddenly heard that her parents didn’t actually truly abandon her and instead loved her! Even though such words came from others, they somehow healed the wound deep within her heart.

If what Wei Qinxue said was true—her parents didn’t intentionally abandon her and had all sorts of difficulties—could it be the same for her parents in her previous lifetime?

Wei Qinxue turned around and met Zihou’s daydreaming eyes. A tinge of pity flashed past her eyes as she shook her head helplessly and said, “Just now, I’d mistaken you for Changge because you really look exactly like her! And, Changge is the name of your biological mother!”

Changge…

Zihou muttered this name softly as her gaze gradually turned dreamy.

So, her mother’s name was Changge!

“Then, where is my mother now? And why did she abandon me then?” After a long while, Zihou broke out of her own thoughts, her cold voice already not as harsh as before.

“It’s a long story. It goes back to more than twenty years ago…” Wei Qinxue turned around, took a few steps toward some hybrid tea roses, and looked up slightly, her gaze gradually turned blurry…

“Twenty-odd years ago, I couldn’t get over some issues and secretly went to a cliff outside of the city, wanting to jump off the cliff and end my life. However, right after I jumped down, I got saved by someone. The person who saved me was an outstandingly peerlessly beautiful young lady. On that day, she was wearing a long white dress, her skin was fairer than snow and even more glaring than the sun…” At that moment, she had thought that she saw a fairy descending to earth! As Wei Qinxue spoke, her face filled up with nostalgia.

“She saved me and told me many things and teachings. She made me understand that there were still many beautiful things in this world. Precisely because of her, I had the courage to continue living on!” Wei Qinxue sighed as she radiated a depressing aura. Then, if it weren’t for Changge, now, she should have already been reduced to dust?

“That person was my mother?” Zihou frowned slightly and asked softly.

“That’s right. The person who saved me was your mother, Xiao Changge!” Wei Qinxue turned around, nodded, and said.

Xiao Changge…

So, her mother’s surname was Xiao…

However, the surname Xiao, based on her readings of ancient texts, didn’t exist in all four countries of the world. Unless it was an extremely ancient family clan hidden from the world…

“Then does Aunt know where did my mother come from?”

“Aunt doesn’t know… your mother only told me that she came from a faraway place beyond the four countries of the world. As for where she came from, I saw that she didn’t seem willing to talk about it and didn’t ask too much…” Wei Qinxue shook her head in regret. Changge’s background had always been a mystery. All these years, she had been thinking that if she knew Changge’s hometown, perhaps she would go and look for her!

All these years, if it weren’t for that promise then, perhaps she would abandon everything, leave, and live an unrestricted and free life. However, she had never regretted it!

Not within the four countries of the world?

Zihou’s eyes flickered slightly as she thought of a place. She suddenly recalled the Boundless Woods that she read in an ancient book the other day. It was said that the Boundless Woods was so extensive that it split the Vast Lands into two. On the other side of the Boundless Woods was the legendary Faraway Shrine!

Could her mother have come from there?

However, she daren’t be sure, because the Vast Lands was so expansive—on this side of the Boundless Woods, besides the four countries of the world, there still existed the World City and the likes!

“Can Aunt tell me more regarding my mother?” On one hand, she was indeed curious about the matters regarding her so-called biological mother, and on the other hand, she could perhaps obtain some leads from other minor details.

“But of course!” Wei Qinxue nodded with a smile as she recounted and shared those memories which had been sealed away for more than twenty years…