Futile Devices Scans

“You’re leaving?”

The step she was about to take halted at the cave entrance. Hearing the voice behind her, Jiang Feng Xun turned around. In a corner of the cave, Xie You Lan sat cross-legged in meditation. He raised his eyelids halfway and cast her a casual glance, then sneered, “Planning to disappear without a word again?”

Jiang Feng Xun said nothing.

That day in the cave, as they spoke of the past, Xie You Lan had questioned her. Since she had spent so many years living in seclusion and cutting herself off from the outside world, why had she suddenly thought of sending him a message? Jiang Feng Xun had merely gazed at him, an expression both sorrowful and joyful crossing her face, and said softly, “You Lan, you’re injured.”

Xie You Lan had replied lightly, “Just a minor injury. There’s no need for concern.”

“At the time, Xie Jing went to such lengths to obtain the Xingcang Scripture because he had practiced the Cloud-Rising Through the Mountains Technique for many years without making progress, and had instead accumulated hidden injuries. Only the Xingcang Scripture could help him ascend to the next level.” Jiang Feng Xun spoke softly. “You are the Young Palace Master of Beizhu Palace and the heir to his teachings. What about you? What stage have you reached now?”

His flimsy facade exposed in front of everyone, Xie You Lan simply stopped pretending altogether. “That’s right. I came for the Xingcang Scripture.”

“The old bastard told me you stole Beizhu Palace’s secret manual. He said that if I wanted to survive the most dangerous stage of the Lianshan Chuyun Art, I had to capture you and force the location of the scripture out of you.” He gave a mocking laugh. “I spent my life doing the opposite of whatever he wanted. Only after suffering for it myself and getting trampled underfoot did I realize there might have been a tiny bit of truth in what he said.”

Jiang Feng Xun nodded. “Believing Xie Jing and helping him steal the true scripture made me an accomplice to evil. That was my mistake. Yet all these years, I never handed the scripture over to him, nor did I pass it to anyone else. I often used that fact to excuse myself.”

“You Lan, the debts between Xie Jing and me can never be settled. But toward you, I owe nothing but guilt. Compared to your safety, pride means nothing. Today, I will accept the charge of stealing the scripture.”

“If there truly is retribution in this world, let it fall upon me alone. Do not harm my son.”

Her words carried such a strong sense of making final arrangements that Yu Gong Zhao Ye feared there would not be enough time. He left in great haste that very day, eager to return to Longsha and bring Wei Fu here to see Jiang Feng Xun. Cheng Yu, Ying Yue, and the others departed the mountains with him, leaving only Xie You Lan behind in the sinkhole cave to keep Jiang Feng Xun company.

Seven days had passed.

Xie You Lan did not even bother standing. He simply lounged against the cave wall with all the arrogance of a ruler seated upon the main throne of Beizhu Palace rather than in a ruined mountain cave. “You promised to give me the real Xingcang Scripture. Now that you’ve finished teaching it to me, you think you’ve repaid everything you owed me over the years and can leave with a clear conscience?”

He had been full of energy every day, hunting game and gathering fruit outside. His internal injuries clearly seemed almost healed. Jiang Feng Xun’s greatest burden had already been lifted, and she murmured in defense, “Apart from that, I have nothing else left to give you.”

“I don’t need anything else.” Xie You Lan’s expression remained blank. “I haven’t memorized the Xingcang Scripture yet. I’m not like Wei Fu with his photographic memory. One wrong word can lead to disaster. My injuries were severe. I was nearly beaten to death out there not long ago, and I even coughed up blood on the way here. If you haven’t taught me properly, you can’t leave.”

When he was being unreasonable like this, he was actually rather adorable. He was nothing at all like Xie Jing. Why had she once been so convinced, almost possessed, that this child was dangerous and someone she should avoid at all costs?

Jiang Feng Xun sighed helplessly. “You may not have a photographic memory, but you are still my son. I can see that you’ve already fully understood it. Your internal injuries should be almost completely healed as well. You keep claiming you haven’t memorized it simply because you’re stalling for someone else.”

“Stalling for who?” Xie You Lan asked.

Jiang Feng Xun fell silent again.

Xie You Lan looked as though he had woken up to find someone had braided his tail into pigtails. Dripping with sarcasm, he said, “What a joke. What does it matter to me whether you reunite or not? Stalling for him? Why don’t I just make dumplings and celebrate for you while I’m at it? If you don’t want to see him, even better. Let him waste the trip and cry himself to death.”

“It’s not…”

Jiang Feng Xun seemed to have reverted to those early days when she had first begun speaking again. She paused for a very long time before finally saying with great difficulty, “It’s not that I don’t want to see him. I’m afraid… of hurting him one more time.”

“My bond with him as mother and son was always shallow. I left him when he was so young, and I won’t be able to stay by his side in the future either. He’s already grown accustomed to living without me. Why should I suddenly appear again at a time like this?”

“Not meeting him would be better for him. If he sees me, he’ll remember me…”

“And once he remembers…”

Her voice faltered.

“He’ll never forget.”

Outside the cave, a hoarse, trembling male voice completed her sentence—

“And if he never forgets, he’ll spend the rest of his life missing you.”

Jiang Feng Xun was struck as though by a bolt of lightning. She froze where she stood, and for an instant even her breathing stopped.

Wei Fu pushed back his hood. His eyes were red-rimmed as he stared fixedly at her without blinking. His lips trembled, yet the only sound that emerged was a breath softer than a sigh.

“Mother.”

That single word carried more force than a hurricane. It tore through Jiang Feng Xun’s heart and soul. For an instant, she wanted nothing more than to turn and flee, to throw all their tangled loves, hatreds, and grievances far behind her. Yet another force nailed her panicked feet to the ground. An indescribable yearning, urgent and desperate, rose like wild grass across the plains, trembling as it lifted its head against the gale.

As though drawing a sword from stone, she slowly raised her eyelashes. It was not enough. Cautiously, she lifted her face as well.

Tall and straight-backed, with lips and a jawline faintly reminiscent of Wei Huai Jun’s. Slender brows, eyes like peach blossoms…

But he looked like her.

He was her Guanlang.

And yet Jiang Feng Xun’s first reaction was not to rush forward and weep with him in each other’s arms. Instead, she stopped, utterly lost.

She remained where she stood, studying Wei Fu again and again, her gaze filled with unease, wonder, and confusion.

At least with Xie You Lan, she had been able to trace the changes year by year. But in her memory, Guanlang had been a little child who did not even reach her knee. Now, all at once, he had become a handsome young man as graceful as jade and fragrant orchids. The contrast was too great. It was as though Jiang Feng Xun had missed a step on a staircase. Apart from the jolt in her heart, she could summon no other emotion.

She did not recognize him.

If Yu Gong Zhao Ye had not brought him before her, and they had simply crossed paths on a crowded street, she likely would never have known this was her own son.

The instant she realized what was wrong, all her anticipation, hesitation, anxiety, and longing were drenched by a cold rain, leaving behind only desolation.

He could cry. He could laugh. He could resent her, mock her, or speak with bitterness.

Anything would have been better than this.

Nothing hurt more than the word stranger.

She should never have allowed herself to hope.

For a long while, Jiang Feng Xun did not react. Wei Fu seemed frozen as well. Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Xie You Lan silently rose to his feet. Standing behind Wei Fu, Yu Gong Zhao Ye frowned slightly and made a quiet gesture for him to remain silent.

Wei Fu’s photographic memory seemed suddenly to have deserted him. His mind was completely blank. His quick wit and silver tongue had both vanished beyond the clouds.

Like a small animal that had lost its tail, he looked around helplessly. He even glanced at Yu Gong Zhao Ye’s hands. After turning in place once, he stood there dazed for a moment. Then, without anyone teaching him, he slowly bent one knee and knelt before Jiang Feng Xun.

In an instant, their heights were reversed.

The child looked up.

The mother looked down.

For a moment, time itself seemed to flow backward.

Like a misplaced key finally aligning with its lock, there came an invisible click. The echo rolled through the years as old shadows, buried beneath dust and time, slowly emerged from the depths of memory.

“My son…”

Those tear-filled eyes were like looking into a mirror.

“You really have grown up… Guanlang.”

The corners of Jiang Feng Xun’s eyes curved downward while her lips lifted in a smile. Though she was smiling, what escaped her mouth was a choked sob.

“Mother can’t even recognize you anymore…”

“It’s alright, Mother.” Acting on pure instinct, Wei Fu reached out and gently caught hold of the edge of her sleeve.

“I finally… got to see you.”

The taut string inside Yu Gong Zhao Ye finally relaxed. Not wishing to disturb the reunion between mother and son, he silently stepped back and took up a position near the cave entrance where he could keep watch, as quiet and steadfast as a loyal guardian beast.

A short while later, Xie You Lan strolled over along the cave wall. Pretending to admire the scenery for a moment, he casually remarked, “You’ve got some nerve. Bringing him out like this. Aren’t you afraid the King of Longsha will hold you accountable?”

“Not if you don’t report me.” Yu Gong Zhao Ye glanced into the cave. “Why don’t you go over there?”

With a snort, Xie You Lan replied, “They’re having their touching mother-and-son reunion. Wouldn’t I just be in the way?”

“If you’re looking for Cheng Yu, he already returned to the Changchu Sect. You should know which mountain he’s on.”

Xie You Lan: “…”

The Palace Master Xie, who had spent his entire life acting however he pleased, had finally met an utterly impervious blockhead. Choking back his irritation, he drew a deep breath.

“As agreed, once I leave, I’ll release your subordinate and tell her brother to wait and receive her. The debt between me and that little debt collector is settled from this day forward. You’d better be careful in the future and not fall into my hands again.”

“Many thanks, Palace Master Xie.” Yu Gong Zhao Ye cupped his hands politely. “The affairs between the two of you are family matters, and I won’t comment on them. But after this encounter, Beizhu Palace and Yeguang can be considered acquainted through conflict. If we ever give offense in the future, I hope Palace Master Xie will be lenient for the sake of our Chancellor Wei—and for the sake of our former capable subordinate.”

Xie You Lan: “Are you done yet?!”

The corners of Yu Gong Zhao Ye’s lips curved upward. He offered a faint, impeccably polite, and entirely insincere smile.

“When Palace Master Xie told me Wei Fu was dead back then, weren’t you acting entirely on your own whims as well? No reason needed. You simply did whatever you pleased.”

Xie You Lan: “…”

What a vindictive bastard!

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