Chapter 114 The Truth
There was a certain river that flowed completely straight, no end in sight. It was bordered by high cliffs on both sides whose sides were as smooth as if they had been cut with a sword.
The river was hundreds of meters deep, and the racing water was like galloping horses, roaring into the distance, forming countless eddies.
Two people, one old and one young, were standing right on the edge of a cliff, looking down on the swirling river water.
"Dad, why have you brought me her?" Long Chen was still confused.
The two of them had flown on a Magical Beast for a full day to arrive here. The view was definitely amazing, but Long Tianxiao wouldn't waste that much effort just to bring him here for the scenery.
Long Chen also sensed that this river was a bit odd. But as for what part of it was strange, he was unable to tell.
"We came here for me to tell you the truth about your past." Long Tianxiao looked down on the surging river water, his expression complicated.
"The truth about my past?" Long Chen couldn't believe his own ears.
Long Tianxiao sighed and patted Long Chen's shoulders. "You're not actually my birth child. You were adopted."
"How is that possible!?" Long Chen looked at Long Tianxiao in shock, his heart in a complete mess.
"That is also why your mom went so out of control that day. She didn't want you to know this secret."
Even in the face of life and death battles, Long Chen had never felt so lost. He couldn't accept this! His own father and mother weren't his birth parents?
Long Chen's mind became empty and desolate as if he had lost his soul.
"Chen-er, although you aren't my biological son, in the eyes of your mom and I, you are our true son." Long Tianxiao's eyes blurred as he looked at Long Chen.
"If I'm not your biological son, why was I a part of your fiancee agreement you made before either Meng Qi or I were born?" asked Long Chen.
Hearing that, a pained expression appeared on Long Tianxiao's face. Looking down on the surging water, he said, "Your mother and I were expecting to have a child. But in the seventh month of her pregnancy, an accident caused your mother to miscarry. We felt the painful loss of a child. At that time, your mother was in so much pain that she wished she were dead. Furthermore, at that time, I wasn't even home. Your mother almost committed suicide. Only after I returned did your mother tell me about this matter."
"Was it done by Ying Hou?" Long Chen ground his teeth.
Long Tianxiao shook his head. "No. At that time, I still didn't have that much of an enmity with Ying Hou. Furthermore, his finger had yet to be severed. It really was just a careless mishap by your mother. That was also why she was filled with so much remorse and pain. I had just happened to find you as a baby and bring you back while I was still unaware of what had happened. You coincidentally filled the regret in your mother's heart. Speaking of which, we both have to thank you, otherwise with your mother's constitution, that depression probably would have already taken her life."
Long Chen continued to remain silent. Long Tianxiao patted him on the shoulder. "Real men don't need become a mess just because of some blood relations or not. Even if you aren't my birth son, I will forever spend my time trying to protect you from wind or rain. Even if I'm not your birth father, if I really do run into troubles, wouldn't you still risk your life for me? There's no need to worry about such senseless things like blood."
Long Chen nodded. He also felt there was no need to split hairs over an insoluble issue. But still, for the parents he loved to not be his birth parents was still something that was difficult to accept.
"Your mother and I truly treat you as precious as your own lives. That is especially true for your mom. Having already lost a child, you are the everything in her life," said Long Tianxiao.
Long Chen shook. He finally understood why Long Tianxiao had told Chen Fei that if the worst case scenario arrived while protecting the Long family that he should protect Long Chen above everything else.
Back then he had thought that his father had given up on his mother. That he would protect him over his mother had caused him to feel some anger and disappointment. But now when he thought about it, he finally understood his father's pain.
His mother had already lost a child. She absolutely wouldn't be able to endure losing a second child. If his father did end up saving his mother, letting Long Chen die, she would hate him for the rest of her life.
Thinking of how deep his mother and father's love for him was, Long Chen couldn't control his tears anymore and began to cry.
A father's love was life a mountain; a mother's love was like an ocean. He would never be able to repay their love in his lifetime. And now he was about to leave them. He was really too heartless.
"Dad, I…" Long Chen was about to say that he wouldn't go when his father interrupted him.
"Chen-er, men must aspire to travel afar and make their mark on the world. Don't give up your dream just for some familial love. If you do, your mother and I would feel guilt for the rest of our lives. I know your mom. Although she can't really let you go like this, she truly wishes for you to be happy."
Long Tianxiao had to stop for a moment before then continuing, "You've also become aware that someone has done something to your body.
"I also don't know who did this. When I found you, you were barely over a month old. I have no idea who would do such a vicious thing to a baby, but when I found you, I realized your Dantian and abdomen had three strange holes in them that had yet to heal. If I haven't guessed wrong, yoru Dantian's Spirit Root must have been removed by some specific instrument. As for what the other two holes were for, I'm still not sure. But I assume it was furthering what had happened to your Spirit Root."
Long Chen's heart was racing. So what had happened to his body hadn't been done by Ying Hou. There was some other reason.
Long Tianxiao only knew that one hole had been facing his Dantian and realized that his Dantian was completely empty, his Spirit Root stolen.
But after Long Chen had merged with a Pill God's memories, he knew that it wasn't just his Spirit Root. His Spirit Bone and his heart's Spirit Blood had also been taken away.
Just how vicious would a person have to be in order to do such a thing to a baby only a month old?
"I knew then that you would perhaps never be able to cultivate. But I had thought that by relying on my capabilities, I could at least provide you with a basic, happy life.
"But unfortunately I was drawn into a maelstrom and even implicated you and your mother, causing both of you to suffer much pain," helplessly sighed Long Tianxiao.
"Originally your mother and I thought that with our assistance, you would be able to live a carefree life. But now your fate has completely reversed. Even now, your mother and I are still unable to protect you. So even before you brought up leaving, I was long since mentally prepared. Today I brought you here to tell you these things. After all, you have your own birth parents. Your mother and I know the pain of losing one's child, so I feel like you should know the truth."
"Who are my birth parents?" Long Chen took a deep breath.
Long Tianxiao shook his head. "I don't know. Back when I found you, it was right at this place. Two people were fighting intensely. The river you see here was formed by a slash of one of their swords."
Long Chen was startled. He looked down at the river in disbelief, unable to say anything.
"If I hadn't personally seen it, I also wouldn't believe it. But it really is the truth. The two of them were fighting fiercely in the sky. Light shined from their bodies as they fought high up in the sky. Sword Qi from them pierced through mountains…"
Long Tianxiao's eyes became unfocused as he sunk back into his memories. Although over ten years had passed since them, it was still as shocking as ever when he thought of it.
"Back then I had gone out alone in order to hunt red-horned elk as something nutritious for your mother's pregnancy. That was how I ended up seeing such a shocking battle.
"I immediately hid myself in the distance. In the end, one of them used a secret art and their Sword Qi exploded out. Bizarre lines flew out and filled the sky, and he used a single final blow to kill the other.
"That sword blow resulted in this huge river. I was absolutely terrified back then, as I had never before seen someone cultivate to such a level.
"Only after that sword blow did I notice that that person was holding a baby. That person merely glanced at me and I was immediately unable to move.
"And then the wind around me changed and I actually involuntarily floated over to that person. I thought that I was done for.
"But then that person actually just handed over the baby to me and told me raise him into an adult.
"I was absolutely stupefied, not understanding why such a powerful person would hand me a baby.
"After that person said that, his expression suddenly changed. He sent me back with a wave of his hand. As for him, countless lines appeared over his body and he slowly dissipated." Reaching this point in his story, Long Tianxiao couldn't help sighing. It was as if that had happened yesterday. That memory was still as vivid as ever.
"Chen-er, although I don't know who your birth parents are, I dare say that I am sure they are shockingly great figures. That is because the person who brought you called you young master. Such a powerful person called himself your servant."
Long Chen's heart jumped. A true expert the likes of which he had never seen which was capable of cutting apart a mountain with a single blow was just a servant? Then just how powerful would his parents be?
Long Tianxiao continued, "Later I was reading some ancient records that mentioned those strange lines. Those lines are called glyphs and are unimaginably powerful.
"As for that final technique, it's called Empty Dao Transformation[1]. I didn't understand it much back then, but later I guessed it was a kind of secret technique to make any of tracks disappear. He destroyed his own body in order to protect you.
"Once I brought you to the capital, I gradually forgot about these things. I always treated you as my true son. I thought that perhaps you would never leave us, but after the huge battle a couple days ago, I can sense that this is perhaps fate."
"What fate?" asked Long Chen.
"Just before his death, that expert told me that if you were unable to cultivate in your lifetime, you could just be an ordinary person, living a happy life.
"But if you could cultivate, he told me to tell you all about this and let you make your own decision.
"Originally I thought that you would forever not know the truth. But when I saw your intense fight with that white-robed man, I knew that you would leave.
"Your mom doesn't want you to leave mostly because she's afraid that once you learn all this, you'll go to find revenge."
That person had been flying with Long Chen, meeting with enemies one after another, in the end even forced to use the Empty Dao Transformation. It went without saying that his enemies must be absolutely terrifying.
If Long Chen did learn the true, he would definitely choose to go take revenge. That was what his mother thought. He would have to face countless terrifying experts whose power none of them could imagine.
"Enmities definitely must be revenged. But dad, don't worry. I won't recklessly send myself to death," said Long Chen.
The enmity of stealing his Spirit Blood, taking his Spirit Bone, and destroying his Spirit Root definitely had to be repaid in full.
But now still wasn't the time for revenge. He had to quickly increase his strength, otherwise he would just be throwing away his life.
"I know that you would make such a decision. Come over here. Take a look at what your father and mother left you." Long Tianxiao swung his hand, crushing a boulder, revealing an object beneath it.
[1] 'Empty Dao Transformation' 化道 hua dao: hua refers to transform, dao meaning the Dao. For those unaware, the Dao is both corporeal and formless. In this case, the person is transforming into that empty aspect of the Dao. Hopefully there will be more information about this technique in the future and I can maybe come up with a better name.