Chapter Sixty-One: An Impossible Thing

A desolate mountain not far outside Bai Lin Town.

Staring at the patch of yellow earth overgrown with wild grass before him, Liu Pan couldn’t help but furrow his brow. He hadn’t expected the Liu clan to bury his parents in such a place, not even bothering to mark the grave with a stone.

“It is our Liu clan that owes your parents an apology,” Liu Xuanfeng sighed, regret and guilt clouding his expression.

After a long silence, Liu Pan spoke impassively, “Go back.”

As for Liu Xuanfeng, the clan leader—if Liu Pan were told he had nothing to do with the deaths of his parents, he would never believe it. Yet, despite knowing there was some connection, the bond between Liu Pan and his parents was nearly nonexistent. Besides, Liu Pan had come from Earth, so he found himself incapable of ruthlessly taking action against the Liu clan.

Or perhaps, in Liu Pan’s mind now, letting the memory of his parents fade away with time, vanish into the river of history, was the best course.

Liu Xuanfeng was momentarily stunned by Liu Pan’s words. When Liu Kuang had inquired about his parents, Liu Xuanfeng thought it was the old servant who had secretly told Liu Pan something, and that Liu Pan was asking about the past to avenge his parents.

Yet Liu Pan’s composure left him bewildered, for Liu Pan showed not the slightest intention of seeking revenge.

What was going on? Liu Xuanfeng was at a loss.

There was a reason for Liu Xuanfeng’s earlier “readiness” to reveal the cause of Liu Pan’s parents’ deaths.

The first and foremost reason: when Liu Pan had asked, Liu Xuanfeng subconsciously assumed the old servant who raised Liu Pan had already told him the truth, so there was no point in hiding it.

The second reason lay in the strength Liu Pan displayed.

As clan leader of the Liu family, Liu Xuanfeng was hardly naive. He understood, if not entirely, then at least in broad strokes, the schemes of the elders within the clan. Each elder had a power base of his own, and as the highest authority, Liu Xuanfeng naturally had his own trusted followers.

Whether within the clan or among the Liu disciples who had joined Bai Yang Sect, the elders had their people, and so did the clan leader.

Because affairs in Bai Yang Sect directly concerned the Liu clan, the Liu disciples within the sect were under strict watch. Passing messages outside was impossible; even taking ordinary sect assignments was forbidden.

But while Liu clan disciples couldn’t pass on news, other disciples could!

Liu clan disciples in the sect didn’t stick together; most had friends among the other disciples. There was always someone with close ties.

This time, wary of Liu Kuang’s terrifying potential due to his possession of a spirit artifact, Bai Yang Sect refrained from drastic measures against the Liu clan, instead sending disciples in disguise to infiltrate Bai Lin Town and monitor the family.

Bai Yang Sect’s intentions were clear: if Liu Kuang returned to the Liu clan soon, they would seize the spirit artifact; if he didn’t, they would hold back, leaving room for negotiation should Liu Kuang seek revenge in the future.

Most in Bai Yang Sect believed Liu Kuang wouldn’t return to the Liu clan anytime soon. After all, any reasonable person, knowing what had happened in the sect, would realize Bai Lin Town was no longer safe; for Liu Kuang to return would be strange indeed.

Because they thought Liu Kuang unlikely to return, Bai Yang Sect focused on the Liu disciples within the sect but relaxed their vigilance over those monitoring the clan.

Thus, among the disciples sent to surveil the Liu clan, there happened to be one with close ties to a Liu disciple.

It was this disciple who secretly passed on information, which is how Liu Xuanfeng learned what had happened in Bai Yang Sect, and how he came to know that the child he nearly expelled from the clan possessed the legendary spirit artifact.

Liu Xuanfeng felt fortunate, glad he had not expelled Liu Kuang; now, Liu Kuang was still part of the Liu family.

Compared to Liu Kuang, Liu Pan’s news seemed insignificant. The most striking event was not the battle with Li Liao, but Liu Kuang riding the blade and carrying Liu Pan as they flew out of Bai Yang Sect—since that was witnessed by the most people.

Because many saw Liu Kuang flying with the blade, and news of his battle with Li Liao spread, a wave of excitement swept through the sect. The disciples speculated, and before long, someone mentioned the words “spirit artifact,” instantly drawing all eyes to Liu Kuang. Thus, fewer paid attention to Liu Pan.

Moreover, the disciple who relayed information to Liu Xuanfeng happened not to witness Liu Pan’s fight with Li Liao, so the only thing that surprised Liu Xuanfeng about Liu Pan was his joining Bai Yang Sect.

But when Liu Xuanfeng realized Liu Pan could ride a sword, he knew Liu Pan was far from “ordinary” as described.

Seeing Liu Pan’s extraordinary talent, Liu Xuanfeng’s first emotion was delight. Compared to Liu Kuang, Liu Pan’s distance from the clan was less.

Yet, when Liu Pan asked about his parents, that distance grew immeasurably. Liu Xuanfeng’s only emotion became fear.

After brief hesitation, Liu Xuanfeng chose to tell the truth about what had happened years ago, hoping for leniency through honesty. When Liu Pan asked about the burial place of his parents and requested Liu Xuanfeng to guide him, the clan leader did not resist in the least.

In Liu Xuanfeng’s mind, since Liu Pan had asked, no matter how open he was, he expected there would be consequences. But Liu Pan’s calm left him confused.

Go back? Was he simply being let off?

After a long while, Liu Xuanfeng came to himself, glanced apologetically at Liu Pan, hesitated, then headed down the desolate mountain.

Just as Liu Xuanfeng had taken a few steps, Liu Pan suddenly spoke, not raising his head, “By the way, when you return, act as if nothing happened. Don’t seek out Liu Kuang. He’s not like me; he grew up with his parents’ love and always knew who killed them. If you try to interfere, beware—the whole Liu clan may be destroyed by your own hand. As for Liu Kuang’s safety, you needn’t worry; if he wishes to leave, not all the cultivators in Bai Lin Town combined could stop him.”

As Liu Pan spoke, Liu Xuanfeng’s body trembled. When he finished processing Liu Pan’s words, his expression changed.

Finally, Liu Xuanfeng looked at Liu Pan, his eyes full of unspoken emotion, and after a long silence, replied, “I understand.”

With that, Liu Xuanfeng left without lingering, descending the mountain.

Once Liu Xuanfeng’s figure had vanished, Liu Pan let out a long breath and sat heavily beside the mound of earth.

He thought for a moment, then said aloud, “Though you two are the birth parents of this body, and now I know the cause of your deaths, forgive me—I cannot avenge you. Perhaps it’s because I truly hold no feeling for you in my memory, or maybe I’ve yet to fully integrate into this world.”

Liu Pan sat by the mound for a long time, lost in thought. Now that he was certain his parents in this world were truly dead, confusion swept over him.

The trail had gone cold; where could he seek answers to these mysteries about himself? He had no clue—perhaps only one path remained: to cultivate desperately, and once strong enough, he might have the chance to find some answers.

He exhaled again, glanced at the mound, then rose and walked away.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Liu Pan returned carrying a new stone tablet, set it upright before the mound.

“Perhaps this is the only thing I can do for you now,” he murmured, then drew the sword from his back and began to engrave the stone.

“Grave of my father Liu Xiaolin and mother Gu Suqing.”

He whispered these names as he worked, the sword flickering, stone chips flying.

Yet, though he finished reciting, he did not complete the inscription. His hand suddenly paused while carving his mother’s name, “Gu Suqing.”

“Gu?” Liu Pan’s brow creased almost imperceptibly. The surname Gu was exceedingly rare on Tianfeng Continent.

He hadn’t paid much attention while reciting, but as he began engraving the character, thoughts came unbidden—thoughts that seemed impossible, yet he could not suppress them.

“What is happening?” Liu Pan muttered. Though he found it unlikely, when he considered certain matters, the possibility seemed to grow.

At last, after a long silence, Liu Pan resumed work and finished engraving the names.

Sheathing his sword, Liu Pan’s gaze flickered. He bowed respectfully toward the mound behind the stone tablet and said, “Forgive me.”

Then, with a single thought, his spirit locked onto the mound, probing gently into the earth below.

After a quarter of an hour, Liu Pan’s eyes snapped open, his brow furrowing ever deeper. He murmured, “What’s going on? Why is the Gu surname here? Why? Why?”

“Shouldn’t it be in the Northern Plains? Why would it appear in this remote corner of the Southern Province? Besides, that family has fallen; they shouldn’t have the ability to reach the Southern Province—so why?”