Back then, when Yan Ruyu met Ye Ling beneath the city walls of the Eastern Marsh Wilderness, he took her under his wing. During the day, Ling'er always seemed innocent and cheerful around him. But at night, as she slept, Yan Ruyu heard her sobbing in her dreams more than once. Many times, she would wake up calling Ye Xingchen's name.
To help Ye Ling resolve her inner turmoil, Yan Ruyu activated the Star Disk Grand Formation on his own to check Ye Xingchen's identity. What he discovered was astonishing. Ye Xingchen didn't belong to this plane. At that time, Yan Ruyu learned that Ye Xingchen was on a small island connected to the Dark Marsh Land.
"You knew a long time ago that Xingchen wasn't dead? Then why didn't you help me rescue him?" Ye Ling asked.
Yan Ruyu replied, "I initially had that in mind, which is why I went to the Dark Marsh Land. But on the small island connected to it, I met someone."
"Who?"
"Ye Feng!"
"My grandfather. Why was he there?" And if he was there, why didn't he rescue Ye Xingchen himself? Could it be that Xingchen's abduction and their separation were all part of a pre - meditated plan?
Ye Feng's appearance at that time truly caught Yan Ruyu off guard.
Back then, Ye Feng was extremely respectful to Yan Ruyu and even addressed him as "Young Master." Since Ye Feng was Ye Ling's grandfather, Yan Ruyu naturally treated him with courtesy. But Ye Feng said that Ye Xingchen couldn't be taken away from the small island. If he was taken away, Ye Xingchen might die prematurely and not be able to survive in the world.
"Why?"
Yan Ruyu said seriously, "Ning'er, I want to ask you, do you still remember clearly about Ye Xingchen and the things that happened during your childhood?"
"Of course I remember clearly. Xingchen loved candy, especially candied haws. Back then, I went to buy some for him—"
At this point, Zhao Shuning stopped abruptly. In her memory, all she could recall about her younger brother was how they fled. Even the memory of their parents was extremely vague, let alone the things that happened when they were very young.
"Ning'er, these are the only things you remember, right?"
"Bu Ran—what about Xingchen?"
"He's your younger brother, but he wasn't born in your time. Back then, you had the Soul - Transferring Bead Chain, which ensured your safe birth. But Ye Xingchen wasn't born after you."
"What do you mean?"
Back then, Gu Qingqing also had a child named Ye Xingchen. But didn't that child die on a winter night? This was what her mother, Ye Qingluan, told her personally.
Back then, Yan Ruyu rushed to the Dark Marsh Land, hoping to rescue Ye Xingchen and reunite him with Ye Ling. Ye Feng showed up. By then, Ye Feng was already very old. He took Yan Ruyu to Ye Xingchen. At Ye Feng's signal, Yan Ruyu used his spiritual power to detect Ye Xingchen's physical condition. He found that Ye Xingchen's body was extremely weak. Although he looked like a child, his bone age was already over five hundred years old.
Ye Feng said that back then, he felt guilty towards Gu Qingqing. From childhood, he had been training Gu Qingqing as the heir - apparent princess of the Cangwu Kingdom. So she had always been surnamed Gu. In everyone's eyes, Ye Feng only had Ye Qingluan as his daughter. As the eldest sister, Gu Qingqing had suffered a lot of grievances. One winter, her emotions finally boiled over. That year, she left the Cangwu Kingdom and no one knew where she had gone.
When Ye Feng saw Gu Qingqing again, she was pregnant. But during her pregnancy, Gu Qingqing frequently used her spiritual power, which made the fetus unstable. The baby was born prematurely before it was full - term. The baby didn't cry or make a sound when he was born. His eyes were as bright as stars, so he was named Ye Xingchen.
Ye Xingchen was once Gu Qingqing's only hope in life. But due to premature birth, his fate came to an end that winter. When Gu Qingqing heard the news, she almost fainted from crying.
Seeing this, Ye Feng felt that he owed Gu Qingqing far too much. So he used seven - tenths of his spiritual power to freeze Ye Xingchen at the last moment before he died. Then, Ye Feng took Ye Xingchen to ask the two benefactors who had taught him spiritual power for help. They showed him a way. Five hundred years later, when the defensive shield of the Eastern Marsh Wilderness was lifted, Ye Xingchen could be taken to a small island in the Dark Marsh Land of the Eastern Marsh Wilderness. There, the spiritual energy in his body could be revived.
"Bu Ran, this doesn't make sense. If that's the case, when Xingchen was with me before, he couldn't have been such a lively little boy. According to what you said, wasn't he supposed to be a stillborn baby then?"
"Ning'er, when you were born as Ye Ling, the defensive shield of the Eastern Marsh Wilderness was also lifted. As for why Ye Xingchen was like that, it was because your grandfather, Ye Feng, gave up his immortality and used his own lifespan to awaken the spiritual power and spiritual energy in his body."
Zhao Shuning covered her mouth.
Yan Ruyu continued, "Rather than saying that Ye Xingchen was abducted by Lin Feng and locked in the Dark Marsh Land, it's more accurate to say that it was all Ye Feng's plan. He used Lin Feng's evil to awaken Ye Xingchen."
No wonder. When she was a child, she repeatedly asked her master to help her find her younger brother. But her all - powerful master said he couldn't do it. She really thought something had happened to her younger brother. That's why in the following days, she desperately practiced spiritual power and mental strength in order to protect the people she cared about in the future.
It was only now that she realized that all of this had been calculated by her grandfather.
"What about grandfather?"
"Now I don't know where he is. But Ning'er, Ye Feng loved you both equally. When you were young, many times, if it weren't for his protection, you and Ye Xingchen might have been eaten by wild beasts. After Ye Xingchen left as planned, Ye Feng had been following you to protect you until you met me."
Zhao Shuning understood.
"I promised Ye Feng that if you weren't strong enough, I wouldn't tell you this."
"Bu Ran—"
"Ye Feng also wanted to use Ye Xingchen's 'misfortune' to make you stronger. He had good intentions."
"I know."
Zhao Shuning wasn't a naive girl, nor was she a delicate flower that couldn't withstand the wind and rain in the greenhouse. She could understand her grandfather's good intentions. It was just that she had only learned all of this now. She couldn't help but feel a bit sad about her own situation.