Chapter 790: Chapter 478: Unveiling the Mystery of One’s Birth (Quick Read)_2
Chen Yuan took a deep breath and descended from the void, walking on water as the rain around him parted three feet away. In a mere instant, he arrived a few yards behind his uncle.
Before he could speak, the white-haired old man wearing a straw hat spoke first, his back still turned:
“You’ve come?”
“I have.”
“You shouldn’t have come.”
“But I still came.”
“Is it not good to live a peaceful life in Ping’an County as a constable?”
“It’s not what I desire.”
After his firm reply, Chen Yuan solemnly bowed:
“Nephew pays his respects to Uncle.”
The elder before him was someone he met for the first time since his rebirth, but there was an innate sense of kinship. After all, his previous self, or he, had been raised by his uncle.
The debt of gratitude was immense.
The white-haired elder put down his fishing rod and slowly turned his head, revealing his true face—all white hair yet youthful, with eyes bright and sharp, and a long beard reaching to his waist.
He possessed an aura of an otherworldly immortal, and after surveying Chen Yuan from head to toe, he said:
“You’ve changed somewhat.”
Chen Yuan tensed but replied evenly:
“People… do change, just more or less.”
The old man seemed lost in thought, as the figure before him merged with the memory of the boy he had raised, yet their temperaments were entirely different. Today’s Chen Yuan bore no trace of frivolity.
He exuded a powerful and imposing aura.
He bore a bit of his shadow now.
“You came to seek the truth about your heritage, didn’t you?”
“The remnants of former Chu?” Chen Yuan asked his uncle.
The elder’s gaze sharpened, seemingly surprised, but after considering that the other could break the protective spells he had cast, it wasn’t strange that Chen Yuan knew of these matters. Soon after, he nodded:
“Yes, you are the legitimate direct descendant of the last Emperor of the Xiang Royal Family.”
Upon hearing the confirmation, Chen Yuan felt a sudden release in his heart, as if he had lifted some heavy burden.
“Then why did Uncle bring me up in Ping’an County?”
“It was your mother’s wish.”
“Oh?”
Chen Yuan raised his eyebrows.
“Your mother hoped you would live a peaceful life. Originally, I thought to name you ‘Ping’an’, but after some thought, I abandoned the idea. A dragon concealed in the abyss, you, being of the direct line of the Royal Family, are extraordinary. The name ‘Ping’an’ would not be able to suppress that.”
Chen Yuan fell silent for a moment.
Chen Ping’an?
Huh… it’s quite a coincidence indeed.
“Who is my mother?” he asked.
“You’ve taken great pains to find this place, and I know what you seek to learn. All right then, the secrets of heaven have been shattered; there’s nothing left to hide. My original name is Wu Daozi, known for my art and granted the false title of ‘Master Painter’…”
Chen Yuan’s gaze flickered.
Master Painter, Wu Daozi?! Of course, he had heard the name, but rumors suggested that Wu had disappeared from Jianghu for decades. Hmm… now that he thought about it, it seemed Wu Daozi must have been living in seclusion in Ping’an County all along.
And with a shift in thought, he recalled something from the depths of memory.
It seemed that his uncle was indeed fond of painting, though the subjects he chose to depict were… less commendable.
“I am not really your uncle. I merely have some old associations with your maternal Chen Family. Over twenty years ago, at your mother’s request, I used the Heavenly Mechanism Technique to conceal your destiny. From then on, I vanished from the public eye,
and later I took you to Ping’an County, raised you, and secured you the job of constable. I had hoped that you could live safely for the rest of your life based on that job.
To my surprise, after just a few years of not seeing you, you’ve undergone such changes.”
“Maternal family?”
“Your mother was the daughter of Chu’s former Great General. She was married to the Crown Prince of Chu. Unfortunately, by the time of the marriage, the Dynasty was already in decline. I shared some history with the Chen Family and owed them a debt of gratitude. So when your mother approached me, I felt compelled to repay that debt. The twenty years I spent raising you can be considered repayment.”
“Is my mother still alive?” Chen Yuan asked calmly.
“I’m not certain. After entrusting you to me, she vanished and most likely has already…”
“Was it the Sima Family who took action?” Chen Yuan inquired. The reigning Royal Family hunting down the remnants of the previous dynasty seemed plausible.
“It was the Xiang Family’s strongmen.”
“What?” Chen Yuan’s eyes widened with shock.
“Your mother didn’t want to disclose too much, and I didn’t question further. I only knew you were being hunted by the Xiang Family’s people, apparently as an important target,
and your mother didn’t want that to happen. So she secretly took you, still an infant, to Shuzhou.”
Chen Yuan’s brows furrowed. While he had told himself before coming here that he was merely inquiring into his past, hearing these details filled him with an intense urge for vengeance.
“It was precisely for this reason that your mother sought me out. Otherwise, connected by blood, even if you fled to the ends of the earth, the Xiang Family would still sense your presence.”
“And now?”
“It seems unlikely now, after all, more than two decades have passed. Perhaps in the eyes of those from the Xiang Family, you have been dead for many years.”
“Do I still have any relatives?”
“You have an uncle, but he disappeared decades ago, seemingly to draw attention from the Sima Family and protect the Xiang Family Head, redirecting their scrutiny onto himself.
He most likely has fallen… Otherwise, with him around, the Xiang Family members probably wouldn’t dare so brazenly pursue you and your mother.”
“Was he very strong?”
“Very strong!”
“Thank you, Uncle, for clearing up my doubts!”
Chen Yuan was silent for a long time before respectfully bowing.
If what he said was true, his uncle owed Chen Yuan an incredible debt of gratitude, having willingly lived in seclusion for twenty years to raise him with no blood relation—equivalent to the kindness of a parent.
Wu Daozi accepted Chen Yuan’s bow with equanimity, speaking softly: