A-Tai

Da Ming led them to a very open clearing in the woods.

There were no giant trees there, only a few extremely old trees standing in the distance.

The ground was flat and covered with a thin layer of soft moss.

In the middle are several polished bluestones, which are clearly not naturally formed.

Da Ming didn't speak, but walked to a flat stone.

He took an old teapot from his pocket and then, as if by magic, produced several rough bowls with very steady movements, something he had done countless times before.

Erming picked up the firewood Er Ming; he simply strung together a few dry branches, flicked them with his fingertips, and a fire started.

The water was freshly drawn from the stream beside the forest.

Water poured into the kettle, and the firewood crackled and popped.

Before long, wisps of white steam rose up.

Xu Xiaoyan was stunned.

She whispered, "You can even brew tea at the Ten Thousand Beast Platform?"

Gu Yuena said, "They just don't come here to stay often; the things here are still usable."

Yun Jingheng found a rock to sit on, with Ye Xinglan and Gu Yuena sitting on either side of him.

Xie Xie stood next to Yuanen Yehui.

Tang Wulin is closest to the Da Ming.

A group of people sat down around the fire, and a very faint aroma of tea slowly rose in the air.

The woods were no longer as eerily quiet as before.

As soon as the fire was lit, the sounds of beasts seemed to return somewhat, though they were all distant, not close.

Er Ming sat cross-legged, adding water to Tang Wulin's bowl every now and then.

Da Ming handed the first bowl of tea to Gu Yuena.

Gu Yuena answered.

The second bowl was given to Tang Wulin.

Tang Wulin took it but didn't drink it.

He looked at Da Ming as if he had a lot to say, but in the end he only said, "Thank you, Uncle Da Ming."

Da Ming grunted in response, but didn't say anything more.

Yun Jingheng poured himself a bowl of tea, drinking it while looking around.

The air north of the Ten Thousand Beast Platform was even fresher than outside, so fresh it tasted sweet. He could finally relax, and his shoulders slumped a little.

Ye Xinglan turned her head to look at him. "Aren't you afraid there's something wrong with this tea?"

Yun Jingheng laughed, "What am I afraid of?"

Ye Xinglan ignored him.

Gu Yuena curved her lips slightly, while Yuanen Yehui held a bowl of tea, her fingers steady throughout.

But Er Ming suddenly stopped talking. He had been adding firewood to the fire, but he suddenly stopped, his whole hand hanging in mid-air.

He turned his head to look at Yuanen Yehui.

His gaze was initially filled with confusion, then gradually grew extremely somber.

He said slowly, "Girl, why do I have a familiar scent about you?"

Yuanen Yehui raised his head, Er Ming's extremely rugged face showed a rare, very serious expression.

He said, "Somewhat like me..."

Yuanen Yehui gently put down his teacup and said, "My first Martial Soul was the Titan Giant Ape."

Da Ming looked at Er Ming.

Er Ming was taken aback. "Titan Giant Ape Martial Soul?"

Yun Jingheng took a sip of tea before slowly saying, "Tens of thousands of years have passed, it's normal to not remember some things clearly. There's a reason why the Titan Giant Ape Martial Soul was able to be passed down. Think about it carefully."

Er Ming still frowned. He looked at Yuanen Yehui, then at Yun Jingheng, and finally his gaze fell back on his outstretched hands.

Those hands were extremely thick and large, with old wounds all over the knuckles. He clenched them, then let go.

"I..."

Da Ming frowned. "Er Ming, think it over carefully."

Er Ming sat for a while longer, but ultimately shook his head.

"I can't remember."

He spoke in a low voice, his voice lacking its previous roughness and instead revealing a hint of weariness.

Yun Jingheng put down his teacup and said slowly, "If you can't remember, don't force yourself to. Come with us to the Yuanen Family. There are still some things there—the family genealogy, the old house, the ancestral land."

Before Er Ming could respond, Yun Jingheng continued, "Take a look with your own eyes, touch it, and perhaps you'll remember everything."

Tang Wulin nodded. "Yes, Er Ming Erming."

Da Ming hummed in agreement.

He looked at Er Ming and said, "Go on, you owe me for so many years, you have to walk back yourself."

Er Ming was silent for a while, then he looked at Yuanen Yehui.

Yuanen Yehui sat quietly, the firelight illuminating her eyelashes.

Er Ming slowly said, "Okay, I'll go with you."

Shangling City, the western suburbs of the city.

Once you leave the city, the roads become narrow.

The two sides were no longer towns and official roads, but vast stretches of uncultivated wild forest.

The further in you go, the more the mountains recede, and the entire land seems to converge towards the center; the sounds of carriages and horses are long gone.

Only the wind rustled through the forest, creating a deep, resonant sound like the rustling of pines.

At the end of the road, behind a mountain hollow, stands the ancestral home of the Yuanen Family.

Gray walls and black tiles, no tall gates, and no large plaques.

Several very old houses spread out along the mountainside, never disappearing into the shadows of the woods behind them.

From a distance, it looks like it grew out of the mountains, unassuming and unassuming, but it is this heaviness that makes people feel suffocated.

Yun Jingheng and the others stood outside, not going in immediately.

Er Ming stood alone at the front, looking up at the old door.

The paint on the door was peeling, and several very thin vines were wrapped around the door knocker.

Yuanen Yehui stood beside Xie Xie. She was born here, but now it still felt very unfamiliar.

Just then, an extremely heavy aura surged out from inside the house.

Not long after, Yuanen Zhentian walked out of the door.

He came alone, still wearing his old robe, his white hair fluttering gently in the wind.

Upon seeing Yun Jingheng, he was taken aback at first, then slowly walked over and stopped about ten steps away from them.

He clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice low but very clear. "Pavilion Master."

Yun Jingheng said, "We arrived in such a hurry that we didn't have anyone deliver the invitation first."

Yuanen Zhentian said, "This place hasn't received guests like this in a long time."

As he spoke, his gaze passed over Yun Jingheng, landed on Yuanen Yehui, and finally stopped on Er Ming.

He felt as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water over his head, and his whole body froze.

Er Ming was also looking at him.

After a long silence, Yuanen Zhentian whispered, "Who is this...?"

Yun Jingheng did not answer for him.

Er Ming spoke up himself, saying, "My name is Er Ming."

Yuanen Zhentian nodded blankly.

He turned to the side and made a "please" gesture.

He remained outwardly composed, but his steps were no longer as natural as when he arrived.

Yuanen Zhentian led them through the front yard.

They arrived at a door, its wood dark and black, with a lingering scent of aged incense emanating from the cracks.

Yuanen Zhentian said, "This is the place where my Yuanen Family worships our ancestral spirits."

As he spoke, he pushed open the door and went inside.

Er Ming followed the others inside.

He stopped the moment he stepped across the threshold; the ancestral hall was not dark.

Several ever-burning lamps shone steadily, illuminating the entire room in a dim light. The room was filled with the scent of old incense and candles and old wood, and the offering table was spotless.

The memorial tablets were arranged in layers, but Er Ming didn't look at those; he looked at the very top.

At the highest point of the memorial tablet, there was a wooden sculpture. The sculpture was not tall, and the carving was not particularly exquisite.

But that statue made him feel like he was nailed to the doorway.

It looks so much like him, not just in his features, but like a god.

It was that slightly tilted head, gazing at the sky in a daze—a habit that the Titan Giant Ape couldn't shake even after transforming into a human.

Even the angle of his shoulders and the veins on the back of his hands looked as if they had been painstakingly drawn from someone's eyes.

Er Ming stood there, breathless.

Er Ming's gaze passed over the stone statue and landed on the memorial tablet behind it.

The memorial tablet was extremely old, with brittle edges. The words "ancestor" were not written on it.

Only a very simple name was engraved on it: A-Tai.

His gaze swept to the side, where there was only a memorial tablet: Xiong Xiaoling.