Qian Daoliu gazed at the face before him, so strange yet so familiar, and tears streamed uncontrollably from his eyes.
A hundred years had passed.
He had searched for over a hundred years. At last, in his lifetime, he had seen his revered teacher again.
If his teacher hadn't saved him back then, and hadn't taught him a cultivation method and several powerful Self-Created Soul Skills, he never would have achieved what he had today.
In short, everything he had now was bestowed upon him by his revered teacher.
"Xiao Liu, how many times have I told you? I'm not your teacher, and you're not my disciple."
"Everything that happened back then was just a casual favor. It was no big deal."
Duan Changsheng gazed at Qian Daoliu, who was acting like a child before him, and felt a little emotional.
More than a hundred years ago, Qian Daoliu had been a youth, hunted by a group of people.
Duan Changsheng had happened upon him by chance and casually saved him, then taught him a very ordinary cultivation method and a few ordinary moves.
But the kid had stubbornly insisted on becoming his disciple. In the end, Duan Changsheng had left without even giving him his name.
Who would have thought that Qian Daoliu would turn out to be so capable, making his way to the position he held today?
If it weren't for his daughter, he wouldn't have wanted to come see Qian Daoliu.
"No. You'll always be my teacher!"
Hearing his reply, Qian Daoliu was once again certain of Duan Changsheng's identity. He dropped straight to his knees.
Although he and Duan Changsheng had spent only half a day together, from their first meeting to the moment Duan Changsheng taught him, Qian Daoliu had always remembered that kindness.
That was the unique charm of Duan Changsheng.
"You really are impossible to talk out of it."
"If you keep this up, I'll get angry and leave!"
Duan Changsheng had never had any intention of taking on disciples, so he made a show of getting ready to leave.
It wasn't that Qian Daoliu lacked talent. He simply didn't want to take on a disciple.
In his heart, taking on a disciple meant becoming entangled in deeper feelings and responsibilities.
With that kind of time, he'd be better off having more romances.
"Teacher, please don't go."
"Even if you don't want to acknowledge me as your disciple, you can't stop me from calling you that, can you?"
Qian Daoliu could guess that Duan Changsheng must have come for a reason. Otherwise, he wouldn't have appeared out of nowhere.
It didn't matter if Duan Changsheng refused to acknowledge him as his disciple. As long as he acknowledged Duan Changsheng as his revered teacher, that was enough. The two things didn't conflict.
"You're quite the smooth talker. It's just like being in love."
"I don't love her, but I can't stop her from loving me."
"Since you put it that way, you can call me whatever you like from now on. I don't mind!"
Duan Changsheng liked Qian Daoliu's answer, so he let him have his way.
Besides, there was no one else around to hear. He could call him whatever he wanted.
"Thank you, Teacher!"
"Teacher, please come inside!"
Seeing that Duan Changsheng hadn't refused, Qian Daoliu happily invited him into the Angel Temple.
Only members of the Qian Clan were allowed inside the Angel Temple. Even Bibi Dong didn't have that privilege.
The fact that Qian Daoliu had invited Duan Changsheng into the Angel Temple showed how deeply he respected him and how sincerely he regarded him as his revered teacher.
"Mm!"
Duan Changsheng nodded and followed Qian Daoliu inside.
Actually, he had visited the Angel Temple many times—long before Qian Daoliu.
He had come long ago, when the Spirit Hall had just been founded and the Angel Temple had just been built.
At the time, he had even served as the Spirit Hall's Grand Elder, with more authority than the Pope of that era.
Over a thousand years had passed. The Spirit Hall had grown into what it was today. It really hadn't been easy.
But when he arrived at Qian Daoliu's residence, he suddenly spotted a familiar portrait.
Wasn't that one of his many ex-girlfriends?
Why was she in Qian Daoliu's room?
(Once again, to be clear: Qian Xunji did not force himself on Bibi Dong. It was all a false impression; this will be explained later.)
"Xiao Liu, this room of yours is quite distinctive. Not bad."
"But why do you have a young woman's portrait displayed here?"
Duan Changsheng found an excuse to ask about the portrait.
"Teacher, this is my late wife."
"Ever since she passed away, I've kept her portrait here."
"I still remember the scene when I first met her."
"She seemed rather sad at the time, as though she'd just broken up with someone."
"That was what gave me the chance to win her over."
"My son, Qian Xunji, was born not long after we got married."
Qian Daoliu recounted his love story to Duan Changsheng without reservation.
After hearing the whole story, Duan Changsheng was stunned.
No way!
Could it really have happened like that?
Could Qian Xunji be his son?
No, that couldn't be right!
He remembered that she hadn't been pregnant then.
Still, Duan Changsheng couldn't quite put his mind at ease. He tentatively asked, "So you have quite a story behind you. How long had you known her before you got married?"
"Not long. About a month."
"Perhaps my presence made her feel safe enough to marry me so quickly. She even gave me a son."
"Teacher, I know we got married a little fast, but I truly loved her!"
"I just feel sorry for her. After giving birth to Qian Xunji prematurely, she developed health problems and passed away a few years later."
As Qian Daoliu spoke, his mood suddenly darkened.
He had nearly forgotten his late wife. After all, Bo Saixi's appearance had let him see love anew.
After hearing all this, Duan Changsheng felt as if the whole world had turned upside down.
He seriously suspected that Qian Xunji was his son.
At first glance, Qian Xunji's Martial Soul was the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, apparently inherited from Qian Daoliu's bloodline.
But in fact, his own son could also have possessed the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul.
His Martial Soul was Formless, capable of simulating and transforming into any Martial Soul he had seen or imagined.
And every Martial Soul created through simulation and transformation was always thirty percent stronger than the original.
As his descendant, Qian Xunji should have been able to inherit his Formless Martial Soul, too.
The possibility that Qian Xunji was his son was entirely plausible.
After all, until he was six, Qian Xunji had always believed he was Qian Daoliu's son and had strongly imagined himself possessing the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul.
Under the influence of that imagination, his Formless Martial Soul could very well have transformed directly into the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul.
In that case, even if Qian Xunji wasn't Qian Daoliu's son, he still was.
Otherwise, Duan Changsheng could hardly imagine why the two of them would have rushed into marriage after knowing each other for less than a month.
Because she desperately needed a fall guy to take responsibility.
It was all his fault!
Before their amicable breakup, he should have found out whether she was pregnant.
Now that Qian Xunji was dead, there was no way to verify his suspicion.
His Formless Martial Soul had the effect of diminishing through the bloodline. Once passed to the next generation, it lost its ability to simulate and transform. Instead, it became the Martial Soul the person had truly imagined.
Even if Qian Xunji had a biological daughter, there was no way for him to tell. Unless this world had genetic testing.
"Ah, it's all in the past. Don't dwell on it."
"I came to see you today because I need your help with something."
"My daughter, Wang Yuyan, has a post at your Spirit Hall. Please look after her when you can, and give her a position so other people won't bully her."
Duan Changsheng couldn't be bothered to think about it anymore. It was all history now, and he only wanted to focus on his life as it was.
"Huh? Junior Sister is at the Spirit Hall!"
"Teacher, don't worry. As long as I'm here, I absolutely won't let Junior Sister suffer."
"If anyone dares make things difficult for her, I'll take his life!"