The man in the photo this time had a buzz cut and wheat-colored skin. He wore a black combat uniform and carried a saber on his back. He bore some resemblance to Fu Yunting, but his cool gaze held a trace of resilience.
He looked utterly upright and righteous.
The little girl played no favorites and called the photo "Second Uncle" too.
"This is your third uncle."
This photo showed a young man in Daoist robes with gentle, picturesque features. A smile touched his lips, and he held a writing brush in his hand. He looked more like a noble young gentleman raised by an ancient aristocratic family, graceful and openhearted.
"Your third uncle went off to Wudang to become a Daoist priest. He just loves all this mystical stuff."
"This is your fourth uncle."
"Your fourth uncle works for the oceanic administration. There seems to be a lot going on out at sea lately, and he's busy every day. I don't even know if he's seen the message I sent him."
Qin Yan nodded.
"And this is your fifth uncle."
The last uncle's photo showed a bald young man wearing gold-and-white Buddhist robes. His features were as cool as snow, compassion shone in his eyes, and he seemed to carry an air of divinity.
Qin Yan's already somewhat round eyes grew even rounder.
"Fifth Uncle?"
He doesn't have any hair, but he's so handsome.
"Yes, this is your fifth uncle. He became a Buddhist monk."
Old Master Fu grew annoyed just talking about it.
"That little brat. He never liked talking much as a child and always liked reading scriptures, but I never thought he'd actually become a monk-and some kind of Buddhist scion at that!"
All five of his sons were outstanding, but two had entered religious life, one Buddhist and one Daoist. That really made him unique in their circle, and some of his old friends had teased him about it plenty!
Qin Yan looked at the photos on the phone, tipped her little face up, and said in her soft, childish voice.
"Uncles are handsome."
Old Master Fu burst out laughing at that, a hint of pride in his voice.
"Of course! Whether it's your mother or your uncles, not one of them falls short in looks. Your grandpa here was a famously handsome man when he was young, too."
Qin Yan smiled along with him, her eyes curving.
There was a softness to her smile. Even though malnutrition had left her looking skinny, she was still like a fluffy little white rabbit, soft and squishy.
Looking at her always reminded Old Master Fu of his daughter.
"And your mother."
Old Master Fu sighed and finally brought up the subject.
Qin Yan immediately grew nervous too, her eyes trembling slightly.
What she wanted to hear about most was her mother and father.
Meimei had only told her that she was not that family's child and how to find her relatives.
But Meimei had never told her about her parents.
Old Master Fu sighed. "Fate really played a cruel trick on us. When your mother was pregnant with you, some bad people upset her so badly that she went into premature labor. Everything was chaotic then, and you were also... switched with a stillborn baby when none of us were looking."
Because of that stillborn baby, none of them had really suspected anything.
After all, Qing Huan had been frail since childhood. Having been upset into premature labor under those circumstances, she could very well have delivered a stillborn baby.
Even now, thinking about it filled Old Master Fu with hatred.
"Your mother was already in poor health. After suffering the double blow of that betrayal and her baby's death, she lost the will to live. She didn't even last a month before..."
He choked up as he spoke.
Qin Yan sat in a daze.
So it wasn't that she didn't want me. Mommy had left this world forever, too.
Before she knew it, her eyes had filled with tears.
Old Master Fu stroked her hair. "Your mother loved you very much. She was always looking forward to your birth."
Yet she had never even gotten to see her own daughter with her own eyes.
"Mommy."
Qin Yan murmured the word softly. Hurt, longing, and the sorrow of never being able to meet her all welled up. She hugged her grandfather and sobbed silently.
Her tiny body trembled faintly as she cried, looking so pitiful.
Old Master Fu could only pat her shoulder to comfort her.
Qin Yan only stopped when she was exhausted from crying.
Old Master Fu did not tell her about her father.
Although... the investigation had cleared him of wrongdoing in that incident, Old Master Fu had lost his daughter, and even now, he still resented him.
Qin Yan was well-behaved too. Since her grandfather did not bring it up, she did not ask. Besides, she was worn out from crying, still sniffling and looking as wilted as a little cabbage that had lost its moisture.
Qin Yan settled into the Fu family for good.
Without her knowledge, Old Master Fu sent out many people to investigate what had happened back then.
For the next half month, Qin Yan never ventured beyond the Fu family's villa grounds.
The little girl was very easily contented.
As long as she did not go hungry or get beaten, she felt happy.
Not to mention that she now had a grandfather and a Grandpa Butler who doted on her.
Qin Yan felt that she was already the happiest child in the world.
But that night, before bed, Meimei suddenly began hemming and hawing, as though wanting to say something.
Qin Yan asked inwardly what was wrong.
Meimei's voice held a hint of guilt. [Sweet little Yanyan, I have to leave.]
At those words, Qin Yan froze, then grew anxious and helpless.
"Wh-why? Was Yanyan bad? Are you angry, Meimei? Could you please..."
Not leave.
She was scared.
Qin Yan sniffled, trying hard not to cry.
[Don't cry, baby. I'll be back.]
Seeing her like this, the system hurried to comfort her.
[Don't worry, baby. I've worked for the main system for five hundred years, and it's time for me to retire. This time, I'm going back to collect the things I left with the main system. Then I'll change my skin and come back to find you. I'll have a surprise for you then.]
Only after hearing that Meimei would return did Qin Yan feel less upset, though she still hated to part.
[Baby, I'll give you a blind box present before I leave.]
A gleaming golden box suddenly appeared before Qin Yan, though it was virtual.
Meimei's voice rang out. [Baby, give it a tap with your little finger. Let's see what nice things you can draw.]
Qin Yan's eyes were still slightly red, but she obediently reached out and poked the virtual box.
The next second, the box flashed with light and spat out two things.
One was the skill "Know All Things," and the other was a crystal giving off a rich aura of life.
Meimei's excited voice rang out.
[Baby, your luck is incredible! This is the Elven Life Tree's Core Energy Crystal, and its core energy even has a trace of World Origin mixed into it!]
Compared with that core energy, the Know All Things skill was merely a supporting ability.
The most important thing was still that piece of core energy.
[Hurry and eat this!]
Half of what came out of this blind box depended on luck, while the other half would only appear if it was highly compatible with the recipient.
Since this Life Tree's Core Energy Crystal had been drawn, it was naturally highly compatible with Qin Yan.
Hehe... everything in the blind box came from the main system's treasure vault.
At Meimei's urging, Qin Yan had only just opened her mouth when the core energy impatiently rushed into her body.
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