The Past Like a Dream

Yan Zu carefully applied a few drops of Plant Growth Liquid to the leaves and roots of the Blue Silver Grass.

The medicinal liquid was immediately absorbed upon contact with the Blue Silver Grass. The Blue Silver Grass began to grow at a visible rate, its leaves becoming wider and its stems thicker, growing from half a foot to more than a foot in height.

But that wasn't enough. With a thought, Yan Zu had Little Jade activate her domain effect and then used his Fourth Soul Skill, Life's Praise, to help Ah Yin recover.

Emerald green life energy surged from Little Jade's body, forming a green halo three meters in diameter that enveloped the Blue Silver Grass. Nourished by Little Jade, the Blue Silver Grass's growth accelerated again, reaching a height of two feet, and the golden patterns on its leaves became even more dazzling.

During this process, Yan Zu could clearly feel that the originally faint, almost imperceptible soul essence within the Blue Silver Grass was gradually reviving and growing stronger. It was Ah Yin's consciousness, which, after being trapped for twelve years and almost dissipating, was finally re-condensing.

Time passed slowly, and after about half an hour, the Blue Silver Grass had grown to three feet tall, its entire body crystal clear, with blue-gold light flowing endlessly on its leaves and stems. Most remarkably, a small, blue-gold flower bud had bloomed at the top of the Blue Silver Grass.

Suddenly, a system notification sounded in Yan Zu's mind.

[Ding! Key event check-in successful! "Saving the Blue Silver Emperor" has triggered a rare hidden reward!]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: External Soul Bone - Blue Silver Emperor Wings!]

Yan Zu??? I never expected that rescuing the Blue Silver Emperor would bring such an unexpected surprise.

"This—" Xiao Wu covered her mouth in surprise.

Just then, the Blue Silver Grass swayed gently, its two leaves reaching out to Yan Zu and Xiao Wu, softly entwining their fingers. Through this contact, a gentle and weak female voice simultaneously echoed in Yan Zu and Xiao Wu's minds, "Xiao Wu —it really is you—and this young man—thank you—"

Ah Yin was finally able to communicate with them.

Xiao Wu's tears welled up again. "Aunt Ah Yin! You can finally talk to us! That's wonderful! That's wonderful!"

Ah Yin's leaf gently stroked Xiao Wu's hand. "Xiao Wu —young man—how should I address you?"

"My name is Yan Zu, and I'm Xiao Wu's partner," Yan Zu said.

Ah Yin's leaf gently curled around Yan Zu's finger. "Thank you, Yan Zu —you're a kind child—"

Yan Zu calmly asked, "Senior Ah Yin, how are you feeling now?"

Ah Yin was silent for a moment, seemingly assessing her own condition. "My cultivation level—it has recovered to about eight thousand years ago—"

Although it's still far from its peak, at least it won't easily fade away—thanks to your help—especially that miraculous potion—"

More than eight thousand years, although still far from one hundred thousand years, at least its life was preserved and there is a possibility of recovery.

Xiao Wu asked anxiously, "Aunt Ah Yin, what happened? What happened to you? How did you end up like this?"

Upon hearing Xiao Wu's question, Ah Yin's mood visibly somber. Through the leaves they touched, both Yan Zu and Xiao Wu could sense the deep pain, disappointment, and confusion within her.

Ah Yin's voice echoed Youyou in their minds, carrying the weight of time and endless sorrow.

"After I took human form, I left the Star Dou Great Forest and wandered the human world as an orphan. At that time, I was still very weak and could only release a weak amount of spiritual power to imitate human speech and behavior, carefully hiding my identity." The leaves of the Blue Silver Grass trembled slightly, as if recalling those youthful years.

"I traveled the human world for several years, witnessing all sorts of people and events. Until one day, near Heaven Dou City, I met two young men Tang Xiao and Tang Hao."

Upon hearing these two names, Ah Yin's emotions visibly fluctuated.

"Tang Xiao was gentle and refined, while Tang Hao was bold and unrestrained. They introduced themselves as traveling Soul Master and invited me to join them. At the time, I felt their eyes were clear and they didn't seem like bad people, so I agreed."

Xiao Wu gripped Yan Zu's hand tightly, her eyes filled with unbearable sorrow. She knew this was likely the beginning of a tragedy.

"We've been traveling together for three years, visiting many places. Tang Xiao has always been very polite to me, taking care of me like an older brother."

Tang Hao —he's straightforward and impulsive, yet he's exceptionally attentive to me.

Ah Yin's voice was filled with complex emotions, "He will remember what I like to eat, he will silently protect me while I cultivate, and he will stand in front of me without hesitation in times of danger."

Gradually—I found myself falling in love with him.

The tiny bud at the top of the Blue Silver Grass was slightly closed, as if expressing the owner's shyness at this moment.

"But I've never dared to tell him my true identity. I know how deep the prejudice humans have against Soul Beast, especially Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. I'm afraid he'll distance himself from me because of it, or even—hurt me."

"Until one day, we encountered a 70,000-year-old Soul Beast in Sunset Forest. Tang Hao was injured while saving me. Seeing him covered in blood but still smiling and saying 'I'm fine,' I couldn't hold back anymore." Ah Yin's voice choked with emotion. "I told him the truth—I'm not human, I'm Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor who has transformed and rebuilt."

Yan Zu frowned slightly. The timing was too "perfect" —Tang Hao was injured, Ah Yin was soft-hearted; everything seemed to have been meticulously planned.

After listening, Tang Hao remained silent for a long time. I thought he would be angry, would leave, or even—kill me. But he didn't.

Ah Yin continued reminiscing, "He said he had long suspected I wasn't an ordinary human because I always had a special aura about me. He said he didn't care about my identity; he loved me for who I am, not for my race."

"Later, I found out I was pregnant." Ah Yin's emotions visibly surged when she mentioned the child. "I was overjoyed, and Tang Hao was happy too. He said he would take me to see all the sights of the mainland, and after the baby was born, we would find a place to live in seclusion."

Xiao Wu couldn't help but interject, "Aunt Ah Yin, your Soul Power is unstable during your pregnancy, and your Soul Beast aura is easily leaked out. At this time, you should be finding a safe place to rest and recuperate! How can you still be traveling around?"

Ah Yin was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "At that time— Tang Hao said it was okay, that he would protect me. Moreover, he said he wanted to take me to see the places he had been before before the baby was born—it was a token of his affection, and I couldn't bear to refuse."

A cold glint flashed in Yan Zu's eyes. What a perfect excuse—a sinister plot wrapped in love and romance.

"We traveled all the way and went to many places. Tang Hao took great care of me and always seemed to be able to sense danger in advance and lead me away from it. But strangely, no matter where we went, we always encountered people from the Spirit Hall."

Ah Yin's voice was filled with confusion, "Although Tang Hao narrowly escaped with me every time, looking back now—it seems like the people from the Spirit Hall could always find our tracks."

"The most terrifying thing happened right before I went into labor." Ah Yin's emotions completely collapsed. "We had just stopped in a small town when I suddenly went into labor. Tang Hao took me to a cave, saying it was safe there. But at the critical moment of my delivery, the Spirit Hall people arrived. Leading them was Pope Qian Xunji, along with two Titled Douluo and more than ten Soul Douluo- level powerhouses."

"They said I was Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast and wanted to capture me and take me back to the Spirit Hall. Tang Hao fought them fiercely, but he was only an 89th-level Soul Douluo at the time, and he was no match for them." Ah Yin's leaves curled up into a ball. "I saw him covered in blood, I saw the newborn child crying in the cave, I saw those Spirit Hall people approaching step by step—"

Ah Yin's voice was choked with sobs. "I—I didn't have time to think at all. I saw how small the child was, I saw that Tang Hao was about to die, all I knew was—if we didn't do something, the three of us would die here."

"So—I sacrificed myself."

When those three words were uttered, the air in the entire room seemed to freeze. Xiao Wu covered her mouth, tears silently streaming down her face.

Yan Zu clenched his fists, his eyes flashing with cold light.

"I transformed my 100,000 years of cultivation into a Soul Ring and Soul Bone, sacrificing them to Tang Hao. In the final moment of the sacrifice, I used my last bit of life force to condense a seed, which was the Blue Silver Emperor's last breath."

Ah Yin's voice grew weaker and weaker, "I heard Tang Hao's long roar when he broke through, I heard his furious shouts as he repelled the enemy, and then—I knew nothing more."

"When I regained some consciousness, I found myself transformed into a Blue Silver Grass, planted in that dark, sunless cave. Later I learned that Tang Hao had planted me in that cave—and I've been there for twelve years."

The story was over. Only Ah Yin's low sobs and Xiao Wu's suppressed weeping remained in the room.

After a long silence, Xiao Wu suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with anger and incomprehension. "How could Tang Hao do this! Aunt Ah Yin, you sacrificed yourself to save him, and he actually planted you in a place like that! That cave was dark and damp; it's not an environment where Blue Silver Grass can survive at all!"

Xiao Wu's voice trembled with anger. "Even if he doesn't understand plants, shouldn't he know that Blue Silver Grass needs sunlight and water? If he really loved you, how could he have planted you there for twelve years, watching you wither away day by day?"

Ah Yin's leaves trembled slightly, her voice weak. "Perhaps—perhaps he just doesn't understand—or—that place has special significance for him—"

"Special significance?" Xiao Wu became even angrier. "No matter how special the significance, it's not as important as your life! Aunt Ah Yin, you're too kind, always thinking of others!"

Yan Zu gently patted Xiao Wu's shoulder to calm her down. Then, he turned to Ah Yin, his voice calm but carrying an undeniable force. "Senior Ah Yin, I know it's hard for you to accept, but actually—you yourself have many doubts, you just don't dare to think about them deeply."

Ah Yin's leaves trembled slightly, as if waiting for him to say something next.

"First, I'd like to ask you a few questions," Yan Zu said slowly. "First, after you became pregnant, why didn't Tang Hao take you back to the Clear Sky Sect? As the second young master of the Clear Sky Sect, wouldn't it have been the safest option for him to take you back to the sect to rest and prepare for childbirth?"

Ah Yin was silent for a moment. "He—he said the sect has strict rules and wouldn't accept a Soul Beast wife. And he said his elder Tang Xiao, also... In short, going back to the sect isn't appropriate."

"Alright, then the second question: Even if we don't return to the Clear Sky Sect, why not go to a remote place to live in seclusion, away from crowds, until you give birth safely? Why take you traveling around while you're pregnant, especially to places where the Spirit Hall's influence is strong?"

"He said he wanted me to see more of the world before I had a baby—" Ah Yin's voice trailed off, and even she herself began to feel that this reason was untenable.

"The third question," Yan Zu's voice turned serious, "Why was Qian Xunji able to 'find' you just as you were giving birth? Even if your breathing was unstable during your pregnancy, the continent is so vast, how could the Spirit Hall pinpoint your location so precisely? And at such a crucial moment in your delivery?"

Ah Yin's trembling grew more and more violent. She had thought about these questions before, but she had been forcing herself not to think about them deeply.

"There's a fourth question," Yan Zu continued, "You said Tang Hao always seemed to sense danger in advance and lead you away. But if he really has such strong reconnaissance abilities, why didn't he notice Qian Xunji and the others approaching when you were giving birth?"

"I... I don't know..." Ah Yin's voice was filled with confusion and pain.

After Yan Zu's questioning, even the silly rabbit Xiao Wu realized the problem and said anxiously, "Aunt Ah Yin, don't you think all of this is too coincidental? So coincidental—it's like it was all arranged by someone?"

Ah Yin didn't answer, but her silence said it all.

Yan Zu knew he needed to deliver the final blow. He took a deep breath and uttered the cruelest speculation. "Senior Ah Yin, have you ever considered that perhaps none of this is a coincidence?"

"What—does that mean?" Ah Yin's voice trembled violently.

"What I mean is, maybe Tang Hao knew your identity from the beginning, maybe he deliberately approached you, maybe he took you traveling around so that the Spirit Hall could track you down, maybe he deliberately exposed his location when you gave birth because he had planned it all along—"

"No—it's impossible—" Ah Yin's voice was almost broken, "Tang Hao —he—he's been so good to me—we even have a child—how could he—"

"It's precisely because of the child that this plan is more perfect." Yan Zu ruthlessly shattered her last illusion. "If it were just him, Tang Hao might worry that you wouldn't sacrifice yourself in a crisis. But with the child, it's different. You are gentle and kind. Given your personality, with your husband and child in a crisis, sacrifice is your only option."

For him, isn't a story of a husband who deeply loves his wife, a loving father, and a sworn enemy of the Spirit Hall to avenge his wife even more touching?

"Furthermore," Yan Zu continued, "If all of the above are speculation, then it is indeed true that Tang Hao planted you in that cave. If he truly loved you, why didn't he send you back to the Blue Silver Forest? The environment there is most suitable for the growth of Blue Silver Grass, and your recovery speed would be a hundred times faster than it is now!"

Xiao Wu couldn't help but say, "Aunt Ah Yin, A-Zu is right! If Tang Hao really cared about you, how could he bear to watch you suffer in that place for twelve years? He could have helped you recover much faster!"

Ah Yin fell completely silent. The light of the Blue Silver Grass dimmed, and its leaves drooped limply, as if it had lost all vitality.

"Then why did he become so despondent later? Why didn't he dare to return to the sect?" Xiao Wu thought of another question.