Chapter 1525: Bonds

Chu Muyun paused.

Although Chu Muyun hadn't stepped into the Temple of the Dead, the surging Underworld River and the constant roars from within the temple reflected the cruelty of the melee inside... He immediately pressed for an answer:

"And what about Chen Ling?"

Jiang Xiaohua tilted his head to think, finally summarizing it in two words:

"Alive."

"What about Spade 6 and Diamond 6?"

"Also alive."

Chu Muyun finally let out a long sigh of relief. No casualties—that was the best news possible.

Repairing severed limbs was Chu Muyun’s specialty. Before long, he had fixed Jiang Xiaohua’s body, making him look no different than usual... But Chu Muyun still couldn't understand what kind of existence Jiang Xiaohua was. Without internal organs, how was one supposed to judge if his injuries had healed?

"Should we head up now?" Chu Muyun asked.

"Wait a little longer. Spade wants to see his mother."

Jiang Xiaohua answered earnestly.

Chu Muyun was slightly stunned, then nodded.

As if remembering something, he looked into Jiang Xiaohua’s eyes and spoke slowly, as if having made a decision:

"Club 6, there is something I would like to ask of you..."

……

The wailing cold wind brushed against Jian Changsheng’s cheeks.

His blood-stained leather jacket fluttered in the wind. He took staggering steps, leaving a long trail of bloody footprints on the ground. With every step, the pain of bone shards piercing his flesh made the corners of his mouth twitch.

Not far ahead of him, a desolate ancient well stood silently beneath the Underworld River.

Jian Changsheng walked to the edge of the well, about to look down, but then, as if thinking of something, he silently moved his body to a water vat nearby.

*Splash—splash—splash...*

Jian Changsheng scooped up water and scrubbed his face vigorously, washing away all the blood from his hands and face, then slapped his cheeks twice...

He looked at the clean-faced young man reflected in the water, and a hint of satisfaction finally appeared in his eyes.

He staggered back to the ancient well.

As Jian Changsheng carefully leaned his head over the well, the deep, dark water came into view, appearing unremarkable... He closed his eyes and called out his mother’s name in his mind, over and over again.

His longing spilled onto the surface of the well water like a key connecting the worlds of the living and the dead. Ripples of faint light danced in the water, reflecting the Underworld River flowing directly above, as if it had become a tiny, private tributary belonging only to Jian Changsheng.

Vaguely, a silhouette seemed to be taking shape from within the well water.

"...Little Jian?"

A woman’s voice echoed from the bottom of the well.

Jian Changsheng’s entire body trembled.

He opened his eyes to see the kind figure he had missed day and night, the one who had accompanied his entire childhood, leaning over the edge of the well on the other side of the reflection, looking at him in surprise.

Jian Changsheng’s lips trembled. After a long while, he finally called out softly:

"...Mom."

……

Sun Bumian walked slowly toward the serene Chen Ling.

"...Who taught you to lie like that? Club?" Sun Bumian looked at Chen Ling, who was lying perfectly flat with his hands folded over his chest, and couldn't help but retort, "Do you have any idea how much you look like you're about to be buried?"

"But this is very relaxing," Chen Ling replied with his eyes closed. "My strength recovers faster this way."

Sun Bumian: ...

Sun Bumian silently lay down next to Chen Ling, also folding his hands over his chest. One in a theatrical robe, the other in a Tang suit, the two lay side by side, neat and tidy.

"You're late," Chen Ling said.

"I actually planned to come find you guys the moment I could, but then my master, that old geezer, showed up right on time... and dragged me off to chat for a while," Sun Bumian shrugged. "No idea what he’s been doing all this time..."

“……”

"Why aren't you saying anything?"

"...He came to see me."

"???" Sun Bumian cursed, "I knew it! Abandoning his own good disciple to sneak off and find an outsider like you... That old geezer is truly a scumbag!"

"He reminded me of many things, and also gave me some... prophecies?"

"Good ones or bad ones?"

"Not sure... probably both."

"My master may be a scumbag, but he has the strength," Sun Bumian paused for a moment. "When it comes to divination, he has almost never been wrong... He even calculated his own death in advance and left a contingency plan, allowing himself to remain conscious within the Ghost Path Ancient Treasury, and even retain a small portion of his power."

"What did he tell you?"

"He said that what I need to do cannot be accomplished by one person alone..." Chen Ling turned his head slightly to look at Sun Bumian beside him. "I need your help."

Sun Bumian was stunned for a moment, the corners of his mouth curling up, though he tried hard to suppress it:

"Hmm... that’s normal. After all, I am indeed quite capable."

Chen Ling: ...

"Heart."

"Yeah?"

"My master really thinks highly of you," Sun Bumian also turned to meet Chen Ling’s gaze. "He said you would be the key to changing the world... His words are never wrong."

Sun Bumian paused for a moment and added, "And my intuition is never wrong either."

Chen Ling was slightly taken aback.

"Whether it's for duty or friendship, I will spare no effort to help you... My accumulation over the past millennium exists precisely for this reason," Sun Bumian said earnestly.

"Rest assured... my power is your power."

Chen Ling stared at him blankly for a long time, then silently looked away and closed his eyes again...

"...Cheesy."

Sun Bumian: ???

……

"Mom, I've been doing very well all these years."

“……”

"...After you left, the Yan family treated me very well. They didn't bully me anymore, and the young master even treated me like a friend... Really, your son has embarked on the path of the Soldier God. They treat me with great respect; how would they dare to neglect me?"

“……”

"How could that be? Mom, your son is someone blessed with great fortune. Everything has been smooth sailing along the way; how could I suffer any hardship?"

“……”

"I really haven't lost weight; I'm just cutting fat lately!"

“……”

"Mom, I'm a big hero in the human domain now. They all call me General Jian! Pretty impressive, right?! Your son hasn't brought shame to our family!"

“……”

"No... I'm still so young, I don't want to get married yet... Oh, let's not talk about that."

“……”

"I'm not alone. I have a few very capable brothers. This time, they brought... I brought them to the Ghost Path Ancient Treasury. We are really close, the kind who would die for each other."

“……”

Jian Changsheng lay by the ancient well, patiently telling the figure at the bottom about his experiences over the years—the story of how, under the love and support of everyone, he rose through the ranks, step by step, from the Aurora Domain to where he was today.

Jian Changsheng glanced back toward the Temple of the Dead, then looked back into the well:

"Mom... your son can only chat with you for a little longer this time."

"My brothers have very important things to do. He... he isn't as capable as me, he can't do it without me, so I have to go back and back him up..."

"Mom..."

"Your son will definitely become a true hero."