Min Yue, sensing the abnormal fluctuation of energy within the cave, instantly teleported over.
“What happened!” Min Yue walked forward and demanded sternly.
Meanwhile, although the pain sensation had been turned off, Lan Tian’s tears were not something that could be stopped just by wanting them to.
Yu Shengyan and Yu Qiu were both in a panic. They did not know what had suddenly happened, but seeing Lan Tian crying continuously made them want to cry as well.
Yu Qiu soon joined the crying session: “First Senior Brother…” He quickly turned away, silently keeping Lan Tian company while he wept.
Yu Shengyan also wanted to cry, but he forcefully held it back; only the red, bloodshot irises in his eyes betrayed his inner turmoil.
“Master, First Senior Brother suddenly shouted just now. Could it be that he still has his conscience, that he hasn’t completely turned into the Demon Lord?”
Min Yue listened to Yu Shengyan, bowing his head as if lost in deep thought.
In reality… he was chatting with Lan Tian:
Main Plot Boss: “What’s wrong, brother!” Lan Tian: “That scammer, Little Mengmeng!” Main Plot Boss: “Understood. I’ve been scammed by her before too…” Main Plot Boss: “Just play dead for now, I’m going back to doing my mission.” Lan Tian: “Alright…”
After the chat ended, Min Yue raised his head. Yu Shengyan looked at him with a glimmer of hope in his eyes; he harbored a bold thought: could the Demon Lord turn back into a human?
“No.”
“Once transformed into a Demon Lord, he has been possessed by a malevolent entity. Therefore, he will never turn back into a human.”
Min Yue remained cold-faced, ruthlessly delivering the crushing words.
“But just now…” Yu Shengyan still had doubts. He pointed at Lan Tian. “He just… woke up. And he cried… Demon Lords don’t shed tears casually, do they?”
Min Yue looked at him for a long time, his eyebrows slightly raised.
“That was just caused by his struggle to break free from the Demon-Suppressing Chains. Although Demon Lords do not cry, his transformation is not yet complete. Therefore, what just happened is normal.”
Upon hearing this, it was as if a candy Yu Shengyan had just brought to his lips had fallen to the ground and been trampled on; he felt deeply disheartened.
When Yu Shengyan looked at Lan Tian again, he found that he had fainted once more, likely due to the effects of the Demon-Suppressing Chains.
Yu Qiu cried for a while, and feeling less stifled than before, he felt a bit better. After looking at Lan Tian a few times, he glanced at Yu Shengyan and let out a sigh.
Yu Qiu looked at Min Yue and said, “Master, tell him about this.”
Min Yue was slightly surprised. His second disciple had always been gentle and silent; that he would now take the initiative to suggest this…
However… it seemed like a good time to bring this up now… It could help increase Lan Tian’s protagonist value.
Min Yue genuinely pondered for a moment before saying to Yu Qiu: “Very well, then tell him.”
After finishing, he looked directly at Yu Shengyan. Yu Shengyan didn’t know what was happening or what could possibly be told to him; he stared at them blankly.
“Shengyan, do you want to know about your origin?”
“Master, what does this mean? Am I not just an orphan?”
“That is true, but… you are not a simple orphan. Back then… your mother suddenly disappeared. Later… I had Little Tian find you and your sister.”
Yu Qiu looked at him and said, “You probably don’t remember clearly; you were very young then. I was also very small at that time…”
Yu Shengyan was still confused. Why tell him this now? He asked, “So…”
Min Yue continued: “At that time, I entrusted everything to Little Tian, not knowing that something had happened while he was searching for you…”
“He encountered your mother, who asked him to keep her affairs a secret from you both. That is why we told you that you were orphans. She entrusted Little Tian to take care of you…”
“After that, your mother disappeared again… but my eldest disciple… he truly remembered your mother’s instructions well. He never left your side when you were still an infant. He was only a youth himself at the time, yet he cared for you flawlessly, like a grown man.”
“Me?” Yu Shengyan was incredibly shocked; he had absolutely no memory of this. In his memory, the First Senior Brother had always been high and mighty, leaving only a silhouette, never sparing him a second glance even when he saw him.
“Later, you fell inexplicably ill… and remained so for a long time… until a Taoist priest cast a fortune for you. He said you were destined to be burdened with misfortune, with a floating fate. The key was that no one could interfere with your destiny; you had to bear it alone. Otherwise, you would fall gravely ill…”
“My eldest disciple, who was blaming himself at the time for having good intentions leading to bad results, decided to only have a common doctor treat you, never interfering in your life again. To my surprise, you actually got better…”
“After that severe illness, it was as if you had forgotten everything about my disciple…”
Min Yue briefly recounted the events from over a decade ago. Yu Shengyan’s eyes widened… No wonder… no wonder the First Senior Brother was so good to his sister… He had even sacrificed one-third of his own cultivation…
So… the First Senior Brother had actually been watching over him all along?
Little Mengmeng: “Whoosh! The protagonist’s trust value has increased by 3,000, with a maximum of 10,000. I wish you continued success, My Lord!” Lan Tian: “What did the Boss do? This is amazing…”
“Why… why tell me this now?” Yu Shengyan bowed his head, burying his face in the shadows.
Min Yue continued slowly: “Because your mother has returned.”
“Earlier, Little Tian foresaw that your sister would meet with disaster, but he still couldn’t change the outcome, not even for himself… He originally only needed to stall until your mother returned, but he didn’t make it in time.”
Yu Shengyan found the word “mother” very distant. “My mother?”
“Correct. Your mother is the Lotus Fairy who has just broken through the Divine Pass. The Divine Pass opens every twenty years; she was forced to accept it this time, which is why she temporarily abandoned you. Now that you are left alone, it is time you knew these past events…”
He had truly soared in status this time… from a poor orphan to the son of a fairy. Coupled with his status as the War God’s third disciple, his value had truly skyrocketed.
However… he was more concerned with the First Senior Brother’s previous care than his mother.
First Senior Brother… did he really take care of me like that? Has he been secretly watching me all this time?
For some reason, he felt a bit envious of his younger self and secretly angry at why he had forgotten this memory entirely.
“Master… Second Senior Brother. Could you allow me to stay with the First Senior Brother alone?” Yu Shengyan released all his dejected emotions; he really wanted to talk to the First Senior Brother for a while.
“Very well.” Min Yue naturally would not obstruct him; he needed to help Lan Tian, but he also needed to help himself. He replied simply, and with no other words, Yu Qiu followed him out.
Yu Qiu had witnessed from start to finish how the First Senior Brother had been dedicated and dutiful to these siblings, exhausting all his efforts. At the time, he even saw the First Senior Brother intentionally teaching a lesson to those who had bullied Yu Shengyan, though those people still believed they had provoked the First Senior Brother because they didn’t study hard.
Why did Yu Qiu want Yu Shengyan to know these things? Because he felt that if he didn’t tell him, no one would see all the First Senior Brother had done for them… and all of the First Senior Brother’s actions would have been in vain…
Yu Shengyan was left alone in the cave. He gazed at Lan Tian’s face. Perhaps he hadn’t realized it yet, but for a long time now, he had been thinking of Lan Tian every single moment.
At first, it was just guilt, but now he felt something strange… That feeling was not like sibling affection, nor like friendship, nor was it the guilt he felt initially. Even he himself didn’t know what this feeling was.
He could only watch him from afar, yet he really wanted to get closer to him. What did it matter if he had become a Demon Lord? You are you. Since I harmed you, I will take responsibility for you.
For the rest of my life, I will take care of you… For the rest of my life, I will protect you…
“Hey, hey, Fan Ren, are you sure it’s okay for us to sneak over?”
At this moment, inside a hidden cave entrance, a thin person said to the one named Fan Ren with worry.
These were none other than Yu Shengyan’s previous roommates. Fan Ren had always felt that Yu Shengyan must have used some bewitching means to make him a disciple of a venerated master… The mere thought of having to lower his head and call him “Third Senior Brother” made him furious.
Thus, he and this thin roommate had secretly followed Yu Shengyan. They stayed far away, fearing they would be discovered, so they didn’t see Yu Qiu; they only saw Yu Shengyan enter the Bottomless Cave.
Fan Ren dragged the thin boy inside without a word. However, the entrance was closed, and they had no Wuyuan Token to open the door.
Fortunately, the thin boy had a unique skill—digging. His spiritual attribute was Earth, so digging was very easy for him. Fan Ren made him go to a hidden shrubbery not far from the entrance. Under a small tree that could conceal them, they started digging a tunnel.
The entire entrance of the Bottomless Cave had a barrier set up, but these barriers were useless against them, as the barriers were only designed to keep out external demons and ghosts.
“Fan Ren, if we sneak in and get caught, what will we do?” The thin boy was a suspicious person by nature. As he dug, he remained hesitant.
“Wait, shh, don’t speak, there’s someone above…” Fan Ren didn’t listen to a word the thin boy said; he just excitedly shook his shoulders.
“They should be right above us.”