After that devastating day at the graveyard, the silence inside the house became deafening.
Lan Hai sat on the floor with his head buried in his knees, weeping silently.
A moment later, Han Ji Shen walked over and stopped behind him.
Placing a firm hand on Lan Hai’s trembling shoulder, he spoke in a low, steady voice.
Han Ji Shen: “Lan Hai…
I know no one can truly understand the depth of your pain.
But we cannot escape the Will of Heaven.
If we wish to change Heaven’s decree, we must first become strong enough to defy it.
The agony you are feeling right now…
no one in this world can truly understand it except you.
A mortal enters this world, dies, and returns to the cycle of Heaven.
That is destiny.
Ordinary mortals cannot break this cycle.
If anyone can, it is by attaining Immortality…
or by walking a path that stands against Heaven itself.”
Lan Hai listened to Han Ji Shen’s words without even lifting his head.
He no longer had the strength to argue.
Still weeping, he spoke in a weak, exhausted voice.
Lan Hai: “Senior… please just leave me alone for a while. Please… I don’t have the strength to think or understand anything right now.”
Han Ji Shen remained silent for a moment, staring at the broken young man before him.
His eyes held a mixture of helplessness and disappointment.
Realizing that no words could reach Lan Hai in his current state, he quietly turned around and walked away.
After Han Ji Shen left, Lan Hai wiped away his tears.
With heavy, exhausted steps, he forced himself to his feet and slowly walked back to his room.
From that day onward, Lan Hai completely shut himself off from the outside world.
His once tidy house gradually turned into a complete mess, with dust gathering in every corner.
He spent his days drinking alcohol and sleeping, and his appearance slowly deteriorated until he resembled nothing more than a beggar.
He no longer had his mother.
He no longer had a friend with whom he could share his grief.
There was no shoulder left for him to lean on and cry.
He stopped going to his food stall and refused to step outside the house.
Days blurred into weeks, and weeks slowly turned into months.
Even four months after the deaths of Mu Chen and Qinue, Lan Hai remained trapped in the shadows of their memories.
Every time he opened his eyes, images of his mother, Lan Xiuan, his beloved Qinue, and his brother Mu Chen filled his mind.
Day after day, he sat alone, drinking while staring at their photographs on the wall, talking to them inside the silent room.
Han Ji Shen watched everything with deep concern.
The young man who had once smiled so brightly and rushed to help everyone around him had become nothing more than a living corpse.
Although Han Ji Shen noticed every change, he eventually stopped trying to lecture him.
He knew that, for now, no words could heal a wound this deep.
One day, Han Ji Shen sat down in his room to meditate.
After entering a deep meditative state, a terrifying surge of celestial energy suddenly erupted from his body.
His eyes snapped open. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
He had finally recovered 60% of his original power.
Looking at the surging Qi swirling around his hands, he let out a heavy sigh and slowly shook his head.
Han Ji Shen: “If only I had recovered this much power on the day of the engagement… I could have stopped that catastrophe from happening. Lan Hai would not be living in this darkness today.”
He gazed out the window and muttered softly,
Han Ji Shen: “Heaven is truly cruel… no one ever knows when it will take away everything they hold dear.”
The next moment, he rose to his feet and flew silently out of the window, disappearing into the dark night sky.
The following morning, when Lan Hai dragged his exhausted body out of his room, he stopped in his tracks, completely stunned.
His entire house was spotless.
Every speck of dust had disappeared.
The empty alcohol and beer bottles that once covered the kitchen counter had all been replaced with fresh juice and cold drinks.
Lan Hai stood there in silence.
His first thought was that Han Ji Shen must have done all this.
What he didn’t know was that Han Ji Shen had already left the city the previous night.
Suddenly, the sound of someone cooking drifted out from the kitchen, followed by a deep, familiar voice.
Familiar Voice: “Lan… you’re awake? Go wash up. Breakfast is ready.”
The moment Lan Hai looked toward the kitchen, his eyes widened in shock.
Standing there…
Preparing breakfast for him…
Was Mu Chen’s father—Mu Tian.
Lan Hai’s throat tightened as he murmured,
Lan Hai: “Okay, Uncle… I’ll be right back.”
He went straight to the bathroom, took a quick shower, changed into clean clothes, and quietly returned to the dining table a few minutes later.
Moments later, Mu Tian walked out of the kitchen carrying a hot breakfast.
He placed the plate in front of Lan Hai and said,
Mu Tian: “Come on, eat.”
Lan Hai looked at him and asked softly,
Lan Hai: “Uncle… how are you here?”
Mu Tian tore off a piece of bread and replied flatly,
Mu Tian: “Just because… I wanted to see you.”
Lan Hai lowered his head slightly.
Lan Hai: “You could have just called me, Uncle. I would have come to your house.”
For a moment, Mu Tian remained silent.
He continued eating without saying a word, as though he were trying to suppress the grief buried deep inside him.
Then he suddenly stopped eating and looked directly at Lan Hai.
Mu Tian: “How much longer?”
Lan Hai looked at him in confusion.
Lan Hai: “I don’t understand what you mean, Uncle…”
Mu Tian’s expression hardened, and his voice grew heavier.
Mu Tian: “I asked… how much longer are you going to torture yourself like this? How much longer will you keep punishing yourself inside this dark room?”
Lan Hai lowered his head once again and remained silent.
A single tear slowly rolled down his cheek before falling onto the food on his plate. This story is hosted at g.com.
Mu Tian saw the miserable state Lan Hai had reduced himself to.
A father’s anger and grief surfaced together in his voice.
Mu Tian: “Look at what you’ve done to yourself! Your hair has grown out, you haven’t even shaved, and just look at the clothes you’re wearing. Lan Hai… did Qinue and my Mu Chen sacrifice their lives just to see you like this? Did they die only to save someone who refuses to live?”
Lan Hai remained frozen, unable to say a single word.
Seeing his slumped posture and the tears silently falling from his eyes, Mu Tian let out a long sigh.
His voice softened, yet every word carried an immense weight.
Mu Tian: “Lan Hai… I lost my son too. I have nothing left either. But should I destroy myself the way you have? I know you’ve lost so much in just a few months. But that doesn’t give you the right to disrespect the sacrifice of those who gave their lives to keep you alive.”
After saying those words, Mu Tian stood up from the table and went to wash his hands.
When he returned, he walked straight toward the portraits of Mu Chen, Xia Qinue, and Lan Xiuan hanging on the wall.
Standing before the three photographs, he spoke without turning around.
Mu Tian: “All of them… sacrificed their lives because they loved you more than themselves. What happened that day was not your fault. But if you keep blaming yourself for not being able to change what happened… you’ll never escape this darkness. Because we, as ordinary humans, cannot defeat those monstrous powers.”
As soon as Mu Tian finished speaking, a sharp gust of wind swept through the open window.
The next moment, Han Ji Shen drifted calmly into the room.
Mu Tian showed no surprise.
He simply looked at Han Ji Shen and greeted him respectfully.
Only then did the hidden truth come to light.
The one who had sent Mu Tian to Lan Hai’s house…
Was none other than Han Ji Shen.
Over the past few weeks, while Lan Hai had locked himself inside his house, drowning in alcohol and grief, Han Ji Shen had secretly recorded a short video of his miserable condition and sent it to Mu Tian.
After watching the video, the two met privately and came to the same conclusion.
If anyone could pull Lan Hai out of this darkness.
It was Mu Tian.
However, one question had continued to trouble Mu Tian.
Turning toward Han Ji Shen, he asked seriously,
Mu Tian: “Ji Shen… you are such a powerful cultivator. Why are you so attached to a mere mortal?”
Han Ji Shen glanced at Lan Hai for a brief moment before looking back at Mu Tian.
His expression remained calm as he replied,
Han Ji Shen: “You are right… but Lan Hai is no ordinary mortal.”
Mu Tian was instantly stunned.
Unable to understand Han Ji Shen’s words, he asked in bewilderment,
Mu Tian: “What nonsense are you talking about?”
The moment Mu Tian asked that question, a cold sweat appeared on the face of the legendary Sovereign, Han Ji Shen.
The horrifying scene he had witnessed that day flashed through his mind once again.
Taking a slow, deep breath, he spoke in a trembling voice,
Han Ji Shen: “If you had seen what I saw that day with your own eyes, you would never have asked me that question.”
He paused for a brief moment before continuing,
Han Ji Shen: “I’ll only say this…”
His gaze slowly shifted toward the silent Lan Hai.
Han Ji Shen: “Lan Hai was never meant to be trapped in this mortal world.”
Another brief silence filled the room.
Then Han Ji Shen uttered the words that left Mu Tian completely frozen.
Han Ji Shen: “He was born to become the Emperor of the entire universe!”