The cafeteria fell completely silent.
Even Sun Xiaohou stopped chewing.
The glowing projection hanging above the table flickered violently.
Critical Discovery
Lost Guardian Candidate Identified
Identity Verification…
12%
…
18%
…
Verification Interrupted.
Yue stared at the floating screen in disbelief.
“…Guardian?”
She slowly shook her head.
“That can’t be right.”
“I don’t even know who I am.”
The projection ignored her.
Golden characters continued flowing across the screen.
Secondary Authority Resonance Confirmed
Ancient Sanctuary Signature Detected.
Generation…
Unknown.
Access Level…
Restricted.
Lin Tianyu frowned.
“System.”
“What exactly is a Guardian Candidate?”
The answer came after an unusually long pause.
A Guardian Candidate is a human chosen by the Sanctuary to protect the Divine Beasts.
“…Like a Keeper?”
Negative.
Keepers manage the Sanctuary.
Guardians defend it.
Hei Bao quietly closed his eyes.
“…So…”
“…She survived.”
Everyone turned toward him.
“You know who she is?”
The giant panda slowly shook his head.
“…No.”
“…But…”
“…I remember.”
“What do you remember?”
“…Small.”
“…Laugh.”
“…Always followed.”
He looked directly at Yue.
“…Smelled same.”
Yue unconsciously touched her chest.
“…Me?”
Hei Bao nodded.
“…Maybe.”
Sun Xiaohou suddenly jumped onto the table.
“…Hair.”
“What?”
“…Different.”
Everyone looked at Yue.
Her long black hair…
Was changing.
One thin strand near her temple had turned completely silver.
She blinked.
“…What’s happening?”
The silver strand glowed faintly before returning to normal.
The System immediately scanned her again.
Resonance Increasing
Memory Seal Stability:
96%
Ancient Bloodline Activity:
4%
Warning:
Further stimulation may trigger partial memory restoration.
“…Bloodline?”
Tianyu whispered.
“So she’s not an ordinary person.”
Before anyone could speak again—
A loud knock echoed through the cafeteria.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Everyone froze.
Zhao Ming slowly looked toward the window.
“…Boss…”
“I thought you said the cultivators left.”
“They did.”
“…Then…” Find the original chapter at g.com.
“…Who’s knocking?”
Another knock.
This time…
From the front gate.
Not the cafeteria.
Not the office.
The zoo entrance.
Three slow knocks.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
The System displayed a notification.
Visitor Detected
Human
Hostility:
None Detected
Recommendation:
Proceed with caution.
Tianyu frowned.
“At this hour?”
“It’s almost midnight.”
Hei Bao stood.
“…Old.”
“The old man?”
“…No.”
“…Older.”
They walked cautiously toward the entrance.
The zoo was once again peaceful.
The stars shone brightly overhead.
Nothing appeared unusual.
Until Tianyu reached the front gate.
An old woman stood outside.
She couldn’t have been taller than five feet.
Her silver hair was neatly tied into a bun.
She wore simple blue cotton clothes and carried a woven basket filled with fresh vegetables.
She looked…
Like someone’s grandmother.
When she saw Tianyu, she smiled kindly.
“Good evening.”
“I’m sorry for coming so late.”
Tianyu blinked.
“…Can I help you?”
The old woman looked past him.
Straight toward Hei Bao.
Then…
To everyone’s astonishment…
She scolded him.
“You’ve gotten fatter.”
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Sun Xiaohou’s jaw dropped.
“…She…”
“…She called Old Bear fat.”
Hei Bao looked away awkwardly.
“…Little.”
“…Bigger.”
“Bigger?”
The old woman snorted.
“When I last saw you, you could still fit inside a bamboo grove.”
“…Now look at you.”
“…Round.”
Tianyu looked between them.
“You know each other?”
Hei Bao slowly nodded.
“…Very long.”
“…Friend.”
The old woman smiled warmly.
“I suppose you could call us that.”
Then she looked back at Tianyu.
“So.”
“You’re Guowei’s grandson.”
His heart skipped a beat.
“You knew my grandfather?”
“Knew him?”
She chuckled.
“I changed his diapers.”
“…What?”
“He was a noisy baby.”
Tianyu’s eyes widened.
“…How old are you?”
The old woman thought about it.
“…I stopped counting after my second millennium.”
“…”
The System suddenly sounded an alarm unlike anything before.
Emergency Scan
Identity Confirmed.
Name: Granny Mu
Classification:
Ancient Spirit.
Threat Level:
Unknown.
Relationship to Sanctuary:
Former Guardian.
Former Guardian?
Tianyu’s mind reeled.
“You…”
“…You’re a Guardian?”
Granny Mu shook her head.
“Not anymore.”
“I retired.”
Sun Xiaohou nearly fell over.
“…Retired?”
“Can Guardians retire?”
The old woman smiled.
“Even old bones deserve a vacation.”
She lifted the basket in her hands.
“I brought vegetables.”
Everyone stared.
“…Vegetables?”
“I heard the new Keeper only feeds everyone apples.”
Hei Bao looked down guiltily.
“…Good apples.”
“They’re nutritious.”
“But not a complete diet.”
She reached into the basket and handed Tianyu several unusual seeds.
Each seed shimmered with emerald-green light.
“They’re Spirit Bamboo.”
“Plant them behind the apple tree.”
“In a month…”
“You’ll have enough food to satisfy even this greedy bear.”
Hei Bao coughed awkwardly.
“…Not greedy.”
Everyone looked at him.
“…Very greedy.”
Even Yue giggled.
Granny Mu’s smile faded as she looked at Yue.
Her expression became unusually serious.
“…Child.”
Yue looked up.
“…Yes?”
The old woman slowly approached.
She gently touched Yue’s forehead.
The moment her fingers made contact—
A brilliant silver light erupted around Yue.
Fragments of forgotten memories flashed through the air like shattered mirrors.
A little girl running through endless bamboo forests.
Hei Bao carrying her on his shoulders.
Sun Xiaohou teaching her to climb trees.
Lin Guowei laughing.
Then…
A woman kneeling before Yue.
Crying.
Placing a silver pendant around her neck.
“If anything happens…”
“…never return to the Sanctuary.”
The memory shattered.
Yue gasped and collapsed into Tianyu’s arms.
“Yue!”
She slowly opened her eyes.
Tears streamed down her face.
“…I…”
Her voice trembled.
“…I remember…”
“…my surname.”
The entire zoo became still.
Tianyu looked at her gently.
“What is it?”
Yue took a shaky breath.
Then whispered a single word.
“…Mu.”
Granny Mu closed her eyes.
As though she had feared that answer all along.
“…So…”
“…they found your family first.”
[End of Chapter 15]