Chapter 247: Daddy Wan and Sister Wan
Qiao Wan couldn't remember how many tears she shed in Meng Guangze's embrace. When she lifted her face, she realized that the front of the man's shirt was moistened by her tears, making her feel a bit embarrassed and her cheeks turned red. Her lips quivered for a moment before she said, "S-sorry, senior..."
As for calling him "Dad," she still couldn't bring herself to do it.
Knowing that Qiao Wan didn't see him as her "Daddy," Meng Guangze didn't hold it against her.
He simply embraced her, like the sea embracing her.
"Senior." Qiao Wan steadied herself and opened her mouth, "Could you please explain in more detail what happened in between?"
Meng Guangze smiled, but didn't answer. He just waved his hand, signaling her to bring her face closer.
As his palm landed on her forehead, countless memories surged into her mind like a tide. They shattered and reassembled, eventually forming the life of Su Buhuo, the "war god" of the demon realm.
Within these memories, there was a young boy. He was born in the demon realm, without any family from a young age. By chance, he was adopted by the Mei Clan of the demon realm and given the name Mei Yuanbai. He studied, trained, and grew up together with Mei Kangping, eventually becoming a handsome and flourishing young man.
Upon reaching adulthood, the young man finally found his true name. He was called "Su Buhuo."
In the Mei family, he was taught to fight for the honor of the demon realm, even if it meant sacrificing his own life. At first, the young man named Su Buhuo had the same thoughts. He fought for the demon realm under his real name, leading victorious battles and earning the title of "War God of the demon realm" respected by all, including the cultivators.
In the powerful demon realm where strength reigns, the then Immortal Emperor Shi Yuan personally chose him as the successor, granting him the title of "Equal King" and making him the next Demon Lord.
After that, Mei Kangping assisted with domestic affairs while the young man continued to fight for the demon realm, striving for peace with both his mind and his sword.
But as the years of bloodshed went by, nobody noticed that the young man was tired.
If the initial battles were fought to defend the demon realm, what about later? The endless expansion, the fallen comrades, and the innocent civilians killed without reason, it all seemed like meaningless sacrifices driven by personal ambition.
Underneath all the noise and glory, he felt lonely. He had had enough of this kind of life, had had enough of not being able to save his comrades who died before him, no matter how powerful his skills were.
People believed that heroes belonged on the battlefield, that they should fight and kill for the glory of the demon realm. But nobody was born to belong to this hellish place.
In Qiao Wan's eyes, he was the legendary god of war from the demon realm. However, he had secretly developed an anti-war mindset.
After a recent massacre of a city, he came across a lost soul from another world.
To him, this lost soul was like a drowning person finally gasping for air. He patiently nurtured and cared for her, even using his own blood and flesh to create a physical form for her. He genuinely felt a gentle fatherly love for her.
But the arrival of this lost soul also caused him more pain, making him reflect on the meaning of this war.
The young man defected.
The proud warrior of the demon realm defected.
The demon realm searched for him everywhere but couldn't find him. They eventually announced that he went missing in a battle.
The young man traveled in disguise, meeting many Confucian cultivators who measured the world with their own footsteps. He also encountered Li Pan, a man who was exploring a path to save the world of cultivation. Li Pan believed in separating politics from morality to prevent aristocrats from monopolizing power.
These like-minded friends together founded Taiping College. Eventually, Su Buhuo changed his name to "Meng Guangze," meaning "he who brings peace to the world," and embarked on a journey of self-redemption.
He aimed to bring peace to the world.
After years of war and turmoil, the world of cultivation finally found a way to deal with the demon realm. They were determined to seal away the Immortal Emperor Shi Yuan.
Sealing away the Immortal Emperor Shi Yuan was not easy. First, they had to lure him to a specific location, but he was incredibly powerful. It would require sacrificing lives to lead him to the designated spot.
For the final battle, all the different groups and factions had to pay a heavy price. Taiping College sent three thousand three hundred and eighty-two young boys and girls.
The young man knew it was time for him to sacrifice himself. Before setting off, he found a mortal named Qiao whom he had once saved. He sealed his daughter and planted a part of his consciousness in her mind. He also hid all his lifelong knowledge inside her, and calmly went to the demon realm.
In the end, he sacrificed himself, becoming a part of the seal, and together they suppressed Immortal Emperor Shi Yuan.
This is the story of Meng Guangze.
And this Qiao, she wasn't even his real father. In fact, he was an ancestor of the Qiao family. For centuries, generations of the Qiao family have taken care of this orphan from the demon realm, all to repay a debt from a hundred years ago.
Until a few decades ago, this "family heirloom" was passed down to Qiao Da. The sealed orphan from the demon clan finally woke up, and Qiao Da named her Qiao Wan.
Qiao Wan. was deeply moved by this memory. She paused for a while, then slowly came back to her senses and subconsciously glanced at the man in front of her.
The man nodded gently and said, "Did you see clearly?"
He completely exposed all his memories to her without any concealment.
"I'm sorry, Little Wan," sighed Meng Guangze. softly. "It was my father who wronged you."
Qiao Wan shook her head. Faced with such a respected... um... international communist warrior, she couldn't bring herself to blame him. She blamed herself for being left in Daning Village and almost becoming a confused rural woman.
She only felt sincere respect and admiration.
"Elder... you have done enough."
Meng Guangze smiled, with a hint of helplessness and guilt in his smile. He gently rubbed her head with his warm and dry palm, saying, "You are still injured, and I shouldn't have told you so much. You should rest properly first."
After speaking, Qiao Wan seemed to sense her discomfort. Not wanting to bother her, he considerately gave her some time alone.
Qiao Wan hesitated for a moment, then gently tugged on Meng Guangze's sleeve.
Meng Guangze turned around with a good temperament. In his encouraging and gentle gaze, Qiao Wan opened her mouth, lowered her head, and apologetically said, "Senior... I'm very happy to have such a... father figure like you."
"I'm also very happy, Little Wan," Meng Guangze smiled, and the wrinkles around his eyes unfolded little by little. "I'm happy that my daughter has grown up to be such an outstanding young person."
The man's eyes were like the deep and embracing sea. With a smile, it seemed as if there were stars scattered throughout the sky, radiating a gentle and not dazzling starlight.
Looking into those kind eyes, Qiao Wan opened her mouth and couldn't help but blush.
Whether he was her "dad" or not, she was so... so happy to have this elder in her life.
Youxian Town is not far from Kunshan.
As the lights came on, walking amidst the shadows, a Buddhist monk dressed in a blue robe, with a cold and sharp face, paused in his footsteps.
Even his unshakable meditation suddenly skipped a beat.
Venerable One Miaofa, rarely showing a hint of surprise.
In the past, the Buddhist imprints that he left in Qiao Wan's mind had dissipated.
"Venerable One?" Seeing Venerable One Miaofa suddenly stop, Ciji was slightly taken aback.
This time, Venerable One came to Kunshan himself, not for the gathering of fellow practitioners, but to investigate strange phenomena in the ghost market. Why would Venerable One's expression change like this as soon as he arrived in Youxian Town?
"Go back." Venerable One Miaofa's face suddenly changed, his voice clear and commanding. He immediately changed direction. "Go to the secret realm!"
Walking through the market of lights, Venerable One Miaofa tightly pursed his lips. His once radiant and imposing face now looked unpleasant and constantly changing.
The engraved mark left by him, even if Demon Emperor Jia Yin tried his best, couldn't be shattered. However, just now, the mysterious connection between him and Qiao Wan was severed.
There is only one possibility left, but this possibility...
Venerable One Miaofa's face stiffened, his bony fingers clenched tightly.
Qiao Wan passed away.
"Venerable One?" Ciji followed in confusion.
Venerable One Miaofa didn't stop walking, his voice deep and cold: "Something happened to Qiao Wan."
With just these five words, Ciji felt a thud in his heart.
Seeing Venerable One's expression that didn't seem fake, Ciji didn't dare to delay any longer and quickly caught up.
Originally, this secret realm didn't require someone of Venerable One Miaofa's level to come. The big shots from each sect only showed up on the first day, made an appearance and left. After the disciples entered the secret realm, a few elders would stay behind and watch, while the rest could do as they pleased.
Xiao Jingzhou getting into trouble was entirely unexpected.
But when Venerable One arrived, the various families who were guarding outside the secret realm were slightly surprised. They never expected Venerable One Miaofa to come in person.
"How did Venerable One come here?"
Venerable One Miaofa exuded a noble and imposing aura. After politely greeting everyone, he began to speak, "May I ask the elders if there is any danger in this secret realm?"
"All the disciples from the various families have already gone in to investigate," Elder Xuan Zhong hesitated slightly, "So theoretically, there should be no danger."
Lu Pihan spoke coldly, "But just now, everyone discovered that they couldn't contact the disciples inside the secret realm. The teleportation arrays in three different places suddenly stopped working. Is Venerable One here because of this?"
Venerable One Miaofa fell silent for a moment and furrowed his brows, then nodded, "To be honest, I have a young friend who went missing in this secret realm."
"Who is Venerable One's young friend?"
A young friend?
Venerable One Miaofa, who was such a formidable weapon, actually had a young friend? Which family's junior had such audacity to befriend Venerable One?
The Buddha's eyes drooped, as if contemplating Elder Xuan Zhong's words, and gently uttered two words: "Qiao Wan."
In an instant, everyone was shocked!
Qiao Wan?!!
Lu Pihan was taken aback.
Even if Venerable One Miaofa mentioned "Xiao Sui," it wouldn't have shocked everyone as much. After all, Qiao Wan had not yet escaped her identity as a pure demon. When did she become connected to this Venerable One from the Great Hall of Light, who was known for being straightforward?!
"Is Venerable One saying that something happened to Qiao Wan?" Gongsun Bingzi, the head of Cloud Mist Fairy Mansion, felt a pang of anxiety and quickly asked.
"I left a mark from the Buddhist sect in her sea of consciousness. Just moments ago, the mark dissipated."
Xiao Huan also kept his word. After obtaining the sword technique, he and the Lu family and Kunshan silently guarded the secret of Xiao Jingzhou being "killed" by Qiao Wan.
But those present were no longer inexperienced novices on the path of cultivation. With a little thought, they understood the seriousness of the situation, and their expressions changed.
"I will immediately send more people." Gongsun Bingzi's face changed, and she lowered her head for a moment of thought, then quickly gave orders to those around her.
Realizing that this secret realm might have some strange things they hadn't noticed before, everyone felt a little worried.
But it's just a secret realm, and all the elite disciples here have been through countless secret realms. They shouldn't have any trouble dealing with this secret realm.
However, Venerable One Miaofa's Buddhist seals were scattered.
Elder Xuan Zhong hesitated and glanced at Lu Pihan.
Just now.suddenly fell silent.
It's too late...
Xuan Zhong sighed inwardly.
With the scattered Buddhist seals, Qiao Wan's situation is probably not looking good.
Perhaps Venerable One Miaofa himself knows it's too late...
Not long ago, he politely rejected this girl's sincere heart, leaving her feeling embarrassed.
Venerable One Miaofa tried his best not to think about it.
Elder Xuan Zhong's lips moved slightly.
Lu Pihan stood still, his clothes not moving, like a silent statue. The sunlight shone on him, dazzling and blinding. But despite that, he felt a chill all over his body. Even during the countless nights of suffering from illness, he had never felt this cold before. Even when he had sat in front of the ruined land of the Lu family, with the cold rain falling, he had never felt this cold.
This cold permeated his bones, chilling Lu Pihan's heart.
