Chapter Eighty-Six

Chapter Eighty-Six

Wu Hong smiled faintly, saying nothing more, and made a gesture of invitation. Xiao Hongfei casually chose a seat and sat down.

The tension that had filled the room only moments before, with swords nearly drawn, had dissipated entirely under Wu Hong’s few words, leaving Xiao Hongfei without a trace of his former momentum.

“Wu Hong, is it really true what you said about curing Fei’er’s disability?” Xiao Hongfei asked, a trace of excitement in his voice. How could he not be moved, after all, if Wu Hong truly had a way to restore Xiao Fei’s crippled limbs?

“The Innate Wood Spirit Manual I gave you was a gift from a reclusive master. Its primary cultivation method centers on life force itself. The text is clear: once one attains the Innate Realm, even severed limbs can be regrown.”

“Really? Is that truly possible?” Xiao Hongfei’s face was alight with excitement, almost childlike in its yearning.

Yet he knew in his heart that Wu Hong’s words were likely true. He had skimmed through the Innate Wood Spirit Manual earlier, and every diagram and passage remained engraved in his mind—a benefit granted to those who had reached the Bone-Refining Stage.

In truth, the manual Wu Hong gave Xiao Hongfei was copied from one belonging to Zhou Ling’er’s grandfather’s bookstall; Wu Hong had made a transcript for himself. Wu Hong’s intention was simply that, should someone be in need, he could gift them this manual.

He felt a pang of guilt toward Wang Liang, Xiao Fei, and others, so when Xiao Hongfei came seeking help, Wu Hong had no reason to be stingy.

Wu Hong had not given Xiao Hongfei the original, fearing that, like most martial artists, Xiao Hongfei might find himself unable to decipher the manual’s contents. Both Zhou Ling’er and her grandfather were shrouded in mystery, and so too were their texts. At the time, only Wu Hong and a youth named Yi Wei were able to comprehend the manual.

At this moment, Xiao Hongfei bore Wu Hong no ill will. Although his son’s injury was partly due to Wu Hong, Xiao Fei’s many accounts assured him that Wu Hong was not malicious. If Wu Hong had truly intended harm, he could have silenced them all with ease—why leave such troubles behind?

“Nephew, I owe you an apology for earlier. You said just now that Prince Martial Valor is not dead—is that true? Do you have proof? And if he is alive, why hasn’t he come forth to clear your name?”

Xiao Hongfei voiced the question that had been troubling him.

“Uncle, have you heard the recent rumors about the Old Man of Ten Thousand Poisons ascending to the Innate Realm? My father experienced something similar,” Wu Hong replied calmly.

Xiao Hongfei’s face changed dramatically, but he remained silent, waiting for Wu Hong to continue.

“I have been to the Celestial Tome Grotto, the pocket world. I believe you have heard of it. Within, there is a Mirror of Worlds, which records the entirety of my father’s life.”

“What? That legendary mirror truly exists?”

Xiao Hongfei cried out in astonishment, then quickly composed himself. After all, if the Celestial Tome Grotto itself existed and Innate masters now walked the martial world, what was truly impossible?

Xiao Hongfei was no fool; he could judge the truth for himself. Otherwise, as a military official locked in secret battles with the Minister of Rites for years, he would have been purged long ago.

Just as he was about to ask more, footsteps sounded outside the Flower Pavilion.

Xiao Hongfei sprang to his feet. His men were disciplined to a fault; without his direct command, they would stand in silence for a whole day. Hearing footsteps outside, he knew someone was approaching.

“Lady Li of Prince Martial Valor’s Residence—” called a servant before the person herself arrived.

Wu Hong and Wu Songran both shuddered.

Wu Songran’s face lit up with joy—Lady Li was one of Prince Martial Valor’s principal wives, and his own mother.

Soon, two spirited male servants entered first, their bearing clearly marking them as martial experts. Behind them came a retinue of graceful maids. Not long after, a woman stepped into the Flower Pavilion. Though nearly fifty, her beauty was well preserved—she looked scarcely older than thirty, radiating noble grace.

Seeing those gathered within, she paused in surprise. “General Xiao, have you come to arrest my Hong’er? Where is he?”

Though she had entered, Lady Li’s first concern was for Wu Hong’s safety. She saw Wu Songran but did not greet him immediately.

“Mother, why are you here?” Wu Songran called out, then darted forward to take her mother’s arm, shaking it coquettishly.

Lady Li laughed, her face blossoming with beauty. “If I hadn’t come, who knows what trouble you might have caused by now!” Her elegance surpassed even Wu Songran’s, the difference in age only adding to her allure.

“Mother, you make me sound as if all I ever do is cause mischief!” Wu Songran pouted, her cheeks flushing.

Lady Li’s gaze fell on Wu Hong, but she did not recognize him, thinking him someone else.

Thus, upon entering, she had addressed Xiao Hongfei.

“Lady Li, your beloved son is right beside me. How could you not recognize him?” Xiao Hongfei, his heart now unburdened and filled with hope for his son’s recovery, spoke with ease, knowing he had also received the Innate manual from Wu Hong.

“What? General Xiao! Where is Hong’er?” Lady Li looked around anxiously.

“Third Lady, it’s me, Wu Hong!” Wu Hong’s eyes were moist. From childhood, both Lady Zhao and Lady Li had treated him as their own. If not for the affair with Prince Martial Valor, he would never have believed Lady Zhao could harm him.

Lady Li fixed her gaze on the tall, handsome youth before her—bronzed skin, hair falling to his waist. Hearing him claim to be Wu Hong, her face betrayed disbelief. Yet his voice was unmistakably Wu Hong’s—she had heard it for nearly twenty years.

“Are you truly Hong’er?” she asked uncertainly.

“Third Lady, it’s a long story, but I am Wu Hong!” Wu Hong replied with emotion, memories flooding his heart.

Tears welled in Lady Li’s eyes. She released Wu Songran’s arm and stepped forward, embracing Wu Hong as she wept: “My child, you’ve suffered so much these years, wandering alone.”

Wu Hong’s body trembled. Though Lady Li was not his birth mother, the warmth of maternal love surged through him.

“Ahem—I will leave you to your reunion,” Xiao Hongfei said, rising and coughing softly. He strode from the room, his spirits soaring.

Outside, the steady rhythm of countless footsteps was soon heard—a great army was withdrawing in perfect order.

“Child, welcome home,” Lady Li said gently after a long while.

“And this must be Miss Li?” Lady Li’s eyes fell on Li Ruolan, who stood nervously to one side. Instantly, she guessed her identity.

Wu Hong’s reputation was known far and wide throughout Great Qian, though mostly for infamy.

Li Ruolan flushed, stepped forward gracefully, bent her body, and pressed her palms down in a respectful salute. “Madam, I am but a humble woman.”

“Wonderful! Truly a natural beauty. Hong’er, your young lady is very pretty indeed!” Lady Li praised her.

Li Ruolan was embarrassed. She could ignore praise from most, but as Lady Li was, in some sense, Wu Hong’s mother, she felt the complex emotions of a daughter-in-law praised by her mother-in-law.

She stole a glance at Wu Hong. He merely smiled, showing no particular reaction, which eased her nerves, though she felt a faint sense of loss.

“Mother, isn’t Hong’er’s transformation remarkable? You are amazing. If it were me, I would hardly have recognized him at all,” Wu Songran chimed in teasingly, seeing her mother’s attention fixed on Wu Hong and Li Ruolan.