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Xiao Yan arrived at a restaurant with the girl, and the waiter, seeing this strange pair, had a peculiar expression.
The young man was dressed splendidly, with two servants trailing behind him; he was clearly a young master from a wealthy family, but what was the deal with the dirty, beggar-like child next to him?
He hesitated for only a moment before enthusiastically greeting them, "What can I get for you, esteemed guests?"
Xiao Yan looked at the girl and asked gently, "What do you want to eat?"
A trace of confusion and helplessness flickered in the girl's dark, round eyes; it was her first time in such a place as a guest.
Xiao Yan noticed her confusion and a smile flashed in his eyes, "Then I'll decide…"
He said to the waiter, "Bring us all of your restaurant's signature dishes."
The four waited in a private room; the girl was clearly not very accustomed, only perching on the edge of the chair, appearing somewhat reserved.
When the food arrived, Xiao Yan said gently, "Eat quickly."
The girl carefully picked up a piece of chicken and placed it in her bowl, glanced at Xiao Yan, and began to eat in small bites.
Soon, the allure of the food made her cast aside her fear and helplessness, and she devoured it like a starving ghost.
Xiao Yan merely watched quietly; just looking at her filled him with an indescribable sense of contentment.
The two attendants exchanged glances, their faces full of confusion, wondering what kind of strange illness their young master had contracted.
The girl cleared half the table of food, and her eating speed gradually slowed; though she was clearly getting full, she still continued to put food into her mouth bit by bit, worried that this meal would be her last.
Xiao Yan, fearing she would overeat, spoke up, "What's your name?"
Seeing Xiao Yan's kindness, the girl grew bolder and was no longer as afraid as before; she replied, "Xiao Meng, people call me Xiao Meng."
Upon hearing this answer, Xiao Yan was momentarily lost in thought, stunnedfor quite a while, before his mind finally pulled away from his memories.
"Xiao Meng, huh… My name is… What was my name again?" Xiao Yan turned his head to look at his attendants.
One of the attendants said with a strange expression, "Young Master Xiao Yan, you are a bit strange today."
"Haha, don't worry so much about such small matters," Xiao Yan said dismissively.
"Hmm, you heard it, my name is Xiao Yan. If you have nowhere to go, I happen to be in need of a maid to serve tea and pour water."
"Will there be food?"
"Yes, there will be food."
"Okay, I'll go with you."
"Then from now on, you'll be called Xiao Meng…"
Returning to the Xiao Family, Xiao Yan saw his father in this life, who was still Xiao Zhan, unchanged.
His mother was also still alive… a beautiful, voluptuous woman with a hint of Charm.
Xiao Yan's mother in the Dou Qi Continent had passed away when he was four, and his impression was already somewhat blurred, but he was very certain that his mother would not have looked like this.
Xiao Meng is here, father is here, and one of my two attendants resembles Payne, so is this an illusion generated based on my memories?
Or is it really such a coincidence? Is there such a World that is similar yet different from the Dou Qi Continent? Or perhaps a parallel dimension?
But this mother here… why does she feel a bit like Hun Xiao?
Xiao Yan also learned that he had two elder brothers: the eldest, Xiao Ding, had passed the imperial examination and was an official in another region, and the second, Xiao Li, had joined the army, defending the borders for the imperial court.
His grandfather, Xiao Lin, had already passed away, but while he was still alive, he had arranged a childhood engagement for Xiao Yan with the Nalan Family.
For a period at the beginning, Xiao Yan juggled family matters while searching for extraordinary powers, but this World had no internal energy, no magic, and no Dou Qi; it seemed to truly be just an ordinary World.
As time passed, he stopped pondering what Enlightenment of Bodhi truly was, or how to return to the Dou Qi Continent… because he simply couldn't find a way.
He just continued to live in this illusion.
After letting go of matters concerning the Dou Qi Continent and deciding to live well here, the first thing he did was go to the Nalan Family and break off the engagement, which caused the Nalan Family's eldest daughter to cry loudly.
He was also severely beaten by Xiao Zhan because of this.
Xiao Zhan dragged the half-dead Xiao Yan to the Nalan Family's doorstep, apologized profusely, and after much persuasion, finally settled the matter, though the relationship between the two families was significantly affected, but it did not turn hostile.
Although he was beaten to a pulp, he couldn't miss out on any of the things he was supposed to learn. Xiao Zhan hired a tutor to teach him.
The tutor was a kind-faced, white-haired old man with mediocre skills; Xiao Yan already knew almost everything he taught, and he had learned some factual information by reading books himself.
Yet, he still listened very attentively every time, because this tutor was named Yao Chen.
Days passed, and Xiao Zhan accidentally broke both his legs. After much consideration, he passed the position of Xiao Family Head to Xiao Yan.
Mainly, his two elder brothers had no interest; the eldest was smooth in his dealings and experienced in his methods, steadily rising in the imperial court, while the second was brave in battle, repeatedly achieving military merits, and his status also rose like a rocket.
Xiao Yan displayed astonishing skill, expanding the Xiao Family's influence by dozens of times in a short period.
This greatly pleased Xiao Zhan, who sighed with satisfaction that there was someone to carry on the legacy.
Due to the influence of his Dou Qi Continent memories, besides managing the family, he was also very interested in martial arts, so he hired a martial arts instructor.
This was a muscular young man with slightly curly hair, a broad forehead, who liked to wear a monocle over his right eye, and had a straightforward, slightly impulsive personality.
The martial arts instructor's skill was very high; even with the combat memories Xiao Yan retained from the Dou Qi Continent, he was still no match for him.
Whenever they sparred without the opponent holding back, Xiao Yan couldn't last more than a few rounds.
Aside from this small hobby, Xiao Yan also tried to find the figures of Little Fairy Doctor, Xun'er, and Yun Yun in this World, but without success.
Xiao Yan's marriage was considered late for people in this World; he married Xiao Meng against everyone's objections.
In this life, Xiao Yan lived a very fulfilling life; although there were minor setbacks on his path, overall, it was smooth sailing, and he stayed with his beloved until old age, with children and grandchildren filling his home.
Xiao Meng passed away half a year before him, and in her final moments, Xiao Yan looked at Xiao Meng's portrait and, accompanied by his children, breathed his last.
In his second life, Xiao Yan had no past memories; he was born in a small village, the son of a farmer.
Under the guidance of fate, he still met Xiao Meng.
However, this time, his life was not as smooth; Xiao Meng was the daughter of a wealthy family, and she secretly developed feelings for him, a farmer's son.
But her family objected, and the two tried to elope, only to be caught halfway.
Xiao Yan had both his legs broken and could only beg for a living, barely surviving.
He never saw Xiao Meng again, nor did he hear any news about her.
After a year of miserable existence, Xiao Yan died from hunger and cold.
A hundred cycles of reincarnation, a hundred different lives, a hundred different destinies.
Sometimes Xiao Yan awakened memories of his past life, sometimes he did not.
He had been an emperor, a general who awed all directions, a great bandit who gathered in the mountains, and a hawker who roamed the streets.
However, in all hundred lives, Xiao Meng would always appear in his life's trajectory; occasionally, the two would achieve a perfect ending, but more often, they were left with endless pain and regret.
Within the Heavenly Tomb, Xiao Yan's aura continuously grew stronger: Sixth Revolution, Seventh Revolution, Eighth Revolution… Half-Saint; everything happened naturally.
The reincarnation continued, the bodhi heart in his chest pulsed continuously, and vast life force surged into his body, propelling him to higher levels.
Besides his aura becoming more powerful, Xiao Yan also gained a sense of ancientness and vicissitude that a young man should not possess.
Qing Meng quietly watched all of this with profound eyes; he saw tears flowing from Xiao Yan's eyes and a barely perceptible curve forming on his lips.
His connection with Xiao Yan was very deep; the other party's unrestrained emotions could infect him. Through this, he could simply judge what kind of "reincarnation" Xiao Yan was experiencing.
Xiao Yan's eyelids twitched slightly, and the profundity in Qing Meng's eyes receded, becoming innocent once more.
"Meng?" It scratched its head, feeling as if it had forgotten something.
Its gaze swept over Xiao Yan, then locked onto his head. At this moment, short black hair had already sprouted from Xiao Yan's scalp.
"Meng!" Qing Meng waved a hand, and golden flames, flames carrying a hint of destiny, ignited, burning Xiao Yan's hair clean off.
A hint of confusion flashed in its eyes; these flames didn't seem to be its own, they were very unfamiliar, yet had a strange sense of familiarity.
However, it didn't dwell on it, happily bouncing onto the bald head, foolishly laughing without a care.
...
In the northern part of the continent, on the boundless grasslands, the wind blew from further north, bringing gusts of chill.
Various strangely shaped magical beasts moved across the grasslands; some grazed on green grass, while others sharply scanned the herds, searching for weak prey.
Higher-ranked magical beasts had already shed their reliance on ordinary food, lazily dozing off; apart from the occasional strangely shaped barbarians passing by, which would arouse their vigilance, most of the time they were quite leisurely and at ease.
A young man dressed in a classical robe and wearing a pointed soft hat walked across the vast wilderness; he seemed to have no clear destination, merely strolling.
Amon stopped abruptly when he reached a raised mound of earth; with a casual swipe, he tore open space.
A Snake-People with white scales, a long serpentine body with two deformed short legs, and a rather ferocious appearance emerged from the spatial rift.
"Master." Upon seeing Amon, she respectfully bowed her body, showing submission.
"Bai Lin… you've been with me for quite a few years, haven't you?" Amon said with a light chuckle.
Bai Lin remained bowed, saying nothing. In her eyes, the time she had served Amon was far from long, but the gains were something she had never dared to dream of in her past life.
She managed the Nether Serpent Realm for Amon and could obtain vast resources from the Nether Serpent Earth Vein.
Although these were not for her own enjoyment, even if she only privately took a minuscule portion of them, it would be enough for her to break through to Dou Venerate in these years…
After all, this was the stronghold of the Nine Serene Deep Earth Python Tribe!
It once nurtured two Rank Nine magical beasts of the Nine Serene Deep Earth Python Tribe, as well as numerous Rank Eight magical beasts!
"You have done quite well, either by enticement or coercion, in making the Queen Medusas of those Snake-People Tribes evolve.
"I have already collected enough data and have a high degree of certainty… So, from now on, you are free." Amon waved his hand, signaling her to leave.
"Master?" Bai Lin looked up in surprise, with a hint of confusion in her eyes.
She quickly reacted and whispered, "Master, ever since the day I pledged my loyalty, I have never thought of leaving."
Amon snapped his fingers, sealing the Nether Serpent Realm, and his figure slowly dissipated into the air:
"But I no longer need you… You are useless to me. If you don't want to become alchemy ingredients, stay far away from me."
Suddenly gaining freedom, Bai Lin was momentarily bewildered, unsure where to go.
After a slight hesitation, she flew towards her former White Snake Tribe.
When Amon reappeared, he was already at the edge of the grassland, at a junction of mountains, grasslands, and lakes.
He opened his mouth and spat out a ball of silver flame; the flame dispersed, revealing four almost identical, pure yet charming young girls.
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