Chapter 3: The Boy Who Walked Away from the Aisle
In which memories vanish, weddings dissolve, and a proud heart begins to beat anew.
The door creaked open on golden hinges that hadn't been there a moment before. Light spilled in from the corridor outside, warm and honeyed, as if the sun itself had decided to play along with Naruto's magic. Xiao Che stepped out—cautiously at first, like a boy unsure if the monsters under the bed had truly vanished. Behind him trailed a small but extraordinary entourage: Naruto, who seemed to bring the impossible with every footstep; Delta, radiating the bored confidence of someone who knew she could punch through a mountain; Daemon, who skipped beside her, poking everything in sight with childish curiosity; and Eida, who hovered like a queen on a cloud of divine indifference, occasionally glancing at her nails.
It was gone.
The silk banners, the crimson lanterns, the blaring drums, and the meddlesome aunties who had been rehearsing their celebratory gossip—everything had vanished like a forgotten dream. Floating Cloud City bustled as it always had, full of half-ambitious merchants and full-hearted fools, but there was no sign of a wedding.
"Is it… really over?" Xiao Che whispered, more to himself than to the world.
Naruto, hands tucked behind his head, shot him a wink. "Like it never happened. Just a sprinkle of memory dust, a few hundred clones, and a polite poof to the celebratory nonsense."
Delta yawned. "I was just starting to enjoy the noise. All those fake smiles and perfume. Ugh. Humans are weird."
Daemon giggled. "I was gonna light the cake on fire."
Eida arched a brow. "It was a tacky event. That dress she wore? A fashion tragedy. You're better off."
But Xiao Che wasn't listening. His heart had begun to beat again—not with fear, or dread, or resignation, but something warm. Solid. Hope, maybe. Or was it pride?
The road ahead wouldn't be easy—he knew that. He'd lived sixteen years of humiliation. The whispers of the clansmen still echoed in his ears, like rusted chains dragged behind him.
"Cripple."
"He shamed the Xiao name."
"Even the weak deserve pity… but not him."
He remembered the day they brought the news, the way grandfather Xiao Lie had looked when Situ had spoken the words:
"Crippled profound veins. Permanent. Unhealable."
As if someone had carved a hole into his future and tossed him in.
And yet, here he was, standing tall, walking in step with beings who moved like stars had made way for them. Not just walking—but moving forward.
A strange sound escaped him. A breath, maybe. Or a sob. Or perhaps the ghost of a laugh.
"Senior…" Xiao Che said, halting in his step, eyes fixed on Naruto. "I know I don't have much to offer yet… but I swear I'll prove myself worthy. Of your kindness. Of cultivation. Of her."
Naruto turned, hands dropping to his pockets, expression unreadable for a moment. And then, a slow smile spread across his face.
"You're not proving yourself to me, Xiao Che. Go prove it to the one person who truly matters."
Xiao Che blinked. "Qingyue?"
"No." Naruto stepped closer and tapped his chest. "You."
Eida tilted her head and smirked. "That was actually a little touching."
Delta rolled her eyes. "You all get sappy way too easily."
"I think I'm gonna cry," Daemon announced, sniffing loudly. "Do we get to blow something up now?"
The group laughed—Xiao Che laughed, too. For once, the sound wasn't hollow. He looked ahead, where the streets of Floating Cloud City stretched into a thousand unknowns. It wouldn't be easy. It never had been.
But this time, the world didn't feel like it was crushing him.
This time, it felt like it was waiting.
And for the first time in his life, Xiao Che was ready to meet it head-on.
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Xiao Che hadn't quite gotten used to being part of something big. Bigger than the clan squabbles, bigger than his so-called "crippled" fate, and certainly bigger than his courtyard, which still smelled faintly of jasmine and charred talismans from the last time he tried to "unlock" his potential using an old scroll and too much optimism.
He had just stepped out into the morning sun, its light spilling over the courtyard like a shy guest peeking into a quiet room, when a soft voice called out.
"Little Che! Xia Yuanba is looking for you!"
He turned and blinked. At the edge of the stone steps stood a girl in green, sixteen years of age, though she carried herself with the dreamy grace of a moonlit poem. Her skin was as fair as fresh snow on temple roofs, lips naturally rosy, and her gentle eyes could have convinced thunderclouds to turn back.
"Little Aunt?" Xiao Che said, as if seeing her for the first time—which, in some ways, he was. She had grown more beautiful, more poised, and he… well, he was still somewhere between boyhood and boldness.
Before reason could catch up to propriety, he hugged her.
Tightly.
Like a drowning boy clinging to a raft made of childhood memories.
Xiao Lingxi blinked in surprise, but her arms came up around him automatically, her voice honeyed with concern. "Little Che, what happened? Did you have a nightmare?"
Xiao Che buried his face in her shoulder and mumbled something that only she was meant to hear.
"Yes… but I'm okay now. Little Aunt always makes the nightmares go away."
The courtyard suddenly felt warmer. Brighter. The way only safe places do, when the world is spinning too fast and you find one person still willing to slow down with you.
From the shade of an invisible dimension—just beside a peach tree that had never borne fruit—a quartet of uninvited interdimensional guests watched.
Naruto, arms folded, grinned like a fox who'd found the chicken coop unguarded.
Delta, his grumpy cyborg companion, squinted.
"Are we really just going to sit here watching what is essentially a countryside soap opera? I feel like I've walked into a third-rate romance drama with budget lighting."
"Patience, young padawan," Naruto said, ignoring the irony of quoting space wizards in a world of cultivators. "There's treasure in small things."
Delta arched an eyebrow that would've scared off lesser men. "Treasure? I see two hormonal teens hugging and an entire clan stuck in the middle of a medieval plumbing crisis."
Naruto chuckled. "Look closer. Those two aren't normal. Their life threads shimmer. There's something ancient curled up inside them, something that hasn't woken up yet. It's… potential."
Eida, brushing her hair with the kind of lethargy reserved for cat royalty, yawned. "You say that like it's poetic. I say it's just delayed puberty and too much spiritual incense."
Daemon, perched on a stone like a gremlin who had mistaken mischief for meditation, chirped, "I like the girl. She's got punchy energy. Like she'd hit a demon if he made her cry."
Naruto nodded at the analysis with unbothered enthusiasm. "Exactly. Four kids in this little pond… and they're going to be sharks. Just wait."
Delta's eyes narrowed as she scanned Xiao Che and Lingxi again, her vision overlay flashing graphs and spiritual readouts.
Nothing.
No anomaly. No signature. No glaring aura or hidden artifact.
She huffed. "I really hate it when I can't see what he's seeing."
Behind them, the wind carried a few early blossoms from the cherry tree nearby—despite it being weeks too early for bloom.
Back in the real world, Xiao Lingxi had pulled back just enough to look at Xiao Che's face.
"You know," she said gently, brushing imaginary dust from his robe, "you always say I make you happy. Maybe it's because you make me happy too."
She said it lightly, almost like a joke, the way someone might say the clouds look like dragons today. But the words hung between them, soft and real.
Xiao Che's heart did a very foolish thing and skipped.
Somewhere in the invisible realm, Naruto clapped silently. Delta rolled her eyes so hard they nearly rebooted.
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It was an unusually warm afternoon in Floating Cloud City, the kind that made the walls hum with a drowsy sort of comfort. Birds chirped outside like they were part of a choir rehearsing for a royal garden party, and sunlight pooled on the polished wooden floor like spilled honey.
Inside the Xiao household, however, things were anything but peaceful.
"Don't pout, Delta," Naruto said with a glint in his eye that only spelled trouble. "I might get inappropriate."
Delta, who had been sulking—quite impressively, it must be said—snapped her gaze up at him with mock outrage. But before she could formulate one of her usual sharp-tongued retorts, Naruto had already swooped in with a grin and an arm snaking around her waist like a perfectly timed ambush.
Eida rolled her eyes with the weary elegance of someone used to being the only adult in the room, despite being the youngest-looking of the bunch. She sat cross-legged on a cushion, absently flipping a lock of bubblegum-pink hair over her shoulder. Daemon, of course, had managed to wedge himself upside down into an armchair, his legs kicking in the air as he cackled like a lunatic.
"You two are so gross," Daemon declared, voice muffled as he wriggled his way deeper into the upholstery like an overexcited ferret.
"You're one to talk," Eida muttered.
Naruto's gaze drifted toward a quiet corner of the room where Lingxi sat, her hands folded politely on her lap, eyes wide and curious. His six paths mode flickered slightly—there was something strange when he looked at her. Like peering at a mirror that shimmered with starlight instead of glass.
"She's different," he murmured. "Her presence... it's not bound by this world alone."
Eida, unusually serious, turned her gaze to Lingxi as well. Her eyes glowed faintly, accessing the threads of time and memory with a nonchalance only she could pull off. The air in the room shifted—quieter, heavier—and for a moment even Daemon stopped squirming.
"She was born under strange circumstances," Eida said softly. "Do you want to know the story?"
Naruto nodded. The children leaned in. Even Delta, normally disinterested in sentimental tales unless they involved explosions, perked up.
Eida's voice took on an airy, almost dreamy tone, as if she were spinning the tale from threads of memory itself.
"It was springtime," she began, "and the east orchids were in full bloom—miles and miles of them swaying like dancers in the wind. Lingxi's mother adored orchids. Xiao Lie, ever the devoted husband, took her there to cheer her up after losing their son. She smiled again, that day… really smiled, for the first time in months."
Naruto pictured the scene: a gentle meadow of lilac and white, the petals brushing at their ankles like children begging to be held. A woman with tired eyes but a soft smile. And then—
"Without warning, a bolt of black lightning split the sky," Eida said. "Not grey, not gold—black. It struck her directly in the chest."
Delta's brows rose. Daemon's eyes sparkled with gleeful horror. Lingxi remained perfectly still.
"She collapsed," Eida continued. "Three days she slept. No burns. No injuries. But when she awoke… everything had changed. Her body was weak. Her dreams were full of shadows. And her pregnancy didn't last nine months. It went on for thirteen."
"That's not possible," Naruto muttered.
"Neither is surviving black lightning with no scars," Eida replied. "And yet... Lingxi was born. Radiant. Perfect. And her mother, like a candle burnt too long, began to fade."
Delta's fingers tightened at her sides. Even Daemon had stopped moving, hanging onto Eida's every word like a child at a campfire story.
"She died not long after," Eida finished. "But not before whispering something no one ever understood. She said, She is not bound by the cycle. She is born of lightning and bloom."
A hush fell over the room.
Then Daemon, of course, broke it.
"Does that mean she's like a thunder-flower baby or something?"
Everyone stared.
"…What?" he asked, blinking. "I'm just trying to help."
Naruto chuckled and ruffled Lingxi's hair gently, though a strange flicker of unease danced in his eyes. He had faced gods, beasts, and wars across time—but something about Lingxi made the hairs on his neck rise. She was special. That much was clear.
"Thunder-flower baby or not," he said, "we're keeping an eye on you, kiddo."
Delta huffed. "So she's mysterious, and I'm just the hot one."
"You're mysterious too," Naruto teased. "Mysteriously violent."
"Flirt," she muttered, but the corner of her mouth twitched.
And as the golden afternoon light slanted through the window, catching the dust like stars in orbit, they all sat together—warriors, misfits, immortals, and one very unusual girl—as if fate itself had drawn the curtains to watch.
The tale of black lightning had ended. But for Lingxi… her story was only beginning.
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The sun had begun its lazy descent, casting long golden shadows over the courtyard as Naruto lounged against a curved column, looking far too casual for someone being clung to by Eida—who, for all her effortless grace and goddess-like allure, seemed oddly earnest today. She wasn't pouting, for once, though the occasional sideways glance toward Delta suggested she was feeling something.
Eida had taken Naruto's hand without fanfare, her voice drifting like spring wind as she continued her tale. If she noticed the warmth in her cheeks, she made no mention of it. Perhaps she simply liked the way his hand didn't tremble in hers, didn't try to kiss her knuckles or offer oaths of love. It made her smile, the way only Naruto could refuse her charms and still make her feel seen.
"And Xiao Che," she said, soft and shimmering, "he isn't just anyone. He's someone… quite rare."
She paused for effect, which Naruto—true to form—spoiled.
"Demon world rare, or 'I'm secretly royalty' rare?"
Eida laughed, musical and unbothered. "Both."
Nearby, Xiao Che was inspecting his left hand, frowning with the dedication of a boy who'd just found a very suspicious freckle. He had, in fact, found something far stranger—a tiny sword-shaped marking etched in purple light, like someone had branded him with a symbol out of a bedtime story. He rubbed at it, but it didn't fade.
Naruto, of course, had seen it already. Six Paths Mode had its perks—especially when it came to spotting demonic heritage like a walking genealogy chart. He had looked into Xiao Che's memories like flipping through a picture book, and what he found wasn't tragic so much as misplaced.
"You're not who you think you are," Naruto said gently, with that frustrating tone he used when dropping life-altering information between snack breaks. "Your name isn't Xiao Che. It's Yun Che. You're from the Yun Clan… from the Demon Realm."
Xiao Che blinked.
Then blinked again.
And promptly shouted: "What?"
Lingxi, who had been admiring a passing butterfly with all the solemn wonder of a priestess watching a prophecy, jumped.
"Xiao Che? What is it?" she asked, eyes wide and worried.
"Nothing!" he squeaked, the way all boys do when absolutely everything is something. "It's just… a bug. Or a… realization."
He looked at her then, truly looked. And for the first time, he allowed himself to want. The kind of wanting that made his stomach twist and his heart hiccup. He didn't have to be ashamed anymore. If she wasn't truly his aunt—and he wasn't truly from this world—then maybe…
Maybe he could love her.
But joy came dressed in its oldest companion: guilt.
If he wasn't Xiao Che, if he wasn't the real grandson of Xiao Lie… what did that make him? A guest? A ghost of a boy who belonged somewhere else?
As if hearing his thoughts, Naruto's voice echoed gently in his head.
"The real Xiao Che is alive, somewhere across the sea. He's safe. You're not a replacement. You're family too. Xiao Lie knows. He chose to love you."
"But… I have nothing to repay them with."
Naruto's mental chuckle was dry but kind.
"Start with breakfast. Work your way up."
And just like that, Xiao Che—no, Yun Che—felt a spark in his chest. Not power, not destiny. Just… hope. The kind that grows when a boy with nothing finds that he's already been enough.
He looked at Lingxi again, who was still watching him with concern and the quiet love of someone who didn't need a label to care.
This time, he smiled. Wide. Honest. Hopeful.
Eida watched from the side and squeezed Naruto's hand again, but didn't say a word.
She wasn't jealous. Just… wanting.
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There are few things more surprising in life than discovering you're about to die—unless, of course, someone offers to teach you the secrets of the cosmos moments after saving your life. Such was the case for Xiao Che, who found himself on the floor one minute coughing out the last drops of poison from his lungs, and the next being invited to train under a man who had just casually healed him with glowing golden energy like he were brushing lint off his robe.
Naruto—yes, that Naruto, with a cape that swished heroically and eyes that sparkled as though the entire universe had lodged itself in his pupils—stood calmly, arms folded, as if offering to train a young, sickly boy from a tiny backwater city was the most ordinary thing in the world.
"Do you want to learn under me?" he asked, voice warm and filled with more certainty than Xiao Che had ever known in his entire life.
For a moment, Xiao Che just blinked. Then blinked again. Had he heard correctly? He didn't know whether to kneel, cry, or run away screaming about being chosen by an immortal. In the end, he settled for stammering like a broken kettle.
"S-Senior… are you serious? You don't wish to… to play with me, do you?"
Naruto chuckled, the sound oddly soothing. "Heh, I'm serious. I see potential in you—beyond this tiny place. And I will teach you to reach for the stars. Of course, you're not the only one I have my eye on. Your aunt, your friend, and your previous fiancée Qingyue… you all shine, whether you know it or not."
If the word "shock" had a physical form, Xiao Che would've been knocked flat by it. A warm flutter of joy burst in his chest as he realized he was not alone—his loved ones would also have a chance to escape this stagnant life.
He lowered his head, reverent. "Master, I am honoured to become your student."
From behind, a gasp sliced through the moment like a sudden breeze.
"Master?"
It was Lingxi. Her voice rang with bewilderment—and just a pinch of horror—as she stepped closer, her eyes flicking from the glowing stranger to her childhood friend.
Xiao Che opened his mouth to explain, but Naruto raised a hand lazily, his tone cheerful but impossibly firm. "No need to bow down to me. I don't care for such things. But I warn you—training under me will not be gentle. It may very well be inhumane."
"I can endure it," Xiao Che said quickly, not even flinching.
Just then, Lingxi's delicate brows furrowed. "Little Che, what is going on?"
Naruto turned, his expression radiant as he levitated half a foot into the air. The atmosphere shifted, as if the room had momentarily opened up to show the vastness of the night sky. Stars twinkled behind him, galaxies wheeled in gentle dance, and the sheer drama of the moment could've put theatre troupes to shame.
"Greetings, child," he said, his voice echoing slightly now. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I am the Immortal Sage, and I wish to take you in as my student. Your little lover has already accepted my offer."
"…L-lover?" Lingxi choked out, her voice squeaking at the end like a mouse caught in a cookie jar. Her cheeks flushed crimson, and she clasped her hands to her chest as if to hold her heartbeat down.
Naruto's smile widened. He had mastered many things—battle, dimensional travel, cooking ramen at ungodly hours—but perhaps his true talent lay in the ancient and most noble art of showing off. He let the moment hang, basking in her stunned silence.
Lingxi, for her part, didn't know whether to feel offended, flattered, or faint. Lover? She'd known Xiao Che since he was a squalling mess in swaddling cloth, and while they had shared smiles and secrets over the years, the word had never truly entered her mind—until now. And now it would not leave.