Chapter 299 Whispers of the Past
As twilight gradually deepened, the bronze flying vessel was traveling through the sea of clouds in the sky ten thousand zhang high.
Outside the porthole, the sunset glow dyed the cloud layers a brilliant orange-red, as if molten gold water were flowing across the horizon.
The cabin door was knocked on gently.
Chen Chang'an put down the ancient book in his hand. Without even extending his divine sense, he could guess who was outside the door.
"Come in."
He tapped his fingertips lightly, and the cabin door slid open silently.
Sure enough, Chen Xingcai's small face, feigning obedience, peeked in through the crack in the door.
The girl had styled her hair in an exquisite double flat bun today, dotted with a few small pink flowers.
"Martial Aunt~"
The girl hopped in like a cheerful little deer, holding a green jade food box in her hands.
She deliberately lightened her footsteps, but could not hide the crisp sound of the silver bells at her waist.
"I tried making osmanthus pastries..."
She opened the food box as if offering a treasure, revealing several pastries with strange shapes inside.
Chen Chang'an took the food box, forcibly suppressing the urge to cover his forehead.
The so-called "osmanthus pastries" in the food box could no longer be seen in their original shape; the cracked patterns on the surface looked like a dried-up riverbed, emitting a strange scent mixed with burnt caramel and char.
He calmly swept it with his divine sense, confirming that while this thing looked disastrous, it was at least not poisoned.
It seems this girl really has no talent for cooking whatsoever.
"Sit."
He waved his sleeve to light the mermaid yarn lamp in the cabin. A warm yellow halo spread through the cabin like water, illuminating the mica-inlaid cabin walls and the spirit wood carved table.
Under the light, the appearance of those pastries looked even more miserable.
Chen Xingcai immediately rubbed her way to the table, sitting cross-legged with practiced ease on the cloud brocade meditation cushion.
She appeared to be adjusting her cuff nonchalantly, but her eyes were spinning around.
"After Martial Aunt left that day, Daddy told me some more stories about being with you, Martial Aunt."
"Is that so…"
Chen Chang'an replied indifferently.
Heh, she has even learned how to come and fish for information now.
He laughed lightly in his heart; this little girl probably never dreamed in her wildest dreams that the "Martial Aunt Lin Wan" before her was her own father's avatar.
This feeling of being fished for information by his daughter to his face while she remained completely unaware actually gave birth to a strange sense of pleasure in him.
"But Daddy said too little; can Martial Aunt tell me more…"
The girl revealed her true intent at last.
"Of course."
Chen Chang'an nodded happily.
Over the next half hour, Chen Chang'an used the mouth of this avatar to recount the fabricated past from yesterday once again.
He deliberately slowed down his speech, pausing to think from time to time to make the story seem more real and credible, even inadvertently patching up some small loopholes.
But no matter how good a story is, it gets boring the second time around.
The girl's eyelids had started to fight; her small nose wings gently fluttered with her breathing, looking like a sleepy kitten.
Chen Chang'an was just about to send her away, but Chen Xingcai suddenly sat up straight with a start.
She leaned closer to the table, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of the teacup.
"Then does Martial Aunt know what Daddy was like in the past..."
She paused, as if weighing her words.
"What was he like?"
Tiny ripples rose on the surface of the tea, reflecting the girl's serious expression.
"In the past?"
Chen Chang'an froze.
Chen Xingcai explained:
"When I met Daddy, he was already very, very strong. It felt like nothing in the world could trouble him."
"But before that? When Daddy wasn't in the Saint Realm yet? Or even earlier than that?"
Her voice gradually lowered.
"I always feel... my understanding of Daddy starts from 'Saint Chen Chang'an'."
"You mean that time..."
Chen Chang'an's gaze unconsciously passed through the porthole, looking toward the end of the sea of clouds.
Memories of his previous life flooded his heart like the tide—the crowded crowds in the subway station, the nights of careful calculation on food delivery apps to get full discounts, the flickering neon lights outside the office building when working overtime until the early morning.
Those ordinary and vivid memories seemed so distant yet precious in this world of immortal cultivation.
Then, he smiled.
Sharing these past events with his daughter in the third person actually felt quite nice.
"Your father used to be just an ordinary person with a kind heart."
His voice unconsciously softened.
"He would feel smug for days just because he managed to get some small advantage or snagged a deal."
"He always wanted to show off when he had small achievements, but when encountering difficulties, he couldn't help wanting to lie flat, yet in the end, he would still get up and continue."
"And he loved his hometown very much,"
Chen Chang'an continued, not noticing at all that under the light, the contours of 'Lin Wan's' side face appeared exceptionally gentle.
"But occasionally, he would also complain about its shortcomings, resenting its lack of progress."
Chen Xingcai murmured:
"Daddy's hometown..."
"It is in a very, very far away place."
Chen Chang'an said softly, his gaze becoming distant.
"There are iron boxes that can run, small jade tablets that transmit sound over a thousand miles, and also..."
He suddenly realized he was saying too much and hurriedly stopped.
"Of course,"
Chen Chang'an quickly adjusted his mood, switching to a relaxed tone.
"If someone of unknown identity joins in the complaining and tries to steer the conversation, he will immediately turn his fire and start cursing. At the same time, just like the multitude of living beings under heaven, he strives every day for his wages... cough cough... cultivation resources."
Chen Chang'an did not even realize that his expression at this moment carried the warmth of nostalgia mixed with unspeakable sorrow.
The look in Chen Xingcai's eyes changed.
It was no longer the previous cunning probe, but a strange, almost enlightened understanding.
"So that's how it is."
Chen Xingcai suddenly bloomed into a brilliant smile, her eyes curving into crescents.
She stood up to bow, her movements much more solemn than usual.
"Thank you, Martial Aunt, for clearing my doubts~"
When the cabin door closed gently, Chen Chang'an was startled to realize the tea had gone cold.
In the reflection of the tea soup, she saw that the corners of her eyes still held traces of nostalgia and sorrow that had not yet been fully retracted.
Chen Chang'an rubbed his temples.
Don't tell me I let that little girl misunderstand something again?
Forget it, he shook his head and picked up the cold tea, drinking it all in one go.
Let her think whatever she wants.
Anyway...
He lowered his head to look at those scorched "osmanthus pastries" in the food box, the corner of his mouth unconsciously rising.
No matter how much this girl makes a fuss, she is ultimately his most beloved daughter.
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