Returning from the Immortal World

Despite the turbulent emotions inside him, Tang Xiu kept his expression calm on the surface. He looked at the serious expression on Han Qingwu’s face and indifferently said, “Regardless of whether I’m an ordinary person or not, likewise, it has nothing to do with you either. Han Qingwu, I still remember telling you that you are you and I am me, haven’t I? I hope that we can keep a certain distance between the two of us.”

“But why?!” Han Qingwu suddenly got up. There was anger on her beautiful face. She didn’t know why would her heart feel pained after hearing what Tang Xiu said .

“It’s nothing. It’s just that I… I’m looking at you as my teacher. There’s a generation gap between us. Furthermore, there are also some precedents because of it. Because we’ve already met when I was your student and you were the teacher-in-charge of my class in the past, which have caused so many gossips and slanders recently. So I don’t want us to be too close and be misunderstood by others.”

Staring at Tang Xiu intensely, Han Qingwu loudly said, “I’m a woman, yet I’m not afraid of it! You’re a man, so what exactly are you afraid of? Whoever misunderstands it, just let them misunderstand it! Even if we live together without getting married, who the hell gives a damn care about that, anyway?”

“You…”

Even in his wildest dreams Tang Xiu had never dreamt that Han Qingwu could speak such a thing. Looking at her angry expression, he immediately got up and said, “Teacher Han, we are all grown ups. We need to see things through with a clear head here. Even if you don’t take me into your consideration, I believe that I have the rights to speak for myself, don’t you think? If we get too close, it will affect me and… and the feeling I have with my girlfriend. You also saw her coming to my place to stay here, didn’t you? She didn’t say anything although you came here so late at night, yet I’m pretty sure that she must be irritated and feeling vexed about it.”

“Your… your girlfriend?” Han Qingwu muttered while glancing in disbelief at the corridor where Mu Wanying just vanished a while ago.

“Yeah, Mu Wanying is my girlfriend.” Tang Xiu steeled his heart as he nodded. “Don’t tell me that you don’t understand? With her personality, how could she possibly stay here with me if she is not my girlfriend? It’s just that we don’t want to expose it to anyone. But now, you just forced me to say that, so I can only be frank and honest with you.”

Han Qingwu raised her hand to cover her chest. She felt like she had lost something very important to her all of a sudden. Amid that feeling of loss, there was also a stabbing pain that was exceedingly difficult to describe in words.

“I… I understand.”

She turned away and left. Her expression looked extraordinarily vacant as she walked away. It was as if she had lost her soul, to the extent that she didn’t take her car that was parked outside the courtyard, and just walking away muddle-headedly.

Tang Xiu followed her from behind, albeit quietly. After walking out of the courtyard, he watched her increasingly thin back, and secretly sighed inside. He knew that Han Qingwu was Xue Qingcheng, for the memory when he got ambushed in the Immortal World was something impossible for him to forget.

Therefore, what he felt toward Han Qingwu was very complicated. Gratitude, hatred, loss... and all sorts of emotions came flooding his heart. It was like all kinds of emotions were constantly rising and surging inside him.

“Master, did you have a quarrel or something?”

Coming quietly to Tang Xiu’s side, Chen Zhizhong looked at Han Qingwu’s back with a somewhat pitying expression.

Tang Xiu nodded, and then shook his head. After Han Qingwu’s back vanished in the far corner, he sighed, “Some grievances and resentments are very complicated. Go follow her! Don’t let her get into an accident on her way back home.”

“All right!”

Despite realizing that he had no rights to interfere with Tang Xiu’s emotional problems, Chen Zhizhong still carried out his orders and quickly returned to the courtyard. He took up his coat and put it on, as he then strode toward the direction where Han Qingwu had just gone.

As for Tang Xiu, he returned to the living room and found that Mu Wanying had come out of her room. She was now sitting on the sofa, seemingly pondering about something, yet it was unknown what she was thinking about. Had it been before, Tang Xiu might have asked about it to her, but now he didn’t feel like asking her anything, and only wanted to return to his room for some peace of mind.

“I already told you long ago that she likes you, Tang Xiu.”

Mu Wanying’s voice suddenly rang behind Tang Xiu.

Tang Xiu’s pace came to a halt as he turned to look at Mu Wanying, who was now standing, and calmly replied, “Sorry about using your name as my girlfriend just now. It was just I need to shake Han Qingwu off from me.”

“Why did you do that? It shouldn’t be necessary, right?” Asked Mu Wanying with a bitter smile. “Although I do not hope that you can be together with Han Qingwu, yet using this reason to reject her will hurt her very much.”

“There’s something I heard before, that the complicated feelings between two people had better be cut constantly, for it would be better to cut a tangled knot with a sharp knife and end the complicated emotional factors. I have my own life and she has her own. So I’m waiting for her to find her husband, and then I’ll also build my own family, so we both can, and will forget each other’s existence. Do you know the most terrifying thing in this world?” Said Tang Xiu indifferently.

“What is it?” Asked Mu Wanying.

“It’s time! Time can heal and wipe away all wounds, yet time is also able to make one forget a lot of things,” answered Tang Xiu.

Time?

Mu Wanying shook her head, “If people can live for a millennium or even ten millenniums, I may be able to accept your opinion. However, the lifespan of a human is but only a hundred years at the most. Even for some feelings that are too deeply carved into ones’ bones and deeply engraved into their hearts, the passage of time, won’t be enough to erase them, even after decades have passed. In their hearts, those pains will be remembered forever, and their love will always be buried deep inside.”

Tang Xiu fell into silence.

He knew that Mu Wanying was right. Those grand and fabulous words he just said were just to convince himself to forget Han Qingwu, yet how could he ever forget her?

Suddenly, he felt that he was a bit ridiculous and laughable, to think that the idea of deceiving himself would actually pass by his own mind. Looking at himself in the mirror now, he realized that even if he had the intention to live as he willed it, now it seemed that it would be too hard.

While looking at the silent Tang Xiu, a dazzling smile suddenly appeared on Mu Wanying’s beautiful face. She lightly stepped forward and smilingly said, “Tang Xiu, you’re the Heaven’s favored one in my heart, the most outstanding man I’ve ever met. I really want to take this chance when you are in the most unstable mental state to get into your heart. Maybe this is the best chance I’ll ever have in my life. How about it? Become my man, and I’ll become your woman. If you would like to, shall we get a marriage certificate tomorrow?”

“Huh? Are you getting a fever or something?”

Tang Xiu didn’t want to elaborate more on this particular topic, as he intentionally raised his hand to touch Mu Wanying’s forehead and said with a smile.

Mu Wanying let out a faint smile. As if seemingly outguessing Tang Xiu, she still kept on drilling, “Don’t try to change the subject, will you? I don’t have a fever, I’m very healthy and sane. I know you are kind of helpless since you don’t want to get entangled with so many outstanding women. If you were to marry me, you can have a reason to justify yourself to them. So why not do it?”

The smile on Tang Xiu’s face slowly fading away. He looked at Mu Wanying’s extremely beautiful face as he stepped back and shook his head, “I’m sorry. I can’t give you my feelings.”

“We can put aside the sentimental issue for now. I believe that as long as I can have your body, I can also have your heart sooner or later,” said Mu Wanying.

“Do you really think you can have my heart if you can possess my body?” Tang Xiu shook his head yet again.

“Maybe not, but how can I know if I don’t give it a try?” Said Mu Wanying. “If I win, then you will be completely mine. And if I lose, I’ll still admit it, regardless.”

Tang Xiu turned around and ascended the stairs, leaving only a few words to Mu Wanying, “I don’t think you need to try it anymore, for someone has already taken possession of my body, despite not having my heart. The matter that gnaws my heart still cannot be untied, and even if there are more people knocking on my door, I still cannot give them my heart.”

Mu Wanying was frozen, dumbfounded.

Everything she said tonight all came from the bottom of her heart, yet she never expected that Tang Xiu would unexpectedly give her such an answer.

Who was it?

She really wanted to find out who the woman was. She felt faintly envious toward the woman who could get Tang Xiu’s body, even though she was unable to get his heart.

This night, Mu Wanying was struck with insomnia. So was Han Qingwu.

As for Han Qingwu who looked like losing her mind, she walked aimlessly and and in a muddle-headed state for a very long time. Only after she was almost hit by a car on the driveway did she snap back to her senses, as she was saved by Chen Zhizhong who came to the rescue.

After she returned to her place, Han Qingwu soaked herself in the bathtub for a very long time, yet it was like she was being enveloped by a bulb of Death qi. Then, still looking vacant and muddleheaded, she crawled out of the bathtub, putting on pajamas, and laid herself down on the bed with her eyes open until dawn.

****

The next morning, Tang Xiu went to the campus. After exchanging some books in the library, he chatted with Yue Kai, Xue Chao, and some others, and then called Chen Zhizhong to begin his trip back to Star City.

At South Gate Town…

A good smell fluttered into Tang Xiu’s nose just as he entered the house, causing his heart to turn particularly calm at this moment.

A mother is truly an existence a family must have!

For the 10,000 years he had lived in the Immortal World, he had always dreamed of going back home; wishing to smell the fragrance of food made by his mother after he struggled in the outside world. Back then, he always wanted to see that familiar back, and seeing her everlasting young face. Suddenly, he realized that he was truly laughable for having such chaotic feelings affected him. No matter what he had encountered in the past, he had already returned back home now and was truly living in the same world as his mother’s.

“Xiu’er, where is your baggage?” Asked Tang Yunde with a faint smile while walking down the stairs, as he looked at Tang Xiu who came back empty-handed.

As of now, Tang Xiu didn’t want to tell him the matter with the interspatial ring, so he casually fabricated a reason. Nevertheless, he was actually feeling warm in the inside. Back then, never had a chance to taste a fatherly love was also one of his regret. But now, not only was he able to return to his mother’s side after he returned, that regret was also made up by his father’s love. These were all the reasons that he felt warm inside.

“Dad, where’s Mom?”

“She’s cooking in the kitchen. We knew you were coming back, and she, she just rejected everything I told he even if I already told her that I’d handle it,” said Tang Yunde smilingly.

Tang Xiu let out a smile and walked into the kitchen door. There, he saw the back of his busy mother, Su Lingyun. As if she had heard the sounds of his footsteps, Su Lingyun turned her head toward him.

“Xiu’er, you’re back!!! Go wash your hands. I’ll quickly fry a dish for you!”

“All right, Mom!” Tang Xiu smilingly replied, and then turned toward the bathroom with a happy look on his face.

The dinner was only attended by their family of three, yet the atmosphere was harmonious and overflowed with joy. This kind of atmosphere not only filled Tang Xiu’s heart with warmth, even Su Lingyun who was recalling the past days got affected. Some certain moments made her eyes turn red, but the smile on her face was particularly dazzling.