Jiang Yugai said: “If I could be your mother again, I would do better. I’ve never been a mother before, didn’t know how to do what was best for you, didn’t know how to love you.”
Luo Mingbai said: “No, it was me… I couldn’t understand you before. At the final life-and-death moment, you blocked Peng Xuan for me.”
Jiang Yugai bitterly smiled: “Yes. When I threw myself on you, blocking that strike from Xiao Xuan, I thought I finally… fulfilled a mother’s responsibility. But I still made you sad. I’m sorry, child.”
She cried and hugged Luo Mingbai, saying: “I’m sorry.”
Luo Mingbai closed his eyes and raised his hand to hug her back. At this moment, his door opened, and someone strode in from outside, saying nothing, and immediately embraced both mother and son.
Luo Jiao didn’t know when he had returned or how much he had heard. He held Luo Mingbai and Jiang Yugai, and after a long pause, said: “Many problems stem from me…”
“Okay, Dad, Mom, this isn’t a struggle session,” Luo Mingbai said. “We’re family. Let’s not talk about these things.”
He smiled: “Let’s just live well from now on…”
From the Luo family’s perspective, the yin realm deliberately concealed Jiang Yugai’s whereabouts out of fear of disturbing the Southern Jambudvipa, which was inappropriate no matter how you looked at it.
When Luo Mingbai went, they could still suppress the matter with their senior status, but later when Luo Jiao personally arrived, and Luo Mingbai and Xia Xianning’s previous identities were suspected to be exposed, the Ten Halls of Yama apologized and made many concessions. Luo Jiao also returned all the underworld’s classics.
Luo Mingbai originally thought the Weibo help station would disappear after the matter was resolved, but when he opened it, he found the chat box still existed in his Weibo interface. Luo Mingbai tried typing “Thank you” and sent it, but as expected, there was no response. Instead, his phone suddenly rang.
With the phone in his hand, Luo Mingbai didn’t have time to check the name and answered immediately: “Hello, who is this?”
After not being in contact for some time, this person was still direct and got straight to the point without any small talk. Luo Mingbai couldn’t help but laugh and asked, “Which junior brother? I do have a junior brother who I hear is constantly hanging around you these days.”
The voice on the other end said, “Stop playing dumb.”
The one you mention eight hundred times a day—Xianning.”
Luo Mingbai was momentarily stunned, then teased, “Brother Qiao, your speaking style is still so sharp. Xianning might be in a meeting at his unit right now. You probably won’t be able to reach him. If you have something to say, tell me. He’s coming to my place for dinner later. Is it something from the Yingxing Gate?”
The one calling was Qiao Guanglan, the young master of the Yingxing Gate. Qiao Guanglan was the same age as Luo Mingbai, and they had been roommates for six years in middle and high school. His master was Xia Chang Yi, the second uncle of Xia Xianning. The two parties had always had a good relationship.
Qiao Guanglan, with his straightforward personality, said, “Then I’ll tell you. It’s not about Yingxing Gate, but about the Xia family. My master has been detached from worldly affairs for a long time, so I figured telling him would be useless. I’m calling to tell Xianning—Uncle Xia recently remarried. I heard he not only got a wife but also got a son as a bonus. Is that right?”
Luo Mingbai said, “Hmm, the bonus item isn’t of great quality. I’ve seen him.”
Qiao Guanglan said, “Oh, so that’s the case. The one who wasn’t a bonus isn’t great either. I just saw him too.”
Luo Mingbai: “??? Please elaborate.”
They were exchanging banter.
This Uncle Xia’s philandering was basically known to everyone; even these juniors had heard the story countless times—the wife he had now was the mistress who had caused his divorce from his original wife.
Luo Yingbai didn’t care much about such family gossip. It wasn’t until later, when Jiang Yugai told him about the past and the grievances between the Xia brothers, that Luo Yingbai recalled and pieced together the whole story.
When Xia Changwei was young, he was in love with Jiang Yugai, vowing to marry only her. However, after breaking off the engagement with the Jiang family, he felt he had no hope and indulged with women without restraint. It was only when the old Mr. Xia warned him before his marriage that Xia Changwei reluctantly restrained himself.
Later, when his wife was pregnant, he met a model named Zhu Linya, and they quickly became intimate. They were exposed after being photographed by reporters.
The original wife, Liu Ping, divorced Xia Changwei when their daughter turned one and left the Xia family. From then on, Xia Changwei never remarried.
The only condition Liu Ping raised during the divorce was that she could come back to see the child anytime. Xia Changwei was initially reluctant but was forced by the old Mr. Xia to sign the agreement.
Liu Ping loved children and would play with Luo Yingbai when she came to see her daughter. Although these events occurred before Luo Yingbai was born, he was familiar with Liu Ping and even Qiao Guanglan, who occasionally visited with his master.
Luo Yingbai remembered the Xia family’s housekeeper saying that Liu Ping actually knew about Xia Changwei’s infidelity when she was pregnant. This was also a reason for their divorce.
Zhu Linya was very happy, thinking that after Liu Ping left, she might be able to upgrade from a mistress to a legitimate wife. However, Xia Changwei said nothing, knowing exactly what he wanted.
After signing the divorce papers, he stated that although he was divorced, he had no intention of remarrying and hoped Zhu Linya would quickly leave.
Zhu Linya was stunned and questioned Xia Changwei, who casually told her he was “bored.”
Neither Luo Yingbai nor Qiao Guanglan had expected that Zhu Linya, who had been considered a “bad woman,” would years later marry into the Xia family with a son and even seek out Qiao Guanglan for a fortune-telling.
Qiao Guanglan said, “That’s what happened. Yesterday, a client came to our mountain to burn incense, donated a lot of incense money, and specifically asked for me. They wanted help with some disaster, but I was busy, so I sent my junior brother Wen to explain and handle it.”
Luo Yingbai said, “Hmm, Wen Xuan? He’s such a good-tempered person.”
The disciple Wen Xuan, sent by Qiao Guanglan, had considerable magical skills and a gentle, honest temperament. He could be said to have already shown great respect to the client.
Qiao Guanglan continued, “Yes, it was Wen Xuan.”
Luo Yingbai couldn’t help but laugh. Given Zhu Linya’s previous arrogant demeanor, such behavior was not surprising. Qiao Guanglan clearly understood what Luo Yingbai was laughing at and rolled his eyes on the other end of the phone, continuing, “…She even said her family has high-ranking officials who would flatten our Yingxing Sect. Luo Xiaobaai, tell me, how could I not engage in a verbal battle with her? So I went out to confront her.”
Qiao Guanglan nodded at him, then turned to Zhu Linya, pointing his chin at the broken ceramic pieces on the ground, and said briefly: “Antique, eighty thousand, pay up.”
Zhu Linya: “…”
After speaking, Qiao Guanglan ignored her and sat down in the spot vacated by Wen Xuan.
Zhu Linya finally reacted, looking him up and down, and said: “Are you Qiao Guanglan?”
Qiao Guanglan replied indifferently: “Duh.”
Zhu Linya: “…”
