Chapter Five: Midnight Conversation

When Han Yu returned with the physicians, Situ Qingqing was already dead. Seeing Lei Tiechuan consumed by grief, Han Yu’s own eyes reddened with bloodshot sorrow. He waved his hand to dismiss the physicians behind him.

After a long while, Han Yu realized that things could not go on like this. He had to comfort Lei Tiechuan somehow. He spoke up, “Master, you must take care of your health! If you collapse, what will happen to the young master?”

“Yan’er! That’s right! I promised Qingqing that I would make sure Yan’er lived well!” Lei Tiechuan muttered to himself.

Hearing Lei Tiechuan’s murmurings, Han Yu finally felt a weight lift from his heart. He had truly feared that Lei Tiechuan would lose all will to live after Situ Qingqing’s death. As long as the hope for life remained, Han Yu could rest easier.

After a moment, Lei Tiechuan composed himself and said to Han Yu, “I want to spend some time alone with Qingqing. Go to Yan’er’s room now. If he wakes, bring him to my chambers immediately. In an hour, I’ll be waiting for him in the study.”

“Yes!” Han Yu replied at once, seeing Lei Tiechuan’s demeanor return to its usual steadiness.

Lei Tiechuan lifted Situ Qingqing in his arms and walked toward a secluded courtyard in the northeast corner of the Lei residence.

He laid Situ Qingqing upon a bed carved of pure white jade and dressed her in clean, tidy clothes. When everything was done, he simply stood there, gazing blankly at her unmoving form.

Time ticked by, second after second, until Lei Tiechuan finally stirred. As if making a momentous decision, he rose and addressed Situ Qingqing on the bed, “Qingqing, don’t blame me. What father does not love his own child…” A single teardrop fell from Lei Tiechuan’s face onto Situ Qingqing’s hand and rolled away.

His voice faltered, and he turned away from the bed, unable to face her any longer. “As our son, the atrophy of his meridians cannot be his excuse for mediocrity. He is destined never to yield to weakness of the body, nor to fate. Mediocrity is death! Surrender is death! Better a swift end than a lingering, painful one…”

With that, Lei Tiechuan strode out of the room.

The door of the study swung open. A gentle breeze flickered the oil lamp on the desk, throwing shadows across the room in a dance of light and darkness.

Lei Tiechuan entered to find Han Yu and Lei Yan already seated, waiting for him.

Han Yu immediately stood and reported, “When I arrived, young master was already awake. I brought him here at once! But we’ve waited nearly an hour for you, and he hasn’t spoken a single word. No matter what I ask, he won’t reply!”

“You’ve already heard about your mother’s death?” Lei Tiechuan asked, fixing his gaze on Lei Yan.

“Yes,” Lei Yan nodded, uttering a soft affirmation.

“It seems Mother’s death has dealt Father a terrible blow!” Lei Yan stood awkwardly beside Han Yu, his small eyes fixed on the entering Lei Tiechuan. He noticed that Lei Tiechuan seemed to have aged a decade in an instant; his hair had turned a little white, and his face was lined with exhaustion. Though only in his thirties, he now looked closer to fifty.

Han Yu was puzzled—no matter what he said, Lei Yan had refused to answer, but now a single question from Lei Tiechuan received a reply. What Han Yu didn’t know was that before her death, Situ Qingqing had told Lei Yan to trust Lei Tiechuan and Han Yu unconditionally. Otherwise, when Han Yu had come to fetch him, Lei Yan might well have hidden.

Lei Tiechuan continued, “Yan’er, there are some things I must tell you. You may be young, and perhaps you won’t understand everything, but after I finish, you must make a choice. Once you decide, there can be no regrets. Do you understand?”

“I will think carefully, Father!” Lei Yan realized that what came next would be the most important decision of his life.

Han Yu looked in disbelief at the three-year-old before him. For a child so young to respond in such a way after hearing Lei Tiechuan’s words—what did this mean? It meant that Lei Yan possessed a mature mind, capable of making any decision; he could be treated as an adult. It was a terrifying thing.

Strange as it seemed, for Lei Yan, who carried the memories of a past life, it felt perfectly natural.

“Just as I thought—Yan’er has never been like other children,” Lei Tiechuan mused. His earlier question had been a test. If Lei Yan had responded as an ordinary child, Lei Tiechuan would have made other plans. But his answer made it clear that standing before him was not a mere three-year-old child, but someone with the mind of a grown man, capable of making his own choices.

“Good! Good! With a son like you, what more could I ask for? From now on, I will not treat you as a three-year-old, but as an adult!” Lei Tiechuan said with heartfelt relief.

“You were born with the body of the Nine Suns, but due to the invasion of evil yin, your meridians have atrophied. As you grow older, your attacks will become more frequent. At first, perhaps once a year; later, once a month; then, perhaps every hour. At the last attack, nothing can save you. Now you must decide—will you persist, or give up?” Lei Tiechuan paused, knowing Lei Yan needed time to consider.

“I choose to persist!” Lei Yan answered almost without hesitation. Though the pain was severe, his willpower could withstand it.

“Excellent! You are indeed my son!” Lei Tiechuan allowed a rare smile. “From the moment you step out that door, I will create a harsh environment for you. If you give up, you die! If you yield, you die! You must accomplish everything on your own, including overcoming the atrophy of your meridians. I will not help you in this. Do you understand?”

“Master, he’s still just a child…” Han Yu protested, increasingly uneasy as he listened.

“I think I know what I must do,” Lei Yan interrupted, cutting off Han Yu’s objection.

Han Yu could only sigh, helpless as he looked at father and son.

“Well then, if you have any questions, ask them now. Once you leave this room, you’ll have no more chances!” Lei Tiechuan declared.

“I want to know—who were those people who came today?” Lei Yan asked coldly.

“Cultivators from the Supreme Truth Sect,” Lei Tiechuan replied.

“Supreme Truth Sect!” Lei Yan repeated the name several times, committing it firmly to memory. Though he didn’t know what cultivators were, he chose not to ask further. One question would only lead to another, and so on without end.

“As long as I have plenty of books, I can find the answers to everything!” Lei Yan thought. He asked, “Does our Lei family have a library?”

“We do. In fact, our collection encompasses nearly all the books in the world. However, each Lei family descendant may enter only three times in their lifetime. Of course, once inside, you may stay as long as you like,” Lei Tiechuan replied.

“I have no more questions. I want to go to the library now,” Lei Yan said.

Lei Tiechuan was stunned; he had expected Lei Yan to have many questions, yet he had only asked two. Still uneasy, he asked, “Is that all?”

“Will asking more questions solve anything?” Lei Yan countered.

Both Han Yu and Lei Tiechuan were startled. Was the boy before them truly only three years old? Even adults would be thrown into confusion by such events, but Lei Yan was uncannily calm and mature in his thinking.

“Good! Very good!” Lei Tiechuan felt true relief, for his son far exceeded all his expectations. “Han Yu, take Yan’er to the library now!”

“Han Yu!” Lei Tiechuan called again, seeing Han Yu still standing in a daze.

“Yes, yes!” Han Yu finally regained his senses and said to Lei Yan, “Young Master, please follow me.”