Chapter 722: We’ve Always Believed

Zhan Chi froze in place, his eyes instantly stinging.

’Not allowed to eat too much?’

The bottle that had drifted in from the sea all those years ago... Elder Chen had translated the message inside. It said the old Daoist wasn’t letting her eat.

"Little one..."

"Father Zhan," Ye Qianning called out, turning her head to Zhan Chi. She then looked at Qian Fanji. "And Father Qian."

RUMBLE—

Zhan Chi’s mind went blank. It didn’t feel real. "What did you call me?"

"Dad."

Zhan Chi was so excited he could barely control his expression. "Qian Fanji, did you hear that? The little one called me Dad! She called me Dad!"

"I heard. She called me that, too." At that moment, not a trace of his usual cold demeanor remained on Qian Fanji’s face.

Xiang Minghou’s expression was tense as he gripped her shoulders. "That old Daoist—where is he? He took you for ten years, and he starved you to this state..."

"Dad, please calm down. There’s a reason for everything. Let’s go inside and talk."

Qian Fanji nodded. "Yes, let’s talk inside."

Xiang Minghou let go of her, his stern face filled with more emotion than it had shown in a very long time.

Ye Qianning opened the door, and they all stepped into the room.

The Shopkeeper peeked from the stairwell for a moment. He had been scared to death just now, never imagining the man was actually Miss Ye’s father.

’What a strange father. Not even recognizing his own daughter. How inattentive do you have to be to get that wrong—’

Xiang Minghou and the others entered the room and sat at the table while Ye Qianning poured them some tea.

"Don’t trouble yourself."

"Have some tea, Dad. You’re all covered in dust from your journey. You probably haven’t even had a moment for tea the whole way."

Now that he was certain it was his daughter, Xiang Minghou’s heart filled with worry. "Pangtuan, your injuries... are they healed? I heard... I heard that back then..."

He choked on the words, unable to continue as tears welled in his eyes.

Qian Fanji’s lips trembled as he pressed them together. They had all witnessed her last breath back then. ’Is she really, truly healed?’

Zhan Chi’s eyes were rimmed with red. The memory tore open old wounds, a pain that struck him to his very soul.

Ye Qianning sat down and began to speak slowly. "After I was severely injured back then, I entered a state where I appeared to have stopped breathing. But I was still conscious. I knew everything that was happening. I knew Great-Grandpa, Grandpa Zhan, Grandma Zhan... I knew every single one of you was crying by my side, but I couldn’t wake up. Great-Grandpa had fallen into a state of madness, and I wanted so badly to tell him I was all right. But... I couldn’t do anything. I could only watch you all..."

Her voice grew hoarse as she spoke. For ten years, whenever she remembered that time, she hated herself for not being strong enough.

Zhan Chi could no longer hold back his tears, and they streamed down his face. She had known. And back then, not a single one of them had realized she was still conscious.

Hidden within his sleeves, Qian Fanji’s hands clenched into tight fists. A wave of retroactive fear washed over him. ’If they had buried her back then...’

’How terrified she must have been.’

Xiang Minghou hadn’t been there to experience those events, but hearing her describe them now, his heart felt as if it were being torn apart.

Ye Qianning collected herself. "Later, I was able to enter an elderly man’s dreams, and I begged him to help me send a message. I never imagined he would take my body with him. He told me my injuries were grave and that only the Butterfly Spring, which appears on his island once every thousand years, could mend my heart meridian. By the time I found out, the old Daoist had already left Beili. All I could do was ask him to pass a message to Master. I had wanted to write a proper letter, but I only managed a few words before I lost consciousness again. Did Master get it? Was he able to understand it?"

Qian Fanji nodded. "We received it. Elder Chen said it was your own unique, simplified script, so we never stopped believing that you would come back. We’ve been waiting for you all this time, little one."