Chapter 224 - 223: Parallel Universe

Chapter 224: Chapter 223: Parallel Universe

Gu Qingyin turned around, her expression holding a strange calmness that followed immense shock. "Have a seat and wait for me. I’ll be quick."

Huo Yunjing didn’t ask what he was waiting for and compliantly sat down. "You go ahead." He made himself at home.

Gu Qingyin went back to her bedroom and closed the door. She stood there for a moment, her mind racing with a jumble of thoughts.

’Did Xingchen really come? Did Master and Huo Yunjing find him? Why did they send Xingchen? Why didn’t Huo Yunjing come? And why did the Huo Yunjing outside call Xingchen a kid? What can Xingchen even do here?’

Countless questions, but not a single answer.

Gu Qingyin shook her head, strode into the bathroom, and began to wash up. Then, very quickly, she finished getting ready and changed into a set of practical clothes: cargo pants, combat boots, a form-fitting tank top, and a shirt.

Huo Yunjing glanced over at her, then rose with a cool expression and walked to the door.

Gu Qingyin silently followed him and closed the door.

Not until the car was on the highway did Gu Qingyin seem to recover. She took a deep breath and asked, "When did he appear at the Huo Family’s estate?"

She didn’t say a name, but Huo Yunjing knew who she was talking about. He replied coolly, "A week ago. There were spatial fluctuations from the ancestral hall. When the clansmen rushed over, they found him."

Because Huo Xingchen looked so much like him as a child, the Huo Family held a full clan meeting that very night to discuss Huo Xingchen’s origin and identity.

Then... they discovered that Huo Xingchen was related to him by blood—most likely his son. Huo Xingchen admitted it himself. He said he came from another time and space, and his purpose was to find his mother.

That was the day Huo Yunjing heard the name Gu Qingyin for the first time.

He thought about it all night but couldn’t imagine himself getting to know someone, falling in love, marrying them, and having a child. Still, the next day, he had someone look into Gu Qingyin’s background.

After reading the file, Huo Yunjing was even more baffled. ’I’m going to fall for this kind of person in the future? How is that possible?’

He couldn’t accept it, so he wasn’t in any hurry to let the mother and son meet.

Unexpectedly, last night, Gu Qingyin had found him in *that* particular manner, which had piqued his interest.

The file showed that for the first twenty-six years of her life, Gu Qingyin had absolutely no knowledge of Xuan Technique. She hadn’t even experienced a single paranormal event.

’So how did she suddenly learn his birth characters and pinpoint his location?’

Huo Yunjing thought it over and over and came up with only one possibility: the Gu Qingyin before him was no longer the same Gu Qingyin from before. *This* Gu Qingyin was the mother Huo Xingchen was looking for.

That was why he had shown up at Gu Qingyin’s doorstep today—to take her back to the Huo Family estate to see Huo Xingchen.

Incidentally, Huo Yunjing also wanted to observe her more closely. He was still very curious as to why he would fall for someone like her.

The traffic light turned red. Huo Yunjing stopped the car and turned his head to glance at Gu Qingyin.

At that moment, Gu Qingyin was calculating the timeline. She was surprised to discover that Huo Xingchen had actually arrived in this world even earlier than she had.

For the next hour or so, neither of them spoke, each lost in their own thoughts.

When the car reached halfway up the mountain, Gu Qingyin saw a sprawling complex of buildings. With its pavilions, terraces, and towers, it was exquisitely beautiful yet exuded a solemn, ancient air. Every part of it was steeped in a profound sense of history.

The drive up the rest of the mountain took nearly another twenty minutes before they finally reached the main gate of the Huo Family estate at the summit.

Huo Yunjing parked the car in an outdoor lot and led Gu Qingyin through the main gate.

Gu Qingyin had assumed an ancient family like this would have guards at the gate. But not only was the entrance unguarded, she didn’t see a single person even after walking for quite a while along a covered corridor.

Unable to hold back, Gu Qingyin asked, "Is something major happening today? I haven’t seen a single person."

Huo Yunjing gave her a lukewarm glance. "Are you very familiar with the Huo Family?"

Gu Qingyin fell silent.

Huo Yunjing turned his head back and continued to lead the way. "Huo Xingchen’s mother has finally been found. Isn’t that a major event?"

Gu Qingyin muttered, "We don’t know that for sure yet."

’So, Gu Qingyin is here to confirm if this Huo Xingchen is the one she knows,’ a glint flashed in Huo Yunjing’s eyes. ’Is she also from the future?’

The two of them crossed most of the Huo Family estate and went directly to the ancestral hall.

The moment they pushed the door open, they saw that the ancestral hall was packed with people, men and women, young and old. In the center of the crowd stood a small, cherubic child who looked to be about three or four years old.

The eyes of the Huo Family members swept past Huo Yunjing and all landed on Gu Qingyin, including those of the little child in the middle.

The little child had been scowling, his brows furrowed in displeasure. But the moment he looked up and saw Gu Qingyin, his expression transformed as if he’d mastered the art of face-changing. The gloom vanished, replaced by the brightness of a clear, sunny sky.

"Mom!" Beaming, the little child ran toward Gu Qingyin on his short legs.

Gu Qingyin was still in a daze. She had only ever seen her son this young in photos and videos. This was the first time she had seen him so alive and real. She felt a sense of novelty, a touch of emotion, and a bit of bewilderment.

But she still instinctively crouched down slightly and opened her arms to hug the child who threw himself at her.

As she straightened up while holding the child, Gu Qingyin came to her senses. As if speaking a secret code, she leaned close to the boy’s ear and asked, "What’s the biggest fall your big brother ever took in his life?"

The child played along, leaning close to her ear and whispering, "Wen Ting."

Gu Qingyin’s eyes instantly curved into a smile. She leaned down and planted a kiss on Huo Xingchen’s cheek. "Mommy missed you so, so much!"

Seeing this, the members of the Huo Family, who had been watching quietly, all gasped in unison. Then, they simultaneously began to shoot gossipy looks back and forth between Gu Qingyin and Huo Yunjing.

Huo Yunjing’s gaze darkened as well. ’Just as I thought!’

Huo Xingchen hugged Gu Qingyin’s neck tightly, afraid of losing her again.

Gu Qingyin also had a bellyful of questions she wanted to ask. She turned to Huo Yunjing. "Could you please arrange a quiet room for us?"

Huo Yunjing agreed but made a request. "Whatever you’re going to talk about, include me. I think I have the right to know."

Gu Qingyin wasn’t sure if letting him know was the right decision. She wanted to talk it over with Huo Xingchen first.

Unexpectedly, Huo Xingchen patted her on the shoulder and said in a cute but very serious voice, "Let him listen. We’ll need to ask for his help with things later on."

Gu Qingyin immediately relented.

Huo Yunjing left the crowd of clansmen behind and led Gu Qingyin and Huo Xingchen out of the ancestral hall. He took them to his own courtyard, and instead of going inside, they sat down in the pavilion there.

Gu Qingyin and Huo Xingchen sat on one side, with Huo Yunjing opposite the mother and son. The division between them was stark, like the Chu River and Han Border on a chessboard.

For a moment, no one spoke first.

The two adults were both a little confused about the situation. The only one who understood everything, Huo Xingchen, was busy organizing his thoughts.

"Ahem." Huo Xingchen gave a light cough to get their attention, then looked directly at Huo Yunjing. "I’m not your biological child."

A flicker of confusion crossed Huo Yunjing’s eyes, but he said firmly, "A paternity test doesn’t lie."

Huo Xingchen nodded and asked a question: "Do you believe in parallel universes?"