Chapter 60: Remembering the Eventful Years of the Past

Xu Yunzhou walked to the window, pushed it open, and let the slightly cool night breeze brush his face, but it couldn't blow away the hot restlessness in his heart in the slightest.

Should I go?

Going over now is exactly the right time to let her... properly "compensate" for those countless restless and sleepless nights of his adolescence caused by her.

And also that extremely bold seduction in front of the mirror just now, that... "inspection."

Thinking about the Song Jiaru he saw with his own eyes at the club tonight, compared to her nineteen-year-old self in the game, she had shed a few points of greenness, and gained more of the charm of a mature woman and the allure of handling things with ease.

Every frown and smile emitted irresistible attractiveness.

A battle between heaven and man waged in Xu Yunzhou's heart. Countless romantic and lingering scenes flashed uncontrollably through his mind, and his breathing became slightly heavier.

To go or not to go!

Ultimately, rationality managed to gain the upper hand. He forcefully shook his head, trying to disperse those sensual fantasies.

"It's been over a decade, maybe she has long forgotten this casually mentioned hotel appointment, or it's completely possible she didn't even book a room... Besides, it's almost 4:00 AM now. Not to mention waking her up, it also makes me look too impatient..."

"I'll continue watching the plot development first. I still don't know what key turning points will happen later. Moreover, that old General Wu Xiuyun who suddenly popped up, the mystery surrounding her must also be figured out. This is highly likely related to the underlying logic of the entire 'game'."

"Anyway, she's right nearby, going to block her door after daybreak is fine too!"

Carrying curiosity, he returned to the desk, moved the mouse, and clicked [Fast Forward].

The footage flowed, and time jumped to the early morning of the next day.

Early in the morning, Song Jiaru brought a meticulously prepared small gift and came to the suite of the Rongcheng Hotel where Wu Xiuyun was staying.

"Grandma Wu, thank you very much for saving my life yesterday. This is a little token of my appreciation, I hope you like it."

Song Jiaru offered the gift with both hands, her tone sincere.

Wu Xiuyun sized up the youthfully vibrant girl before her eyes, her eyes full of emotion. She gently held Song Jiaru's hand:

"Jiaru, you are a good child. But actually, you don't need to thank me."

She paused, her gaze distant, as if penetrating spacetime,

"If you want to thank someone, thank him. My going to save you yesterday was a task he entrusted to me over seventy years ago. He told me I absolutely must protect you and keep you safe on this day."

Song Jiaru was completely stunned. Her red lips parted slightly, almost thinking she had misheard:

"He? And over seventy years ago? This... could he be an immortal?"

Besides an immortal, who could lay out a plan spanning such a long time?

Wu Xiuyun didn't directly answer this question about "immortals."

Her gaze, carrying an almost instinctive telepathy, bypassed Song Jiaru's shoulder and landed on that void beside her that could only be perceived by firmly believing in its existence.

Her eyes instantly became exceptionally complex, full of unsuppressible excitement and an almost pious feeling of filial adoration.

Her voice uncontrollably trembled slightly:

"Is he... right there?"

Song Jiaru froze again, not knowing how to respond.

Wu Xiuyun, however, seemed to have obtained some sort of confirmation from her subtle expressions. She nodded with certainty, tears rapidly welling up in her eyes, her voice choking:

"It was... Xiao Lin who told me. Has Mister... been with you all along?"

Song Jiaru's heart shook massively!

Xiao Lin?

Could it be Lin Ruoxuan!

That business Queen whom Big Brother used to possess!

Could it be... this highly meritorious grandma before my eyes was also "possessed" and nurtured by Big Brother in the past?

"Mister" indeed refers to Big Brother!

She subconsciously glanced again at the direction of Xu Yunzhou's illusory figure beside her.

It was this subtle movement, like a strong light, that made Wu Xiuyun completely confirm her guess!

She could no longer suppress the emotions accumulated for over half a century. Tears instantly burst the banks, rolling down her cheeks covered in wrinkles and engraved with the wind and frost of history.

Facing that void, carrying a choke, she asked incomparably piously:

"Mister... is it you? Is it really you? Student Wu Xiuyun is ninety-three this year, you have left me... for over seventy years... I beg you, let me see you once more! Just let Xiao Yun look at you with her own eyes again, Xiao Yun... still needs your teaching..."

In front of the screen, Xu Yunzhou fell completely silent, his brain a blank, even forgetting to breathe.

This... this this this...

A founding female general, the illustrious old General Wu Xiuyun, is actually... my student?

Is she a nurturing character that will only appear in later stages of this "Goddess Nurturing" game? An SSR-tier historical figure I haven't unlocked yet?

But I've clearly only played this game up to Song Jiaru! I don't know what story happened between me and her!

As expected... past, present, and future exist simultaneously, or are intertwined in a way I cannot comprehend...

He abruptly remembered Lin Ruoxuan's certain judgment and abnormal calmness yesterday.

"No wonder... no wonder Lin Ruoxuan was so certain 'he' had arranged everything. It must be that for over a year, on her path of searching for the 'Tyrant,' she wasn't without gains."

"After meeting Song Jiaru and hearing those two 'non-existent' songs, due to other fortuitous encounters, she met an earlier insider—Wu Xiuyun. And from her, learned of this fated arrangement spanning over seventy years."

Watching Wu Xiuyun calling out to "Mister" in tears to the empty air, Song Jiaru's eye rims also instantly turned red. Looking toward the direction of Xu Yunzhou's illusory figure, her voice choked:

"Big Brother... so a long, long time ago, you were laying out a plan for me, instructing Grandma Wu to come save me... Thank you, really thank you... Did I save the Milky Way in my past life, that God would send you to my side in this life to protect me like this..."

Looking at the old and young crying in tears on the screen, Xu Yunzhou's heart was full of complex, mixed feelings.

Using a tone as relaxed as possible, he said to Song Jiaru:

"Hehe, silly girl, who are we to each other, saying these things makes us seem like strangers. Alright, stop crying, properly accompany this... old grandma who has waited for you for a long time."

Hearing Xu Yunzhou's words, Song Jiaru nodded forcefully, wiped away tears of being moved, and revealed a warm smile to Wu Xiuyun:

"Grandma Wu, the weather is very nice today, let me accompany you for a walk, okay? Chengzhou has many interesting places, like Jinli Ancient Street, and Wuhou Shrine, you should like them."

A light of gratification and reminiscence flashed through Wu Xiuyun's eyes. She held Song Jiaru's hand:

"Okay, good child, Grandma will listen to your arrangements. Speaking of which... Mister also took me to walk through some places back then."

"Although the mountains and rivers were broken and the wind and rain were swaying back then, as long as Mister was by my side guiding, no matter how difficult the road, it felt full of hope."

(TL: "Mountains and rivers broken, wind and rain swaying" refers to the chaotic, war-torn state of China during WWII.)

And so, the old and the young, under Xu Yunzhou's silent companionship, strolled on the bluestone road of Jinli, feeling the earthly atmosphere of the marketplace.

In Wuhou Shrine, Wu Xiuyun's chatterbox seemed to have been opened. Those memories spanning over seventy years slowly flowed out.

Her eyes were sometimes sharp, sometimes gentle, completely immersed in those years filled with the flames of war:

"That year, I was sixteen. My family members were all murdered by the devils. I hid alone in a cave, cold and hungry, feeling like the sky was going to collapse..."

(TL: "Devils" or "Japanese Devils" (Riben Guizi) is a derogatory term used for Japanese invaders during WWII. Historically, Chinese people used guizi ("devils") to describe foreign colonial powers, originally calling Westerners Yang Guizi ("Western Devils") in the 19th century. Following the Japanese invasion of China, the term stuck and remains somewhat used today, particularly by older generations. With all of that said grandma needs to chill a bit...)

Wu Xiuyun's voice carried the vicissitudes of years, yet was exceptionally clear,

"Just when I was most desperate, Mister... he came to my side as if appearing out of thin air."

Song Jiaru held her breath and asked nervously:

"And then?"

"At first, I was terrified, thinking I saw a ghost."

Wu Xiuyun smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes smoothing out,

"But Mister's voice was very gentle. He told me not to be afraid, saying I was a one-in-a-million talent of a general star, and he was here to guide me."

"He taught me to read, taught me principles, and the most magical thing was teaching me martial arts, marksmanship, and military tactics."

Her eyes lit up, as if returning to that era when she was just a thin yet stubborn young girl:

"The moves Mister taught me seemed simple, but were incomparably sharp, hitting the vitals directly. He often said, 'Xiao Yun, being merciful to the enemy is being cruel to yourself and your compatriots. Your fists must be swung out to protect the people you want to protect.'"

"Later, the world became increasingly chaotic, and the Japanese pirates ran rampant on our land. Mister encouraged me, letting me organize the sisters nearby who also suffered."

"He said, 'A single spark can start a prairie fire.' So I started from a 'Women's Village Protection Team' of only seven or eight people at first, and slowly pulled up a troop..."