Chapter 82: Meeting Their Past (2)

The twins had a family.

Why had it never occurred to him before?

Gu Yuan glanced at Ji Yue and Ji Yan before shaking his head.

Of course they did. They had been born somewhere. They had parents, relatives, and people who had watched them grow up.

Somehow, he had simply never thought about it.

Regardless, now that he had met their mother, it would be impolite not to greet her. With that thought, Gu Yuan descended from the sky and landed a short distance in front of the mature woman.

Up close, the resemblance between her and the twins became even clearer.

She had the same refined features, though her black hair and black eyes gave her a softer appearance. Unlike Ji Yue, who appeared gentle yet was difficult to approach, or Ji Yan, whose presence was sharp and fiery, there was a gentle warmth in her expression that made her surprisingly easy to approach.

Gu Yuan cupped his hands.

"Greetings, Senior. I am Gu Yuan, the Dao Companion of your two daughters."

Su Yulan blinked. For a moment, she simply looked at him.

Not because she had failed to hear him, but because his words seemed to require a moment to settle in.

Her gaze then shifted toward Ji Yue and Ji Yan, who had descended as well. Both of her daughters remained silent, neither confirming nor denying his words.

That silence itself was the answer.

The woman turned toward Gu Yuan again.

"So, you are the man my daughters chose?"

"Yes."

There was no hesitation in his answer.

She studied him for another moment before a gentle smile appeared on her face.

"Then come closer. Why are you standing so far away?"

Gu Yuan paused. He had expected many things from the mother of two reincarnated Empresses, but this wasn’t one of them.

Still, he stepped forward.

She looked him over from head to toe, not with hostility, but with the straightforward curiosity of a mother meeting the person her daughters had chosen.

"You look quite ordinary."

Not weak, of course. A cultivator who could become the Dao Companion of her daughters could hardly be ordinary in that sense. But he had no overwhelming arrogance, no sharp edge, none of the extraordinary bearing she had half expected from the man who had caught her daughters’ eyes.

Not knowing her thoughts, Gu Yuan’s expression twitched.

"...Thank you?"

Ji Yan immediately covered her mouth to hide her laughter, while Ji Yue merely smiled. Their mother noticed both reactions and laughed softly.

"No, no. I mean it as a compliment."

"A compliment?"

"Of course." Her smile became even gentler. "Do you know how relieved I am?"

Gu Yuan glanced at Ji Yue and Ji Yan.

He suddenly had a feeling that he did.

Su Yulan turned toward her daughters, whom she hadn’t spoken to in years. She took a few steps forward and pulled them into a hug.

"They say a daughter is only a guest in her parents’ home until she leaves with her husband, but couldn’t you have at least sent word that you were safe? Do you know how worried I was about you?"

Her questions came one after another, leaving the twins awkwardly trying to answer their mother.

Standing to the side, Gu Yuan witnessed a sight he had never imagined he would see.

The two reincarnated Empresses, who could terrify entire sects without changing their expressions, were now reduced to awkward daughters being questioned by their mother. Somehow, he found the sight rather refreshing.

Su Yulan seemed intent on venting all the grievances she had accumulated since her daughters left. They had changed so much since the last time she had seen them, and she couldn’t help but feel sad that she had missed so much of their growth.

She still remembered them as they had been back then, barely ten years old. Proud little girls who had seriously declared that they would leave home and find their own man. At the time, Su Yulan had thought it was nothing more than the bold declaration of two unusually arrogant children. With how heavily the Ji Clan guarded them, there was no way they could actually run away.

Yet they had.

And now, the man they had chosen was standing right in front of her.

Once she had finally calmed down, Su Yulan turned toward Gu Yuan with a smile.

"I’m Su Yulan. Sorry for showing you my unsightly side."

Gu Yuan shook his head and politely replied, "There’s no need to apologize. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Senior."

"Senior?" She gave him a small, amused smile. "That sounds rather distant."

"You are my daughters’ Dao Companion. Calling me Senior makes me feel like some stranger you happened to meet." She smiled gently. "Just call me Mother."

Mother... Gu Yuan hesitated for only a moment before giving a small nod.

"So, how are my daughters? Are you doing well with them?"

Gu Yuan found this question even harder to answer, but he still spoke honestly.

"They are amazing women. Strong, talented, and generous in their own ways. But... keeping up with them is still a little difficult."

"Only a little?" Su Yulan asked teasingly.

"Well..."

Actually, a lot.

Gu Yuan couldn’t bring himself to say that, and Su Yulan laughed.

"Haha, it’s fine. I know my daughters."

She let out a quiet sigh.

"You know, when I heard from my daughters again after so many years, with a wedding invitation, no less, I was surprised and relieved that they had finally decided to call home. But I was worried too."

"I wondered what kind of person could possibly make both of them willing to settle down."

She gave a small, helpless smile.

"Then I met you... and I was relieved."

Gu Yuan, who had somehow grown more relaxed around this woman despite only meeting her today, smiled.

"Because I’m ordinary?"

"Because you’re normal."

The two looked at each other.

For some reason, Gu Yuan felt as though he had finally found someone he could complain to without needing to explain everything first.

Su Yulan seemed to feel the same.

After all these years, she had finally met the man her daughters had chosen. She was sad to give her daughters away, but she couldn’t help feeling that they suited each other strangely well.

Each made up for what the other lacked.