As Little Shu pressed the issue, refusing to let the topic drop, Li Xiaohao felt a distinct sense of helplessness. He glanced at the time; Fan Jia had been gone for about ten minutes. If he was going to fetch reinforcements, they should be arriving soon. Shu pressing him for the truth at this exact moment was almost perfectly timed!

“I thought it best for him to answer this for you himself, as he should know the truth by now. We are two distinctly different races. Your roots are in the Sea of the Undead; his are in the Fountain of Immortality. The Sea of the Undead and the Fountain of Immortality are both inherently strange domains. What’s happening now isn't rooted in the places themselves, but in the conflict that has arisen between the families tasked with guarding them,” Xiaohao said quietly, trying his best to avoid being too blunt and stirring up Shu’s indignation.

“Are you saying Ming Xiaoyu’s family are the guardians of the Fountain of Immortality?” Shu tilted her head, glancing at Zhang Yuqiu. It seemed utterly unbelievable. Ming Xiaoyu and her sister had been without parents since childhood, and she had faced life and death alongside him recently; a deep bond of brotherhood was already forged between them. While she couldn't claim to know every detail of his past, she certainly knew the breadth of his background. She continued, “How could a whole family suddenly appear? I truly can’t wrap my head around it.”

Xiaohao exchanged a knowing look with Zhang Yuqiu, then turned and walked toward the shelter alone, speaking as he went, “There are many things you can’t wrap your head around. For instance, what was the exact nature of Li Taiming’s relationship with our father? Why did Father want Yingzi to marry me? And is there any difference between how Xing'er sees the world now, through Xiaoyu’s eyes, versus seeing it through her own?” Shu felt as if she’d been fed a potent sleeping draft. She pondered the questions Xiaohao had posed while allowing Zhang Yuqiu to support her as they walked.

The three of them had just reached Qin Xin Park when a clear voice called out from behind them: “Li Xiaoshu!”

That shout snapped Shu out of her daze. She looked left and right—where was Li Xiaohao? On one side was Zhang Yuqiu, and on the other was Big Monkey. Just as Shu was about to question the strange turn of events, she turned and recognized the person behind her; she felt she had seen that face somewhere before. Acting impulsively, she stepped forward and scrutinized the newcomer from head to toe, finally clapping her hands together, “You’re Wenshu! Xiaoyu has been looking for you, and he’s been looking very hard.”

Wenshu lowered her head shyly and nodded slightly. “He already found me. He asked me to come and take you to see our new home.”

“New home?” Shu looked around at her surroundings again, utterly bewildered by this sudden shift. After a moment of deep thought, she slapped her forehead. “Hold on, hold on. Let me sort things out step by step. You’re Monkey—why did I keep seeing Li Xiaohao just now? Was that last scene a hallucination? I thought Li Xiaohao had burned Yuan Qi to death—it was you? Who are you?”

“It was indeed a hallucination,” Monkey stated seriously. “I created it using the Transmogrification Stone. My name is Hou Dayong, and Xiaohao sent me to save you. That was my mission.” Hearing this, Zhang Yuqiu quickly interjected, “Your soul has been recovered? Haven't you found a suitable body yet?” “Mmm,” Hou Dayong nodded in affirmation.

“Then you are the real Wenshu?” Shu turned and pointed at the beautiful woman before her.

“As real as can be!” Wenshu smiled sweetly at her.

“No, no, you’re not Wenshu. If you were Wenshu, Xiaoyu wouldn't risk letting you come out alone to find me; he would have come himself. You are…” Shu racked her brain, running through every immortal being she knew, but couldn't think of any other woman besides Li Bingyu. However, she distinctly remembered seeing Li Bingyu’s tongue cut out at the mental institution; she shouldn't be able to speak now. Utterly stumped, Shu simply stared blankly at the woman claiming to be Wenshu.