# Chapter 681: Recognition (Part 1)
"Xiao Che, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" After Fen Juechen left, Xiao Lingxi finally breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly grabbed Yun Che's arm to confirm whether he had been injured by the previous attack. After all, she had witnessed firsthand how terrifying Fen Juechen had become.
"I'm fine, don't worry. Not even a single hair was hurt." Yun Che smiled reassuringly.
"That's good." Xiao Lingxi was slightly relieved, but her delicate face still bore a layer of paleness from excessive fright. Immediately, she said anxiously, "Xiao Che, don't go find him three months from now. He's become so powerful now, far more than you can imagine. Under no circumstances should you go, otherwise, he will really kill you. Even the massive army of the Shenhuang Kingdom doesn't dare to provoke him."
"...Little Aunt, you just mentioned he saved you and the entire Liuyun City. What happened?" Yun Che asked.
Xiao Lingxi tried hard to calm her thoughts and said softly, "A year and a half ago, Brother Fen came here to seek revenge against you. He killed many people from the Xiao Sect. I stopped him, and he did stop. After that, he stayed here but didn't kill anyone else. Half a year ago, two hundred thousand Shenhuang troops suddenly arrived. After their leader entered the city, I happened to encounter him. He suddenly ordered me to be taken away..."
"Ordered you to be taken away?" Yun Che's expression abruptly darkened.
"Mm... Fortunately, Brother Fen appeared in time to save me and killed one of the people beside that leader. He didn't kill anyone else after that, but he warned the Shenhuang army not to kill anyone in Liuyun City. It was precisely because of his deterrence that the two hundred thousand Shenhuang troops stationed here for half a year never killed a single person in Liuyun City. The army rarely even entered the city. Otherwise, given the brutality of the Shenhuang army, even if Liuyun City wasn't massacred, it would definitely have been trampled beyond recognition in half a year."
"...He didn't continue killing the Shenhuang troops then. Little Aunt must have stopped him, right?" Yun Che said. His brows furrowed, and a barely noticeable ferocity stirred in his eyes. At this moment, he began to feel grateful that he hadn't killed Fen Juechen back then mixed with regret... If not for Fen Juechen's intervention, Little Aunt might have...
The leader of two hundred thousand Shenhuang troops... whoever you are... even if you were the Jade Emperor himself, you must die!!
"Mm. If he had attacked the Shenhuang army, the relatively peaceful situation would have completely spiraled out of control, and Liuyun City would likely have been plunged into great disaster, so I had to stop him... He didn't kill anyone else either. Although Brother Fen appears cold-blooded and everyone fears him, he's really not a bad person. I have always been grateful to him... But... why is it like this between you two..." Xiao Lingxi murmured in a dejected and bewildered tone. Back then at the Fen Tian Gate, he had risked himself to block Fen Juechen for her; in Liuyun City, he had saved her again and protected the entire city for her sake.
Yet between him and Yun Che lay a grudge of clan annihilation.
"Little Aunt," Yun Che said soothingly, "Don't worry. I will handle things between him and me properly."
"Big Brother." Xiao Yun walked over slowly, leading Tianxia Diqi by the hand. He stole a glance at Xiao Lingxi, then nervously averted his gaze and asked worriedly, "Who was that person just now? Is he Big Brother's enemy?"
"Mm. You could say it's a blood-deep grudge." Yun Che said directly.
"That person's aura was terrifying." Tianxia Diqi said with lingering fear. "Brother Yun, didn't you say the profound level where you grew up was extremely low? How could there be such a powerful person here... I've never felt such a frightening aura in my entire life."
Xiao Yun nodded vigorously in agreement.
"It's a long story." Yun Che said with a mix of frustration and helplessness. "Alright, let's not worry about him for now. He has strong pride. Since he agreed to fight again in three months, he shouldn't come looking for me before then."
"Xiao Che, you haven't introduced them yet. They are..." Xiao Lingxi looked at Xiao Yun and Tianxia Diqi, offering a polite and warm smile.
"I... I... I... My name is Xiao Yun." Facing Xiao Lingxi's questioning gaze, Xiao Yun stammered nervously, because he heard Yun Che calling her "Little Aunt." In the Huan Yao Realm, he had also heard this title many times from Yun Che. To Yun Che, she was the most important person in his life. And to him, Xiao Yun... she was one of only two relatives he had in this world!
One was his grandfather, and the other, though also an elder, was actually a year younger than him—his Little Aunt.
Tianxia Diqi gave the extremely nervous Xiao Yun a firm pinch and said gracefully, "I am Xiao Yun-gege's wife. Everyone calls me Qi Mei. Brother Yun often mentioned 'Little Aunt' in front of us. Finally meeting you today... Little Aunt is even more beautiful and charming than we imagined."
"Welcome to Liuyun City. My apologies that you were frightened as soon as you arrived." Xiao Lingxi said with a smile. If this were three years ago, being praised like this by someone brought by Yun Che would have made her joyfully bounce around without restraint. But after the tremendous upheavals of three years, she was no longer the innocent, lively, and childlike young girl. Every word and smile now carried a peacefulness and grace that had rarely appeared in her before.
"His name is Xiao Yun. He is my sworn brother, the same age as me. This is Xiao Yun's newlywed wife; they have only been married for less than a month. Besides that, they also have another... more important identity." Yun Che said mysteriously.
"Another identity?" Xiao Lingxi looked puzzled.
"You'll find out soon enough." Without waiting for Xiao Lingxi to ask further, he said softly, "Little Aunt, is Grandfather at home?"
"Mm. He is in his own courtyard." Mentioning Xiao Lie, Xiao Lingxi's expression turned urgent. She grabbed Yun Che's hand and said, "Princess sis told us you were back. Your grandfather has been waiting for you. When he sees you, I don't know how happy he'll be."
"I've been longing to see Grandfather too... Let's go now!" Yun Che nodded firmly and walked out of the courtyard with Xiao Lingxi.
"Hurry up and follow!" Tianxia Diqi gave the dazed Xiao Yun a hard tug. The latter snapped back to reality and quickly followed behind Yun Che.
Inside the Xiao Sect, not much had changed. As for the location of Grandfather's courtyard, he had not the slightest bit of confusion or forgetfulness. Faces that continuously appeared in his sight still allowed him to recall their names instantly... And when they saw him, they would either stare blankly or scream in shock, as if they had seen a ghost.
Step by step, he approached Xiao Lie's dwelling. All the exaggerated reactions of the Xiao Sect members were completely ignored. Yun Che asked with deep concern, "How has Grandfather been these three years?"
Xiao Lingxi bit her lip gently. This subconscious action made Yun Che's heart tighten. She said faintly, "Three years ago, after receiving news of your death, Dad was very calm. He kept trying to comfort me and comfort the late Emperor. He never shed a single tear. But I knew he was hurting inside... more than anyone else. Dad had a very good appetite during his time at the Cangfeng Mystic Palace, but after that, he ate at most one meal a day... even to this day."
"Later, when the late Emperor was murdered, Dad helped Princess sis handle the funeral arrangements. After that, he suggested bringing me back to Liuyun City. On the very day we returned, Dad suddenly collapsed and was unconscious for a full day and night. After that, he was seriously ill for a long time. Although he eventually recovered, his health deteriorated day by day, and he aged terribly fast. Starting from a year ago, he could no longer even walk independently..."
"..." Yun Che clenched his fists and took a deep breath. While in the Huan Yao Realm, his greatest worry had been Xiao Lie's health. Three years ago, Xiao Lie had once harbored thoughts of death, having lost all will to live. Yun Che had given him firm hope that his "biological grandson must still be alive in this world, growing up safely," which dispelled his suicidal thoughts.
Upon receiving news of Yun Che's death, one could imagine how devastating a blow Xiao Lie had suffered... He had endured too many cruel blows in his life, and this time, it seemed to extinguish all his remaining hopes, leaving him utterly despondent. The reality was even worse than Yun Che had anticipated, because it was accompanied by the calamity of Cang Feng's national destruction... The reason for his declining health was clearly his gloomy and heavy despair.
"Grandfather will get better... He will definitely get better!" Yun Che said with force, quickening his steps even more.
Xiao Lie still lived in the same courtyard. The courtyard gate had been removed, likely at Xiao Lie's request. Standing at the entrance of the courtyard he had visited almost daily but not set foot in for over six years, Yun Che immediately saw the old man sitting in the middle of the courtyard on an old bamboo chair... His eyes were closed, basking in the relatively warm sunlight. His peaceful face bore a calmness, a calmness almost like that of the dead. His hair was completely white, with almost no trace of black remaining.
A feeling of bitterness spread from Yun Che's nose throughout his body. His heart was filled with deep pain, guilt, and self-reproach. Xiao Lie was now only in his sixties, and with his profound strength nearing the Earth Xuan Realm, he should have shown no signs of aging at all. But after three years of not seeing him, he seemed to have aged over thirty years. At just over sixty, he appeared as decrepit as someone in their eighties or nineties.
They walked slowly forward. Xiao Lingxi was about to call out, but at that moment, Xiao Lie slowly opened his eyes. He looked at Yun Che, a faint, gratified smile appearing on his face: "Che'er, you're back."
Xiao Lie was very calm. His aged eyes revealed a joyful and relieved expression, but more than that, they still held a deep, profound gloominess. Yun Che stepped forward quickly, kneeling heavily in front of Xiao Lie, his hands resting on the old man's knees: "Grandfather, Che'er is unfilial. I have caused you to suffer."
Xiao Lie shook his head and smiled faintly: "Seeing you safe and alive, how could your grandfather suffer? Che'er is blessed by fortune and always manages to turn danger into safety. The future will surely bring you countless blessings. Heh, as long as you and Lingxi can always be safe, I will have no regrets in this life."