Chapter 281 - Confusion (1/2)

That couldn’t be true. Ling Zhaowen hadn’t even got married yet when Ling Zhaowu left home!

According to Ji Yin and the others’ accounts of the events, when Ling Zhaowu had been brought to the Millennium Pavilion, Ling Maomao hadn’t been born yet, and Ling Zhaowu had still been unconscious on the day of Ling Maomao’s birth. How was it possible that he’d known he had a nephew at that time?

Shocked beyond words, Ling Zhang fastened his gaze on Ling Zhaowu, his eyes seeming to bore into him.

This was impossible. There’d got to be some kind of mistake. How had he come to know he had a nephew when he didn’t even know his brother had got a son?!

Ji Yin and Mr. Mu, seeing the incredulity on Ling Zhang’s face, naturally realized that there must be something going on. Ji Yin looked at Yuwen Tong. “What seems to be the matter?”

“Second Uncle Ling had only one son. His name is Maomao, and he’s only seven years old,” answered Yuwen Tong.

Seven years old…

Ji Yin and Mr. Mu instantly came to understand what that meant, both astonished.

“Had there been any lucid moments during the years when Uncle Ling was in a coma?” asked Yuwen Tong.

Mr. Mu shook his head. “No. I come here on a daily basis to give him his medicine and unblock his meridians to prevent him from dying of bodily atrophy and organic deterioration. Had there been any lucid moments, I would’ve remembered.”

Ji Yin also said, “Even if he came to when Mr. Mu was absent, it’s utterly impossible for him to, within one day, leave here, get through all those defensive formations and the natural barriers in the Sanguan Mountains, go to Tanyang and then return.”

Since that was impossible, this whole thing seemed even more weird. How come Ling Zhaowen who had been comatose for many years come to know about the existence of his nephew?

“Surely he wasn’t informed of it by someone capable of foreseeing the future?” said Mr. Mu jokingly.

Ji Yin was the first to deny this possibility. “That’s not possible.”

Ling Zhang knew what Ji Yin meant. Ji Yin had once told him that in order to develop the power of precognition, one needed to have very strong Blood of the Phoenix Clan and cultivate the mental cultivation method of internal energy of the Millennium Pavilion to perfection, but currently, even the clan leader had barely reached the eleventh layer…

“Prime Elder, do you think it’s possible that an elder of our clan who’s been in seclusion has reached the highest level of the cultivation method?” Mr. Mu looked at Ji Yin with surprise.

The corners of Ji Yin’s mouth twitched. “I would’ve known long ago had there been another person who managed to do that apart from the one a.s.sisting the founder of the Xia.”

Was there no way to find out the truth?

Yuwen Tong looked at Ling Zhaowu, inwardly making all kinds of speculations over how Ling Zhaowu had come to know about Ling Zhaowen’s having a son, but just like Ji Yin had said, it was absolutely impossible that Ling Zhaowu had made it out of the Millennium Pavilion unaided, let alone a round trip within a single day. The only plausible explanation was that someone had told him, but none of them knew who this person was.

Ling Zhaowu was still hiding behind Mr. Mu. He was very afraid of Yuwen Tong. Of all the people present, Mr. Mu and Ji Yin were familiar to him, while Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong were both strangers to him, but he was showing curiosity about and a hint of affinity for Ling Zhang, which none of the others could find a better explanation for than the father-son bonding between the two of them.

Ling Zhaowu gazed at Ling Zhaowu’s emaciated figure and wan face, his clear eyes widened in an almost poignant way. Ling Zhaowu was a full-grown man, but he actually believed that he could stay out of others’ sight by hiding behind Mr. Mu.

“Father.”

Ling Zhang hesitantly stepped closer to him, reaching out his hand.

Seeing Ling Zhaowu like this, even if he still had grudges against him, he wouldn’t be able to bring himself to show any sign of them on his face.

Ling Zhaowu didn’t draw back. He just fixed his eyes on Ling Zhang. “Who are you?”

This was the third time that he’d asked this question.

“I’m Ling Zhang, your son.”

“My son?” Ling Zhaowu appeared bewildered. Given his current intelligence level, he shouldn’t be able to understand what this meant. However, he furrowed his brows, as though trying to figure something out, but the next moment, he suddenly lowered his head, clapping a hand over his forehead with a pained countenance, his frown deepening. After a while, an anguished cry escaped his mouth.

Having never expected to see this kind of reaction, Ling Zhang was briefly stupefied, then hastened to support Ling Zhaowu and subconsciously yelled, “Father!”

“Hold him down,” shouted Mr. Mu, a grave expression on his face.

Together, the couple of them restrained Ling Zhaowu. Mr. Mu quickly inserted some needles into Ling Zhaowu’s skin at certain points, and soon Ling Zhaowu calmed down, sitting on the bed, gazing vacantly.

“At the beginning, we tentatively tried giving him some guidance in an effort to help him regain his memories, but every time we did that, his response was quite intense. On one occasion, he nearly suffered a breakdown. After that, we no longer dare risk having him think back to his past. It never crossed my mind that the mere mention of the word ‘son’ would trigger off such a reaction,” said Mr. Mu.

Ling Zhang looked at Ling Zhaowu whose eyes were glazed. Though having countless questions he needed to find answers to, he didn’t dare do anything rash.