The man's form of address stunned Master Zhou and Lin Zhi behind him.
Bai Yuhuai seemed to sense something, giving the man a deep look. His emotions were suddenly extremely complex - there was great vigilance, but also a rare hint of hesitation.
Jing Jiujiu also widened his eyes in surprise: "...Dad?"
Master Zhou and Lin Zhi were even more stunned now, their mouths gaping wider than each other's.
Master Zhou felt that everything about this situation was incredibly off!
He remembered that the young master's other father had gone missing, which was why that Jing Tinghua was able to take advantage of the situation, right? At that time, he couldn't help but secretly lament how terribly unlucky the young master was. That Mr. Yu must have also had a gentle personality, which was why he ended up in such a situation.
But the man before them now.
The Mr. Hu that Chaos referred to.
He deftly manipulated and commanded Chaos, with not a hint of gentleness on his face.
"Dad," Jing Jiujiu called out softly again.
Yu Ran's expression softened a bit as he said gently, "My little one has become so capable, even able to find Dad now."
His tone was still like he was coaxing a small child.
Master Zhou quickly turned to look at Jing Jiujiu, but saw that the young master's expression was normal, apparently used to this kind of tone.
Jing Jiujiu licked his lips and took a step forward.
But Yu Ran suddenly retreated half a step, saying in a low voice, "Stay where you are, little one."
Jing Jiujiu was taken aback.
Bai Yuhuai hadn't expected to meet his father-in-law so abruptly. He swallowed hard, clenched his fingers, and spoke up: "Does Mr. Yu have something on him?"
Yu Ran's gaze suddenly fell on him. Yu Ran narrowed his eyes, sizing up Bai Yuhuai impassively.
He smiled, "What has this gentleman noticed?"
Jing Jiujiu's face scrunched up, "Is it possession by a ghost? No, that's not it. I don't sense anything like that."
Seeing this, Yu Ran instinctively wanted to reach out and smooth his son's features, but just as he extended his hand, he quickly drew it back.
Bai Yuhuai stepped forward, "A Drought Demon, moves like the wind, scorches the earth for thousands of miles. Do you have a Drought Demon on you?"
After speaking, Bai Yuhuai took out a talisman from his pocket and held it out to Yu Ran.
Yu Ran wasn't sure of Bai Yuhuai's identity and background for a moment, but in the end he cooperated and reached out his hand.
As soon as he touched the talisman, it immediately burst into flames.
So this was why he couldn't let anyone get close.
Jing Jiujiu became a bit anxious and instinctively bit his lip.
Yu Ran called out softly, "Little one. Don't bite your lip."
After saying that, he looked at Bai Yuhuai, "It's not on me, I ate it."
Master Zhou: ??
Lin Zhi: ??
Master Zhou thought to himself, you two really are like father, like son!
The young master can eat all sorts of strange things, and now you can eat a Drought Demon too?
Yu Ran turned and sat down, even inviting the others: "You all sit down too."
Master Zhou couldn't help but ask, "Why doesn't the furniture burn when Mr. Yu sits on it?"
Yu Ran: "Oh, they're all created by Chaos."
Master Zhou: "..."
You really are something!
Yu Ran looked at Bai Yuhuai: "May I ask who you are? How were you able to tell at a glance that I had something on me? Are you a Taoist master that Jiujiu invited? Did Jiujiu ask you to help him find me?"
Bai Yuhuai pressed his lips together hard, his face still cold and calm as ever, but inside his heart was cracking.
This was Jiujiu's father...
So which identity should he claim? Hmm? I'm Jiujiu's boyfriend? If that shocked him too much, Jiujiu would be upset.
Bai Yuhuai: "Yes, I'm a Taoist master from the Cloud Return Sect."
Yu Ran nodded upon hearing this.
When he had gone missing, Bai Yuhuai hadn't entered the entertainment industry yet, so he didn't know about Bai Yuhuai's other identity.
Jing Jiujiu chose a nearby stool to sit on and added softly, "And boyfriend."
Bai Yuhuai held his breath, forcing himself to remain calm as he said, "That's right."
He was thinking about whether he should give a more detailed self-introduction.
But Yu Ran's expression had already changed dramatically: "Little one, what did you just say?"
Jing Jiujiu: "Just that he's my boyfriend."
Yu Ran's face instantly darkened. His cold, sharp gaze swept over Bai Yuhuai, making no attempt to hide his hostility.
In an instant, his admiration for the talented young man turned into murderous intent.
"Jiujiu is innocent, but you are not. You've deceived him," Yu Ran said in a deep voice.
Jing Jiujiu opened his mouth: "Hey, I'm not that innocent either, Dad."
I even know about naughty things now.
But Yu Ran ignored him: "In Dad's heart, you'll always be my innocent, carefree baby."
Bai Yuhuai had once seen online that when Yu Ran was still around years ago, he doted on Jing Jiujiu to an extraordinary degree. Although only bits and pieces had been circulated, it was enough to get a glimpse of the whole picture.
In this world, besides himself, there was still another relative who could love Jiujiu so deeply and make up for the love he had missed out on. Of course this was a good thing.
Bai Yuhuai certainly didn't feel offended by Yu Ran's hostility.
Putting himself in Yu Ran's shoes, if he and Jiujiu had a child, and he went missing for a few years, then when he saw the child again and the child said they had a boyfriend...
Oh, just imagining it, even though it was hypothetical, made Bai Yuhuai's fists clench.
Bai Yuhuai bowed slightly to Yu Ran: "Mr. Yu, I will explain in detail to you how Jiujiu and I met and got together. Including all information about my background and identity..."
Jing Jiujiu nodded after hearing this and quickly spoke up: "But, I want to know first, why is Dad here, and why did you eat a Drought Demon?"
Why... didn't you come back to find me?
When Jing Jiujiu spoke, Yu Ran's expression immediately softened. He said calmly, "Then let's talk about my situation first."
After saying this, he didn't even spare another glance at Bai Yuhuai.
"That afternoon, I had just returned from the airport. I went inside to put down my things, then remembered that the week before, you had told me you wanted to eat madeleines from Xuanshi. So I turned around and went out again, telling the driver to start the car. But just as we reached the small path by the fountain pool, I saw a head poking in from outside the wall..." Even though years had passed, Yu Ran still remembered clearly.
"That head... was very strange. Its body was like a long noodle, soft and limp, hanging over the wall, with its head dangling down, opening its mouth towards me..."
"Was it Chaos?" Jing Jiujiu interjected.
And a failed shape-shifting one at that, contorting itself into such a ghastly form.
"Mm. It opened its mouth very wide and swallowed me," Yu Ran said coldly. "This Chaos had a very large world inside its mouth, but it probably didn't understand the concept of garbage sorting. As soon as I fell in, I landed in a pool... The water in that pool was black..."
"The River of Oblivion," Jing Jiujiu murmured.
Yu Ran: "Yes." Speaking of these past events, he was remarkably calm: "As soon as a person falls in, their entire body feels like it's been submerged in ice water, as if something is stripping away your flesh."
At this point, Bai Yuhuai also spoke up: "That's the Naihe River."
Jing Jiujiu nodded: "Mm, I heard Yama mention it earlier."
When Yu Ran heard the name "Yama," he frowned again, thinking to himself about what kind of beings were constantly surrounding his child.
Another one with ulterior motives?
"Is the Naihe River the same as the one from the Naihe Bridge?" Master Zhou quickly asked.
Bai Yuhuai responded: "Yes. The Naihe River is filled with countless souls that cannot enter reincarnation, accumulating over millions of years. If a living person falls in, their three hun and seven po souls will be forcibly stripped away, their physical body will rot into a puddle of flesh, to be devoured completely by the ghosts at the bottom of the river."
Jing Jiujiu's face scrunched up again as he listened.
Yu Ran hurriedly said: "That's right, at that time I felt as if my flesh was being stripped away, which must have been the river trying to extract my soul. But this Chaos's stomach contained many things, not just the River of Oblivion. There was also a Drought Demon. At the time, I didn't know what it was, I just felt that its body was blazing hot, and whenever I touched it, the pain in my body would lessen..."
Bai Yuhuai: "Yes, a Drought Demon can evaporate water. While it couldn't dry up the entire Naihe River at once, it could evaporate the river water on your body."
Yu Ran glanced at him.
This young man knew a lot.
Yu Ran vaguely recalled what the Cloud Return Sect was. It seemed to be a heavyweight in the metaphysical circles.
Yu Ran's eyes darkened.
Yu Ran: "...Hmm, not bad." His tone remained nonchalant as he continued, "To survive, who cares if it was a Drought Demon or whatever? Enduring the burning pain, I threw it into the River of Oblivion and bit off a chunk of its flesh."
"When I crawled out of the River of Oblivion... the Drought Demon had sunk to the bottom, but I was fine." Yu Ran said calmly, "How could I die? Jiujiu hasn't even tasted madeleines yet."
Master Zhou shuddered, thinking to himself that this man was truly ruthless.
In such a situation, not only did he escape the River of Oblivion, but he even managed to eat the Drought Demon alive...
"However..." Yu Ran's brow furrowed deeply as he continued, "I later discovered that my body could burn everything that came near me. Except for chaos."
Jing Jiujiu gazed at him with wide eyes and said softly, "So that's why the inside of this great chaos is a wasteland..."
Yu Ran smiled, the gloom in his eyes dissipating, "My little one is so clever, that's exactly right."
Yu Ran's expression then turned cold: "So, until I find a solution, I can't leave this place. I can't even go looking for you, little one. I would set you on fire."
Jing Jiujiu let out a soft sigh.
Yes, indeed.
Now that he was a paper person, he was even more flammable.
"Little one, did you see those foolish chaos beings outside?" Yu Ran asked.
Lin Zhi's face turned blue with embarrassment.
He was also a chaos being.
He felt personally attacked!
Jing Jiujiu: "Yes, I saw them."
Yu Ran said indifferently, "These fools, tomorrow I'll tell them you're the new king. They'll naturally support you then."
Lin Zhi, who had barely settled in: ?
He thought dryly, is it really that simple?
Jing Jiujiu: "Huh? I thought the one with the largest physical form becomes the king?"
Yu Ran: "I made up that rule. We'll just make up a new one tomorrow."
Jing Jiujiu pressed his lips together in a smile.
Ah, that's just like you, Dad.
Master Zhou, on the other hand, was left in a daze after hearing all this.
After this conversation, he wasn't quite sure who seemed more like the villain here...
Bai Yuhuai also raised an eyebrow.
This father-in-law was indeed quite different from what he had imagined... When he thought Yu Ran might be dead and Jiujiu would be heartbroken, Yu Ran was actually here toying with these chaos beings.
Jing Jiujiu: "Well, we don't need to make anything up. It's too much trouble."
"Oh?" Yu Ran looked at him with great patience.
Jing Jiujiu pointed at Lin Zhi: "He's the current king, and he told the chaos beings yesterday that I'm his king, even greater than him."
Only then did Yu Ran spare a glance for Lin Zhi, offering a word of praise: "He's a clever one."
Master Zhou: ?
Apparently, one only counts as clever if they're good to the young master.
"I originally planned to feed and grow a stupid but large chaos being... let this chaos being swallow the entire world. A world that has lost its order, a world contained within chaos, it wouldn't matter if I burned it. I could easily find my little one then." Yu Ran seemed completely unaware of how terrifying his words were.
Swallowing the entire world...
Master Zhou's mouth gaped open.
Only then did Yu Ran show a hint of a smile: "But I didn't expect my little one to find Dad so quickly..."
Jing Jiujiu said dejectedly: "It wasn't that quick, it's been several years."
If it weren't for Bai Yuhuai, forget about finding his dad, he'd still be trapped himself.
"Several years... my little one must have suffered a lot trying to find me." Yu Ran frowned.
Lin Zhi, upon hearing this, nodded in silent agreement.
Jiujiu must have suffered a lot to come and rescue me too, right?
Jing Jiujiu still sounded dejected: "I didn't suffer much..."
Bai Yuhuai felt an urge to embrace Jing Jiujiu.
...This must have stirred up his memories of the ancient castle again.
But in front of Yu Ran, Bai Yuhuai had to restrain himself, lest he provoke Yu Ran's anger.
"Tell me about yourself, little one. Dad hasn't seen you for several years... What have you been doing every day? Have you been happy?" Yu Ran asked.
Jing Jiujiu opened his mouth, not knowing where to begin.
Bai Yuhuai spoke up in his place: "Mr. Yu, let me explain."
Yu Ran frowned: "You know so much about my child's affairs? Why should you be the one to speak?"
Bai Yuhuai calmly replied: "I understand. No one knows more about the mystical aspects than I do."
Yu Ran suddenly sat up straight: "Speak."
This young man's words held hidden meaning.
Yu Ran certainly wouldn't stop him now.
Bai Yuhuai explained how he had met Jing Jiujiu, how he discovered the feng shui formation in the ancient castle, how he later investigated and found out who was involved, what the evil god was, and what consequences the evil god would bring... He explained everything in detail.
Even though Master Zhou already knew all this, he couldn't help but sigh quietly as he listened.
His daughter-in-law and granddaughter had also died because of the evil god.
But if they could have their souls remain in the mortal world like the young master, that would be good... Oh no, it would be better for them to reincarnate quickly. But didn't Yama say that ghosts can't reincarnate now?
While Master Zhou was lost in these thoughts,
Yu Ran's face had already turned as cold as water, the color in his eyes becoming much darker.
"I knew something about the evil god haunting Jing Tinghua's family. I only knew that if they didn't worship it, they would suffer endless misfortune, even meeting with bloody disasters," Yu Ran said, squeezing his fingers. "The first time I met him, I saw him in a miserable state, covered in blood. Because of this, I privately sought help from many masters. Jing, that handsome and excellent second son who took over his father's heavy responsibilities at such a young age, had been haunted by an evil god since childhood and never had a day of happiness... At that time, I still thought he was pitiful and deserving of sympathy."
"Hah, can gods really deceive people's hearts like this?" Yu Ran's face showed contempt, his eyes concealing hatred and anger, his voice growing colder, "Deceived to the point of forgetting everything and personally sending his own son to his death?"
Suddenly, a burst of flames erupted from Yu Ran's body.
But he quickly suppressed it with his own hand.
Yu Ran said coldly: "He was quite ready to tear out his own heart. If he hadn't sent himself to his death, I probably would have wanted him dead anyway... Jiujiu is our child. His fatherly love was all wasted on a dog's belly!"
As Yu Ran finished speaking, another burst of flames erupted from his body.
He coldly turned his gaze back to Bai Yuhuai, this time with a bit more gentleness: "You saved my little one."
"You must have heard of the Yu Corporation. Although I've been missing for years, the professional managers I left behind are still there, and the vast wealth I left behind is still there." Yu Ran asked him: "What kind of reward do you want?"
Bai Yuhuai's lips moved slightly, not hiding his intentions: "Jiujiu."
"Not possible." Yu Ran turned and asked: "Real estate in the capital, countless wealth, you can tell me directly... no need to feel embarrassed."
This really sounded like an evil mother-in-law trying to buy off a poor Cinderella with money.
Jing Jiujiu opened his mouth, wanting to say something for Bai Yuhuai.
Cinderella Bai Yuhuai had worked hard to take care of me too, you know.
But Bai Yuhuai spoke first. He stood there, his posture straight, his expression unchanged. He said calmly: "Mr. Yu, I already have over 100 properties in the capital, all given to me by others. My annual income from my side job is 170 million. I've invested in more than ten companies, and I have other unaccounted-for fixed assets. When I say I'm from the Cloud Return Sect, to be more accurate, the Cloud Return Sect is mine... The Cloud Return Sect is the leader in the mystical circle, and most mystical masters have to obey the Cloud Return Sect's orders. Mr. Yu should be able to imagine that if I give all this to Jiujiu, he wouldn't be able to use it up in a lifetime."
Yu Ran: "..."
Jing Jiujiu: ???
Ah, this.
Is he really that rich?
And here I was, wondering how to earn money to support Cinderella Bai Yuhuai?!
Jing Jiujiu was dazed for a moment.
After a while, Yu Ran asked: "Is the Cloud Return Sect the most powerful?"
Bai Yuhuai's tone remained calm, but his words were unabashedly arrogant: "If the Cloud Return Sect admits to being second, no one would dare claim to be first."
Only then did Yu Ran give him a cold, indifferent look, no longer mentioning what he had said earlier.
Yu Ran loved his child more than life itself.
Just as he had once told Jing Tinghua, he believed that only the best things in the world were worthy of Jiujiu.
The young man before him could be considered the best, so he was barely adequate to match Jiujiu.
Yu Ran's gaze towards him became just a bit more favorable.
Bai Yuhuai then calmly interjected, "I'll find a way to resolve Mr. Yu's troubles. Why let chaos swallow the entire world? There are too many things in this world that Jiujiu loves."
Upon hearing this, Yu Ran paused, his gaze towards Bai Yuhuai losing much of its coldness.
Indeed, there were so many things in this world that Jiujiu loved.
Yu Ran said softly, "Yes, there's the food he loves, the toys he liked as a child, and many memories that Jing Tinghua and I carefully preserved for him. In those memories are his awards, his baby teeth that fell out, his carelessly scribbled drawing books..."
So many things.
Yu Ran was a bit surprised that Bai Yuhuai could say such a thing.
This man had truly taken Jiujiu to heart.
As Jing Jiujiu listened, he felt a sense of melancholy and a dull ache in his heart.
His eyes stung, and two lines of blood tears rolled down his cheeks.
When he realized it, Jing Jiujiu hurriedly wiped them away, smearing blood all over his face.
Seeing his state, Yu Ran's brow furrowed again, his heart aching unbearably.
"What about Jiujiu?" Yu Ran asked.
Bai Yuhuai: "I will create a body for him."
Bai Yuhuai paused, then mentioned how Master Tingyi had sculpted his statue, and how Tao He and others had enshrined him.
Yu Ran's expression softened a bit at this.
Although he didn't want to admit it, during the time he and Jing Tinghua were absent, the only one who had embraced Jiujiu with warmth was the young man before him.
Bai Yuhuai said in a low voice, "I plan to use chaos to form his body first."
Jing Jiujiu worried, "But they all have consciousness..." Wouldn't that be like possessing someone else's body?
Yu Ran stood up: "Son, the chaos molded into furniture in this room has no consciousness. Their shapes are too small to have formed consciousness yet."
In his view, it wouldn't matter even if they did have consciousness.
Jing Jiujiu nodded at this.
Bai Yuhuai seemed to have reached an understanding with Yu Ran, saying softly, "Thank you for your help, Mr. Yu."
Yu Ran: "Jiujiu is my son."
Jing Jiujiu's mind was still reeling from the excitement. He rubbed his head and said quietly, "I want to lie down."
It all felt like a dream.
He hadn't fully processed it yet.
Yu Ran immediately offered his bed to him, wanting to carry him to bed like when he was little, but having to stop himself.
At that moment, a commotion arose outside. Lin Zhi quickly went out and returned shortly, saying, "Master Zhou, it seems they've found your son..."
Master Zhou started, then shakily followed Lin Zhi out.
Yu Ran said, "Son, be good and lie down. Dad will go find some chaos to form your body."
Jing Jiujiu: "Mm."
Bai Yuhuai didn't dare to kiss Jing Jiujiu in front of others. He just stroked Jing Jiujiu's hair before turning to leave and catch some chaos.
Jing Jiujiu rolled over on the bed.
He was actually not that young anymore, and it felt a bit embarrassing when his dad called him like this.
But the embarrassment seemed to be mixed with happiness.
It was as if... as if Yu Ran had never disappeared, and he hadn't died in that ancient castle... He still had the love of his family.
...
Jing Jiujiu closed his eyes and seemed to really fall asleep.
After an unknown amount of time, Yu Ran slowly entered the room. He threw the scattered small chaos in his hand onto the ground.
He spread his arms, wanting to embrace Jing Jiujiu, but eventually lowered them again.
He could only trace Jing Jiujiu's outline in the air from afar...
"Son, Dad's heart is breaking for you."