After Jiang Xiaoxiao left, Zhang Yichu finally looked towards Xie Xun, "Have a seat."
Xie Xun walked over and sat down at the stone table.
Zhang Yichu personally poured him a cup of tea, "My apologies, on our first meeting, I should not have discussed such topics with you, but as a father, I cannot stand by and watch my daughter get into trouble."
Xie Xun's movement of drinking tea paused slightly, "What do you mean, Xiao Shishu?"
"My daughter Xiaoxiao was born with a nature that is both righteous and evil."
Zhang Yichu's tone conveyed deep helplessness.
"Sixteen years ago when she was born, in order to suppress the evil energy within her, I exhausted all my cultivation attainments to seal it away, but sixteen years have passed, and the seal is about to break."
"You have been with her for so long, you must have noticed that under normal circumstances, she becomes smaller once every month, during the few days of the full moon."
Xie Xun nodded.
Zhang Yichu said: "That is because during the nights of the full moon, it is when the evil energy within her rages the most, so I can only use this seal to make her transform during those few days to suppress the evil energy."
Xie Xun fell into deep thought.
Indeed, he had guessed correctly that the reason for Xiaoxiao's transformation each month was not a curse, but a seal.
This seal existed to protect Xiaoxiao.
"The herbal baths I prepared for her were also to suppress the evil energy."
Zhang Yichu sighed after saying this, "But these are merely treating the symptoms, not the root cause."
Xie Xun roughly understood what Zhang Yichu meant, "Is there anything I can do?"
Zhang Yichu pursed his lips, and after a long while, he slowly spoke, "Let me introduce myself first. My name is Zhang Yichu, and I come from a place called the 'Divine Realm', not from this continent."
Xie Xun showed some surprise on his face.
The Divine Realm?
He had never heard of such a place before.
Zhang Yichu continued, "The rules governing that world are different from here, and the things cultivated are also different, but the one constant is the greed in the human heart."
"Many years ago, there was a great war between the celestials and demons in the Divine Realm. Some fell into a space-time tunnel during the chaos, and I was one of them. You, the son of the Celestial King, were also one of them."
"Me?" Xie Xun found it hard to believe.
Zhang Yichu nodded, "Only, when you fell into the space-time tunnel, you were still just an infant, and you appeared in the Zhao Country over a hundred years ago, while I appeared in the Yan Country over a hundred years later."
This was quite a lot of information, and Xie Xun found it difficult to process at first.
Zhang Yichu looked at him, "As a member of the royal family, you must have heard of the story of the founding emperor Lang Jin, right?"
Xie Xun responded with an "Mmhm, I've heard some things."
Zhang Yichu said: "Lang Jin was you, a hundred years ago."
Xie Xun found it even more unbelievable, "This..."
"You may find it hard to fathom, but this is the truth."
Zhang Yichu sighed lightly, "I do not know what happened over a hundred years ago, or why you ended up becoming a descendant of the Murong family a hundred years later. But I do know one thing: only you can save my daughter."
With his mind in chaos, Xie Xun could not sort it out for the time being. He rubbed his brow, "Please tell me, what do you need me to do?"
Zhang Yichu said: "As I said before, the rules governing this continent are different from the Divine Realm, so the cultivation attainments I had before are basically useless here. I cannot use my own abilities to save my daughter."
"But you are different. Over a hundred years ago, you had already reached the Deified Realm. If you can regain your former abilities, you will be able to purify all the evil energy within Xiaoxiao."
It was only then that Xie Xun realized why the statue of the great emperor had seemed familiar to him on the day he became the prince regent, and why the images had vaguely surfaced in his mind after reading the book given by his teacher.
He was the demonic god recorded in that book, the one who had massacred the entire capital city of the Zhao Country and killed all his believers - the founding emperor of the Yan Country, Lang Jin.
"Before my mother passed away, she left this for me."
Xie Xun took out the crystal from around his neck and handed it to Zhang Yichu.
"Until now, I did not know what it was or what it was used for. But a few days ago, when I was accompanying Xiaoxiao on a case, it lit up once. Is it possible that this thing is related to my former identity?"
Zhang Yichu held the crystal in his hand and examined it carefully, but did not find anything special. He frowned, "You're saying this thing lit up?"
"Yes."
"But it's clearly just an ordinary crystal, and I can't sense any energy from it at all. How could it have lit up? Could you have been mistaken?"
"Perhaps."
Xie Xun could not explain it, because after that day, the crystal had never shown any reaction again.
"Xiao Shishu." Xie Xun looked at Zhang Yichu seriously, "I want to save Xiaoxiao, please tell me how I can regain my abilities as soon as possible."
The old celestial master, who had not spoken, finally said: "Young man, this matter cannot be rushed. You still need a catalyst."
"A catalyst?"
The old celestial master said: "That day is not far off now."
Xie Xun understood the principle of not revealing heavenly secrets, so the old celestial master could not say more, and he could not force him to elaborate.
"Xie Xun." Zhang Yichu suddenly called out to him, his voice rather solemn.
"Please go ahead, Xiao Shishu."
Zhang Yichu said: "You also know Xiaoxiao's situation. She cannot be with you too soon... Moreover, you have not had the grand marriage ceremony yet."
"I understand."
Since the time he had inadvertently made Jiang Xiaoxiao transform, Xie Xun had been exercising restraint. Holding her little hand was still acceptable, but going any further was absolutely forbidden.
In other words, he had to regain his former abilities, completely purify the evil energy within Xiaoxiao, before he could marry her.
If Lang Jin, the him from a hundred years ago, had already become a deity, why did he end up sacrificing himself and becoming the powerless son of the royal family a hundred years later?
Xie Xun really wanted to know the answer.
What had happened over a hundred years ago?
