Chapter 77: The Fiancée in the Broken Engagement Revenge Story…(End)

Right now, Lan Zhu was the only remaining merman in the world. As for what happened to the rest of his kind, Xie Hui had no idea. Trying to define Lan Zhu using the characteristics of mermen from other worlds was clearly not appropriate.

However, mermen had a water-type spiritual root, which was completely opposite to the fire-type root needed in alchemy.

After Lan Zhu became his disciple, Xie Hui spent several decades just to find a flame that could be used in alchemy compatible with him.

Water and fire were natural opposites. If it was already that difficult just to find a flame, then it was even harder to imagine how challenging it was for Lan Zhu to learn alchemy.

Knowledge that other disciples could master in a day might take Lan Zhu a month and still remain elusive.

While others walked on two legs like ordinary people, Lan Zhu was like an ant crawling forward.

Xie Hui had tried to persuade him countless times to find another master, but Lan Zhu never listened. Once, he even knelt in front of Xie Hui’s door all night, and from then on, Xie Hui compromised and never brought it up again.

In the cultivation world, because everyone lived so long, the passage of time didn’t feel as pressing.

Xie Hui was now in the Tribulation Stage. According to the books, after passing the Tribulation Stage, if one succeeded in ascending, they could live as long as the heavens and earth.

Over the years, many elders had subtly or directly questioned him about it. He always smiled and brushed it off.

But in truth, he knew very well—no one knew exactly when, but the Ascension Staircase in this realm had failed to withstand a heavenly tribulation and was now completely destroyed.

Beyond the Tribulation Stage was not the path to immortality, but death.

As time went on, even without Xie Hui saying anything, others began to suspect the truth.

Xie Yin had always been clever. Seeing how her father avoided answering everyone’s questions, she eventually asked him herself. He didn’t respond—his silence told her everything.

Since then, her cultivation noticeably slowed down. Instead, she became obsessed with exploring secret realms.

The disciples on Muxiu Peak were all fond of reading. Xie Yin had once read in the sect’s library that even the Tribulation Stage had a time limit—if one failed to ascend before it ran out, they would age and die like a mortal.

She didn’t want to watch her father leave her. So, she sought even the slimmest thread of hope.

No matter what secret realm she entered, Lan Zhu was always by her side. No matter how dangerous, he never let her face it alone.

Everything remained the same until Xie Yin herself reached the Tribulation Stage. The disciples of Muxiu Peak were all gifted. Even after suppressing their cultivation for years, they eventually reached this point.

Xie Hui had patiently watched his daughter grow up, taught her principles, personally guided her cultivation, and watched her transform from a little girl who loved swinging into a graceful young woman.

When Xie Yin’s cultivation reached the peak of the Tribulation Stage and she was on the verge of ascending, Xie Hui took her to the back mountain of Yongchang Sect.

After all these years, Yongchang Sect had gone from a mediocre second-rate sect to the foremost power in the cultivation world.

“Daddy, we really can’t ascend, can we? We’re destined to fall, just like the ancient records say.”

“Maybe one day, you and I will be just a few lines in those texts—proof that ascension is impossible.”

Now that this little girl had reached the same cultivation realm, there was no need for Xie Hui to explain—she understood.

“Yes… and no.”

Xie Hui, like he did when she was small, rubbed her head and gave her a fond smile.

It was the latter half of the night when they reached the back mountain. Xie Hui stayed to watch the sunrise with her. When the morning light dyed the sky, his voice took on an ethereal tone.

“Yin’er, you must understand—for the path to eternal life, someone must sacrifice themselves. My Yin’er is still so young… You shouldn’t be trapped by this world.”

“I believe that one day, you’ll understand.”

After he spoke, Xie Yin suddenly realized something. She could only stare in shock as her father vanished before her eyes.

The rising sun behind the morning glow was too bright to look at, but she forced her eyes open, watching helplessly as he disappeared. Then her strength left her, and she collapsed onto the ground.

In that moment, her cultivation, which had been stagnant for years, finally began to shift.

From the direction where the sunlight rose, a few immortal cranes took flight. Their cries pulled Xie Yin back from the brink. She reached out to the spot where her father had just stood, but grasped only empty air. Then she fell to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

At that moment, a young man in disciple robes approached. He gently helped her up and said in a low voice:

“Before leaving, Master said goodbye to each of us… but he said he didn’t know how to tell you.”

Xie Yin’s eyes, previously blank and lifeless, wavered when she heard Lan Zhu’s words.

“He told everyone… and kept me in the dark?”

“Master said that if you didn’t cry as easily as you did when you were little, he would have told you earlier.”

According to their master, the Ascension Staircase of this realm had been destroyed by a heavenly disaster. Because of her talent, no matter how much she suppressed her cultivation, Xie Yin had reached the critical point.

The moment she had to face her tribulation would also be her death.

Cultivation was, at its core, defying the heavens. Most cultivators had already seen through its brutal nature.

If it were anyone else, Xie Yin wouldn’t have cared. But this was her father. Even knowing he was blameless, her heart still ached.

“So you all kept it from me?”

Lan Zhu looked at her with quiet seriousness and said:

“Master told us his greatest wish was to see you inherit his legacy and carry on the art of alchemy.”

Xie Yin raised her head to look at the spot where her father had disappeared. After a long pause, she gave a small nod and whispered:

“I will.”

“Definitely.”

After the news spread that Elder Xie had used his own body to repair the Ascension Stairway, many of the old cultivators who had long suppressed their cultivation began to train diligently. But no one expected that, in such a situation, Elder Xie’s daughter, Xie Yin, would be the very first among them to ascend.

After their junior sister ascended, Wen Feng watched Lan Zhu, who continued cultivating hard day after day. He placed a wine flask down, poured two cups, picked one up, and spoke helplessly:

“No matter how hard you train, you still need to take care of your health.”

“Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother.”

“Why push yourself so hard?”

Lan Zhu heard his words, curved his lips slightly as he looked toward the sky, and replied with a smile:

“From the moment I chose the path of alchemy, I never considered turning back.”

That bright and vibrant woman held only the Great Dao of longevity in her heart. What she loved was the path of alchemy cultivation. A merman like him, born to water, was never meant to walk the same road as her.

Others believed that those born with a water spiritual root could not learn alchemy, but Lan Zhu used his own body to prove them wrong—merfolk with a water spiritual root could indeed pursue the path of alchemy.

It didn’t matter that they were not meant to be. If he could manage something as heaven-defying as mastering alchemy with a water spiritual root, then what was there to fear about adding one more impossible feat?

“Senior Brother, instead of worrying about this, wouldn’t it be better to train hard? That way, our junior sister won’t feel so lonely up there by herself.”

Lan Zhu raised the other cup and toasted Wen Feng. Wen Feng clinked his cup against Lan Zhu’s with a firm grip, smiling as he nodded.

“Alright.”

…

After returning to the system space, Xie Hui approached the client who was still seated and asked:

“Are you satisfied with the result?”

The old man smiled and nodded, standing up to offer Xie Hui a slight bow.

“Thank you.”

“I used to think I could be Yin’er’s support for her entire life. But now I see that handling things the way you did is indeed more fitting.”

In the past, he couldn’t even imagine that his delicate daughter would one day cultivate the Great Dao and achieve a lifespan equal to the heavens.

“But letting her see you leave like that… that girl is probably going to be heartbroken for a long time.”

The old man sighed, but after some thought, he also felt at peace. If Xie Hui had just disappeared without a word, Yin’er might have been even more devastated. Saying goodbye before leaving—this was truly the better choice.

She would still be sad, but at least it was a grief she could eventually come to terms with.

As he reflected on how the man before him had fulfilled his wish, the old man thought back to that fish who had always stuck by his daughter’s side and muttered with some disdain:

“You just up and left like that. What if that fish ends up falling for my daughter?”

Xie Hui was slightly stunned when he heard this. No wonder things had felt a little off back when he was immersed in the world.

After all, that was a fish hatched straight from an eggshell. Even though it had pestered him endlessly and made him break his own rules to take on another disciple, Xie Hui had never really regarded it as a person.

But now, after being reminded by the old man, and thinking back more carefully, he really did find quite a few clues in hindsight.

That fish’s personality wasn’t naturally gentle like Wen Feng’s—it was much colder, except when it came to his daughter, in front of whom he became as soft as water.

Back in a certain secret realm inside a volcano, common sense dictated that a fish would avoid such a place at all costs. Yet Lan Zhu insisted on going in with Xie Yin.

“You think Yin’er would care about romantic feelings?”

Xie Hui glanced lazily at the old man and asked.

The old man instinctively shook his head. The daughter he raised would always go after what she wanted. But the one this man raised had a head full of nothing but cultivation and refusing to let any of her senior brothers surpass her.

She’d hide under the blanket at night reading ancient texts, and recite cultivation techniques before even opening her eyes in the morning.

“With that fish’s talent for cultivation, ascension won’t be hard. But if he wants to pry open Yin’er’s heart… he’ll probably need at least several tens of thousands of years.”

The old man thought about it carefully. If he really didn’t give up after all those years, then maybe that wouldn’t be so bad either. A father truly does hate to part with his daughter. He also really didn’t like the idea of someone else’s pig rooting around in his cabbage patch.

But from start to finish, it was all for the same purpose—to give his daughter the best life possible.

After sending off the client, Xie Hui didn’t see the next one. He waited a while, then, without taking a break, directly entered a new world.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw a nearly new, slightly leaking sesame rice ball in his palm, calling out to him in a soft, babyish voice.

“Mm… wuwu.”

(Arc End)