Chapter 63: Mutation (Second Update!)

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  Yunzhou City, the residence of the Xiao family. When Chen Huan and others returned with a full load, they saw that the manor was decorated with lanterns and streamers, filled with joy. Outside the gate, the wide road on both sides was lined with luxurious horse-drawn carriages. Along the way, many dignitaries in bright clothes were accompanied by one or two young men and women, as well as servants carrying gifts, all smiling and flocking to the Xiao family residence...

  Xiao Guan and several elderly family members who rushed over from afar, as well as guest officials, all had flushed faces as they stood at the gate to welcome guests.

  "Mei Jie, what's going on? A celebratory banquet?" Chen Hao asked in surprise as he saw the scene ahead from afar in the horse carriage.

  "I suppose. It's also a tradition, every year on the day of the Yunzhou Martial Arts Gathering, all the major families would open their doors to entertain guests. All the merchants, nobles, and minor powers from various places in Yunzhou County who have business dealings or want to cooperate with us would come to visit. This is also one of the main sources of income for our martial arts family. In the past few years..." Xiaomei's charming eyes gazed out of the carriage window at the crowded luxurious carriages, her expression flashing with a hint of melancholy, and after a slight pause, she continued: "Because our Xia family was suppressed by the He Lian family everywhere, the Yunzhou Martial Arts Gathering got worse year by year, back then... the door was as bare as a pine tree, cold and deserted..."

  Xiao Mei said up to this point, turned her small face towards Chen Huan, a smile and emotion on her face, gazing at Chen Huan, saying: "But now it's fine, because of you... thank you!"

  "Ah, Xianghao, you don't know how miserable we were for the past two years... damn it, they're all just opportunistic guys. Now that everyone knows you'll be incredibly powerful in the future, look at this... our Xiao family's doorstep is going to be crowded to bursting this year! But... this feeling is really glorious, heh heh... Xianghao, you can't just leave and never come back, forgetting about your brothers. Even if you're looking down on us, you can't forget beautiful Mei sister and cute little Ling'er."

  "Bang!"

  Xiao Mei slapped Xiao Jishan's forehead and scolded: "What nonsense are you talking about?"

  Although they said so with their mouths, both Xiao Mei and Little Ling's faces were slightly red.

  "Heavenly Brother is not that kind of person..." Er Gouzi, with his honest and simple nature, didn't hide his admiration for Chen Hao at all, and seriously stared at Xiao Jishan.

  Chen Hao's mouth corners revealed a faint smile, and he didn't say much, but those deep black eyes flashed with an emotion that made everyone's heart tremble, his gaze was fixed on the outside of the car, as if it had become ethereal.

  The former him, a lifetime pursuit of eternal life, in countless fields, created countless glorious and honorable achievements that shocked the world, but had he ever truly been happy at that time?

  In the eyes of the world, he is cold and unfeeling, tyrannical and eccentric. No one can enter his heart, even the most beautiful woman in the world can only make him pause for a moment, just as a tool to vent his physical desires...

  No one can stop his footsteps until the last moment of his life, and he is still alone!

  Numerous psychologists have studied him and concluded that his experiences as an orphan, his childhood experiences, and the people who approached him with ulterior motives after he demonstrated incredible talent, hurt him and led to him closing off his heart, becoming cold-blooded and having a heart like ice.

  That's true but not entirely.

  As his achievements grew higher and higher, even those who were truly fond of him did so with a mix of admiration, reverence, and more often than not, fear. No one dared to treat him as a friend, nor did anyone think they had the qualifications to be his friend, and no woman had the confidence to enter his heart.

  Glory, honor, who will share?

  No one shares in the glory and honor, where does true happiness come from?

  What's the point?

  He stubbornly believed that what he did was not enough and obstinately believed that one day someone would understand him.

  But...

  He ultimately didn't make it.

  Now he has become Chen Huan, and Chen Huan is him. Chen Huan was just a teenager, without his extraordinary brilliance and glory, but had what he didn't have and yearned for, family affection, friendship...

  A little achievement, compared to his past self, is really just a small achievement, but the change it brings to the people close to him, such as Xiao Mei, Ling'er, Er Gouzi, and Xiao Jishan, makes Chen Hao feel a warmth from deep within his heart, a kind of warmth he has never experienced before...

  Is this really happiness? Is this really joy?

  Deep down, the other him with a heart as hard as ice, under Chen Huan's subtle feeling, seemed to be basking in warm and gentle sunlight, gradually melting away, full of spring vibes...

  It was at this moment that Xiao Mei, Xiao Jishan and others felt surprised, Chen Huan's body suddenly emitted an intangible aura, which seemed to be the warmest and softest sunlight in the world, enveloping them and shining on them...

  Everyone mysteriously felt that at this moment, they seemed to have touched Chen Hua's heart and entered his world. They basked in the warm and gentle sunlight, making their souls seem like white clouds drifting in the sky, rolling and stretching freely, or like fish swimming in the water, free and easy, roaming at will...

  The sound of "clip-clop" horseshoes, the shouting of the coachman, and the noise of the crowd gradually faded away from people's hearts. Inside the huge carriage, it became quiet and still, but was filled with a faintly vibrant atmosphere, which was the vibrant atmosphere of souls resonating together...

  Everyone unknowingly slowly closed their eyes...

  "What a comfortable feeling......" The horse driver, who was in a hurry, suddenly felt his mind extremely calm, and a kind of unprecedented joy appeared in his heart. What made him even more strange was that even the old horse pulling the cart seemed to have suddenly come alive, its labored footsteps also becoming lighter, as if stepping on musical notes, making the carriage even more stable.

  "Ah...... we're here!" The coachman was still a bit dazed when he suddenly realized the carriage had already arrived at the entrance of the Xiao family's residence. He quickly pulled on the reins and loudly shouted: "Whoa..."

  The subtle atmosphere disappeared instantly as Chen Huan's mind returned to normal, and everyone else also came back to their senses, feeling extremely puzzled in their hearts. What just happened?

  "We are the overall leader!"

  Just then, Chen Huan poked his head out and shouted to Xiao Guan who was standing at the gate: "There's a lot of stuff, can our carriage come in?"

  "Ah? Alright! Hurry up and put things in order, then head to the banquet hall. Xiao Lao, the host, and the city master are all waiting for you!" Seeing that it was Chen Huan and the others, Xiao Guan naturally knew what Chen Huan's words implied, and he couldn't help but smile slightly as he spoke.

  ……

  The banquet lasted till late at night, Chen Huan's heart was resistant and still remembered the black box from the Dongfang family, but he persisted to the end, not to enjoy other people's flattery and admiration, which had no meaning to him. He persisted to the end, just for the sake of the Xiao family.

  It was in the wee hours of the morning, after the so-called important guests had gradually dispersed, that Chen Huan returned to his room.

  Tomorrow, I will leave Yunzhou City and return to the Xiao family headquarters. There is only one month left before Chen Huan leaves Yunzhou, so what Chen Huan wants most now is to return to Taiping Town, quietly accompany his parents and younger brother and sister, and stay for a month.

  He knew that all of this was just a beginning, and in order to maintain his current glory and status, he must keep moving forward!

  Leaving is necessary and inevitable!

  Chen Hao locked the door and walked directly into the practice room, sat cross-legged on the cushion, and took out the black box from his bosom that filled him with curiosity.

  The moment he held it in his hand, a strange fluctuation suddenly emerged from Chen Huan's mind, leaving him stunned. This fluctuation was beyond his control and emitted a faint "hissing" sound, like tentacles, from the center of his eyebrows. It was colorless and formless, and even Chen Huan's extraordinary eyesight couldn't detect anything unusual, but his spirit sensed it very clearly. It was a series of fine, pure energies that seemed to be spiritual powers, directly wrapping around the black box...

  "Whoa..."

  At this moment, an incredible scene appeared before Chen Hao's eyes. The black box suddenly emitted a brilliant light as the tentacles came into contact with it, illuminating the entire cultivation room in an instant. At the same time, a powerful and pure energy began to flow through the tentacles at a terrifying speed, merging into Chen Hao's brow!

  What made Chen Huan even more stunned was that the energy had clearly entered his body, but in an instant before it reached his mind, it vanished without a trace!

  "This... " This familiar feeling made Chen Huan's eyes widen. When he was cultivating in the Magic Cloud Mountains, his yuan power mysteriously disappeared without a trace, wasn't it like this? At that time, Chen Huan didn't understand what was happening and thought there was something wrong with his body. But now, Chen Huan clearly sensed that there seemed to be another mysterious existence within his own body, otherwise how could he not control it and absorb energy? The absorbed energy merged into his own body, how could it mysteriously disappear without a trace?

  "How did this happen?"

  Chen Haoh's heart was shocked, and he found that his body was still under his control, without any influence. However, wanting to terminate this strange phenomenon was impossible. Even if he threw the wooden box far away, it had no effect. The tentacles emitted from his brow remained locked onto the box, causing it to float in mid-air, continuing to absorb the energy within!

  "Who are you? Who exactly are you?" Chen Hao's mind was shocked and he asked loudly in his heart.

  This time is different from the last soul fusion, because he is very clear that at this moment, he is the common body of Chen Hao and Li Yuan. There can't be another self in his mind.

  (Update 2 is here. Please, dear brothers and sisters of Ao Tian, during the free public period, come and give some support to Wu Shan, it's very important for him, thank you!!!!!!!)