"So, it appears you know everything. Why did Liu Yan tell you, even after I asked her not to?"
Xu Nanzhi complained.
"Don’t blame her. I noticed something was off with you yesterday and forced her to tell me. Why did you try to hide it from me? Do you truly think I’m useless?" Su Chengyu said.
Xu Nanzhi gently shook her head and said softly, "I always believed that you have a bright future ahead, that someday you’ll surpass Hong Zhen Ting, surpass many more individuals and explore wider worlds. I was born boring, my days are numbered, so why bother to add these troubles to you?"
"Aunt Xu, perhaps you were disappointed in the world, thought of life as uninteresting before, but I will show you hope, the beauty and joy this world have to offer."
Su Chengyu, once again, held Xu Nanzhi in his arms. Xu Nanzhi’s body gradually softened from its initial stiffness. She rested her head on Su Chengyu’s shoulder and murmured, "I won’t see that day. To leave with some pleasant memories in the last days of my life is enough for me. I dare not ask for more."
Su Chengyu could feel that Xu Nanzhi was very depressed and pessimistic.
The troubling experiences she had in her past and her current sickness would have driven anyone else insane.
"You said yourself that you believe my future will be bright and thrilling. I need you there with me to witness all of it. I will cure your illness."
Su Chengyu and Xu Nanzhi locked their eyes. His eyes were sparkling with determination, and in the depths of Xu Nanzhi’s eyes, Su Chengyu saw a sense of hopeless despair.
Xu Nanzhi gently stroked Su Chengyu’s striking face.
"If you genuinely intend to help, I will die without any regrets."
Su Chengyu placed his hand on Xu Nanzhi’s back. Xu Nanzhi immediately felt a wave of warmth spread throughout her body. Alongside the warmth, the discomfort brought by her illness seemed to lessen considerably, as if she was granted new life.
Surprise filled Xu Nanzhi’s beautiful eyes. Su Chengyu withdrew his hand and cut a thin line on his palm. Blood started to gush out.
"Su Chengyu, what are you doing?"
Xu Nanzhi quickly grabbed Su Chengyu’s hand. Su Chengyu in a soft voice said, "Aunt Xu, don’t be scared, just watch."
Su Chengyu chanted a spell with a wave of his hand over his wound. A miraculous scene unfolded before Xu Nanzhi’s eyes.
Blood stopped flowing from Su Chengyu’s wound almost immediately, and the gash healed at an incredible speed. In a blink of an eye, Su Chengyu’s palm was as good as new, bearing no mark of injury.
"How... How is this possible?"
Xu Nanzhi said in surprise.
Su Chengyu chuckled without answering, led Xu Nanzhi by the hand to a side, and took out a table napkin. He tore it into pieces and put them on Xu Nanzhi’s palm.
Then, he chanted another spell, and the paper scraps began shaking on their own. They instantly transformed into a thousand origami cranes flying from Xu Nanzhi’s hand as if bestowed life, fluttering around her.
"Is this magic or some special ability?" Xu Nanzhi found it astonishing.
Su Chengyu replied, "It’s neither magic nor special ability, but a spell! What we just did are the most basic spells for beginners."
After saying this, Su Chengyu snapped his fingers, and the floating cranes turned to sparks and vanished into thin air.
"Spell?! You’re kidding. There’re no such things as spells in this world. Where did you learn this magic? Are you trying to make me happy on purpose?" Xu Nanzhi said.
"I would never lie to you. Today, I will reveal my biggest secret to you - I am a cultivator, completely distinct from those who practice martial arts."
The identity of a cultivator was Su Chengyu’s biggest secret. He hadn’t told anyone about it, not even Su Xiaoxiao.
Now, Su Chengyu chose to reveal it to Xu Nanzhi, the most important woman in his life.
Seeing Xu Nanzhi still somewhat puzzled, Su Chengyu used the Sound Transmission Spell to tell her, "Aunt Xu, cultivation means absorbing nature’s spiritual energy, tempering the body, discovering potential, and finally achieving the Unity of Heaven and Man, and understanding the Daoism Method naturally. It’s what we generally call becoming an immortal."
Xu Nanzhi was utterly stunned. Su Chengyu’s mouth didn’t move a bit but his voice rang clearly in her head.
"Do not panic. I’m communicating with you via Sound Transmission Spell. I can talk directly with anyone within 500 meters without being detected. I can also learn about every movement within this range, even tracking an ant. That’s what a spell is."
Xu Nanzhi was completely shocked by Su Chengyu’s incredible powers. She even pinched herself to make sure she was not dreaming.
"Aunt Xu, do you believe me now?" Su Chengyu asked.
Xu Nanzhi nodded and said, "I believe you. It’s just that all of this seems too miraculous. How did you become a cultivator?"
"First, sit down, and let me explain everything slowly, okay?"
Su Chengyu was ready to reveal everything to Xu Nanzhi.
Xu Nanzhi was indeed very curious about Su Chengyu. She sat down, and Su Chengyu began his story from the banquet on his release day, recounting everything that had happened lately.
Xu Nanzhi listened intently, supporting her chin with both hands, the story fascinated her more and more.
"So that’s how it happened. It seems Jiang Yuyan and Chen Jun did help you. This is your most important secret. Why are you telling me? The less people know, the better, or it might be harmful to you."
Xu Nanzhi, an exceptionally intelligent woman instantly realized upon knowing about a Cultivator’s mysterious and scarce status that it might cause a great deal of danger and trouble for Su Chengyu.
"You are the person I trust the most. Naturally, I’m willing to share my most important secret with you. I want you to know that your illness is treatable to me."
At present, Su Chengyu indeed had no reservations toward Xu Nanzhi. It was absolute trust.
Xu Nanzhi was delighted to be trusted unconditionally by someone she cared about. It was a very comforting thing.
"You, on the other hand, trust others too readily. How long have we known each other? Even your wife, who shared your bed, betrayed you; why wouldn’t I, a woman who’s only had a one-night stand with you? Are you really so forgetful, or have you not had enough trouble yet?"
Xu Nanzhi cast a glance at Su Chengyu and said.
"I think, I’ve made a mistake once. This time, I won’t get it wrong."
Su Chengyu took Xu Nanzhi’s hands into his and said.
"That may not necessarily be true. I’m not any better than Jiang Yuyan. She betrayed you and had an affair with Chen Jun. And me, I’m someone else’s woman, yet I’m here with you..."