Heaven-Collapsing Start [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Having sent his Big Brother back to the Ji Family Manor, Gu Yun actually harbored some misgivings and anxiety in his heart; after all, the matter of his Big Brother returning from the dead was truly too shocking.

However, seeing that Father Ji’s face showed no emotional fluctuations, nor any expression of anger or flare of temper, Gu Yun slightly breathed a sigh of relief amidst his trepidation.

After taking another cautious look at Father Ji and confirming there was no sign of the expected thunderous rage, Gu Yun bid his farewell and departed. Although he did not want to leave so soon, he had been away from the Martial Arts Alliance for half a month, and many accumulated matters required his attention.

Father Ji only said calmly, “Go then. If you need your Foster Father’s help, speak plainly.”

Gu Yun nodded hurriedly. Just before he left, as he passed the carriage, his footsteps paused. After a moment of hesitation, he couldn’t help but speak in a low voice:

“Big Brother, you… listen well to Foster Father’s words.”

Inside the carriage, there was total silence.

Though he had long anticipated this, Gu Yun’s eyes still dimmed slightly when he truly received no reply. Feeling a sense of loss in his heart, he gave a light sigh and finally truly departed.

At this moment, outside the main gate of the Ji Family Manor, there remained only a simple carriage and Father Ji, Ji Yan, standing before it.

The air grew still.

The surrounding servants looked at one another until a hand lifted the carriage curtain, revealing the face of the person inside. Those servants instantly widened their eyes in astonishment.

As for the eldest young master, Ji Liang, who had grown up in the manor, he was gentle and humble; there was not a single servant who was unfamiliar with or did not recognize him. And it was precisely because of this that they felt shocked.

After all, when anyone sees a person confirmed to be dead suddenly standing alive before them, no one can remain indifferent.

The same was true for Father Ji. His originally calm gaze finally wavered when he saw this person with his own eyes.

However, when Ji Liang emerged from the carriage, he did not descend immediately. Instead, he raised his eyes to look at the Ji Family Manor before him scenery that was exactly the same as in his memory.

After a moment, he slightly shifted his vision and looked at the father of this body.

Ji Yan.

…

In the simple and quiet back courtyard, the servants who usually passed by would lighten their steps. However, today, the silence was broken by a burst of hurried footsteps.

The maidservant waiting outside the door blocked the servant who came running in haste, a look of displeasure flashing across her face. But after the servant explained his purpose, her eyes rounded in surprise. Even disregarding the servant’s presence, she quickly turned and entered the room.

Before a statue of the Bodhisattva Guanyin, with blue smoke curling from the incense burner, there was only one woman kneeling in this silent environment: Mother Ji, Su Rong.

The maidservant’s hurried entry caused the woman’s closed eyes to slowly open.

Truth be told, since marrying Father Ji, Mother Ji had restrained her temperament and no longer appeared in the martial arts world or meddled in its affairs. Therefore, even though the matter of Ji Liang’s rebellion had caused a great stir, it had already settled before Mother Ji even had time to learn of it.

To her, putting everything else aside, she was merely a mother who had suddenly lost her child, even if her child had committed a heaven-defying error.

As the saying goes, “to have a child and not teach them is the father’s fault,” and as a mother, she felt she should have led by example and could not condone it either.

Furthermore, when Mother Ji learned of Ji Liang’s return from the maid’s hurried words, she rushed to the ancestral hall. Before her raised foot could even step inside, she froze mid-air. Within her sight, aside from the rows of ancestral tablets, was that thin figure kneeling in the center of the hall.

At the entrance of the Ji Family Manor, Father Ji had locked eyes with Ji Liang for a moment without saying a word. Afterward, he led him directly into the manor and to this ancestral hall used for sacrificing to ancestors, making him kneel.

The interior was dim overall, with only the faint glow of candles burning quietly, reflecting off the ancient tablets. Light projected through the window and spilled onto the floor, appearing as if it were severed from the dark environment, with a clear boundary between them.

Ji Liang stood within that projected light, bathed in the sunshine. Yet his expression was indifferent and he stood motionless. The light cast a large shadow on the other side of his body, and the air was extremely cool and quiet.

Father Ji stood with his hands behind his back facing the ancestors. Seeing this, he couldn’t help but turn around.

“What, is Young Master Ji’s pride so unyielding that you can no longer be spoken to?”

Father Ji’s gaze was sharp at this moment, projecting directly onto the motionless figure. His fingers, held behind his back, couldn’t help but tighten into a fist.

Ji Liang remained peacefully silent, his eyes as calm as ever, quietly watching the tablets of the Ji family’s successive ancestors.

It wasn’t until Father Ji was about to speak again that, after a long while, he slowly knelt down.

His knees hit the ground, yet his waist and back were as straight as pine or bamboo.

Then, a figure dropped down beside him, accompanied by a soft, gentle, and graceful voice. Mother Ji had arrived.

“Mother will stay with you.”

Having rushed over from the back courtyard the moment she heard news of Ji Liang, Mother Ji’s eyes suddenly grew hot upon seeing the thin figure kneeling in the ancestral hall. Disregarding Father Ji’s attempt to stop her, she forcibly knelt by Ji Liang’s side.

She could not bring herself to tell Liang’er to get up; thus, she would stay with Liang’er and suffer with him.

After a long time, Father Ji could only let out a sigh. Helplessly, he told them both to rise.

Ji Liang was led out of the ancestral hall by Mother Ji, who was now moved to tears. Behind them, Father Ji’s gaze followed him as he stepped over the threshold and disappeared outside the hall, not looking away for a very long time.

…

Ji Liang returned to the original host’s courtyard. Mother Ji held his hand firmly the kind of grip where she wanted to use strength but didn’t dare use too much. In the end, a thousand words merged into one sentence:

“…It is good that you are back.”

Mother Ji wiped away the tears that unconsciously spilled from the corners of her eyes and managed a smile. She did not ask Ji Liang what had happened, nor how he had escaped death, nor did she hold him accountable for his faults. She acted just like an ordinary mother; upon returning to Ji Liang’s courtyard, she immediately directed the servants to clean it until it was spotless.

Not a single speck of dust remained.

“Liang’er, what would you like to eat in a while? Mother will make it for you.”

The smile on Mother Ji’s face never faded. At this moment, she looked at him with expectant eyes, quietly waiting for his answer.

Ji Liang’s eyes, which had remained rippleless throughout, moved slightly. Finally, he spoke slowly:

“…Anything is fine.”

He watched Mother Ji, who seemed to have regained a vivid vitality, leave the courtyard and disappear outside. Only then did he turn to look around this residence belonging to the original host.

Two servants were standing to the side, stealing glances at him. When his gaze swept past, they hurriedly lowered their heads.

Ji Liang knew what they were thinking nothing more than the matter of his return from the dead.

About fifteen minutes later, Mother Ji returned to the courtyard with a maidservant, carrying a food box in her hand. She opened it on the table to reveal a bowl of meat porridge and several dishes, from which a faint fragrance wafted.

It was not exceptionally lavish, yet it radiated threads of warmth.

Mother Ji personally served a bowl for Ji Liang, a smile lingering on her lips as her gaze brushed over every inch of her son’s face and skin…

After the meal was finished and the dishes were cleared away, Mother Ji did not leave. She looked at Ji Liang, and as if afraid of shattering something, spoke in an especially gentle tone:

“Liang’er, Mother found a doctor. Shall we have him take a look?”

Whether it was Ji Liang’s pale face, his thin frame, or the abnormal coldness of his fingers when touched, how could Mother Ji not have noticed? She had simply been enduring it all along.

However, considering Liang’er’s habitually proud nature, now that his martial arts were completely lost and his internal energy was gone, he was likely feeling very miserable in his heart. She could suppress the gossip within the manor, but what about Liang’er himself?

Mother Ji’s heart felt bitter, and she wished she could bear these pains for her Liang’er.

At this moment, on the surface, Mother Ji’s eyes were overflowing with heartache. She acted with such caution, as if treating a fragile piece of glassware. Ji Liang saw this in his eyes; regarding the terrible state of this body, it should be said he had long since grown accustomed to it.

Since Mother Ji knew, Father Ji surely knew as well. Given Gu Yun’s personality, he likely told them everything.

Following this, Father Ji’s figure appearing in his courtyard along with the doctor further confirmed this point.