The elderly woman, referred to as Aunt Yang, didn't resist as she handed over the water bucket to Liang Zhonghuai. Standing aside with joy, she asked:
"How long will you be staying this time? Do you have enough shoes and socks? I made some recently, I'll bring them to you later."
Liang Zhonghuai quickly poured all the water into the water tank and responded:
"No rush. I've applied for leave, so I'll be staying home for a long while."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Yang was pleasantly surprised:
"Really? That's wonderful! I'll make a few more dishes tonight, and you can sit with me and eat."
Seeing her so happy, Liang Zhonghuai knew she must have been feeling lonely staying home by herself most of the time. He gently nodded and said:
"Alright, from now on, I'll eat with you every day."
During lunch, Liang Zhonghuai held a bowl filled to the brim with rice, watching Aunt Yang enjoy her meal. After thinking for a moment, he spoke up:
"Aunt Yang, now that I have some time, why don't I accompany you to the mortal world to find your daughter?"
Aunt Yang, surprised by the sudden mention of this topic, paused. Her eyes reddened, and she stared at the food in front of her for a long time. Liang Zhonghuai didn't say anything further, quietly sitting with her.
It had been fifteen years since she and her young daughter had been separated.
Fifteen years since she had come to the world of cultivation.
Suddenly, memories flooded back—of the time they were fleeing and, in a moment of carelessness, how she lost her daughter.
After a long while, Aunt Yang lowered her head and wiped her eyes before nodding slowly:
"Alright, this way I can also bring your uncle home to rest in peace."
Back then, she and her husband had accidentally stumbled into the world of cultivation while fleeing from danger. It was there that they met Liang Zhonghuai, who had been in a desperate state, having fled his family.
At that time, his name wasn't Liang Zhonghuai; he was called Liang Ji, born to be a sacrificial offering for his family.
The physical and emotional torment he had endured finally drove him to escape his family.
It was Uncle Yang who gave him the new name Liang Zhonghuai.
With the care and encouragement of Uncle Yang and Aunt Yang, Liang Zhonghuai, who had been filled with despair, slowly regained his will to live.
Back then, the three of them shared a cave in the wilderness.
Perhaps they were lucky, as they didn't encounter any wild beasts, and since Liang Zhonghuai had already reached the ninth level of Qi Refinement, he had some basic survival skills. They managed to survive in the wild for some time, relying on nearby berries, fish caught by Uncle Yang from a distant stream, and low-level demonic beasts that Liang Zhonghuai barely managed to capture.
Later, Liang Zhonghuai passed the employee screening for Wanwanton and successfully joined, eventually saving enough to buy a small courtyard in Lixu City, where they finally settled down.
The three lived peacefully in the city for a while.
However, tragedy struck unexpectedly.
Uncle Yang was caught in the crossfire during an incident involving a berserk Foundation Establishment cultivator on the streets. Many mortals lost their lives that day.
Though the city's barrier eventually killed the rampaging cultivator, those who had perished could not be brought back.
Aunt Yang arrived just in time to say goodbye to Uncle Yang before he passed. His last concern was their missing daughter.
Since then, Aunt Yang had mostly confined herself to the house, only venturing out early in the mornings to fetch water and buy groceries.
The world of cultivators was far too dangerous.
She had to stay alive, if only to find her daughter.
Now, with Liang Zhonghuai offering to take her back to the mortal world, she felt a deep sense of melancholy.
It had been fifteen years.
Yet, they still had no idea how they had ended up in the cultivation world. Back then, they had been exhausted and disoriented, and before they knew it, they had encountered Liang Zhonghuai.
Even after all these years, despite Liang Zhonghuai working at Wanwanton, he hadn't found a reliable way to return to the mortal world.
The only option was to take a long, arduous journey on foot.
According to the few cultivators who had traveled from the mortal world, even those at the Core Formation or Nascent Soul stage would take at least half a year to a year to make the trip.
These were details Liang Zhonghuai shared with Aunt Yang each time he learned something new.
Aunt Yang thought about it and then asked:
"Will this take up too much of your time?"
Liang Zhonghuai shook his head:
"You and Uncle Yang are my family now, and searching for your daughter is just as important as anything else. Don't worry about time."
"Let's settle it then. I'll go out shortly to prepare supplies for the journey. You can help me think of anything I might've missed, and we'll leave in a couple of days once everything is ready."
Though he was only in the Foundation Establishment stage, Liang Zhonghuai had saved up a considerable amount of spirit stones over the years.
He had even acquired several useful flying artifacts.
Ever since he learned about Aunt Yang and Uncle Yang's lost daughter and how difficult it was to reach the mortal world, he had been saving up.
He was determined to help Aunt Yang and Uncle Yang find their daughter.
To Liang Zhonghuai, they were his only family in this world.
If his cultivation wasn't high enough, he would compensate with plenty of spirit stones and fly there using his artifacts.
Now was the perfect opportunity.
Three years might be enough.
But if it wasn't, that wouldn't matter either.
If need be, he could quit his job.
After all, there were other ways to make a living.
Aunt Yang, moved by his words, looked at him with tears in her eyes and said:
"Good child, thank you."
And so, after lunch, the two began preparing for the journey.
Liang Zhonghuai went out to buy various supplies they would need, watching as his hard-earned spirit stones flowed out of his hands.
Meanwhile, Aunt Yang went to the backyard and retrieved Uncle Yang's ashes from the grave.
This grave had been built in their courtyard at Liang Zhonghuai's insistence.
He couldn't rest easy burying Uncle Yang anywhere else.
If they had buried him outside the city, who knew when some cultivator's duel might destroy the grave?
By keeping Uncle Yang's remains in their own courtyard, they could ensure his peace.
After retrieving the ashes, Aunt Yang began packing her belongings.
Most of it was her own, as she was still a mortal and needed various items for daily living.
Liang Zhonghuai, on the other hand, only required a few clothes and shoes that Aunt Yang had made for him. Everything else was stored on him.
The two worked quickly.
By the afternoon of the second day, the small, unnoticed courtyard in Lixu City was empty. The door was locked, and a protective array was set in place.