In the Spirit Realm, Zhao Li unexpectedly discovered the lineage of people within his Pocket World, including several old acquaintances.
Looking at the anticipation, dependence, and overwhelming sense of grievance in the woman's eyes, Zhao Li took a deep breath, collected his thoughts, and put on a relaxed expression, like an elder seeing a child who had been missing since childhood grow up safely. He said with gratification:
"Ling Meng? I didn't expect that the Little Squirt from back then has grown up now. A Six-Star Dou Sheng, with this Strength, you can already protect what you care about. If they were Aware in the Afterlife, they would probably be relieved."
In reality, Zhao Li was indeed an elder figure. He could sense from Ling Meng's eyes that he was truly different to her, so he had no intention of changing the subject.
Whether it was from the many stories he had read in his previous life or his personal experiences in this life, he knew that when it came to matters of the heart, the most important thing was clarity. Moreover, this didn't seem like a big deal; explaining it clearly would suffice.
After all, his impression of Ling Meng was still that of a child. As for the feelings a Little Guy has for someone he hasn't seen in a Hundred Years, who could really know what they were?
Zhao Li even thought that Ling Meng was simply seeing him as a Lifesaving Straw, and every time she thought of him afterward, the impression deepened a little.
He didn't believe he possessed such great Charm that he could be loved by everyone he met.
Perhaps Zhao Li's words stirred Ling Meng's thoughts. Her gaze was deep, as if she were recalling the scenes stored in her hazy memory. Involuntarily, Mist welled up in her eyes, and the look she directed at Zhao Li held a bit more respect than before.
She didn't know why she remembered those images from her childhood, but the reason didn't really matter. She only knew that when she was young, watching her parents and villagers fall in a Pool of Blood, feeling the Great Force transmit through her mother's body to her own, her Bone Shattering, the Unbearable Pain, and yet she could only slowly feel her Consciousness Sinking into despair in the darkness under her mother's body...
Until Zhao Li appeared, the Pills entered her mouth, saving her life. In her Hazy Consciousness, she saw him carrying her, rushing from village to village, killing enemy after enemy. It was precisely because of this that even when she opened her eyes again and saw Zhao Li possessed by a Spirit Emperor through Ghost Possession, the shadow deep in her memory was still Ling Li, who had led her Dim Consciousness out of the darkness.
The memory from that Time, over the past nearly Hundred Years, had a significant impact on her life. She cultivated without pause, partly to find the Truth of that year, and partly to find Ling Li.
Now, the blurry shadow in her memory and the Zhao Li she saw when she opened her eyes, these two existences merged and appeared before her. Along with the joy in her heart, there was also a sense of unfamiliarity. At this moment, she suddenly felt a sense of ease, as if she had finally achieved her goal.
This feeling caused Ling Meng to freeze slightly. She realized that the feeling of actually seeing the person was different from how she had imagined their reunion would be.
After a long while, she suppressed the surprise and strangeness in her heart, let out a long sigh, and replied to Zhao Li with a low voice:
"It's a pity they can no longer know this, and I, yet, can do nothing for them..."
Having spent nearly a Hundred Years on the Dou Qi Continent, even though she was mostly in the Spirit Realm, she had ultimately learned the most fundamental Laws of the Continent and knew her true enemies. But precisely because of this, she felt a sense of Powerlessness and was disheartened.
She considered her Talent to be decent, but in a Hundred Years, although her Progress was Rapid, she still couldn't even defeat the Spirit Race Clan Head, let alone the nearly Supreme Being, Hun Tiandi. No matter how arrogant she was, she had to admit that she might not be able to reach Hun Tiandi's level.
In a trance, Zhao Li felt that this person before him, who was a Hundred Years old and possessed the Strength of a Six-Star Dou Sheng, was like a child who had finally found an elder they could rely on after much difficulty, and then let go of their strength, revealing a vulnerable side. His heart quietly relaxed, and then he laughed at himself inwardly:
Overthinking things. Do you really think you have that 'One Glimpse of Zhao Li Ruins a Lifetime' Halo and Charm?
Shaking his head slightly, Zhao Li's finger gently brushed the hair on Ling Meng's forehead that was stuck to her eyelids from her tears, tucking it behind her ear. Then he pointed to himself, pointed to Ling Poshan, and said:
"I know, he knows, and they know too. It's in the past. How old are you now? Don't cry. From now on, you should continue to look forward, just like before."
Zhao Li didn't know how to comfort people, but he understood what his existence meant to Ling Meng—he was perhaps the embodiment of all her beautiful Childhood Memories.
Before he truly appeared before her, it was like a kind of Obsession, stored deep in her memory. But no matter how beautiful the memory, it was ultimately illusory. His appearance shattered the only remaining beauty in Ling Meng's childhood memory, completely pulling her back to reality, clearly telling her that the past had indeed happened, but it was also over...
At this time, he didn't mind being a Big Tree for this child, even though this child was already considered a formidable figure on the Continent.
It was fine when Zhao Li didn't speak, but as soon as he did, the grievance in Ling Meng's heart exploded all at once, and she actually started crying again, leaving Zhao Li frozen in place for a moment, somewhat at a loss. He could only look to Ling Haoran and the other person for help, but all they returned were smiling faces.
Seeing that the two of them clearly couldn't help, Zhao Li also gave up. Looking at the increasingly distraught Ling Meng before him, who was almost sobbing, he suddenly remembered his past self. When he was wronged, if no one asked, he could bear it, but when someone suddenly showed concern at a certain moment, it seemed to be like this.
With this thought, he felt relieved and whispered softly:
"Cry. If you wish, you can still be Ling Li's sister in the future."
He didn't know what she had gone through, but from now on, he could make things easier for her, for them.
Perhaps the grievance flowed out with the tears, or perhaps she wasn't truly a child after all and felt she was losing control. After a short while, she stopped and said with a slight embarrassment:
"I'm sorry, I've made a fool of myself. After thinking about it for a Hundred Years, I finally got to see you today. In my Emotional Turmoil, I lost my composure."
She was telling the Truth. Just as Zhao Li understood, her childhood experience could be considered a Heart Knot for Ling Meng. Now, by chance, she had found the Threads of that Heart Knot, and there were signs of it being untied, which was why she was so distraught.
Among the people still conscious there, any one of them could be considered her elder, so they naturally wouldn't laugh at her. Zhao Li also waved his hand, and his Soul Power quietly spread out, like a Spring Breeze Caressing the Face, Nourishing Things Silently, affecting the few people. He said:
"It's alright. You rest first. We can talk about anything else later."
He found that Ling Meng's Soul Power was fluctuating around a Boundary, extremely unstable. He simply took the opportunity to guide it, allowing her to break through and advance further with this Opportunity.
With his current Realm, guiding a Little Guy at the Dou Sheng level was effortless. Thus, under Zhao Li's influence, the few people didn't feel anything amiss and dispersed, leaving only Ling Haoran to attend to Zhao Li.
Even though he was the Clan Head of the Spirit Race and a prominent figure in his daily life, Ling Haoran still felt immense pressure in front of Zhao Li and was quite uncomfortable until Zhao Li spoke:
"The Spirit Race was nearly annihilated. At this time, what are your thoughts?"
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