Chapter 20: The Ancient Ruins

In the days that followed, Meng Fan transferred to the Extraordinary Elementary School under the jurisdiction of Everywhere Connect. It’s worth mentioning that, after much insistence, he was finally placed in the sixth grade.

He continued to study Xingyi Quan under Yue Huyang’s guidance.

However, since Old Meng was no longer working at the zoo, Meng Fan no longer had to follow him there every weekend.

This left Meng Fan somewhat disappointed; after all, he had spent a long time with Da Huang and the others and had grown somewhat attached.

What troubled Meng Fan most was that practicing Tiger Form Xingyi without Da Huang as a reference caused his progress to lag significantly.

Fortunately, Yue Huyang understood Meng Fan’s difficulties and often took him to the zoo in Chang’an. Judging by the lively conversations Yue Huyang had with the zoo director, it was clear he had strong connections there.

One thing brought Meng Fan great joy: Everywhere Connect had arranged a house for Old Meng in Chang’an city itself, far better than the employee dormitories.

On weekends, if there were no tasks, Old Meng would accompany Meng Fan on outings—visiting the flower, bird, and fish markets or exploring local sights.

Overall, Old Meng was quite satisfied with his current job; he had more time to spend with his son and earned a good salary.

What pleased Old Meng most was that, even in his thirties, a female colleague had taken an interest in him and, despite him having a child, wanted to see if they could get along.

Everything seemed to be moving toward a promising future.

As for the difficulties Old Meng faced in his missions, he never mentioned them to Meng Fan, quietly bearing the burden just as in the original story.

Late at night, Meng Fan gazed at the birthmark on his arm, sinking into deep thought.

This starry realm—the boundary of the star sea—he had visited countless times, and the third star had been lit for over two years now.

Yet each time, Meng Fan looked but never chose to cross through.

The reason was simple: he lacked sufficient power.

From the images, he knew the third star’s world was the realm of the Eight Dragons of Heaven, a small-scale world on par with the Under-One-Person world, with a constructed interdimensional portal.

However, this ancient world, rich in advanced martial arts, intimidated Meng Fan’s slight frame.

Firstly, the time and place of crossing were uncertain—what if he stumbled into a battle and was slain by a master?

There would be nowhere to even mourn!

Secondly, every crossing consumed a certain amount of accumulated energy.

Meng Fan didn’t know the exact name for this energy, so he called it “space-time energy.” To maximize benefits, he needed some assurance or leverage before venturing into the world—to make the journey worthwhile.

In the Eight Dragons world, besides various martial arts manuals, what tempted Meng Fan most were the exotic beasts—wild creatures like the Manggu Red Toad and Ice Silkworm.

If he could tame them with his Beastmaster skills, he could quickly bolster his combat strength as a trump card.

But after over six months of training, Meng Fan had only just begun to grasp Xingyi Quan, barely crossing the threshold of intent cultivation.

As for his Beastmaster skills, though not forgotten, he needed time to tame large animals like tigers and bears. Even some seemingly unintelligent creatures could be temporarily commanded through his Qi, such as birds and sparrows.

Achieving this in almost four years was already remarkable.

Old Meng often praised Meng Fan’s talent as far surpassing his own.

It had taken Old Meng over six years to reach this point, while Meng Fan did so in less than four.

Meng Fan could only complain that Beastmaster skills were truly difficult to master—if not for knowing their potential, he wouldn’t have bothered.

Looking at the third star, Meng Fan sighed in resignation and shook his head, withdrawing his consciousness once again.

Tomorrow was Saturday.

Old Meng had promised to take Aunt Luo along on an outing to Tianwang Town in Jinjishi City, known for one of the Eight Scenic Spots.

In recent months, whenever Old Meng had free time, he’d take Meng Fan out to relax, as if making up for lost time.

Meng Fan knew deep down that Old Meng was trying to divert his own attention, using the beauty of nature to ease his mind.

After all, as a temp for Everywhere Connect, Old Meng’s work wasn’t exactly glamorous—mostly dealing with troublesome supernaturals.

Meng Fan’s direct reference was the Seven Deadly Accumulations cultivated by Zhao Guizhen from the original story.

Old Meng must be dealing with the darker side of the supernatural world, so while accompanying him on outings, Meng Fan sought ways to distract him and prevent painful memories.

The beginning is always the hardest.

Meng Fan sat up in bed, gazing at the night sky and then at Old Meng, who was sound asleep.

“Now you protect me, and one day, I’ll protect you.”

———

Tianwang Town bordered Panxi Town. Old Meng, Meng Fan, and his girlfriend went to see the legendary fishing spot of Jiang Ziya—Diaohuang Lingji.

Old Meng had truly hit the jackpot this time.

Meng Fan found himself sneaking glances at Aunt Luo, silently rating her. Though she was somewhat strong-willed, she had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Upon learning of Meng Fan’s childhood hardships, her maternal instincts blossomed.

Her imposing chest made Meng Fan feel breathless—he could guarantee his future little brother would never go hungry.

In the morning, the trio visited other scenic spots, like the Yangshui Cliff Waterfall. They seemed like a happy family of three, sharing joyful moments.

By afternoon, they ventured to the back mountain of Baogai Temple, an undeveloped scenic area. For supernaturals, such a hike was no challenge, so they chose to enjoy the natural beauty on foot.

Around five or six o’clock, they descended the mountain laughing and chatting, resting briefly at Baogai Temple.

“Dad, you two rest here. I’ll wander around the temple.”

“Alright, Xiao Fan, don’t go too far!”

“Got it!”

Meng Fan couldn’t stand the constant public displays of affection between Old Meng and Aunt Luo. To give Old Meng some space, he decided not to be a third wheel.

He hoped Old Meng would soon win Aunt Luo’s heart.

As he strolled, Meng Fan arrived at the Tianwang Hall. Inside was empty except for four statues of the Four Heavenly Kings, with only faint incense smoke lingering.

Meng Fan scrutinized the statues, feeling they differed somewhat from his impression.

Until his gaze settled on the statue of Guangmu Tianwang...