Class Reunion

Yu Zhen was sick, with a persistent high fever and unconsciousness. His forehead was unbelievably hot, yet his limbs were inexplicably cold and couldn't be warmed up no matter what.

“What on earth is going on? We should go to the hospital. Xiao Yan, let's take Xiao Zhen to the hospital.” Chou Feiqian was burning with anxiety, both angry and heartbroken.

The anger was directed at the Chou Family. Yu Zhen had a soft and honest personality. He was fine before, but after visiting the Chou Family and being embarrassed, he fell ill upon returning. In her opinion, nine times out of ten, he had fallen ill from anger!

Even if it wasn't from anger, it was because he felt bad after being confronted and caught a chill when he went to the balcony for some air.

Anyway, it was the Chou Family's fault!

"We're not going anymore. After Father passes away, I'm never going back to that place again. Just asking for trouble for no reason!" she couldn't help but say. Remembering how those younger relatives had insinuated yesterday that Yu Zhen was a poor man trying to climb the social ladder, she wished she could rush to the Chou Family and teach a lesson to that whole group of juniors who didn't know how to behave!

"We should have stopped going long ago. Yesterday, my eldest cousin was even about to hit me..." Yin Le muttered under his breath.

Chou Feiqian's sharp ears caught it, and she instantly became even angrier.

Someone was going to get hit? How old was Chou Junwen, and how old was Xiao Le? Not to mention Xiao Le was a guest! He was actually going to hit someone? Did he still have any respect for her as an elder!

Seeing that Chou Feiqian was about to grab her phone to call the Chou Family and start a fight, Yin Yan slightly let go of Yu Zhen's hand and said, “Mom, my aunt is coming over today. She should be here soon. I've got it here, why don't you go downstairs and prepare for a bit.”

He then gestured for Yin Le to go and coax Chou Feiqian, lest she get sick from anger.

Yin Le was a master at reading the situation. Knowing his last remark had poured oil on Chou Feiqian's already blazing fire, he quickly went to support her, leading her out while saying, "Right, right, Auntie will be here soon. It wouldn't do for no one to greet her. Let's go down first."

"But Xiao Zhen..." Chou Feiqian was reluctant to leave, still worried.

Yin Yan reassured her, “The family doctor said it will take a while for the fever reducer to work. If it really doesn't go down, we'll go to the hospital. Mom, please don't worry for now.”

Chou Feiqian glanced at Yu Zhen's pale face, thinking that going to the hospital would be another ordeal for him. She hesitated for a moment, then took his advice and let Yin Le pull her out.

After they left, Yin Yan went forward to close the door, summoned Xu Wu to stand guard at the entrance, then returned to the bedside, directly lifted the covers, got into bed, and held Yu Zhen.

Yesterday afternoon, after Yu Zhen fell unconscious, he started running a high fever that wouldn't break. Chou Feiqian immediately called the family doctor.

After dinner, Yin Yan used medicine to create the illusion that Yu Zhen's fever had subsided, temporarily placating Chou Feiqian and preventing her from insisting on taking Yu Zhen to the hospital.

This morning, the effect of the medicine wore off, and Yu Zhen's fever returned. Chou Feiqian, as expected, grew anxious again. But this time, Yin Yan couldn't use medicine to fake a recovery; he had to make Yu Zhen genuinely better.

Yu Zhen wasn't actually running a fever right now. It was a profusion of internal yin fire caused by Soul Separation. And because his Soul Body was incomplete and his Dao Heart was damaged, his cultivation had stagnated, and the Soul Loss Disorder had reappeared, manifesting externally as cold limbs.

“Yu Zhen.” Inside the covers, he held Yu Zhen's hand, the one wearing the ring, slowly releasing his power as he whispered in his ear, “Come back. This time, it's Master's turn to wait for you.”

A thick fog spread. Yu Zhen's consciousness suddenly broke free from a state of chaos. He opened his eyes and found himself standing under the peach blossom tree on the back mountain of the Taoist Temple.

“Why are you back again?”

A child's voice complained, and then a peach blossom branch suddenly fell, hitting him on the forehead. The childlike voice then said huffily, "Here, take it. You mortals are so annoying, always losing parts of your soul. Why are you so fragile?"

The peach blossom branch didn't hurt at all when it hit his head; instead, a warm feeling spread out from the point of contact.

Yu Zhen was stunned. He raised his hand to touch the top of his head but felt nothing. He looked down at his feet but couldn't find the fallen peach blossom branch either. He was puzzled.

“Dummy, the branch has already been absorbed by you. You won't find it,” the childlike voice said sulkily, then, remembering something, it hurriedly said, “No, no, that fierce old man won't let me call you a dummy... Ahhh, you're so annoying! Go away, go away! I don't want to become a bald, leafless tree.”

The peach blossom tree beside him suddenly began to shake violently, then vanished with a whoosh, disappearing from sight.

Yu Zhen was dumbfounded. He spun around in place and even squatted down to pat the ground, but he couldn't even find a pit where the tree had been. All he felt was a patch of withered grass. He was completely stupefied.

Where was the tree? How could it just disappear like that?

Before his increasingly foolish mind, a result of his Soul Separation, could figure out what was happening, the thick fog rose again. The back mountain vanished, replaced by a plot of muddy ground. There were traces left behind from where the ruins of some buildings had been cleared away.

He looked around and belatedly recognized this place as the Taoist Temple—the Taoist Temple that was no more.

So this is what it became in the end...

He squatted down and caressed the land with longing, his expression turning sad.

“Xiao Zhen.”

An old man's aged voice suddenly sounded behind him. He froze and turned his head eagerly, but saw nothing.

“Go back.”

This time, the voice sounded beside him.

Yu Zhen turned his head again. He was in such a hurry that his body even tilted and he fell to the ground, but he had no time to care. He anxiously looked around and asked, "Grandpa, where are you?"

“In your Dao Heart.”

Dao Heart?

Yu Zhen immediately looked down at his chest and Dantian, only to discover with horror that his body was transparent. He could even see the ground beneath him through his own body.

He raised his hand. Sure enough, the hand that had looked perfectly normal just a moment ago had also become semi-transparent.

“Xiao Zhen, go back. Grandpa will lead the way for you.”

‘Yu Zhen, come back. This time, it's...’

The old voice and a cool, low voice sounded at the same time. At the end of the thick fog, a golden light seemed to shoot out. All illusions disappeared, and his consciousness suddenly cleared, returning to reality.

Yu Zhen's eyes flew open. He instinctively hugged the warm body in front of him tightly, frantically absorbing the power flowing from it.

Yin Yan paused in his movements, then immediately hugged him tighter and called out, "Xu Wu."

The white cat guarding the door meowed, ran to a corner of the room, and transformed into a pagoda, its door opening.

Yin Yan carried Yu Zhen inside, set up a Spirit Gathering Formation, and then exited the pagoda alone. He then retracted the seal, returning the pagoda to the Mustard Seed Space within his Sea of Consciousness. With a wave of his hand, he cleared the lingering Spiritual Qi in the room and casually took out an ancient-looking tree branch, tossing it onto the bed. Another "Yu Zhen" lay peacefully on the bed.

A knock on the door immediately followed, and Chou Feiqian's voice came from outside, “Xiao Yan, how is Xiao Zhen? Your aunt is here. Is it convenient for her to come in and see him?”

“Coming.”

He answered, glanced around to make sure there was nothing amiss in the room, and then walked towards the door.

Warmth enveloped his entire body. Catalyzed by this warmth, Yu Zhen discovered that the seed in his Dantian was rapidly swelling and growing larger. Then, it opened up and sprouted, growing its first tender leaf.

At some point, he himself had become the sprouting seed within his Dantian. A white mist mixed with the soil formed from Merit, surrounding him and nourishing his body, bit by bit.

The feeling was too comfortable. He couldn't help but stretch his leaves and slowly began to "breathe" in rhythm with the rotation of the surrounding soil.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but the soil around him suddenly began to spin faster. He only felt his body getting hot and bloated. Then, the heat reached its peak, and with a soft pop, the second leaf grew out.

His consciousness was pulled away. He opened his eyes to find himself sitting in a space shimmering with specks of Spiritual Qi light. An Ancient Book was floating in front of him.

As if sensing his gaze, the Ancient Book suddenly flipped its pages, and a line of large, ink-black characters appeared—Second Question: Child's Budding Heart.

The large characters appeared and then vanished, followed by another line of smaller characters: Born as a human, how should one live?

All the characters disappeared. The Ancient Book closed and transformed into a ray of golden light, flying towards the spot between his eyebrows.

A gentle breeze brushed his face, and what sounded like immortal music played in his ears. Yu Zhen closed his eyes and opened them again, letting out a long, turbid breath. His consciousness was finally, completely clear.

Rumble.

The pagoda door opened, and the spiritual light and darkness dissipated together. Outside the pagoda lay green mountains and clear waters, with countless flowers in full bloom. An imposing palace was hidden in the clouds and mist atop a distant high mountain. Though he could only glimpse a corner of it, the feeling of being in an immortal realm was already overwhelming.

Yu Zhen was filled with shock. He couldn't help but get up and step out of the pagoda door, and then a world like a Peach Blossom Land unfolded before his eyes.

As far as the eye could see, there were bouquets of unknown flowers blooming brilliantly. He was currently standing at the edge of a flower field. Looking back, the towering pagoda, black with gold patterns, stood guard behind him like a guardian beast. Looking forward, the flower field stretched into the distance. Butterflies danced, and in the far distance, mountain ranges rose and fell, shrouded in clouds and mist, with a palace nestled among them, faintly visible. To his right, the lake's surface rippled, and an exquisite wooden bridge led directly to a small pavilion in the heart of the lake. As the gentle breeze blew, the light gauze curtains of the pavilion were lifted, revealing glimpses of the exquisite furnishings inside. To his left, there was a bamboo forest with a bamboo house, and a winding path disappeared into the woods, inviting one to explore deeper.

His eyes widened. He couldn't help but raise his hand and pinch himself hard. It hurt, which only made him more confused.

“Where is this? D-Did I transmigrate?” he muttered to himself. Looking at this scene that seemed straight out of a historical drama, he vaguely felt that he must have gone mad.

The black pagoda faded and disappeared, and the white cat appeared. It ran over, flicking its tail, and skillfully climbed up his pant leg to his shoulder. It tilted its head, rubbed against him, and meowed. The scene before his eyes changed, and he was standing in a spacious, antique-style room.

The room was comfortably furnished with soft carpets and pillows, but there was no bed. He was standing in front of a low table, upon which sat a Bronze Mirror.

Xu Wu jumped onto the Bronze Mirror, tapped it lightly, and meowed at him.

“You want me to take it?” Yu Zhen finally came back to his senses. Seeing the familiar figure of Xu Wu in this strange place, he subconsciously began to rely on it. He asked as he bent down to pick it up, grabbing the Bronze Mirror at the same time.

When he picked up the Bronze Mirror, it first gave a blurry reflection of his current foolish-looking self. Then, the mirror's surface flashed, changing to the familiar sight of tall buildings and roads. In the middle of the screen, the black car driven by Yin Yan flashed past. He was stunned and instinctively called out, "Yin Yan!"

The surface of the mirror rippled again, changing to the scene inside the car. Yin Yan parked the car, got out, and a woman who couldn't be more familiar walked up to him.

“Han Ya?”

Yu Zhen's voice unconsciously rose, and he suddenly held his breath.

What was going on? He had inexplicably come to this place, been guided by Xu Wu to pick up this mirror, and then he actually saw this scene? Why was Yin Yan meeting with Han Ya?

What exactly was going on right now?

Yin Yan, who had just gotten out of the car, suddenly stopped in his tracks. He raised a hand to cover his ear, the corner of his mouth curling up imperceptibly. Ignoring Han Ya who was approaching, he walked up to a man waiting by the roadside, greeted him, and said, "Sorry, I have to leave for a moment. My love is here, at the nearby mall. I have to go pick him up."

The man was stunned upon hearing this. He glanced at Han Ya, a bit confused about who this "love" Yin Yan was talking about. He nodded and replied, "O-Okay, we'll wait for you at the coffee shop then."

Yin Yan nodded, apologized again, and continued to ignore Han Ya as he turned and walked away.

After he left, the man frowned at Han Ya and asked with confusion, "Xiao Ya, what's wrong with Yin Yan? You and he..."

Han Ya gave a pale smile and replied, "It's nothing... He got married, to a man he's only met twice. He has some misunderstandings about me... It was my fault. I shouldn't have caused him to get into that car accident. Thank you for helping me connect with him, but I don't think he'll ever forgive me."

The man was stunned. He was both surprised and angry. He said, “Married to a man he's only met twice? Has Yin Yan gone crazy? Back then, you helped him and took care of him so much when you were abroad. How could he treat you like this? As a grown man, that attitude just now, he has absolutely no class.”

"It's not his fault, it's me..." Han Ya couldn't finish her sentence. She turned her head and blinked hard to hold back her tears. She turned back to him and forced a smile, saying, "Yin Yan doesn't want to see me, so I won't go to the class reunion this time. You guys have fun, I'll be leaving now."

"Wait." The man quickly stopped her. After his anger subsided, he remembered Yin Yan's personality and his undying devotion to Han Ya back then, and he began to hesitate. He said, "Wait a moment. Ai Rui will be here soon. We haven't seen each other for so many years. Wait until you've seen her before you leave."

Han Ya put on a hesitant expression, but finally nodded and stayed, entering the coffee shop with him.

In the mall restroom, Yin Yan released Yu Zhen. He intentionally didn't place him steadily, using the gesture of steadying him to pull him into his arms.

Yu Zhen watched as the Yin Yan in the Bronze Mirror turned into the mall restroom, and then, with a blur of his vision, he landed in the restroom—or more accurately, in Yin Yan's embrace.

It was a normal gesture, but at this moment, it made him feel a bit embarrassed. Then he got even angrier. He pushed him away, frowning, and said, “What's the deal with Han Ya? And that man.”

“The man is named Fu Wenhua. He was 'my' university classmate and took good care of me. He's been abroad for the past few years and recently decided to come back to develop his career, so he invited some old classmates he was close with for a get-together. Han Ya used to be on good terms with him.”

Yin Yan explained. After being pushed away, he took his hand instead, a surge of power flowing out.

Yu Zhen instinctively absorbed his power, then froze. He quickly pulled his hand away, forgetting to be angry, and stared at his own hand in shock.

What's going on? He had just...

“Good appetite, very healthy.” Yin Yan grabbed his hand again, proactively transferring a bit of power over. Then he held on, leading him out as he said, “But you must be moderate when absorbing external power. Too much is as bad as not enough. After absorbing it, remember to digest and convert it into your own power.”

What did he mean by 'good appetite, very healthy'? As if he were a pig being fed.

Yu Zhen dazedly followed him, getting used to the feeling of another person's power running rampant in his body before slowly being drawn into his Dantian. It took him a while to realize something was wrong. He asked, "Where are you taking me?"

Yin Yan turned to look at him, giving him an up-and-down look before replying, "To buy clothes. Or do you want to attend my class reunion dressed like this?"

Yu Zhen followed his gaze down. Pajamas, slippers, and one of Yin Yan's overcoats on top. His face flushed red in an instant. He quickly hid behind him, glanced at the crowd of people passing by, and said, "H-How did I end up dressed like this?"

After a trip around the men's clothing section of the mall and a change of clothes, Yu Zhen finally understood the current situation.

That day, after returning from the Chou Family, his emotions had been impacted, affecting his Dao Heart, which immediately led to Soul Separation and a coma. The next day after waking up, he had immediately entered a meditative state.

Yin Yan had placed him in the pagoda and then stored both him and the pagoda in the Mustard Seed Space within his Sea of Consciousness. It wasn't until today, a week later, that his meditation ended and Yin Yan let him out.

During the days he was in meditation, Yin Yan had used a magical artifact to create a Puppet "Yu Zhen" to keep the Yin Family from worrying. Later, fearing that the Yin Family would see through the deception, he used the excuse that there were always guests visiting during the New Year, which was not conducive to recovery, and moved with the Puppet "Yu Zhen" to the apartment, making video calls to Chou Feiqian every day to report that he was safe.

It was now the eighth day of the Lunar New Year. Most people's holidays were over, and Yin Hexiang and Chou Feiqian had already returned to work and were starting to urge them to come back. Coincidentally, the original owner's old classmate, Fu Wenhua, had invited him out, so Yin Yan used the excuse of taking him to a class reunion to stall for another day.

And then, just in time, he returned today. If he hadn't, Yin Yan wouldn't have been able to stall any longer.

"You seem to have grown a little taller." Yin Yan wrapped a new scarf around Yu Zhen's neck, compared their heights, then ruffled his hair and added, "Your hair has grown longer too."

Yu Zhen didn't feel much of a difference. Worried that Yin Yan's classmates had been waiting for a long time, he hurried him along.

By the time the two of them returned to the coffee shop, half an hour had passed.

Everyone Fu Wenhua had invited had arrived and was chatting while waiting for them.

At a table by the window in the coffee shop, there were a total of five people, three men and two women.

Yu Zhen had seen the medium-height, scholarly-looking Fu Wenhua in the mirror, and Yin Yan had also explained who he was. He knew Han Ya, but the rest of the people were all unfamiliar faces.

"Well, well, I thought Yin Yan was going to pick up some delicate little miss, but I didn't expect it to be a grown man. Half an hour? Don't tell me that in the few years I haven't been back in B City, the mall next door moved?"

The curly-haired woman sitting next to Han Ya started complaining the moment Yin Yan appeared with Yu Zhen, her tone sarcastic and her hostility towards Yu Zhen very obvious.

Upon hearing this, Han Ya quickly reached out to pull on the curly-haired woman's arm, only to be slapped away by the latter in a "you're a lost cause" manner. The curly-haired woman's gaze towards Yu Zhen then became even more hostile.

Yu Zhen pretended not to hear the malice in her words. It was indeed his and Yin Yan's fault for being late, so he said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I was the one who delayed Yin Yan. We've kept you all waiting."

The men quickly said it was fine and told them to sit down, but their gazes kept darting between Han Ya and Yin Yan.

The atmosphere was a bit strange.

Yin Yan also apologized. He first pulled out a chair for Yu Zhen, and only after seating him did he sit down beside him. Then, while helping him take off his scarf, he introduced the people at the table, “This is my partner, Yu Zhen. The wedding will be at the end of the year. I'll let you know once the date is set. Yu Zhen, these are my university classmates. Fu Wenhua, my roommate. Shi Yanhao, my senior. Xiao Shiyang, my classmate. Ai Rui, Xiao Shiyang's girlfriend.”

He went around introducing everyone but deliberately left out Han Ya. Han Ya immediately looked embarrassed and awkward.

The curly-haired woman, Ai Rui, immediately flared up, her eyes wide. She spoke in a familiar tone, “Yin Yan, that's going too far. We've known each other for so many years, and you introduce me as just 'Shiyang's girlfriend'? What, am I not worthy of being your friend? Also, Han Ya is a living person right here. Are you blind?”

“Ai Rui.” Xiao Shiyang was a tall, sturdy man with thick eyebrows and large eyes. He reached out and tugged on Ai Rui, signaling her to say less.

Ai Rui slapped his hand away and began an indirect tirade, "Don't pull me. You men are all the same. When she was taking care of you and being considerate, she was a goddess, a spiritual pillar, 'a touch of warmth in a foreign land.' But after just a few years back in the country, she's nothing. You change your heart so quickly, as if your ex is some kind of virus you can't touch, completely ignoring her."

These words were too harsh. Xiao Shiyang became embarrassed and pulled on Ai Rui again, saying to Yin Yan, "Sorry, you know Ai Rui's personality. She's straightforward and speaks her mind. Don't take it personally."

The atmosphere had dropped to a freezing point. Fu Wenhua now deeply regretted organizing this reunion. If he had known, he would have checked on the situation first.

“Being straightforward is no excuse for being rude. Also, not an ex. Han Ya's ex is Wu Xuan. She and I never even started.”

Yin Yan picked up the scarf Yu Zhen had just taken off and wrapped it around his neck again. Then he took his hand and stood up, looking down at Ai Rui. He said, “You'd better get your facts straight before you speak. Don't be used by others without realizing it.”

He then looked at Han Ya, his tone a warning, “Don't mislead others anymore, and don't slander Yu Zhen to outsiders. My relationship with Yu Zhen started after you and I had a complete falling out. You and I both know this clearly. Don't challenge my bottom line again.”

With that, he gave an apologetic nod to Fu Wenhua and led Yu Zhen away.

The people at the table had never expected him to erupt so suddenly and were stunned by the amount of information in his words.

Used, misled, slandered? And who was Wu Xuan? What did he mean by 'never even started'?

They looked at each other for a few seconds. Fu Wenhua glanced at Han Ya thoughtfully, also said he was sorry, and chased after the departing Yin Yan.

After Fu Wenhua also left, Ai Rui finally sensed that something was wrong. She frowned and looked at Han Ya beside her, asking, "What's going on? You were never with Yin Yan? And who is this Wu Xuan?"

Han Ya had not expected Yin Yan to bring Yu Zhen to this reunion, nor had she expected him to be so merciless. What she had expected least of all was for Ai Rui to be so brainless, concentrating all her fire and bombarding them directly with just a little prodding. Hearing the question, she felt both angry and panicked, not knowing how to reply.