"We're here. This is the Chun Tian Hua Hua Orphanage, though it's been abandoned for years."
Ruan Tian drove himself, spending a day and a night to bring Ji Mo to his destination.
It wasn't out of kindness or enthusiasm, but because he had his own ulterior motives.
Ji Mo got out of the car and walked to the gate of the Chun Tian Hua Hua Orphanage. Gazing at the familiar yet strange building before him, his body trembled violently, and his eyes began to regain clarity.
"Leaving home young, returning old; unchanged accent, faded hair. I... I'm finally back."
Ji Mo's eyes couldn't help but well up slightly.
When he left, he was just a young boy. He thought he would die in a foreign land, but he never expected to return alive.
More than ten years had passed in a blink of an eye, and he had finally returned to his true home.
"Hey, you can even recite poetry, you silly goose. But why the pretense of being profound? How old are you to be talking about faded hair? You're more like a kidney failure, kid. So, can I have the contact information of that pretty foreign girl in the JK uniform now?"
Ruan Tian looked at Ji Mo, feeling as if the kid had suddenly become a different person.
However, he wasn't in the mood to dwell on it at the moment. His mind was fixated on Ellie, the fair-skinned, beautiful, long-legged girl.
Ji Mo, the silly goose, was already in his late twenties, but his face was still very youthful, showing no signs of the passage of time.
It was as if he had left for half his life and returned as a youth!
"That girl's waters run deep; you can't handle it. You don't understand her depth."
Ji Mo kindly reminded him. For Ruan Tian, it was better not to provoke that poor soul.
Ruan Tian was immediately angered by this remark: "How can I not handle it? I like deep waters! You're not introducing me, so how can I get a chance to test her depth?"
Ji Mo was taken aback, feeling that the conversation was taking a strange turn.
He glanced at Ruan Tian strangely and reminded him, "Lust is a knife over your head. Brother-in-law, you need to be more mindful in the future. Cultivate yourself, abstain from lust and desire, and touch women less."
"Well, you silly goose Ji, I didn't expect you to be this kind of person. It's like the official is allowed to set fire, but the common people are forbidden to light lamps. Friendship over."
Ruan Tian's anger flared up. He stomped on the accelerator and sped away.
Before coming, Ruan Xingqing had repeatedly instructed him to take good care of Ji Mo, but in his anger, he couldn't be bothered anymore.
"If you ever encounter something you can't resolve, come find me."
Ji Mo called out.
Ruan Tian, Ruan Xingqing, and Qian Xianxian had taken care of him for a few days, and he remembered this favor.
If they truly encountered difficulties, he would naturally not stand by and do nothing.
However, after saying this, he shook his head and chuckled self-deprecatingly.
Now, he himself was like a clay Buddha crossing the river, unable to save himself. Most of his main consciousness was in a deep slumber, so how could he help others?
Moreover, the power of the Chaos Green Lotus within him had been depleted. The supreme law of destruction still clung to him like a persistent bone spur, constantly eroding his spirit and life force. His physical condition was becoming increasingly precarious.
It was possible that he might truly be done for at any moment.
"Li Er, you old scoundrel, where are you? Don't you know I'm back? Hurry up and save me."
Ji Mo gritted his teeth, feeling a bit resentful.
Now, perhaps only Li Er had the ability to resolve the hidden danger in his body, but that old rascal refused to show himself.
The system had suffered a severe blow and had fallen into a dormant state.
He also couldn't use his abilities. Any attempt to forcefully activate them would result in a fierce backlash. Therefore, he could only wait by the tree for Li Er to find him.
But given his current poor physical condition, he didn't know if he could hold on until Li Er arrived.
Cultivators in seclusion could spend anywhere from months to decades. He couldn't place his hopes on that old scoundrel.
"It seems that one must rely on oneself."
Ji Mo muttered, deeply understanding the hard truth that if you want something done, you have to do it yourself.
Now that the myths of Blue Star were awakening, and various deities were stirring, it all depended on whether there were any unlucky big suckers who would voluntarily deliver themselves.
Ji Mo pushed open the weathered door and stepped into the Chun Tian Hua Hua Orphanage.
More than ten years had passed. Things had changed, but people were gone.
What was once a paradise where flowers bloomed year-round, birds sang sweetly, and laughter echoed everywhere, was now desolate.
The small Western-style building was dilapidated. The flowers and animals painted on the walls were completely indistinguishable due to wind and sun exposure.
Even the seven gilded characters of "Chun Tian Hua Hua Kindergarten" had lost their color, hanging precariously, as if they might fall off at any moment.
Ji Mo walked slowly through the courtyard, a pang of heartache hitting him.
His former home had become so dilapidated. Even his favorite Acacia tree from childhood had withered.
Where had his childhood friends gone?
And Sister Bao'er, did she still remember him?
It had been more than ten years. Perhaps she had long forgotten.
"Mo Mo, do you know Wang Wei's 'Acacia'?"
He seemed to hear Sister Bao'er's innocent voice in his ear.
Ji Mo showed a nostalgic expression, a smile curving his lips, as he walked to the Acacia tree.
"Acacia seeds grow in the southern land; in spring, how many branches will sprout? I urge you to pick them often; this thing carries the most longing."
Ji Mo murmured, his emotions suddenly turning melancholic again.
The people were gone, the tree had withered, and everything could not go back to the way it was.
He knelt down, leaning against the trunk of the Acacia tree, gazing at the slowly setting sun in the sky. The clarity in his eyes faded again, and he slowly closed them.
The afterglow of the setting sun shone warmly upon him, creating a hazy halo.
At this moment, Ji Mo seemed to merge with nature.
His heart, which had stopped beating for two days, suddenly gave a strong thump, and the world trembled.
Immediately.
An indescribable mysterious power surged from Ji Mo's body, spreading like a tide throughout the entire Chun Tian Hua Hua Orphanage.
The withered Acacia tree regained its vitality.
It began to sprout new buds and grow leaves, blossom, and bear fruit. Dense pods soon hung from the branches.
Some dead flowers and trees also began to grow again.
The gloomy Chun Tian Hua Hua Orphanage once again exuded vibrant life.
Even stranger was this:
The seven characters of "Chun Tian Hua Hua Orphanage" began to radiate with light, with scarlet runes flashing and terrifying laws intertwining. They gradually distorted, transforming into seven completely different characters.
All these strange occurrences lasted for a full three hours.
As the lamps were lit and the moon rose above the willows, everything finally stopped.
The peculiar energy receded, and the altered seven characters reverted to their original form. The entire Chun Tian Hua Hua Orphanage returned to its ordinary state.
The moonlight was like water, draping the land in a thin veil of gauze.
Suddenly, a strange wind arose, and a massive dark shadow swept across the sky, blocking the moonlight.
After an unknown period, footsteps could be heard, growing closer and closer.