"Hmm!"
Whether it was the sudden drop in temperature within the hall, or not, Kyoko Nogawa, who was in a comfortable dream, frowned and opened her eyes hazily.
"What... what's happening? Why does it feel cold?"
She spoke instinctively.
But as soon as she finished speaking, she felt a warm energy from her back. Instantly, it dispelled all the cold.
At the same time, the surrounding temperature slowly returned to normal.
"Aunt! Don't worry! It's alright!"
When Ye Ming's gaze returned to the woman before him, his tone was noticeably softer than before. If one listened closely, a hint of sorrow could be detected.
Hearing the voice behind her, Kyoko Nogawa realized that she was still being treated.
"Sor... Sorry! I don't know what happened just now, I just felt so sleepy, and I didn't expect to fall asleep directly."
Kyoko Nogawa was clearly a little embarrassed at this moment.
"That's normal! I'm restoring the vitality in your body right now, and your bodily functions are gradually improving. Out of instinct, you would indeed feel drowsy!" Ye Ming explained with a smile.
"Is... Is that so?"
Perhaps it was a woman's intuition, but Kyoko Nogawa felt that Ye Ming's tone of speech was different from before.
There seemed to be a bit more... caution.
As if afraid of touching some sensitive nerve.
Kyoko Nogawa was intelligent, and upon realizing this anomaly, she fell into a brief silence.
Since the other party knew the source of her injury, was her previous cultivation technique also not a secret?
"You must have something you want to ask me!"
Kyoko Nogawa closed her eyes slightly, a look of pain appearing on her face.
Judging by her expression, she must have recalled some unpleasant memories.
"If Aunt is willing to speak, then I will be a faithful listener! If you are unwilling..." Ye Ming continued with a friendly smile, but did not finish his sentence.
Some things, it was not appropriate for him to inquire about.
Nor should he be the one to inquire.
If the other party was willing to speak, Ye Ming would just listen. If not, why should he reopen old wounds?
"Sly boy!"
After hearing his words, Kyoko Nogawa's expression visibly relaxed. However, the sorrow that could not be concealed still subtly showed.
"Alas! Forget it!"
She let out a long sigh and said, "I originally sent Sha Gong out to tell you these things. After I'm gone, you would tell Sha Gong. I didn't expect..."
She didn't expect to survive.
This was beyond her expectations.
"You don't need to tell me now!"
Ye Ming continued to control the power of reincarnation, retrieving the last trace of vitality that Kyoko Nogawa had lost.
"In five more minutes, your body will be fully recovered," Ye Ming said with a smile. "At that time, you can consider when to tell Sha Gong."
He knew that Kyoko Nogawa did not want to bring up that memory lightly.
"Forget it! I've decided to leave this problem to you!"
Kyoko Nogawa rarely showed a smile, though it was somewhat forced. "As for when Sha Gong will know the truth, I'll leave it to you to decide!"
In other words!
I will tell you the truth, and then you will convey it to my daughter.
As for the timing of the conveyance, you decide.
"Aunt! You..."
Upon hearing this, Ye Ming could only offer a wry smile.
He was well aware that Sha Gong might not be able to accept the truth easily. Now, leaving this problem to him was a bit like... bullying a junior.
"Of course, if you're unwilling, then forget it. I won't force you!" Kyoko Nogawa said faintly.
"This... I!"
Ye Ming shook his head, showing his helplessness. "Do I have any other choice?"
Of course not.
"Alright! I know you're a smart kid! Even if I don't say some things, you can probably guess the general idea."
Kyoko Nogawa sighed, was silent for about four or five seconds, and as if having made up her mind, said in a deep voice, "You should know that I practiced immortal cultivation techniques before, right?"
"Yes! I know!" Ye Ming nodded.
"Do you know the name of that technique?" Kyoko Nogawa asked again.
"Shi Yin Mo Dian!"
Ye Ming hesitated for a moment, and finally said it.
"As expected! You know!"
Hearing this answer, Kyoko Nogawa was not surprised. However, as she prepared to say the next words, she clenched her hands tightly.
"Since you know it's Shi Yin Mo Dian, you must also be very clear about the essential conditions for cultivating this technique, right?"
As she asked this question, Kyoko Nogawa's voice trembled noticeably. Her body even stiffened a bit.
"A woman with flesh and blood!" Ye Ming's voice also deepened.
"Yes! Just as you said, it must be a pregnant woman!"
At this moment, Kyoko Nogawa turned her head and looked into the young man's eyes behind her, asking again, "Do you already have a guess in your heart that Sha Gong... is not Gu Taiyi's daughter?"
At this moment, Kyoko Nogawa's eyes were exceptionally sharp. She watched Ye Ming's every micro-expression, not missing any detail.
Faced with Kyoko Nogawa's direct gaze, Ye Ming's eyes involuntarily flickered slightly. But it was precisely this unconscious movement that was keenly noticed by the other party.
Before Ye Ming could speak, Kyoko Nogawa turned around, avoiding Ye Ming's gaze.
"It's normal for you to think that!"
Afterward, Ye Ming heard Kyoko Nogawa's clearly suppressed voice.
"Aunt! You... didn't you..."
However, upon hearing this sentence, Ye Ming's pupils widened, as if he had captured something?
But he only spoke halfway before realizing the impropriety and quickly explained, "Sor... Sorry! Aunt! I... I didn't mean that, I..."
Now Ye Ming was truly flustered.
His previous guess might not have been the truth he thought it was.
"It's alright!"
Kyoko Nogawa shook her head and said, "I said, it's normal for you to think that."
"After all, back then I was forcibly taken to the outer realms by those people. And the technique required a pregnant body to cultivate. It's entirely within reasonable inference that you would suspect I was defiled and then Sha Gong was born."
Kyoko Nogawa's words were like a sharp thorn piercing Ye Ming's heart. At that moment, he even forgot to control the power of reincarnation.
The meaning conveyed by the other party was already very clear: the events of that year were not what he had imagined.
"Aunt! You mean, when you were captured by those people back then, you were already pregnant. So in the end..."
So she was not disgraced.
Ye Ming naturally did not say the latter half of the sentence.
"Yes! It's a pity..."
Kyoko Nogawa's vision was blurred by tears without him knowing when:
"It's a pity! He didn't believe me!"