Shen, Lan Yue, and Chief Lan stood outside Granny Mei’s home. Before they could knock, an elderly voice called from within.

  “You all can come in.”

  Shen was the first to step forward and open the door, the other two following close behind.

  Inside, the scent of sandalwood drifted gently through the air. Candles cast a soft, golden light across the room. Deeper in, an elderly woman sat within a faintly glowing formation circle, her eyes closed in meditation.

  “You all come take a seat,” she said calmly, gesturing to three cushions laid out before her. “I know you must have questions, and hopefully I can provide some answers.”

  The three sat down in silence, as though each was waiting for someone else to speak first.

  Eventually, Shen broke the quiet. “Granny Mei… Lan Yue said you knew something about my parents. Is it true?”

  Granny Mei opened her eyes slowly, locking onto Shen’s face. Her gaze was deep, ancient—like she was peering through the years themselves.

  “I do,” she said. “In fact, most of the adults in the village know at least a little. Even Chief Lan here knows more than he lets on. But of all of them, I know the most.”

  Shen’s eyes widened.

  Lan Yue turned toward her father, who met her gaze and gave a quiet nod.

  Granny Mei sighed, folding her hands in her lap. “I knew this day would come. It was only a matter of time. Today will be a long one.”

  “We owe you answers, Shen. I’ll tell you all I know about your origins—but even I don’t know a lot.”

  Shen nodded, then asked the question that had haunted him all his life.

  “Granny Mei... why was I abandoned here?”

  Shaking her head, the old woman smiled gently. “Dear boy, you weren’t abandoned. You were left here in our care, on purpose.”

  She shifted, settling more comfortably.

  “Yan’er, could you pour me some tea?” she asked, glancing at Lan Yue.

  “Of course, Granny Mei,” Lan Yue said, rising to pour from the clay kettle nearby.

  Granny Mei turned her eyes back to Shen.

  “Let me start from the beginning. Eleven years ago, this very day, our village faced disaster. Chief Lan—your uncle in spirit, if not by blood—stood near death, our guards wounded, the gates broken. A horde of beasts was tearing through everything.”

  Chief Lan offered a wry smirk as both Shen and Lan Yue turned to him.

  “And just when all hope seemed lost,” Granny Mei continued, “a woman appeared—an immortal, or someone close to it. With a single wave of her hand, she incinerated the beasts. With another, she healed every man, woman, and child, as if their injuries had never existed. It all happened in an instant.”

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  Shen leaned forward, heart racing. “That immortal woman… was she—?”

  Granny Mei nodded. “Yes, Shen. She was your mother.”

  Shen froze. His mind became a storm of scattered memories—glimpses of villagers whispering, looks of pity or curiosity, the feeling of being different. Suddenly, everything made sense… and yet nothing did.

  “Your mother came here on purpose,” Granny Mei continued. “She chose this village as your birthplace. You were not abandoned—you were entrusted. She told us that enemies were searching for her and the child in her womb. We don’t know who or why—but it was clear that whoever she feared wasn’t someone we could even imagine resisting.”

  Lan Yue’s expression mirrored Shen’s—stunned and speechless. Her father had never told her any of this.

  “The reason we hold the Spirit Root Festival every year on this day,” Granny Mei went on, “is to honor her arrival. She taught us how to cultivate, how to strengthen ourselves. Without her, Sandy Village would’ve perished. Everything we are today is thanks to her.”

  Shen’s hands curled into trembling fists.

  “What was her name, Granny Mei? And… my father? Why haven’t you said anything about him?”

  “We called her Madam Lori,” Granny Mei said softly. “That’s all she allowed. As for your father... she never spoke his name. I asked many times, but she always refused. She told me only this: ‘If he wants to know, he’ll have to grow stronger than everyone here.’”

  “She claimed she was at the Essence Condensation stage,” the old woman added, taking a sip of tea, “but we knew she was hiding her true strength. Whatever realm she’d truly reached, it was beyond anything we understood. And if she was that strong... imagine what kind of cultivator your father must be.”

  A heavy silence fell.

  Granny Mei looked down at her cup, her voice quieter. “Even now, there are days I wonder if she was truly... mortal. But those are just an old woman’s questions. What mattered most to her was you.”

  Shen looked down, eyes blurry.

  His chest tightened. A thousand emotions swirled inside him—joy, grief, confusion, awe. He had waited so long for an answer, for anything, and now that he had it… he didn’t know what to do with it.

  A soft hand rested over his. Lan Yue.

  He glanced at her—she didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to. Her eyes carried warmth, comfort, and the unspoken promise that he wasn’t alone.

  Before he could say anything else, Granny Mei slowly rose to her feet.

  “Your mother didn’t leave without giving you something, Shen. She entrusted me with a box. I was to give it to you the day you learned the truth.”

  Shen’s breath caught in his throat.

  Granny Mei stepped off the formation circle and brushed aside the cushion she’d been sitting on. From beneath the wooden floor, she opened a hidden hatch and pulled out a small wooden box.

  It looked simple—old, even. But it was untouched by dust or time, its surface smooth and faintly shimmering. Even from a distance, Shen felt something stir inside him… like a whisper from far away calling to him.

  She held it out with both hands.

  Shen rose shakily, hands trembling as he stepped forward and took the box.

  He didn’t open it.

  He just stared at it—stared as if holding it would keep the world from changing again.

  A lump formed in his throat. He clutched the box to his chest, not caring if the others saw the tears forming at the edges of his eyes.

  He sat back down, the weight of the box in his lap heavier than any blade or shield.

  Even Chief Lan remained silent, watching Shen with an unreadable expression.

  Lan Yue leaned closer. “Are you okay?”

  Shen didn’t answer at first. Then, slowly, he nodded.

  “I don’t know what’s inside,” he said softly, “but I know one thing.”

  They looked at him.

  “This… this changes everything.”