Chapter 217: Qin Haoran
At this moment, everyone had moved from the courtyard to the reception hall. Li’s father and mother led the group, while Qin Yanyan, being the youngest, served tea to everyone.
In terms of age, Qin Yanyan was about the same age as Li Haoran, Lu Yang, and Meng Jingzhou. However, hierarchy dictated her serving role.
“Li Haoran’s previous life, my husband, was named Qin Haoran. He was a peak Unity Stage cultivator,” Su Yiren revealed, naming someone unknown to everyone present.
Reactions varied. Li’s parents were shocked to learn of their son’s extraordinary past life. Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou appeared eager for gossip but recognized the potential trouble. Qin Yanyan, despite not accepting Li Haoran’s identity, was curious about her father, a subject rarely discussed by her mother. Li Haoran remained expressionless, having resigned himself to see how things unfolded.
Perhaps it was the burden of keeping this secret for so long, or the depth of her memories, or some other reason, but Su Yiren’s narration flowed more smoothly as she continued.
“Qin Haoran and I met five hundred years ago. At that time, I was a reclusive cultivator living in the mountains, seldom leaving except once every ten years to pay taxes.”
“One day, while meditating in the forest, a blood-soaked figure broke through my barrier and collapsed at my feet. Seeing me approach, he instinctively tried to muster his strength for defense, but his injuries were too severe, and he quickly lost consciousness.”
“Feeling pity, I saved him. He remained comatose for a month.”
“When he awoke, he was initially very wary, but after realizing I had been caring for him all that time, he let his guard down and thanked me for saving his life.”
Su Yiren instinctively omitted certain details, such as how Qin Haoran’s internal injuries required her to bandage him from head to toe, making him look like a mummy among the terracotta soldiers when he awoke. Or that he could have awakened two weeks earlier without her care.These were trivial details, not worth mentioning.
“He told me his name was Qin Haoran, a cultivator at the Unity Stage. A month earlier, he was pursued by enemies. Although he managed to kill them, he sustained severe injuries himself. He even apologized for breaking my barrier.”
“I could see he was telling the truth. Even after awakening, he could barely use a fraction of his power. His injuries were that severe, his meridians shattered and his body in ruins.”
“He wanted to leave, but I feared for his safety and offered him to stay.”
“He remained in the mountains to recuperate. Over time, we developed feelings for each other and eventually got married.”
“Our wedding was very low-key, with only the mountain spirits and a few close friends as guests.”
“After recovering, he was always busy. When I asked if he needed help, he said his work was too dangerous and that it was safer for me to remain uninformed.”
“Trusting him, I didn’t pursue the matter further.”
“Over five hundred years, Haoran advanced from late Unity Stage to the peak, just a step away from the Tribulation Crossing Stage. He told me that before meeting me, he believed in a celibate life as the best path to cultivation. But our marriage made him realize his previous belief was wrong.”
“His bottleneck loosened, and his cultivation improved significantly during our time together.”
“I asked why my cultivation hadn’t advanced, and he suggested it was due to my lack of talent.”
“High-level cultivators rarely conceive, but after five hundred years, I became pregnant with Yanyan.”
“He then told me he was ready to face the tribulation for our future.”
“Despite the high risk of the tribulation, he felt his identity was too precarious to remain hidden forever. Only by reaching the Tribulation Crossing Stage could he secure our future.”
“Unfortunately, the tribulation was too fierce. Despite all his preparations, he couldn’t survive the final lightning strike and fell from the sky.”
“I caught him, desperately feeding him top-grade elixirs. He told me he knew he wouldn’t survive.”
“He said not to worry, as he had practiced a technique allowing endless reincarnations, each life more gifted than the last. Qin Haoran was his eighth reincarnation.”
“He intended to inform his subordinates about his reincarnation, hoping they would support his next life. However, fearing their unreliability, he entrusted me with the task.”
“He taught me the secret method to find his next life. Following it, I found your pregnant mother.”
“After saving your parents from danger, I arranged your engagement, hoping to rekindle our past relationship.”
Li Haoran questioned, “Didn’t you doubt that Qin Haoran might have been lying in his final moments?”
Su Yiren shook her head. “I had my doubts, but your talent is undeniable. When you were six, I witnessed your fire root test result in hiding.”
“No matter how powerful Haoran was, he couldn’t predict someone’s rare single spiritual root.”
“What if Qin Haoran had a way to foresee others’ talents?” Li Haoran persisted.
Su Yiren smiled. “I know you don’t fully believe me yet, but time will tell. Haoran said as your cultivation improves, you will start recalling fragments of your past life’s memories.”
“But don’t worry, these fragments won’t affect your personality. You are still you.”
Involving the high-level topic of reincarnation, Lu Yang sought advice from the immortal knowledgeable about ancient secrets.
“Fairy, does reincarnation really exist?”
“Reincarnation has been mentioned since even before ancient times. Back then, there were numerous prodigies, and people often said that such and such a person was the reincarnation of someone else. Some even claimed that we five who became immortals were also reincarnations.”
“After becoming immortals, we jointly explored and understood the world’s mysteries, realizing that reincarnation was just a myth.”
“So, Qin Haoran was really lying?” Lu Yang was shocked, having believed Li Haoran was Qin Haoran’s reincarnation.
The Everlasting Fairy shook her head. “I only said reincarnation didn’t exist in ancient times. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist now.”
“What do you mean?” Lu Yang was even more confused.
“You must understand that the emergence of an ariya-phala signifies the creation of a new rule in the world. If someone had condensed the ‘Reincarnation’ ariya-phala while I was dead, wouldn’t reincarnation become a reality?”
(End of the chapter)