Yang Cancan closed up shop and led Wang Yue down the main street for a good while before they veered off into a severely dilapidated district.
If he hadnât seen it with his own eyes, Wang Yue wouldnât have believed that such a run-down slum could exist within a global Super City.
Judging by the architectural style, these were likely the first batch of makeshift shelters built right after the Great Cataclysmâtemporary housing for refugees that had somehow survived into the present day.
After hundreds of years and over a dozen generations of residents, this already cramped space had been choked further by a chaotic mess of shacks and lean-tos. The result was a labyrinth of alleys so narrow that only one person could pass at a time. To anyone unfamiliar with the layout, it was a total maze; youâd be lost within seconds.
However, this chaos served as a natural form of protection. Tailing someone here was nearly impossible unless you stayed within ten meters, or theyâd vanish around a corner in the blink of an eye.
Wang Yue realized that Yang Cancanâs confidence in standing up to those thugs came from two things: her near-martial-artist combat ability and the invisible protection of this maze. No one was going to go through the massive headache of tracking her home just for a measly protection fee.
As he followed her through a series of twists and turns, Wang Yue suddenly felt a chill down his spineâhis hair stood on end.
He looked up and saw a slightly wider clearing ahead. Over a dozen middle-aged women were lined up on small stools, palm-leaf fans in hand, staring intently at Yang Cancan and him as they walked by.
That wall of gossiping eyes made Wang Yue feel more uncomfortable than facing an opponent of his own rank. He found himself tensing up instinctively.
Heâd never experienced anything like this before. He didnât understand why he was suddenly so nervous, so he did his best to keep a straight face.
Yang Cancan seemed well-acquainted with the group, greeting them casually as she led him through the gauntlet.
Nothing happened while they were passing, and Wang Yue let out a silent sigh of relief. But before theyâd gone far, the murmurs of the "Auntie Brigade" drifted over from behind them.
"Why is Cancan back so early today? And sheâs got a man with her?"
"You think she finally got a boyfriend?"
"Heâs not much to look at. Looks shorter than her, too."
"Heâs a bit plain, but isnât that a perfect match for her?"
"True. For a girl like her, itâs a miracle anyone wants her at all."
...
Listening to their "harmless" yet venomous chatter, Wang Yue found his fists clenching. Eventually, he forced himself to relax.
There was nothing he could do about people like them. Killing them over a few comments? No, that was too much. But the things they said were genuinely nasty.
Even as a Transcendence Realm powerhouse, he had no defense against these bitter old busybodies who spent their days eating sunflower seeds and praying for their neighborsâ downfall.
In fact, because of his high cultivation, his hearing was too good. He could hear them from further away, which only prolonged the torture. Yang Cancan, who couldnât hear a word they said, was much better off.
Thankfully, the torment didnât last long. Another young man walked past them, and the Aunties immediately shifted their focus to shredding his reputation instead.
Five or six hundred meters and another eight turns later, they finally reached Yang Cancanâs home.
It was a small courtyard. While still old, it was in much better shape than the bare, single-room shacks that made up most of the neighborhood.
Wang Yue began to understand why those women spoke ill of her. Resenting those who have more and mocking those who have lessâitâs one of the uglier parts of human nature.
Yang Cancan was hardworking and ran her own shop at a young age; to an outsider, these were great qualities, but to the idle losers living around her, her success was an eyesore.
He scanned the yard. It was smallâmaybe a hundred square metersâbut it was kept meticulously clean, a stark contrast to the filth outside. There was a main house with three rooms and a small side building.
"Mom, Iâm home!" Yang Cancan led him straight into the main house. The center was a living room; the east side was partitioned into a kitchen and bathroom, and the west room was clearly her motherâs bedroom.
Sure enough, a frail voice drifted out from the west room: "Why are you back so early? Is something wrong?"
"Yeah," Yang Cancan said bluntly. "Someone showed up claiming to be family. Says heâs your nephew. Come out and see if you know him."
"Your father and I donât have any siblings. How could I have a nephew?" The woman spoke as she opened the door and stepped out.
Wang Yue looked at her, and his brow furrowed slightly.
She was an incredibly delicate-looking woman wearing a loose house dress and plastic slippers. Her face was pale, and she radiated a fragile, sickly aura.
While this woman was beautiful in a "tragic" sort of way, Wang Yue was certain she wasnât his second aunt, Su Mengchen. She bore only a thirty percent resemblance to his mother. His aunt and mother were identical twins; even after thirty years of different lifestyles, there was no way theyâd look this different.
And yet, he felt that unmistakable pull of blood kinship from her.
This was startling.
"Mom, this is him. He says youâre his aunt," Yang Cancan said, pointing at Wang Yue.
Su Nuanyue looked at the plain young man with confusion. "Sir, you must have the wrong person. I donât have any sisters."
"Then... may I ask if you know the name Su Yixuan?" Wang Yue asked tentatively.
Initially, he had assumed Yang Cancanâs mother was Su Mengchen, which is why heâd told Cancan they were related. Now he wasnât so sure. He could feel the blood connection, but he couldnât pinpoint the exact relation. He had to wing it.
At the mention of that name, Su Nuanyueâs entire body jolted. She gasped, "You know him? Where is he?!"
That name was burned into her memory. Although she had never met the man, her mother had spoken of him until her dying breath. That man was her father.
Seeing her reaction, Wang Yue knew heâd hit the mark, but he couldnât help but sigh inwardly: Looks like Grandpa was just like my Uncleâhe had another woman on the side.
He took a deep breath. "He... heâs been missing for a long time. Iâm afraid heâs..."
"How does a man just go missing?" Yang Cancan cut in.
Wang Yue replied, "He went to explore a ruin years ago and never came back."