Chapter 55: Seeing the Light Again
It had been many years.
When Su Wan’er was barely a year old, her birth mother passed away, leaving behind a helpless infant.
That year, Wang Ruolan was in the prime of her life, free to live as she pleased, yet she chose to raise this child as her own daughter.
She never regretted it.
But fate was unkind.
During an outing, she was ambushed and cursed, losing her sight and halting her cultivation, which even began to regress over time.
Once a prodigy, she fell into darkness and silence overnight, aging as if in a single moment.
She never cried.
Because she knew Wan’er was still young and needed her.
So she donned a white cloth, hiding her lifeless eyes, burying her tears in the dark for over a decade.
And now—
The curse that had plagued her for years began to loosen under the Calamity-Breaking Stone’s power, unraveling and dispersing like dust swept away by a breeze, gradually stripped from her body.
At the same time, her cultivation surged back, swiftly returning to peak Golden Core.
Not only that, her skin transformed—once dulled by time and the curse, it now regained its firmness and luster, as if she’d returned to her most radiant years.
Wang Ruolan, almost disbelieving, reached out, her trembling fingers brushing the white cloth.
She didn’t remove it immediately, instead taking a deep breath and slowly pulling away the barrier that had separated her from the world for over ten years.
Sunlight flooded her vision.
She squinted, the world blurry at first.
Then, the haze cleared—
In the courtyard, flowers bloomed, grasses swayed, every detail welcoming her return.
Wang Ruolan stood frozen.
This long-lost sight, she’d dreamed of countless times.
Yet seeing it now felt unreal.
She turned, her gaze landing on the familiar figure before her.
The child she’d raised was now a lovely young woman.
Wang Ruolan reached out, touching her face, fingers tracing familiar contours.
“Wan’er…” she said softly, “you’ve… grown so much.”
Su Wan’er couldn’t hold back, tears streaming as she threw herself into her arms, sobbing and clinging tightly.
“Godmother!”
Wang Ruolan patted her back, eyes reddening, throat tight.
In that moment, no words were needed, only years of pent-up emotions slowly unraveling.
The courtyard breeze was gentle, the sunlight perfect.
They held each other, as if returning to that afternoon years ago when she cradled an infant in the courtyard.
Nearby, Luo Jiutian watched quietly, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
As emotions settled, Wang Ruolan released Su Wan’er and turned to Luo Jiutian.
Her eyes brimmed with gratitude as she looked at the young man.
“Good son-in-law,” she said, “I don’t know how to thank you.”
At “son-in-law,” Su Wan’er’s face flushed red.
“Godmother…” Her voice was tiny, her usual playfulness gone, replaced by a shy, flustered girl.
Wang Ruolan’s eyes lit up with amusement. “What, shy already? Who was calling him ‘Nine Heavens Brother’ left and right?”
“That’s… that’s…” Su Wan’er stammered, unable to form a sentence.
She stole a glance at Luo Jiutian.
Feeling her gaze, he looked skyward. “Wow, today’s sky looks so… sky-like.”
Wang Ruolan sighed dramatically. “This son-in-law’s handsome, good-natured—Wan’er, you’ve got to step up.”
Su Wan’er covered her face. “Godmother, enough…”
Her head was practically steaming as she turned away, too embarrassed to face him.
Wang Ruolan turned to Luo Jiutian. “Good son-in-law, you’ve done me such a favor. I have to treat you properly.”
“No need,” he said, shaking his head. “I came to the Su Clan to find someone else.”
Su Wan’er blinked. “You know someone else here?”
“Yes,” he said calmly. “Your big brother.”
Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked out of the courtyard, leaving a stunned Su Wan’er and Wang Ruolan behind.
Su Wan’er stared at his retreating figure, blinking several times before turning. “Godmother… since when do I have a big brother?”
…
The scene shifted.
At the edge of the Su Residence, in a quiet, isolated room.
The furnishings were starkly simple, without even a light source, making the space gloomy even in broad daylight.
In a corner, a figure sat at a table, slowly sipping porridge.
The person was thin, wrapped in oversized clothes that covered even their neck, looking sickly, as if a breeze could knock them over.
Suddenly—
Click!
A soft sound came from outside.
The window was pushed open, and a figure deftly climbed in.
“Brother Su Yuan, long time no see.”
Luo Jiutian brushed off his clothes, his tone as casual as greeting an old neighbor about dinner.
Su Yuan, mid-sip, paused and looked up, a question mark practically forming above his head.
“Do… I know you?” he asked, puzzled.
Luo Jiutian grinned. “I’m Luo Jiutian. Heard there’s a mysterious figure living here, so I came to check it out.”
Without hesitation, he grabbed a chair and sat across from Su Yuan.
Su Yuan nodded, as if it clicked. “So you’re Wan’er’s fiancé.”
He set down his bowl. “Still doesn’t explain why you climbed through my window.”
“Don’t sweat the details.”
Su Yuan’s face darkened with exasperation but said nothing more, taking another sip of porridge as if nothing happened.
The room fell silent.
Luo Jiutian was about to speak when the system’s voice rang out: [Host, Host!]
“What?”
[Ding! Detected Chosen Daughter ‘Su Wanyuan’!]
Luo Jiutian: ?
“System, what do you mean?”
[Exactly what it sounds like.]
Luo Jiutian froze, immediately activating his Prismatic Eyes.
This time, he used a new ability unlocked after reaching Golden Core: True-False Radiance.
Its sole function—spotting fakes.
Simply put, whether person or object, anything altered or disguised would glow in his eyes.
The more elaborate the disguise, the brighter the glow.
He re-examined Su Yuan—no, Su Wanyuan—and saw her head glowing.
His gaze moved downward.
Sure enough, her throat glowed too.
He nodded silently—disguising an Adam’s apple made sense.
But as his eyes drifted further down—
“Hiss—!”
A blinding light hit him like a flashbang in a dark gaming room, forcing him to shut his eyes instinctively.
Su Wanyuan, seeing this, set down her bowl, alarmed. “Young Master Luo? Are you alright?!”