Chapter 37: Chapter 37 Green Mangoes
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Mount Qingmang harbors Immortals.
This is a legend known to all who live near Mount Qingmang.
However, no one had ever seen one.
But it did lend the mountain a mysterious allure, drawing tourists from all directions and bringing bustle to the once-impoverished Qingmang Town.
Xue An arrived with his two daughters on the tourist coach, everything in front of him both familiar and strange.
When he left, it was just a remote little town, but it had become much more prosperous now.
Rows of restaurants and bars stood side by side, with men and women in vibrant clothes coming and going incessantly.
And straight down the street in the distance towered Mount Qingmang, its peak perennially enshrouded in mist, seldom willing to disperse.
Xue An squinted at it for a moment.
As a child, he had ventured into Mount Qingmang and found nothing unusual.
But now, with the eyes of an Immortal Venerable, he could naturally tell that the mountain had excellent feng Shui and was faintly enveloped by dragon aura, clearly no ordinary place.
However, this dragon aura… seemed to be mixed and impure!
Xue An thought to himself, then turned to Xue Xiang and Xue Nian and said, “Are you hungry?
The two little girls chorused, “Hungry!”
This scene brought a smile to the faces of passers-by.
Xue An nodded, “Come on, Daddy will take you to eat first!”
Since becoming a dad, Xue An’s daily life had become inextricable from pots and pans.
In truth, with his cultivation level, he could have foregone food.
But money can’t buy happiness, and Xue An enjoyed the feeling of feasting with his two daughters.
Walking on the street, looking at the hostels and restaurants rising from the ground, Xue An’s expression grew somewhat wistful. Back then, he would often play on this street.
And his old home was just around the corner of this street.
After so many years, what had become of his old home? The house must have collapsed by now!
Thinking thus, Xue An turned the corner and was taken aback.
Where his old house stood, a very luxurious hotel had been erected.
Xue An’s expression gradually darkened.
“Daddy, why have we stopped?” asked Xue Xiang, then glanced at the sumptuously decorated hotel.
“Daddy, are we going to eat here? Won’t it be expensive?” Xue Xiang, only four years old, already had the makings of a little miser.
She counted every penny when it came to buying groceries, which sometimes made Xue An feel both heartache and amusement.
Of course, Xue An wasn’t angry just because a plot of land had been taken.
For him, this old home held special meaning, after all, it was the symbol of his childhood memories.
Just then, a timid voice came over.
“Are you… Brother An?”
Xue An turned and saw a young girl standing at the edge of the street.
The girl was dressed in simple clothing, clean and pure, with even a hint of shy blush on her face.
“You are…”
“Brother An, is it really you?” The girl suddenly became excited, stepped forward, and said, “I’m Lan’er!”
“Lan’er? You are… Xue Lan?” Xue An said in surprise.
Xue Lan was the daughter of a distant uncle, who, as a child, often clung to Xue An, following him around like a little shadow wherever he went.
“It’s me, Brother An! You’ve finally come back, many people said you were dead!” Xue Lan spoke as tears streamed down her face.
“I’m fine, aren’t I? It’s been several years, and you’ve grown so much!” Xue An said with a smile.
“And these two are…?” Xue Lan caught sight of Xue Xiang and Xue Nian and couldn’t help but ask.
“Hello, Auntie!” The two sweet-mouthed girls said in unison.
Xue Lan was also amused by these two adorable little creatures, “Oh my, what cute little girls.”
“These are my daughters!” Xue An said.
Xue Lan was slightly shaken, then she forced a smile and said, “Big brother An, you’re married already!”
Xue An nodded, then pointed to the grand hotel behind him.
“What’s all this about?”
Xue Lan’s face changed, and then she dragged Xue An away.
“It’s not something I can explain in a word or two. You should come home with me first. Dad will be so happy to see you!”
Xue Lan’s home was on the edge of Qingmang Town.
The place had reverted to the appearance of a small mountain village, with houses low and ramshackle, and roads muddy and hard to navigate.
Xue An used to come here often, so he was very familiar with it, and Xue Lan’s home hadn’t changed much over the years.
After stepping through the gate, Xue Lan excitedly shouted, “Dad, guess who’s back?”
A dark-skinned village man came out of the house and was stunned when he saw Xue An.
“Xue… An?”
At that moment, a village woman also came out of the house, grumbling, “Who is it, causing such a fuss!”
Upon seeing Xue An, the woman’s face turned pale.
“It’s you?”
Xue Lan was still very excited and said, “Mom, brother An isn’t dead! He’s come back!”
“Get out, quick! We don’t know any Xue An, just get him out of here!” Li Hongyan, Xue Lan’s mother, said.
Xue Lan was taken aback, “Mom, what’s going on?”
“You wretch, don’t you listen to what I say anymore? Get him out of here!” said Li Hongyan, her face contorted in anger.
Then Xue Guo, Xue An’s distant uncle and Xue Lan’s father, sighed and said, “Xue An, you really shouldn’t have come back! Leave now, before others find out you’re here! Hurry!”
Xue Lan was about to say something at that point.
Xue An stopped her and then said calmly to the couple, “My return won’t cause you any trouble, but I want to know, what happened to my home?”
This question made Xue Guo and his wife’s faces turn even paler.
Li Hongyan said with a face full of resentment, “Damn you, you unlucky star, just seeing you brings misfortune, and still you say you won’t trouble us? Leave, before I lose my patience!”
Xue An frowned; although they were relatives, he felt that if he was the architect of his own demise, he had no one else to blame.
It was then that Xue Lan suddenly grabbed Xue An’s hand, her tears flowing as she said, “Big brother An, let me take you away from here first.”
Thinking of Xue Lan, Xue An’s heart softened. He smiled at the two, “I hope you won’t regret this later!”
After saying that, Xue An followed Xue Lan away.
It was then that Li Hongyan finally exhaled, expressing disdain, “Just an orphan who lost his home, regret? Pfsh!”
Xue Guo looked as if he wanted to say something, but in this household, he had no say at all.
Once outside, Xue Lan finally said sadly, “Big brother An, I…”
Xue An shook his head and said indifferently, “No need to say anymore, Lan’er. Just tell me, what exactly happened to my home?”
Xue Lan clenched her teeth, “It’s all because of Jie Hu! Three years after you left, they started developing this area, and because of the advantageous location of your house, Jie Hu maliciously took it over to build a hotel.”
Jie Hu.
This name opened the floodgates of Xue An’s sealed memories..