“Shiliu, I’m sorry. I really, really wanted to stay with you, but…”
Zhou Fan woke up from his dream, seeing the unforgettable girl crying and bidding him farewell in his dream.
He walked out of the cabin onto the deck, gazing at the boundless Qingyun Sea, feeling a little lonely.
Sixteen was Zhou Fan’s nickname. He was his parents’ sixteenth child, and before he entered school and officially received a name, everyone called him Sixteen.
When he was little, before he had Awakened his past life memories, he was no different from other children.
April was a child from their next-door Family. Because she was born in April, her nickname was April.
Sixteen and April had known each other for a long time.
When they were seven, a group of children ran and played all over the mountains.
Sixteen wasn't feeling well that day and quickly ran out of energy. He found a large rock in the sun, leaned against it, and curled his small body into its shadow, which made him feel a little more comfortable.
No one noticed Sixteen hidden in the shadow, and his companions quickly ran off to play in another area.
Sixteen stared blankly at his companions playing happily in the sun on the distant hillside. He wanted to get up and join them, but he didn't have the strength.
Just then, a little girl suddenly squeezed into the small shadow. She looked at Sixteen, a bright smile on her face, and said, “Hello, my name is April. It’s nice to be your friend.”
Sixteen, hearing this, Foolishly replied, “It’s nice to be your friend, April. My name is Sixteen.”
“Since we’re already friends, Sixteen, can you lean over there a bit?” April still had one arm exposed to the sun. She pointed to the shadow on Sixteen’s right, indicating that Sixteen should make more room for her.
Sixteen quickly moved a bit to the right. He looked at the girl who had suddenly appeared, unsure what to say.
“Actually, this secret base under the big rock was discovered by me first.”
April’s personality seemed very lively and cheerful. Leaning against the big rock, she looked at the sunny hillside in the distance and said, “But since you could also find this place, it means we’re very compatible. Isn’t it great to have a cool place to rest under such a big sun?”
Sixteen listened to the girl’s words and nodded. He wasn't feeling well and didn't really want to talk.
The girl noticed this. She smiled and didn't continue talking. The two of them stayed close together in the shadow under the big rock, and that day quickly passed.
Sixteen and April became friends just like that. Every day afterward, they would play together.
Sometimes April would look for Sixteen, sometimes Sixteen would look for April, and sometimes they would arrange to meet at a certain spot.
By the time they were eight, the two were inseparable best friends.
The Zhou Family cultivated a first-tier Spiritual Plant called Shiliu. April’s parents were Spiritual Farmers, responsible for caring for and cultivating an area of Shiliu.
During the Shiliu harvest season, April occasionally got to taste Shiliu, which she loved to eat. So, this time, she brought half a Shiliu she had received to Sixteen, and the two of them ate the half Shiliu clean, one seed at a time.
Sixteen said Shiliu was really delicious, and when he grew up, he also wanted to be a Spiritual Farmer so that he and April would both have Shiliu to eat.
April said she had more experience and would definitely become a better Spiritual Farmer than Sixteen. Then Sixteen would have to listen to her, and together they would surely Cultivate the biggest and most delicious Shiliu.
April also said that her parents did it that way, but after saying that, April’s face turned red.
Sixteen didn't think too much about it. Since April said she had more experience, he would just listen to her.
Sixteen said he would listen to April. Two people working together was indeed more reliable than one person cultivating Shiliu.
April’s face turned even redder upon hearing this. Sixteen noticed this and asked April if she had heatstroke.
April said Sixteen was an idiot and that she would call Sixteen Shiliu from now on.
Sixteen had no objection because Shiliu was really sweet and delicious.
Later, when they were nine, the two entered the school.
After learning to read, the teacher had the children who didn't yet have formal names come up and draw one or two characters. These characters, combined with the surname Zhou, would be their names.
Sixteen went up and drew the character “Fan,” while April drew the character “Mei.”
The teacher explained the pronunciation and meaning of these characters again. After class, Sixteen and April went home together, and neither of them liked the names they had drawn.
“I’ll still call you Shiliu from now on. It feels much more natural than Zhou Fan.”
“Okay, then I’ll still call you April.”
The matter of the new names was quickly forgotten by the two. They still went to and from school together every day, and when they weren’t in school, they would play in the secret bases they had established in various places.
… …
The memory stopped abruptly here. Zhou Fan came to his senses and found that Qin Li had stood beside him at some point.
“Zhou Dage…” Qin Li hesitated. He had already noticed that Zhou Fan’s state had been a bit off lately.
Zhou Fan stood there for a while longer, then smiled at the worried Qin Li and said, “It’s nothing, Li Di.”
The two returned to the cabin.
Half a day later, the spaceship reached its destination. The two crossed the Qingyun Sea and arrived at the central city of Qingyun State—Yunshang Qingcheng.
After paying the entrance fee, the two walked into the city.
After purchasing some specialties from the Qingyun Sea area with Spirit Stones in the city, Zhou Fan and Qin Li each paid a High-Grade Spirit Stone and successfully entered the central city of Huangyan State—Rock City—through the inter-state teleportation array.
After shopping in Rock City, the two found a Luoning Inn and rested for a night.
That night, Zhou Fan dreamed again.
The reason his parents had so many children was that Zhou Fan’s father was not a member of the Zhou Family but a son-in-law with a Spiritual Root recruited by the Zhou Family from outside.
Although these people had Spiritual Roots, their Aptitude was generally average, and they were not selected during the selection for Cultivation Sects. Cultivation Families in the vicinity would then negotiate with these people.
They didn't want to give up the Cultivation path, nor did they want to be Loose Cultivators.
After joining a Cultivation Family, they needed to continuously bear children. After meeting the minimum requirements, the more additional children they bore, the more Cultivation resources the Cultivation Family would provide them.
Zhou Fan remembered that he had many siblings, and one more would be added every year.
Many trivial matters long buried in his memory resurfaced in Zhou Fan’s mind. He could sense that his Divine Sense was growing stronger every day.
The reason was that Zhou Fan’s current physical strength had reached the fifth-tier level, while his Divine Sense strength had not yet reached the fourth-tier.
A strong body could nourish the Divine Soul. Since acquiring the Extreme Overlord Body (Intermediate Stage), Zhou Fan’s Divine Sense strength had been increasing daily.
Past events in his mind resurfaced one by one, becoming increasingly clear.
However, memories concerning Zhou Chenxi were becoming increasingly blurry. Zhou Fan realized that there might be a problem with his memory.