Chapter 63: Bloodline Connection

Inside the main hall of the Xin Yi An, sandalwood incense curled upward in wisps.

Xiang Yan sat in the master's seat, his fingers tapping incessantly on the armrests as his gaze repeatedly darted toward the main gate. His temples had turned gray, yet his eyes remained as sharp as an eagle's.

"Ah Yan, don't be too nervous," Wu Fu said softly from the side, offering comfort. "Qianzai is a sensible child; he will understand."

Wu Mu also nodded, speaking gently, "Yes. Though he hasn't spoken of it all these years, he has always kept his birth parents in his heart."

Xiang Yan took a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly. "Ten years... I have searched for him for ten full years..."

Footsteps sounded outside the hall.

Xiang Qiang and Xiang Sheng entered, bringing Xiang Qian with them.

"Dad? Mom?" Seeing Wu Fu and Wu Mu present, Xiang Qian paused in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Wu Fu stood up and patted his son's shoulder. "Qianzai, it is time you knew certain things."

Xiang Qiang pushed Xiang Qian's back. "Haven't you always wanted to know your origins? Go in; the answer lies inside."

Xiang Qian frowned, an inexplicable sense of unease rising in his heart, yet he still stepped forward into the inner hall.

The inner hall was dimly lit, with incense candles flickering.

Xiang Qian immediately spotted the man sitting in the master's seat—that face seemed familiar from countless dreams, yet he could not recall it no matter how hard he tried.

Xiang Yan slowly rose to his feet, his lips trembling. "Ah Fei..."

"Ah Fei?" Xiang Qian froze. "Who is Ah Fei?"

Xiang Yan's eyes turned red, his voice choking with emotion. "Your real name... Xiang Fei..."

In an instant, memories surged forth like a tidal wave.

—The carousel at the amusement park when he was five years old.

—A man lifting him high above his head, laughing loudly as he called out "Ah Fei."

—Then the piercing sound of a car, cries of distress, and darkness...

Xiang Qian stumbled back a step, his face turning deathly pale. "You... you are..."

"I am your old bean..." Xiang Yan could no longer hold himself back, tears streaming down his aged face. "Ah Fei, Old Bean is sorry to you... Back then, after the servant lost you, I thought you..."

Xiang Qian's mind went blank. Instinctively, he looked toward Wu Fu and Wu Mu, his voice shaking. "Then they..."

Wiping away tears, Wu Mu stepped forward. "Qianzai, back then on our way home, we found you unconscious with no one to claim you... We couldn't bear it, so we took you home and raised you..."

Xiang Qian's legs went weak, and he nearly lost his balance. The doubts that had plagued the original owner for ten years finally found their answer in this moment.

Xiang Yan stumbled down the steps, extending a trembling hand as if to touch his son's face. "Ah Fei..."

Xiang Qian instinctively dodged away.

A deathly silence filled the hall.

Xiang Yan's hand froze in mid-air, the light in his eyes gradually dimming. "Do you... hate me?"

Xiang Qian clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his palms. "I... I don't know..."

"Ah Fei," Xiang Yan said with a hoarse voice, "for these twenty years, I have regretted every single day... regretting that I let the servant take you out that day... regretting not finding you sooner..."

Xiang Qian suddenly lifted his head, his eyes bloodshot. "Then why appear only now?!"

His roar echoed through the hall, silencing everyone.

Xiang Yan dropped to his knees with a thud.

"Big Brother!" Xiang Qiang and Xiang Sheng cried out in shock.

Xiang Yan raised a hand to stop them, looking up at his son with tears streaming down his face. "What Father owes you, I cannot repay in this lifetime... I do not ask for your forgiveness, only for a chance to make amends..."

A tear struck the ground.

"...Get up," Xiang Qian said, his voice hoarse.

Xiang Yan looked up in disbelief. "Ah Fei..."

Xiang Qian reached out to help his father up, his voice choking. "I... I need time..."

Xiang Yan tightly embraced his son, sobbing loudly. "Good... good... Father will wait for you... Father will wait for you all his life..."

As night fell, in the backyard of the Xin Yi An main hall.

Xiang Qian sat alone on a stone bench, gazing at the sky full of stars.

"Have a drink?" Xiang Sheng approached, handing over a can of beer.

Xiang Qian took it, popped the tab, and gulped down a large mouthful. "Should I be calling you Little Uncle now?"

Xiang Sheng sat down, smiled briefly, then sighed. "Everyone knew after you took over Jiulong last year. But Big Brother said... we should wait until you achieved success and fame before revealing the truth, so as not to affect your career."

Xiang Qian gave a bitter smile. "Truly... ridiculous."

"Ah Fei," Xiang Sheng said, looking at him seriously, "in these twenty years, Big Brother never gave up searching for you. Every hospital and orphanage in Xiangjiang, even in the mainland... he turned almost every stone."

After a long silence, Xiang Qian suddenly asked, "Where is my mother?"

Xiang Sheng's expression stiffened. "...On the day you were lost, Big Sister-in-law was struck and killed while searching for you..."

The beer can was crushed out of shape in his grip.

"Ah Fei," Xiang Qiang said, having arrived unnoticed, "the reason Xin Yi An is what it is today is because Father vowed to build a force capable of protecting our family..."

Xiang Qian stood up, taking a deep breath. "...Take me to see Mother."

At Qingshan Cemetery, the moonlight flowed like water.

Xiang Qian knelt before his mother's tombstone, looking at the gentle smile in the photograph, and finally broke down in loud sobs.

Xiang Yan stood to the side, tears streaming down his face. "Ah Zhen... I have found our son..."

The night breeze brushed past, as if someone were softly responding.

Xiang Qian wiped his tears dry and kowtowed heavily three times before the tombstone. "Mother... I have returned..."

When he stood up, his eyes had become resolute.

"Father," he said, his voice trembling as he uttered that title for the first time in twenty years, "I wish... to reactivate the name 'Xiang Fei'."

Xiang Yan was so overwhelmed he could not speak; he could only nod vigorously.

Xiang Qiang put his arm around his nephew's shoulders. "Welcome home, A-Fei."

Upon returning to the main hall of the Xinyian Society, Wu Fu and Wu Mu were waiting anxiously at the entrance.

"Qian-zi..." Wu Mu began, then fell silent.

Xiang Qian stepped forward and embraced them tightly. "Father, Mother, thank you... In this life, you will forever be my parents."

Tears streamed down Wu Fu's aged face. "Good child..."

Xiang Yan stepped forward and bowed deeply to Wu Fu and Wu Mu. "Thank you... for raising A-Fei so well..."

Under the moonlight, three pairs of hands clasped tightly together.

Xiang Qian—no, he should now be called Xiang Fei—looked at his family beside him and finally broke into a smile of relief.