Chapter 209

Tokyo Port District, not far from the coastline, faintly one could still hear the sound of the tide along the shore.

The iron tower stood in the sunlight, as if coated with a layer of gold paint, silently supporting the sky.

Tokyo Tower.

The height and shape of this iron tower give a feeling of rushing into the horizon, as if it were to pierce straight into the clouds; looking up from directly below, it resembles the skeleton of a steel giant beast.

"Welcome, Sister Xiao Xi, and Divine Lord, please come in quickly."

Tian Dao Shu Hua widened her eyes, excitement flashing in her pupils.

The corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up, revealing a brilliant smile.

A cute blush rose on her cheeks, which still bore a hint of baby fat.

"Yo, you're here; breakfast will be ready soon, just wait a moment."

Heavenly Dao Chief wore a gray house robe, standing on the steps, greeting them.

"Sorry to disturb you," Rixia Bu Xi said, lowering her head; she really didn't want to come, feeling that something would happen.

"Your place is really nice, right under Tokyo Tower,

from time to time one can see the sun about to rise from atop the tower, which is over three hundred meters high."

Jiang Xia sized them up and said, "Heavenly Dao Grandma really is an old person with very high standards."

"It looks like you really like this place; you can come play often—Shuhua is very happy you could come over," Heavenly Dao Chief said.

"Yes, yes, Shuhua is very happy."

"I like clean and pure things; this place fully meets my requirements—it's a place that makes one feel cheerful, gentle, warm, and full of life." Jiang Xia said.

As he spoke, various kinds of breakfast had already been prepared, each steaming hot.

After being reminded by Jiang Xia last time and learning that Xiao Xi doesn't like cold meals, Heavenly Dao Chief has since rarely made cold-dish related dishes.

"This is delicious, big brother—your cooking has improved again," Tian Dao Shu Hua laughed,

"Sister Xiao Xi, Divine Lord, you should hurry too—big brother got up very early."

"The way to make this is…"

"Shuhua, you have an early class today; time is a bit tight."

Heavenly Dao Chief looked at Shuhua, who was so excited she wasn't eating properly, and reminded her helplessly.

"What a pity—can I take a day off, big brother?" Tian Dao Shu Hua pleaded with Heavenly Dao Chief.

"No."

Receiving the negative answer, Tian Dao Shu Hua pursed her lips and quickly started eating.

"After Shuhua comes back at noon, I and Xiao Xi will still be here; we'll only leave in the afternoon," Jiang Xia said softly to Tian Dao Shu Hua.

After all, no one can refuse Tian Dao Shu Hua; after all, she really is an incredibly cute little sister.

And Heavenly Dao Chief wasn't at all surprised that Jiang Xia knew the news of Tian Dao Shu Hua returning home at noon, but he was genuinely curious about how Jiang Xia knew it, and was certain.

"I'm leaving; you all must wait for me to come back at noon," Shuhua waved at Jiang Xia and them.

"Take care on your way."

"She really is full of energy," Jiang Xia sighed, "completely unlike Xiao Xi."

Heavenly Dao Chief also merely glanced silently at Xiao Xi; perhaps if he had told her earlier, she might not have clung to hatred.

"I have something to show you that can clarify the matter of the belt and what happened seven years ago," Heavenly Dao Chief said, looking at Rixia Bu Xi.

Heavenly Dao Chief walked to a cabinet made of pure wood, a bit shorter than him, its top filled with various frames.

They all show Heavenly Dao Chief and Shuhua standing together.

He didn't touch it, but carefully reached out his hand to touch a small compartment beneath the cabinet.

Jiang Xia heard a click from inside; the latch had opened, as if some mechanism had been triggered.

"These are photos of me and my parents; they are also my treasure."

Heavenly Dao Chief, with a hint of nostalgia, took out the photos inside and then displayed them one by one for Rixia Bu Xi to see.

This mechanism is unknown even to Shuhua, who has lived with him for so long; no matter how playful she is, she could never open it—he hid it very well.

"What are these?" Rixia Bu Xi said, looking at the people in the photos who were eerily familiar, quickly pulling out her own parents' photos to compare.

The same couple leaned against each other in the same pose, but the child leaning in their arms was different.

In Rixia Bu Xu's eyes, the parents' appearances were so familiar that she could even recall the feeling of having taken photos together before.

It was an afternoon in Shibuya; a family that had just finished a spring outing happily took photos on the lawn she always went to.

Upon seeing these photos, it seemed as if a force spanned time, bringing her back to seven years ago—that spring before the meteorite fell in Shibuya.

Compared to the very well-preserved photos Heavenly Dao Chief produced, Rixia Bu Xi's photos appeared somewhat worn.

They are filled with a sense of vicissitudes, because the photos Rixia Bu Xi possesses went through the Shibuya incident and are also the last ones of them and Rixia Bu Xi.

"Why, why did my parents…" Rixia Bu Xi said, pleadingly looking at Heavenly Dao Chief, then turning her gaze to Jiang Xia, who had remained silent all along.

At this moment, Rixia Bu Xi's emotions were like a rushing river, suddenly plunging from high above and splashing up towering water.

Heavenly Dao Chief, sitting beside Rixia Bu Xi, picked up the photos,

"Because you are my biological sister, Xiao Xi—I have kept this secret for a long time,

the moment I first saw you, I knew that the little girl buried under the rubble had grown up."

"So, was it really you who, seven years ago, walked toward Mom and Dad wearing the belt?"

Rixia Bu Xu looked at Heavenly Dao Chief's expression to confirm, "So you didn't kill them?"

"At that time, I was wearing the belt and walking toward them when the debris above suddenly collapsed.

They were thus buried under the rubble, and I, relying on the belt's power, rescued you—who had already lost consciousness—before Shibuya completely collapsed.

"I was adopted by my grandmother for some special reasons, renamed Tiandao; my original name was Rixia Bu Zongsi, and you are my biological sister, Rixia Bu Xu."

"Jiang Xia saw through this, which is why he deliberately exposed the belt back then."

Heavenly Dao Chief said, "Back then you fainted, I didn't notice the hatred and sorrow hidden in your heart; that's my fault."

After settling Rixia Bu Xu, Heavenly Dao Chief and Jiang Xia stood together in the sunlight.

Heavenly Dao Chief looked at Jiang Xia, and his gaze suddenly became complex.

His clear pupils were like a mirror, firmly imprinting Jiang Xia's figure in his eyes.

He hadn't finished his words just now, the truth was also incomplete; he now wasn't sure whether Jiang Xia truly knew about the Alien Insect matter.

"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Jiang Xia looked at Heavenly Dao Chief's appearance, lightly curling the corner of his mouth as he said,

"If you want to thank me, just treat me to a meal."

"About what you haven't said yet, don't worry, I don't intend to tell anyone." Jiang Xia said.

"You do know after all." Heavenly Dao Chief said.

Everything Jiang Xia has revealed so far gives him the same answer: someone has mimicked him and obtained his memories.

That person is definitely related to Jiang Xia, or he himself is an Alien Insect, just like Xiao Xi.

This speculation existed long ago, but Jiang Xia has always appeared by his side as a companion.

The difference between Alien Insects and non-Alien Insects isn't actually big; whatever threatens his sister is to be his killing target, but Jiang Xia seems different.

"Come with me to a place, and you'll understand everything." Jiang Xia looked at Heavenly Dao Chief's appearance and spoke up.

"Where to?"

"Shibuya, X District." Jiang Xia said, "We'll try to return before Shuhua gets out of school."

(End of chapter)