Cha Eun Xiao's Ambivalence . . .
Cha Eun Xiao exited the room to find Han Bingxue restlessly pacing in front of the door. "Boss, you're awake again? Are you feeling all right? Do you still feel drowsy?"
A perplexed Cha Eun Xiao touched his head and replied, "Why would I feel sleepy? What are you talking about?"
Han Bingxue's eyes widened. "Are you sure you're okay? You don't feel sleepy at all?"
Cha Eun Xiao, his face flushed, said, "Am I ill? I had a restful sleep with a pleasant dream. It doesn't mean I want to sleep all day. I simply had a vivid dream; there's no need to make such a fuss."
"Wet dream!" Han Bingxue's eyes nearly popped out. "What did you say? You had a wet dream? I've been standing outside your door the whole night! Why didn't I hear a thing? This doesn't make any sense!"
Cha Eun Xiao, feeling embarrassed, retorted, "Are you finished? I'm going to knock that handsome face of yours."
Han Bingxue's words confirmed that it was just a dream. Had anyone else been in the room, it would have undoubtedly caused quite a commotion, and Han Bingxue would have heard it. Cha Eun Xiao's faint hope was dashed, and he felt humiliated. In his embarrassment, he began to babble nonsensically.
"Stop! Please stop! I'm not interested in that... Just look at you, since your rebirth, you've developed a sudden fondness for such matters... This is..." Han Bingxue submitted, raising both hands and gawking at Cha Eun Xiao with eyes wide open, as though he'd discovered a new land.
Cha Eun Xiao knew he had said something foolish and didn't blame Han Bingxue. Yet, being stared at in such a way was irritating. He coldly remarked, "Are you done staring at me? Keep it up, and I'll strip your clothes off right here for everyone to see."
"No, please, Boss. It was a misunderstanding. I wasn't gazing at your face in any peculiar manner..." As if trying to confirm something, Han Bingxue suddenly jumped ten meters in the air and exclaimed with bulging eyes, "Goodness! Boss, did you actually break through two levels overnight? Did you use an aphrodisiac or something?"
Cha Eun Xiao knew he'd wronged Han Bingxue, but he was irked by what the latter had said. Cha Eun Xiao put on a pretense of a smile and said, "What's wrong with it? Can't I?"
Han Bingxue shook as if attempting to awaken from a dream. "By the heavens... You really did use an aphrodisiac... Is this a dream... You're catching up to me so quickly..."
"Pah! I told you I advanced two levels overnight! I didn't need any aphrodisiac! Do you really think I require such a thing? Look at yourself; catching up to you is a piece of cake." Cha Eun Xiao sneered.
[Finally, it's not about the wet dream... How embarrassing...]
[I thought he'd heard something last night. I made quite a ruckus, so how could he not hear anything? I felt sore afterward...]
Sometimes people tended to belittle themselves. They didn't want others to know about their privacy, yet once they confirmed that others were unaware, they were surprised that no one recognized their greatness. Young Lord Cha must be a prime example of this phenomenon.
After breakfast, under Han Bingxue's watchful gaze, Cha Eun Xiao did not succumb to sleep.
"Boss, are we setting out today?" Han Bingxue inquired.
"I need to contemplate it," Cha Eun Xiao said with a wry smile.
"Boss, I understand your concerns. It may be hard to accept the situation," Han Bingxue offered sincerely. "But it isn't an insurmountable problem."
"Oh? How should we address it?" Cha Eun Xiao inquired.
"In my view, you must acknowledge that you are inhabiting this man's son's body," Han Bingxue stated. "Despite being a distinct soul, you share the same physical form. Your blood is his blood, and you are his son. You can't deny that."
"In essence, Uncle Cha, whom I haven't met yet, is your father. Cha Clan is your clan. Your bonds are based on blood. Regardless of how remarkable you become or what position you attain, those bonds can't be erased."
"Furthermore, for your own future in the martial world, you should acknowledge him. If you don't, you'll be an ungrateful son, and the guilt will weigh on your heart. You won't be able to bear it. If cultivators can't confront their true feelings without guilt, they can't make significant progress."
"You must fulfill your filial duty," he concluded. "So, Boss, just confront it."
Cha Eun Xiao responded with a bitter smile, "Of course, I understand what you're saying, every word of it. What's truly weighing on my mind is something entirely different. In fact, the issue has never been what you've just mentioned."
Pausing for a moment, he continued, his eyes reflecting a tinge of bitterness, "We're brothers, Bingxue. You know that Xiao Monarch is an orphan, abandoned as a baby. He had no family, no name..."
"I did harbor a deep-seated grudge in my heart, perceiving it as unjust. Yet... Bingxue, what happens if one day I encounter my biological parents? Who are my true parents? These or those? How can I possibly choose?"
Han Bingxue was taken aback, and he hadn't considered this possibility at all.
"Both couples are my parents?" Cha Eun Xiao anxiously questioned, "I doubt they would accept such a situation, would they? Am I the child of this couple, or the other? It's utterly absurd..."
Sighing heavily, Cha Eun Xiao was left at a loss for words.
Han Bingxue stared at him, equally dumbfounded and lost for words.
"Maybe... your parents from your previous life... have long since passed away," Han Bingxue finally ventured to suggest after a lengthy silence.
Cha Eun Xiao looked at Han Bingxue in disbelief.
"Boss, consider this. You were an orphan in your past life. You embarked on a solitary journey to reach the pinnacle of the ninth level of Dao Origin Stage! How many years did that take? A considerable amount of time! Your parents couldn't have been influential individuals, or else why would they abandon their own son? They never attempted to locate you afterward. Given that they weren't powerful figures... I'd venture to say they likely passed away long ago, don't you think?"
Han Bingxue felt increasingly confident in his theory and concluded, "So, you don't need to concern yourself with it."
When Han Bingxue suggested that Cha Eun Xiao's parents were deceased, Cha Eun Xiao initially felt like he might explode in anger. Yet, he merely let out a long sigh. "I understand your perspective, and I agree with it. Nevertheless, when I think about them, I have a peculiar sensation, and I don't know why. It remains quite clear to me."
He continued, "I feel... they are not deceased. It's a powerful sentiment, one I can't shake. No matter what, I can't rid myself of this unwavering belief."