"Yes, Nina Ning, it's not easy for us here. Try not to cause trouble." The young man also walked over.
Nina Ning continued to stare blankly at the gravely injured young man, even walking toward him.
The woman who tried to persuade her quickly pulled Nina Ning back. "Nina Ning, you never liked causing trouble before. What's gotten into you this time?"
Nina Ning snapped back to herself, turned to her two companions, and said, "Axi, Yumo, I'm not trying to cause trouble. I just feel that this seriously injured man is deeply connected to me. It's a feeling I can't put into words... Today, I have to save him, I'm sorry."
Nina Ning didn't just feel a connection to this gravely injured man—she felt an overwhelming urge to save him. It was a call from deep within her soul, one that defied all reason.
"Fine, then you take him back with you today. Axi and I will go to the Torrent Springs Mountains first. Be careful on your own." The other woman knew Nina Ning's character—once she decided on something, not even eight oxen could drag her back. She simply stopped trying to persuade her.
......
When Joe Di woke up, he found himself lying on a stone bed. His sea of consciousness was shattered, so he could only make out that he was in a stone room by sight alone.
A woman was standing with her back to him, cooking something on a simple stove. From the strong herbal aroma, Joe Di could tell she was preparing medicine.
Joe Di quickly noticed something odd—he felt a strange connection to this woman, a bond that he couldn't explain.
"You're awake, have some medicine." The woman brought over a bowl of medicine. Joe Di vaguely felt that not only was there a connection between him and this woman, but she also seemed familiar.
But he was certain he had never met this woman before. When she spoke, Joe Di sensed the underlying law of language.
Joe Di knew his own situation. His problem couldn't be cured by such low-grade medicinal herbs—his sea of consciousness had undergone nirvana, and now he no longer had one. However, a pearl suffused with Dao rhythm floated in his Purple Mansion, seemingly connected to his spirit, but he hadn't had time to inspect it yet.
"I don't need medicine. I'm well aware of my own condition. Thank you for saving me. What's your name?" Joe Di asked.
The woman didn't force Joe Di to drink the medicine and instead said, "I'm Nina Ning. And you? How did you end up outside the Torrent Springs Mountains?"
"I'm Joe Di. I was injured while fighting a fiend beast..." Joe Di replied casually.
"Ah..." Nina Ning exclaimed in surprise, then said, "I didn't expect your surname to be Di. Actually, my mother is also a Di."
She was already thinking—could it be that this young man was related to her mother, which was why he felt so familiar?
"What's your mother's name?" Joe Di asked urgently. He also felt a connection to this woman—sometimes the feeling was very real.
Nina Ning didn't hide it. "My mother's name is Autumn Waters..."
After speaking, Nina Ning placed the bowl of medicine in Joe Di's hand. "Brother Joe, you should drink some medicine. That way you'll recover faster."
Joe Di felt a little disappointed. He didn't know Autumn Waters and had never heard of her—it must be a coincidence.
"So where is this place?" He took the bowl of medicine. This woman named Nina Ning was kind-hearted—even if the medicine wouldn't help him, it was a gesture of goodwill.
Nina Ning explained, "This is Five Rivers Continent. I originally planned to go to the Torrent Springs Mountains to look for spirit herbs, but I happened to see you collapsed by the roadside. Because I felt a sense of destiny with you deep inside, I rescued you..."
Joe Di was secretly startled. Fortunately, his True Spirit World had concealment restrictions—ordinary cultivators couldn't see it. Otherwise, he might have met a bad end.
As Joe Di lifted the bowl of medicine, a thought suddenly struck him—Nina Ning's eyes actually held a trace of Nora Xiu's expression. No wonder she felt familiar to him.
Was it because he missed Nora Xiu too much?
"Have you and your mother always lived here? And Five Rivers Continent—what continent is that?" Joe Di sensed the familiarity and asked instinctively.
Nina Ning shook her head. "No, my mother and my grandmother came from a place called Earth..."
Joe Di's hand was already trembling. He asked urgently, "What's your grandmother's name?"
Nina Ning looked at Joe Di in confusion. "My grandmother's name is Nora Xiu..."
"Clatter!" The bowl of medicine in Joe Di's hand fell to the ground. He murmured, "Xiuqi, Xiuqi actually left Earth and came here... Qiushui, Autumn Waters, did Xiuqi bear our child? I knew nothing. I'm sorry, Xiuqi..."
Joe Di had cultivated to this day, so he naturally knew that cultivators needed more time than ordinary people to have children. This must have been the first child he and Nora Xiu conceived, because at the same time, his Dao rules were being formed.
"What about your grandmother?" Joe Di asked urgently, his hand trembling violently.
Nina Ning also sensed something was off. She asked in a trembling voice, "Do you have some connection with my mother... or my grandmother?"
Joe Di calmed himself and stared at Nina Ning with burning intensity. "Yes. If you count it, I'm Autumn Waters' father..."
"You're my grandfather?" Nina Ning's hands trembled, tears welled up in her eyes, and finally spilled over. She knelt before Joe Di. "Are you really my grandfather?"
Joe Di felt awkward—Nina Ning looked older than him, the hardships of life already etched into her rough hands and face.
But then he remembered Nina Ning was his granddaughter by blood, and his heart swelled with excitement.
He helped Nina Ning up. "It must be true. What about your grandmother and mother?"
Thinking of all the hardships Nora Xiu had endured over the years, Joe Di felt even more guilty toward her. Judging by Nina Ning's situation now, Nora Xiu and Autumn Waters probably hadn't had an easy life either.
Tears welled up in Nina Ning's eyes. "My grandmother killed my father and took my mother away..."
"What?" Joe Di exclaimed in shock, unable to believe what Nina Ning had said. Nora Xiu was definitely not a bloodthirsty person, let alone someone who would kill her own son-in-law.
"What exactly happened?" Joe Di calmed down. He knew there must be a reason, otherwise Nora Xiu would never have killed her daughter's husband.
Nina Ning shook her head and didn't say more.
Joe Di grew anxious. "Do you know where they went?"
"I don't know." Nina Ning's voice was very low, tinged with grievance.
"Why didn't they take you with them?" Joe Di wanted to know even more.
Nina Ning was silent for a long time before finally saying, "Grandmother said there was nothing good about the Ning family. My father was even worse... Later, she killed my father and took my mother away."
"Did she come alone?"
Nina Ning shook her head again. "No, I have an uncle. His name is Lethe."
"Lethe, Autumn Waters... longing for Autumn Waters..." Joe Di murmured. "I'm sorry. I came back too late, and I didn't even return to Lethe Temple."
Joe Di understood the meaning of 'longing for Autumn Waters,' but didn't realize the last two characters in Lethe's name weren't 'longing.'
Several minutes passed before Joe Di recovered. He needed to find Nora Xiu, Lethe, and Autumn Waters as soon as possible. He looked at Nina Ning and asked gently, "Nina, you know I'm your family. Tell me, why did your grandmother kill your father?"
Nina Ning wiped her eyes and hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "My mother may not be a top beauty, but her talent is extremely high. At just over twenty years old, she had reached late Seabreaker Stage, and was only a step away from Cauldron Lord Stage."
At that time, my mother met my father, Nicholas Ning. They fell in love at first sight and pledged themselves to each other... My father came from the top Ning Clan in Five Rivers Continent, famous even in Grand Abyss Continent for its many geniuses.
Joe Di frowned at this—Autumn Waters was only in her twenties. Since she chose the path of cultivation, she shouldn't have gotten involved in romance so soon.
But then he remembered Nora Xiu was only twenty when she was with him, so he could only sigh. Another thing he couldn't understand—if the Ning Clan was such a top family, why was Nina Ning wandering here?
Nina Ning continued, "After my father brought my mother to the Ning Clan, they soon discovered how frighteningly fast my mother's cultivation improved..."
Joe Di had always dealt with all kinds of crafty old monsters, and immediately sensed something was wrong. He interrupted Nina Ning, "Nina, you said your mother may not be a top beauty, but is she pretty? Tell me honestly."
Nina Ning hesitated. "My mother is very delicate. While not a top beauty, she's still rarely seen—at least prettier than me."
Nina Ning could only be described as delicate, not beautiful. Ning Cheng continued, "And your father—was he handsome?"
Nina Ning answered immediately, "My father was very handsome. I remember everyone said he was the most handsome man in the Ning Clan."
Joe Di's heart sank. He was sure it wasn't the rest of the Ning Clan who noticed Autumn Waters' rapid progress, but Nicholas Ning. Nicholas came from a top family and was so handsome—why would he fall for someone merely delicate like Autumn Waters?