Journey And Memories (Wangxian ff)

chapter 9

Everyone was preparing for their departure, and once again Jiang Cheng reminded his right-hand man to take care of the sect while he would be gone for a long journey.
Soon, they set off for the Yiling Burial Mounds. Some of them flew on their swords, while the three brothers used their hoverboards.
After about an hour of flying, they arrived near Yiling.
When they reached the small market in Yiling, the three travelers became excited again. They ran from one stall to another, eagerly looking at everything. The others simply followed behind the three grown men who were acting like toddlers.
Lan Wangji and Shen Yuan paid for anything the three brothers wanted. Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan were not as wealthy as Shen Yuan and Wangji, so they allowed them to buy whatever the three wanted.
“Hm, it’s sweet just like candy,” Haoxuan said happily while munching on a piece of candy.
Since he was a child, he had always loved sweets. Even while he was inside his capsule, he had always wanted to try the candy in this new world and compare it with the candy from the world they came from.
Sean and Fie both nodded in agreement.
After a long walk toward the mountain, they finally reached the entrance of the Burial Mounds.
Then they walked inside.
When they reached the center of the mound, they found several objects that the Wen remnants had used when they once lived there.
“Maybe we should rest for a while before continuing,” Lan Xichen said when he noticed that Jiang Yanli looked a little tired.
She had also come along, together with Jin Zixuan and their children, Jin Ling and Jin Mie, who was currently in Ying Yuan’s arms.
“I’ll check the perimeter,” Sean said before walking away.
Lan Wangji followed him like a quiet shadow.
They walked around the cave to check the surroundings, but nothing seemed unusual. After making sure the place was safe, they decided to return to the group.
Fie and Yanli were cooking their lunch, so Sean sat beside Haoxuan and talked about random things while waiting.
Soon, the food was ready.
The group continuously complimented Yanli and Fie for the delicious meal.
After a long rest, they decided to start searching the area.
Sean chose to walk deeper into the cave. From the story he had read before, he knew that there was supposed to be a secret entrance hidden somewhere inside.
With Lan Wangji’s help, Sean carefully searched the cave.
Eventually, his attention focused on a large rock—the only rock inside the cave. However, it had already been broken into several pieces.
The others soon came inside as well.

“It’s just a rock. How can a rock be used for—” Jiang Cheng stopped when Sean picked up one of the stones.
Sean examined it carefully. There were strange scribbles carved into it.
He showed it to his younger brothers.
“Of course. One of the weird tasks Grandma taught us was solving strange puzzles—even ones made from rocks,” Fie said.
Then they noticed a circular mark on the stone bed nearby.
The three brothers immediately began arranging the stones like a puzzle.
As soon as they finished placing the last piece, the ground suddenly began to shake.
Moments later, a circular opening appeared, forming what looked like a portal.
The three brothers jumped happily and high-fived each other.
They were just about to enter when—

“What are you doing?” Jiang Cheng asked.
“Well… we’re going—” Fie started.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m asking! We don’t know what that is. What if—” Jiang Cheng retorted again, but Sean cut him off.
“Then I’ll go check. If I can’t come back… well…” He paused to think. “I don’t know.”
Before anyone could stop him, he suddenly jumped into the portal.
“Da-ge!”
“Wei Wuxian!”
“A-Xian!”
“Young Master Wei!”
“Wei Ying!”
Everyone shouted, but it was already too late.
Lan Wangji was about to follow, but his brother stopped him.
So Haoxuan and Fie jumped in next.
“What the—are they crazy?” someone muttered.
Then Ying Yuan, He Na, and Shen Yuan followed as well.
The rest who were left behind hesitated. But after a moment of thinking, they also jumped into the portal.
The moment they entered, they felt themselves floating.
Then suddenly—
they began falling.
Everyone started screaming.
Jiang Yanli’s grip on her daughter loosened until she accidentally let go. Yanli desperately tried to reach her, but she couldn’t catch her because they were falling too quickly.

Sean landed butt-first on the ground. He quickly stood up and looked around.
Then he suddenly heard a scream.
He reacted immediately and caught his brothers as they fell. In the end, he was lying on the ground with his two brothers on top of him, making sure they wouldn’t get hurt.
Soon after, Ying Yuan, Shen Yuan, and He Na also landed nearby.
Shen Yuan immediately walked over to Fie and asked if he was hurt.
Fie and Haoxuan stood up and thanked their da-ge.
Sean slowly stood up as well, groaning.
A moment later, they heard another scream.
They looked up and saw the little girl giggling while falling from the sky.
Ying Yuan immediately moved and caught little Jin Mie.
At the same time, He Na used a water bubble to catch the juniors and Lady Jiang Yanli, while the others groaned in pain after landing on the ground.
“Is everyone alright?” He Na asked.
Jiang Cheng groaned in annoyance and glared at Sean.
“Are you crazy? What if that thing had killed you?” he yelled at him.
“Well, now you see I’m fine. And so are you,” Sean said with a shrug. “The real question is… where are we?”
The others looked around.
Just like Sean, they all had the same expression of surprise.
“Wow… the lake is huge,” Jiang Cheng commented.
“But that’s not a lake. It’s called an ocean,” Sean corrected.
“So this is the sea,” the juniors said happily.
They began walking toward the shoreline after noticing a ship in the distance.

They decided to camp for the night before boarding the ship. They didn’t even know if the ship had an owner or if it had been abandoned.
“There is no one else here on the island,” said his brother Fie.
Earlier, he had thought about exploring the island. The island wasn’t very big, so Fie and Shen Yuan had flown around it together to check the area.
“Who do you think owns that ship?” Haoxuan asked.
“I don’t know either. For now, let’s rest first. Tomorrow, our real journey will begin,” Sean replied.
“Mrs. Jin, you and your baby can take the tent. I will stay outside with my brothers and the others,” Fie said to the woman.
“No need, Fie. Go inside the tent and join the others. You need to rest. I’ll be the one to watch out for unexpected guests, if there are any,” Sean said.
So Fie and Haoxuan followed their brother’s orders.
Haoxuan, Fie, He Na, the juniors, and even Xiao Xingchen set up another tent for themselves. Meanwhile, Shen Yuan, Ying Yuan, Song Lan, Lan Xichen, Jiang Cheng, Lan Wangji, and Xiao Zhan stayed outside as lookouts.
They insisted that Jin Zixuan and Jin Ling stay inside the tent with their mother to keep them safe.
Sean then handed out sleeping bags to everyone who remained outside.
While lying down, Sean gazed up at the beautiful stars. The person beside him was doing the same.
“Tell me, Hanguang-jun… do I look like the Yiling Patriarch? Do you think I’m him, so that’s why you follow me?” Sean asked quietly.
“I know you are Wei Ying. He’s not dead. I know he’s alive,” Lan Wangji replied.
Sean remained silent.
“Hmm,” he murmured softly, continuing to look up at the stars.
More than anything, he wanted to find his grandmother as soon as possible.
He needed to know who he truly was.