Pretending To Be A Boss
Chapter 899 - 58: Reunion with Zhong Yao

The sudden embrace left Zhong Yao momentarily at a loss.

She only found the man before her vaguely familiar, yet could not recall where she had seen him.

Zhong Yao had never actually called Tang Xian by name, merely roused him from his slumber. But in his dreams, that voice was so familiar to Tang Xian that it transformed into different words altogether.

Quickly, however, Zhong Yao understood who the individual before her truly was.

Tang Xian's voice carried a note of joy:

"Father left many writings within the Sea God's heart chamber, saying that you had ventured to the ruins of Eden. Later, Bai Shuang also passed along the message you entrusted to her."

"I've been praying all this time, praying that everything is as Father said. Hoping that you were still alive, hoping the seven-day rule didn't take your life."

"I don't know if this is reality or a dream, but being able to see you—even if just in a dream—is a blessing."

"The world is vast, Mother, and I've met many people who love me! I have so many stories I want to share with you."

Zhong Yao pushed Tang Xian away, then stared into his eyes.

Her lips quivered, her gaze carrying a mix of astonishment, like a sudden flame igniting in a barren snowfield.

After a moment of silence, Zhong Yao tremulously asked:

"You are... Tang Xian?"

The moment she saw Tang Xian nod, her voice became difficult to distinguish between joy and sorrow, laced with a hint of sobbing as she asked:

"How are you here? How can you be here?"

As prior children of order, particularly those capable of altering the genetic codes of order itself, Zhong Yao and Tang Wen resided outside the reach of observation.

Even Tang Xian couldn't discern any information about his mother.

He worked to steady himself, refraining from closely observing his surroundings, though he could vaguely infer where he had arrived.

"I don't know either. In my consciousness, I felt overwhelming drowsiness, as though something was pulling me. I struggled to resist, yet still fell into slumber—and when I awoke, I found myself here."

The excitement and joy of reuniting with his mother had yet to subside, but Tang Xian was already beginning to calm.

Zhong Yao appeared dazed, reticent for another few seconds. Then, lifting her hand, she gently touched Tang Xian's face and softly yet helplessly said:

"It seems you've endured much hardship over these years."

She had no idea why Tang Xian had come here, but she knew this place well—once one set foot here, leaving was nearly impossible.

Surely, Tang Xian had encountered many revelations, possibly unlocking secrets of the Eden Tribe and the manipulators of order.

He had mentioned Tang Wen, so he must have visited the same places Tang Wen had once been.

And he had spoken of Bai Shuang, which meant he had likely encountered the Beast God.

With a brief deduction, Zhong Yao could roughly piece together the journey Tang Xian had undergone.

After briefly breaking their embrace, the mother and son once again clasped each other tightly.

She gently patted Tang Xian's back, silent tears streaming down her face.

"My good child, look how much you've grown. The year I left you, you were so small back then."

Once unlocked, the chest of memories pours its contents—a treasure trove of love and tears.

Zhong Yao had so much to say, and Tang Xian too had a plethora of words he wished to share.

Concerns that had filled their hearts—like the state of the world outside, the extent to which the manipulators of order had awakened, or the upheavals humanity had endured—vanished in an instant.

In the warmth of their embrace, those questions no longer seemed to matter.

They held each other for a long time. Hearing Zhong Yao's faint sobs, Tang Xian finally pulled back slightly and asked:

"Meeting you here is a joy. Mother, is this the ruins of Eden?"

Zhong Yao nodded, but then shook her head and replied:

"There's no such thing as the ruins of Eden. The Eden Ruins are merely an illusion. To those who have never entered the Eden Sanctuary, it appears as ruins. But within the sanctuary itself, nothing has been harmed."

Zhong Yao gestured to a corner of the room.

Only then did Tang Xian realize he was lying in a room. The decor bore a resemblance to the grandeur of ancient Chinese imperial courts—lavish and opulent.

Where Zhong Yao pointed was a potted plant.

But that potted plant astonished Tang Xian.

"The Zudun Holy Tree?"

"This isn't the Holy Tree—or rather, it hasn't yet grown to the scale of a Holy Tree."

Tang Xian's heart began to race. Mother and son had much to talk about, but seeing this pot of constantly morphing, shapeless plant, Tang Xian immediately remembered what Shang Lu once said.

"Xian, its genetic code seems to be constantly shifting. So strange—with no fixed form, who knows what might happen if someone ate its fruit."

Shang Lu had attempted multiple times to replicate the Zudun Holy Tree, but each replica was static, showing only one of the original's endless forms. The true Holy Tree itself remained ever in flux.

The Zudun Holy Tree harbored too many mysteries: why it killed the three-headed hellhound upon consumption, yet enabled Bai Mansheng to evolve perfectly.

Such chaotic transformations—could any degree of control be exercised over them?

Had the Master of Eden already unraveled the ultimate secrets of biological evolution?

As these questions raced through Tang Xian's mind, he did not hide his bewilderment from Zhong Yao. Every one of his thoughts was written plainly on his face.

Zhong Yao wiped her tears away and suddenly began to laugh. Her appearance hadn't changed from her youth—still radiant and beautiful.

It was in that moment that Tang Xian understood why his father loved his mother so deeply—it was like placing a blooming flower into... well, some unworthy soil.

"You're still the same as when you were young. Once something sparks your curiosity, you become wholly absorbed in finding the answer."