Brothers recognizing each other needed no tears, no tearful embraces. A shared smile and a cup of fine wine said everything that a hundred years apart could not.
This kind of bond between brothers, born of the same blood, could never be faked or counterfeited.
Especially in front of Jiang Chen, the blood-tied kinship required no use of divine sense to perceive—he could feel it from a great distance.
This Jiang You was, without question, his long-lost brother.
He had searched for him a thousand times over, yet never expected him to suddenly appear in the Glazed Palace. And what was most remarkable of all—his brother had also reached the Divine Path realm.
This left Jiang Chen both surprised and overjoyed.
He had always worried that his brother had suffered out there, endured inhuman torment that might have twisted his personality beyond recognition, making him unable to fit in with others.
He had never truly feared that his brother wouldn't return. He had always been certain that Jiang You would come back. His only worry was that by then, his brother's temperament would have changed so much that the rift between them could never be mended.
Now it seemed that although this brother of his was quiet and taciturn, his nature was still warm and gentle, still pure.
Jiang Feng and Xu Meng, along with Xu Qingxuan, learned of Jiang You's return almost immediately and came rushing over.
The middle-aged scholar Jiang Huan, however, simply rubbed his nose and said, "It seems I've come at a bad time. I'm interrupting your family reunion."
Jiang Chen's expression shifted as he looked at Jiang Huan. "What is this gentleman's relationship with my brother?"
Jiang You, who had remained silent until now, spoke up. "When I was a youth, he took me in and raised me. I've been with him for over a hundred years."
The moment these words left his mouth, the entire Jiang family stirred. The way they looked at the middle-aged scholar Jiang Huan softened considerably.
"Thank you, sir. The Jiang family will never forget this kindness. Who would have thought that you, too, share the surname Jiang—we were one family five hundred years ago." Jiang Chen's gratitude came straight from the heart.
"Ha ha, five hundred years? That's putting it mildly. At the very least, it's been several hundred thousand years, hasn't it? Ha ha ha—several hundred thousand years ago, perhaps we really were one family. Young Lord Jiang Chen, wouldn't you say?" Jiang Huan's words seemed to carry a hidden meaning.
Jiang Chen blinked in slight surprise, studying Jiang Huan with newfound interest. "Friend, if what you say is true, then it was you who taught my brother cultivation and helped him attain the supreme Divine Path over these past hundred years?"
"No, no, no. Your brother hasn't learned a single thing about cultivation from me during all that time. To be precise, he's only done one thing," the middle-aged scholar said with a cheerful smile.
"What?" Everyone was stunned.
"Moved mountains," Jiang You answered in his characteristically blunt manner.
The others exchanged bewildered glances. Moved mountains—what did that mean?
Jiang You went on to explain in detail afterward. Jiang Feng and his wife could barely follow along, but Jiang Chen was utterly astonished.
So this Jiang Huan was no ordinary figure. He had merely had his brother move mountains, tempering his will and fortitude all the while—and the fruits planted on those mountains, the springs he had opened, had allowed his brother to advance into the Divine Path without even realizing it. Jiang Huan's abilities, it seemed, likely surpassed even his own.
In that moment, Jiang Chen felt a deep sense of respect for this man.
He had never imagined that here on the Divine Abyss Continent, someone of such caliber had been hiding in plain sight.
"The Divine Abyss Continent is home to hidden dragons and crouching tigers. For a friend to keep himself so concealed—truly unexpected. If you wouldn't find it unwelcome, would you care to step inside for a drink?"
Jiang Huan cupped his fists and bowed. "Then I shall trouble you."