Ye Ying subconsciously took two steps back, tilting her head slightly, looking at the weathered old man with white hair and a few wrinkles on his face in surprise.
She never imagined that it was her father, who had left without a word, who had come to see her.
It was too sudden; Ye Ying couldn't accept it for a moment.
The excitement in her heart vanished, replaced by panic and confusion.
Her father smiled and gently raised his arm to embrace Ye Ying.
But Ye Ying pushed him away, clutching her chest and taking two more steps back. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she turned to pull at the metal door.
Escape, that was the only thought in her mind.
From the shipwreck at the beach at the age of 10, to the destruction of her village and the death of her mother, she had learned to be indifferent and to view the world with cold eyes. Then came the experiences with the Saint Coco organization and living alone. Ye Ying had come to hate men, and she hated betrayal and deception.
Until she came to Xianxia, she had lived cautiously, coldly, and ruthlessly. When faced with anyone she even slightly suspected, especially men, she would immediately flee.
If escape was not possible, she would kill them.
It was through cold-bloodedness and ruthlessness that Ye Ying managed to survive in the hellish region of Yadaya for over seven years.
If it weren't for Gu Ya and Instructor Wu, Ye Ying probably would never have trusted any man!
In this world, apart from Gu Ya, who was genuinely sincere towards her and would not deceive her, she was unwilling to trust any other man. Even her teammates in the Hound Five Squad, with whom she had spent a year, Ye Ying remained half-believing.
Regarding her "father," she had only held a faint hope in her heart, never daring to expect a meeting.
After all, 18 years had passed. Her father must have remarried and started his own new family by now.
He would surely dislike his daughter suddenly appearing before him.
"Ye Ying!" her father called out urgently, stepping forward to block the doorway. Tears flowed from his eyes as he looked at Ye Ying with anxiety and a longing for recognition, saying softly, "I'm sorry, it was my fault..."
As her father spoke, he quickly raised his communication bracelet, tapped it a few times, and a holographic screen displayed a photograph.
In the photo, a woman who strongly resembled Ye Ying was holding a plump baby. Standing beside the woman was a younger version of her father. They were smiling affectionately and happily.
"This... this was taken on your hundredth day after birth..." Her father said, smiling and crying, looking at the photo, then at Ye Ying, hoping his daughter would no longer evade him.
Upon seeing the photo, Ye Ying suddenly covered her face, trembling all over, tears streaming down her face.
Her father gently raised his arm and slowly pulled Ye Ying into a tight embrace.
Fifteen minutes later, the father and daughter finally calmed their emotions and sat by the coffee table.
Ye Ying's tear-reddened eyes still held a glimmer of tears.
Her father, too, had more wrinkles on his weathered face, but he was smiling constantly out of happiness.
"How were you and your mother during those years?" her father asked softly.
Ye Ying sniffled, lowered her head, clenched her hands tightly, and pressed them against her thighs, saying in a low voice, "When I was seven, my mother remarried and had another brother. My stepfather was very good to us. A year later, my stepfather also passed away. After that, my mother raised me and my brother..."
"And then?" her father's tone was filled with regret and a touch of sadness. "What happened later?"
Ye Ying briefly recounted subsequent events and her personal experiences, without adding emotional embellishments or seeking her father's sympathy.
In Ye Ying's heart, only Gu Ya truly cared about her experiences and feelings, and he had indeed done so.
There was no point in telling this man, who called himself "father," any more. It would only add unnecessary emotional burden.
However, her father still sensed his daughter's hardships from Ye Ying's brief words, nodding his head heavily, his eyes filled with sadness and self-reproach.
Finally, her father sighed heavily, lost in sorrow. After a long while, he slowly raised his head to look at Ye Ying and said with relief, "Seeing you like this now, I can finally rest assured."
Ye Ying's large eyes and delicate face inherited her mother's features, while her other facial features and build were strikingly similar to her father's. If her father hadn't aged, his face not lined with wrinkles and his figure not softened, they could have been recognized as father and daughter at a glance.
Her father glanced at his bracelet, his expression becoming more serious. He said in a low voice, "I should be going soon. I'm here for reinforcements for Kuang Hai Peak. Upon learning you were here, I came to see you... I don't know when we'll meet again after this parting."
Ye Ying nodded obediently.
Her father hesitated for a moment, then took out his mech starter, signaling Ye Ying to take out hers.
He connected the two starters end-to-end. A few seconds later, the mech actions from his starter were transferred to Ye Ying's.
"Dad... I've achieved some success in mech piloting. I'm transferring my ultimate skills to you. Some are quite difficult, but I believe you can do it." Her father's eyes gradually became resolute as he manipulated the small buttons on the starter, at 5c/
Ye Ying opened the small pendant. Inside was a paper photograph, protected by a transparent crystal cover. In the photo, the young father and mother embraced each other, looking at each other with doting affection. The lid of the pendant was inscribed with "Ye Zhenjun" and "Anna Ray," with "Ye Ying" written by hand.
"Ye Zhenjun is my alias. As for my real name, I'm sorry, daughter, I cannot tell you. That is the highest secret of Xianxia..." Ye Zhenjun said faintly.
Ye Ying looked at Ye Zhenjun with some surprise. What secret was so profound that even his own daughter could not be told?
Ye Zhenjun smiled affably and said warmly, "At my level, my name and destiny are already bound to Xianxia."
"Alright!" Ye Zhenjun stood up, placed his general's cap over his chest, and looked at Ye Ying with a fond smile. "Daughter, please forgive me for appearing and leaving so abruptly. If the war ends and you have a chance to visit Xianxia City, you can dial this number and ask for 00001, and you'll find me."
Ye Zhenjun sent a string of communication numbers to Ye Ying's bracelet.
When he saw that the background of Ye Ying's bracelet's main interface was a photo of Gu Ya, Ye Zhenjun froze. His pupils trembled slightly, and he asked softly, "You... he... you two..."
Ye Ying looked at Gu Ya's photo and nodded gently, a shy smile appearing on her face.
This small expression did not escape Ye Zhenjun's notice, as he was concerned about his daughter. At this moment, he understood.
Just like most fathers who cared for their daughters, Ye Zhenjun felt a surge of reluctance and inexplicable anger.
His daughter was only 19 years old, and she had already been snatched away by this boy named Gu Ya.
No matter how excellent or powerful this Gu Ya was, in Ye Zhenjun's mind, he was still just a scamp.
His strength was outstanding among his peers, but he was not stronger than Ye Zhenjun.
And why did it have to be this Gu Ya?
"He is very good to me, he doesn't deceive me, and he cares about what happens to me," Ye Ying said with a smile.
Ye Ying's words were clearly meant to comfort Ye Zhenjun. Ye Zhenjun glanced at Gu Ya in the photo again. This was a photo taken before Gu Ya had finished growing; his face was round, and his eyes were firm and clear.
Ye Zhenjun let out a soft sigh, releasing the negative emotions in his heart, and nodded, "Mm, I understand."
The father and daughter, separated for 18 years, embraced, and Ye Zhenjun left the room in a hurry.
This sudden meeting, lasting less than half an hour, had finally filled the last void in Ye Ying's heart.
From the moment she arrived at Xianxia and was captured by the mech guard of Wu He City, Ye Ying knew her father was alive and in Xianxia City, but she had been too busy to find the time or opportunity to see him.
She kept this small wish hidden in her heart, not dwelling on it often.
Ye Ying also hadn't expected her father to appear on his own.
After seeing her father, Ye Ying wished she could have acted like other girls and acted spoiled in front of her dad.
But years of independent living had erased such sentimentality.
Now, she was a Xianxia warrior, and her father was the same, even more formidable than Ye Ying had imagined.
Just the fact that he couldn't reveal his real name to his own daughter was enough to guess that his identity was definitely not simple.
In the face of national adversity, all superfluous emotions must be cast aside.
Her father must have thought the same way.
Ye Ying composed herself, regaining her usual demeanor, and walked steadily out of the room.
There were many things to do in the future.