"Shouchuang?"
The words caused a feeling to arise deep inside Pearl. The voice alone gave him vague memories, but the words… that word gave him a memory of a past that had long since gone from his mind.
He remembered when he first heard the words. It was during the time when he had been struggling inside the blood pool where he underwent the ritual to evolve into a White Tiger.
He did not know what the word meant at all, but this word had been spoken back then.
Shouchaung.
'You must survive, Shouchuang!'
The hint of memory returned again and with it a thunderous roaring sound. Pearl shook his head but he could still remember it.
'Survive and Live!'
He had forgotten those words once he was done with the ritual, but now he remembered it again. Who had been that person? It did not sound like a woman's voice at all.
"You… are Shouchuang, right?"
The White Cat looked perplexed and even started tearing up.
"Mother," Pearl said slowly. "You… recognize me?"
"You're really my Shouchuang!"
Shi Meiyoung had the biggest smile on her face even as tears flowed down her cheek. She moved and arrived in front of Pearl in an instant and took him in a hug.
She laid her head on Pearl's body and held him tightly.
Pearl didn't know what to do at all, but the familiar feeling he got from being taken into a hug made him want to cry. He reached around with one of his arms too and hugged her.
Tears started flowing through his eyes as well.
Shi Meiyoung choked a little on her own tears as she finally let Pearl go and looked at him all throughout. "Look at you, you're so grown up, Shouchuang. I can't believe you really are my son."
"How did you recognize?" Pearl asked.
Shi Meiyoung gave a small smile. "Of course I would recognize you, you're my son," she said as she stroked his head with her paws. "Also, you are the last memory I have of right now, so seeing you I recognized you immediately. I would never not realize who you are, Shouchuang."
"Shouchuang…" Pearl spoke slowly. "Is that… my name?"
Shi Meiyoung gave a weird look. "Of course," she said. "Is that… not what you are called now?"
"I was young when you… when you died," Pearl said. "I did not know what I was supposed to be called at all. So I was named Pearl."
"Pearl?" Shi Meiyoung asked. "That's not a bad name I suppose."
She continued stroking Pearl's head as the two looked at each other. "How many years has it been since I died?" she asked. "I… did die, did I not? This does not feel like my soul at all."
"70 years, more or less," Alex answered from the side.
"70 years…" Shi Meiyoung said and finally looked away from Pearl. Her eyes fell on Bai Jingshen and she finally let go of Pearl.
"Who might you be?" she asked.
"Do you not recognize me?" Bai Jingshen asked.
"Not really," Shi Meiyoung said with a slightly rueful smile. "I only know that my grandfather is a White Tiger, but he has long since died, so I do not know who you are."
"I did not die, child," Bai Jingshen said. He stepped toward Shi Meiyoung, along with the other 7 beasts, and stopped when he was right in front of her.
"It is me," he said. "I am Bai Jingshen, your grandfather."
Shi Meiyoung's eyes went wide in shock. "You are?" she asked, unable to believe it. "But you were supposed to be… I was told you were…"
"Whoever told you this was mistaken. That is not their fault, everyone believed I had died," Bai Jingshen said as he kissed her forehead. "I never thought the cub I saw back then would be so grown up."
Shi Meiyoung gave a look of surprise. "We've met before?" she asked.
"Of course," Bai Jingshen said. "Did your mother not tell you? That is when you got your bloodline."
"Oh!" Shi Meiyoung said. "I… wasn't aware. She did tell me there was a secret to my bloodline, but never told me what it was."
"I see," Bai Jingshen said. "She must have done it for a reason then. That matters not at the moment. Here, meet your Grandmother."
Ren Xiao was already in shambles with tears streaming down her face nonstop. Before Shi Meiyoung could even turn around, the large cat was already hugging her deeply.
Alex watched from the side as the reunion brought a tear to his eyes as well. Once Ren Xiao talked with Shi Meiyoung, the others approached and started talking to her as well.
Shi Meiyoung was beyond happy to meet the entire family. Not only was her son still alive, he had grown up, and now she got to meet her grandfather whom she had heard so much about, as well as her grandmothers.
It was a while before she questioned how any of this was even possible.
The group explained what was happening, and how they had brought her back to life. By the time they explained it all, Shi Meiyoung understood that this was something temporary.
In fact, this wasn't even her at all. What she was now was just a fragment of a memory the core remembered of her being. Still, even with all that, she was happy.
She was so very happy to see her child grow up to become what she had always hoped he would be.
Shi Meiyoung turned to look at Alex finally. "You're not the young man I met, are you? You look nothing like him," she said.
"Ah, that was me," Alex said quickly. "I looked different back then."
Due to the game 'character creation' system, he had indeed looked a lot different than what his original body was back then, and that was all the white cat had known.
"You remember that day?" Alex asked her.
"Vaguely," she said. "I remember being hurt and meeting a young man who tried to protect me despite being wounded himself. I don't remember much aside from that, but I must have asked you to take care of my son. Thank you for not abandoning him when he was a child."
"Of course," Alex said. "I promised you I would, so I did. It is only right."
"Still, you do not know how happy I am right now to learn that my child is not only alive, but doing well. He's even managed to become a White Tiger," she said proudly.
Pearl gave a wide grin.
"I hear you can do this with any beast whose core you get?" Shi Meiyoung asked Alex.
"Um, yes," Alex said. "As long as the beast is above Saint Transformation realm, it should be possible."
"That is not a problem," the White Cat said as she put on a saddened face. "Shouchuang's father must have died by now. If you can somehow get your hands on his core, please help Pearl meet him. I'm sorry to make another request so soon, but this one I must beg of you."
"No, no, I will do it," Alex said. "Just tell us who he is, and we'll do our best."
"Who he is?" Shi Meiyoung gave a weird look. "Do you not know?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"Shouchuang's father is Qing Tianchui," she said. "Ruler of the Eastern Continent, the Azure Dragon."
