Chapter Fifty-Two: Meeting with Zhang Chengwei

At that moment, Master Liu entered the main hall. Upon seeing Chancellor Zhang Chengwei, he bowed and said, “Commoner Liu Yude pays respects to the Chancellor.”

Yet Zhang Chengwei did not put on any airs and replied, “Very well, please rise!”

Then, to Master Liu’s surprise, Zhang Chengwei even spoke with a touch of deference: “I am deeply grateful for the kindness your family has shown mine. I, Chengwei, will never forget it, and one day I shall repay your generosity a thousandfold.”

Master Liu, somewhat flustered by this honor, rose to his feet, and the two took their seats as host and guest.

Chancellor Zhang Chengwei was the first to speak: “Your business truly thrives, Master Liu. I daresay one would be hard-pressed to find another like you in the whole realm.”

Master Liu replied, “I am unworthy of such praise, my lord. Whatever I possess, I owe to the inheritance left by my forebears. I merely keep to the family estate and live as they did. Compared to my ancestors, I am nothing; they were the ones with true ability.”

In truth, though Master Liu had inherited his family’s property, it was not so grand at the time—barely notable even in the Great Xing Kingdom. Its current scale was achieved through Master Liu’s own efforts.

Chancellor Zhang Chengwei continued, “Master Liu, you are too modest. Let us speak plainly. When did my son arrive at your estate? Did he share what befell him during this past year? What exactly has he experienced?”

Master Liu hesitated, “My lord, if I may…?” He glanced around the room.

Zhang Chengwei understood and promptly dismissed all attendants except Li Longfang. Master Liu did the same. Thus, only Master Liu, Zhao Chengming, Zhang Chengwei, and Li Longfang remained in the room.

Master Liu then recounted all that he knew. Upon hearing this, Zhang Chengwei was by turns astonished, delighted, saddened, and anxious—astonished at the marvels of fate, gladdened that the young man truly was his son, grieved that the original Zhang Desen might never return, and worried that this Zhang Desen might one day depart and return to his original universe.

For, though this son hailed from another universe, he was still, in essence, Zhang Desen. Yet the notion of multiple universes was difficult to accept, for Zhang Chengwei had no way to verify it.

Master Liu, too, realized the matter was hard to explain. If not for the evidence Zhang Desen provided and the sight of his spaceship, even he would have found it hard to believe the young man’s story.

Thus, Master Liu immediately invited Zhang Chengwei to see Zhang Desen’s spaceship for himself. Zhang Chengwei agreed, but he did not wish to have Zhang Desen warned in advance, wanting to observe his son’s natural state—even if, truthfully, some preparation had already been made.

Soon, Zhang Chengwei and Li Longfang followed Master Liu and his party to the cave where Zhang Desen’s spaceship was hidden. Master Liu’s steward, Liu Man, tended to Zhang Chengwei’s retinue.

As the three approached the cave, Zhang Desen had already prepared the materials for presentation. At that moment, he and Liu Yuting were arranging the agricultural equipment beside the spaceship within the cave base, ensuring its continued operation. Even with the Liu family’s aid, Zhang Desen refused to neglect these tasks. He also wanted everything in order to facilitate Zhang Chengwei’s upcoming tour.

Thus, when Zhang Chengwei arrived, he saw Zhang Desen dressed neatly in his special forces uniform, finishing up with Liu Yuting and her personal maid.

Zhang Chengwei asked, “Master Liu, who are those two young women?”

No sooner had he spoken than he recognized them—it was none other than Miss Liu Yuting and her maid. Master Liu quickly explained, “Ah, my lord, you are mistaken. That is my daughter and her maid Biliu. They are only here to help.”

“Oh, is that so?” Zhang Chengwei feigned ignorance, letting the matter pass.

At this point, Zhang Desen saw the three newcomers and approached them with a crisp military bearing. Liu Yuting and her maid also came forward. As Zhang Desen approached, Zhang Chengwei was overwhelmed by a rush of emotions.

Indeed, Zhang Desen felt much the same. Though he hailed from a different universe, he was still, fundamentally, the same person. Upon reaching them, Zhang Desen gave a textbook salute and declared, “Captain Zhang Desen of the Huaxia Flying Dragon Special Operations Team reporting to the Chancellor!”

“Liu Yuting pays her respects to the Chancellor,” said Liu Yuting.

“Your servant Biliu pays her respects to the Chancellor,” added the maid.

“Very well, you may all rise. Sen’er, are you well these days?”

The affectionate term caught Zhang Desen off guard, for his father from his original universe had never addressed him so. Yet, considering the differences in custom, he let it pass and replied, “To speak candidly, Chancellor, I am here in this universe on a scientific expedition. All relevant materials have been prepared. Please, step into the projection room to view them.”

With a gesture, Zhang Desen led the way. Zhang Chengwei thought, perhaps he is simply unused to the situation, and entered first.

Inside the spaceship’s projection room, Zhang Desen, just as he had done for the Liu family, presented all his evidence—videos, documents, and even the recording of “The Universe Pursuit Order.” He also showed Zhang Chengwei the drone footage of the humanoid creatures, and the first encounter between the Terran and Qian Yanei, both video and audio. Zhang Chengwei thus grasped the gravity of the situation. By the time all was finished, night had fallen.

Neither Zhang Desen nor Master Liu wished to keep anything from Zhang Chengwei. Even if he was but this universe’s counterpart of Zhang Desen’s father, they trusted he would not betray them.

After learning everything, Zhang Chengwei fell silent, lost in thought. Li Longfang, too, was dumbfounded and said nothing.

Suddenly, Zhang Chengwei broke the quiet, “No matter what, you are Zhang Desen, and I am still your father. Come home, Sen’er. Whatever happens, I will stand by you.”

But Zhang Desen replied, “No, I still have much to do. Besides, moving this base haphazardly would risk exposing it. More importantly, I must travel to Southern Dian Kingdom.”

Zhang Chengwei urged him to stay at the Chancellor’s residence, but Zhang Desen declined, citing the inconvenience of relocating the base.

At last, Master Liu interceded, “Chancellor, our two families are not far apart, both backed by Mount Wu. Desen needs only this base. With Mount Wu between us, we may come and go at will. So long as Desen remains here, all will be well.”

Zhang Chengwei considered this and agreed. Then he asked Zhang Desen,

“Sen’er, do you truly mean to travel to Southern Dian to destroy that base of the Terrans? You could choose to hide your identity and live in obscurity…”

Zhang Desen interrupted, “I am a soldier. I will not forget my duty. Even if I could hide for a time, those Terrans would eventually threaten humanity’s survival. I must act.”

Zhang Chengwei replied, “Very well. I will select some men from my household guard to accompany you. As for the deputy commander post in the Imperial Guard which His Majesty has awarded you, you should not refuse it. You are here to stay in this universe, and some opportunities are best not missed. I will persuade the Second Prince to help delay your assumption of duties, but on your return, you must not postpone it further.”

Zhang Desen nodded, “Thank you, Father. I know what to do.”

Hearing Zhang Desen finally call him “Father,” Zhang Chengwei was overjoyed. “Sen’er, regardless of anything else, Qian Qiu is our enemy. It was he and his kind who caused your death in this universe. I will deal with them. But tell me, are you confident in facing those monsters?”

Zhang Desen answered resolutely, “No problem!”

Zhang Chengwei said, “Good. The rest can wait until you return. I will have Li Longfang accompany you. I will see to Qian Qiu myself. If you need anything, come to me. I do not wish to lose you again. Whatever universe we come from, I still hope to hear you call me ‘Father’ once more.”

Truth be told, Zhang Desen was deeply moved. Though from different universes, the love of a parent for their child does not change, nor is it lessened by any fault. Though he was unaccustomed to calling this man “Father,” having done so once, he would continue. In any world, a father is still a father.

“Very well, Father. Some things simply take time to adapt to. First, let me see this through. I will return, and we will have our time together.”

Zhang Chengwei said, “Good. Li Longfang will join you tomorrow to prepare. Take care on your journey.” Then, turning to Master Liu, he added, “Master Liu, I take my leave. Please assist Sen’er; there’s no need to see me out.”

“Farewell, Chancellor…” echoed Master Liu, Liu Yuting, and Biliu.

Zhang Chengwei departed.

Zhang Desen and the others resumed their preparations, for night had fallen and there was much to do.

According to Tang Shijie’s map, there was a Terran base within the borders of Southern Dian in this universe—one of the three major strongholds of the ancient Terrans. Destroying it would divert their attention and lessen the threat of these prehistoric beings, achieving several goals at once.

The only difficulty was that Tang Shijie’s map was drawn from memory and covered a vast area, so only a rough location was known, with no image of the entrance. Still, Zhang Desen believed he could find it, though it might be troublesome. Where such advanced technology existed, there were sure to be strange and wondrous legends—and those legends would be his clues.