Chapter 326 - 126: Ten Years (3)

Chapter 326: Chapter 126: Ten Years (3)

’I knew it. This crotchety old geezer!’

Seeing Yuan Haogu remain silent, Fang Rui brought it up again. "Elder Yuan, you said the Spiritual Qi is poisonous. What did you mean by that?"

It wasn’t that he was tactless and couldn’t take a hint—couldn’t understand a ’subtle refusal by evasion.’ Rather, this old geezer couldn’t be judged by common sense. He often just enjoyed deliberately messing with people.

Yuan Haogu glanced at Fang Rui, popped another Purple Crystal Li into his mouth, and clapped his hands. "Didn’t I already tell you? It can’t be spoken of!"

"So, I ate these Purple Crystal Li for nothing?" Fang Rui couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

This old geezer was so infuriating.

This time, perhaps feeling a little embarrassed, Yuan Haogu finally relented a bit. "It’s not that I won’t tell you. It’s that if I did, I’d have to meet a rather unpleasant end right here, today."

’It’s that serious?! It seems this isn’t just some casual matter. Speaking about it comes with a terrible price. No wonder Elder Yuan is so secretive.’

Fang Rui mused silently, then joked, "You’re afraid of dying, old man?"

"Afraid? Not really. It’s just..."

Yuan Haogu fell silent for a long moment. Just when Fang Rui thought he wouldn’t continue, he suddenly spoke again. "I’ve lived long enough. I’ve made my peace with life and death. Going a little early just means I get to be with my wife and child sooner. But... with so much injustice still in this world, how can I be content to close my eyes for good?"

"Fang the Kid, to die just to give you an answer you want isn’t worth it. To die fighting evil and punishing the wicked, that’s worth it!"

Hearing this, Fang Rui fell silent.

He believed those words. And it was precisely because he believed them that he fell silent.

"Haha, Fang the Kid, scared you, didn’t I? I’m not at death’s door just yet. When that time truly comes..."

Yuan Haogu shook his head, not finishing the thought. "As for what you’re asking... don’t. In life, ignorance is bliss. The less you know, the happier you are. The happiest time of my life was when I was a student. I remember back then..."

As he spoke, his voice trailed off, and he actually fell asleep.

"Sigh."

Fang Rui looked at Yuan Haogu’s aged face and let out a soft sigh.

He recalled how, ten years ago, the old man had been full of vigor. He would stroll the streets with his cane every day, righting wrongs, and could literally jump up to whack someone...

But now, his energy was failing, and he went out far less often.

’Time is a cruel blade!’

He shook his head, draped a blanket over Yuan Haogu, and got up to leave.

...

He returned home.

Third Lady was there to greet him.

She was forty-one or forty-two now. Even with Fang Rui around to help her maintain her looks, tiny wrinkles were still visible at the corners of her eyes.

"Where are Ling’Er and Nannan?" Fang Rui asked as he washed his hands.

"Nannan’s been cultivating at home all day, she’s practically obsessed. I had Ling’Er and Qing Yan take her out of the city for a walk. They’re still not back yet!"

"Oh, right,"

Third Lady brought something up. "Auntie hasn’t been doing too well lately. She keeps talking about the old days in Changshan County. I’ve been trying to comfort her, but it doesn’t seem to be helping much..."

"I’ll go see Mom."

Fang Rui went to the backyard and saw Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family sitting alone on the threshold, staring blankly at the sunset, lost in a daze.

She was in her fifties now, with streaks of white in her hair. Her vitality was much less than before. Apart from cooking one meal for Fang Rui each day—a routine she’d kept for decades—she rarely moved much.

For some reason, the sight made Fang Rui’s nose tingle. Not caring whether it was clean or not, he went and sat down beside Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family.

"Brother Rui, you’re back?!"

It was only in front of a select few, like Fang Rui and Third Lady, that Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family would become more talkative. She’d ramble on about recent family matters, and as she spoke, the conversation would drift to Changshan County, to Fang Baicao, to Fang Rui’s childhood...

Perhaps when people get old, they really do love to reminisce about the past.

...

After a long while, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family went to make dinner.

Fang Rui came out of the backyard.

「At that moment.」

Above Shangluo City, the sun was setting, its afterglow as red as blood. The Chaos Four Symbols Banner manipulated a screen of light, projecting the waters of the Luo River onto the sky.

It was like a river of fading sunlight, flowing down from the heavens.

Fang Rui gazed at the scene, standing there for a long time. The faces of Yuan Haogu, Third Lady, and Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family flashed through his mind one by one. For some reason, an indescribable melancholy bloomed in his heart.

He couldn’t help but close his eyes and recite softly, "Do you not see the waters of the Luo River, descending from the sky, flowing to the sea, never to return? Do you not see the bright mirror in the high hall, grieving the white hair—in morning, black silk; at dusk, fallen snow!"

His voice, like a lament, echoed in the evening wind, lingering long after.

...