Chapter 36: The Final Road Home — Goodbye

The grandfather took the pocket watch Xia Jiuwei handed him.

The entire watch was wrapped in the power of the Under-Reality, shimmering with a dark sheen threaded with faint colors.

Something he had spent his entire life unable to achieve.

He stared at the familiar object, then closed his hand around it.

He moved the watch behind his back, and pressed the button.

His heart beat—once, then again.

Silently, he counted the seconds.

click—

He pressed the button again.

The watch stopped.

He brought it in front of him.

Eight-tenths of a second off from nine seconds.

“Your turn.”

He handed the watch back.

“Me?”

Xia Jiuwei blinked, slightly startled.

“‘Nine Seconds’ is a game for two people.”

“You see who gets closer to nine seconds.”

“Then I’ll make a bet.”

Xia Jiuwei looked at him, her tone light.

“I’ll definitely beat you.”

She paused.

“The stake will be you staying a bit lo—”

She stopped halfway.

Let out a soft sigh.

And didn’t continue.

She took the watch behind her back.

Pressed it.

Waited.

Pressed it again.

Then brought it in front of her.

—Exactly nine seconds.

“You know why I can be so accurate?”

She looked at him.

The grandfather shook his head.

Xia Jiuwei turned the watch toward him.

Without touching it.

Under the power of the Under-Reality—

the hands moved on their own, ticking forward one notch at a time.

The old man froze.

Then gave a quiet, wry smile.

So that was it.

Before leaving this world—

all the things he once couldn’t understand…

now seemed to have answers.

He said nothing more, and turned away, walking slowly back toward the manor.

Xia Jiuwei stood where she was.

Watching his back.

She knew it was time.

The grandfather lay flat on the sofa inside the house.

His breathing grew slower and slower.

Firelight from the fireplace flickered gently.

The entire room was silent except for the faint crackle of burning wood.

He looked at the two standing beside him.

His vision was already blurred.

After a moment, he slowly raised his hand.

In his palm floated a gray-green bead.

It emitted a faint, almost imperceptible glow.

As if it contained an unfathomably long stretch of time.

“…This is for you.”

His voice was already very weak.

So weak it felt as if it could vanish at any moment.

Xia Jiuwei reached out in a daze and took it.

The moment the “Domain” left his hand—

his presence visibly weakened.

His skin grew more withered.

Whatever remaining vitality he had left faded rapidly.

Xia Jiuwei instinctively stepped forward.

Her lips trembled.

But she couldn’t speak.

The grandfather’s vision grew hazy.

Everything around him lost its shape.

All he could barely make out were two figures standing before him.

For an instant—

those two silhouettes overlapped with memories buried deep within him.

The teacher.

The big sister.

—names that belonged to a memory long buried.

So it really was…

you two.

A tear slid down his aged face.

But there was no pain in his expression.

Only peace—

and fulfillment, as if he had finally reached the end of a very long journey.

“Goodbye…”

His ancient voice fell softly.

Like a distant sigh.

The next moment.

His body quietly dissolved within the Under-Reality.

The room fell silent again.

Only the fire in the fireplace continued to burn.

Xia Jiuwei was calmer than she expected.

So calm that—

if she didn’t think about it, didn’t touch those memories,

it almost felt like nothing had changed.

A warm hand gently took hers.

Bringing a trace of heat to her cold fingertips.

She stood there for a long time.

So long that even the firelight felt unfamiliar.

Finally, she turned.

“Let’s go.”

Her voice was soft.

Flat, as if it had nothing to do with her.

The next instant.

They returned to the motel.

After gradually increasing their presence in the world,

Xia Jiuwei sat quietly on the bed.

Waiting for the arrival of the American covert division.

Lu Nian’an stood beside her.

Watching her unnaturally calm expression.

The unease in her chest only grew stronger.

She gently hugged her.

Held her for a long time…

very long.

But she couldn’t tell—

whether her warmth had ever truly reached her.

After a while, Xia Jiuwei felt a strange gaze.

Like a kind of ability.

A presence that pierced through buildings, locking onto her from hundreds of meters away.

A man in the distance was watching her.

But not long after, his movements suddenly became hurried.

He quickly started his vehicle and left.

Yet even so—

she still felt it.

As if she was still being watched.

Only after he drove far down the mountain road did that sensation finally disappear completely.

“We should go.”

After some time, Xia Jiuwei spoke calmly.

She stood up and walked downstairs.

Lu Nian’an kept holding her hand, following silently.

The garage shutter slowly rose.

A car rolled out.

After a simple checkout at the front desk, they drove back into the mountains.

Toward the grandfather’s residence.

The usually quiet mountain road was unusually busy today.

Over the course of an hour, they passed several SUVs used for hiking groups, and multiple vans.

This time—

there were no road spikes.

No ghillie-suited snipers hidden in the forest.

As if everything before had been nothing but an illusion.

When they reached the path near the cabin again,

several official vehicles marked with environmental assessment logos were already parked nearby.

Xia Jiuwei didn’t stop.

She just kept walking up the stone steps.

One step.

Then another.

Each step felt like it was pressing down on her chest.

She wanted to see her grandfather one last time.

But she was also afraid—

that if she really saw him, she wouldn’t be able to accept it.

Finally, they reached the elevated platform.

Xia Jiuwei raised her head.

She saw the wooden house.

The door was open.

Her previously calm eyes slowly widened.

Then she ran inside.

The room was empty.

Only a few environmental investigators were inspecting the area.

A couple of police officers stood nearby.

She walked straight into the grandfather’s room.

Nothing was there.

Only a faint, square burn mark remained beside the sofa.

Her brows slowly furrowed.

She quickly walked to a nearby officer.

“I want to report a missing person.”

Her voice trembled slightly.

“My grandfather is missing.”

She already knew.

He was probably dead.

And this disappearance only confirmed her suspicion.

But she still clung to the smallest possibility.

Even if there was the slightest chance.

She gave his name, ID number, and date of birth.

The answer came back in a single line:

No record found.

In that instant,

it felt like something in her chest had been violently hollowed out.

A dull, suffocating pain surged upward.

She looked at the photo of his ID on her phone.

An indescribable sadness slowly spread through her.

“Grandpa… where did you go…”

She whispered.

So softly it was almost inaudible.

On the way back,

Lu Nian’an drove in silence.

Listening to the suppressed, broken voice beside her.

Her chest ached so much she could barely breathe.

Maybe time really did soften everything.

The car continued down the mountain road.

And the two of them—

had already left the wooden house that existed only in memory.