‘I don’t understand.’
‘I really don’t understand.’
‘Sir seemed to be deliberately guiding my attacks throughout our entire match…’
‘And he was fighting in a manner more suited to a giant beast…’
‘Yet at the same time, he seemed strangely hesitant.’
‘After all, if Sir had truly removed every restriction on his powers and fought seriously, I doubt I could have lasted more than a few exchanges.’
‘But somehow, the match still ended with my victory.’
‘And then there were those words he left me with before departing…’
“Make sure you bring everyone together more often in the future.
No matter how busy you all become, you should at least have a family gathering once every ten years, alright?”
‘I don’t understand.’
‘Why did Sir sound as though he were entrusting the entire family to me?’
Suddenly, a terrible thought occurred to Chongyue.
Cold sweat immediately broke out across his forehead.
He rushed out of the military camp and hurried toward the sword in which he had sealed his consciousness and divine authority as a fragment of Sui.
‘Sir couldn’t possibly have…’
‘No…’
‘That can’t be…’
Chongyue desperately tried to convince himself that he was imagining things.
But the moment his hand closed around the sword’s hilt, he froze.
The consciousness of Sui that had once lingered within the sword was gone.
Completely gone.
The only thing remaining was his own divine authority, which he had sealed away alongside that consciousness.
‘Sir…’
‘Did he really go through with it?!’
Almost immediately, Chongyue returned to the military camp and informed his deputy that he needed to leave.
Then, without wasting another moment, he hurried to find Wang.
…
“WHAT?!!”
An enormous crash echoed through the Grand Warden’s office at the Sui Regulator.
Wang paid no attention to the desk he’d accidentally smashed apart in his agitation.
Instead, he strode toward Chongyue, his brows drawn tightly together.
“Big Brother, this isn’t a funny joke!”
Wang spoke through gritted teeth.
“Wang, I’m not joking!”
Chongyue’s expression was filled with urgency.
“If Sir isn’t here either, then hurry!
We need to find Third Sister and the others!”
Ever since becoming the general responsible for defending Yumen, Chongyue had rarely experienced such overwhelming anxiety.
Yet now, the gravity of the situation had completely shattered his usual composure.
All he wanted was to gather every Sui fragment he could find and begin searching for Hongyu.
Although Hongyu had already been missing for two entire days, making their chances of finding him increasingly slim…
Chongyue refused to give up.
He wouldn’t accept the worst until they had found Hongyu and confirmed what had happened.
“We’re leaving.
Now!”
Chongyue grabbed Wang by the arm and pulled his stunned younger brother out of the office.
…
Hongyu wasn’t with Ling.
…
He wasn’t with Nian.
…
He wasn’t with Dusk. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
…
He wasn’t with Shu.
…
He wasn’t with Ji.
…
He wasn’t with Jie.
…
Nowhere.
…
Finally, driven by a mixture of desperation and fading hope, they returned to the place where their family had first begun to scatter.
Hongyu’s residence in the imperial capital of Great Yan.
The area that should ordinarily have been quiet and deserted was now filled with people.
Many of the gathered residents wore expressions of grief.
The sight made Chongyue and the others feel as though their hearts had sunk into an endless abyss.
“Excuse me…
Have you seen Sir?”
Ling, who had joined the search somewhat later than the others, stopped a familiar-looking man.
Perhaps he was the owner of a restaurant she’d frequently visited back when she lived in the capital.
“Ling?!”
The man’s expression initially changed to one of surprise and delight.
But that happiness quickly gave way to sorrow.
“You mean Lord Grand Warden, right?”
“Yes!
Yes, that’s right!”
“Where is he now?!”
The grief on the man’s face was so obvious that Ling felt her heart nearly stop.
And then he spoke.
“Lord Grand Warden…”
“He’s already been buried.”
!!!
‘What…’
‘WHAT DID HE JUST SAY?!’
…
…
A light evening rain fell through the forest.
The mountain air carried its usual refreshing chill.
Yet to the twelve Sui fragments, that cold seemed to pierce straight through their hearts.
When they finally stood before Hongyu’s grave, every last hope they’d clung to suddenly felt like a cruel joke played upon them by the heavens.
When he passed away…
Not a single one of them had been beside him.
They hadn’t even known.
They couldn’t begin to imagine the shock and grief of the first villager who had discovered that Hongyu was gone.
All that remained for them was a numbing sorrow.
This time…
It really wasn’t another one of his terrible jokes.
He was gone.
“Everyone, Lord Grand Warden left this letter behind.”
“It says it’s addressed to all of you.”
A voice suddenly broke the silence surrounding the twelve siblings.
A man approached, carrying a rather thin envelope.
Chongyue accepted it and quietly thanked him.
After the man left, the siblings remained silent for a long time.
Eventually, Chongyue spoke.
Let’s go back.”
“We should read what Sir left for us.”
The others could only nod numbly.
With heavy footsteps, they slowly made their way back.
…
[If everything has gone as I expected, then by the time you’re reading this letter, I’ll already be dead, won’t I?]
[Perhaps one of you already guessed what I was planning to do.
My guess would be Chongyue or Wang.]
[Of course, this was a decision I made entirely on my own, so there’s no need for any of you to be sad on my account.]
[My lifespan was already approaching its end anyway.
Being able to clear one final path for all of you before I died is more than enough to satisfy me.]
[Chongyue, of all your siblings, you’re the one whose growth has made me the proudest.]
[After I’m gone, you’ll be the eldest member of the family.
Make sure you fulfill your responsibilities as a good older brother.]
[I don’t really have anything left to give you as a farewell gift, so I thought I’d offer you one last lesson in martial arts.]
[Dusk…
I’ve finished the paintings she asked me to make.
They’re in my room.]
[If she thinks my paintings aren’t very good, I hope she’ll forgive an old man for his lack of artistic talent.]
[I’ve also finished writing all the storybooks Nian wanted to read.
You’ll find those in the house too.]
[If she eventually becomes a writer whose works are celebrated throughout Terra, I think that would be a wonderful thing.]
[As for Shu, I’ve left her some seeds.]
[With less than forty years of further cultivation and development, they should be able to eliminate famine throughout Dahuang City.]
[I’ve also dealt with the demonic contamination.]
[I made her a promise, and I’ve kept it.]
[And Ling…]
[I’ve buried several jars of wine beneath the banyan tree in the courtyard.]
[Make sure she gets them.]
…
…
[Ahem.
To be honest, I’ve never been particularly good at writing sentimental things.]
[That’s why this letter doesn’t contain many reflections or heartfelt speeches from me.]
[I just want to tell you all to live your own lives.]
[Do whatever makes you happy.]
[And forget about this old geezer.]
[Oh, right.]
[Remember to get together whenever you have the time.]
[Family should spend time together, after all.]
The letter slipped silently from Ling’s fingers.
Fortunately, Jie reacted quickly enough to catch it before it reached the floor.
‘Wine…?’
‘He…’
‘He even remembered to buy me wine?’
‘That’s right…’
‘On the day he disappeared, I was still complaining that whenever he went out, he only thought about buying his favorite tanghulu.’
‘I was convinced he’d forget to buy wine for me…’
‘That’s right.’
‘He left.’
‘But he never forgot that I loved drinking wine.’
A tear slowly rolled down Ling’s cheek.
Then another.
And finally, she could no longer hold back her sobs.