radicalducati Page 100
Page 100
Then, as if remembering something, he suddenly raised his head, his sharp eyes fixed on Zhang Yunyuan, a glint of unprecedented brilliance flashing in them.
Zhang Huaiyi's gaze was fixed on Zhang Yunyuan's face, as if trying to penetrate his skin and see what kind of soul was hidden inside.
His chest heaved violently, his breathing became heavy, and his fingers gripping the teacup turned slightly white from the force.
"Fourth Brother... Wugensheng..."
His voice was dry and trembling, each word seeming to be squeezed out with difficulty from the depths of his throat:
“Back then, he mentioned someone to us more than once.”
“He said that the man was the only ‘fellow traveler’ he had ever met in his life.”
Zhang Huaiyi emphasized this word heavily, imbuing it with an indescribable weight.
"Mysterious and unpredictable, with profound methods, yet... showing absolutely no interest in worldly conflicts."
The trap deepest part of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley had imprisoned us all… but only those two, working together, broke it.”
A terrifying glint flashed in Zhang Huaiyi's eyes, a mixture of disbelief, inquiry, and a stinging pain that had been hidden for many years.
"He laughed and said at the time...that person is the one who has truly 'attained enlightenment,' and what we are fighting over is nothing more than...insignificant scraps in that person's eyes."
He took a sharp breath, his voice rising abruptly, becoming almost shrill:
"At the time, I thought... who in this world, besides Master, could make Fourth Brother say such a thing?! Who else could?!"
His gaze, like a red-hot iron, was fixed on Zhang Yunyuan's calm face, each word almost spitting out from between his teeth:
"It's...you?"
The air seemed to freeze.
Zhang Yunyuan neither admitted nor denied it.
He simply raised his eyes slowly, calmly looking back at his second senior brother who was almost out of control. His eyes were as deep as an ancient well, reflecting no emotion whatsoever.
He picked up the cup of murky, long-cold tea on the table, brought it to his lips, and took a small sip.
“That’s right. Back then, Wugensheng invited me to the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley. The two of us obtained a memory in the Nine-Bend Cave, which was far more mysterious than the opportunity of the Eight Extraordinary Techniques.”
"Faced with this opportunity, even your Qi Source Flow, Senior Brother, is far inferior."
Zhang Huaiyi staggered back half a step, as if struck hard in the chest by an invisible hammer, letting out a gasp that sounded almost like he was suffocating.
His face turned deathly pale instantly, his eyes glazed over, as if the whole world was shattering and rebuilding before his eyes.
All the clues, all the illogical points, all the vague sentiments expressed by Wugensheng back then…
At that moment, everything converged with a deafening roar, leaving him dizzy and chilled to the bone.
The overwhelming sense of absurdity and horror was like ice water poured over his head, chilling him to the bone, yet a strange, irrepressible excitement surged up from the deepest part of his heart.
It turns out... the truth had been hidden around him for so many years!
But when all the clues are put together, they all point to this one and only, and most incredible, answer.
No wonder Fourth Brother chose to entrust his only daughter to Junior Brother at the last moment.
This bond, this trust, has long transcended ordinary friendships.
Having figured this out, Zhang Huaiyi's gaze towards Zhang Yunyuan completely changed.
It was no longer the care and scrutiny of a senior brother towards a junior brother, but rather a solemn exchange of views between equals, and even a hint of heartfelt respect.
"Junior brother, you..."
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, it only turned into a bitter laugh.
"Alright, you little rascal, you've never been a monster that can be understood by common sense since you were a child."
Just then, Zhang Yunyuan put down his teacup.
He looked at Zhang Huaiyi, and for the first time, a trace of sorrow appeared in his usually calm eyes.
"Second senior brother."
His voice was soft.
"I also have some news to tell you. My master... has passed away."
This simple sentence struck Zhang Huaiyi's heart like a bolt of lightning from the heavens.
All the expressions on his face froze instantly, and his eyes, which had just been shining brightly, dimmed completely in a short moment, losing all their luster.
His tall body jolted violently, as if all his strength had been drained away, and he seemed to shrink in size.
Deathly silence.
Only the wind outside the courtyard howled past.
Zhang Huaiyi neither cried nor shouted.
He simply stood up slowly, extremely slowly, from the stool and straightened his patched, coarse cloth shirt.
Then, he walked to the center of the courtyard, facing northeast, towards Longhu Mountain, and knelt down heavily.
The three kowtows were heavy and deep, the dull thuds of the foreheads hitting the hard ground sending shivers down Zhang Yunyuan's spine.
He said nothing, but his straight back, his slightly trembling shoulders, and the two lines of clear tears that silently slid down and soaked into the dust conveyed more of the overwhelming grief, guilt, and endless longing in his heart than any heart-wrenching cry.
He knelt there for half an hour.
He slowly stood up from the ground only after the last rays of the setting sun disappeared below the horizon.
The grief on his face had faded, replaced by a deeper weariness.
"Come in and sit down."
He said something in a hoarse voice, then turned and walked into the simple thatched hut.
The furnishings inside were very simple: a wooden bed, a table with a missing corner, two chairs, and nothing else.
Under the dim light of an oil lamp, a little boy, about four or five years old, with a chubby face and wearing open-crotch pants, was lying on the table, drawing something crookedly with a charcoal pencil.
Hearing the noise, the little boy raised his head, his big, dark eyes curiously observing Zhang Yunyuan and Feng Baobao as they walked in.
Zhang Huaiyi's voice carried a rare touch of gentleness.
"Come here and kowtow to your martial uncle."
The little boy seemed a bit shy, hiding behind Zhang Huaiyi and only peeking out his head, looking timidly at Zhang Yunyuan.
He looked at Zhang Yunyuan's excessively young face, then at his own father's wrinkled face, and seemed somewhat unable to understand the title "Uncle-Master".
He hesitated for a long time, but finally called out to Zhang Yunyuan in a childish voice.
"……elder brother."
That clear, childlike voice was like a warm current, instantly dispelling the oppressive and heavy atmosphere of sadness in the thatched hut and bringing a touch of vitality and warmth.
Looking at the chubby-cheeked little guy in front of him, and seeing his clear eyes that were just like Zhang Chulan's, Zhang Yunyuan felt a surge of emotions.
He squatted down and rubbed the little guy's head.
"Yu De, is that right? What a good child."
After settling in, Zhang Yunyuan solemnly reiterated to Zhang Huaiyi the most important purpose of his trip.
"Second Senior Brother, come back to the mountain with me."
His expression was extremely serious.
"Now that time has passed, the turmoil of that year has long since subsided."
The eldest brother is now a new generation of Celestial Master, and the younger generation, including Qianhe, Xiaoying, Youyi, and Huanjin, have all grown up.
The Celestial Master's Mansion is no longer what it used to be; it has the capability and the responsibility to protect you completely.
He paused, his tone becoming somewhat serious.
"Besides, the world down the mountain is not as peaceful as it seems."
Those forces that coveted the Eight Extraordinary Techniques never truly gave up.
Zhang Huaiyi fell silent.
He glanced at Zhang Yude, who was curiously examining Feng Baobao at the table, and then at the deep night outside the window.
In the end, he slowly but with unusual determination shook his head.
"Junior brother, I appreciate your kindness."
His voice was soft, yet it carried an unwavering resolve.
"I'm entangled in so much trouble that I can't wash it all away."
Countless people in the martial arts world are eyeing the Qi Body Source Flow.
If I return to the mountain, another bloody storm is inevitable.
Besides, I have sworn brotherhood with the Quanxing Sect, and I have no desire to go back and tarnish the sect's reputation.
"I just want to spend the rest of my life here, and raise Deping safely."
"Go away. Just pretend you never found me."
Chapter 116 A Surprising Encounter with Xu Xiang
The oil lamp inside the thatched hut cast a dim, yellowish light, casting the shadows of the group onto the earthen wall, which swayed gently.
Zhang Huaiyi's refusal was within Zhang Yunyuan's expectations, but it still weighed heavily on his heart.
Looking at his second senior brother's face, which was filled with exhaustion and determination, he knew that further persuasion would be useless.
Once this senior brother has made up his mind about something, not even ten oxen could pull him back.
"Your cultivation..."
Zhang Huaiyi's gaze suddenly fell on Zhang Yunyuan, and for the first time, his sharp eyes revealed undisguised amazement.
He reached out his hand, as if to explore something, but then stopped in mid-air.
He shook his head and let out a heartfelt sigh.
I can't see through it.