“Since I’m going back, I’ve prepared for the worst.” Si Qianyu smiled, her expression somewhat bitter. “Without my master’s adoption, I wouldn’t exist. And I have to give Fang Shaogong an explanation for her death.”
“I killed her, so just tell her to come find me directly.” Ye Xingchen raised an eyebrow.
“The Three Thousand Towers are not to be trifled with. Are you sure you want to take all the blame on yourself?” Si Qianyu glared at him.
"Even if I don't take the blame, they've already sent their top assassins to find me." Ye Xingchen smiled, then said seriously, "Trust me, once I've dealt with things here, I'll go back to the Three Thousand Tower with you and solve this problem."
"How do we resolve this? Fang Shaogong's actions are what the sect leader condones. Even if her precious son causes a major upheaval, nothing will happen to him, let alone me, who is merely her eldest disciple," Si Qianyu said quietly.
“If she wants to be reasonable, I’ll reason with her properly.” Ye Xingchen grabbed Si Qianyu’s hand, his tone chilling: “If she’s not reasonable, I’ll destroy the Three Thousand Towers’ heritage.”
Si Qianyu turned to look at Ye Xingchen, her eyes showing a hint of emotion. Perhaps this was the first time she had been protected by someone.
"You're here because you have something important to do?" Si Qianyu asked.
"Yes, a few Japanese people, quite impressive." Ye Xingchen nodded: "Besides, no treasures have appeared here, don't listen to their nonsense."
"I'll stay and help you," Si Qianyu said earnestly.
"Okay." Ye Xingchen said with a smile, "You're not going to kill me?"
"Hmph, I'll owe you for now." Si Qianyu's pretty face hardened slightly.
Although she said she would owe him for now, Si Qianyu most likely wouldn't make a move against Ye Xingchen.
In the morning, the two strolled around the town's market and ran into the eccentric Old Xia again on the street.
He was still disheveled, his face obscured by messy, graying hair, but now he was lucid and lying on the street with several sheets of white paper spread out on the ground.
He held a calligraphy brush in his hand, dipped it in ink, and with a flourish, a piece of calligraphy was completed.
"The world belongs to all, what a fine piece of calligraphy." Ye Xingchen was captivated by the calligraphy.
The characters are vigorous and powerful, and they stir up passion in people's hearts. This ordinary piece of calligraphy seems to have endless magic.
"Hehe, don't worry about having no friends on the road ahead, who in the world doesn't know you?" Old Xia laughed heartily, then raised his head: "It would be even better if there was some wine."
"Please wait a moment, sir." Ye Xingchen's heart skipped a beat.
In the brief moment that Lao Xia looked up, he clearly saw the other person's eyes.
A feeling of extreme familiarity welled up in his heart; the sense of shared bloodline deeply moved him.
He turned around and bought two bottles of local apricot blossom wine, handing them to Old Xia. He felt that Old Xia was related to him.
Judging from his age and his well-read and worldly-minded image, his identity is already quite obvious.
"Thank you, this is good wine." Old Xia took the wine, opened the cap, took a deep breath, and then revealed a slightly intoxicated expression.
He eagerly picked up the wine jar, clinked it with Ye Xingchen's, and downed most of it in one gulp.
"Sir, your surname is Xia?" Ye Xingchen asked cautiously, his heart pounding with excitement.
"Yes, his surname is Xia, and he's from Yanjing." Old Xia said leisurely, "What else do you want to ask? Ask me while I'm still sober."
"Why are you here? Where are your family members?" Ye Xingchen asked.
"Family?" Old Xia's expression was complicated. He murmured, "It's been a long time since I've heard such a warm word."
"As for why I'm here? I seem to be waiting for someone..."
"Waiting for whom?" Ye Xingchen asked.
“My poor little grandson… he was lost as soon as he was born.” Old Xia looked up, and cloudy tears fell from his eyes.
“He’s been here for over twenty years. I don’t know if he recognizes me.”
Ye Xingchen's eyes were slightly red. Si Qianyu could sense the change in his emotions, so she squatted down, took his hand, and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
She was somewhat shocked. Ye Xingchen's strength had reached the Heavenly Realm, and his emotions were already as calm as still water.
But why is he so emotional?
"Sir, could you give me this calligraphy as a gift?" Ye Xingchen composed himself.
"Sure, take it." Old Xia waved his hand dismissively.
"Could you please sign your name?" Ye Xingchen asked excitedly.
"Okay, add your signature." Old Xia picked up the pen again, wrote a few small characters on it, and then took out his precious seal and carefully stamped it on.
This was his treasure; even when he was insane, he never lost it.
Ye Xingchen took the calligraphy and looked at the signature: Guanhai Jushi (观海居士), while the seal bore the name 'Xia Xueming' (夏学名).
“Guanhai Jushi, Xia Xueming.” Ye Xingchen burst into tears: “Grandpa, I am the little grandson you have been waiting for all these years. You have suffered so much.”
After he disappeared, his grandfather felt extremely guilty and fell seriously ill. He then disappeared without a trace.
He was originally a well-read Confucian scholar, but now he is wandering the streets of this remote mountain village, and people treat him like a madman.
Perhaps it was because of his obsession, or perhaps it was fate.
He knew he would come here, so he waited here for twenty years.
Ye Xingchen knelt on the ground, hugged Xia Xueming tightly, and cried uncontrollably.
"You, you really came? I've finally waited for you." Xia Xueming smiled as he cupped Ye Xingchen's face in his hands and looked at her closely. "It's you, it really is you. Your eyes are like Jingyi's, and your nose and mouth are like Ye Jinyu's."
"My poor child...you've suffered so much."
I took my grandfather back home, changed him into clean clothes, gave him a bath, and cut his hair.
And that crazy old man transformed into a refined and composed old gentleman.
Judging from his appearance, one can tell that he is a man of profound learning and extensive knowledge.
The reason he went mad was because of his obsession over the years. Now that he has met Ye Xingchen, his obsession is gone, and his illness has naturally been cured.
"Haha, good, good..." Xia Xueming held Ye Xingchen's hand. In his memory, Ye Xingchen was still an infant.
When they met him again, he had grown into a young man and possessed martial arts prowess that made him virtually invincible.
When he took Ye Xingchen's hand again, it felt like a lifetime had passed.
“My child, more than twenty years ago, we didn’t take good care of you and you suffered.” Xia Xueming sighed, “I’m sorry, we failed to watch over you.”
"Grandpa, you're the one suffering." Ye Xingchen looked at his thin figure: "How did you know you could wait for me here?"
“This is the way of Heaven.” Xia Xueming smiled. “Your maternal grandfather had no other skills; he was just a poor, pedantic scholar.”
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