The empty city was destroyed (20)
"Do you think people who are about to ascend to heaven are prone to becoming cold and indifferent?"
"...Why are you suddenly asking this?" Duan Yougan looked at Zhao Huai Ren with a puzzled expression.
When they came out of the illusion, hadn't they already reached a conclusion about whether Zhan Yan had ascended to immortality? Now, the most urgent task should be to find the magical artifact left behind by Zhan Yan.
But Zhao Huai-ren didn't seem to be in a hurry for these things. Instead, he went on to talk about the past in the context of ascension: "I used to have a good brother, the kind who was really powerful. His master was also very powerful. Well... in short, they both seemed like the kind of people who could ascend to immortality."
Duan You pursed his lips, considering whether to interrupt him. To be honest, he didn't want to hear a word about Zhao Huai Ren.
"Ascension requires cultivation, and cultivation involves seclusion. My good brother has also gone into seclusion, locking himself in a secret realm and not going anywhere else." Zhao Huai Ren gazed through the swirling snow and seemed to see that black-haired, white-robed youth again.
“At first, when I went to him for drinks, he would have a couple of drinks with me and listen to me ramble on about everyday things. But as time went on, he became more and more celibate when he talked to me, as if he didn’t want to talk to me at all.”
"Sigh... It doesn't really matter. I understand. He just doesn't like to talk nonsense and always complains that when I'm drunk, every word I say is nonsense."
"But what I don't understand is that he refused when I invited him to my daughter's birthday party..."
Duan Yougan felt that he didn't only talk nonsense when he was drunk; he talked a lot of nonsense now too.
"That's his own niece, his only blood relative in the world. Doesn't he even want to come and see her?"
"Hmm?" Duan Yougan narrowed his eyes slightly: "...Your daughter is his niece? Then what is your relationship with him?"
“Me? I’m his brother-in-law.”
"Tsk." Duan Yougan understood, and his gaze toward Zhao Huai Ren was filled with disgust. "No wonder he doesn't want to talk to you. He treats you like a brother, but you married his sister."
Zhao Huai-ren was completely baffled. After a long pause, he stammered, "But he also gave us his blessings..."
"Was he blessing you? He was blessing his sister." When this matter was brought up, Duan Yougan put on an air of being an experienced person and said emphatically, "His sister is happy, so naturally he can't bear to say anything to you in front of her. But that doesn't mean he approves of you as his brother-in-law. These are two different things."
"Huh?" Zhao Huai-ren looked puzzled. "I don't think he's the kind of person who says one thing to someone's face and does another behind their back."
"How can it be called saying one thing to your face and another behind your back?" Duan Yougan suddenly became agitated, but he seemed to realize his loss of composure, so he quickly coughed twice and said, "Never mind, you don't understand."
"You talk like you know everything. What, you have an older sister too?"
Upon being asked this question, Duan Yougan's expression suddenly turned ugly, and Zhao Huai Ren immediately realized that what he had just said might not have been appropriate.
Just then, the gaunt man lowered his eyes, his gaze unfathomable. He opened his mouth and said in a deep voice, "It's because of what happened that I regret not stopping her back then."
The two fell silent for a moment, with only the howling wind and snow in their ears.
After a long pause, Zhao Huai-ren tentatively asked, "Is it that guy who treats your sister badly?"
"No, it's fine." Duan Yougan said coldly, "It's just too good. He never restrained her, and he never refused her... so in the end, he couldn't stop her."
Hearing the sorrow in his words, Zhao Huai-ren vaguely thought of something and simply said, "My wife was also a woman of strong will. When she was alive, she ran the family's winery and was busy every day managing the business in an orderly manner. She almost never rested."
"She's just a mortal with no spiritual power, but that doesn't stop us from living a good life together."
“I married into her family, and to be honest, they didn’t approve of me at first. Especially my brother, my brother-in-law, he’s a real jerk. When they first found out we were getting married, he even chased after me and tried to beat me up…”
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Duan Yougan interrupted impatiently.
"Don't worry," Zhao Huai-ren reassured him, then continued his long-winded explanation, "It's nothing, it's just that we later encountered the rise of demonic cultivators..."
He paused, catching a fleeting look of surprise on Duan Yougan's face out of the corner of his eye, before continuing on his own: "That demonic cultivator kidnapped her to threaten us. She could have escaped, but she willingly fell into the demonic cultivator's trap to protect our newborn child."
At this point, Zhao Huai-ren paused briefly, then let out a heavy sigh: "I'm a bastard. I should have stayed by her side, wherever she went, I should have been there for her."
Duan Yougan remained silent, simply listening quietly.
“But if I really did that, she would find me annoying and try to avoid me in every way possible…” Zhao Huai-ren said dejectedly. “Sigh, I was stupid back then. I overestimated the bottom line of demonic cultivators and failed to protect her.”
His wife's death was Zhao Huai-ren's greatest regret in life, and he rarely mentioned it to others. After all, as the leader of the Lingyun Alliance, he couldn't show a vulnerable and helpless appearance in front of his subordinates and outsiders, as that would damage his prestige.
In the past, when he was troubled, he could only go to Yunyanqiu to confide in him. Now, it's good that he has Duan Yougan, a stranger, to confide in without any worries.
Duan Yougan suddenly became very accommodating and didn't interrupt him. So Zhao Huai Ren couldn't help but sigh again, "The dead cannot be brought back to life. I can only do my best to give my daughter the best of everything."
"Sigh, judging by the days, my grandson should be born soon. I wonder if it'll be a boy or a girl..."
"Ideally, it would be a girl. Then I'll take her to visit my brother."
"They say grandparents are closer to their grandchildren, right? He's not close to his niece, but maybe he'll be more affectionate towards his grandnephew?"
Duan Yougan fell silent. He pondered for a long time before finally swallowing the words, "I don't think so."
Inside the inn, Zhao Yuxiao was stunned when he saw the innkeeper. He blinked blankly, pointed at the innkeeper, and turned to look at the three of them with an inquiring gaze.
"It's an illusion. We're back again." Wu Yue said with a stern face, looking quite impatient.
"No...why?" Zhao Yuxiao was completely baffled.
"It seems that the spiritual energy within this secret realm has entered a period of decline, and some problems have arisen," Yun Yanqiu said.
"So what do we do now?"
Zhao Yuxiao glanced at Yun Yanqiu, and seeing that she didn't speak, he looked at Wu Yue, who also remained silent, and then looked at Ye Yingying.
Ye Yingying raised her finger and said, "Now we have two choices: one is to go to the place where you mentioned the lion was kept, and the other is to continue looking for Zhan Yan."
Which one do you choose?
"We have to choose again?" Zhao Yuxiao didn't quite understand, so he asked, "Why do we have to choose? Aren't we all going together?"
Ye Yingying shook her head: "I want to go look for Shaoling near the place where the lion is kept, but Wu Yue wants to go directly to Zhan Yan, so we decided to split up."
It was asking him who he would choose to follow. Zhao Yuxiao hesitated and looked at Wu Yue. He actually preferred to go to Guan Shizi's side, but he was afraid that if he chose that side, Wu Yue would have to act alone.
Wu Yue met his gaze and instantly understood his hesitation, so she said, "Go if you want to, I don't need anyone here."
"Huh?"
“Yun Yanqiu, come with me. You can stay with Ye Yingying.”
"Huh?" Zhao Yuxiao was taken aback and hurriedly looked at Yun Yanqiu, "Senior, aren't you going to stay with Miss Ying'er?!"
“The variables on Zhan Yan’s side are greater than those on Gu Wusi’s side. My purpose in coming here is to repay Wu Yue’s favor, so naturally I have to ensure her safety,” Yun Yanqiu explained calmly. “That Shaoling has no hostility towards you, so you only need to be wary of Gu Wusi.”
"Then I'll go with Miss Ying'er..."
"Okay, let's go!" Without saying another word, Ye Yingying smiled and pulled Zhao Yuxiao out.
Zhao Yuxiao staggered to catch up with her, not forgetting to turn back and say goodbye: "Senior Yun, please be careful too!"
Yun Yanqiu watched the two figures leave without saying a word.
Seeing this, Wu Yue teased, "What? You're having second thoughts now?"
"No, I will naturally do what I promised you."
"At least you still have some integrity." Wu Yue chuckled, then asked, "Did you tell her about that matter?"
"What's up?"
"You haven't told her yet?" Wu Yue clicked her tongue. "Are you planning to wait until she faces the Ghost Calculator before you tell her?"
Yun Yanqiu remained silent, which made Wu Yue anxious: "She just looks about the same age as Zhao Yuxiao, but she's not as stupid as Zhao Yuxiao. What can't she say?"
"If she finds out you're keeping this from her, then you're in big trouble."
“…Wait a little longer.” Yun Yanqiu understood these principles perfectly well, but he still felt that now was not the right time.
Wu Yue could only sigh helplessly, "Then you'll just have to wait."
At this moment, the scarred-faced innkeeper approached with a beaming smile: "You guests have been sitting in our humble shop for so long, are you planning to stay here overnight? We have enough rooms available."
Upon hearing this, both Wu Yue and Yun Yanqiu were taken aback.
"Shopkeeper, have you forgotten? Didn't we already book rooms?"
"Hmm?" The shopkeeper's eyes widened as he carefully examined the two men, his gaze filled with unfamiliar confusion. "May I ask when you gentlemen came to our shop?"
Wu Yue and Yun Yanqiu exchanged a glance, sensing that something was amiss.
So Wu Yue tentatively said, "Oh dear, it was your Yun girl who received us back then. You can ask her if you don't believe me."
"Oh? Yun girl," the shopkeeper said in a daze. "No wonder..."
Before the words were even finished, the little girl appeared before everyone, swinging her long braid.
As soon as the shopkeeper saw her, he immediately shouted, "Yun girl, come here!"
"Hey! What's wrong?" Yun Yatou trotted up to the shopkeeper, smiling as she looked at Wu Yue and Yun Yanqiu. "Is there anything you need, guests?"
"These two men said you hosted them at your hotel, is that true?"
"Huh?..." A hint of surprise flashed across Yun's face.
She stared at the two of them, as if scrutinizing and pondering. After a while, she suddenly clapped her hands and exclaimed excitedly, "Oh, it seems there were a few guests who wanted to stay at the inn, I forgot!"
"You silly girl!" The shopkeeper poked her forehead, pretending to be angry, then bowed to Wu Yue and Yun Yanqiu to apologize, "I'm sorry, she's just a carefree person. It was a small misunderstanding, a small misunderstanding. I've taken up your time."
"It's alright, it's alright, we just haven't gotten the keys yet." Wu Yue waved her hand with a fake smile.
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper immediately ordered Yun to fetch the key.
Yun Yatou immediately did as she was told, handing the keys she had retrieved to Wu Yue and Yun Yanqiu. Wu Yue took the keys, examined them thoughtfully, and then asked, "Shopkeeper, where do we go if we want to see the Imperial Preceptor?"
"I wish to see the Grand Preceptor," the shopkeeper replied. "The ceremony this morning has already ended. If you wish to see him, you will have to wait until the morning after tomorrow, when you enter the main gate of the palace. At that time, the Grand Preceptor will hold another ceremony."
Having said that, Wu Yue and Yun Yanqiu both understood. It seemed they had returned to the first day of their birthday celebration.
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