Didn't catch it.
He forgot that he was a cultivator, so he did not use his spiritual power, but just tried to catch the other person with a mortal body, and then failed.
Grandpa Gu had a terrible fall and has been bedridden ever since. Grandma Gu has been taking care of him by his bedside, and Luo Jianqing has been by his side ever since. The villagers sent many gifts, and the beautiful girl who had given him the red flowers brought a quilt to Grandma Gu's house. Before she left, she lowered her head slightly and whispered, "I saw you on the Luo River that day, too. I was so frightened that I didn't have time to shout."
Luo Jianqing lowered his eyes and did not answer.
Ten days later, Grandpa Gu's illness worsened. Three years in Flowing Flame Valley had left Luo Jianqing's ring empty of any elixirs. He had hoped to use his spiritual energy to prolong Grandpa Gu's life, but on the very evening of his planned action, Grandma Gu, while wiping Grandpa Gu's body, murmured, seemingly unintentionally, "The immortal said his disciple would come to sever our bond. My old man is dying, why hasn't he come yet..."
Luo Jianqing was speechless for a moment.
Three days later, Grandpa Gu was terminally ill and could no longer see. He should have passed away three years ago, but he relied on elixirs to survive until now, which was considered a good thing.
In his last moments, Grandpa Gu held Grandma Gu's hand and talked for a long time. He talked about how they met, what happened when they first got married, how Grandma Gu felt bad for not having a child for many years, and the memories of them abandoning the child in the Luo River.
Luo Jianqing listened at the side for a while without saying a word.
He sat down on the edge of the bed only when Grandpa Gu waved for him to come over.
Grandpa Gu's rough hands touched his hand, rubbing it gently. The movements were gentle and graceful, and the smile on his face was kind and tolerant. Grandpa Gu looked at Luo Jianqing earnestly. He didn't say anything, just looked at him. After an unknown amount of time, he said in a hoarse voice, "Ah Qing, over the past year, I've also treated you as my son. I'm leaving now. Can you call me dad?"
Luo Jianqing pursed his lips tightly.
Grandpa Gu didn't get angry, but just shook his head: "This is really asking too much."
Grandpa Gu then beckoned Grandma Gu over. He softly said, "I know he's not a demon, he's our son. Ah Xi, that day when I proposed to you, I picked your favorite azalea and placed it in your hair. The haze and mist that day were truly beautiful, but I remember you were even more beautiful than it."
Grandma Gu smiled gently and said, "In the next life, I will still be waiting for you with that azalea flower in my hand. When you see it, you will know it is me."
Grandpa Gu nodded slightly.
The two old men leaned against each other on the bed. Grandpa Gu showed a relieved smile on his face. He slowly began to close his eyes, but suddenly heard a hoarse voice: "Dad..."
A light flashed in Grandpa Gu's eyes, and finally he closed his eyes and a tear fell.
Ten days after Grandpa Gu passed away, Grandma Gu's body gradually weakened. Luo Jianqing began to take care of this lonely old woman. He listened to Grandma Gu talk about her and Grandpa Gu's youth, and also listened to Grandma Gu talk about her poor daughter who had passed away many years ago.
Three months later, Grandma Gu lay in bed, unable to get up. That day, she held Luo Jianqing's hand and, like Grandpa Gu in the past, she regained some energy and continued to chatter earnestly.
"When I was young, I had very high standards. Ah Qing, don't look at me like this now, but when I was young, I was the most beautiful girl in the whole village. That day at sunset, I saw that old man. He was holding a big bunch of azaleas and smiling at me happily. At that time, I thought this silly old man was really interesting, and then I married him."
"Twelve years after we got married, I didn't have a child. The old man didn't mind, but the villagers said I was a stingy person. Twelve years later, I finally got pregnant. When he was born, he opened his eyes and smiled at us. His eyes were so beautiful, and when he smiled, they looked like crescent moons. The midwives said I had given birth to a big girl."
"But when he laughed, thunder began to roar in the sky. The thunder was so bright, I've never seen such terrifying thunder in my life. It struck for three whole days and three nights, right above our Gujia Village, as if it would never stop. Then, the Luo River at the head of the village gradually became very clean, very... clean. So clean that I never knew there were so many shrimps and fish beneath the Luo River..."
"Then we placed him in a wooden barrel and placed it in the Luo River."
"Wherever his barrel touched, things would suddenly become peaceful. Fish and shrimp would all move away, and even the thunder would slowly follow him and strike elsewhere."
At this point, Luo Jianqing was still smiling faintly, while Grandma Gu had already coughed twice. Luo Jianqing handed her a glass of warm water. After taking a sip, Grandma Gu took a breath, looked at Luo Jianqing with a smile, and said, "My old man and I gave him a name at the time, called... Gu Niansheng."
Luo Jianqing nodded slightly: "This is a good name."
Grandma Gu smiled and took another sip of water.
Outside the window, it began to rain again. The spring rain was silent and pattering. When Luo Jianqing walked over to close the window, before he even turned around, he heard a kind, old voice behind him: "Niansheng, these years... have you been well?"
Luo Jianqing's whole body stiffened.
"Are your parents good to you? Do you have any brothers or sisters? What kind of place do you live in? Are you married?"
Luo Jianqing remained stiff and did not look back.
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