Chapter 68: Farewell
Chapter 68: Chapter 68: Farewell
The smile on Wang Yun’s face froze.
He jerked his head up to look at Lu Zhao, his lips moving as if he had a thousand things to say. Where are you going? Why? When will you return? But in the end, it all came to nothing but silence.
He pursed his lips, forcing a strained smile.
"Leaving?" He finally managed to squeeze out. "Fine. Go. It’s time to go!" It was as if he was trying to convince himself, though his words seemed directed more at Lu Zhao. "My path is over. With this pathetic aptitude, a fifty-year-old at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer... I hit my limit long ago. I saw the end of the road long, long ago..."
He then threw back a large gulp of potent liquor. He shot his head up, a strange light flaring in his eyes as he stared hard at Lu Zhao—a light mixed with envy and indignation, but filled far more with a kind of desperate hope. "You’re different, Little Zhao. You’ve got a sharper mind than I do, and your Spiritual Root is stronger. You should be out there forging your path. You have to reach Foundation Establishment! You can do it, I know you can. Listen to me, your big brother... you *have* to make it...!"
The raw, desperate cry sounded like the ravings of a madman. Lu Zhao watched Wang Yun’s face flush crimson with the effort, and a pang of sorrow stung his nostrils. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this way; experiencing it again was less a pain and more a form of nostalgia for a time now gone.
The room fell into a dead silence. Wang Yun gasped for breath, his chest heaving violently, as if that outburst had drained him of all his strength.
Seeing this, Lu Zhao slowly rose and walked over to Chen Fang, who was standing quietly by the table. His steps were unusually steady, unusually resolute.
"Sister Fang," he said softly, "thank you both for taking care of me all these years. This is something I’m leaving for Little Hui. Please don’t refuse it." He then took out an ordinary-looking Storage Bag and offered it to Chen Fang.
At this, Chen Fang’s face paled. She shook her head and waved her hands frantically in refusal, taking several steps back.
Seeing her reaction, Lu Zhao sighed and turned his gaze to Wang Yun. "Big Brother," he said, walking to Wang Yun’s side and pushing the bag toward him. His tone left no room for refusal. "Take it."
"Hey, no, I can’t accept this!" Wang Yun instinctively tried to push it away. "Little Zhao, what’s the meaning of this?! The little help I gave you over the years was nothing, and you’ve already supplemented me with plenty of Spirit Stones. It’s more than enough! You’re the one heading out, you’ll need Spirit Stones more than anyone. How could I possibly take your things..." The words tumbled out in a rapid-fire refusal.
"It’s not for you." Lu Zhao’s voice wasn’t loud, but it cut through his words clearly.
Lu Zhao’s gaze shifted slightly, passing over Wang Yun’s shoulder to land on Wang Hui in the corner.
"It’s for Little Hui." Lu Zhao’s pace was deliberate, and every word struck Wang Yun’s heart like a heavy stone. "Wait until she’s grown, around eighteen, then give it to her."
Wang Yun’s breathing instantly grew ragged, like a wheezing bellows. His gaze was fixed on the Storage Bag. He snapped his head up to meet Lu Zhao’s placid, unrippled expression, and his gaze that was just as calm, and fell into a dead silence.
’This wasn’t for him, Wang Yun. It was for his daughter, Wang Hui. It was for this little immortal seedling who possessed a Middle-Grade Wood Spirit Root. This was the foundation for her future on the Immortal Path. The path to immortality was a fleeting dream, and his own road was cut short, but his daughter... at least she had a glimmer of hope! How could he refuse? How could he possibly refuse?’
’This was no longer a simple favor born of camaraderie; this was a trust that weighed a mountain! Lu Zhao had forcibly carved out a cornerstone from his own path forward and placed it at the feet of this little child who didn’t even understand what the Immortal Path was!’
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he struggled to swallow all the words that had risen to his lips. His hand, hovering in mid-air, trembled as it finally took the Storage Bag.
A single word, "Alright," seemed to grind its way out of his cracked throat, the sound hoarse and grating. "I’ll keep it for Hui’Er... until she’s eighteen..." The rest of the sentence was choked off by the tempest of emotions swelling in his chest.
"Good!"
Lu Zhao’s voice rang out almost instantly. After saying that one word, he took a sharp step back, as if tearing himself away from some invisible tether.
This sudden movement startled both Wang Yun and Chen Fang, and they looked up instinctively.
"I’m leaving." Lu Zhao turned his back on them, averting his gaze from their faces. He didn’t dare to linger for even a moment. ’I’m afraid I’ll end up staying for this brief moment of warmth.’
Before his voice had even faded, the green-robed figure had become a swift afterimage, flashing through the doorway and disappearing into the thick twilight!
"Uncle Lu!" From the corner, Wang Hui, seemingly startled, let out a short, bewildered cry.
"Little Zhao!" Wang Yun’s body trembled, and he instinctively started to give chase. He lifted his foot, only for it to freeze in mid-air. He lowered his gaze to the Storage Bag clutched tightly in his hand. ’What would I even say if I caught up? Force him to take it back?’
Wang Yun stiffly lowered his head, his gaze locked on the hand clutching the Storage Bag. After a long moment, he slowly raised his other hand and, with some difficulty, opened the bag.
The space inside the bag was much larger than he had imagined. There weren’t many items inside, but they were all arranged in a neat and orderly fashion.
The first thing to catch his eye was a soft, pale-green glow, as gentle as a budding leaf. It came from an oval wooden token, no bigger than a child’s palm, which radiated faint wisps of pure Wood Spiritual Power. It was a perfect match for Little Hui’s Spirit Root Attribute—a Tier One Lower Grade Wood Attribute Defense Magical Artifact.
Next to the wooden token were two small white porcelain vials, sealed tight with yellow clay, their surfaces gleaming delicately in the faint light. The first vial had a yellow paper label that clearly read, "Sixteen Yellow Bud Pills." The other had a light-green label that read, "Thirty-six Tier One Lower Grade Vessel-Protecting Pills." The faint medicinal aroma wafting from the vials was enough to tell they were of the highest quality.
Beneath all the other items, taking up the most space, was a neatly stacked pile of Spirit Stones. He counted carefully: there were fifty Lower Grade Spirit Stones.
After seeing everything clearly, Wang Yun’s eyes flew wide. ’All of this together... it has to be worth over a hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones.’ The Tier One Lower Grade Wood Attribute Defense Magical Artifact alone would be enough to significantly reduce the dangers his daughter would face during the Early and Middle Stages of Qi Cultivation!
And those sixteen Yellow Bud Pills were indispensable resources for someone just setting foot on the Immortal Path in the Early-stage Qi Cultivation! As for the thirty-six Vessel-Protecting Pills, they were an essential supplement for training!
Even though they were all just Tier One Lower Grade, such a massive quantity, combined with the fifty Lower Grade Spirit Stones, was more than enough to support a Cultivator with a Middle-Grade Wood Spirit Root. It would allow her to start from nothing and, one step at a time, steadily cross the first treacherous, thorn-covered shoals of the Immortal Path. She wouldn’t have to risk her life fighting for every last resource; she wouldn’t have to worry about her Dao Heart wavering from scarcity...