"Here it comes~~~"
Old Man Qin, using two rags to grip the pot's rim, lifted the entire heavy pot from above the brazier. The moment he removed the lid, the aroma was almost intoxicating. He handed two pairs of chopsticks to the two young men and said with a smile, "Quick, try my cooking. We mountain folk don't have many delicacies. See what you think?"
"Alright."
Lin Zhao took the chopsticks, picked a small piece of chicken leg meat, and put it in his mouth. It was indeed delicious. He then pried off a piece of golden-brown roasted flatbread from the pot's edge, held it in his left hand, took a bite of the bread, and then a bite of the whole wild potato. Suddenly, he felt a sense of transcendence. Without a doubt, this was the most delicious thing Lin Zhao had ever eaten in the game, far more flavorful than the meat of a twelve-realm black carp!
"This is so good!"
With oil around his mouth, Lin Zhao grinned, "I'm not flattering you, Grandpa Qin, it's genuinely super delicious!"
Beside him, Xu Ming'an was also eating with his mouth full of oil. He said with a smile, "This is the best thing I've ever eaten since I was little. With such heavy rain outside, eating such good food indoors, this feeling... I've never experienced anything like it in my life."
"Glad you like it, glad you like it."
Old Man Qin smiled and said, "Then eat more."
"Grandpa Qin, you eat too!"
Lin Zhao handed a pair of chopsticks to Old Man Qin.
"I've already eaten."
Old Man Qin smiled, "It's just... I finished dinner not too long ago..."
Lin Zhao observed this and felt a mix of emotions. It was clearly nearing midnight, so how could it be "just after dinner"? It was simply that Old Man Qin was a simple mountain man. This pot of potatoes and chicken, though seemingly a lot, wasn't truly that much. A wild pheasant isn't very heavy, and its meat isn't as thick as a domestic chicken's. Old Man Qin saying he'd eaten was just because he didn't want to share too much, lest Lin Zhao and Xu Ming'an not eat enough.
"It's alright."
Lin Zhao smiled and proactively scooped some meat and potatoes for Old Man Qin, then added another piece of flatbread for him. "Food tastes better when we all eat together. Otherwise, it would be embarrassing for just Xu Ming'an and me to be wolfing it down."
"???"
Xu Ming'an glanced at him, clearly not seeing any embarrassment on Lin Zhao's face. On the contrary, he was eating like a whirlwind! However, despite growing up alone in the mountains, Xu Ming'an wasn't entirely ignorant of social graces. He naturally understood Lin Zhao's good intentions and smiled, saying, "Right, right, it's tastier when we eat together."
With that, he also placed a piece of chicken leg into Old Man Qin's bowl.
Old Man Qin's eyes welled up. Not only were these two boys upright, but they were also so thoughtful. If he truly had two grandsons like them, his life would be truly without regret.
Lin Zhao lowered his head to eat. The chicken in this pot was incredibly fragrant. Firstly, Old Man Qin's cooking was genuinely excellent. Secondly, this meal was more about the warmth and human touch of everyday life. This was why Lin Zhao felt he had never eaten anything so good before. Strangers they might be, but Old Man Qin had offered his family's best to entertain him and Xu Ming'an. The simplicity of mountain folk was worlds apart from the treacherous hearts found in the outside martial world.
...
After eating their fill, Xu Ming'an slept on Old Man Qin's wooden bed, while Lin Zhao dozed off in a recliner. Old Man Qin knew these two young cultivators operated best at night, so he didn't question them. When Lin Zhao and Xu Ming'an woke up, Old Man Qin had already prepared a pot of fragrant rice and stir-fried two mountain vegetables to go with it.
The rain outside had stopped. After Lin Zhao and Xu Ming'an finished their meal, they called out Wang Yue and were about to continue their journey. However, they couldn't find Old Man Qin anywhere around the house. Coupled with the unusual spiritual energy fluctuations Lin Zhao had sensed from a distant mountain earlier, he couldn't help but frown. Could something have happened to Grandpa Qin?
"Grandpa Qin!"
Xu Ming'an called out in the village.
Soon after, simple mountain folk emerged, looking quite surprised. Upon learning of Old Man Qin's disappearance, they joined in calling and searching. In a flash, the mountains were filled with villagers holding torches, all helping to find Old Man Qin. Lin Zhao couldn't bother with anything else. With a clang, his flying sword Hong Ye was unsheathed, and he took to the sky on it to search. But as night had fallen, visibility in the deep night was extremely poor. It was so difficult to find someone in the dark mountain forest!
It wasn't until the latter half of the night that a youth with a short bow appeared on the mountainside, pointing south. "Found him, found him! Old Man Qin is on that mountain over there."
"Ah?!"
Lin Zhao and Xu Ming'an tensed slightly, and then, along with a group of villagers, they went over.
Clusters of torches formed a line on the mountainside. Soon after, led by the youth, they arrived at a mountain ridge. Beneath the trees on the ridge, they saw a low mound of earth. The grave looked old, yet not a single weed grew on it. Beside the grave, an old man lay curled up, seemingly asleep.
"Grandpa Qin!"
Xu Ming'an quickly knelt down and checked Old Man Qin's breathing. Everything was normal. He frowned, pushed Old Man Qin's shoulder, and said, "Grandpa Qin, wake up!"
"Ah?"
Old Man Qin opened his drowsy eyes and was startled to see a crowd of people surrounding him. "What... what are you all doing here?"
"Old Man Qin."
A middle-aged hunter frowned. "In the middle of the night, why aren't you sleeping at home? What are you doing out here alone?"
Old Man Qin showed an embarrassed expression. "The two children, Lin Zhao and Xu Ming'an, are leaving soon. As an old man, I felt... the feeling of parting is not good, so I came out alone. And I haven't been able to sleep well for the past few years, so I'm on my own. It's pointless to stay home, so I came to my wife's grave. With me here, she won't feel lonely."
It turned out this grave belonged to Old Man Qin's wife, who had passed away ten years prior.
"Grandpa Qin..."
Xu Ming'an's eyes immediately turned red. He couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. He sometimes felt that the people who treated him best in this world were already gone, and the remaining time was truly bitter and lonely.
"You old fool, Qin!"
A woman couldn't help but frown. "It's not a big deal for you to run out alone, but you've made us all worry! Look, everyone has been searching for half the night and hasn't slept a wink."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry everyone..."
Old Man Qin repeatedly apologized.
"Thank you, everyone."
Lin Zhao cupped his fists towards the crowd and said with a smile, "Thank you all for helping to find Grandpa Qin. Everything's fine now. You can all go back to sleep."
He had two swords on his back; they were esteemed sword cultivators from the mountains. The villagers dared not offend them, and even the strong young hunters didn't dare to say much. Instead, a few young men cupped their fists like Lin Zhao and said with a smile, "Since that's the case, we'll be going then?"
"Mm-hmm."
Lin Zhao nodded with a smile. Some good things, unintentionally planted, could take root, sprout, and blossom.
"Grandpa Qin, isn't it cold here?"
Xu Ming'an squatted down, his brow furrowed. "The mountain wind is so strong at night. What if you catch a cold?"
"It's alright, it's alright..."
Old Man Qin seemed a bit embarrassed. "It's just... I can't bear to see you two leave, but I can't ask you to stay, so I just came out to hide. And for the past ten years, I've spent more than half of my nights here accompanying my wife. With me here talking to her, she wouldn't feel lonely, and neither would I. Think about it, she lies here alone in this cold grave, no one to talk to, how cold and lonely it must be. It's truly too hard."
Lin Zhao's nose twitched. "Grandpa Qin, it's okay. If Grandma's spirit in heaven knew, she would be very comforted. She would surely understand your feelings. It's just that this is bad for your health. Sooner or later, you'll fall ill. Xu Ming'an, you escort Grandpa back to rest. I'll stay here to examine the geomancy or something."
"???"
Xu Ming'an was completely bewildered. What geomancy could a sword cultivator like you examine? This is something a Daoist priest from the mountains like me should be doing, right? But there was no choice. Lin Zhao was a Golden Core sword cultivator, his realm too high. What could Xu Ming'an, a mere lower five-realm cultivator, say? He helped Old Man Qin back to their lodging. With Xu Ming'an supporting him, Old Man Qin no longer insisted on staying.
...
After Xu Ming'an and Old Man Qin had walked away.
Lin Zhao stood with his arms crossed in front of the grave. However, his gaze did not linger on the grave. Instead, his eyes fell on a red pine tree not far from the mound. The mountain wind at night was indeed strong, making the entire mountain howl, but here, within a ten-meter radius of this grave, it was completely calm. A patch of land seemed to be under some kind of protection.
Old Man Qin had slept by the grave for more than half of the nights over the past ten years, yet he had no health problems. This in itself was a significant issue. Even seasoned soldiers, cavalry, and armored warriors, despite their robust physiques, often suffered lingering ailments from constant exposure to the elements. Old Man Qin, who didn't cultivate, why was he an exception?
Undoubtedly, someone was protecting him.
Old Man Qin was here accompanying the person who treated him best in the world, and had that person not also been watching over the one who treated her best in the world?
Lin Zhao's gaze fell upon the red pine tree. The spiritual energy of this red pine tree was far beyond that of ordinary trees.
Could there truly be such stories in the world, of longing and remembering day and night?
He frowned, his heart filled with a complex mix of emotions. If this were indeed the case, shouldn't he, a Golden Core sword cultivator, do something? After all, in the eyes of mortals, he was a legendary sword cultivator...
The next moment, Lin Zhao stepped forward and took out five Golden Mullet coins from his怀. He held these five coins tightly in his hand. With a clenched fist, the abundant spiritual energy from the five coins transformed into streams of golden droplets that fell onto the red pine tree. Instantly, a tumultuous change occurred within the red pine. Its spiritual energy surged and intensified.
"Swish~~~"
With a soft sound, a beautiful young girl emerged from the red pine. She knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face, and looked up at Lin Zhao, her face filled with tears. "Thank you, Sword Immortal, for your mercy... Thank you, Sword Immortal, for your mercy..."