Chapter 76

In the porter's lodge, two servants sat with great arrogance, showing no respect for the so-called young master, speaking carelessly about the old patriarch's impending death, even gloating over it.

"You mustn't talk like that!" The pale-faced child, weak in body, his large eyes brimming with tears, was filled with sorrow and despair.

He truly feared the loss of his only remaining relative, his great-grandfather, and he could not bear to part with the bond of kinship. And these servants were so despicable; how could he live on from now on?

"Young Master, living in such a sickly state is also a kind of suffering. I think, after the old man passes away, you might... well, you know." One of the men in the porter's lodge chuckled, not finishing his sentence, as it was too crude.

"Enough, don't say more. It's a matter of time. Looking at his face, he won't live long. He's definitely a short-lived one." Another servant whispered, with a sneer.

"You are despicable, I will never forgive you!" The child, tears welling in his eyes, supported himself against the wall, limping as he walked inside.

He was very lonely, walking through the vast estate, with no relatives and no playmates, only the cold, dilapidated buildings. The old windows creaked in the wind.

The child continued walking, arriving at a relatively spacious courtyard. He pushed open a maple wood door, the paint long since worn off, and softly called, "Great-grandfather."

On the ancient bed lay a white-haired old man, his face as pale as gold paper, his breath faint, his eyes dim, having lost the brilliance of his former days of glory.

"Child... if I die, the only one I can't let go of is you." The old man struggled to raise his arm, reaching forward, trembling, and after several attempts, finally touched the child's hand.

"Great-grandfather, you won't die." The child wept.

"Child... don't cry." The old man caressed the child's pale face with his rough hand, tears streaming from his cloudy eyes, filled with reluctance.

"Great-grandfather!" The child sobbed, helpless, leaning on the bed, gripping the old man's hand tightly, refusing to let go.

The old man held the child's small hand with his rough, large hand, looking at it left and right, full of affection, but his eyes were dim. He opened his mouth to speak, but his chest heaved, and he couldn't find the words.

"Great-grandfather, you can't leave me. What will I do alone?" The child's eyes were filled with sorrow, shaking the old man's arm.

In recent years, several elders had passed away one after another, each departure causing him immense pain. Now, only this last elder remained, the one closest to him, and he too was about to die, filling the child with fear.

"Child..." The old man opened his mouth, but all his words turned into these two words, unable to say more. His eyes had no light, and he could only breathe heavily.

Outside the door, the little one's eyes were red. He had silently entered the estate, having observed for several days and confirmed that there were no experts around. He pushed the door open, wiped away his tears, and looked at the old man on the bed, choking back sobs, "Great-grandfather."

"Ah, you..." The pale-faced child was startled.

The old man on the bed was puzzled. In his final moments, he saw a child he had never met before, calling him by this name. He looked at him in confusion.

A once mighty figure, now unable to resist the passage of time, his later years were filled with sorrow.

"Great-grandfather, I'm the child from back then, I've come to see you!" The little one choked, having seen the events of the past through the Willow Deity, knowing that the few elders exiled here had been very kind to his family, and the child beside him was the one they had brought to replace him.

Hearing these words, the old man on the bed suddenly opened his eyes. His once dim eyes now shone with a piercing light, and he trembled, asking, "You... are really him?"

He managed to speak, his voice urgent, his eyes frightening.

"It's me, Great-grandfather, I've come to see you." The little one held his hand, his voice choked with emotion. The other elders had all passed away, and he hadn't been able to bid them farewell.

"Your injuries..." The old man panted, asking urgently, but could only say these few words, unable to say more.

"My injuries are healed, I've made it through." The little one said, knowing what the old man most wanted to hear. He added softly, "Now, with a single arm, I have the strength of 108,000 catties."

He spoke the truth. Indeed, upon hearing this, the old man's eyes widened in shock, his lips moving, pulling at the little one's arm as if to confirm something.

"Yes, it's just the strength of one arm!" The little one, tears in his eyes, nodded forcefully.

"Ha ha..." In his final moments, the old man seemed to regain his strength, laughing loudly. Tears rolled down his cloudy eyes, his face filled with joy and relief, as if he had no regrets left.

The little one cried, knowing that the old man had exhausted his last bit of energy, and even holy medicine could not save him.

This old man was the brother of Shi Hao's great-grandfather, and in terms of blood, they were very close. He had been very kind to him, unlike the cold-hearted people in the capital.

"Great-grandfather..." The child beside him sobbed.

The old man's eyes lost all their light, using his last bit of strength to grab the child's hand, then looked at Little Shi Hao, trying to place the small hand in his, but he had no more strength.

The little one shed tears, reaching out a hand to grab the small hand, holding it tightly, and placing it in the old man's rough, large hand. He said softly, "Great-grandfather, please rest easy, I will take good care of him!"

The last tear rolled down the old man's face, and he remained still, a smile on his face, a sense of relief and satisfaction.

He left the world with joy and liberation, his eyes closed.

"Great-grandfather!" The child beside him sobbed, collapsing onto the old man's body, his heart breaking, tears streaming down his face.

The little one also shed tears, finally pulling the child up, whispering some words of comfort, and then left.

Two days later, the old man was buried. The child cried bitterly at the grave, unable to be pulled away by the servants, fainting several times.

Finally, he was carried away by two loyal old servants.

The little one, hiding in the forest, also wiped away his tears, sobbing silently, watching from a distance, unable to show himself or approach.

Only after everyone had left did he come to the grave, speaking softly, and paying his respects.

"Little Master, your leg is injured, walk slowly, be careful not to fall." In the porter's lodge, the two servants were even more brazen, laughing loudly. With all the elders dead, what could a pitiful child do? The people outside had always wanted to kill him, and it wouldn't be long now.

"You..." The child was angry, his face pale, his large eyes red, glaring at them.

"You two scoundrels are too much! This is the young master, how can you speak like that?!" The two old servants scolded.

"Old men, mind your own business. This place is a prison, what kind of master is there? Calling him that is just putting gold on his face." The two servants in the porter's lodge turned hostile.

The two old servants were so angry that they trembled, pulling the child's hand and leaving in a rage.

In the evening, in the child's room, the little one appeared, speaking softly, "Do you have any wishes now?"

"I want to see Big Black and the little tiger cubs it gave birth to." The child said, tears in his eyes. Big Black was a black tiger raised by Old Man Hai, who was responsible for delivering food. The child, lacking playmates, was very lonely, and only Big Black played with him when Old Man Hai came to deliver the game.

The little one felt a pang of sorrow. He was also a kind child who had endured many hardships and could empathize with the child's pain and loneliness.

"Do you not want to punish the two servants in the porter's lodge?" The little one asked.

"I do, but I don't want to make a big fuss." The child, his eyes red, said. The two men were very cruel and had done many bad things in the estate after the elders passed away.

"Chirp chirp!" The Furball screamed, having seen everything, and was furious, indicating that they should be severely punished.

"Furball, you take care of it." The little one said. He had other things to do, wanting to find out who had bribed these servants. Although he had some suspicions, he still wanted to confirm and take action, as they had gone too far!

"Don't cry, forget everything here. In the future, I will take you to a place called the Heaven-Filling Pavilion, where no one will dare to bully you." The little one comforted.

"Awooo..."

In the middle of the night, a fierce beast flew in and landed outside the estate. It was a one-horned bear, about three zhang tall, with a pale golden body, a golden horn on its head, and a pair of wings that allowed it to fly.

This creature could use runes but could not form primitive treasure bones, like a unicorn, having some strength but not being a truly powerful beast.

On its head sat a small, chubby, round creature, glowing with golden light. Upon arriving, it ran off, disappearing. It was the Furball, and even the little one hadn't expected it to tame such a fierce beast.

"Bang!"

The golden bear swiped with a claw, destroying the porter's lodge, waking the two men from their sleep. Seeing a huge mouth coming towards them, they were terrified, screaming in fear.

The bear sat on them, and with a few crunches, their bones broke, leaving only their upper bodies exposed, their lower bodies a bloody mess.

"Help! Help!"

In the dead of night, their screams echoed far and wide, terrifying and heart-wrenching.

The people in the estate were alarmed, many rushing over with weapons. When they arrived, they were all shocked.

The golden bear was tearing and gnawing, having eaten the two men's legs, blood and bone fragments visible, a terrifying sight.

Seeing the people arrive, the bear stood up, wiped its bloody claws, and then flew off into the night sky.

"Help! Help us!"

Everyone knew the two men were finished, having lost their legs. In such a harsh western border, even if they survived, their lives would be extremely miserable.

"Deserved it, for all the evil they did!"

"Karma, the heavens have eyes!"

No one felt sympathy, showing how despicable they had been.

"Furball, you're really... cruel." The little one, seeing this, looked at the golden Furball on his shoulder, surprised that it had ordered the bear to do such a thing, not killing the two men but making their punishment even more severe.

The Furball waved its golden paw, indicating that it was a small matter, and that evil people should be punished this way.

"Little brother, I heard from Great-grandfather that the people bribed in the estate are just lackeys. The real threat comes from outside, with terrifyingly powerful experts." The pale-faced child said.

"Don't worry, I have a plan to deal with them." The little one clenched his small fist, guessing it might be the Shi Yi lineage or someone else. He was very angry and decided to take drastic action.

"But, they are very powerful, and we are still young." The child said timidly.

"Dealing with the most fearsome beasts doesn't always require a fight to the death. Oh, I forgot, I'm used to fighting fierce beasts and birds." The little one scratched his head, then continued, "I have a plan. They won't escape, no matter how powerful they are. If they are in the western border during this time, they will face great disaster and punishment!"

Tears, I set up a WeChat to communicate directly with my brothers and sisters, but... My WeChat ID is: cd44444, the initials of "Chen Dong" plus five '4's. I wanted something simple, like two letters plus a few 6s or 2s or 5s, but they were all taken. When I tried four, I thought it would be taken too, but when I entered cd followed by five 4s, it was accepted. I'm dizzy, but at least it's easy to remember. Brothers and sisters, add me, and we can communicate directly. Suggestions and opinions can be shared here. I will answer all your questions. I need to learn how to use WeChat first, so give me a couple of days. Add me now.

...

...

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends