Chapter 41

"Spring sunshine, it's so nice!"

Zai Si raised his head and looked at the sun rising on the horizon. His face was bathed in the sunlight, and he closed his eyes slightly. In the final moments of his life, Zai Si was savoring the experience, waiting for death to come.

A hundred years of life, a hundred years of vicissitudes, scenes from the past flowed before Zai Si's eyes. Once a reckless youth, fearless and unafraid, once a warrior galloping through the world, all of it had become nothing more than fleeting memories.

"Living, it's so good!"

The light in Zai Si's eyes gradually dimmed, his breath becoming weaker, and the aura of death on his forehead grew stronger. He strained to keep his eyes open, wanting to see everything in this world clearly.

"Master?!" Qin Feng knelt before the old man, letting out a mournful cry, his whole body trembling.

With his left hand, he tightly held Zai Si, while his right hand struck the ground, which was as hard as stone. Only by doing this could Qin Feng alleviate the pain in his heart.

"Crack!"

With a light sound, Qin Feng suddenly felt a piercing pain in his palm, which cleared his mind. When he opened his right hand, he found that the jade pendant passed down from his master had been shattered.

"This... this..."

Even as his master was on the verge of passing away, Qin Feng was stunned. He had just promised to take good care of it, and now it was broken. Looking at the blood on his hands, Qin Feng was at a loss.

"Hmm? What's going on?"

Just as Qin Feng was about to throw away the jade pendant, a cool sensation suddenly appeared in his right palm and quickly spread throughout his body. Something seemed to have been added to his mind.

"This... this is the ancestral technique?!"

Before Qin Feng could examine it closely, Zai Si, who was half-lying in the chair, suddenly sat up straight, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Master, what's wrong with you?"

Zai Si suddenly became lively, which startled Qin Feng. He could clearly feel the life force fading from his master, but Zai Si's current state was far from that of a dying man.

"I understand, hahaha, I understand!"

Zai Si's eyes were fixed on the jade pendant in Qin Feng's palm, his laughter deafening. "I understand, the so-called inheritance is in this jade pendant. I had the treasure in my hands and didn't know it. How laughable, how laughable..."

"Master, don't scare me!"

Seeing Zai Si's seemingly deranged state, Qin Feng was truly frightened. He knelt there, not knowing what to do. At that moment, Zai Si's voice suddenly became soft. "To hear the truth in the morning and die in the evening, that is enough, enough..."

"Master, what did you say?" Zai Si's voice grew fainter, and Qin Feng leaned in to listen, but the old man's mouth remained silent.

"Qin Feng, the old man... he's gone..."

Qin Feng was still trying to make out what his master had said when an old man's voice suddenly came from behind. Turning around, he saw several elders who had come out of the house after hearing the commotion in the yard.

"No... it's impossible, Master was fine just now, his body has recovered!"

Qin Feng shook his head repeatedly, but when he looked back at Zai Si, he trembled as if electrocuted. The tears that had formed in his master's eyes had already frozen on his cheeks!

"Mas... Master?!"

Qin Feng, fearing that the blood on his right hand would stain his master, reached out with his left hand to touch Zai Si's face. The coldness on his master's face matched the chill in his heart, like being in an ice cellar.

"Young man, it's so cold, and it's the middle of the night. Where are you going?"

"Ghost... ghost..."

"You're right, I am a ghost. You killed me not long ago, and now I've come back for revenge..."

In Qin Feng's mind, the conversation from when he first met his master three years ago replayed. The scenes were vivid, and he couldn't believe that his master was now gone.

Tears involuntarily streamed down his face, but Qin Feng couldn't cry out.

Kneeling there, Qin Feng seemed to have lost his soul. This was the first time he truly felt the pain of losing a loved one. His parents gave him life, but his master taught him.

For some reason, Qin Feng felt the vastness of the world and the loneliness of being alone. He no longer felt the loving warmth from his master.

"You're a good child with feelings and righteousness, the old man didn't make a mistake in you!"

A sigh came from behind, followed by a pat on Qin Feng's back. "Child, if you want to cry, just cry. Don't hold it in and hurt yourself."

With this pat, the pent-up emotions in Qin Feng's chest were released. He looked back at the old man and stood up, saying, "Grandpa Hu, as they say, the dead should be treated with respect. I need your help to bury my master."

As he spoke, Qin Feng knelt before the old man. He was his master's direct disciple, and it was his duty to kneel and pay respects.

"No, no, no!"

Qai Feng's actions startled the old man, who quickly helped him up. "Qin Feng, if we talk about seniority, I should call you 'Little Master'..."

Zai Si's seniority was so high that even the last emperor was below him. The Hu family had no right to rank themselves with him. Qin Feng's kneeling made the elders panic.

"What's wrong? Qin Feng, why is your hand covered in blood?"

As the yard was in chaos, Hu Baoguo came in carrying a skinned lamb and immediately noticed Qin Feng's blood-covered right hand.

"Brother Hu, Master... Master is gone!"

Qin Feng, who had just been helped up, knelt down again. This wasn't because his knees were weak, but because, according to the rules, one must kneel when entering a house to mourn a relative.

"Oh, I... I just left for less than two hours, how... how could this happen?"

Hearing this, Hu Baoguo threw the lamb aside and rushed to Zai Si's side.

Seeing the old man's face, Hu Baoguo couldn't help but shed tears. Although he had been beaten a lot as a child, he had a deep affection for the old man, which was why he was so indulgent with Qin Feng.

"Brother Hu, we need to take care of Master's funeral arrangements!"

At this moment, Qin Feng had become much calmer. He gently closed his master's eyes and carefully laid him down. Standing up, he said, "Uncles, I am incompetent. I need your help with Master's funeral."

"The old man is an elder of the Hu family, you don't need to say more."

Hu Baoguo looked at the recliner under the old man and sighed. "Old man, this is a happy passing. There's no need to worry about us."

Although it was New Year's Eve, Zai Si's passing dampened the festive mood. With many young and strong men in the Hu family and the necessary supplies for the holiday, a mourning tent was set up at the entrance within an hour.

In the countryside, it's common for elderly people to pass away in winter. When the villagers heard that the old man was over ninety, they were not surprised and came to offer condolences.

---

"Qin Feng, I'll keep vigil for the old man. Why don't you go inside and have some dumplings?"

By the afternoon, Hu Baoguo, seeing the young man kneeling in the mourning tent, shook his head in sympathy. After a few years of knowing Qin Feng, he had always thought he was emotionally detached, but now he could feel his inner pain.

"Brother Hu, I'm not hungry. I want to discuss something with you."

Qin Feng shook his head, his face pale. Anyone kneeling in the freezing cold for half a day would find it unbearable.

"What is it? Speak up!"

Hu Baoguo draped his coat over Qin Feng's shoulders. "You don't need to worry about the funeral arrangements. I'll take care of it. If you don't want to go back to the reformatory, I'll help you with that too."

Qin Feng still had about two months left in prison, but Hu Baoguo had a quota for early release. He could argue with the instructor and use it for Qin Feng.

"It's not that, Brother Hu. With the New Year, there are fireworks everywhere. I'm afraid they will disturb Master."

Qin Feng looked at his master lying on the cold bed and said firmly, "I want to cremate Master as soon as possible to avoid disturbing his soul."

According to folklore, ghosts fear thunder and fireworks. Although these were superstitions, Qin Feng didn't want his master's soul to be scattered.

Hu Baoguo thought for a moment, then bit his lip. "Alright, the old man doesn't have many relatives or friends. I'll make a few calls, and we'll go to the crematorium."

PS: First update, the tiger is out of the cage, a new story is about to begin. Please give your recommendation votes to "Treasure Appraisal" for the new day!