Chapter 698 - Mother

The middle-aged woman whispered, “Wang Ping… It is you…”

Wang Ping walked up to the woman, looking at her face that no longer had the youth she had before, and smiled. “Zhou Ruotong!”

The middle-aged woman bit her lower lip and stared at Wang Ping. After a long time, she revealed a graceful smile and softly said, “I recognized you the moment I saw you… After this many years, you still came back.”

Wang Ping felt melancholy as he watched the woman before him. There was also a girl about ten years old beside her. This little girls looked a lot like Zhou Ruotong.

Wang Ping asked, “Is this your daughter?”

The woman nodded. She turned toward the girl and said, “Call him ‘uncle.’ He was your mother’s childhood friend.”

The girl seemed a bit shy. She stood behind her mother and whispered, “Uncle…”

At this moment, some of people among the villagers also recognized Wang Ping. However, when they looked at the armored soldiers, they were afraid to greet him.

Wang Ping smiled at the girl and asked, “What is your name?”

The girl hid behind her mother and didn’t speak. Her eyes were filled with fear.

Wang Ping sighed as he looked at the woman and said, “I’m going to the back mountain to pay respects to Grandpa Sun…”

The woman smiled. From beginning to end, she didn’t look at Qing Yi, who was next to Wang Ping. She pulled her child to stand next to her husband. Her husband was a brawny man and had obviously inherited his father in law’s ability to hunt. However, if Wang Ping looked closely, he would find that this man wasn’t a stranger.

Wang Ping turned around and walked toward the back mountain. Before following Wang Pin, Qing Yi thoughtfully looked at the woman that was rubbing her daughter’s head.

Just after Wang Ping walked several steps, the little girl hiding behind her mother exposed her head and shouted, “Uncle, my name is Xu Nianping!”[1. A her name is literally remember Ping. Xu is the family name, but her name is Nianping. Nian means to remember and Ping refers to Wang Ping.]

“Nianping… Nianping…” Wang Ping’s footstep stopped and he let out a sigh. He didn’t turned around and continued walking away.

It wasn’t until they had left that all the villagers dispersed. The strong man next to the woman let out a sigh and softly said, “Why did you do this…”

“Brother, don’t talk about this anymore.” Zhou Ruotong looked up with a smile. Her smile was very beautiful and it revealed a joyous expression.

“I’m content in being able to see him again.”

There were no weeds around Sun Tai’s grave. It was clear that someone had been cleaning it. Wang Ping stood before the tomb for a long time before he silently left.

Wang Ping whispered, “Qing Yi, I think I’ll visit my father soon… I haven’t seen him in almost twenty years…”

Qing Yi didn’t speak and only silently followed Wang Ping. No matter where Wang Ping wanted to go, even the underworld, she would follow him. This had nothing to do with her agreement; she willingly accompanied him.

“There are some matters I need to ask him about…” Wang Ping looked at the Fallen Moon Village one more time and left.

In Vast Water City, Wang Lin hadn’t gone to the inn in a long time. He just sat inside the courtyard all day. He was waiting, waiting for Wang Ping’s return.

The falling leaves need to return to their roots. A wandering child will also one day return to their loved ones.

Three months later, Vast Water city was filled with turmoil and chaos. Most of the servants in the mansion had all left. Only one old servant who had no place to go chose to stay.

The entire Vast Water City was almost empty as everyone fled from the war. Although there were no civilian casualties where the Heaven Empire’s army went, panic still spread.

Vast Water city was occupied by the Heaven Empire, and the army continued to push forward. Wang Ping was standing outside the city. He didn’t enter but left with the army.

“Father, the current me still hasn’t completed my wish. Once I finish, I’ll come to see you…”

The wheel of time continued to turn as spring, summer, autumn, and winter changed several times. In a flash, another five years passed.

Wang Ping was 52 years old.

The Da Qin Empire and the Chen Yu Empire surrendered one after the other. Then the Heaven Empire became the only empire on planet Ran Yun.

When he left home, he was 27 years old. It took 25 years for Wang Ping to obtain everything he wanted. Even though many things that he that wasn’t aware of had happened for all of this to come true, since Wang Lin had said “yes” to his request, none of it was surprising.

Sometimes he felt like time went by too quickly.

After conquering the world, Wang Ping didn’t immediately come to see Wang Lin. Instead, he calmly looked at the mountains and rivers he owned and felt the might of the world.

Wang Lin still sat in the courtyard every morning, accompanied by the old servant and living his ordinary life. During these fifty plus years, his heart was gradually evolving.

Ten years passed by quietly without any waves being set off.

The 62-year-old Wang Ping looked quite old. These ten years of being a supreme leader made his heart feel even more tired. This made him miss his childhood and the eight years of traveling through the world. What he missed the most was the feeling of his father accompanying him for those twenty-seven years.

Qing Yi had turned into an old woman and wrinkles had appeared on her face. However, her gaze was even more tender than before.

Despite the fact that they never had a child in all these years…

On this day, it was the 35th year since Wang Ping had left his father. The leaves flying in the wind revealed a hint of the autumn coldness.

Wang Ping stepped down from his position as supreme leader of the mortal world. Before leaving, he gave the world he had conquered to an official that had followed him the entire time.

What he took with him, aside from the 35 years of memories, was Qing Yi. After getting on a carriage, he slowly headed toward his father.

As the carriage moved along the official road, the leaves on the side of the road accompanied them. The leaves swayed back and forth along with the wind before falling to the ground.

The falling leaves will always end up back at their tree’s roots, just like a wandering child will also return to their loved ones. Just like the distance between the leaves and the earth, Vast Water City was getting closer and closer…

Wang Lin was currently sitting inside the courtyard. His only old servant had died three years ago, so now he was the only person remaining in this large house.

There was a table before him with two extra chairs. There were a few dishes on the table, a pot of wine, and three pairs of chopsticks.

The dishes still gave off hot steam and bursts of fragrance were coming from them. When the wind blew by, their fragrance were scattered outside the mansion.

A rush of horse hooves came from the distance followed by the sound of wheels rolling on the ground. This sound grew louder and louder until it stopped outside the mansion.

Wang Ping walked down from the carriage and smiled at Qing Yi as he helped her down, then they walked through the door. The green and red plaque with the words “Wang Mansion” looked like it had been through the passage of time. The green was faded and the red exposed white marks.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Wang Lin raised his head. He seemed to have waited 35 years to do this. He revealed a kind smile and said, “Come and sit down, the dishes are still hot.”

The simple words revealed a calm warmth. There was no inquiry, no doubt, no politeness. It was as if Wang Ping often came back. Wang Lin’s eyes revealed a tender gaze.

Wang Ping stared at this father. It had been 35 years. After he left, he hadn’t even seen his father once. If he had, it was only in his dreams.

“Dad…” Wang Ping knelt on the ground, and two streams of tears rolled down from his eyes.

Qing Yi also knelt down beside Wang Lin and softly said, “Dad…”

Wang Lin stood up, helped Wang Ping and Qing Yi up, and said, “Let’s eat.”

This meal lasted a long time. A long lost warmth appeared in Wang Ping’s heart. He had been separated from this feeling for 35 years…

During the 35 years Qing Yi had accompanied Wang Ping, she had long since identified Wang Lin. She knew he was Xu Mu, the senior back then that slaughtered his way to planet Thousand Illusion by himself and shocked the entire northern domain! After all, Yun Wufeng had mentioned the words “Xu Mu” back then.

Even now, she still couldn’t believe it it. It was impossible to think that this kind old man was Xu Mu, the one who once shook the entire northern domain.

Qing Yi didn’t tell Wang Ping the legends regarding Xu Mu. After all, all of this happened before she was even born. Everything was just rumors, so she had no right to tell him.

It wasn’t until the moonlight gradually grew bright and the Autumn wind swept by that Wang Ping put down his chopsticks and looked at this father. He had a thousand words to say, but at this moment, he couldn’t say any of them.

Wang Lin looked at Wang Ping and slowly said, “Ping Er, what do you want to ask?”

“Dad, I want to know about my mother…” It had been more than 60 years since Wang Ping first asked this. He remembered that he had only asked his once, and he saw how crestfallen his father was that time.

This was the second time he asked.

Wang Lin silently pondered. After a long time, his eyes revealed a hint of reminiscence. Looking up at the bright stars in the sky, he softly said, “I’ll tell you a story… Far away from here, there is a cultivation planet called Suzaku…”

Wang Lin’s voice revealed a thick sense of vicissitude. From his mouth, he slowly told the story of a youth named Wang Lin and his nearly 900 years of life.

From when he entered the cultivation world, the Heng Yue Sect, the Tian Dao Sect. The story of Wang Lin’s life gradually opened like a scroll before Wang Ping and Qing Yi.

The story was long, very long…

However, those who heard the story could feel an unspeakable and strange aura that caused the heart of anyone who heard this story to tremble…

Wang Ping stared at his father as he listened to the story. Beside him, Qing Yi’s eyes were wide open as she listened to the story. She couldn’t help but be immersed in it, even though she knew that the protagonist was Wang Ping’s father, the old man before them.

“That female cultivator was named Liu Mei…”