Longevity Martial Arts: I have a Mysterious Water Snake Avatar-Chapter 604 - 444: I am not wrong, but I, regret it! _3
Hong Yuan and Le Congsheng walked to a corner by the green wall, silently gazing at these young, vibrant disciples.
This very moment mirrored that one from long ago.
Back then, the two of them had also sought warmth in each other's company.
Together, they had confronted Chen Dongsheng and Xiao Youjun…
"The great power of time~"
Le Congsheng smiled, his eyes nearly closed, and let out a sigh.
It was as if, through these young disciples, he saw a reflection of his younger self: naive-faced and ignorant of the world.
Hong Yuan, meanwhile, remained silent for a short while.
Longevity Martial Arts, Longevity Martial Arts…
Time had always been his ally, helping him forcefully erase several unparalleled heroes from existence.
He always calculated time in terms of ten thousand years.
Yes, the great power of time~ Hong Yuan also felt a wave of emotion in his heart.
The same sentence: one laced with the sentiment of twilight years, the other imbued with the hope of a new dawn.
Their contrasting perspectives made reality seem all the more cruel.
「A quarter of an hour later.」
The young disciples had all departed. Hong Yuan and Le Congsheng set out once more, heading up the mountain.
The mountain wind was ice-cold, chilling Le Congsheng to the bone, yet invigorating Hong Yuan.
Following the Greenstone Avenue, the two ultimately arrived at Hong Yuan's former cottage.
The parasol trees stood lush and tall. The door was firmly shut, and leaves lay piled in the courtyard.
Gazing at the scene evoked a wave of emotions.
In this moment, Le Congsheng shed his usual composure, becoming as spirited as he once was.
It was as if the free-spirited youth of the past had returned from the annals of time!
"Yuan, thank you for your companionship."
Le Congsheng looked up at the sky. "Once, I too had grand dreams of becoming a Martial Saint."
"Unfortunately, my aptitude was indeed poor, and I never broke through to the fifth rank, middle-grade, in my entire life."
"Heh."
"But on the night you achieved the Phoenix Creek Tutelage and reclaimed the Eagle Immortal Blessed Land, I suddenly understood something. While there is indeed a gap between people, it's not insurmountable."
"I may not become a Martial Saint, but that doesn't mean my son can't, or that my grandsons and granddaughters can't…"
"And so, I desperately earned Energy Stones and threw myself into expanding the Hundred Joy Tavern."
"Finally, thanks to my unstinting efforts to cultivate him, my ninth grandson, A'sheng, has laid a solid foundation. He has the potential to achieve the Phoenix Creek Tutelage, just like you."
"..."
"Do you think I took the wrong path?"
When he finished speaking, Le Congsheng turned his head to look at Hong Yuan, his eyes full of hope, eagerly awaiting Hong Yuan's approval.
Hong Yuan nodded. "You are not wrong!"
Brother Cong Sheng, you are not wrong, but you... you weren't selfish enough… Hong Yuan lamented inwardly.
But this aspect of Le Congsheng's personality was one of the main reasons Hong Yuan had decided to befriend him.
One extremely selfish person like Hong Yuan was enough in this world.
"I am not wrong! I am not wrong! HAHAHA!!"
Le Congsheng's aged face was wreathed in smiles.
But as he smiled, a tear streamed down from his eye, and he said, "Yuan."
"I am not wrong, but I... I regret it!"
"How I wish I had your aptitude and talent! How I wish I could exchange lives with that grandson of mine, A'sheng!"
"I am not content!"
"Not content!"
"I so wish I could keep going! It was I who built this legacy, yet others are the ones who enjoy it."
"SOB... SOB... SOB..."
Le Congsheng buried his face in his hands, old tears streaming freely.
In front of Hong Yuan, he abandoned the dignified demeanor of a Family Head, revealing his true self without reservation.
Hearing Le Congsheng's words, Hong Yuan once again fell into a long silence.
There is great terror between life and death. Who can truly face it?
In fact, Hong Yuan did have a way to solve Le Congsheng's life-and-death dilemma.
The simplest was the Blood Skull Worm Skill.
Blood Tao, the Blood Skull Worm Skill:
[Use the Blood Skull Worm to drain the blood of one's kin, then refine a Blood Spring. With the aid of this Blood Spring, the user's Aperture aptitude can be enhanced.]
Other methods were either overly complicated or involved his identity related to the Xuan Guangqiao.
Hong Yuan was an extremely selfish Extraterrestrial Demon and naturally would not reveal this to Le Congsheng.
Besides, the Blood Skull Worm Skill was too cruel, a violation of heavenly principles and human ethics.
If Le Congsheng dared to do such a thing, Hong Yuan would likely have to take matters into his own hands and clean house. After all, he was the foremost righteous commoner in the Eastern Wilderness of the Divine Continent!
Therefore, in the end, Hong Yuan still offered no solution to Le Congsheng.
"Brother Cong Sheng, life is unpredictable. Just do good deeds and don't ask about the future."
"Sometimes, I even envy you for having such a large family, unlike me, who is so solitary and alone..."
Hong Yuan patted Le Congsheng on the shoulder, speaking insincerely.
After a good cry, Le Congsheng felt the suffocation in his heart sweep away, and his mood brightened considerably.
Within moments, Le Congsheng wiped away his tears and regained his composure.
No one could tell that the man with the resolute face before them had just collapsed in sobs moments ago.
"Mhm, I understand. Yuan, don't you worry."
Le Congsheng smiled at Hong Yuan.
After composing himself, Le Congsheng departed with Hong Yuan.
Accompanied by Hong Yuan, Le Congsheng returned to the large bunkhouse where he had lived as a handyman disciple in his youth.
A huge bunkhouse that housed sixty-four people!
An overpowering stench filled the air. Clutter was strewn everywhere; the scene was one of complete disarray.
"Here... this is where it all began for us..."
Le Congsheng drew the Tang Sword from his waist, gripping its handle tightly.
This Tang Sword, even after more than fifty years, was still as good as new, its surface gleaming.
It was the first weapon Hong Yuan had ever forged and also a testament to the bond between him and Le Congsheng.
SWISH—
Le Congsheng gently swung the Tang Sword. A sword wind stirred, seeming to pierce Cloud Soar.
Having done this, Le Congsheng sheathed the Tang Sword and returned it to Hong Yuan, saying reluctantly, "Having a beginning and an end brings true fulfillment."
"Yuan... you must... ensure the Martial Arts... thrive..."
BOOM!
It was as if a heavy blow had struck Hong Yuan's heart, leaving him momentarily dazed.
His Senior Brother Zhu Wushang had entrusted him with a similar heavy responsibility before passing away.
Hong Yuan took the Tang Sword, silently gazing at it, lost in a torrent of thoughts.
The Great Taoism... a solitary journey…
Immortality? Immortality. Immortality!
「That night.」
The clouds hung thick and heavy.
The starlight was faint.
Le Congsheng, the old Family Head of the Le Family, passed away suddenly, departing with a smile as if to immortality.
Soon after, on Rainbow Fire Peak, the roars of dragons and the hums of bees echoed unceasingly.
The world trembled, awed and overwhelmed by the power of the Le Family...
