By the Scented Flower River.
Beneath the deep night curtain, the river waters murmured and roared.
An old man sat alone atop an azure stone, his gaze weathered by time as he looked into the distance at the great river surging eastward.
Behind him, a middle-aged man stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes filled with filial admiration as he watched the old man's silhouette.
The night wind howled, lashing against his deeply wrinkled face.
What had once felt like a gentle breeze brushing his face now carried a trace of chill. Li Jinhuang's body even trembled.
Li Yingzhang's face was filled with concern. "Old Ancestor, the wind is strong here. Let us return!"
Li Jinhuang raised a hand, refusing the suggestion.
His raised hand did not fall. Instead, it stretched toward the front, as if trying to touch the surging waters of the great river below.
"Yingzhang, this old man's lifespan is nearly at its end. I deeply feel the hardships of life."
"Like this unceasing Yangtze River, though it bears the ambition of flowing east into the sea, its journey is long and its road ahead filled with hardship."
"Yet the river flowing east will always have a day when it enters the sea. My ambition to bring prosperity to the family, however, is difficult to realize. It leaves me with lifelong regret."
The aged voice entered his ears, yet it seemed to pierce straight into his heart and lungs.
Throughout his life, Old Ancestor Li Jinhuang had devoted all his thoughts to reviving the Qinhua Li Family.
Even when old age and death were upon him, he still ran about tirelessly, contacting allies, afraid that after he was gone, the Li Family would be scattered by wind and rain like the Fu Family.
He had