"Not long ago, I finally understood. Unfortunately, it cost my son his life."
Neither Qingkong nor Qinghe said anything. There had once been nine brothers; now, only five remained.
Two of them had become cripples and been exiled. They likely had no hope of survival either.
It could be said that among the brothers, few had met a good end.
"Father, have you been living well these past years?"
Ashina looked at his eldest son. "Well? Not well... How should one even define that?"
"If you mean being happy every day, there are still many things to worry about. But if you mean being unhappy, every day still has its joys."
"So, I can only say it has been ordinary. A quiet, uneventful life without any great waves."
Qingkong smiled at that. "Father, you should learn how to ease your own emotions. The road ahead is still long. This is only the beginning."
"But I probably will not live to see the day you learn how."
Ashina looked up and only then noticed that his eldest son had also entered his twilight years.
His own road ahead might still be long, but his sons were leaving him one after another.
Even if unpleasant things had happened before, they were still the sons he had raised since childhood.
Especially his eldest, second, and third sons. They had been the first children he had, and also the ones Ashina had cherished most.
Now, his second son was about to leave this world, and his eldest likely did not have much time left either.
And his third son... was no longer young, either.
"Eldest... You... Sigh."
For a moment, Ashina did not know what to say. As a father, the feeling truly pained him.
"What happened back then was my fault. I should