Suffering and the Past

It's hard to imagine what kind of life and experiences could nurture a kind-hearted girl like Nangong.

Perhaps she had a happy family before the [Faith Game] came.

For some reason, Cheng Shi suddenly thought of Old Jia, and Nangong, in this atmosphere, also thought of her grandfather.

A look of reminiscence crossed her eyes, and her tone carried a sense of relief after making a major decision:

"I did it! Grandpa should be proud of me, right?"

Cheng Shi didn't speak; he knew this was Nangong's time.

Sure enough, not long after, Nangong lowered his head and looked at the ground, muttering to himself:

"When I was a child, my family was very poor. My grandfather and mother both got sick, and we couldn't afford to treat them. We sold everything we could to pawn, but it still wasn't enough."

Life became unbearable, but Dad refused to give up. Later... she was freed, leaving Dad and me to take care of Grandpa and endure the days.

Suffering can drive a person crazy.

My father has gone mad. He somehow got wind of this and thought, since things are already like this, why not take a gamble? Could things get any worse than they are now?

Death itself is nothing to be afraid of; what's truly terrifying is wanting to die but being unable or unwilling to...

So that day, he made up his mind, sold the only house in the family for 1223 yuan, used the money to buy three train tickets, and took me and my grandfather to the south.

He put my grandfather and me at the door and told us that whether we lived or died depended on whether God would have mercy on us today.

Then he turned and went into... the casino.

"?"

Cheng Shi was stunned for a moment. He never expected that driving someone crazy would lead them to a casino.

Nangong gave a miserable laugh:

"Dad won, won a lot of money, God knows how much money it was, so much that it even attracted several cars of security."

They surrounded the casino, confirming the final figures.

We were pushed aside, and I cried out for my father, but my grandfather covered my mouth.

But my father came out very quickly; he jumped from the top floor of the casino to me in the fastest way possible.

The Chip were scattered all over the ground.

He died.

Right in front of me.

Countless security guards swarmed out and surrounded his body. They accused his father of cheating, but he refused to admit it and even attempted to jump off the building to escape with stolen Chip that didn't belong to him...

He jumped off a building to escape; I never imagined life had driven him to this point.

At that moment, my world collapsed.

On that very day, my ailing grandfather became my pillar of support.

He told me it was all fate, that his fate was bad and that he had brought trouble to his father. He knew this family was going through a tough time, and he had actually wanted to die for a long time, but he was afraid that his son would lose his father, so he dared not die, nor was he willing to die.

He can't die now, because I'm still so young. A little girl like me can't survive in such a big city.

So an elderly woman who always stayed at home to recuperate ended up helping me struggle to settle down in this unfamiliar city.

We lived in an alley not far from the casino, barely surviving on the handouts from the gamblers who won money.

Grandpa would carve words on the wall every day, writing down the names of the gamblers who gave him money. He said gambling was evil, but people's hearts are inclined to good. One thing at a time, as long as you're alive, you can't forget the hand that was extended to you.

Grandpa didn't recognize them, but he could remember their faces: overcoats, yellow shirts, pleated skirts... Over time, the walls of the alley were covered with their names, and the pictures even became a gimmick for the casino to attract gamblers.

Every gambler passing by the casino would give Grandpa a little money as a blessing, hoping for good luck. It was under these circumstances that we were able to live a slightly better life.

But it wasn't that good, because Grandpa was dying.

In the days before my grandfather passed away, he met the person who pulled me out of my misery.

The man was also a gambler, and a high roller at that.

He frequented that casino, and each time he appeared, he was always greeted by someone.

One day he saw his grandfather begging for money, so he sat with him at the door for a while.

Grandpa was plagued by illnesses, and through long-term suffering, he became somewhat adept at self-healing. The other person also seemed to be ill, and after learning from Grandpa for a while, found it useful and rewarded Grandpa with a Chip.

It wasn't until the casino staff politely came to exchange the chip that we realized that each Chip was worth 100,000, and that the security guards could be so friendly.

This amount of money is very little in a glittering metropolis, but for my lonely and helpless grandfather and me, it was a lot, far too much, so much that it was frightening.

Grandpa was uneasy and wanted to go back, but when he met that person again, the person said:

Even if it was money your son earned for you before he died, money from the casino, what's the point of returning it?

Losing is not terrible; what's terrible is being unable to accept defeat.

The casino was in the wrong.

That's when we found out he was also one of the witnesses that day; that Dad hadn't cheated, he just won too much...

Destiny truly favored us, but on the same day it abandoned us.

Soon after, the uncle won so much money that he bankrupted the casino and 'returned' half of the money to his grandfather.

But Grandpa didn't want it, nor did he dare to. He donated all the money, keeping only the money for my schooling, and then sent me to school before leaving this world.

From that time on, I 'inherited' everything from my grandfather.

I am grateful to everyone who has been kind to me, and I want to repay everyone who has helped me.

No matter how much hardship I face, I want to listen to him and be a useful person.

Nangong cried.

Hardship never spared her, but she has found a way to overcome it.

Cheng Shi's expression softened, and he left silently.

Nangong's strength was enough to protect her vulnerability. At this moment, Nangong didn't need comfort, but an An Jing space to lick her wounds.

After leaving the Fire-Keeping Hall, Cheng Shi did not rush to summon the people who were about to succeed him. Instead, in the last moments before [Decay] was still alive, he prayed and requested an audience with [Decay] once more.

[Decay] agreed.

When Cheng Shi's figure appeared before the [Decay] that was almost nothing but a pile of sandy bones, he heard Him leave behind the final [Decay] syllable for this world.

"I... am [Decay]..."

Who are you..."

Cheng Shi said with a complicated expression, "The Dominion of the era, the destination of [Nothingness], [Deception]."

[Decay] is like a dying old man, seemingly having lost the clarity of his judgment.

"You... are [Deception]..."

Why do I possess... my Divine Authority...?

"The true end is when the world returns to Nothingness. Your Divine Authority is in my hands; you should feel at ease."

[Decay], things have come to this point, and I don't want to judge whether your actions were right or wrong, but I must tell you that the old era is coming to an end. If you want the will of [Decay] to continue to resonate in the new era, then leave your Divine Authority and Divine Throne behind, and go.

You've done enough for Him; it's time to think about the future Decay.

The bones gradually dissipated, and the voice grew increasingly hoarse.

You... are not [Deception]...

You are Cheng Shi... a Mortals...

Cheng Shi shook his head, his eyes unreadable, and said:

"I am not Mortals, I am... [Origin]."

Believe me, come closer to me, and I will give the [Decay] will its continuation, and Naming the new [Decay]...

The words had barely left his lips when his bones crumbled and sand scattered.

[Decay] Utterly fallen.

The black blood from the Blood Rot Tomb finally stopped dripping, and it gathered peacefully in the lake, seemingly waiting for the arrival of the next generation's Lord of Grace.

Voting is still ongoing, friends, don't forget to vote today!

Yesterday's paragraph review voting unlocked a character side story featuring Dragon King Li Jingming. Today's paragraph review Candidate begins for the second character side story.

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