A Twilight Elder Was Once a Parent's Pride

"Xiao Fan is back."

The villagers encountered along the road smiled and greeted Lu Fan one after another.

Lu Fan responded to each of them in turn.

Perhaps because the village lacked Battle Soul Masters and consisted entirely of auxiliary-type Soul Masters, the temperament of the villagers was exceptionally gentle.

Having been born and raised here, Lu Fan could be considered to have inherited the local customs.

"Is the village chief at home?"

Lu Fan asked the villagers who were busy tending to the flowers.

"He should be. I haven't seen him go out today; he's likely at home cultivating. You know how it is—the village chief has been stuck at level 34 for thirty years. His lifelong dream is to break through to level 50, become a Soul King, and absorb a ten-thousand-year soul ring."

"But with his current physical condition and declining vitality, even if he were to break through to a Soul Saint, he wouldn't necessarily be able to absorb a ten-thousand-year soul ring."

Speaking of this, the villager sighed.

"Sigh, the village chief is old and doesn't have many years left. You should try to persuade him to stop putting himself through this and just enjoy his twilight years in peace."

Lu Fan nodded, "I will talk to him. I'm going to go find him now, bye."

With that, Lu Fan also said goodbye to the other children on the carriage.

"Alright, I'm going to go see Grandpa Village Chief now. You lot go play by yourselves."

"Brother Fan, I want to play horse-riding."

"Me too, me too!"

Several children looked at Lu Fan with faces full of anticipation.

Receiving such gazes, Lu Fan could only smile and instruct, "Fine, but you are all too young. Remember to find an adult to watch over you while you play. Also, be careful when riding; don't damage the flowers in the village."

"Got it~"

Damaging flowers in Flower Grass Village was a serious offense.

The punishment ranged from fines and replanting to being directly expelled from the village.

Although every single flower here was common and inexpensive, each one was the result of generations of effort poured into them by everyone in the village.

Flowers may bloom again, but a person never returns to their youth.

It is said that the oldest flowers in the village are over a hundred years old.

These flowers are not just plants; they are everyone's hobby.

They are also the memories left behind by those who have passed away.

There was one more reason as well.

Most Soul Masters in Flower Grass Village chose to live here precisely because, for those whose martial souls were flowers, this place was a massive, specialized Mimicry Cultivation Environment that assisted in soul power cultivation.

Lu Fan thought to himself that there probably wasn't any other place in this world with more flowers than Flower Grass Village.

Watching the children run off to find the adults, a gentle smile appeared on Lu Fan's face.

He suddenly understood why Mu En, during the era of the Peerless Tang Sect, liked to lie under the dormitory building and bask in the sun.

The innocent and lively nature of children truly had a way of lifting one's spirits.

Lu Fan went to the village chief's house and knocked on the door.

"Village Chief, it's Xiao Fan. I'm back for the holidays. Are you home?"

"Is that Xiao Fan? The door isn't locked, come on in."

An aged voice sounded from inside the house.

Lu Fan pushed the door open and stepped quickly into the courtyard.

He saw the village chief just sitting up from the ground in the yard.

Seeing this, Lu Fan said with annoyance, "Village Chief, it's been thirty years. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. Some things cannot be forced. You have children and grandchildren surrounding you now; you should be enjoying your blessings."

The village chief shook his head with a smile, "Eh, finding time to cultivate doesn't conflict with enjoying the blessings of my descendants."

"Besides, a person must have some pursuits while they are alive, right?"

"If you have no pursuits at all, living each day in a daze and repeating the same things, what meaning would such a life have?"

Lu Fan struck back, "How is what you're doing now any different from repeating the same things every day? You're just experiencing the pain of failing to break through every single day."

Clearly, Lu Fan's words were highly effective and dealt a significant blow to the village chief.

"Is that the point? The point is that a person must have pursuits, must have things they love, and even if they fail, they must have a brave heart that moves ever forward!"

The village chief roared at Lu Fan with a flushed face.

Then he sighed, "It's not as if everyone is a genius with Innate Full Soul Power like you. You are so dazzling, while the vast majority of us in this world are destined to be nothing more than foils for people like you."

Lu Fan fell silent upon hearing this.

As a beneficiary who had personally enjoyed the advantages brought by his talent, he had no right to say anything in rebuttal.

He could only offer what comfort he could: "Everyone is the protagonist of their own life. Although you aren't as gifted as I am, Chief, the fact that you became a Spirit Master already puts you ahead of ninety percent of the people in this world."

The village chief smiled at his words: "That's true. Even now, I still remember seventy years ago when I first awakened my Martial Soul and possessed Innate Level 3 Soul Power; the smiles on my parents' faces back then."

"They felt proud of me and regarded me as their pride and joy."

"And I did not fail their expectations, becoming the second strongest person in Flower Grass Village in the last hundred years..."

At this point, the village chief paused, his expression complex as he looked at Lu Fan: "No, I suppose I am only third now; the second spot should probably go to you."

"Come to think of it, it has been at least forty or fifty years since that child, Xiao Guan, left the village and never returned."

"Oh, wait."

"He returns every Mid-Autumn Festival, he just chooses not to meet with us."

The village chief slapped his forehead.

"The only time that child, Xiao Guan, actually came back was twenty years ago, and by then, he was already a powerhouse at the Soul Douluo level."

"Since the founding of Flower Grass Village, he was the first Spirit Master to reach such heights; he is the pride of our village."

Yet, as he said this, the village chief's expression appeared somewhat desolate.

"Is the person you are speaking of Chrysanthemum Douluo from Martial Soul Hall?"

Lu Fan had heard Yue Guan mention that he also came from Flower Grass Village.

And the person the village chief was describing could only be Yue Guan.

The village chief nodded upon hearing this: "Yes, yes, that's him. Come to think of it, the storage ring I gave you, along with that Hundred Herbs Chart, were things Xiao Guan left behind when he returned to pay respects to his sister."

Lu Fan remained silent for a moment.

After some thought, he said, "I am also a member of Martial Soul Hall now. Half a year ago, he encountered me in Suotuo City and took me in as his disciple; he is my teacher now."

The village chief was somewhat surprised to hear this.

However, thinking of Lu Fan's Martial Soul, he felt relieved.

"Mhm, that's good. With him around, I can rest easy knowing you won't be bullied out there."

A loving smile appeared on the village chief's face.

Lu Fan was just like the other children in the village.

He had watched them all grow up.

And because Lu Fan was an orphan, he would always have his grandson go call Lu Fan over for dinner whenever it was mealtime.

Of course, it wasn't just the village chief's family.

Other neighbors would also help him out.

It was precisely because of this that Lu Fan was able to grow up safely.

When it came down to it, what difference was there between Lu Fan and his own grandson?