The Choice at Their Reunion

Early the next morning, Ning Rongrong was woken by Yang Wudi.

"Little girl, your Grandpa Sword is downstairs."

Ning Rongrong sat bolt upright, her hair a mess and her eyes not yet fully open.

"What?"

Yang Wudi leaned against the window and jerked his chin toward the street.

Ning Rongrong jumped off the sofa and ran to the window to look outside.

In the alley, Chen Xin stood in the same spot as yesterday. His white robe and gray-white hair were silhouetted against the sunlight, obscuring his expression.

He simply stood there, perfectly still.

Ning Rongrong's heart skipped a beat.

Zhang Mo came over and stood beside her, looking down as well.

"Go on," he said.

Ning Rongrong turned to look at him.

He met her gaze, his expression calm.

"He's been waiting all night."

Ning Rongrong froze for a moment. Looking down at the figure below again, she suddenly felt her nose sting.

She turned and ran for the door.

When she reached it, she stopped and looked back at Zhang Mo.

"Y-you're not coming too?"

Zhang Mo shook his head.

"He only wants to see you."

Ning Rongrong bit her lip and went out.

The stairs creaked beneath her feet as she ran, and she nearly fell.

She rushed out of the building, squinting against the bright sunlight.

Chen Xin was still standing there, watching her.

She slowly walked over and stopped in front of him.

Three steps separated them.

Chen Xin looked at her for a long time.

His eyes reddened.

Ning Rongrong parted her lips, wanting to call him "Grandpa Sword," but the words caught in her throat.

Chen Xin suddenly stepped forward and drew her into his arms.

He held her tightly.

Ning Rongrong froze.

She remembered that Grandpa Sword rarely hugged her. He had held her a few times when she was little, but never again once she grew up. He always stood at a distance, watching her with affection in his eyes, but never coming closer.

Now he held her as if she were a treasured thing he had lost and found again.

His shoulders trembled.

Ning Rongrong suddenly felt warm drops land on the top of her head.

She looked up.

Tears streamed down Chen Xin's face.

A Level 96 Title Douluo, the pillar holding up the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Sword Dao Chen Xin.

He was crying.

"Grandpa Sword..." Ning Rongrong's voice trembled too.

Chen Xin said nothing. He just held her even tighter.

The alley was quiet. Every now and then, someone passed by, glanced at them, then hurried on.

After a long while, Chen Xin finally let her go.

He wiped his face with his sleeve and looked at Ning Rongrong.

"You've gotten thinner," he said hoarsely.

Ning Rongrong shook her head. "I haven't."

Chen Xin reached out and gently stroked her hair.

"How have the people here treated you?"

Ning Rongrong paused, then nodded.

"Pretty well."

Chen Xin watched her in silence for a few seconds, then suddenly asked:

"That fellow Zhang Mo—has he treated you well?"

Ning Rongrong's face turned faintly red.

She lowered her head and answered softly:

"Yes."

Chen Xin stared at her for a long time.

Then he sighed.

"Rongrong, do you know how worried your father is?"

Ning Rongrong kept her head bowed and said nothing.

Chen Xin continued, "The day you disappeared, he nearly turned the whole Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect upside down. He sent people out to search for you, day and night, for several days, but they couldn't find you. He shut himself in his room and refused to eat or drink. No one could talk him out of it."

Ning Rongrong's eyes reddened.

"Old Bone is worried too," Chen Xin said. "He doesn't say it, but every day he goes out, asking around for news of you."

He paused.

"We all thought you were dead."

Tears spilled down Ning Rongrong's cheeks.

Chen Xin looked at her, his eyes full of heartache.

"Rongrong, come home with Grandpa. Will you?"

Ning Rongrong lifted her head and looked at him.

Tears streamed down her face.

She parted her lips, wanting to say something, but swallowed the words before they could come out.

Chen Xin waited.

After a long while, Ning Rongrong finally spoke, her voice barely audible:

"Grandpa Sword, I... I want to stay here."

Chen Xin froze.

He looked at Ning Rongrong, the pain in his eyes giving way to something more complicated.

"Why?"

Ning Rongrong lowered her head and said nothing.

"Because of that fellow Zhang Mo?"

Ning Rongrong didn't answer, but her silence said enough.

Chen Xin fell silent.

For a long, long time.

Then he suddenly asked:

"Rongrong, do you know what kind of person he is?"

Ning Rongrong looked up.

"He has Spirit Bones," Chen Xin said. "Two of them. Both were stripped from corpses. Do you know what that means?"

Ning Rongrong nodded.

"I know."

Chen Xin stared at her.

"And you're still willing to stay?"

Ning Rongrong bit her lip, then said:

"The people he killed were all trying to kill me."

Chen Xin paused.

"The first one was called Shi Nian, a Level 76 Spirit Saint. He wanted to kill me and refine my soul. Zhang Mo killed him."

She paused.

"The second was Huyan Li, a Level 65 Spirit Emperor. He wanted to kill me too. Zhang Mo was nearly beaten to death by him."

Chen Xin's expression changed.

He looked at Ning Rongrong, at the way her eyes were red but her resolve unwavering, and suddenly remembered her as a little girl.

She had been only four or five then. When she fell, she didn't cry; she picked herself up. He had praised her for being brave, and she had lifted her little face and said, "Because I'm a member of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

She wore that same expression now as she said those things.

He was silent for a long time.

Then he suddenly asked:

"Rongrong, do you like him?"

Ning Rongrong froze.

Her face turned crimson in an instant.

"I... I don't..."

Chen Xin watched her without a word.

Ning Rongrong's voice grew softer and softer until she finally lowered her head and fell silent.

Chen Xin looked at her flushed ears and sighed.

"Rongrong, you're still young."

Ning Rongrong lifted her head, about to say something, but he cut her off.

"But your grandpa was young once too," Chen Xin said. "I know what it feels like to like someone."

He looked at Ning Rongrong, his expression complicated.

"You're always so haughty. Just now, when you talked about him, your eyes went red. Did you think I wouldn't notice?"

Ning Rongrong lowered her head and said nothing.

Chen Xin reached out and gently patted the top of her head.

"Three days," he said. "You have two left."

Ning Rongrong looked up at him.

"In two days, you'll give me your answer," Chen Xin said.

He turned and started walking away.

After a few steps, he stopped and said without looking back:

"For the next two days, I'll wait for you here at this time."

Then he left.

Ning Rongrong stood where she was, watching his figure disappear at the mouth of the alley.

The sunlight fell warmly on her.

She slowly crouched down and buried her face against her knees.

Her shoulders shook.

She didn't know how long had passed when a hand settled on the top of her head.

She looked up and saw Zhang Mo standing beside her.

He crouched down to meet her eyes.

"Were you crying?"

Ning Rongrong shook her head, but the tear tracks on her face gave her away.

Zhang Mo said nothing. He simply reached out and wiped her face with his sleeve.

Ning Rongrong looked at him and suddenly said:

"Zhang Mo."

"Yeah?"

"Grandpa Sword asked me if I like you."

Zhang Mo's hand paused.

He looked into her eyes and waited.

Under his gaze, Ning Rongrong blushed again and lowered her head, speaking softly:

"I didn't say."

Zhang Mo was silent for a few seconds, then said:

"Do you know the answer yourself?"

Ning Rongrong froze.

She lifted her head and looked at him.

His eyes were calm, but there was something in them she couldn't understand.

She parted her lips, wanting to say something, but finally just shook her head.

Zhang Mo stood up and held out his hand.

She took it and stood.

The two of them stood in the alley, the sunlight falling on them.

After a long while, Ning Rongrong suddenly said:

"Zhang Mo, I'll tell him my answer in two days."

Zhang Mo nodded.

She tugged on his sleeve and headed back.

After a few steps, she suddenly said:

"We've finished the buns. Let's make some more today."

Zhang Mo said, "Okay."

"Make a lot. Yang Wudi can eat."

"Okay."

"Put plenty of meat in them."

"Okay."

The two of them went inside.

The stairs creaked beneath their feet.

Upstairs, Yang Wudi stood by the window, watching them come up. He rolled his eyes.

"You two sure take your time," he said. "The filling's already chopped. I was just waiting for you to get back and wrap the buns."

Ning Rongrong froze for a moment. She looked at the chopped meat in the kitchen, then at Yang Wudi.

Yang Wudi shifted uncomfortably under her gaze and turned his face away.

"What are you staring at? I was hungry. Is that a problem?"

Ning Rongrong smiled.

That smile was lovelier than the sunlight.

At dusk, Zhang Mo went downstairs to take out the trash.

The alley was dim, and the streetlights hadn't come on yet. He had just reached the trash can when a voice sounded behind him.

"Kid."

Zhang Mo turned around.

Chen Xin stood three meters away, his hands behind his back, watching him.

Zhang Mo paused, then tossed the trash bag into the bin and dusted off his hands.

"You're looking for me?"

Chen Xin said nothing, only stared at him.

His gaze was like a sword, able to see right through a person.

Zhang Mo stood still and let him look.

After a long while, Chen Xin finally spoke:

"Rongrong said you saved her twice."

Zhang Mo said, "That's right."

"First Shi Nian, then Huyan Li."

Zhang Mo nodded.

Chen Xin fixed his eyes on him, his expression complicated.

"A man without Soul Power killed a Spirit Saint and a Spirit Emperor," he said. "Do you know how difficult that is?"

Zhang Mo didn't answer.

Chen Xin took a step forward.

That oppressive presence returned, stronger than it had been yesterday.

Zhang Mo's breath hitched slightly, but he didn't retreat.

Chen Xin stopped in front of him and stared into his eyes.

"That girl Rongrong was spoiled by me from the time she was little," he said. "Whatever she wanted, I gave her. If she wanted the stars in the sky, I couldn't pluck them down, but I could lift her up and bring her a little closer."

Zhang Mo listened.

Chen Xin continued, "Her father spoiled her too, and so did Old Bone. No one in the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would dare let her suffer even the slightest grievance."

He paused.

"She's suffered quite a few grievances since she came here, hasn't she?"

Zhang Mo thought for a moment, then said:

"No."

Chen Xin watched him closely.

Zhang Mo said, "She's been scared, cried, and gotten hurt. But she hasn't been wronged."

Chen Xin's expression shifted slightly.

Zhang Mo continued, "She chose this herself. No one forced her."

Chen Xin fell silent for a long while.

Then he suddenly said:

"Let me see the two Spirit Bones you have."

Zhang Mo paused, then raised his right arm and activated the Spirit Bone's power. A faint golden light shimmered across his arm, just as it had when he absorbed Huyan Li's Spirit Bone.

Chen Xin watched the golden light for a few seconds, then looked at his right eye.

"You gave Rongrong that skull?"

Zhang Mo nodded.

Chen Xin's expression grew even more complicated.

"The Illusion Wisdom Skull," he said. "A Spirit Bone from a level-seventy-six Spirit Saint, and you just gave it to her?"

Zhang Mo said, "She can use it."

Chen Xin stared at him for a long time.

Then he suddenly smiled.

The smile was brief and faint, but it was real.

"Interesting," he said. "I've lived for over a hundred years and met all kinds of people. The greedy, the fearful, the ruthless, the foolish. You're the first person like you I've ever met."

Zhang Mo said nothing.

Chen Xin turned and walked deeper into the alley.

After a few steps, he stopped and said without turning around:

"Same time tomorrow. Meet me here."

Zhang Mo watched his silhouette disappear into the night.

He stood there for a while, then turned and headed back.

Upstairs, Ning Rongrong was leaning over the window, looking down.

When she saw him come back, she quickly pulled her head inside.

Zhang Mo went upstairs and opened the door.

Ning Rongrong sat on the sofa, pretending to watch TV.

Yang Wudi sat nearby with one leg crossed over the other, munching on an apple.

When Zhang Mo came in, Ning Rongrong sneaked a glance at him, then quickly looked away.

Yang Wudi rolled his eyes.

"All right, all right," he said. "If you want to ask, just ask. Why pretend?"

Ning Rongrong's face reddened, and she glared at him.

But she still asked:

"Did Grandpa Sword come to see you?"

Zhang Mo nodded.

"What did he say?"

Zhang Mo thought for a moment, then said:

"He asked whether you'd been wronged."

Ning Rongrong froze.

Zhang Mo said, "I told him you hadn't."

Ning Rongrong stared at him, her eyes slowly reddening.

She lowered her head and murmured:

"Grandpa Sword really..."

She didn't finish.

Yang Wudi cut in from the side:

"An old man worrying about his granddaughter is normal. If I were him, I'd ask too."

Ning Rongrong looked up and glared at him.

Yang Wudi shrugged and went back to munching on his apple.

That night, Ning Rongrong lay on the sofa, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

She thought about what Grandpa Sword had said during the day.

"Do you know what kind of person he is?"

"The Spirit Bones on him were all stripped from the dead."

She knew.

She'd known for a long time.

But she still wanted to stay.

Why?

She rolled over and looked at the sofa opposite hers.

Zhang Mo lay there with his eyes closed, breathing evenly.

She watched his profile for a long time.

Moonlight slipped through a gap in the curtains and fell across his face, tracing his features in a faint silver glow.

She suddenly remembered the first time she'd met him.

She'd just tumbled out of the vortex, terrified out of her mind. He'd raised his hands and said, "Don't get excited. I mean you no harm." His voice had been calm, as if he were saying something perfectly ordinary.

Later, he'd made her noodles.

Clear-broth noodles with a fried egg.

She'd eaten every last bite.

Even then, she'd thought that he didn't seem like a bad person.

After that, one thing had followed another.

Shi Nian, Huyan Li, Yang Wudi, Grandpa Sword.

Every one of them had nearly cost her life.

But each time, he'd stood in front of her.

As she thought about it, her eyelids slowly grew heavy.

In her dream, Grandpa Sword stood before her and asked:

"Rongrong, do you like him?"

She wanted to say no, but when she opened her mouth, what came out was:

"I do."

She jolted awake.

It was already light outside.

She sat up, her heart pounding.

Zhang Mo wasn't on the sofa opposite.

Sounds came from the kitchen, along with Yang Wudi's booming voice.

She got up and went to the kitchen doorway.

Zhang Mo was making breakfast, while Yang Wudi stood beside him, gesturing and giving instructions.

"Too much oil! Why are you using so much?"

"Use less salt. That little girl can't eat anything too salty."

"Flip the eggs! Hurry!"

Ning Rongrong leaned against the doorframe and watched them.

The corners of her mouth slowly lifted.

Yang Wudi turned and saw her, then paused.

"You're awake? Why are you just standing there? Come help with the bowls."

Ning Rongrong went over, picked up the bowls and chopsticks, and set them on the table.

Zhang Mo brought out the stir-fried dishes.

The four of them—no, the three of them—sat down to eat.

Yang Wudi ate quickly, polishing off a bowl of porridge in just a few mouthfuls.

Zhang Mo ate slowly, one bite at a time.

Ning Rongrong was distracted, her eyes continually straying toward Zhang Mo.

When Yang Wudi finished eating, he wiped his mouth and suddenly asked:

"Little girl, is Grandpa Sword coming again today?"

Ning Rongrong nodded.

"When?"

"He came in the morning yesterday."

Yang Wudi stood up and walked to the window to look outside.

The alley was empty. Not a soul was in sight.

He watched for a moment, then suddenly said,

"He's here."

Ning Rongrong set down her bowl and hurried to the window.

In the alley, Chen Xin stood in the same old spot. In the same position, with the same posture.

She turned and ran outside.

She ran to the doorway, then suddenly stopped and looked back at Zhang Mo.

Zhang Mo looked at her too.

She bit her lip, then pushed the door open and went out.

Downstairs, the sunlight was just right.

Chen Xin stood there, watching her run toward him.

She ran up to him, stopped, and caught her breath.

Chen Xin looked at her, his gaze gentle.

"Why are you running?" he said. "I'm not going anywhere."

Ning Rongrong lowered her head and said nothing.

Chen Xin reached out and gently patted the top of her head.

"Rongrong, Grandpa thought about it all night."

Ning Rongrong looked up at him.

Chen Xin said, "I met that boy last night."

Ning Rongrong froze.

Chen Xin said, "I asked him a few questions."

"What... what questions?"

Chen Xin said, "I asked whether he'd ever made you suffer."

Ning Rongrong's eyes turned red.

Chen Xin looked at her, his expression complicated.

"He said he hadn't."

He paused.

"I believe him."

Ning Rongrong's tears fell.

Chen Xin reached out and wiped them away.

"Rongrong, I've lived a long time. I can still judge people pretty well," he said. "That boy isn't bad."

As Ning Rongrong cried, she suddenly started smiling.

Chen Xin watched her smile and smiled too.

As he smiled, he sighed.

"But you're still young."

Ning Rongrong wanted to say, "I'm thirteen," but the words never left her mouth.

Chen Xin looked at her and remained silent for a long time.

Then he suddenly said,

"Rongrong, Grandpa can agree to let you stay."

Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up.

Chen Xin continued,

"But there's one condition."

"What condition?"

Chen Xin turned and looked at the window upstairs.

"That boy has to take three of my sword strikes."