Reunion and Choice

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

"Little girl, your Grandpa Sword is downstairs."

Ning Rongrong sat up abruptly, her hair a mess, her eyes not yet fully open.

"What?"

Yang Wudi leaned against the window frame and gestured toward the outside with his chin.

Ning Rongrong jumped off the sofa, ran to the window, and looked out.

In the alley, Chen Xin stood in the same spot as yesterday. Clad in white robes with long, grayish-white hair, he stood with his back to the sun, his expression obscured.

He just stood there, motionless.

Ning Rongrong's heart skipped a beat.

Zhang Mo walked over, stood beside her, and looked down as well.

"Go," he said.

Ning Rongrong turned to look at him.

He looked back at her, his eyes calm.

"He waited all night."

Ning Rongrong froze for a moment, then looked back at the figure downstairs, suddenly feeling a sting in her nose.

She turned and ran toward the door.

Reaching the doorway, she stopped and looked back at Zhang Mo.

"Are... are you not coming?"

Zhang Mo shook his head.

"He only wants to see you."

Ning Rongrong bit her lip and pushed the door open to leave.

The stairs creaked as she ran down them, nearly tripping in her haste.

Rushing out of the building, the sunlight made her squint.

Chen Xin was still standing there, watching her.

She walked over slowly, stopped when she reached him.

Three steps separated the two of them.

Chen Xin looked at her, watching for a long time.

His eyes turned red.

Ning Rongrong opened her mouth, wanting to call out "Grandpa Sword," but the sound caught in her throat.

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

He held her tightly.

Ning Rongrong was stunned.

She remembered that Grandpa Sword rarely hugged her. He had hugged her a few times when she was very young, but never since she had grown up. He had always stood at a distance, watching her with doting eyes, but never drawing close.

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

His shoulders were trembling.

Ning Rongrong suddenly felt warm liquid dripping onto the top of her head.

She looked up.

Tears were streaming down Chen Xin's face.

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

He was crying.

"Grandpa Sword..." Ning Rongrong's voice trembled as well.

Chen Xin didn't speak; he only held her, tighter still.

The alley was very quiet. Occasionally, someone would pass by, take a glance, and hurry away.

After a long time, Chen Xin finally let go.

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

"You've lost weight," he said, his voice hoarse.

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 for a moment, then nodded.

"It's quite good."

Chen Xin watched her, silent for a few seconds, before suddenly asking:

"That fellow named Zhang Mo, does he treat you well?"

Ning Rongrong's face flushed slightly.

She lowered her head and whispered:

"He does."

Chen Xin stared at her for a long time.

Then, he sighed.

"Rongrong, do you have any idea how worried your father is?"

Ning Rongrong kept her head down, saying nothing.

Chen Xin continued: "The day you went missing, he nearly turned the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect upside down. He sent people out to search, searching for days and nights on end, but found nothing. He locked himself in his room, refusing to eat or drink, listening to no one."

Ning Rongrong's eyes turned red.

Chen Xin said: "Old Bone was anxious too. He wouldn't say it aloud, but he ran out every single day, scouting everywhere for news of you."

He paused.

"We all thought you were dead."

Ning Rongrong's tears began to fall.

Chen Xin looked at her, his eyes filled with heartache.

"Rongrong, come back with Grandpa, will you?"

Ning Rongrong looked up at him.

Tears streamed down her face.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but the words caught in her throat and she swallowed them back.

Chen Xin waited.

After a long while, Ning Rongrong finally spoke, her voice very soft:

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

Chen Xin was stunned.

He looked at Ning Rongrong, his expression shifting from heartache to complexity.

"Why?"

Ning Rongrong lowered her head, remaining silent.

Chen Xin asked: "Is it because of that Zhang Mo?"

Ning Rongrong did not speak, but her silence was the answer.

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.

Chen Xin said: "He possesses Spirit Bones. Two of them. Both stripped from the bodies of the dead. Do you know what that implies?"

Ning Rongrong nodded.

"I know."

Chen Xin stared at her.

"And you are still willing to stay?"

Ning Rongrong bit her lip, then said:

"The people he killed were all people who wanted to kill me."

Chen Xin was taken aback.

Ning Rongrong said: "The first was named 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 named Huyan Li, a level 65 Spirit Emperor. He also wanted to kill me. Zhang Mo was nearly beaten to death by him."

Chen Xin's gaze shifted.

He looked at Ning Rongrong, watching her red-rimmed eyes and her resolute expression, and suddenly remembered her as a child.

Back then, she was only four or five years old; if she fell, she wouldn't cry, she would just pick herself up. When he praised her for being brave, she would tilt her little face up and say, "Because I am a member of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

Now, as she said these words, she wore that very same expression.

He remained silent for a long time.

Then, he suddenly asked:

"Rongrong, do you like him?"

Ning Rongrong froze.

Her face turned beet red in an instant.

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

Chen Xin looked at her, saying nothing.

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

Chen Xin looked at her reddened ears and suddenly sighed.

"Rongrong, you are still young."

Ning Rongrong looked up, wanting to say something, but he interrupted her.

"But your Grandpa Sword was young once, too," Chen Xin said. "I know what it looks like when someone is in love."

He looked at Ning Rongrong, his gaze complex.

"You girl, you're usually so proud. Just now, when you spoke of him, your eyes turned red. Did you think I couldn't tell?"

Ning Rongrong lowered her head and remained silent.

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

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

Ning Rongrong looked up at him.

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

He turned and began to walk away.

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

"For these next two days, I will wait for you here at this same hour."

He left.

Ning Rongrong stood where she was, watching his back disappear at the end of the alley.

The sunlight shone on her, warm and gentle.

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

Her shoulders trembled.

I do not know how much time passed, but a hand pressed down on the top of her head.

She looked up and saw Zhang Mo standing beside her.

He crouched down to meet her gaze.

"Crying?"

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

Zhang Mo said nothing; he simply reached out and used his sleeve to wipe her face.

Ning Rongrong looked at him and suddenly said:

"Zhang Mo."

"Hm?"

"Grandpa Sword asked me if I liked you."

Zhang Mo's hand paused.

He looked into her eyes, waiting.

Ning Rongrong felt her face flush under his gaze, and she lowered her head, whispering:

"I didn't say."

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

"Then do you know yourself?"

Ning Rongrong froze.

She looked up at him.

His eyes were calm, but they held something she could not understand.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, she only shook her head.

Zhang Mo stood up and reached out a hand.

She took his hand and stood up.

The two stood in the alley, bathed in the sunlight.

After a long while, Ning Rongrong suddenly said:

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

Zhang Mo nodded.

She tugged at his sleeve and began to walk back.

After a few steps, she suddenly said:

"The buns are all gone. Let's make some more today."

Zhang Mo said, "Alright."

"Make a lot. Yang Wudi can eat."

"Alright."

"Make them with lots of meat."

"Alright."

The two of them walked into the building.

The stairs creaked and groaned.

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

"Dilly-dallying," he said. "The filling is already chopped; I was just waiting for you two to come back and wrap them."

Ning Rongrong was stunned for a moment, looking at the meat filling already chopped in the kitchen, then back at Yang Wudi.

Yang Wudi felt uncomfortable under her gaze and turned his face away.

"What are you looking at? I'm hungry, is that a crime?"

Ning Rongrong smiled.

That smile was more beautiful than the sunlight.

In the evening, Zhang Mo went downstairs to take out the trash.

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

"Kid."

Zhang Mo turned around.

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

Zhang Mo paused for a moment, then tossed the trash bag into the bin and clapped his hands.

"Looking for me?"

Chen Xin didn't speak, just stared at him.

That gaze was like a sword, capable of seeing right through a person.

Zhang Mo stood still, letting him look.

After a long time, Chen Xin finally spoke:

"Rongrong says you saved her twice."

Zhang Mo said, "Yes."

Chen Xin said, "The first time was Shi Nian, the second time was Huyan Li."

Zhang Mo nodded.

Chen Xin stared at him, his eyes complex.

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

Zhang Mo didn't speak.

Chen Xin took a step forward.

That sense of oppression returned, stronger than yesterday.

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

Chen Xin stopped in front of him, staring into his eyes.

"That girl Rongrong has been spoiled by me since she was little," he said. "Whatever she wants, I give her. If she wanted the stars in the sky, I couldn't pluck them, but I could lift her high enough to bring her a little closer."

Zhang Mo listened.

Chen Xin said, "Her father spoils her, and Old Bone spoils her too. In the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, no one dares to let her suffer the slightest grievance."

He paused.

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

Zhang Mo thought for a moment and said:

"No."

Chen Xin stared at him.

Zhang Mo said, "I have been afraid, I have cried, and I have been hurt. But grievances—none."

Chen Xin's gaze shifted slightly.

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

Chen Xin remained silent for a long time.

Then, he suddenly said:

"Show me those two Spirit Bones on you."

Zhang Mo paused for a moment, then raised his Right Arm and channeled the power of the Spirit Bone. A faint golden light emanated from his arm, just as it had when he absorbed Huyan Li's Spirit Bone.

Chen Xin stared at the golden light for a few seconds, then looked at his Right Eye.

"That skull, you gave it to Rongrong?"

Zhang Mo nodded.

Chen Xin's expression grew even more complex.

"The Illusion Wisdom Skull," he said, "a Spirit Bone from a level 76 Spirit Saint, and you just gave it to her like that?"

Zhang Mo said, "She can make use of it."

Chen Xin stared at him for a long time.

Then, he suddenly smiled.

The smile was brief and faint, but it was a smile nonetheless.

"Interesting," he said. "I have lived for over a hundred years and seen many people. The greedy, the fearful, the ruthless, the foolish. Someone like you, this is my first time seeing."

Zhang Mo did not speak.

Chen Xin turned and walked into the depths of the alley.

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

"Tomorrow at this hour, be here again."

Zhang Mo watched his back disappear into the night.

He stood for a while, then turned and walked back.

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

Seeing him return, she quickly pulled her head back.

Zhang Mo went upstairs and pushed open the door.

Ning Rongrong was sitting on the sofa, pretending to watch television.

Yang Wudi was nearby, sitting with his legs crossed, munching on an apple.

Seeing Zhang Mo enter, Ning Rongrong snuck a glance at him, then quickly looked away.

Yang Wudi rolled his eyes.

"Alright, alright," he said. "If you want to ask, just ask. Why the act?"

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

But she asked anyway:

"Did Grandpa Sword look for you?"

Zhang Mo nodded.

"What did he say?"

Zhang Mo thought for a moment and said:

"He asked me if you had suffered any grievances."

Ning Rongrong froze.

Zhang Mo said, "I told him no."

Ning Rongrong stared at him, her eyes slowly turning red.

She lowered her head and whispered:

"Grandpa Sword is really..."

She didn't finish the sentence.

Yang Wudi chimed in from the side:

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

Ning Rongrong looked up and glared at him.

Yang Wudi shrugged and continued munching on his apple.

When it was time to sleep that night, Ning Rongrong lay on the sofa, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

She was thinking about what Grandpa Sword had said during the day.

"Do you know who he is?"

"The Spirit Bone on his body was stripped from a dead man."

She knew.

She had known for a long time.

Yet, she still wanted to stay.

Why?

She turned over and looked at the sofa opposite her.

Zhang Mo was lying there, eyes closed, breathing evenly.

She looked at his profile, watching him for a long time.

Moonlight leaked through the gap in the curtains, shining on his face and outlining his silhouette in a faint silver.

She suddenly remembered the first time she saw him.

Back then, she had just tumbled out of the vortex, scared to death. He held up his hands and said, "Don't be agitated, I have no ill intent." His voice was very calm, as if he were stating something mundane.

Later, he cooked noodles for her.

Clear broth noodles, with a poached egg on top.

She ate every last bit.

At that time, she thought to herself, this person doesn't seem bad.

The events that followed came one after another.

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

Every single one of them had nearly cost them their lives.

Yet in every instance, he 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 snapped her eyes open.

The sky outside the window was already bright.

She sat up, her heart pounding violently.

Zhang Mo was not on the sofa opposite.

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

She climbed out of bed and walked to the kitchen doorway.

Zhang Mo was making breakfast, and Yang Wudi was gesturing wildly beside him.

"Too much oil! Why are you putting in so much oil?"

"Use less salt, that little girl can't handle it too salty."

"Flip the egg! Flip it quickly!"

Ning Rongrong leaned against the doorframe, watching them.

The corners of her mouth slowly curled upward.

Yang Wudi turned around, saw her, and paused.

"Awake? Why are you just standing there? Come over and help set the bowls."

Ning Rongrong walked over, took the bowls and chopsticks, and set them on the table.

Zhang Mo brought out the stir-fried dishes.

Four people—no, three people sat down to eat.

Yang Wudi ate quickly, finishing a bowl of porridge in a few gulps.

Zhang Mo ate slowly, one bite at a time.

Ning Rongrong ate absentmindedly, her eyes constantly darting toward Zhang Mo.

Yang Wudi finished, wiped his mouth, and suddenly asked:

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

Ning Rongrong nodded.

"When?"

"Yesterday it was in the morning."

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

The alley was empty; there was not a single soul in sight.

He watched for a moment, then suddenly said:

"They're here."

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

In the alley, Chen Xin stood in his usual spot. It was the same position, the same posture.

She turned and ran toward the door.

Reaching the threshold, she suddenly stopped and looked back at Zhang Mo.

Zhang Mo was looking at her as well.

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

Downstairs, the sunlight was perfect.

Chen Xin stood there, watching her run toward him.

She reached him, stopped, and caught her breath.

Chen Xin looked at her, his gaze gentle.

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

Ning Rongrong lowered her head, remaining silent.

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

"Rongrong, Grandfather 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."

"Wh... what questions?"

Chen Xin said, "I asked him if you had suffered any grievances."

Ning Rongrong's eyes turned red.

Chen Xin looked at her, his expression complex.

"He said no."

He paused.

"I believe him."

Ning Rongrong's tears began to fall.

Chen Xin reached out and wiped them away for her.

"Rongrong, I have lived for many years; I still have some confidence in my ability to judge people," he said. "That boy is not a bad person."

As Ning Rongrong cried, she suddenly began to smile.

Chen Xin watched her smile, and he smiled too.

As he laughed, he let out a sigh.

"But you are still young."

Ning Rongrong wanted to say "I am thirteen," but the words didn't come out.

Chen Xin looked at her, silent for a long time.

Then, he suddenly said:

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

Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up.

Chen Xin continued:

"But there is one condition."

"What condition?"

Chen Xin turned around and looked up at that window on the upper floor.

"Let that boy take three strikes from my sword."