Lin Ze'an didn't linger. After buying a few more things at the market, he boarded the carriage prepared by the branch hall with Hu Liena and the others early the next morning.
It wasn't as splendid as the carriage they'd ridden before, but it was still spacious and comfortable.
The carriage traveled along a country road, fields on either side gleaming golden in the sunlight.
"We're finally going home." Lin Ze'an leaned against the carriage window, watching the scenery flash past.
In the blink of an eye, Lin Ze'an pointed to the village in the distance. "That village up ahead is where I live. Let's leave the carriage outside the village."
The three followed his gaze. Sure enough, a peaceful little village lay in the distance.
Before long, the carriage came to a gentle stop at the village entrance.
Lin Ze'an stepped down and smiled at the village he knew better than any other.
He wondered if his father would be happy to see him back so soon.
"So this is where you grew up?" Hu Liena climbed down from the carriage, curiously taking in her surroundings.
Just then, several children playing at the village entrance recognized Lin Ze'an and ran over at once. "Brother Ze'an, you're back!"
A bright smile spread across Lin Ze'an's face when he saw his friends. He went forward and hugged them. "Xiao Hu, Xiao Hua, I'm back!"
Xiao Hu smiled at him, but then seemed to remember something and hesitated. "Brother Ze'an, Uncle Lin..."
Before he could finish, Xiao Hua cut him off sternly. "Xiao Hu!"
She turned to Lin Ze'an and asked, "Brother Ze'an, how's life at Spirit Hall? Have you been doing well these past few days?"
Seeing their expressions, Lin Ze'an felt a bad premonition rise in his heart.
He stared hard at them both. "What's happened to my father?"
At that, Xiao Hu lowered his head and said softly, "Brother Ze'an, go home and see for yourself... Uncle Lin..."
Before he could finish, Lin Ze'an took off toward home without a word, not even sparing a glance for Hu Liena and the others behind him.
"Junior Brother!" Yan cried out, hurrying after him.
Hu Liena and Xie Yue exchanged a glance, then ran after him too.
Judging from the way the two children had hesitated, something had probably happened to their junior schoolmate's family.
Lin Ze'an sprinted along the village road, growing more and more panicked with every step.
He had already run halfway through the village, yet he hadn't encountered a single person on the road. It was far too strange.
When he finally reached his front door, the sight before him froze him in place.
All the adults in the village had gathered at his home. People packed the courtyard and the entrance, standing shoulder to shoulder.
What shocked him even more was that his house was draped in white mourning cloth.
The white strips fluttered gently in the wind, glaringly conspicuous.
"Th-this... what's..." Lin Ze'an's face turned deathly pale as he stared at them, his eyes full of disbelief.
When the villagers saw Lin Ze'an, their faces filled with sorrow and sympathy.
Someone murmured, "Ze'an's back."
"Child... be strong..."
Lin Ze'an stumbled into the courtyard and asked in a trembling voice, "Wh-what happened?"
The village chief stepped forward, grief etched across his aged face. "Ze'an... your father... he was a hero."
As soon as he spoke, everyone knelt before Lin Ze'an.
At a loss, Lin Ze'an stared at the scene before him, then hurried forward to help the village chief up. "Please... Chief, get up... What happened?"
What had happened to his father? Why did everyone look like this?
The village chief sighed, his eyes brimming with sorrow. "Child, you know our village is far from anywhere."
Choking back tears, he continued, "A few days ago, an unfamiliar Soul Master came to the village. At first, we thought he had only stopped to rest."
"He was a Soul Master, so we didn't dare drive him away. We let him stay."
"But who could have known... who could have known he was a beast who fed on human blood! Once we discovered the truth, he tried to slaughter the entire village to silence us!"
At that, Lin Ze'an's face turned deathly pale. "What?!"
Then... did that mean his father had...
"Your father held him off..." The village chief broke down in tears. "That gave us the chance to call for help from Spirit Hall..."
He pointed shakily toward the house. "But by the time reinforcements arrived... your father was already at death's door. Even the Soul Masters from Spirit Hall couldn't save him..."
Once inside, Lin Ze'an saw the coffin in the middle of the main room.
The wooden coffin stood half open, revealing the figure lying quietly within.
Lin Gang lay still, his eyes closed and his face covered in savage wounds.
The wounds were deep enough to expose bone... plainly inflicted during a fierce battle.
"Dad..." Lin Ze'an went forward and shook Lin Gang with trembling hands.
When Hu Liena and the others arrived, all they heard was Lin Ze'an's despairing cries.
"Dad! Wake up! Didn't you say you'd wait until I came home?"
Yan hurried forward and caught hold of Lin Ze'an. "Junior Brother, pull yourself together..."
Suddenly, Lin Ze'an seemed to remember something. He shoved Yan away and summoned his Martial Soul.
Mo Ruier appeared behind him, her two purple Soul Rings beginning to spin wildly.
"I can save you... Dad... I know I can."
With Mo Ruier's powerful vitality, it had to be possible...
He raised his hand, and a torrent of life force surged toward Lin Gang.
Seeing Lin Ze'an like this, Hu Liena didn't know what to do. All she could do was try to comfort him. "Junior Brother..."
The dead could not be brought back to life...
But Lin Ze'an seemed not to hear her. He only poured out more and more life force.
Tears streamed down his face as he choked out, "Dad... wake up..."
But no matter how hard he tried, Lin Gang's body was like a vast, leaky net.
The life force he poured into it couldn't remain inside; it dissipated at once.
Just then, Yue Guan and Gui Mei entered as well.
Seeing the scene, Yue Guan strode forward and wrapped his arms around Lin Ze'an, stopping him from pouring out his power.
The dead could not be brought back to life. If this continued, Lin Gang couldn't be saved, and Lin Ze'an would exhaust himself too.
"Apprentice, stop. It's too late..."
Yue Guan's voice brimmed with sorrow and self-reproach. "It's all my fault. If I'd taken your father with us to Spirit City that day, this tragedy would never have happened..."
Hearing this, Lin Ze'an sobbed and clung to Yue Guan. "Master, it's not your fault... My father died protecting others."
"It's just... I'll never see him again... Master..."
He remembered how his father had once asked him a question.
"Son, if you had to choose, there would be a set of scales.
"On one side are the villagers, and on the other is your own life. What would you choose?"
At the time, Lin Ze'an had answered Lin Gang, "If I have to choose, isn't the answer obvious?"
"If I can trade my life for the happiness and safety of everyone, then I'd do it without the slightest hesitation."
"Even if the world rots, there will always be someone who loves it, no matter the hour, someone who'll pour everything they have into healing its wounds."
He hadn't expected his mother to make that choice... and his father had made it too.
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