Lu Qing drank with the old man. With a flick of his fingertip, several streaks of spiritual light fell into the cups.
After drinking it, warmth spread through them, leaving their entire bodies clear and comfortable.
Old Liu did not keep drinking. After only one sip, he smiled and squinted his aged eyes.
He did not drink much.
"Old now, old now. Guest, the sun is about to set. Walk slowly on your way home." The sun was setting—take your time going home.
A woman's gentle voice surfaced in his memories. Then there was a man who rubbed a child's hair. "Boy, walk slowly. Remember what your mother told you."
Lu Qing raised his eyes, then lowered them again. He merely smiled. "Thank you, Elder, for today's hospitality."
"Ah." Old Liu saw the young man out of the courtyard.
The glow of the setting sun flowed across the ground, stretching out a long shadow.
With one step forward, he turned back, and heaven and earth had already widened.
The sunset light shattered. When he opened his eyes, he was still in a small county town of the Liang Kingdom, except he could no longer smell the fragrant wontons.
Lu Qing lowered his brows and looked at the stone in his hand.
"Old Liu... he did not live long before he passed on."
"His son was pitiful too. He barely ate a few meals before he died of illness."
A spell flowed through his eyes, and scenes from the past reappeared.
The youth stepped into that lingering remnant thought.
This stone had been a house-guarding stone. It had been buried underground for a hundred years, and later, by chance, retained a wisp of remnant thought.
In troubled times, peace, safety, tranquility, and joy were luxuries in themselves.
"This lifetime's bond has