Family Affection

Ou Peng watched the backs of the two as they left, shaking his head. "These two rascals, they're really troublesome."

Hu the Eldest said with a laugh, "Let them be."

After speaking, everyone followed the two of them out of the hall.

Entering the Council Hall again, it was still lamplight time. Ou Peng and the others were surprised. The records were indeed correct; one day and one night had passed. However, times had changed. In the span of one day, the martial arts of several people had improved dramatically. This opportunity was truly unfathomable.

Once everyone was seated, Zhang Chengyue stepped forward, bowed, and briefly reported the sect's situation to Ou Peng. Ou Peng listened, nodded in satisfaction, and Zhang Chengyue then stood to the side.

Ou Peng didn't ask many questions. He simply told everyone that he would be in seclusion for the next ten days to practice. The sect's affairs would be temporarily managed by Zhang Chengyue. He then dismissed everyone.

After the other members of the sect had left, the Misty Five Tigers began to discuss matters again.

Ou Peng said to his fellow disciples, "Brothers, we have finished all the pills from the Secret Realm. After we return today, it's best to go into seclusion and rest for ten days, circulating your energy to stabilize your cultivation. After ten days, we will discuss the Misty Sect's grand development plan together. What do you think?"

Everyone agreed without objection, got up, and left the Council Hall to go home.

The Misty Sect at night was no different from usual. After dinner, a maidservant emerged from an inner chamber, walked unhurriedly out of the Misty Manor, and went to a general store on the outskirts of the manor. She bought some cosmetics and then returned. An hour later, the owner of the general store departed from the back door of his shop and drove a carriage to Pingyang City to restock. Before long, he arrived at a large general store in Pingyang City. After purchasing some goods, he hurried back to the Misty Manor.

After a while, the accountant at the general store in Pingyang City finished his accounts and went home. As he passed a dark alley, he felt an urgent need to relieve himself and ducked into it. However, after entering, he didn't relieve himself. Instead, he quickly walked to a dark corner where there was a small door. He knocked a few times rhythmically, and the door creaked open. Someone inside peeked out, saw who it was, and let him into the courtyard. Before long, the accountant emerged from the courtyard, relieved himself in the alley, and strolled out lazily before heading home. Just as he exited the alley, two carrier pigeons flew out of a small house in the courtyard, one after the other, flying towards the outskirts of Pingyang City.

Pingyang City under the night sky, though bustling, was no different from the Misty Manor under the night sky. It seemed as if nothing had changed because of the pigeons' flight; everything was normal. However, in this seemingly peaceful night, who knew what extraordinary things were hidden?

Dawn arrived quickly. The sunlight pierced the night sky like sharp swords, and everyone began to rise to start their busy day.

Zhang Xiaohua also opened his eyes. Similarly, a flicker in his eyes flashed and disappeared, unnoticed by anyone.

The first sound Zhang Xiaohua heard after waking up was his maternal grandmother's cough. Without thinking, Zhang Xiaohua knew it was the eighth consecutive day. Moreover, Zhang Xiaohua vaguely felt that this was no ordinary cough. He could feel the viscous fluid in his maternal grandmother's throat and body, the fluid that was blocking her breathing and her life. His maternal grandmother's life seemed to be slowly dissolving and fading away in this viscosity. Zhang Xiaohua could even feel his maternal grandmother's emaciation, not of the body, but a wasting of spirit, energy, and vitality. Zhang Xiaohua was very scared. He didn't dare to tell his mother because, apart from the cough, his maternal grandmother had no other ailments. She ate a good amount every day, and Old Chen, the veterinarian from the village, said it was just the cold weather and the chill, that his maternal grandmother was old and couldn't adapt, and she would get better when spring arrived.

However, Zhang Xiaohua didn't dare to believe it.

His maternal grandmother coughed violently again, bending her waist. In pain, Zhang Xiaohua quickly got out of bed, patted her back, poured some water from the teapot on the table, tested its temperature, and brought it to his maternal grandmother's lips. After drinking the water, his maternal grandmother let out a sigh and said kindly, "Xiaohua, why are you awake so early? Go back to sleep. Did Grandma disturb you?"

Zhang Xiaohua said, "No, Grandma. I don't know why, but lately, I wake up as soon as it gets light and can't fall back asleep."

His maternal grandmother sighed, "Ah, Xiaohua has grown up and is sensible. Grandma doesn't want to disturb your sleep. I held back for a long time last night. As soon as it got light, I couldn't hold it in anymore, so I coughed. Tomorrow, Grandma will go to the courtyard, and I won't disturb you."

Zhang Xiaohua said, "Grandma, really, I'm not lying. I've been sleeping very well at night lately. I didn't hear you cough at all. When I woke up this morning, I really couldn't sleep anymore. Please don't go to the courtyard. It's too cold outside."

His maternal grandmother smiled and said nothing.

Zhang Xiaohua got out of the room. The sky outside, the rising sun hung there, not dazzling, but lovely like a duck's egg yolk. Zhang Xiaohua playfully opened his mouth and took a bite of the morning sun. To his surprise, he actually felt a warm current flow down his throat into his body.

Zhang Xiaohua was astonished, extremely doubtful of his own senses. He shook his head and went to wash his face.

The courtyard was as usual. His mother and Liu Qian had already woken up. His mother was busy with the poultry they raised, and Liu Qian was preparing breakfast for the family. Zhang Xiaohua watched them happily. It seemed that Liu Qian wasn't just Sister Liu, but his future sister-in-law. He had already made a small decision in his heart. He couldn't tell his mother about his doubts, but he could tell this future sister-in-law. She had read so many books and knew so many things; perhaps she could help him find answers.

The breakfast of a farming family was very simple, and they ate it quickly. However, what was different from before was that after breakfast, Zhang Xiaohua had to go to the well on the slope to fetch water. Ever since everyone suffered from collective insomnia after drinking tea last time, they seemed to have become addicted to it and drank it every day. Moreover, they felt that this well water was sweeter than the river water they usually drank, so the family now used well water for meals and all their water needs. However, Zhang Cai planned for a steady supply and asked his son to fetch water twice a day, morning and evening. He instructed his son not to tell the other villagers yet.

After breakfast, Zhang Xiaohua was about to go fetch water.

Before leaving, he said to Liu Qian, "Sister Liu, do you want to go up the mountain with me today?"

Guo Sufi heard this and said happily, "Yes, Liu Qian, you should go out for a walk. You've been working hard these past few days."

The other members of the Zhang family also chimed in. Liu Qian thought for a moment, put down the bowls and chopsticks she was tidying, and said, "Then please excuse me, Auntie. I'll go out for a walk."

Then Liu Qian followed behind Zhang Xiaohua and came to the riverbank.

Zhang Xiaohua stopped walking when he reached the riverbank. Liu Qian caught up and asked him, "Xiaohua, do you have something you want to tell me?"

Zhang Xiaohua forced a smile and said, "Sister Liu, you're so smart. You guessed right away that I wanted to talk to you about something."

Liu Qian said, "You little rascal, tell me what's on your mind. Sister will give you some advice."

Zhang Xiaohua quieted down for a moment, looked at the flowing river, and said, "Sister Liu, tell me, can people in this world live forever?"

Liu Qian frowned and said, "That's hard for me to answer. Some books say that no one in this world can live forever, that graves are everyone's final destination. Others say that ordinary people will die, but some people will not?"

Zhang Xiaohua asked curiously, "Which people?"

Liu Qian said, "According to some unofficial histories, there are some cultivators who do not eat worldly food and can live forever. However, this is just what is written in books. No one has ever seen it, and who knows if it's true or false. On the contrary, death is everywhere, without exception."

Zhang Xiaohua then asked, "Then how can a dying person be saved?"

Liu Qian frowned and said, "If it's a fatal illness, of course, you find a good doctor to cure it. If it's poisoning, the important thing is to detoxify, and then they won't die. If it's old age and they are about to die, then... right, you can give them a 'Longevity Pill'. When I was young, I read a very tattered book that said there was a miraculous medicine in the world called 'Longevity Pill'. If people took it, they could extend their lifespan by twenty years. However, this is mostly false. I've never heard of anyone taking this pill."

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaohua stared blankly at the flowing stream, muttering, "Where can I find a Longevity Pill?"

Liu Qian found this very strange and said, "Xiaohua, why are you asking so many strange questions today? And you want to find a Longevity Pill?"

Zhang Xiaohua looked up, his lips pouting, as if he were about to cry. His voice was a little hoarse. "Sister Liu, I feel like Grandma is going to leave me. She's going to die soon."

Liu Qian's heart skipped a beat. She quickly stepped forward and hugged Xiaohua's head. "Xiaohua, be a good child, don't cry, and don't think too much. Grandma just has a common cough. This is a common ailment for elderly people in winter, isn't it? Didn't the doctor say that Grandma will get better when spring comes and the weather warms up?"

Zhang Xiaohua's tears were about to fall. He said, "But Old Chen is a veterinarian. He doesn't know much about treating people."

Liu Qian quickly comforted Zhang Xiaohua, saying, "Then in a few days, we'll take Grandma to the town to see a famous doctor, okay? Grandma will definitely be fine."

Zhang Xiaohua shook his head and continued to cry, saying as he cried, "Sister Liu, don't lie to me. I'm not little anymore. I can farm by myself. I know Grandma won't get better. I can feel that there's something viscous in Grandma's body that prevents her from breathing properly, which is why she coughs. Moreover, I can also feel that something in Grandma's body is running out every day, and Grandma is getting thinner and thinner."

Hearing this, Liu Qian also felt sad and could no longer calmly comfort Zhang Xiaohua. He was truly a sensible child. Only deep affection, love originating from blood ties, could sense this passing of life. Liu Qian hugged Zhang Xiaohua's head, and tears inevitably flowed down her cheeks.