The moment he heard that familiar voice, Luo Ge stopped in his tracks.
Even without turning around, he knew who it was.
It's Paul...
He had heard that voice for ten years, it had been nagging in his ears since he could remember, and even after so many years, he couldn't possibly have misheard it.
Luo Ge stood there, his back to the hillside below, his expression indistinct in the darkness.
Nanahoshi Xing glanced at him and noticed that his shoulders tensed up slightly for a moment before slowly relaxing.
Then Luo Ge turned around.
He saw Paul.
The man stood at the foot of the hill, looking up at him. His face was haggard, his cheeks were sunken, and his dark circles looked like he had been punched twice.
He reeked of alcohol, his clothes were wrinkled and clung to his body, his hair was a mess like a bird's nest, and the stubble on his chin looked like it hadn't been groomed for months.
He was completely different from the Paul he remembered.
The Paul I remember was a bit of a rascal, always grinning and joking around, like a street thug who would put his arm around anyone's shoulder, always laughing and joking without a care in the world.
But Paul seems to have aged a lot these days.
Only about six years have passed; if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Luo Ge would never have recognized that it was the same person.
Paul was stunned the moment he saw Luo Ge turn around.
That face was completely different from the little boy he remembered.
His facial features have matured, his contours have become sharper, he has grown taller, and his brows exude a calm and composed demeanor.
But his slightly narrowed eyes remained unchanged, the slight upturn at the corners of his mouth remained unchanged, and that air of composure despite his youth remained unchanged.
Paul recognized his child at a glance.
"... Old Deng, it's me, I'm back."
Luo Ge spoke, his tone tinged with a hint of mockery.
" Luo Ge!!!"
Paul yelled and rushed forward almost instantly.
Before Luo Ge could even react, Paul pulled him into his arms.
Did I think it was a familiar and warm embrace?
No.
That's completely wrong.
Luo Ge frowned.
He reeked of alcohol; how long had it been since Paul had a shower?
He only goes without showering for two or three months at most, while Paul goes for at least six months.
The stench of alcohol was overwhelming.
But he didn't push Paul away, letting the other man hold him tightly.
After a long silence, Paul finally murmured, "Can anyone tell me... is all of this real? Am I dreaming?"
For Paul right now.
What was happening before my eyes seemed unreal, almost unbelievable.
Almost a year has passed since the Great Migration, a year during which he has suffered greatly.
He lived in agony every day, having lost all contact with his family.
But unexpectedly...
In just one day, not only did Lilia and Aisha return, but his most beloved child also returned.
The child he thought had died long ago in the Red Dragon Mountains was actually still alive.
Before I knew it, I'd grown up so much.
But before Paul could even feel relieved, he suddenly vomited.
A sharp pain suddenly shot through Paul's lower abdomen, and he was violently thrown back into the air.
Paul collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach, staring at Luo Ge in disbelief. "Huh? Luo Ge?"
That expression clearly said something.
Why did you hit me?
Luo Ge clapped his hands, his expression completely calm. "Old Deng, didn't you want to know if it was a dream? Well, now I'm asking you... does it hurt?"
"Ouch, it hurts..."
Paul nodded subconsciously.
"It hurts? That's to be expected."
Luo Ge shrugged. "If I can feel the pain, then it means I'm not dreaming."
"Yes, it wasn't a dream after all..."
Paul repeated to himself, saying that although he was drunk, he wasn't drunk to the point of being stupid.
Paul immediately realized what was happening. "Hey! That's a bit much. Seriously... why don't you just hit yourself? Why are you punching me?"
"Because it hurts when you hit yourself."
Luo Ge finished speaking as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and then added one last thing, "Heh heh, your son isn't stupid."
"???"
Paul froze on the spot.
Even he couldn't find a single fault with what he said.
Um.
Confirmed.
The boy in front of him was his own son. Even though more than five years had passed, Luo Ge was still exactly the same as before.
This unique personality could never be something someone else could impersonate.
Without a doubt,
He is Luo Ge, his son.
"... Luo Ge."
"You really went all out! You didn't give your old father any face at all, and you hit him so hard."
Paul stood up again, grimacing and involuntarily gasping for breath.
That punch he just threw wasn't holding back at all; it was really ruthless. He almost died trying to see his great-grandmother.
How should I put it?
He truly is his son.
He was about to say something when Luo Ge rushed up and punched him twice, starting to kick and punch him.
"Hey! Hey! Hey!"
"What the hell? Why the hell did you hit me again?!" Paul suddenly shouted in aggrieved tone.
"Hehe."
Luo Ge sneered, "Don't you have any self-awareness about why I hit you?"
As he spoke, he chased after her and added another kick, "Cheating, a night raid... Let's not talk about the mess before we got married, since I couldn't control things back then. But since you married my mother, you should have been devoted and dutiful, but... you actually did something so outrageous."
"If I hadn't been here back then, I would have given you a good spanking."
"No, Luo Ge? You! You! You! What exactly do you want?"
"Of course... I'll beat you up!"
"Seriously, Old Deng, you've really gone too far. Even a rabbit doesn't eat the grass near its burrow, right? Look at all the messes you've made, every single one of them is outrageous. You almost tore our family apart."
"Only Mom is so forgiving. If I were in that family, wouldn't I have confiscated your tools of crime?"
Luo Ge pressed Paul relentlessly, showing no mercy whatsoever.
Paul was trembling with fear; his son had become quite frightening after not seeing him for several years.
beg for mercy?
After all, he's his own son; doesn't Paul have any pride?
While Paul, Luo Ge's trial for justice continued.
"Hmm... how should I put it? If you ask me, Mom must have been furious with you. Even though I wasn't home at the time, she was probably so angry that she couldn't eat, right?"
"Mom loves you so much, and what did you do? You cheated on her, and it must have been more than once or twice, right? Haha... Mom is such a gentle woman, she loves you and indulges you... In the end, she probably won't be able to bring herself to hit you, right?"
"As for a coward like Rudeus, he definitely can't beat you, and you two might even collude... So today, let me, the second son of the Greyrat family, teach you what the Greyrat family rules are."
"Today, I, Luo Ge, will discipline my husband on behalf of my mother, to uphold family discipline!"
"Eh?"
Paul dodged while shouting, "Hey, hey, hey, how come I, the head of the family, didn't know the Greyrat family had such a thing as family rules?"
"I'm sorry, we have it today."
"Old Deng!"
"Stop!"
"Take this punch!"
Luo Ge chased after him and delivered a punch without hesitation.
"This punch! It was for Mom Zenith!"
"Ah!"
Paul screamed.
"This punch is for Lilia!"
"Ah!"
Paul continued to scream in agony.
"This punch is for Ghislaine and all the other women you've hurt!"
"Ah!"
Paul was still screaming in agony.
"That last punch was for Sylphie!"
"Ah?"
With the final punch, Paul was completely rendered speechless. Wait, how come Hilfi is involved here?
Did I attack Sylphie? Or did I forget about it?
Paul doesn't remember doing anything like that, after all, Sylphie was so young at the time.
"Ah? I'm innocent! I'm truly innocent!"
"Wait a moment!"
Paul gritted his teeth and admitted to his previous crimes, but he absolutely refused to admit to this last one.
After all, no matter how much of a beast Paul is, he would never lay a hand on his future daughter-in-law!
And how old was Silphie back then? At most, she was less than ten years old!
However, Luo Ge wouldn't listen to a word and started beating him up.
"It hurts so much! It hurts so much!"
"Go easy! Hey... I'm still your father, you can't be that bad, can you?"
Paul was powerless against his son's absolute intimidation and suffered a series of defeats, like a stray dog.
"Heh, hitting you a few times is already being lenient."
Luo Ge flicked his wrist. "If you weren't my own father, I would have stabbed you a couple of times and left a few holes in you."
"You disobedient father, don't go!"
Thus, an incredibly comical scene unfolded on the hillside.
Under the moonlight, Luo Ge chased after Paul, who ran ahead, circling the Nanahoshi.
"Huh? No?!"
"This looks... really... right, doesn't it?"
Nanahoshi stood there, watching the father and son chase and play around in circles, his lips twitching several times.
The eldest son brutally beat his elderly father!
Wow, I have to say, the way this father and son get along is quite unique.
This was completely different from the scene Nanahoshi had imagined.
She had expected it to be a deeply moving reunion, with father and son embracing and weeping, pouring out their hearts to each other.
And the result?
The reunion was indeed a happy one, and there were a few touching seconds, but then it turned into a fight scene.
turn out to be...
Is this what ethical values are like in another world?
Nanahoshi felt that she had broadened her horizons again and learned new knowledge in this other world, which made her realize that things could be done in this way.
If I were to return to my original world and become unhappy, could I try it on my own father?
Under the witness of the Nanahoshi.
Paul was soon beaten black and blue, his face covered in marks from Luo Ge's discipline.
He instinctively raised his hands to protect his head, thinking that Luo Ge was going to continue beating him, and hunched his neck in preparation for the next round of blows.
The expected fist did not fall.
Luo Ge withdrew his hand instead.
He stood in front of Paul and suddenly opened his arms.
She then pounced on him, jumping into Paul's arms, wrapping her arms around his neck, and burying her head in his shoulder.
"Father..."
"Sorry, the plot didn't go as planned just now. Let's start over. Father, it's been a long time."
"..."
Paul paused for a moment.
Although he was caught off guard, he instinctively caught his son in the next second.
Two hands steadily supported his back, just like many, many years ago when he was a child.
Although Paul's eyes were red-rimmed, a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips. He didn't shed a tear, but Paul tightened his arms and hugged his son even closer.
"Ugh... Luo Ge."
"Dad misses you too, really... really misses you."
The moonlight shone on the father and son, casting long, warm shadows.
In the distance, the lights of Milishion twinkled, and the bells rang out rhythmically from afar.