"Grandpa! Grandpa Yun!"
The hem of her floral dress trailing a gust of wind, Lu Nianshu burst in through the door and threw herself at Lu Yun, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.
"Whoa, Nianshu!"
Lu Sheng jumped at the sight, nearly spilling the wine in his cup. His face hardened. "How can you be so reckless! Let go of your Grandpa Yun this instant!"
In response to her grandfather’s scolding, Lu Nianshu cheekily stuck out her tongue. "Grandpa, I’m just so happy to see him."
As she spoke, she took a few steps back, stealing a glance at Lu Yun from the corner of her eye like a guilty child.
Lu Yun looked at the god-granddaughter he had watched grow up and couldn’t help but laugh. "It’s alright. It has been a few years since I last saw Nianshu, after all."
Eighteen years ago, when Lu Nianshu was born, Lu Yun had held a special full-moon celebration for her. In front of a courtyard full of friends and family, young and old, he had claimed the exquisite baby girl as his god-granddaughter.
Every year after that, no matter how busy he was, he always made time to visit. Once Lu Nianshu learned to walk, she would cling to him every time he came, calling out "Grandpa Yun, Grandpa Yun" without end.
Later, Lu Sheng’s only son and daughter-in-law successively passed away due to illness, leaving Lu Nianshu an orphan.
Lu Yun began to visit even more frequently, his affection for her growing deeper than ever before.
It was only in the last few years, when he found himself trapped at the Peak of Anjin, that his visits had grown sparse. As his vitality waned, his spirits sank, and he had gradually withdrawn.
Lu Nianshu tilted her head, her eyes sparkling as she studied him. "Grandpa Yun, it’s been a few years, but how have you gotten younger? I almost didn’t recognize you!"
Lu Yun smiled but didn’t address her comment, simply gesturing for her to sit. "Have you eaten, Nianshu? Come, sit and talk."
Lu Nianshu agreed and obediently sat down beside Lu Sheng. She then took it upon herself to pick up the wine pot and pour for the two elders.
Seeing how sensible she was warmed Lu Sheng’s heart. Emboldened by the wine, he brought the matter into the open. "Nianshu, I was just telling your Grandpa Yun about your situation."
"Your Grandpa Yun has promised to personally go and back you up with the He Family at the end of the month. You can rest easy now, can’t you?"
Lu Nianshu’s hand froze, the wine pot hovering in mid-air. Her cheeks flushed crimson. "Grandpa—!"
She drew out the word, too shy to look up. Staring at the ripples in her cup, it took a long moment before she gave a barely audible "mhm."
They drank until late afternoon, when the sun slanted west and stretched the shadow of the courtyard’s locust tree long across the ground.
Lu Sheng was getting old. Unable to hold his liquor, his words grew slurred until he eventually leaned back in his chair and dozed off.
Afraid he might catch a chill, Lu Nianshu quietly fetched an old jacket and draped it over him. She then stayed by their side, topping up Lu Yun’s cup from time to time.
She didn’t say much, just sat there quietly like a diligent little cupbearer.
It wasn’t until Lu Fu’s figure appeared at the courtyard gate that the quiet was broken. He walked in, stopped beside Lu Yun, and reported in a low voice, "Master, Lu Hai City is awake."
Lu Yun set down his cup. He glanced at Lu Sheng, who was sleeping soundly at the table, then said gently to Lu Nianshu, "Nianshu, help your grandfather inside to rest. And when you have a moment, remember to come visit your god-grandpa at the Lu Family home."
Lu Nianshu nodded emphatically, her eyes curving into crescents. "Okay! I’ll definitely come!"
「Three black sedans slowly drove away from the large courtyard, stopping at the gate of Lu Yu Yuan’s small home.」
"Hai City, quickly, get up! Thank Lord Lu!"
Lu Yu Yuan supported his son’s back, his voice thick with an excitement he couldn’t suppress.
Despite his weakness, Lu Hai City pushed himself into a sitting position.
His face was pale, but his eyes shone with an astonishing light—the awe and excitement of a low-ranking martial artist meeting a living legend.
"Th... thank you, Lord Lu, for saving my life!"
Lu Hai City had never imagined that a low-level martial artist like himself, who had just entered the Mingjin Realm, would one day see a Grandmaster of Huajin up close.
Lu Yun raised a hand in a calming gesture. "No need for formalities. Lie back down first."
Taking the hint, the others in the room tactfully withdrew.
The door closed softly, leaving only Lu Yun and the bedridden Lu Hai City in the room.
"Tell me what happened that day." Lu Yun didn’t beat around the bush.
Lu Hai City blinked, then collected himself. "It was on Jade Mushroom Mountain. Three days ago, my friends and I went into the mountains. We wanted to go a little deeper to see if we could find any valuable old herbs."
"We’d been there before, but the farthest we’d ever gone was halfway up the slope. Nothing like this has ever happened."
"That afternoon, just after we crossed a ravine, a fog suddenly rolled in."
"It didn’t creep in slowly. It came all at once, like someone had slammed a lid down over us."
"It blocked out all the light. You couldn’t see three steps in front of you. I yelled for my friends, but no one answered."
"Then I heard something crawling on the ground. Not one thing, but many."
"They were crawling fast. It was the sound of claws scraping over dry leaves and rocks. A SKITTERING... It was coming from all directions."
"I was terrified. I pulled out my gun and just started firing."
"I emptied a whole magazine. I think I finally hit something, because it let out a shriek—a piercing sound, like a child crying."
"Then the fog lifted. I scrambled down the mountain for my life. Just as I was running out of the woods, a sudden chill went down my spine, like someone had just breathed on the back of my neck."
"I didn’t dare look back. I just ran and ran, not stopping until I reached the foot of the mountain..."
"I don’t remember much after that. I just remember getting home, and then... that night, everything started to go black."
"Jade Mushroom Mountain." After he finished speaking, Lu Yun repeated the name, then stood up.
"Rest well. I will take my leave now."
The car door shut, and the engine gave a low hum.

Comments

Loading...