Ling Luoyi didn't finish her question, unsure how to phrase it.
Ling Huayu looked at her deeply, then sighed and slowly said, "Grandfather had already guessed that after he left, the Ling family would decline and others would target us. In fact, Grandfather was also hesitant about whether to go at that time, because we all knew your chances of survival were very low, almost zero. We were all deliberating whether to gamble on that sliver of possibility."
At this point, Ling Huayu looked at Ling Luoyi with concern, as if afraid she would be angry.
Ling Luoyi wasn't angry because she knew the person they wanted to see was truly gone, and they would have preferred she hadn't returned, as that would have meant she hadn't suffered too much.
Ling Huayu looked into the distance and said softly, "But even if you had truly died, I should have brought your body back for a proper burial, so that your remains wouldn't be destroyed by demonic beasts. However, Grandfather, your third uncle, and your fourth uncle searched the Falling Sunset Forest for a very, very long time but couldn't find you. Even though we knew the chances were almost zero, after searching the entire Falling Sunset Forest, we still refused to give up and searched the cities around the Falling Sunset Forest for you. Unfortunately, we still didn't find you."
Ling Huayu's voice gradually became indistinct, as if he were speaking to Ling Luoyi, or perhaps to himself, or even to someone else.
"Actually, I'm very happy to see you," Ling Huayu suddenly looked at Ling Luoyi and said with a smile, "Even though I don't know how you've spent these years, as long as you're safe, that's all that matters."
"Mm," Ling Luoyi suddenly hugged Ling Huayu's arm and said playfully, "Grandfather, I will always be safe, always."
Ling Luoyi didn't like acting spoiled, but in the original owner's memories, she used to act spoiled towards Ling Huayu.
Ling Huayu greatly enjoyed Ling Luoyi's rare display of girlishness. He dotingly stroked her head, and the grandfather and granddaughter savored their rare moment of relaxation.
A little over half an hour later, Ling Huayu, citing that it was getting late, sent Ling Luoyi to rest and returned to his own courtyard.
After Ling Luoyi came out, her expression turned somber.
"Master, what did he mean by what he said? Could it be the same as with Ling Luochen?"
Ling Luoyi didn't reply for a long time, so long that Xiao Fengxi thought she wouldn't speak. Then, Ling Luoyi suddenly murmured, "Perhaps I underestimated the bonds of blood."
Her tone was filled with deep nostalgia and envy for the original owner.
Gu Yuncheng had jumped over as soon as she reappeared and also heard this murmur. He was puzzled by the nostalgia in her voice. He had never asked about her past, so he didn't understand why she would feel nostalgic when she was with her family.
Xiao Fengxi didn't understand either, but it knew she was thinking of that person.
It had never met that person, but on every full moon night, she would hide herself away and shed tears silently over a photograph. At that time, Ling Luoyi didn't know about Xiao Fengxi's existence, so she would express her longing while crying.
Xiao Fengxi had seen it many times. By connecting the words spoken each time, it deduced that there was someone very important to her, who was no longer present and could never be seen again.
Even after Ling Luoyi came to this world, she would involuntarily think of that person on those nights, though she no longer spoke.
And whenever this happened, Xiao Fengxi would tactfully leave her to her own time.
Gu Yuncheng had also seen Ling Luoyi in this state many times. At first, he would chatter incessantly, but after realizing that she couldn't hear him in this state, he switched to quietly accompanying her.
While Ling Luoyi was lost in her thoughts, Ling Huayu in the small world did not return to his room to rest. Instead, he left the small world and walked step by step in a direction outside Yunyuan City, holding a small black cloth bag.
The small cloth bag was wrapped very tightly, and its contents could not be discerned from the outside.
After walking for an unknown duration, Ling Huayu arrived at a cemetery. He ran his hand over one tombstone after another, finally stopping before two tombstones that were very close together.
Ling Huayu caressed the tombstones and slowly sat down. There was no bench, so he sat directly on the grass.
Looking at the tombstones, Ling Huayu said, "Last time I came to see you with them, I told you all about the current changes in the Ling family, but I didn't come to tell you two. Please don't blame your father; I'm too ashamed to face you, my son and daughter-in-law."
The graves before him were those of Ling Huayu's eldest son and his wife. After Ling Huayu had seen Ling Luoyi and the others leave the Tianwu Kingdom, he had visited them with several elders, but he hadn't spoken to his son like this, even rushing through it.
"Back then, I couldn't save you two, and over the years, I haven't taken good care of Chen'er, not even Luo'er..."
At this point, Ling Huayu suddenly didn't know what else to say.
After thinking for a moment, Ling Huayu choked out, "I won't talk about Luo'er's affairs. Let her tell you herself. The reason I'm late is that I wanted to talk to you."
Skipping the part he couldn't bring himself to speak about, Ling Huayu's tone became lighter as he said, "Eldest son, eldest daughter-in-law, the Ling family is getting better and better, and every disciple has made considerable progress. Last time, several elders came to see you. You saw their conditions; they are all doing well, so you don't need to worry. I know who you worry about the most. Chen'er entered the Ancient Spirit Academy to study at eighteen and is now a third-tier spiritual practitioner. Isn't his progress incredibly fast? But you don't need to worry; his foundation is very solid, and his cultivation is real, achieved through his own efforts."
Ling Huayu's voice suddenly became heavy at this point. He took out the small black cloth bag he had been carrying, carefully dug a hole between the two graves, and buried the small cloth bag inside. He was afraid of making it too obvious, so he didn't dare to make it too noticeable.
After finishing this, Ling Huayu leaned against the two graves, tears silently falling. He said, "Grandfather doesn't know if what he's doing is right, but Grandfather cannot bear to harm someone who devoted themselves to the Ling family. If you are angry with Grandfather, I will seek your forgiveness after I pass away."
Just then, a gentle breeze blew. It was late at night, and the wind should have been very cold, but this breeze was not cold; instead, it carried a warmth.
Whether it was an illusion or not, Ling Huayu seemed to see his true eldest granddaughter smiling at him, and he smiled back at her.
Ling Huayu shook his head fiercely and said, "Eldest son, eldest daughter-in-law, I cannot come to you yet. If you also blame me, I will seek your forgiveness when I can let go of everything. If you cannot wait, you can enter my dreams."
Ling Huayu continued to talk throughout the night, as if he had endless things to say.
It wasn't until dawn that Ling Huayu shakily stood up. His legs were numb from maintaining the same posture for so long. After waiting for a moment, he quickly hurried towards Chen Duanmian's residence.
As Chen Duanmian stepped out of his room, he saw Ling Huayu in his courtyard. Ling Huayu raised his wine pot and said to him, "I'm in a good mood today. Drink a pot with me."
Although Ling Huayu said he was in a good mood, his expression suggested otherwise.
Chen Duanmian was momentarily stunned. He walked over suspiciously, looked around, and finally confirmed that this was indeed his old friend. He said, "What's wrong with you? Isn't the Ling family doing quite well recently?"
"It has nothing to do with the Ling family. I just want to drink, so I came to find you."
Ling Huayu threw a wine pot to Chen Duanmian, who caught it steadily.