Chapter 74: Leaving Satisfied

Inside the gatehouse, the two servants sat with an air of arrogance, showing no respect to the so-called young master. They spoke carelessly about the old ancestor's impending death, taking a perverse pleasure in it.

"You mustn't speak like that," said the pale-faced child, weak and tearful, with a mix of sadness and despair in his eyes.

He was genuinely afraid of losing his only family, his great-grandfather, and the thought of such cruelty from the servants made his future seem bleak.

"Young master, living like this, in such a sickly state, is indeed a form of suffering. After the old man passes, you might as well..." One of the servants chuckled awkwardly, not finishing his sentence out of decency.

"Enough. It's only a matter of time. Given his appearance, he doesn't have long left. He's clearly a short-lived ghost," the other servant whispered with a sneer.

"You wretches, I will never forgive you," the child said through his tears, leaning on the wall and limping away towards the interior of the house.

He was very alone, wandering the vast estate with no family or companions, surrounded by dilapidated buildings. The wind made old windows creak, adding to the desolation.

The child continued inside until he reached a relatively spacious courtyard. He pushed open a maple wood door, its paint long since worn off, and called softly, "Great-grandfather."

On an old bed lay a frail old man with white hair, his face like yellowed parchment and his breath weak. His eyes were dim, lacking the former brilliance of his prime.

"Child, if I die, the only thing I'll be concerned about is you," the old man said with difficulty, lifting his trembling arm to reach out. It took several attempts before he managed to touch the child's hand.

"Great-grandfather, you won't die," the child said, tears streaming down his face.

"Don’t cry, child," the old man said, using his rough palm to stroke the child’s pale face. Tears of sorrow welled up in his murky eyes.

"Great-grandfather," the child cried desperately, clinging to the old man’s hand and refusing to let go.

The old man grasped the child’s small hand with his large, rough one, looking at him with deep affection, but his eyes were dim, and he struggled to speak. His chest heaved, making it hard for him to articulate.

"Great-grandfather, you can’t leave me. What will I do alone?" The child’s voice was filled with sorrow as he shook the old man’s arm.

Over the years, several elders had passed away, one after another, leaving him heartbroken. The last remaining elder was his closest relative, and now even he was nearing death, filling him with dread.

"Child," the old man opened his mouth, but the words were reduced to those two simple characters. He couldn’t say more and was left breathing heavily.

Outside, Little Stone watched with red eyes, having silently entered the estate. After several days of surveillance, he confirmed there were no skilled fighters around and made his way inside.

He pushed the door open, wiped his tears, and looked at the elderly man on the bed, choked with emotion as he said, "Great-grandfather."

"Ah, you!" The pale-faced child was startled.

The old man on the bed looked confused, seeing this unfamiliar child calling him in such a manner. He gazed at him with bewilderment.

Once a powerful figure, the old man now faced a desolate end in his old age.

"Great-grandfather, I am the child from back then, come to see you," Little Stone said through his tears. He had seen the events of the past through the Spirit of Willow and knew that the exiled elders had treated their family very well. The child here was merely a replacement for him.

Hearing this, the old man’s eyes suddenly widened. The dim light in his eyes flared brightly as he stammered, "Are you really him?"

He managed to speak, his voice urgent and his gaze intense.

"Yes, it’s me, Great-grandfather. I came to see you," Little Stone said, holding his hand with a choked voice. He hadn’t had the chance to pay his respects to the other elders who had passed.

"Your injuries?" The old man gasped, his urgency palpable, though he could only manage these few words before he couldn’t speak further.

"My injuries are healed. I endured it," Little Stone replied. He knew what the old man most wanted to hear and added softly, "Now, my single arm can exert a force of one hundred thousand pounds."

Indeed, the old man’s eyes widened in shock upon hearing this. His lips moved rapidly as he pulled at Little Stone’s arm, seemingly trying to confirm something.

"Yes, it’s just the strength of one arm," Little Stone said through tears, nodding vigorously.

"Haha," the old man, in his final moments, let out a great laugh, his old tears rolling down his face. His expression was filled with surprise and contentment, as if all regrets were resolved.

Little Stone cried, knowing the old man had exhausted his last bit of strength. Even with sacred medicine, it was too late to save him.

This old man was a brother to Stone’s great-grandfather, closely related by blood, and had been very kind to him, unlike the indifferent people of the imperial capital.

"Great-grandfather," the child next to him cried out.

The old man’s eyes lost their light. With his last bit of strength, he grasped the child’s hand, then looked at Little Stone, trying to place the child’s hand in his, but he was too weak.

Little Stone, tears streaming down his face, reached out, taking the child’s hand and placing it firmly in the old man’s rough hand. He said softly, "Great-grandfather, please rest assured. I will take good care of him."

The old man’s face bore the last drop of murky tear, and he remained still, a smile on his face, a look of satisfaction and relief.

With joy and release from his regrets, he passed away, closing his eyes for the last time.

"Great-grandfather," the child next to him cried out, collapsing onto the old man’s body, his cries of sorrow piercing the silence. Tears flowed endlessly.

Little Stone also wept. He eventually took the child by the hand, offered some comforting words, and then left.

Two days later, the old man was buried. The child cried uncontrollably at the grave, unable to be moved despite the efforts of the servants, and fainted several times.

In the end, he was carried away by two loyal old servants.

Little Stone, hiding in the woods, also wiped his tears silently, watching from afar, unable to reveal himself or come closer.

Once everyone had departed, he approached the grave, whispered softly, and paid his respects earnestly.

"You’ve got a limp, young master. Take it slow and be careful not to fall," the two servants in the gatehouse continued to mock loudly. With all the elders gone, they thought a helpless child couldn’t cause any trouble, and it seemed that they thought his end was near.

"You…" The child’s face flushed with anger, his eyes red, glaring at them.

"You two scoundrels, how dare you speak like that to the young master?" The two old servants admonished them.

"Old fools, stay out of this. This dilapidated place is a prison. Calling him ‘young master’ is just a way of flattering him," the gatehouse servants retorted.

The two old servants were enraged, shaking with anger as they led the child away.

In the evening, in the child’s room, Little Stone appeared and asked softly, "Do you have any wishes now?"

"I want to go see Da Hei and its little tiger cubs," the child said, tears streaming down his face. Da Hei was a black tiger raised by Old Hai, who was responsible for delivering food. The child had few playmates and felt lonely, so every time Old Hai brought game, Da Hei was his only companion.

Little Stone felt a pang of sadness. He was a kind-hearted child who had also faced numerous trials and could empathize with the child's emotions and pain.

"Don't you want to punish those two servants in the gatehouse?" Little Stone asked.

"I do, but I don't want to make a big fuss about it," the child said, his eyes reddened. The two servants had been harsh and had committed many misdeeds after the elders passed away.

"Chirp chirp." The fluffy ball squeaked in anger, having witnessed everything. It was clearly indicating a desire for severe retribution.

"Go ahead and deal with them, Furball," Little Stone said. He had other matters to attend to and wanted to find out who had bribed these servants. Although he had some guesses, he wanted confirmation and to take action, as the other side had been too cruel.

"Stop crying and forget everything here. I'll take you to a place called the Repairing Heaven Pavilion where no one will dare to bully you again," Little Stone comforted.

"Awoo."

In the dead of night, a fearsome beast flew in and landed outside the estate. It was a unicorn bear, about three meters tall, with a pale golden coat and a golden horn on its head. It had a pair of wings on its back and could fly.

This creature could use runes but did not possess primal treasure bones. Like a unicorn, it had some strength but was not considered a truly powerful beast.

A small beast, the size of a fist, sat on its head. It was chubby, round, and shining with golden light. Once they arrived, it darted off in a flash, vanishing without a trace. It was Furball, who had managed to tame such a fearsome beast.

"Boom!"

The golden bear's paw came down, smashing the gatehouse and waking the two sleeping servants. They saw a bloodthirsty maw reaching out and were paralyzed with fear, screaming in terror.

The bear sat down heavily, making several crunching sounds. The servants' bones were probably broken in multiple places, with only their upper bodies visible and their lower bodies a bloody mess.

"Help! Help us!"

In the dead of night, their chilling cries echoed far and wide. The two servants were terrified, crying out in horror.

The people in the estate were alarmed. Many armed individuals rushed over and were stunned when they arrived.

The golden bear was busy "crunching" and devouring the servants' legs, the scene gruesome with blood and exposed bones, truly terrifying.

Upon seeing people arrive, the bear got up, shook its blood-stained paw, and then flapped its wings, disappearing into the night sky.

"Ah, save us!"

Everyone knew these two were doomed. Having lost their legs, even if they survived, their fate in such a brutal western frontier would be grim.

"Deserved it, serves you right for your daily misdeeds."

"Reap what you sow; heaven's justice has arrived."

No one felt any sympathy, showing just how poorly they had been regarded by others.

"Furball, you really are something," Little Stone said, surprised to see the golden Furball on his shoulder. He hadn’t expected it to order the bear to do such a thing. Not killing them but causing something even more brutal.

Furball waved its golden little paw, as if to say it was a small matter, and that evil people deserved such treatment.

"Little brother, I heard from my great-grandfather that the people bribed in the estate are just small fry. The real danger comes from outside, where there are terrifying top-level experts," the pale-faced child said.

"Don’t worry, I have ways to deal with them," Little Stone said, clenching his tiny fist. He speculated whether it was the people from Shi Yi's faction or others, feeling angered and deciding to take drastic measures.

"But they are really powerful, and we are still small," the child said timidly.

"To deal with the most fearsome beasts, you don't always have to fight directly. Oh, I forgot, I’ve been fighting fierce birds and beasts so often that I got used to saying it like that," Little Stone said, scratching his head awkwardly. He then added, "I have a plan. None of them will escape. No matter how strong they are, as long as they are in the Western Frontier during this time, they will face disaster and punishment."

Tears, having just started using WeChat, wanted to communicate directly with brothers and sisters. However, WeChat ID was: cd44444, the initials of "Chen Dong" plus five "4"s. Tears hoped for something simpler, like a couple of letters and some numbers, but all were taken. Eventually, with cd followed by five 4s, it worked. It was memorable, so let’s add each other. We can directly communicate here, and I will address your concerns. Of course, I need to figure out how to use WeChat first. I haven’t used it before. Add me first, and we can discuss further.