Chapter 292: Another Tragic Drama
At this moment.
Qin Zi stared in bewilderment at his father, who was displaying immense might and sweeping through over a dozen formidable adversaries, feeling somewhat unreal.
Wasn’t his father supposed to be on the verge of death now?
Shouldn’t he be lying in a small town of the Beast Race, being tended to around the clock by two alluring and innocent cat-eared girls?
How could he be so powerful?
How did his injuries recover?
"Could it be a brief surge before death?"
Just as this thought arose, he decisively slapped himself—how could he entertain such a damn idea?!
He quickly flew over, wanting to get to the bottom of it.
"Dad..."
"Let’s talk down there."
Yet, before he could speak, Qin Chuan interrupted him in a deep voice, then said to the White Crane King, "Brother Dao, may I borrow a cave dwelling?"
"Yes, you can."
The White Crane King stared blankly at Qin Chuan. After witnessing Qin Chuan’s unparalleled might, his eyes seemed a bit dazed.
He appeared to become a little fanboy.
Both men were handsome, dressed in white, with an elegant and extraordinary demeanor, which indeed made them somewhat compatible.
Qin Chuan grabbed Qin Zi and entered the Underground Palace of the White Crane Celestial Palace—this palace had previously been shattered, creating an opening.
"Pfft!"
Upon entering the Underground Palace, Qin Chuan suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, exuding an incredibly terrifying aura all around him.
"Dad, what’s happening to you?!"
Qin Chuan did not speak. Sounds of thunder came from within his body, like raging rivers or collapsing mountains.
His aura, after a brief burst of violence, gradually weakened, and his face quickly turned pale, even... showing a trace of death!
"Dad!!!"
Watching his father waver, Qin Zi shouted in grief and ran over to support him, tears streaming down his face.
"Heh, in the end, it’s useless..."
Qin Chuan’s face tinged with self-mockery as he forced a bitter smile, "In this final battle, did your father lose face in front of you?"
"Why!!"
Qin Zi’s eyes reddened as he shouted tremblingly, "You were already in this state, why did you come?!
"Cough cough..."
Qin Chuan coughed up blood foam and struggled to smile, "Heh heh, the whole world is bullying my son; how can I not come? Even if my foundation is shattered and I struggle on in deterioration... I am your father."
"Dad, I have the Beast God’s Heart! I can give it to you right away; you can still live!"
Qin Zi trembled like a madman, fumbling clumsily as he began to tear open his own clothes, preparing to reach inside to extract the heart.
"Plop!"
However, Qin Chuan grabbed his hand—Qin Chuan’s hand, cold but full of strength, like a rigid corpse.
"It’s useless; it’s already too late." Qin Chuan sighed helplessly.
"It can work; it surely can work!"
Qin Zi’s tears flowed uncontrollably as he reached with his other hand to extract his own heart.
At this moment, Qin Chuan was on the brink of death, naturally unable to grasp both of his hands; seeing him about to plunge his hand into his chest.
"Nonsense!!"
Suddenly, Qin Chuan reprimanded sharply, his voice not loud, but extraordinarily stern.
His gaze, like the final gleam before death, harshly demanded, "Xiao Zi, will you no longer listen to your father’s words?!"
"I..."
Qin Zi froze for a moment, his tearful eyes looking at his father, wailing:
"Dad, what must I do to save you, what must I do to save you?! Without you, I cannot go on living!!"
Qin Chuan weakly raised his pallid hand to stroke his son’s head, showing a feeble smile.
"You’re still young, don’t be pessimistic; your future is long. You will become an unparalleled strongman, see more magnificent scenery, be admired by thousands, and be celebrated by countless people..."
"But, without you, what meaning would any of this hold?! I don’t want to be alone in having all this!"
Qin Zi shouted mournfully, torn by grief.
Qin Chuan was silent.
After a long time, he seemed to remember something and lowly said, "Actually... I have a slim chance of life."
"Really?!"
Infinite light burst forth from Qin Zi’s eyes, ecstatic, like a half-dead rabbit suddenly leaping up.
"Yes."
Qin Chuan nodded and said:
"I once received a Nirvana Technique from a mysterious elder; this technique cannot be spoken of or passed on and can only be used once in a lifetime. No matter how serious the injury, there remains a chance for Nirvana Rebirth."
"However, using this Nirvana Technique requires a resolute spirit, success or death, and... there’s only a ten percent chance."
"Ten percent!!"
Qin Zi’s face turned pale again, the faint hope that had just ignited in his heart almost extinguished completely.
A ten percent chance, how is it different from a nine-in-ten chance of dying? Even...it’s worse than a nine-in-ten chance!
One in nine is stronger than one in ten!
Qin Zi’s breathing was heavy, as if someone was choking his neck, he panted heavily for a long time.
After a while, he looked at Qin Chuan with determination, tremblingly saying, "Dad, use the Nirvana Technique, I believe you can achieve Nirvana Rebirth! You are an unmatched hero, heaven cannot bury you!"
After saying this, he helped Qin Chuan sit cross-legged, then stood up himself, facing Qin Chuan, slowly stepping back.
His steps were unsteady, retreating step by step, yet his sorrowful eyes fixed firmly on his father, as if wanting to engrain this figure deep into his memory, forming an indelible imprint.
Perhaps, this would be the last time to see him!
One step, two steps, three steps...
Finally, Qin Zi retreated to the entrance.
"Xiao Zi."
At this moment, Qin Chuan suddenly called out.
Qin Zi paused, seeing his nearly lifeless father, cross-legged on the ground, a benevolent smile on his pale face.
"Having you in this life... makes me very gratified, son."
Unable to hold back, Qin Zi broke into tears, sobbing as he covered his face with his hands and left.
(Note: In classical Chinese, "to go" can mean to run, as in the essay "A Chronicle of Ma Sheng of Dongyang" where "Run to return the book" is mentioned.)
After deceiving his son into leaving, Qin Chuan waved his hand, releasing the Power of Earth to seal the crack in the Underground Palace.
And thus, he went into "Nirvana" below.
The truth is....
Nirvana, my ass!!
This was all to fool Qin Xiaozhu; how could he possibly be on the brink of death? He was in great condition!
"Sigh, I tricked that kid into tears again, but I had no choice either."
Qin Chuan shook his head in reflection.
After all, he had previously said that only the Beast God’s Heart could save his life, yet he suddenly sprang back to life, even growing stronger.
Such a thing is honestly hard to accept—even if emotionally acceptable, it’s rationally difficult.
And the rational difficulty leads to...
Doubt.
Once Qin Xiaozhu starts realizing his father is a liar, any future incidents could make him more wary, making him harder to deceive.
As they say, once bitten by a snake, one is scared of ropes for ten years.
He intends to keep fooling Qin Xiaozhu, so maintaining his credibility with zero flaws is crucial.
Credibility is a peculiar thing.
Building a good reputation might take hundreds, even thousands of times, but destroying it only takes once!
Therefore, he would undergo "Nirvana" once.
Anyway, all it takes is to completely seal the Underground Palace, and even if he sleeps down there for a month, there’s no issue.
Then he’ll just emerge straight from there.
Moreover, during a month of anxious waiting, Qin Xiaozhu will continuously recall the goodness of his father to him, which will deepen the bond between father and son.