Chapter 1427: Jiangnan
Chapter 1427: Jiangnan
As the casual conversation continued, many began urging Qi Xuansu to talk about his experiences over the years. Though most people already knew the general outline, hearing it from him personally was a different matter. It was partly to flatter him, but also to learn details others did not know.Qi Xuansu briefly spoke about the Fenglin Campaign, omitting sensitive matters such as the Zhang-Li conflict and Izanagi.
After that, he said no more and let the others carry the conversation.
The atmosphere began to warm and intensify.
Stirred by emotion and alcohol, former lovers who reunited in this setting held hands and gazed at each other tearfully.
Others, already prone to emotional intoxication, combined with actual drinking, began venting their feelings, arms around each other, laughing and crying in turns.
The vigor and freedom of youth had long faded with those carefree days. Compared to the past, present struggles and disappointments felt even more confusing and disheartening.
Sitting there, Qi Xuansu remained sober among the intoxicated, observing with detached indifference.
After leaving the Daoist Palace, everyone went their separate ways. The divergence in their lives had become immense, like the difference between heaven and earth. All they could do was hold on to the memory of the past.
After the gathering ended, Qi Xuansu went to his former instructor’s grave to offer incense.
Qi Xuansu took a detached view toward matters of death. It had been the same when he visited Qi Haoran. If he had time, he would go. If not, he would not force it. Funerals and rituals were not for the dead, but for the living. People often failed to show filial devotion while their elders were alive, only to perform it at the grave. Qi Xuansu had no interest in putting on such displays or crafting an image of deep loyalty.
He had long said he was stingy with emotional investment. As an orphan who grew up with little warmth, expecting him to radiate warmth like the sun was unrealistic. The fact that he did not emit coldness was already an achievement.