Chapter 264 - 136: Secret Realm
Over the next few days, the New Year’s atmosphere grew ever stronger.
Liang Cheng accompanied his mother, Lady Ning, to buy New Year’s goods, paste up spring couplets, and make dumplings.
Lady Ning smiled more often and spoke more frequently, as if she were trying to make up for all the words left unsaid over the past year.
On New Year’s Eve.
Yang Wei got drunk and, tended to by Zhou Hu, went to sleep contentedly. Lady Ning helped take care of Yang An, putting him to bed in a side room.
Liang Cheng stayed up to see the New Year in. Another year had passed.
The seventh day of the new year.
A knock came from the courtyard gate.
Liang Cheng got up and opened the gate. Two people stood outside: San Ya and her husband, Li Tieniu.
San Ya was dressed in a light blue cotton-padded jacket. Her face was gentler than it had been a year ago, the girlish immaturity in her eyes replaced by the quiet composure of a married woman. She held a baby in her arms.
Li Tieniu followed behind her. He was sturdily built and wore an honest, simple-minded smile, his hands full of bags of New Year’s goods.
"Brother Liang!"
The moment San Ya stepped through the gate and saw Liang Cheng, her eyes lit up.
"San Ya, you’re back."
Liang Cheng stepped aside to let them in, smiling as he said, "Come in and talk."
Li Tieniu, a little reserved, called out, "Brother Liang," and followed San Ya into the house.
Lady Ning came out wiping her hands, took the baby, and then pulled San Ya aside, asking her all sorts of questions. Li Tieniu set down the New Year’s gifts, which were mostly local specialties from Linhai Town like dried fish and shrimp.
The group sat down to chat. San Ya smiled as she recounted recent events in Linhai Town and trivial matters about the neighbors, while Li Tieniu nodded in agreement beside her.
But as she spoke, her voice gradually lowered.
She glanced at Liang Cheng, hesitated for a moment, and then said softly, "Brother Liang, there’s something I have to tell you."
"Go on."
"Big Head’s father... he passed away a while ago."
Liang Cheng’s hand, holding his teacup, froze.
The room instantly fell silent.
San Ya lowered her head and said softly, "They said he started coughing after winter set in and never got better, even after seeing a doctor. On the night of the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, he just... didn’t wake up."
"The doctor said Uncle Chen was consumed by worry and grief. He kept everything bottled up inside and wore his body down completely."
"And Er Gou’s mother has nearly cried herself blind. I went to visit her before the New Year. She grabbed my hand and just kept repeating one thing over and over: ’Why isn’t my son back yet?’"
"Brother Liang... Big Head and Er Gou... are they already...?"
Upon hearing this, Liang Cheng was silent for a long time.
"I understand."
He ultimately only said those two words and nothing more.
Lady Ning sighed and patted the back of Liang Cheng’s hand.
San Ya didn’t press the matter either, changing the subject to other idle topics.
But the atmosphere in the room had already grown heavy.
...
「In the dead of night.」
Liang Cheng stood alone in the courtyard, gazing at the pitch-black night sky.
’Big Head, Er Gou...’
The faces of the two men flashed through his mind.
’Their parents had probably figured out the truth long ago from the lies about them "going away on business, with no word since."’
’They just weren’t willing to admit it, or perhaps they didn’t dare to.’
’Even though I asked Chen Zian to take care of them, ensuring they had plenty of silver coins, without hope, they ultimately couldn’t go on living.’
’What could I do?’
...
It took Liang Cheng a while to compose himself. He sat cross-legged on the couch, his mind sinking into his body.
’Cultivation.’
After the Lantern Festival, Liang Cheng planned to return to the Main Courtyard.
Although he had returned home for the New Year, he hadn’t slacked off in his cultivation.
[Mixed Element Gang Body: Great Success (8912/20000)]
[Third Layer of Broken Wave Technique: Great Success (9535/30000)]
[Mountain-Breaking Saber: Minor Success (2917/12000)]
Nourished by the medicinal power of the Vessel Moisturizing Pills, the resilience of his meridians had clearly increased, and the flow of his True Essence was becoming smoother and more powerful.
The acupoints for his Mixed Element Gang Body were faintly showing signs of being tempered to a deeper level.
Liang Cheng had now packed his bags, ready to set off for the Main Courtyard.
His mother, Lady Ning, silently organized his clothes for him, carefully wrapping up the new shoes and socks she had made.
"Mother, please take care of yourself. If anything happens, have the Martial Arts Academy send a message to the Main Courtyard."
"I know. You take care of yourself out there."
When Liang Cheng stepped outside, he found Director Bai Hong and others already waiting for him.
"Liang Cheng, have a safe journey."
Liang Cheng was quite grateful and greeted them one by one.
"Director, I’ll have to trouble you to look after my mother."
"Don’t worry."
Only then did Liang Cheng prepare to depart.
Just then—
BOOM!!!
A deep, tremendous roar rolled in from the western sky!
Immediately after, the ground shook violently!
Liang Cheng snapped his head around, his figure already leaping onto the roof.
The others were not slow to react either.
Dozens of miles to the west, in the direction of the barren mountains outside Lin Wu City, a massive, milky-white pillar of light connecting heaven and earth suddenly burst through the clouds!
The pillar of light was a hundred zhang in diameter, and the Spiritual Qi, so condensed it seemed solid, spread out rapidly in all directions like a tsunami.
Wherever it passed, the clouds dispersed, and the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi went into a frenzy!
"What is that?!"
Liang Cheng’s pupils constricted.
Bai Hong and the others were also horrified, having no idea what was happening.
Almost at the same instant the pillar of light appeared—
SWOOSH!
A gray shadow shot up from the back mountain of the Martial Arts Academy, treading on air, and in the blink of an eye, it crossed several miles of sky, heading straight for the pillar of light!
Its speed was so fast it was like teleportation!
That figure was none other than Elder Huang!
’Treading on air... the Breaking Mortality Realm!’
Liang Cheng’s heart pounded violently.
He had long known that Elder Huang’s cultivation was unfathomably deep, but he had never seen him use his full power. This act of treading on air was clearly something only an expert of the Breaking Mortality Realm, a level beyond the True Gang Realm, could achieve!
From the direction of the City Lord’s Mansion, several streaks of light also shot toward the pillar’s location at extreme speed.
"All disciples, listen to my command: Stay put and do not move without orders!"
Bai Hong’s voice echoed throughout the Martial Arts Academy. He then looked at Liang Cheng and said in a low voice, "Liang Cheng, let’s go see what’s happening!"