Rebirth of the Peak Young Master

The old man smiled as he spoke three sentences, without malice. He said to me, "Don't worry, he will come."

I thought they wouldn't let me leave. I couldn't go. As long as the Liu family had that strange note, I couldn't escape this place.

"If that's the case, what would you like to eat? Look, I didn't have lunch this afternoon. I'm starving, and my aunt will be displeased when she finds out."

Looking at the old man's jokes, he said, "The child is quite amusing, Mr. Fu, go buy some food for this kid!"

Upon hearing the words "Mr. Fu," Mr. Liu stood up and bowed to the old man. After that, he took a gourd and walked away.

The old man carried two chairs, one for me and one for himself.

Not a single mention. Upon taking the chair, I placed it right beside the old man.

If the old man wouldn't speak, then I wouldn't either—this was a psychological battle. Whoever spoke first would lose! It was just like the arguments I had with my father. Needless to say, every time, I lost.

At last, the old man couldn't resist glancing at me and said, "Little doll, have you seen a red pearl with symbols carved on it like this?" Even as he pulled out a sheet of paper that they had ruined to show me.

I glanced at the patterns, most of which contained symbolic meanings, but my attention was drawn solely to the top part. That word matched exactly the one I had carved onto the skeleton table in the Bronze Hall. Seeing it made me uneasy. Please, don't let too much time pass!

Later, I responded briefly and returned my hand to the old man. I gazed at it for a long time and still couldn't decipher it. I asked, "Have you seen this pearl before?"

I shook my head and said, "I've never seen my aunt have that kind of pearl, let alone any pearls like this."

The old man gazed at me, then shifted his look away, as though suspecting I was hiding something.

With a laugh, the old man said, "Alright, then. Since you've never seen this before, I won't press you further. When your aunt arrives, I'll ask her personally!"

A while later, Liu Fusheng brought food in his hands, placed it before me, and turned to leave!

I opened the packaging, looked at the food, and stared at my drooling mouth. At that moment, my stomach agreed it was the right time to awaken. Three meats and a vegetable. Not bad at all.

I started eating. Four bites. Then, another round. Half an hour later, all the food was empty on the floor. I had never thought I could eat so much. Three bowls of rice, and I devoured them all!

The old man, who watched me eat throughout, laughed heartily, saying, "You can really eat! When you don't eat often, I never expected that you'd consume more than most adults! Three bowls of rice—for someone your age—that's a lot."

A little embarrassed, I quickly shot back, "I was starving. Without lunch earlier, I got too hungry."

I raised my head and gazed at the sky—the situation was getting worse. I told the old man, who had kept his eyes closed all this time, "You're seeing what I'm seeing, aren't you? By tomorrow, I'll be late for school, and my aunt won't show! You'll find her, but ensure she leaves with dignity!"

The old man smiled again, saying, "Don't worry, she will come. There's no urgency." Thɪs chapter is updated by 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝘯𝘦𝘵

I sat helplessly in my chair, looking fearlessly at the river. Curious, I asked, "Do you know what people do near the mass grave?"

The old man showed visible surprise as he asked, "You mean to say, your aunt never mentioned anything?"

I shook my head, signaling that I had no clue. Stroking his beard, the old man said, "You don't know? Let me reveal something else. I always assumed your aunt had enlightened you about the divisions of birth between three boundaries: heaven, earth, and humanity."

Upon hearing this voice, I felt a slight joy. It was rarely a familiar tone—none other than my aunt's. At the same time, I felt a pang of anxiety. After all, she seemed to be dealing with quite a crowd.

"Qiu Niu, how dare you tread such paths, committing vile acts like abducting children? Aren't you ashamed? Don't you feel the disgrace?"

Taoist Qiu stroked his beard and laughed. Hee Daogu cried out aloud, "If you're here, stay here! You may be a nephew and a descendant, but who granted you so much power? I've searched for you in vain all this time."

I was aware that my aunt was angry. Every instance, whenever I provoked her wrath, she would always mock me.

As wind and sand swept before my eyes, a frame of humanity emerged from the dust—it was my aunt, though she now seemed significantly aged. Her face bore deeper wrinkles, her backbone bent extensively beneath burdens.

Seeing my aunt, I felt my speech falter, as tears streamed unbidden from my eyes.

Upon seeing me, my aunt greeted me with a warm smile. She addressed me gently, "Xiao Dong, forgive me! Can you blame your aunt for pulling you from this chaos?"

I shook my head vehemently, which brought a smile upon her face once more. Then she spoke again, "Don't be afraid, Xiao Dong. Your aunt will deal with all those bullies herself and avenge you."

Nodding, I attempted to stand and run toward my aunt's side, but as I made the effort, Taoist Qiu placed me firmly back in the chair, rendering me immobile.

"Hee Daogu, your thirty-year absence proves reckless and senseless."

My aunt snorted, saying, "There's no need for nonsense with your so-called righteous hypocrites. Let my grandson go at once. Otherwise, I shall pave a river of blood right here."

Taoist Qiu countered with a scoff, "You stole the Heavenly Pillar, a sacred artifact. Only yesterday, after thirty years of pursuit, you vanished into the mass grave. Now, in the name of Taishan Beiming, I demand the immediate return of the Heavenly Pearl. Fail to comply, and face judgment."

My aunt snorted dismissively, "The Heavenly One Pearl is my rightful family heirloom. To seize it, you've sent over a hundred people to raid my home. Had I not been absent that day, I would have been murdered by your lot. What belongs to me—is mine; why should I surrender it?"

"In desperate times, you committed injuries recklessly, but why did you kill those unrelated souls of northern elders? What gives you the gall to enslave their ghosts—or, more precisely, why devour every woman among their spirits? Poison Liquid's men," came her stinging rebuke. Next, Qiu Tao erupted into violent coughs. Liu Fusheng rushed to Qiu Lu's aid, pulling a white pill bottle from his pouch and withdrawing two pills used for treating Taoist Qiu and Taoist Qiu's retinue with spring water.

"If wrongdoing exists, it exists far removed from here. I've done no killing—merely reclaimed what belongs to me. If you continue to misunderstand, it's no longer my concern."

Taoist Qiu struggled briefly for breath, then withdrew five pieces of stationery from his pocket.

"If so, there's nothing left to discuss. Everything rests upon your capabilities. Heaven and earth tremble; life emerges unto all; let power manifest the will of the heavens."

Even so, Taoist Qiu retrieved five golden cards. Radiant light burst forth without delay, resonating more rapidly than five days prior in the Bronze Hall—it appeared just before me.

My aunt was caught amidst the heavenly glow. Panicking, I peered outward, shouting frantically, "Aunt, leave! Don't worry about me!"

She smiled at me serenely while the little boy beside her stomped the ground aggressively, staring at Taoist Qiu with fiery eyes and shouting, "Qiu Tao, do you recall the ghostly gods I created? Qiu, do you think you can still best me? Ten Ghost Emperors have been summoned forth."

My aunt's cry echoed—then the river waters lifted and ascended slowly, all of which occurred under a darkened sky once brightened by day's sun. Winds howled, forcing me, the small boy, to close my eyes as sand swept harshly by.

When my eyes reopened, ten figures wielding various weapons appeared near my aunt, hovering ominously mid-air. They were spirits, moving as though weightless.

A female Ghost Emperor, seemingly not above thirty years old, exuded a mystic allure. Dressed in a crimson gown, she turned her gaze toward my aunt. She shifted the meter-long scissors strapped behind her back and queried, "What brings you here, woman? It's been more than a decade—why do you summon us now?"