Chapter 2 Leaving

  Chen Hao nervously looked at his older brother Chen Xuan, not daring to breathe.

  Big brother has been taking care of himself since he was young, eating and sleeping, sending himself to the best martial arts hall in Songyancheng to cultivate, and even the yuan stone he worked hard to earn is spent on himself. However, big brother has never spared a single piece of yuan stone for his own use.

  Chen Hao knew that his brother seemed cold and unfeeling, but in fact he was very kind-hearted, especially to himself and Grandpa. But why did everyone mock him?

  Bell's palsy, broom star...

  As soon as he thought of those vicious nicknames, Chen Huan's heart was filled with rage, and he wished he could tear the mouths of those who joked about his brother to shreds.

  "Hmph, as long as they scold my brother again, I'll hit them!"

  Chen Hao clenched his small fist tightly and made a secret decision in his heart.

  "Let's go home and have dinner first."

  Chen Xiao woke up from his silence, took a deep breath, patted Chen Huan's shoulder, pushed open the old broken door and walked into the room.

  "Brother, you're not mad at me anymore?"

  Chen Hao was taken aback for a moment, then grinned and exclaimed: "Great, brother, my stomach is almost starving to death!"

  ……

  In the room, a dim kerosene lamp flickered with a faint light, illuminating the cramped and dilapidated wooden hut.

  An elderly man with sparse and grey hair sat quietly in front of the dinner table, his bones thin as twigs, his face full of wrinkles, a pair of dull eyes exuding an air of despair.

  The old man's name was Chen Tianli, and in his heyday, he was also a figure who dominated the wind and clouds of Songyancheng. Unfortunately, with the extinction of the Chen family, he also suffered from an old illness relapse, and his cultivation was completely abolished, becoming an ordinary old man.

  "Grandpa."

  Chen Xiao sat silently beside the table, looking at a plate of pickled vegetables and three bowls of plain rice, and couldn't help but let out a soft sigh in his heart. He was still too stupid, if he could earn more yuan every day, Grandpa and Brother wouldn't have to suffer.

  "Let's eat." Chen Tianlei's voice was low and husky. "After we've eaten, I have something to say."

  Chen Xiao was taken aback and nodded: "Uh-huh."

  The three of them had a fun dinner, Chen Zhuo and Grandpa only ate plain rice, leaving the small dish of salted vegetables to Chen Huan. The little guy knew that refusing was futile, so he just buried his head in eating, repeating an oath he had made long ago: "Grandpa, brother, when I become stronger through practice, I will definitely let you eat all the delicious food in the world, and never eat these damned salted vegetables again!"

  After dinner, Chen Huan neatly cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks, picked up a wooden sword and walked out of the house. He wanted to practice his sword skills, he wanted to seize every minute to make himself stronger!

  "What level of 'Zi Xiao Gong' has he reached?" Chen Tianlei listened to the sound of sword practice coming from outside the window, and a hint of relief appeared on his aged face.

  "Zi Xuan Gong" is the Chen family's ancestral transmission of qigong methods, consisting of eighteen levels in total, detailing the cultivation methods from post-heaven nine levels to pre-heaven nine levels.

  "It's still the thirteenth weight." Chen Tai's face remained icy as usual, even when talking to his grandfather. That calm and reserved atmosphere seemed like it would never change.

  "Oh."

  Chen Tianli nodded slightly, neither affirming nor denying, but a complex emotion surged in his heart.

  He has a love-hate relationship with this grandson. Since Chen Yu's birth, the entire Chen family has been plagued by disasters - the family was exterminated, Chen Yu's mother abandoned her home and left, and Chen Yu's father left in anger...

  What's even more detestable is that the Su family of Longyuan City tore up the engagement in front of everyone from Songyancheng, making Chen Tianlei lose face completely. If not for thinking about his two young grandsons having no one to raise them, he would have ended his life by suicide!

  Sometimes he also suspected that his grandson was indeed a unlucky star as rumored. However, he soon discarded this idea, the entire Chen family had only three people left, and with his body declining day by day, they could barely make a living relying on Chen Yu to help others draw talismans.

  In other words, it was precisely because of Chen Yu that in these years, they did not end up in a desperate situation with beggars, and their young grandson Chen Huan even entered the famous Tianxing Wuguan in Songyancheng under Chen Yu's hard work.

  Thinking of this, Chen Tianlei's heart surged with warmth again. Even if he was unlucky, Xiao Yu was still his own grandson and the flesh and blood of the Chen family!

  "All these years, I've wronged you."

  Chen Tianlei sighed: "I let Xiaohuang eat well, dress well, and even enter the martial arts hall to practice martial arts, but I made you work hard for a living, without getting any good, Grandpa me... I'm sorry to you."

  Chen Xiao's heart suddenly tightened, and the bitterness that had been suppressed in his heart for many years began to stir. He quickly took a deep breath and forced himself to suppress this bitter feeling, shaking his head and saying: "You are old and frail, and Little Huang is still young and naive, so it's only natural that I should be the one to do these things."

  Chen Tianlei smiled and waved his hand: "Don't mention these things."

  Chen Xiao nodded silently, saying nothing.

  He was originally introverted and taciturn, not good at speaking, and in recent years he has often been ridiculed by people around him, making his temperament more introverted, willing to act silently, rather than say a word of nonsense.

  "Longyuan City's Qianjian Sect will open its mountain gate in half a month to recruit disciples, I plan to take Xiaohuai there to give it a try." Chen Tianlei suddenly spoke up after a long period of contemplation.

  Chen Xiao nodded and said, "Alright, leaving Songyan City will be more beneficial for Xiaohua's growth."

  "Y-you won't think Grandpa is being unfair, will you?"

  Chen Xiao shook his head: "I'll follow grandfather's arrangements in everything."

  Chen Tianli looked at his grandson's face carefully, as if trying to see something from it. Then, what made him disappointed was that Chen Tang remained the same from start to finish, not moving a single bit, like a stiff wooden stick.

  "In the midst of many, he doesn't lose his uniqueness; in speaking, his silence is even more evident. His temperament is stubborn and resilient, I don't know if it's good or bad, sigh."

  Chen Tianlei let out a deep sigh in his heart and got up to return to the house.

  ……

  The next morning.

  Chen Xiao got up at dawn, washed his face with cold water, and as soon as he walked out of the door, he saw his younger brother Chen Huan practicing sword.

  Swish! Swish! Swish!

  The wooden sword swung, emitting a series of urgent breaking-air sounds. Chen Huan's right hand grasped the sword, his slender body agilely jumping and leaping as he practiced his sword techniques with precision: cutting, chopping, thrusting, stabbing, and slashing.

  His small face was already covered in sweat, but the tender eyebrows were a determined color, the wooden sword in his hand did not tremble at all, steady and familiar.

  Chen Xiao quietly watched for a moment, without disturbing his brother. He hastily finished cooking and instead of making seals as usual, he quickly rushed to the Zhang's general store.

  "Ah, Bell's palsy Chen is here again!"

  "Alas, I originally thought that coming in the morning wouldn't run into him, but who knew we still bumped into each other, what bad luck."

  Inside Zhang's grocery store, the new apprentices saw Chen Yu walk in and hastily avoided him, with a look of fear as if they would be tainted by bad luck.

  "Uncle Zhang, I'd like to borrow 100 yuan first, do you think it's possible?" Chen Xiao didn't have the energy to care about these people who were mocking him, and he went straight to the counter, making his request to Manager Zhang.

  Zhang Dayong asked in puzzlement: "Chen Tang, what's going on? Tell me, maybe I can help."

  Chen Zhuo had been helping out at his grocery store for over five years and had never borrowed money from him before. Today, he suddenly asked to borrow one hundred yuan, which naturally made Chen feel very suspicious. He thought that if it was within his power, he would help the little guy out.

  Chen Xiao understood the concern in Zhang Da Yong's words and felt a warmth in his heart. He shook his head and said, "I haven't encountered any trouble, I just want to buy something."

  Zhang Dayong suddenly took out a Lingyu and said, "Here, is it enough? If not, I'll lend you some more."

  "That's enough, thank you Uncle Zhang, I will return it to you soon."

  One Lingyu is roughly equivalent to one hundred Yuanshi, the kind that's only high and not low. Chen Xuan took the Lingyu and turned around to leave, his footsteps hurried.

  "It's strange, this kid is usually very frugal for the sake of supporting his family and never wastes money, what's going on today?"

  Zhang Dayong watched Chen Yu's back disappear outside the store door, full of doubts.

  ……

  Bai Lian Tang, located in the bustling streets of Songyan City, specializes in selling equipment and weapons needed by cultivators, with a grand scale and a certain reputation in Songyan City.

  Chen Tuan spent a fortune in less than a minute, but instead of feeling pain, he felt a sense of relief and satisfaction.

  When they returned home, it was almost noon. Chen Tianlei was packing up his luggage, while Chen Huan sat in front of the door with his hands covering his face, lost in thought.

  "Brother, you're back." Chen Huo suddenly stood up, his small face full of joyful colors.

  Chen Xiao patted Chen Huan's head and said, "Are we leaving soon?"

  Chen Hao nodded, his expression turning gloomy. He was reluctant to leave his brother behind. The thought of going to Longyuan City and not being able to see his brother often filled him with sorrow.

  Chen Yao took out a long-shaped jade box and handed it over: "I bought it for you, work hard."

  "Did you buy it for me?"

  Chen Hao was stunned, staring at the exquisite jade box, and for a moment he didn't dare believe his eyes.

  From young to old, every time he saw other people's children showing off with all kinds of gifts, he was extremely envious, but he never dared to hope for possession. Because he knew that the lives of his three grandsons were all dependent on his brother's hard work and struggle to maintain, in this situation, he simply did not dare to ask for more.

  Now, at the moment of his departure, his brother silently bought him a gift, how could he not be moved?

  "Brother..."

  Chen Hao's voice was a little choked, he lowered his head, trying hard not to cry, but his eyes were already red.

  Chen Yu patted his younger brother's shoulder: "Take care of Grandpa, and also take care of yourself."

  "Hmm!" Chen Hao nodded heavily.

  "I'll go see Grandpa, and then I'll send you out of the city later." Chen Xiao's face rarely showed a hint of a smile as he turned around and walked into the house.

  Chen Hao took a deep breath and slowly opened the jade box, revealing a long sword with a cold gleam, quietly placed inside.

  Buzz!

  He picked up the long sword, and the true yuan surged. The long sword suddenly emitted a clear hum, and a sharp, cold air burst out.

  "Brother, don't worry, I won't let you down!"

  Chen Hao looked at the long sword in his hand, his eyes firm and resolute, as if he had grown up overnight and was no longer the naive child of before.

  ……

  At noon, the golden crow is high in the sky.

  Outside the city gate.

  A horse-drawn carriage carrying a grandfather and grandson slowly drove away.

  Chen Xuan stood on the city wall, gazing into the distance, his heart surging with emotions.

  ————

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