#409 - Life is long and regretful

Old Zhang Tou was leaving.

This was undoubtedly unexpected by Wei Changtian.

But upon closer inspection, it was also within reason.

Leaving the sect for training, he had been gone for several decades, transforming from a middle-aged man into an old man over a hundred and thirty years old.

Wei Changtian didn't know how Old Zhang Tou had managed to live so long after his cultivation level had fallen to the ninth rank.

But regardless of the reason, it seemed that the latter's life was nearing its end.

Perhaps Old Zhang Tou had also realized this, which was why he wanted to return to the place where he grew up in the final moments of his life.

Therefore, Wei Changtian didn't say much, only asking calmly after a long silence.

"When do you plan to leave?"

"..."

The red glow outside the window was like a furnace of molten steel pouring into the horizon, as red as blood and as fiery as fire.

Wei Changtian glanced at the disheveled old man in front of him, sighed softly, and asked again: "What about A'Gou? Do you want her to go back with you?"

"She's just a girl, forget it."

Waving his hand, Old Zhang Tou's expression was somewhat reluctant: "I originally planned to stay until she got married before going back, but it seems I won't be able to see that."

"So... you don't plan to come back?"

Wei Changtian slowly sat down: "How far is Bai Dian from Da Ning after all?"

"How far..."

Old Zhang Tou pondered for a long time, then shook his head with a bitter smile: "I can't remember, but even if you travel non-stop, it will take at least a year to get there."

A year even if traveling non-stop.

That's almost hundreds of thousands of miles.

Wei Changtian estimated the distance in his heart, and didn't speak for a long time.

It wasn't that he couldn't bear to part with Old Zhang Tou, but he wasn't completely indifferent to his departure either.

Their meeting was a coincidence, and what happened afterward could be described as "fate".

The small chess stall with the 'Five Stones in a Row' game, the bold statement of 'I once cut Yama with a single sword', the bizarre and powerful Moon Picking Sword Technique, that poignant story about Zhang Benchu...

Under various coincidences, he inexplicably gained a cheap master, inexplicably learned an unorthodox sword technique, and inexplicably witnessed the ups and downs of a top swordsman's life.

And now, when this old man who had been wandering for most of his life was also "inexplicably" preparing to leave, wanting to return to his hometown to spend the rest of his life, perhaps all Wei Changtian could do was see him off calmly.

"Master..."

Turning his head with a smile, Wei Changtian deliberately put on a "I'll keep you company even if it costs me my life" expression.

"Tonight, I'll take you to the best brothel in Shuzhou City, you can pick as many girls as you want."

"Let's, master and disciple, have a good time for one night, and I, as your disciple, will do my filial duty one last time, how about it?"

"..."

Shaking his head, Old Zhang Tou didn't show that lewd and hypocritical look he had before.

He just slowly stood up, like an old tree about to wither, with his hands behind his back, facing the setting sun and walking out of the house.

"Didn't you just say? Your teacher is already old."

"Alas."

"Old."

That night.

Little Green Mountain.

Old Zhang Tou ultimately refused Wei Changtian's "warm invitation". After dinner, he locked himself in his room, not knowing what he was doing.

And Wei Changtian couldn't possibly drag him to a brothel, so he had no choice but to take advantage of the night to rush to Little Green Mountain, preparing to kill the demons that had been accumulating here for half a year.

According to the previous agreement with Qingxian, one every three days, which totaled fifty-two today.

These demons weren't randomly captured by Qingxian, they were basically ferocious beasts that were still far from transforming into human form, and most of them had violated demon clan rules such as "cannibalizing their own kind".

In other words, they could be understood as "death row inmates" among the "demon race".

"Young Master, some demons have profound cultivation, so each one is imprisoned separately."

In a hidden cave, Zhang San took a large bunch of keys from a Freemason member: "All fifty-two are still alive. The deeper the prison, the higher the cultivation of the demons imprisoned within."

"The Freemasons have always had people guarding and feeding them. There hasn't been any trouble in the past six months, and it hasn't been noticed by anyone else."

"Miss Liu Shi was in charge of things here before, but this time Miss Liu Shi is going to the Hundred Thousand Mountains, so she entrusted this important task to me."

"..."

Walking a distance along the dark and damp stone path, Wei Changtian quickly saw a row of tightly closed iron doors.

This scene couldn't help but remind him of the Suspended Mirror Division's prison and the Great Feng Ministry of Justice's Heavenly Prison.

Except, what was imprisoned here weren't criminals, but ferocious beasts with at least thirty years of cultivation.

"Okay, I understand."

Taking the large bunch of keys from Zhang San, Wei Changtian stopped in front of the first prison door.

"Are there still many brothers in the cave? Tell them all to get out."

"... Yes."

Zhang San was slightly stunned, but immediately conveyed the order truthfully.

The Freemason members in the cave immediately left, and all of them were out of the cave in less than an incense stick's time.

"Young Master..."

Confirming that there was no one left in the cave, Zhang San turned his head to say something, but was directly interrupted by Wei Changtian:

"You go wait for me outside too."

"This..."

Zhang San hesitated and advised: "Young Master, I should stay."

"No need, it's just a few dozen demons, there won't be any accidents."

Wei Changtian shook his head: "Go out and remember to close the cave door."

"..."

"Yes."

Like Chu Xianping, Zhang San rarely raised objections when Wei Changtian had already decided on something.

So he quickly turned and left the cave, and at the same time turned the mechanism at the cave entrance.

"Rumble!"

Behind him, the heavy stone door slowly closed, and the huge movement immediately caused a chilling and ferocious roar to erupt from the various prisons.

The torches stuck on the walls weren't very bright, and could only faintly cast a hazy red light in the long stone path.

"Hoo..."

In the soft sound of breathing, a long string of copper keys clattered to the ground.

Wei Changtian didn't choose the safest method of opening the prison doors one by one and then killing them one by one.

Ever since he fought against the third-rank fat shopkeeper at the Dragon Gate Inn, he hadn't had a serious fight for a long time.

This should be a good thing at first glance, after all, not fighting means there won't be any danger.

But at this moment, Wei Changtian suddenly had an urge to "go on a killing spree".

This may be because he had suppressed his emotions for too long after the city of Yuanzhou was tragically destroyed.

It may also be because the upcoming war had brought him too much invisible pressure.

Or perhaps it was just because too many people had left recently, making him feel a little depressed...

First Qin Zhengqiu, then You Jia, and then Old Zhang Tou.

Unlike Chu Xianping and others who were temporarily out on errands, he might never see these three people again in his life.

Alas...

Sighing lightly, a series of long sabers poured out of the Starry Sky Saber sheath.

"Swoosh! Swoosh swoosh swoosh!"

Fifty-two long sabers screamed as they flew forward, and after a few breaths, they hovered one by one above the heavy locks of the fifty-two prisons.

And then...

"Clang!"

"Clang clang clang clang!!"

The long sabers slashed down at the same time at a certain moment, and all the heavy locks shattered and fell to the ground immediately afterward.

"Come on."

Looking at the slowly opening prison doors and the pairs of fierce eyes, red or green, hidden at the doorways, Wei Changtian slowly stepped forward, walking step by step into the depths of the cave.

And as countless saber lights swept past him, countless roars and howls exploded in his ears.

One saber cuts off all troubles, one sword solves all sorrows.

Rouge tears, intoxicating, when will we meet again?

It is human life that is always filled with endless regret.