TGM Vol.4 Chapter 18 – Old Friend

Liu Yihuan has been recuperating in bed for several days and is gradually recovering. When people are sick, they want to get out of bed and walk around as soon as possible, but he is the only one who is completely fine and still finds excuses to stay in bed every day, asking Yu Sifeng to take care of him.

Yu Sifeng is grateful for his help along the way, not to mention that they have always been like father and son, so he knows he is pretending, but still does not say a word of complaint. Every day, he told him about his encounters in the past six months, and Liu Yihuan liked to listen to the part about conquering the spirit beast most. Every time he listens to it, he touches his palms and laughs, saying, “Good collection! But it’s not convenient to bring such a big beast with you, is it?”

Yu Sifeng laughed and said, “Didn’t I tell you? A divine beast can take on human form. Speaking of which, big brother has never seen Téngshé. Next time I will ask Xuanji to bring him to you.”

Liu Yihuan’s eyes lit up, his saliva flew out, he coveted and said, “How? Is it a big beauty?”

Yu Sifeng rubbed his forehead helplessly, “No, its man.” And the temper is fierce and a vicious look.

Liu Yihuan immediately collapsed, breathlessly sighing, “Then I’m not interested. I think its better to look at the little girl Linglong … I’ve been wanting to see her for a long time. ……”

“Big brother!” Yu Sifeng could neither laugh nor cry.

The door creaked open and Xuanji walked in with a lunch box. When she heard Liu Yihuan say he wanted to see Linglong, she immediately smiled and said, “Yes, I will bring Linglong to see Brother Liu when she recovers.”

Obviously she didn’t understand the evil side of Liu Yihuan at all. Seeing him laughing on the bed, Yu Sifeng couldn’t help but shake his head and had nothing to say.

“Where is Ting Nu?” Liu Yihuan had not seen him much in the last few days, and missed the quiet and gentle merman.

Xuanji brought out the food and said, “Father and the elders appreciate his knowledge and have been asking him for advice on immortal cultivation for the past few days.”

She originally thought that Ting Nu’s status as a merman would be embarrassing in the Shaoyang Sect, but who knew that he had not only saved Linglong, but was also looked up to by the elders. There is no one in the Shaoyang Sect who doesn’t like him from top to bottom. …… This is a great situation, but it is something she never expected before.

“Hey hey, so stupid so stupid! The people and demons have different paths, the experience from the lessons are useless!”

Xuanji wondered, “Then according to Brother Liu, how should a mortal cultivate immortality?”

Liu Yihuan laughed, “You all think that the more demons you kill, the more you can become immortal, in fact, you are very wrong. People and gods are different beings in two realms, and it is a big deal to cross the reincarnation and become immortal. I think there is no specific method to become immortal. The key lies in the heart, one thought to become immortal, the next thought may become a devil.”

Xuanji was stunned, and felt as if she had heard this kind of reasoning somewhere before. The good and evil gods and demons are just a matter of thought, success or failure, not in heaven and earth, but in the heart. She seemed to be touched by something in her heart and thought about it.

Yu Sifeng served Liu Yihuan to eat and saw him with his shirt open and a green silk bag hanging on his chest. He hadn’t seen him wearing it before, and only found it these days. He asked, but Liu Yihuan wouldn’t tell him, and when asked, he would sigh long and short, looking depressed and unhappy. He has always been a flirt, so maybe he has gotten into trouble outside and the other woman gave him some kind of token as a souvenir, Yu Sifeng thought of this and stopped asking.

The green silk bag was obviously often fondled by him, and the corners were frayed, and the ribbon at the mouth of the bag was a little loose, revealing a roll of dark hair, shiny and smooth. Yu Sifeng was slightly stunned, Liu Yihuan seemed to notice his action and casually put the silk bag into his arms, not letting him look at it again.

This action made both of them a little embarrassed. Yu Sifeng coughed and hurriedly changed the subject, asking with a smile, “Big Brother, where have you been for the past six months?”

He did not ask a good question, as once asked Liu Yihuan face looked more embarrassed, he swallowed for a long time he said, “Uh …… I, I, well, also a little personal secret. This time I went to visit a long-dead old friend, sweep the tomb ah, think back to the past ah and so on ……”

Yu Sifeng sighed, “Big Brother, It’s not a shame to find a prostitute to drink flower wine, I’m used to it. There is nothing to lie about this kind of thing.”

He didn’t believe it. The woman’s hair was clearly in the silk bag on his chest, and it was clearly a debt of romance he had caused. Now it is ridiculous to talk about old friends and sweeping tombs.

Liu Yihuan is now dumbfounded, could not say, choked for a moment, then said, “I really went to …… visit my old friend ……”

Yu Sifeng turned a deaf ear to his words, and packed the finished rice bowls in a box. He was about to leave, when she heard Liu Yihuan say, “How can I say, she at least …… is my favorite woman in the world. I go to her grave every year and stay for a few days …… now all I can do is this.”

The two listened to his words, lingering and helplessness, and they were all a bit curious, Xuanji hurriedly put down her lunch box and turned around to ask, “Is it the woman that Brother Liu used to like? She passed away?”

If Liu Yihuan had a woman he loved from the bottom of his heart, not only Xuanji, but even Yu Sifeng did not believe it. He had never taken women seriously, he often called three or four prostitutes to drink and have fun, and he looked like a horny man. Such kind of people will also like people?

Liu Yihuan’s dark complexion actually turned a little red, and only after a long time did he sigh, “…… she is different from other women, very different.”

Both children were stunned, it took a long time for Yu Sifeng to find his voice, hurriedly asked, “How could she die? You …… that silk bag, she left it for you?”

Liu Yihuan let out a ‘bah’ and said, “I don’t want to see you. Who made you so sharp-eyed!”

After that he grabbed the silk bag from the collar, and after a long time, whispered, “Yes, it’s hers. But she didn’t give it to me.” He had secretly cut a tuft of hair and kept it with him like a treasure. She was a sin that he had committed, and her very existence was enough to make his heart ache, yet it was a fact that could never be ignored.

“You mean, you like her, but you don’t mean anything to her?!” Xuanji was shocked. Liu Yihuan has always been a casual person, she got up and asked unceremoniously.

Liu Yihuan sighed happily and said quietly, “Perhaps, until she died … she didn’t know who I was.”

He is so infatuated! Xuanji held her chin to prevent it from falling off. Yu Sifeng was also shocked, he suddenly felt something was wrong and couldn’t help asking, “Wait, brother, is the person you’re talking about your lover?”

Liu Yihuan’s face changed, and finally sighed miserably and laughed bitterly, “I knew I couldn’t hide it from you, this ghost …… She’s not my lover, she’s my …… daughter.”

There was a “thump” sound, Xuanji is so shocked she fell from the chair to the ground. He has a daughter! He once had a daughter?! The world has suddenly become a very strange place, everything is so unpredictable.

Liu Yihuan sighed, “That was a sin I committed when I was young. I had one night of ecstasy with that prostitute, but I never thought she would give birth to a daughter. Because I had said I was a disciple of the Li’Ze Palace, she asked someone to bring the child to the palace gate. I thought, whether she is a prostitute or whatever, she is the mother of the child, I left the palace, and then redeemed her, the family of three finding a beautiful place to live a lifetime, is also a beautiful thing. However, …… the old palace master learned of this, and was very angry, and sent someone to poison the prostitute …… in the night. The girl was left behind, he originally also wanted to kill her, but I resisted with my life, promised never to reveal half a word to her, only to stay in her life. According to the rules of the palace, women are not allowed to enter, so I sent her to a family of farmers to adopt. I went to visit her every month in secret.”

“She grew up slowly year by year, becoming more and more beautiful, lively and lovely, and she looked like my daughter. I can’t wait to say a few words to her, squeeze her little hand and face, and hear her call out to her father. …… As a parent, this is the first time in my life I understand this feeling.”

Having said that, he smiled slightly, somewhat bitter.

Yu Sifeng said lightly, “Bog Brother … you left Li’Ze Palace later … for this?”

Liu Yihuan nodded his head and said: “Yes …… this matter except the old palace master and I, and another brother, no one knows. That brother …… I am very grateful to him, I can not often go to see my daughter, so he always send something to her for me, always take care of her. One time I snuck out to see my daughter again, but I waited until dark and didn’t see her. I didn’t dare to go over and look closely for fear of being discovered. I stood around all night without any results, so I had to return to the palace in depression. Later, the brother was looking for me urgently, and I learned that the child was seriously ill and in critical condition. She is only ten years old, such a young child, how much medicine, how many doctors, but no improvement. I was so anxious that I didn’t care about the rules anymore and left the palace overnight. But by the time I got to her, she was already dying, completely in a state of limbo. I hugged her and couldn’t cry. …… I never heard her call me dad. …… A father, but can’t raise my child with my own hands, I’m not only a bad father, I’m not even a human being.”

The more he talked, the more Yu Sifeng fell into a daze. He was shocked and said softly, “Big Brother, If you don’t want to talk about it, don’t talk about it. It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have asked you.”

Liu Yihuan, as if he did not hear, continued, “I used all my magic power to save her, but it was useless …… she died, just like that in my arms …… she died without knowing that I was her father … . …she never even saw me …… Since I couldn’t raise her, I shouldn’t have let her come to the world to suffer in vain in the first place. I sat with her body for three days and nights until the old palace master himself came out to find me. I refused to go back …… I never want to go back because of those damn rules, my daughter …… was killed by my own hands …… how can I still go back? The old palace master was furious and seriously injured me, I could not move and watched as they set my child on fire and burned her to ashes …… The fire …… went up to the sky and the wind blew up and blew her ashes apart… …they killed my woman and my child, and they didn’t even leave me anything to hold on to. What is the point of a man living like this? I struggled to free myself from their shackles, grabbed her ashes little by little and buried them in the dirt. But I didn’t know her name! My daughter! And I don’t know her name! I can’t even erect a monument for her, but how can I have the face to erect a monument for her and call her my daughter?”

“I was taken back by the old palace master and locked up in the dungeon. Many times I thought, ‘Why don’t I go with them?’ I have come to this world for nothing. But even if I die, what face do I have to see them mother and daughter? I don’t want to experience the feeling of not being able to live, not being able to die. …… I was so dull and mediocre, and I don’t know how many days passed, but suddenly one day, a child came to the dungeon, with a pink face, a few years younger than my daughter, sat by the bars of the cell door, looking at me curiously. Once I saw him, I immediately remembered my daughter, I have not spoken a word with her, she is such a child, what is in her mind, what is it? I wanted to know, so I asked the boy to come and talk with me. He was very good, very smart, very obedient, and he believed everything I said. From him, I found the joy of teaching my daughter …… If my child were still alive, then I would also tease her in this way, tell her jokes, and leave her all the good food …… I just hope she will be happy and carefree forever ……”

Speaking of this, Liu Yihuan chuckled twice and said, “Little Phoenix, your elder brother is so selfish, do you blame me? At that time, I played with you and treated you as my daughter.”

Yu Sifeng whispered: “Big brother …… in my heart, you are already my father ……”

Liu Yihuan laughed twice, and suddenly took a long breath, lay back on the bed with his hands under his head, and said, “So many years have passed! I’ve almost forgotten all these things, but I’ve been holding them in my heart, so I’m happy to say them today. I stole the Heavenly Eye to see what reincarnation she had entered, so that I could go looking for her again. Unfortunately, she has not yet been reincarnated. When she is reincarnated …… this life, I will treat her well and never abandon her again.”

Yu Sifeng nodded and said softly, “I’ll be with you, brother. We are a family, never to be separated again.”

It was only today that he realized why Liu Yihuan had left the Palace twice, even taking the risk of stealing the Heaven’s Eye.

Xuanji burst into tears crying and choked, “I …… I also together …… Brother Liu …… I will never be mean to you again …. …or you can treat me as your daughter too …… I can do anything except call you father ……”

Liu Yihuan was shocked and waved her hand, “No, no! I don’t want to have the daughter who is a warrior general! Forget it!”

With that, he and Yu Sifeng laughed at the same time. Xuanji wiped her tears and was about to speak, Suddenly, the door was pushed open and a clear voice shouted from outside, “Xuanji! Xuanji, are you here?”

It was Linglong’s voice! Xuanji hurriedly got up, “I am here! Linglong, what are you doing here?”

Linglong was dressed in red, her skin was like snow, her hair was like clouds, and she was standing there playfully, with a slight smile on her lips, and her eyes were shining brightly.

The first time Liu Yihuan saw such a radiant and beautiful girl, the sad emotions just now disappeared, he only looked straight at her, his jaw almost fell off even without knowing.

“I’m here to see you.” Linglong walked over and said loudly, “When the Zanhua Conference is over, I’m going to go to Buzhou Mountain with you to save Minyan.”

Xuanji was shocked and murmured: “You …… how do you know ……”

Linglong smiled and held her hand, and said softly, “I’m sorry, I was too useless before. I only lose my temper, but I can’t do anything right. I made you guys work so hard, and I also made Minyan ……” She suddenly looked dark, and then said, “So, this time it’s my turn to save him! The matter of being imprisoned, the matter of Minyan, I will personally kill Wu Tong to take revenge!”

Xuanji looked at her in a daze for a long time, and her eyes gradually showed an overwhelmingly excited glow, suddenly opened her arms and hugged her hard, choking on a sob, “Good! We are together! This time …… will definitely be able to save the sixth brother back!”

Téngshé has been hiding outside and did not dare to come in. When he heard that they were not angry, he knew that his offense against Linglong was not exposed, so he slipped in and secretly picked up the cake on the plate and stuffed it into his mouth, and ate it contently.

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[1]: This chapter’s title in Mandarin; 故人 gù​rén has double meaning. It means ‘old friend‘, and also ‘the deceased’.
So, Liu Yihuan saying he went to meet an old friend before explaining that it was his (deceased) daughter.

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