Chapter 643: Late Night Mourning 4

"My great-granddaughter is gone. What’s the point of me living anymore?" Old Master Gu cried out in anguish upon regaining consciousness, his heart feeling as if it had been torn in two.

The pain was so suffocating, he felt he’d rather follow the child in death.

"Father, you still have us!"

"The Gu family’s hundred-some members all depend on you, Father. You can’t have such thoughts."

Old Master Gu shook his head, clinging desperately to the coffin.

The Gu family members couldn’t pry him off, no matter how they tried, and they didn’t dare to use force either.

The child from the General’s estate was dead, and the old master was clearly traumatized. His mental state fluctuated wildly, so no one dared say anything harsh that might upset him further.

The third son of the Gu family, Gu Wenqing, and the family of the fourth son, Gu Xichao, were all perplexed. She wasn’t even a blood relative, so why was the old master so devastated? He seemed even more grief-stricken than her actual family.

Gu Mingqiu had never liked Ye Qianning and was indifferent to the child’s death. Mrs. Dai, however, sensed something was amiss.

Mrs. Dai secretly pulled Gu Shuo aside. "Gu Shuo, be honest with your mother. What is the truth about that child?"

"She is my daughter." Gu Shuo no longer intended to hide the truth.

Mrs. Dai had suspected the child was connected to the Gu family, but she never imagined she was her own granddaughter. "Is... is it true?"

"Seven years ago, in Nanyuan."

"You... Ai..." Mrs. Dai clutched at her clothes, pacing back and forth. "Why didn’t you say so sooner? Why didn’t you say so sooner... Why didn’t you say so sooner..."

Her voice grew increasingly frantic, and she could no longer hold back her tears as they streamed down her face.

"This is all my fault. I owe her, and I owe her mother. It’s a debt I can never repay in this lifetime." Gu Shuo’s usual arrogance was gone, replaced by a look of utter dejection.

Mrs. Dai was heartbroken. She had never even sat down to have a proper talk with the child, never shared a single meal with her, never heard her call her ’Grandma’...

"Tomorrow, your mother will go with you to see the child off from Beili."

"Grandfather’s condition isn’t good. Mother, you shouldn’t leave the Capital City."

"Your grandfather knew all along, didn’t he?"

"Yes. Grandfather thought very highly of Ye Qianning. Her death has been a huge blow to him. Mother, please do what you can to keep him calm and prevent his health from worsening."

"But there are so many people in the Gu family..."

"There are many people in the Gu family, but you’re the only one Grandfather will listen to. Mother, I’m very worried about his health."

Mrs. Dai sobbed, her eyes red-rimmed. After a long moment, she said, "Once your grandfather’s condition has stabilized, I will go to the border to find you."

Gu Shuo nodded.

As the two of them returned to the main hall, even before they stepped inside, they saw a group of elderly men in grey robes and numerous youths in blue and white instructor uniforms hurrying toward them.

"Dean."

"Dean..."

"Poor Little Senior Sister... It’s only been a few days since we last saw her..."

Over a dozen masters and instructors from Lou Mountain Academy flooded into the main hall.

"Didn’t I instruct you all not to come down from the mountain?" Dean Chen was stunned to see them.

"Little Senior Sister died so tragically. How could we not come to pay our respects?"

The masters lined up, offering incense in rows of three. The most distraught among them was undoubtedly Instructor Zhang; ever since he’d heard the news of Ye Qianning’s death, his eyes had been cried so swollen they looked like walnuts.

"Dean, we’ve made up our minds. Since you’ve been exiled from Beili, we are willing to follow you."

"We’ll leave together. Tomorrow, we’ll see Little Senior Sister off."

After offering their incense, they all stood beside Dean Chen and spoke with grave solemnity.

Hearing this, Dean Chen chided them, "Nonsense."

"Dean, while we may not be your direct disciples, we are all your outer disciples. With our master gone, what reason do we have to remain in this land?"

"No matter where you go, Dean, we are willing to follow."