Chapter 330: Ask Away.

Chapter 330: 330: Ask Away.

The old man continued taking more bites, thoroughly enjoying the chicken soup as he smiled to himself.

Sun was glad to see his grandfather enjoying a meal so much. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had seen the old man this happy over something as simple as food!

Even the old man himself couldn’t remember!

When he finally finished the soup, he set the bowl aside and let out a long, satisfied sigh. Looking around, he smiled and said, "I can’t remember the last time I had such a good meal..."

He then turned to Ayra with a smile. "I guess you’ve officially and successfully bribed me with this one! Now, go ahead and ask whatever questions you want. Don’t leave anything out. I’ll answer them all."

Ayra smiled, realizing that he could already tell what she had in mind.

"Don’t misunderstand me. I was also just trying to be hospitable. I wanted you to try our delicacies, at least," she explained with a smile.

"It’s fine, and I appreciate that." The old man smiled before clearing his throat. "Feel free to ask your questions. I guess I’m in a good mood after having this meal."

Ayra nodded with a smile. "Then I won’t hold back."

He nodded in return, watching her expectantly as he waited for the question she was about to ask.

Ayra hesitated before finally speaking. "I wanted to ask about our tribe lord. I wonder what you remember about him."

The old man paused, staring at her in confusion. "Tribe lord...? Tribe lord...?" He repeated the words as he struggled to recall. "Is there anyone in particular you’re talking about? I don’t think I can remember anyone right now..."

Ayra smiled and nodded. "A fox beastman. Orange fur, something like this..." She gave him a brief description before continuing, "It seems he knows you, and it also seems the two of you had some issues years ago. He doesn’t seem to like you or your tribe at all."

That was all Ayra needed to say. The moment she mentioned the fox beastman, something seemed to click in the old man’s mind.

He sat there staring into the distance, suddenly speechless.

Ayra could tell that he remembered, and so could everyone else sitting around them.

"Grandpa, is it true? Do you remember him? Did something happen between you two? Did you do something wrong to him? Is that why he hates me?" Sun asked anxiously.

The old man turned to him. "Did he do anything to you?"

Sun shook his head. "No... He never laid a finger on me. But he doesn’t seem to like me at all, no matter what I do. That’s why I’m curious to know what happened..."

The old man sighed and ran a hand through his hair, looking both frustrated and troubled by the thought. He clearly wasn’t happy about having to revisit whatever had happened between them.

Ayra watched him closely before speaking. "It seems you know him and have quite a lot to say about him, don’t you?"

Everyone turned their attention to the old man, waiting for his response.

He sighed, forcing a faint smile as he looked up at Ayra. "I never thought I’d find myself in a situation where I’d have to talk about this..."

He smiled bitterly before continuing, "But I guess fate works in interesting ways. He’s the tribe lord of the very land that saved my dear grandson, healed him, and took such good care of him."

He shook his head with a sigh. "Now, I feel sick to my stomach just thinking about it."

Ayra looked at him sympathetically. "You can take your time and think it through. We’re all listening. We want to hear what happened from your side of the story."

The old man sighed and shook his head. "I can’t believe I have to talk about this again someday..." He then turned to Sun. "Why don’t you leave us alone for a while and go somewhere else, kid?"

"No. I want to stay here and listen," Sun insisted. "I believe I’m old enough to know about things that involve our tribe, so please, tell me."

Ayra nodded in agreement. "I also think he has the right to know."

The old man sighed again, shaking his head. "You kids grow up so fast and want to know everything..." He glanced around as though searching for someone before suddenly asking, "But... where is that young man? Ash... where is he? He’s a tribe lord now, right? So why isn’t he here?"

As his eyes searched the gathering, Ayra smiled. She figured that if the old man still remembered Ash’s name after all these years, then the two of them must have been quite close back then.

Now, she was even more curious to find out what had really happened between them.

"He’s not around right now," she explained. "But you can go ahead and tell us your side of the story. We’re listening."

Everyone settled down quietly, keeping their eyes on the old man as they waited for him to begin.

The old man sighed and nodded, staring down at his hands. "I guess I have no choice but to recall it all again. I suppose this was bound to happen eventually."

He offered a faint smile before beginning his story.

"It happened years ago. So long ago that I can barely remember the details anymore." He paused before continuing, "But that was when the young man found his way into our tribe... or rather, we found him and brought him home."

Everyone listened attentively as the old man began recounting the events from his own perspective.

"We found the young boy bruised and injured in the bushes. It was as though he’d been running from hunters or something, like someone desperately trying to escape death. He was in a terrible state."

"So we took him in almost immediately and treated him as best we could. We nursed him back to health and eventually accepted him as one of our own."

"We took great care of him in every way we could until, eventually, he became part of our tribe’s family."