Novel Full 200 Setting Off (III)
The old lady was a reserved woman. Only when her son died did she lose her composure and shout at the top of her lungs for his unjustifiable death.
She did convey to Yang Lujia her story with her son. Although he was an unscrupulous and rash kid, she knew that he was intrinsically kind.
“How are you doing, old lady?” Yang Lujia went to her excitedly. He had nearly forgotten about visiting her. This was why he was acting like this.
No matter what, when he first saw how the old lady cried, his heart skipped a beat. It was at that time that he felt guilty about the bad things he had done—but there was no turning back time. He was powerful, but not too powerful to be called a god.
It was just that whenever he saw this old lady, his heart would melt—very unlikely of his nature as an adult tyrant when he was still on Earth. This actually baffled him. Perhaps he had always longed deep inside him for the love he had never received from his parents before—it was that feeling that had been buried deep but had unknowingly surfaced again.
“Young man, you’ve actually grown up this big!” the old lady praised.
When Yang Lujia heard what she said, his mind actually went to the dirty side. He could still remember that there had been at least five people now that had seen how big his little brother had become. Even when he was still on Earth, that version of his little brother would pale in comparison with his recent little one.
If women felt embarrassed when they were noticed by men that they had gotten bigger, men naturally would feel somewhat embarrassed, too. Nevertheless, Yang Lujia wasn’t too innocent about this, so he just let out a cough as the old lady obviously did not mean that thing.
“Time’s always on the move,” Yang Lujia merely replied with a smile.
However, what Yang Lujia did not notice was the momentary fear of everyone else in the palace the moment the old lady appeared all of a sudden. If Yang Lujia were to know what happened and if he were in their position, he would not have acted like this in front of the lady.
They knew something about the old lady that they did not dare divulge to Yang Lujia. It was only then that they realized how Yang Lujia was so talented and had grown so strong that even the old generation could not even compare.
“Indeed,” the old lady also replied with a smile. She then walked up to him and caressed his cheeks with her two frail hands. “If my son were still alive, he would have become as handsome as you are…”
Hearing her mention her grandson again, he felt a pang in his heart. Seeing how weak the old lady was, there was no doubt that she was going to die sooner or later.
“Forget it,” the old lady said and shook her head. “I apologize for touching your handsome face, young man. It has already been three years since he passed away and my heart is still longing for his presence beside me.”
Yang Lujia didn’t mind her lamenting about his death. In fact, like before, he still felt guilty. To alleviate the situation, he suggested something.
“Old lady, before I go out, would you mind sharing with us your barbecue skills by cooking us barbecue? We would love to eat it!” Yang Lujia, who was forever a foodie, almost drooled in front of everyone.
“This…”
Everyone, who saw him acting like this, was speechless. The image that Yang Lujia had built in their minds as their Chief Justice Cao was immediately erased.
With that, Yang Lujia retrieved a storage ring from Fortuniel’s storage space. There were even inscribed characters on the ring’s surface, and the characters made them even more speechless.
It said: “VOID BEAST MEATIE!”
Why did it sound like a child was trying to play with them?
Nevertheless, everyone remained silent and later agreed to the proposal made by Yang Lujia. Even the old lady felt helpless with Yang Lujia’s sparkling eyes. Yang Lujia had always been a foodie, especially now that his two special bloodlines had fused and his special bodies had undergone significant changes. It was said that those who were extremely talented and beloved by the heavens were all people who liked to eat so much—even if they had already become gods.
Even the old lady persisted when she and Yang Lujia competed in an eating competition whereby the one who had eaten more than the other would win. However, due to his satisfaction, Yang Lujia forgot about one thing.
The old lady… she was perfectly fine, not even bloated, after eating void beasts that contained dense energies that only cultivators could withstand when devoured. And yet, the old lady remained the same—she might have wrinkles all over her body, but she looked perfectly unharmed.
The others also noticed this, but Yang Lujia wasn’t able to.
He was too focused on eating.
Nonetheless, everyone just enjoyed the food that they were eating so much that it almost turned into a banquet wherein the food was more than the people present in number.
After everything was settled, Yang Lujia sincerely thanked the old lady by bowing to her. “Thank you, old lady! This young man has been satisfied by your grace of cooking us not only barbecue but other dishes as well!”
“That’s no issue, young man! We’re all a family here!” The old lady smiled amiably at him.
“Then, allow this junior to leave now as this junior still has matters to attend to. I really enjoyed the food, old lady! I am truly grateful!”
He was not only grateful, but he thought that this gesture of his was the only thing he could do to make up for the guilt that had been in his heart for already three years.
When Yang Lujia left, the atmosphere inside the palace suddenly turned grim. Her face also started to change. At this moment, her face became younger than she was before. All her wrinkles had almost become non-existent. But it was undeniable that she was really already old.
And the fact that she was this old terrified the people around her.
In other words, she was someone who had lived longer than those they considered to be the older generation.
“We humbly pay our respects to the Grand Elder!”
PUTT!
All of them knelt on the ground. Even Xia Hua was no exception.
“You may all stand up.” As she said these words, it was like a gentle breeze went past them and lifted their bodies up.
She was that powerful.
“As long as you abide by my rules and do not hurt him, I will ensure everyone’s safety here. I have only come here to pass by. Unexpectedly, I stumbled upon a relative of mine—no—more like an outside relative…” The old lady drew a smile on her face as she looked in the direction where Yang Lujia left.
“Do not try to make it obvious that I am stronger than every one of you, even including him—he is a smart kid like his father. Don’t let your eyes betray you. Otherwise, I will pull out your eyes from the depths of your soul, making it a permanent disability,” she continued. “Nevertheless, I just want to tell you that, other than not betraying him, never ever divulge my identity to him. Otherwise, not only will I be implicated, but his mother and I will also be implicated by our tribe.”
She had a helpless look on her face.
Everyone understood that there must be something wrong with their tribe, given that even with the old lady’s strength, she was still unable to do anything.
“Although I am strong, there are still several experts in our tribe. Even his mother, now, has met mishaps and she is currently… forget it… I shouldn’t be saying any of this.”
After a moment of silence, she spoke once again. However, her gaze was already on the woman who evidently had feelings for Yang Lujia.
“I know about your tribe, young lady. However, if you think you deserve someone who will stand beside you, you better think twice. He is extremely valuable. I don’t want her to be tied to anyone yet. As long as he’s this weak, I’ll never let anyone of you smear the image he’s so far built.”
The glow in Xia Hua’s eyes seemed to have lost its glow. Especially when the old lady’s gaze landed on her—even if it was only for a short moment, it still terrified her—even her own bloodline seemed to have shaken at the mere gaze of the old lady.
Nevertheless, Xia Hua still bowed to her. “I understand.”
“It’s good that you understand.”
Xia Hua might have appeared respectful and had already accepted such a stance from the old lady. However, inside, she was mourning and blaming herself. She was not satisfied. Her insecurities were slowly emerging from the depths of her heart.
“Others might see me as someone who has a formidable background, but compared to Yang Lujia, I would still pale in comparison,” she murmured in her heart.