Chapter 455: The Old Madman Reappears

As the middle-aged man's words fell, the atmosphere instantly grew sorrowful and silent.

The old man didn't reply right away. He just silently glanced at the middle-aged man, not continuing the topic.

The middle-aged man smiled and sat down directly beside the old man, joining him in fishing.

Suddenly, the old man couldn't help but ask a question.

"By the way, what day is it today?"

The middle-aged man looked at the old man curiously and said with a smile:

"You forgot? Today is July twelfth!"

"July twelfth, is it?"

The old man repeated the date to himself, then slowly nodded.

He spoke in a world-weary tone:

"There's still over a month until August fifteenth. I wonder if that boy has reached the Foundation Establishment Realm... Sigh. I really do want to go see him!"

As he spoke, the old man reached up with a withered arm and slowly took off the bamboo hat on his head.

Seeing the old man remove his hat, a flicker of surprise appeared in the middle-aged man's eyes, but he concealed it well.

If Qin Tuo could see the old man's face at this moment, he would surely cry out in astonishment!

Because this old man was none other than the old lunatic from the prison.

Back then, the old lunatic had given the Celestial King Order to Qin Tuo. After Qin Tuo was released from prison, the two of them had no further contact.

But now, the old lunatic had appeared on this isolated island and had even become Xiaoyuan's master.

The middle-aged man thought for a moment, shook his head, and said with a wry smile:

"I think it's unlikely. The Young Master has only been cultivating for a few months. Even if he's exceptionally talented, it's impossible for him to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage in such a short time, right?"

His words clearly showed he didn't believe the old lunatic's speculation.

The old lunatic looked up at the sky, a hint of sorrow in his eyes. He slowly began to speak:

"Of course I know it's difficult, but you must understand that this is the only way to save the Eldest Miss. Sigh!"

He followed this with a long sigh that left the middle-aged man speechless for a long moment.

The old lunatic had just finished speaking when Xiaoyuan shot out of the sea.

Although she was drenched in seawater, she was incredibly excited!

She was holding several fish, a truly bountiful catch.

Xiaoyuan leaped nimbly onto the shore and came skipping and hopping over to them.

When she saw that the middle-aged man was also there, her face lit up with surprised delight. She called out happily:

"Uncle Huangfu, you're here too?"

The middle-aged man nodded, a gratified smile on his face.

"Xiaoyuan, I came to see you!"

Xiaoyuan nodded repeatedly, smiling happily.

"Uncle Huangfu, you came at the perfect time! We're having fish for lunch. You'll have to try my cooking later!"

Looking at how happy Xiaoyuan was, the middle-aged man's face was full of doting affection.

But his eyes held a deep sorrow. Thinking of Xiaoyuan's tragic fate, the middle-aged man couldn't help but sigh grimly to himself.

Like she was showing off a treasure, Xiaoyuan presented the fish she had caught to the old lunatic and the middle-aged man, hoping for their praise.

The old lunatic raised his head and said slowly:

"Xiaoyuan, go stew the fish and make lunch. We're all hungry!"

Xiaoyuan quickly nodded and said with a laugh:

"Okay, Master! Uncle Huangfu, just you wait! Xiaoyuan will whip up a delicious feast!"

With that, she gave a little laugh to herself, picked up a few fish, and happily went on her way.

Watching Xiaoyuan's departing figure, the middle-aged man felt a heart-wrenching pain, as if a knife were twisting in his gut.

He then turned to stare earnestly at the old lunatic and said sincerely:

"I hope you can explain it to her clearly. At the very least, let her die knowing why. After all, the Young Master is her savior. She shouldn't be too resistant to the idea."

By the end, the middle-aged man's voice had grown somewhat hoarse, a clear sign of the extreme sorrow deep in his heart.

The old lunatic nodded and said,

"Don't worry, I will explain it all clearly to Xiaoyuan. For the Eldest Miss's sake, we can't let the Young Master become the sacrifice, can we?"

The middle-aged man nodded slightly and said no more.

The old lunatic changed the subject and asked,

"By the way, the Huangfu Clan knows the Young Master's whereabouts now, right?"

The middle-aged man grunted and said,

"Of course. I've already sent word to the Huangfu Family that the Young Master is still alive!"

But as he said this, he felt a bit of confusion and couldn't help but ask,

"Why did you have me do that? Aren't you worried the Huangfu Clan will threaten the Young Master's safety? You know that if they make a move, there's no way the Young Master can escape!"

The old lunatic sighed and said helplessly,

"Even so, I had no choice. You have to remember, the Eldest Miss has been imprisoned for a full twenty years, subjected to all kinds of cruel torture. If we don't give her some pillar of emotional support, I'm afraid she'll do something desperate!"

As he spoke of this, the old lunatic's tone was clearly dejected. He seemed to recall some extremely painful memories from the past, and his eyes became bloodshot.

The old lunatic was heard continuing to mutter to himself:

"The Huangfu Family is not the same as it was twenty years ago. If it weren't for that great secret the old Patriarch left behind before he died, the Eldest Miss would have died twenty years ago. How could she have possibly eked out an existence until now?"

Hearing this, the middle-aged man's heart lurched. He immediately asked,

"Oh? What kind of secret was it?"

Evidently, the middle-aged man was also extremely shocked by this news and was desperate to find out what this secret was.

However, in the face of his intensely expectant gaze, the old lunatic just slowly shook his head and said in a desolate voice:

"Actually, I don't know either."

The middle-aged man's face instantly fell, and an undisguised look of disappointment appeared in his eyes.

The old lunatic continued to explain:

"I only know that this secret is very important to the Huangfu Family. Perhaps the Eldest Miss is the only one in this world who knows what it is!"

The middle-aged man fell silent for a moment. Finally, he abruptly raised his head, about to ask something else.

Just then, Xiaoyuan's voice called out from a distance:

"Master, Uncle Huangfu, come and eat!"

Hearing Xiaoyuan's call, the two men didn't continue their conversation.

They both stood up and walked toward the small hut in the distance, from which smoke was rising.

The middle-aged man suddenly said, as if lost in thought,

"No matter what, we should at least let the girl have one last period of happiness."

Hearing this, the old lunatic also nodded in silence.

A faint smile was forced onto his deeply wrinkled face as he looked at Xiaoyuan, who had already prepared the meal inside the hut.

And at the several golden, fragrant fish roasting over the bonfire…