Yang Guo remained silent for a while before speaking again:
"Uncle Guo... Aunt Guo."
Guo Jing's burly frame shuddered violently.
That single call of "Uncle Guo" had already made his heart warm.
Now there was an added call of Aunt Guo.
He immediately beamed and said:
"Ah, Guo'er!"
"Good boy! Good boy!!"
Huang Rong also softly responded.
Tears streamed down Guo Jing's face, yet his smile stretched from ear to ear.
Huang Rong's eyes grew slightly warm and moist.
She squatted down beside Yang Guo, looking at his tattered clothes, and then at the ruined temple.
In the end, she couldn't help asking softly:
"Guo'er, where is your mother? Where is Sister Mu now?"
The smile on Yang Guo's face slowly faded.
Aniu and Little Shitou also hung their heads, remaining silent.
The ruined temple became quiet enough to hear a pin drop; even the sound of the wind rustling through the broken roof tiles could be heard clearly.
Yang Guo paused for a long time before speaking:
"My mother..."
"...passed away several years ago."
Guo Jing's heart tightened violently.
Huang Rong was also deeply shocked.
...
During those years.
Mu Nianci had drifted from place to place with Yang Guo.
In the end, they had returned to Jiaxing.
Her health had actually declined long ago.
However, she had never let Yang Guo know.
Ordinarily, she cooked when she should cook and washed clothes when she should wash clothes.
Occasionally, she would smile and scold Yang Guo with a couple of words:
"Stinky boy, where did you run off to wilding around again?"
"Your pant legs are covered in mud."
Yang Guo was young back then, and he had been cheeky:
"Mother!"
"A boy's pant legs having mud on them is what makes him look impressive."
Mu Nianci would tap his head:
"Absurd logic."
Sometimes she brewed medicine, but she deliberately chose times when Yang Guo wasn't at home.
Only when Yang Guo ran outside to play would she shut the door.
She would place the medicinal pot on a small stove and secretly brew the medicine.
By the time Yang Guo returned, the dregs of the medicine were already disposed of cleanly.
The bitter scent of medicine in the room had also completely dissipated.
She would act as if nothing had happened at all.
The phrase she used to say most often was:
"Mother isn't hungry. You eat first."
Once, when Yang Guo woke up at night.
He found Mu Nianci sitting alone by the doorway, secretly stuffing a handkerchief stained with coughed-up blood into her sleeve.
Yang Guo asked:
"Mother, are you sick?"
Mu Nianci merely stroked his head:
"No."
"Mother is just a little tired."
Yang Guo didn't believe her.
The next day, he searched out all the remaining money in the house.
Counting copper coins one by one.
He insisted on dragging Mu Nianci to a medical clinic to see a physician.
After examining her symptoms, the physician prescribed medicine.
Yang Guo carried the bundle of medicine home, his face covered in sweat, yet he said joyfully:
"Mother, after you take this medicine, your illness will be cured."
She took one pack of medicine, two packs, three packs...
The coughing still didn't stop.
That winter, Jiaxing was bitterly cold.
Even though the broken windows were pasted over with old paper, the wind still seeped inside.
Mu Nianci's coughing grew worse and worse.
It was manageable during the day, but once night fell, her coughing became unsuppressible.
Yang Guo stayed by her side every day.
He didn't know how to cook much, so he could only make porridge.
The first time, he burnt the porridge.
He scooped out the unburnt portion on top and brought it to the bedside.
"Mother."
"Drink a little."
Mu Nianci took a sip and said with a smile:
"It's delicious."
Yang Guo took a sip himself, his face scrunching up:
"How is this delicious?"
"It tastes burnt."
Mu Nianci's face still overflowed with a smile:
"Anything Guo'er makes..."
"...is delicious."
The next day, Yang Guo carefully simmered a pot of porridge.
This time it wasn't burnt, yet Mu Nianci didn't eat much.
That night.
Halfway through his sleep, Yang Guo suddenly felt it was too quiet.
Normally, Mu Nianci would cough incessantly.
Yang Guo opened his eyes, feeling happy at first, thinking his mother was finally getting better.
He scrambled up and touched Mu Nianci's hand; it was very cold.
He pulled all of his tattered quilt over and covered Mu Nianci with it.
One layer wasn't enough, so he piled his old cotton jacket on top as well.
He even held her hand, blowing warm breath onto it constantly.
Yet right until daybreak, that hand still never warmed up.
...
Later, Yang Guo took out all the money left in the house.
He didn't buy food, nor did he keep much for himself.
He went to buy the best coffin he could afford.
Seeing that he was just a child, the shopkeeper at the coffin store asked:
"Where are the adults in your family?"
Yang Guo stood there, taking a long time before answering:
"There are no adults left."
He buried Mu Nianci near Prince Iron Spear Temple in Jiaxing.
Because that was the very place where Yang Kang had been laid to rest.
As a transmigrator, he knew what kind of person Yang Kang was.
However, he also knew that throughout her life, Mu Nianci's heart had always held that man.
Even with hatred, even with resentment, she had never truly let go.
That was why Yang Guo ultimately buried Mu Nianci there.
On the day of the burial, Yang Guo stood before the grave.
After buying the coffin, he had only a few copper coins left.
He brought only a piece of wheat cake that Mu Nianci had always been reluctant to eat during her life.
Yang Guo broke it into two halves.
He placed one half in front of the grave and held the other half himself.
"Mother."
"In the past, you always lied to me."
"Saying you weren't hungry."
"This time, half for each of us."
"Don't decline it anymore."
After speaking, he took a bite.
The cake was cold and hard; as he chewed and chewed...
...tears finally spilled down.
This was the first time since Yang Guo arrived in this world...
...that he cried uncontrollably.
...
In the ruined temple, Yang Guo related the past very simply.
Many things he merely glossed over in a few words.
Yet the more he did so, the more pained Guo Jing felt in his heart.
He pulled Yang Guo tightly against his chest, crying so hard his whole body trembled to the bone:
"Guo'er..."
"It is your Uncle Guo's fault."
"Never again."
"You will never have to live like this again."
"Your Uncle Guo will take you back to Peach Blossom Island."
Yang Guo did not agree immediately.
Peach Blossom Island...
Of course he knew what that place represented.
Safety, tranquility, and freedom from worrying about food and drink.
As for his current self...
Though he appeared to have mastered the entry level of Nine Yang and had just learned a bit of the trick to Toad Stance from Ouyang Feng.
When all was said and done, he was still too weak.
When encountering Li Mochou, he had to fight for his life.
When encountering Ouyang Feng, if he had been a moment too slow calling him father, he almost would have met his end.
That was reality.
The jianghu was never a place where people would listen just because you had reason on your side.
Most of the time, you had to first possess the capability to make people sit down and listen to your reason.
That crazy old man Ouyang Feng was right: in this fucked-up world, whoever had the strongest fist was qualified to set the rules.
Though crude, the principle held true.
When you were as weak as an ant, you didn't even have the right to speak of justice.
Yang Guo didn't expect everyone to listen to him, nor was he currently interested in becoming number one under the heavens.
He only wanted to have the ability to make his own choices whenever he encountered trouble in the future.
Whether to fight, or to leave.
Whom to save, whom to protect, where to go?
All of these must be decided by himself.
For now, Peach Blossom Island was undoubtedly the most suitable place.
There would be no need to worry about his next meal every day.
There would be no need to stay on guard even while sleeping against local thugs kicking down the door.
He could dedicate more time to practicing martial arts.
Survive first, grow stronger later.
Once his divine art reached great mastery, the vast sky and endless ocean would be his to roam as he pleased.
Just as Yang Guo was about to agree, he suddenly looked to the side.
Aniu and Little Shitou—neither of those two fellas said a word.
Aniu kept his head lowered, while Little Shitou kept clutching the corner of his hem.
Yang Guo looked at Guo Jing and said:
"Uncle Guo, what about my two brothers?"
"Thanks to their help and support over time, I was able to survive until today."
"Now that I have a place to go..."
"...I cannot abandon the two of them."
Guo Jing followed his gaze and, almost without thinking, waved his broad hand:
"How hard can that be? Since they are good children who possess honor and affection, together..."
Beside him, Huang Rong suddenly interjected:
"Jing-ge, hold on."
Guo Jing froze, and Yang Guo turned to look as well.
Huang Rong's gentle gaze rested on Aniu and Little Shitou:
"Peach Blossom Island stands isolated out at sea. As far as the eye can see, there are only desolate reefs and ocean waves, without even a single tea stall or market."
"Guo'er is afflicted with a strange poison, so going to the island is to make use of its peaceful seclusion to recover and purge the poison."
"However, these two little brothers have grown up in the bustling markets of Jiaxing and are used to the lively atmosphere of town life."
"If we force them onto an island out at sea, it would be no different from serving time in a water prison."
"You two shared trials and tribulations with Guo'er, so I will never mistreat you."
"I am the Chief of the Beggar Sect."
"I wonder if you would be willing to join the Beggar Sect?"
"I will instruct the branch chief of the Jiaxing branch to assign you a place to stay, and you will receive a full monthly allowance of money and grain according to the rules."
"The Sect's martial arts will be available for you to practice. If you are willing to apply yourselves, you will surely accomplish something, giving you a true foundation to stand on."
It wasn't that Huang Rong looked down on these two little beggars, nor was she stingy about adding two more pairs of chopsticks to every meal.
Peach Blossom Island was vast with immense wealth; feeding a few extra mouths wouldn't even count as a drop in the bucket.
The key issue was that the little ancestor already on the island gave her enough of a headache.
A reckless, lawless Guo Fu was chasing chickens and driving dogs wild all day, beyond even Ke Zhen'e's power to control.
The newly taken-in Da Wu and Xiao Wu also required split attention to instruct.
And now Yang Guo was added to the mix.
If she were to bring two more along, Huang Rong felt she simply wouldn't have the energy to teach five children.
In these times of war and chaos, frozen corpses lined the roads, and thousands upon thousands of poor, parentless children roamed under heaven.
Guo Jing possessed an honest, pure, and kind disposition, wishing he could care for every refugee he encountered.
However, Huang Rong was the cleverest person under heaven, and clever people always knew how to act within their means.
Performing chivalrous deeds could rely on hot-blooded passion, but managing a household required balancing daily necessities and personal energy.
Giving a person a fish was inferior to granting them a proper position.
Joining the Beggar Sect meant that although they were still beggars, they would be beggars within the official system.
Only then did Guo Jing understand his wife's intention.
It wasn't that Huang Rong was unwilling to take them in; she was finding a more suitable place for the two children.
Huang Rong looked at Yang Guo:
"Guo'er."
"If you're still uneasy..."
"...I can personally instruct the chief of the Jiaxing branch to look after them."
Yang Guo did not speak.
Aniu pulled Little Shitou down to bow in gratitude: "Thank you, Chief Huang."
Huang Rong helped the two up.
Aniu said:
"Yang Guo, rest assured. The two of us will take good care of ourselves. You must recover from your injuries quickly too."
Yang Guo paused for a moment, then said:
"Alright, I understand."
"Once my martial arts become powerful..."
"...I will come back."
Little Shitou immediately asked:
"How powerful would that be?"
Yang Guo thought for a moment:
"At least so that when you two get into trouble in the future..."
"...I won't have to cough up blood while saving you."
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