Chapter 252

Zi Lu loved lively places during his lifetime.

Even after death, he was buried in a lively place.

Many people come to Yanshan Mountain for sightseeing.

However, at this moment, it was dusk.

The sky was filled with sunset clouds, and the air had grown cold.

The tourists were packing up to head back.

Gradually, it became quiet and desolate.

His tomb was built like a house.

It had an arched facade with a platform where offerings could be placed.

Behind the platform was the burial chamber, resembling a door inviting people to come in and sit.

Jiang Changtian looked at the tomb, momentarily speechless.

The last person whose death had affected him deeply was his father, Grand Preceptor Jiang.

At that time, he felt as if the sky had fallen, and he was devastated.

He was young then.

It felt as if a part of his internal organs had been buried along with his father.

The grief was indescribable.

He thought that from then on, only he, his elder brother, and his mother would walk the path of life together.

But after his father's passing, his world truly collapsed, and he was truly left all alone, struggling to survive.

Countless times he thought, if he had never experienced the happy life when his father was alive, he would surely have believed that he was meant to be so miserable, meant to be lowly, meant to be pitiful.

But he had once lived a happy life.

So he felt painfully torn.

Zi Lu, who lay before him now, was the second elder figure he had encountered in his life.

Zi Lu was a very charismatic person, but he didn't have a strong fatherly air about him and didn't like to lecture people.

He was very good at praising others.

He was always smiling.

Very magnanimous.

But in his presence, one felt very safe.

Initially, the rebellion was only out of necessity.

But later, it was under Zi Lu's protection that he steadily landed on his feet.

Jiang Changtian felt that Zi Lu knew about his little thoughts.

Zi Lu had sent people to bring Aunt Yin, always helping to settle matters in the inner quarters.

Zi Lu was a true hero.

If anyone could ascend to power, Jiang Changtian thought General Zi could.

He knew how to use people well, was magnanimous yet attentive to details.

But now, buried in the earth, he had vanished like smoke.

So one must live, stay alive to have all possibilities.

Jiang Changtian lit incense and knelt down earnestly, kowtowing three times.

Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Parents, and Teachers.

He regarded him as his teacher...

Jiang Feng looked at the tomb, not feeling good about it, even though this tomb was considered quite beautiful, much better looking than the mounds of earth he remembered.

But this was still a tomb.

A place for burying bones.

So while alive, one should strive harder, do all the things one wants to do.

Then she repeated what she had just said.

"Brother Zi Lu, I know you must have been worried about your child when you left. You called me sister, and I have no brothers or elders, I'm willing to take you as my elder brother..."

"Puff..."

At this point, the incense fell over again.

Qin Luoxia nodded.

"I understand, Brother is nodding in agreement. Thank you, Brother, for making the effort to push the incense."

Then she lit another bunch.

And repeated those words again.

"...Brother, entrust the child to me, and from now on, I'll be his aunt. I'll raise him, I'll watch him get married and have children on your behalf. You can rest easy in the netherworld, don't worry."

A row of incense stood upright.

The smoke swirled left and right, without pattern.

As if a ghost was blowing the smoke.

The smoke that should have risen straight up was twisting chaotically.

Zi Congheng, who hadn't cried for a long time, felt tears sliding down his cheeks, but the corners of his mouth turned up.

He couldn't help but smile.

He didn't know what his father meant.

If Father didn't want him to go to the Jiang family, he would surely be anxiously bumping around now. Thinking this way, it felt as if his father was still alive, truly by his side.

Zi Congheng, who had been silent from the moment they met until now, suddenly knelt before Qin Luoxia and said: "Aunt."

Qin Luoxia emotionally patted the young man's shoulder, also shedding tears.

"Good boy, from now on, you'll follow Aunt. If Aunt has a bite to eat, you'll have a bite. If Aunt has a sip to drink, you'll have a sip. Aunt will treat you equally, I'll be proud if you strive to improve, and I'll also spank you if you're naughty."

The chaotic blue smoke finally rose straight up.

...

On the return journey.

Zi Congheng actually got into the carriage with the Jiang family to go back.

He didn't even go home to pack his things.

Jiang Mianmian obsequiously called him brother.

Although paying respects at a tomb was a somewhat sad affair, the degrees of intimacy were different after all, and human emotions are mostly not interconnected.

On the return journey, Mianmian was only thinking that she now had a brother, one who clearly still needed education, and her father now had something to do, there was now someone to guide in studies.

Although she wanted to appear sad, she couldn't suppress her happiness.

There are three things humans can't hide: coughing, poverty, and love.

Mianmian now had a deep fraternal love for her Worm Brother, the kind where joys and sorrows are shared.

"Brother, do you like spicy food?"

"Brother, did you bring your turtle back?"

"Brother, are you cold?"

"Brother, can you recite the Analects?"

"..."

Zi Congheng's mind was in a jumble, with grief tangled up tightly in it. At this moment, he only felt his head was in a muddle.

He thought his father had reason to push over the incense.

He kind of wanted to get off the carriage now.

"Brother, do you prefer practicing sword or knife?"

"Brother, can you climb trees?"

"Brother, have you put on your long johns, are you cold?"

...