Chapter 145: The Passing of an Old Friend

"Uncle really caught me off guard."Chen An couldn't help but exclaim as he recalled the scene when Chen Qi killed Chen Li. He admitted that he had misjudged the situation.

Never did he expect that this guy who looked like a villain would turn out to be a filial son.

"To be honest, I didn't expect it either."

In front of him, Chen Hua also sighed and said, "Back then, compared to Qi'er, I really favored Li'er more."

"Looking back now, I do feel guilty towards Qi'er."

"But never did I expect that Qi'er would go this far for an old man like me."

Chen Hua also admitted that he actually favored Chen Li's father, Chen Li, more between the two children.

This was quite obvious.

After all, Chen Qi was the eldest son, and according to common sense, he should have become the successor of the Chen Guogong Mansion at that time.

But it didn't happen in the end, and he even had to compete with his brother.

This wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for the favoritism of Chen Guogong Chen Hua himself.

But unexpectedly, the child who wasn't favored turned out to be the one who was more filial to his father.

This was truly unexpected.

"Unfortunately, I realized it a bit too late."

Chen An sighed, "If Great-Uncle were still alive, with his actions, I would have treated him better, and it wouldn't have been like before."

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Chen Hua shook his head and said, "You were already good to him before."

"He was in your mansion, although not the master, but practically there was not much difference between him and the master."

"I can clearly see that in the decades after your father passed away, he actually lived quite happily."

Indeed, how could he not be happy.

Originally, Chen Qi was also a young master in the Chen Guogong Mansion, but with Chen Hua, the legitimate Chen Guogong, suppressing him from above, and Chen Li, the favored brother, competing for power and profit from below, his life was not smooth.

But when Chen An arrived, although he couldn't inherit the mansion, there was no one above him like Chen Hua and Chen Li to control him.

The only one who could control him, Chen An, was not interested in managing, as long as he sent money regularly.

The other steward appointed by Chen An, Chen Ziling, had limited abilities and couldn't compete with him. He could only barely exist relying on Chen An.

In this situation, he lived much more smoothly in the mansion than before.

He probably made quite a profit from various things too.

"That's true."

Chen An smiled and continued, "But it's quite rare that you've lived up to now."

"Back then, my cultivation was disabled by you, but the foundation was still there."

Chen Hua said, "Afterward, Qi'er gathered treasures and elixirs for me, which helped me somewhat restore my aura, allowing me to hold on until now."

Chen An didn't go all out back then.

So although Chen Hua's cultivation was disabled, the foundation was still there.

The lifespan of a martial artist with aura was generally much longer than that of an ordinary person and could easily live over a hundred years without illness or disaster.

With good health practices, living up to a hundred and fifty years was not unheard of.

After all, a hundred years was just the basic lifespan, and the specific longevity depended on one's abilities.

With the foundation of aura, Chen Hua could live up to now, which was rare but not too surprising.

"Unfortunately."

Chen An looked at Chen Hua in front of him, somewhat regretful, "If I had found out earlier, I could have helped you, maybe even helped you recover."

"But now, it's a bit too late."

Indeed, it was too late.

Aura warriors were still human after all, although they lived longer than ordinary people, they couldn't live forever.

Although Chen Hua had managed to live to this age, he had already reached the end of his life.

At this stage, even if Chen An helped him recover, it wouldn't make much of a difference.

This made Chen An somewhat regretful.

Although he didn't regret what he did back then, he now felt that he had gone too far. Looking at Chen Hua in his current state, he felt a bit guilty and wanted to make amends.

But unfortunately, at this stage for Chen Hua, even if he tried to make amends, it wouldn't make much of a difference.

Although innate warriors were powerful, they were not omnipotent.

To Chen An's words, Chen Hua just smiled.

"Let's call it even."

He said.

In fact, Chen Hua also felt guilty towards Chen An in the past.

He felt that if he had paid more attention to his family members and not secluded himself for a long time, perhaps the situation back then wouldn't have happened.

The same went for Chen Qi, he also felt guilty.

While expressing their guilt towards each other, Chen Hua once again spoke, hoping that Chen An would take good care of Chen Qi's descendants.

He could see that after Chen Qi's passing, the descendants he left behind were not living well.

Chen Ziling himself was not assertive and didn't deliberately suppress the descendants left by Chen Qi.

But as time passed, as his children grew up and started families of their own, they became increasingly hostile towards Chen Qi's descendants and forces.

Although the family estate was vast, it was still limited.

If you have more, I naturally have less.

In this situation, Chen Qi's many descendants could only be gradually suppressed without other options.

After all, back then, the only stewards who had the authority appointed by Chen An were Chen Ziling and Chen Qi, and not them.

Chen An agreed.

In fact, even if Chen Hua didn't say it, he would have done the same.

After all, Chen Qi had worked for him for so many years, and he had died in the line of duty. It was only right to take care of his descendants properly.

Seeing that Chen An didn't intend to pursue the matter further, Chen Hua also felt relieved.

They then continued their conversation.

In all seriousness, this was the first time this grandfather and grandson had a real conversation.

Although Chen Hua had seen Chen An when he was young, he didn't pay much attention to him, and they hadn't really talked before.

Apart from a few encounters when Chen An returned to the Chen Guogong Mansion before, there had never been such a harmonious atmosphere as now.

Unexpectedly, Chen An and Chen Hua got along somewhat.

Perhaps it was because they were both quite old, and at this moment, they had shed their impatience and gained a bit of tranquility.

This was also the reason why they could continue their conversation.

They shared their experiences and talked about their martial arts, each gaining some insights.

"So this is what it means to have innate aura."

At the end, Chen Hua couldn't help but sigh, his eyes showing pure curiosity.

Looking at Chen An in front of him and feeling the innate aura on him, his whole body trembled with excitement.

Innate aura was the realm he had pursued all his life, thinking he would never truly see it.

But unexpectedly, he saw it again in this situation.

In the end, Chen An asked Chen Hua if he had any last wishes.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Hua gave an unexpected answer that surprised Chen An.

He requested Chen An to use his innate aura to send him off, to escort him on his final journey.

Chen An was a bit stunned, and after a moment of silence, he finally nodded.

For the present Chen Hua, there might not be much left in this world worth worrying about.

At his age, he had already lived a full life, and no matter what, he wouldn't live much longer.

Perhaps his only wish was to witness a higher view before his passing.

Innate aura was the level he had longed for.

Even if he was dead, he wanted to witness the scenery of that realm before he could die without regrets.

Chen An understood his wish and did not refuse.

That day, Chen An carried Chen Hua to a remote mountain.

The innate aura spontaneously circulated, and then roared forward.

In just an instant, a terrifying scene appeared.

The terrain in all directions changed instantly, and even the entire mountain turned into a huge iceberg.

On the iceberg, everything maintained its previous appearance, looking serene and beautiful.

In the midst of all this, Chen Hua had long become an ice sculpture.

Chen An's action was decisive, not causing any pain to the old man. He wanted to end his life quickly and without leaving any traces.

It may sound cruel, but it was Chen An's final act of kindness.

Upon the iceberg, Chen Hua's ice sculpture stood there, with a satisfied smile on his face.

Looking at the ice sculpture, Chen An fell silent, stood in place for a long time before finally leaving.

Before leaving, he deliberately took Chen Hua's body with him, preparing to bury him in the Chen family's ancestral tomb.

Everything seemed to return to its previous state.

Except that in this place, an inexplicable iceberg had appeared.

After settling Chen Hua's affairs, Chen An stayed at the Chen Wang Mansion for some time, taking care of some things.

Following Chen Hua's last request, he arranged the old people left behind by Chen Hua and Chen Qi's descendants, giving them appropriate jobs, before finally leaving.

As he was leaving, Chen Ziling wanted to come and see Chen An off in person, but was ultimately refused by Chen An.

At that moment, he already had a premonition.

When he returned here next time, perhaps it would be to attend Chen Ziling's funeral.

Various thoughts crossed his mind, and Chen An sighed softly before leaving.

He left the Chen Wang Mansion and returned to his secluded place.

But this time, he couldn't stay for long, only two years later, he had to come out again.

Another person was in trouble this time.

This time, it was Cheng Zheng.

When Chen An returned to Shengjing and saw Cheng Zheng again, Cheng Zheng was already bedridden and unable to move.

Seeing Chen An, his body trembled, struggling to get out of bed, but in the end, he couldn't move.

"Chen… Chen An."

Seeing Chen An again, Cheng Zheng's eyes were very complex.

He seemed to have a lot to say to Chen An, but speaking was very difficult for him.

It seemed like he had a stroke?

Chen An speculated reasonably and adeptly used his aura to heal Cheng Zheng's body.

The healing effect was quite good, at least from the surface, Cheng Zheng's condition improved a lot, and his speech gradually became more normal.

(This chapter is complete)