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Chapter 43: The First Smile
Yu Sheng followed Liu Qingfeng through the fields with a puzzled expression, running under the scattering starlight.
After a while...
Liu Qingfeng stopped, breathing heavily, yet he was laughing. "Haha, how does it feel?"
"It feels... like you're tired?"
Yu Sheng pondered and asked.
"But being tired is also a feeling, isn't it?"
Liu Qingfeng patted his waist.
Yu Sheng nodded, "But your tiredness is feigned, right?"
...
Liu Qingfeng stiffened, coughed to relieve the awkwardness, and straightened up.
"Actually, I've just realized something."
"There's no need to obsess over changing you into someone else, nor do I have the right to change you."
"At least... as a teacher, I hope you live happily."
"At some moment, when you suddenly look back, thinking about your life, you should be able to face it with a smile, and say... I have no regrets."
"That's enough."
At this moment, Liu Qingfeng lost the unique authority of a teacher and lay carelessly in the field, inhaling the fragrance of the flowers and grass.
"Teacher, have you ever had any regrets?"
Yu Sheng looked at Liu Qingfeng. Under the moonlight, his still somewhat youthful face was filled with seriousness.
Liu Qingfeng shook his head without any hesitation, raised his right hand, and looked at his missing pinky finger, "If I have to talk about regrets, the only thing I regret is that at the moment my finger was cut off, I should have switched to using my left hand to wield the sword. Then, I could have killed a few more."
"What a pity."
Yu Sheng stared at Liu Qingfeng's four fingers, his expression even more bewildered.
"Do you know what my awakened item is?"
Liu Qingfeng suddenly became enthusiastic, with a hint of pride and mystery in his voice.
At this moment, he seemed much younger and more cheerful, even talkative.
Yu Sheng shook his head.
"It's a sword!"
"A seven-patterned sword!"
Liu Qingfeng declared with a look of reverence.
As his voice fell, several wild grasses around them suddenly snapped, as if cut by a sharp energy.
Above Liu Qingfeng, a pale blue longsword appeared.
The sword was engraved with beautifully intricate patterns, and its hilt was inlaid with four crystals.
The only flaw marring its beauty was a visible crack at the blade's edge.
"My teacher once told me," Liu Qingfeng began, "in the world of the awakened, swords are the most common and ordinary."
"But they are also the strongest."
"There is nothing a sword cannot cut through."
"As long as one possesses a resolute heart, even an ordinary sword can eventually transcend the mundane and become sacred."
"Unfortunately... my hand can no longer hold it steady."
Looking at the sword hovering in mid-air was like looking at an old friend who had been by his side for many years.
There was nostalgia in his eyes, and devotion.
But ultimately, it turned into a sigh. With a wave of his hand, the sword dissolved into the night sky.
"Let's not talk about this."
"We'll head back the day after tomorrow. For these next two days, let's not think about anything and just take it as a brief relaxation."
Saying this, Liu Qingfeng got up and started walking along a small path in the field, gradually moving further away.
Watching Liu Qingfeng's retreating figure, Yu Sheng's gaze grew increasingly vacant.
Imitating Liu Qingfeng, he lay down in the field, staring up at the vast expanse of stars, somewhat lost in thought.
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"Does doing this... bring happiness?"
"It really is quite comfortable."
Unknowingly, Yu Sheng closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Even in deep sleep, his hand rested on his waist, where a dagger was positioned to be drawn without hindering movement...
...
By the lakeside.
Zhong Yushu moved a small stool and sat in front of a tombstone, gazing at the lake and murmuring to himself, "Qingfeng is becoming more and more like a proper teacher."
"But why didn't I die at Demon-Suppressing Pass."
"Leaving only this broken body to live out my days in confusion."
Now, he lacked his usual cunning, resembling an old man in the twilight of his life, talkative and rambling.
He seemed to want to chat about everything.
"The blood of a Divine Beast, saving such a useless person like me, what's the point?"
"Humans always need the future more than history. I'm just an old man who's being phased out."
"Or is it that... I'm truly afraid?"
"Perhaps."
"Zhong Yushu can get tired too, it's just that... Zhong Yushu cannot afford to be tired."
"So it might be better to let the name Zhong Yushu dissipate with the wind."
A gentle breeze passed by, as if whispering in his ear. With a faint smile on his face, Zhong Yushu leaned against the tombstone and fell asleep.
The lake, mirrored by the starry sky, formed a serene and soft horizon...
...
"God-Attendant, we must move up the plan!"
"The movements in Jiangbei Province have become too significant lately, even the Demon Exorcism Pavilion has joined the cleanup efforts, and our losses are substantial."
"If this affects the higher-ups' plans, we cannot bear the consequences."
The young man, holding a cellphone, spoke with a serious expression.
His face turned grim, veins bulging on his hand gripping the phone: "God-Attendant, the exam period is when Jiangbei Province is most guarded. Acting during this time will greatly jeopardize our plans!"
"Was this personally ordered by the God-Envoy...?"
"I have no issues now."
"My tone was a bit off earlier, I spoke too loudly, please forgive me, God-Attendant."
The young man quickly adopted a respectful demeanor and sincerely apologized.
After hanging up the phone.
A trace of doubt appeared in the young man's eyes: "The God-Envoy personally overseeing this, could there be plans I'm unaware of?"
He stood up and gazed at the map of Jiangbei Province on the wall, his eyes settling on Mobei, lost in thought.
...
Early morning.
Opening his eyes to a ray of sunlight shining on him, for some reason, Yu Sheng felt a hint of joy in his heart.
This... perhaps this was what Liu Qingfeng meant by being happy.
Throughout the day, Liu Qingfeng didn't preach any profound truths; instead, he simply took him to catch fish in the stream, collect bird eggs, and even made two nets to catch butterflies among the flowers.
At this moment, he didn't seem like a teacher, but rather a kind elder.
What most children take for granted was, for Yu Sheng, filled with novelty.
It was as if...
The world has its shades of light and dark, and having just stepped out of the darkness, he was now experiencing everything under the sun.
And he was dazzled by it.
At night, grilling the fish caught earlier in the day and breathing the fresh air of the fields, Yu Sheng couldn't help but curve his lips into a smile.
A genuine smile.
He couldn't even remember the last time he had laughed truly from the heart.
Perhaps it was in his memories, or perhaps... it had never happened before.