Chapter 214 - Freeze (1/2)

His Precise Instinct lost its function.

How would he calculate time? How would he calculate life energy?

Tang Ling squatted down on a tree root, slicing the fish knife by knife. With every slice he cut, he clenched his teeth tighter and forced his tears back.

The fish fillet would soon be ready in probably another one to two minutes.

He had plucked some purple ginger leaves along the way to put into the soup to provide extra warmth to the body.

Tang Ling had no other options left. He stubbornly wanted to make a simple meal that was as warm as possible to accompany Su Siao in the upcoming loneliness. It was also to help him fight off the coldness and loneliness in his eternal sleep. How long would he have to be lonely during his sleep?

The bitterness in Tang Ling’s heart was erupting.

After the boiling fish soup was placed on the tea table, Tang Ling carried Su Siao over.

Su Siao was a little confused. It was just a very short nap, yet he had aged a lot again. His hands started to shake uncontrollably.

Tang Ling filled a bowl with soup and fed the warm fish fillet to Su Siao. He had removed the bones and the meat was cooked softly, so it slid easily down the throat.

Su Siao nodded, expressing how tasty it was. His eyes then showed a tinge of irony. Has it come down to this? Does he have to feed me now?

“Uncle, even if you are healthy, I should also feed you. That’s what it is.” What was what? Tang Ling could not even express himself properly. As usual, his words would be muddled whenever he was depressed.

“Give…” Su Siao passed the two black notebooks to Tang Ling and swallowed a spoon of soup. Then, he mustered enough strength to say, “The map to Darkness Port…Otherwise, you will die here in the mountains. The other one…has a lot of things inside…you must read it.”

Tang Ling nodded.

“Am I dying?” Su Siao pushed the bowl away. He could no longer eat but he was happy inside. He never thought he would be so at peace when he departed. The kid that he treated as half his son was beside him, a warm meal was on the table, and he was peacefully lying down in this mushroom cottage that housed countless memories for him.

All was well. He waited.

“C-Cigarette.” Su Siao lay down on the tatami mat.

Tang Ling lit a cigarette quietly and gave it to him before he adjusted Su Siao’s body to a more comfortable posture on the tatami mat.

He then grabbed the black overcoat and covered Su Siao’s body because it was getting a little chilly in the cottage.

Su Siao stroked the black overcoat affectionately. “This was from my wife. She died by the hand of my enemy after I came back from a mission. I took revenge for her.” Su Siao forced a smile at Tang Ling with his remaining strength.

Tang Ling held his hand tightly.

“It’s a little cold.” Su Siao curled his body up as he looked at Tang Ling profoundly. “I have a daughter. She’s missing. Her name is Su Lu. Find her for me. Bring her here and tell her I missed her. She will understand when she sees this cottage.”

It was Su Siao’s turn to grip Tang Ling’s hand tightly.

Tang Ling nodded. He also knew the pink lights in the cottage, the childish decorations and the cloth doll were all a little girl’s favorite.

“Whenever I’m bored, I come here to make some wood sculptures. I’m not kidding. That’s Mad Lion Su Siao’s hobby.” Su Siao’s eyes were half-closed.

Tang Ling did not move as the rapid drop in temperature made him want to stay still. Suddenly, the big-bellied lighting bug flew away because of the cold, so the cottage plunged into darkness.

“W-why did it fly away?” Su Siao was confused.

Tang Ling tightened his teeth while his other hand was shaking terribly.

“What’s the weather like outside?”

“It’s almost raining. It tends to rain during early autumn.” Tang Ling tried his best to sound normal.

“Oh, I, Su Siao, am dying on a rainy day.” Su Siao started to mumble gibberish. It sounded muddled as if every word rumbled in his throat though Tang Ling heard it clearly.

“Rona is in Ximi City. If you meet her there, tell her I got another woman and had a bunch of babies.”

“Mm-hmm.”

The box…open it. I know you have a way to open it, but don’t break it. I’m afraid that you just might.”

“Mm-hmm.” Tang Ling saw a thin layer of ice spreading quickly and almost freeze over the old man.

“The Dragon Army has gone into hiding, but the old Dragon Army isn’t important anymore. The important thing is that you should go and find the people that Tang Feng listed down. They will be your most important comrades.”

Tang Ling was silent for a moment before he answered with a muffled cry. Su Siao was going to sleep, and there was no reason for him to make the man mad for one last time. He wanted his uncle to have a sweet dream.

“I know you don’t want to hear it, but Tang Feng is my closest and best brother, and he is your father.” Su Siao tightened his grip on Tang Ling’s hand. The ice had frozen his legs.

The whole cottage was filled with a veil of mist. Every flutter of it would make one quiver.

Tang Ling endured the cold. He could still hold on for a while because he wanted to stay beside his uncle’s side for a little longer. Every second and every minute in the upcoming days, his uncle would be in loneliness, sleeping here alone.

“Here.” Su Siao mustered enough strength to raise his other hand. There was a True Capital coin in his palm.

Tang Ling silently held the coin in his hand.

“I-I also treated you as my son…from the moment…that you were born…you were…my son.” Su Siao shut his eyes. It was so cold that the sleepiness got to him.

“Mm-hmm, yes, Father. I thought so.” A drop of tear rolled down Tang Ling’s cheek, but before it could fall, it froze.

“I’m going to sleep…for a while.” The unfinished cigarette stiffened beside Su Siao’s mouth.

“Sure, have a good rest. I’ll wake you up.” As Tang Ling let go of Su Siao’s hand, the thin layer shattered. Tang Ling tightened his mouth. As though he felt like it was too difficult to part or was unwilling to accept it just yet, he called out to Su Siao, “Uncle? Uncle?”

There was no reply in the dark cottage as the temperature further dropped.

Silently, Tang Ling grabbed the two black notebooks and the black Dori Box into his backpack and slung it over his shoulder.

He walked back to Su Siao and removed the cigarette from his mouth. Then, he put the frozen unfinished cigarette on the table where the warm fish soup had been frozen solid.

“I’ll come back and wake you up.” Every word that escaped his mouth was shaky. As his words echoed, he dashed out of the mushroom cottage and pulled the door close.