539 Kneel Down! Beg! (1/2)
The forest was covered in snow as it fluttered from the sky, weighing the branches down as they bowed under the weight of snow. Occasionally, the snow that had piled on the trees would land on the ground with a plop.
In a small valley, the opposite cliff was sliced, just like a huge tombstone. Before the cliff, there was a small grave that was packed securely with snow. On the other side of the forest, all the upper parts of the trees were hacked off, leaving only the bottom trunks. It looked like they had been taken off as a marking.
A thin person in white stood alone in front of the grave. His actions were slow as he went about his business.
Yun Yang approached the man quietly, his heart lurching. Could it be that… Sister Lan already… Was this person paying a tribute to her?
The man in white was clearing the accumulated snow on the grave with his hands without using any mystical Qi. He was meticulously cleaning the tomb. When the snow was swept off, yellowish brown soil was uncovered. He was even carefully removing the wilted weeds from it. The surrounding area of the grave was cleared, forming a lonely but unique sight in the snowy landscape.
Then, he stood there unmoving for a long time.
Yun Yang approached the vicinity with bated breath as he landed on the snow-covered slope. He lowered himself and concealed his being within the snow. When he was sure that his breathing, heartbeat, and divine sense was sufficiently under control so as not to expose himself, he looked up slowly.
The person in front of the grave was thin and sculpted; his face was pale while silver dotted his sideburns. He looked rather aged. Grey strands of hair fluttered in the chilling breeze, his gaze looked broken. He wore white but it exuded an icy cold.
Yun Yang almost cried out.
This person was very familiar. Moreover, they had met each other in duels many times before.
It was the Four Seasons Tower's Venerable Lord Ice.
Yun Yang recalled many things at once. Shui Wuyin had reported that the Four Seasons Tower's Venerable Lord Ice had slipped into Tiantang City in secret while King Qinguang had mentioned that they had broken the meridians connecting Venerable Lord Ice's heart.
…
Now, Venerable Lord Ice had appeared here.
Why?
Who was the one buried in this grave?
Yun Yang could not help thinking of Yang Botao, the Yutang marshal whose reputation was ruined and he was beheaded. His father was Venerable Lord Ice. Yang Botao's demise was caused by none other than his own father, Venerable Lord Ice himself!
Snow and wind painted the scene.
Venerable Lord Ice suddenly heaved a long sigh.
”Tao'er…” Venerable Lord Ice's voice was sorrowful. ”I wonder if… your wife has forgiven you now underneath?”
The wind blew harder, causing his voice to crack.
Yun Yang jolted. When Yang Botao died, he was right beside him but now... What was going on?
”Your father has wronged you.”
Venerable Lord Ice sat himself down in front of the grave like he had lost all his bones, his voice trailed off into a sob. ”I'm so sorry…”
”Since you were small, I've never taken care of you, never fulfilled any responsibility as a father. It was only your mother who brought you up. When you grew up, I didn't even help you. You enlisted in the military since your teenage years, going to war all your life and became who you were, but… it's me who failed you…”
The grave was silent, only a forlorn and regretful voice drifted in the wind.
”Have you begrudged your father down there?”
”Sigh, it's impossible you don't resent me…”
Venerable Lord Ice grabbed the frozen soil in front of the tomb with both his hands and rubbed them on his face; he quivered, sobbing without a sound.
As Yun Yang gazed, he saw tears that had turned into ice hanging on both sides of Venerable Lord Ice's mouth.
”I regret…”
Venerable Lord Ice sobbed, his voice a blur.
”If God gives me another chance, I'd destroy my cultivation base for sure, become the old man who's a step away from death in your home. So what if I can't live long? Isn't it better when my son and daughter-in-law are by my side? Martial world hegemony? Becoming unrivaled? Those are imaginary things to me now. They would be like nothing compared to my son serving me a cup of tea…”
”Without me, you have lived well but once you acknowledged this father, your home was ruined.”
Venerable Lord Ice sprawled on the ground, trembling.
”I regret it so much!”
”Why must I understand it only when I'm fatally injured? Why must I regret only when nothing can be salvaged?”
”I was stupid. Burying our family's happiness away.”
Venerable Lord Ice wept in the wintery land.
”I've torn you apart with my own hands, I've sent our family to doom with my own hands.”
”Previously, I've always thought that I'm the Four Seasons Tower's Venerable Lord Ice, I'm the future unrivaled God of Ice. As long as our goal is accomplished, I shall become immortal. I've never realized that I'm wrong.”
”So I coerced you and made you commit a heinous sin. I made you lose everything because of me.”
”But now that I'm wounded and can't live for long, I know now what's worth cherishing in this world! It's not the regret that I can't become God of Ice, it's… my son and my family that I will never see again…”
Venerable Lord Ice's sob quivered in the wind. ”God! Why – why make me realize the truth so late! My son, he had a bright future, he was influential and respected, he was loyal, and he was a hero! A hero! Yet I've made my own son carry an eternal infamy! I've turned his lifetime effort into naught!”
”My son had no family since he was young. With hard work, he finally had one but I, his father, caused him to lose everything! Am I worthy to be a father? No!”
Venerable Lord Ice sobbed aloud.
Perhaps, it was because this forest and wilderness were so isolated that he had no restraint. He did not attempt to soften his weeping. He bawled out loud.
It was at this moment that a voice spoke leisurely, ”Venerable Lord Ice, do you know why you've suddenly come to realize the truth now?”
The bawling stopped abruptly.
Pin-drop silence permeated the atmosphere at once.
Venerable Lord Ice froze, rooted to the ground. He promptly reined in his emotions.
After a moment, his icy voice rang in the air. ”Which friend is it who has found your way here? Do come out and let us have a good chat.”
Yun Yang smirked coldly.
Have a good chat? About? Once he got out, that chat would be about life and death.