sbdcsierra Chapter 579: Vicissitudes
Chapter 579: Vicissitudes
Chu Xiong and the others assumed that their junior brother was just being impulsive and speaking carelessly, so they didn't take it to heart. Chu Xiong said, "Junior brother, listen to your senior brother. We'll make plans for revenge later. Your senior brother swears that within a year, I will definitely take the Moon Goddess's head to offer as a sacrifice to our master."
Chao Bufan understood the implication in his three senior brothers' words. They simply didn't believe in his strength and were certain they wouldn't tell him no matter what. So he said, "Senior brothers, could you please prepare a few rooms for Baihe and the others to rest? I want to go out for a walk."
Chu Xiong said, "Junior Brother, let your senior brother accompany you for a walk!"
Chao Bufan smiled and said, "No need, you guys help me tidy up the room! I want to be alone."
"Junior Brother," Wang Er said, "why don't you let Senior Brother accompany you out for a walk to clear your head? It's not safe outside."
“No need,” Chao Bufan said. “I just want to be alone and won’t go far. Lily, you guys stay home! Let me be alone.”
Baihe and the others understood Chao Bufan's feelings at this moment. After all, the blow of losing a loved one would be hard for anyone to bear, so they tactfully nodded and said, "Okay, then be careful."
Chao Bufan grunted in agreement and then strode out of the ancestral hall.
Chu Xiong was about to say something when Baihe spoke first, saying, "Senior Brother, let him go out and clear his head! It's alright."
Upon hearing this, Chu Xiong hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright! My dear brothers and sisters, I'll take care of whoever you ask. I'll go and help you tidy up the rooms right away."
Baihe said, "Senior Brother, there's no need to trouble yourself. We can tidy up ourselves. You just need to tell us which room it is."
"That won't do!" Chu Xiong said. "Second brother, third brother, let's go help our younger siblings get ready!"
……
All the splendor has faded onto the chessboard; the players are no longer those on the board. Past events are like fleeting clouds, life's ups and downs are predetermined; seasons cycle, memories have weathered countless changes.
In the stillness of the night, as darkness descends and the clouds on the horizon darken, the glitz and glamour fade away. In the distance, a dim chrysanthemum lantern shines with a lonely glow under the dim night sky.
Chao Bufan wandered aimlessly along the mountain path, his mind filled with a multitude of thoughts: guilt, self-blame, sadness, and pain all rushing to his mind, causing a sudden, heart-wrenching pain.
Memories of the past are vivid in my mind. Gazing at the distant, hazy Milky Way, I sigh at the long and winding road of life. I count the days of fate, how they come and go in the blink of an eye.
My father's earnest teachings, his stern admonitions, his words and deeds—it all seems like yesterday, so vivid in my mind. Yet now they are all just a passing cloud.
Time flows like water, a pathetic and poignant sight. Quietly listening to its silent passage, I recall countless fragments of the past, a desolate state of mind, as if cast into the azure sky; abandoned in the wilderness, it would be so, unrelated to anyone. Yet, it lingers in my heart, impossible to shake off.
Reaching out, I try to scoop up a fragment of fleeting time from between my fingers, attempting to hold onto the beautiful years I could never grasp in my life. Those tender, verdant years may be gracefully forgotten, or perhaps remembered in loneliness. A desolate pain and sorrow, tasted alone in the chaotic world.
Looking back, the scenery along the way, the stories of ups and downs, even with a thousand kinds of reluctance and ten thousand kinds of longing, will eventually be submerged in the vast smoke of the world. Although time has foreshadowed the past and painted a face of vicissitudes on a smile, can the emotion of that moment warm all the desolation in the heart?
Do you remember the person you always asked for things from but never said thank you to?
Do you remember that person who didn't understand how difficult things were until you grew up?
Do you remember the person who always did their best to give you the best?
Father, what a sacred word, what a great person?
Fatherly love is as steadfast as a mountain, yet this love can only be forever frozen in the diary of my thoughts, one entry after another, endless and inexhaustible.
Like dust in the wind, youth fades in the blink of an eye. The river of time flows slowly by, and dreams remain, silently recalling the past. Who can compose a chapter of fatherly love? Who can sing the ballad of fatherly love?
If I indulge in countless thoughts and desires with a small inkstone, slowly exhausting my pen and paper with elegant words and phrases, could I exchange time for another journey through the years, so that I can rediscover the true meaning of fatherly love?
Amidst the smoke and dust of life, on this bustling, ever-changing land, lies an uncrossable ocean of emotions. In this journey of life, how many can truly reach the end of the river and sit back to watch the clouds rise? In the long, quiet night, if it weren't for my thoughts, why would I needlessly fish for sorrow with a hook?
I long to choose a secluded cottage in the woods after all the trials and tribulations of life, to live with my wife and children and my father, to enjoy the birdsong and the fragrance of flowers, and to appreciate the beauty of the forest. Even if we are forgotten by the world, I will have no regrets.
However, I never imagined that my loved one would pass away, but the longing remains. The only thing I can do is let all the heavy memories settle to the bottom like dust in the long river of time.
The past is too painful to recall; when I do, my eyes fill with tears.
The familiar smells are everywhere, but now, no matter how familiar they are, they are superfluous if you have no heart to savor them.
"Sigh..." Chao Bufan sighed softly, then muttered to himself, "Fate is cruel, fate is cruel! Father, may you rest in peace in heaven!"
Unknowingly, we arrived at the foot of the mountain and came to Dagu Village. This village used to have many people, but half a year ago, the villagers left one by one, and now very few remain. No one knows why. However, some speculate that perhaps the feng shui of Dagu Village has been damaged, or perhaps its greatest backer, Gucheng, has fallen on hard times, forcing most people to leave Dagu Village to seek a living elsewhere.
Speaking of this Lonely City, it's actually the sect atop the treacherous peak behind Da Gu Village, and its name is Lonely City. This Lonely City is Tian Yue's home. His father was originally the sect leader, but after his death, the leadership fell to Chu Xiong. The reason it's called Lonely City is because its members are few. At its peak, the entire sect had fewer than ten members. Now, besides Chao Bufan, there are only three left in Lonely City: Chu Xiong and his two fellow disciples.
Although Lonely City has few people, no sect in the martial arts world dares to underestimate it, because Lonely City is small in number but strong in strength. However, now that Tian Yue's father has died, Lonely City is not as powerful as before. Now that Yue Shen has become the leader of the martial arts alliance, no one pays any attention to Lonely City.
It’s really raining all night when the house leaks!
Walking through Dagu Village, looking at the once bustling and lively village now exuding an air of vicissitude, like tea that has grown cold with the passing of its inhabitants, Chao Bufan felt a sudden surge of loss. The once glorious and joyous scene, the once vibrant and bustling world, the once prosperous avenues, all have withered and faded away because of his father's departure.