Chapter 72: Strong Alone |
"Xiaoxia, don't be afraid…"
This sentence seemed to stir a distant memory within Zhao Hongxia.
A tiny Zhao Hongxia stood on the high seawall, wiping her tears and whimpering softly.
On the sandy beach below the seawall stood a man, head tilted back, arms outstretched, a warm smile gracing his face.
"Xiaoxia, don't be afraid, jump down, Dad will catch you, jump down…"
Then Zhao Hongxia closed her eyes, jumped down resolutely, and landed in a warm embrace.
"Alright, open your eyes. Dad told you he'd catch you.
See? You're perfectly fine, aren't you?"
"Mmm~."
"Xiaoxia, you have to be a bit braver in the future. When things happen, don't cry, don't be afraid, because Dad will always be by your side, accompanying you and protecting you…"
…
But what happened later?
When she was bullied and fell down time and again, where was he?
When she was starving and swallowed by darkness, where was he then?
Now he was here again, telling her not to be afraid.
She suddenly found it laughable.
She wasn't afraid, but not because of him.
It was because she had learned to be strong, learned to make herself powerful.
She was no longer that little girl standing on the seawall, crying and shrinking back, too afraid to jump.
So—
Thus, Zhao Hongxia retorted furiously, "Of course I'm not afraid, why should I be afraid…"
But was she really not afraid? Of course not. Although she had already recognized Lu Guanchang, she still felt a little scared.
After all, the way he had appeared was far too bizarre.
Even though it was broad daylight and the sun was scorching outside, the two of them still felt a chill run through their bodies, their hairs standing on end, and a cold sweat trickling down their backs.
"Xiaoxia, do you still remember me? I'm your… your…" Lu Guanchang's voice grew softer and softer.
"You're Lu Guanchang, I know," Zhao Hongxia cut him off directly.
"Sigh."
Lu Guanchang let out a deep sigh.
When his daughter received the letter written on his behalf by Shen Siyuan, he was right there beside her. He naturally knew Zhao Hongxia's attitude towards him, so he wasn't surprised, though he still felt disappointed.
But Lu Guanchang didn't know what he should say.
In the end, he just uttered three words filled with guilt.
"I'm sorry."
But Zhao Hongxia didn't have much of a reaction, merely looking at him coldly.
Lu Guanchang thought for a moment and said, "Can we sit down and talk?"
Zhao Hongxia continued to watch him warily, not moving an inch. It was Sun Dacheng behind her who gently tugged her hand.
He understood Zhao Hongxia. He knew she was still angry, but since they had made this trip to Binhai, she naturally wanted to hear what he had to say; it was just that her anger hadn't subsided yet.
Lu Guanchang didn't mind and sat down by himself.
Seeing him leaning on his walking stick, looking frail and shaky, a trace of pity flashed in Zhao Hongxia's eyes, but it quickly subsided.
She was not a little girl anymore. She had weathered countless storms over the years.
While her heart wasn't made of iron, she couldn't be easily moved.
"What do you want to talk about?" Zhao Hongxia said coolly.
"Don't you want to know why I can perform Wind Riding? Don't you want to know why I can manage Invisibility and Manifestation…"
He knew how to talk, instantly piquing their interest.
As he spoke, his seated body faded and disappeared like a discolored ink wash painting, but quickly reappeared, still sitting there.
This time, their curiosity was thoroughly hooked.
Sun Dacheng even imagined a whole drama where his long-lost old father-in-law had become a recluse in the mountains, achieved success in cultivating the Dao, and had now come down to find his wife and daughter.
Zhao Hongxia had a similar thought. It would make her father's image in her mind a bit more respectable—at least he wouldn't have abandoned his wife and daughter for another woman.
So, the two of them chose to sit down nearby.
Sun Dacheng even took the initiative to ask, "Would you like some tea?"
Zhao Hongxia was doing very well for herself now, so the hotel she was staying in was naturally quite good.
Not only was it an Ocean View Room, but the hotel also provided this kind of tea service.
"No need to trouble yourself."
Although Lu Guanchang said that, Sun Dacheng still brewed a pot of tea.
Lu Guanchang then began to talk about what happened after Zhao Hongxia and her mother left.
He didn't choose to hide anything, and his tone was very calm, but the more Zhao Hongxia listened, the more disappointed she became…
This was not the answer she wanted to hear.
So, Zhao Hongxia said sarcastically, "Do you have any idea how we lived after you left?"
Lu Guanchang shook his head and sighed, "I know, life must have been hard. I'm the one who wronged you and your mother."
"No, we lived very well.
Mom even met my Second Father, who is her current husband. Second Father loves Mom very much, and he's been very good to her and to me.
We're very happy…" Zhao Hongxia said, staring into Lu Guanchang's eyes.
Lu Guanchang knew that Zhao Hongxia was saying this deliberately to provoke him.
But Lu Guanchang didn't get angry. Instead, he smiled and said, "That's for the best.
I wronged you both. Knowing you're living well makes me feel a bit more at ease."
Hearing this, Zhao Hongxia became even more furious.
Unable to contain her anger, she shot to her feet, ready to lash out.
But just then, Sun Dacheng, sitting beside her, reached out and pressed down on the back of her hand, shaking his head at her.
Seeing this, Zhao Hongxia quickly calmed down as well and couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly, "I'm already so old, I thought not many things could make me angry anymore. I didn't expect that just seeing you would make me so mad."
She said it calmly, but she was actually still fuming.
Lu Guanchang didn't get angry at her words either, and said with a chuckle, "Then let me tell you something that will make you happy."
So he continued his story.
By the time he mentioned that he had accidentally died after falling down a flight of steps, the two of them were already staring wide-eyed…
And when he went on to say that only after death did he discover he'd been wearing a Green Hat his whole life, raising another man's son, and that the adulterer moved into his house right after he died, their jaws had dropped wide open…
"Are you in a better mood now?" Lu Guanchang asked Zhao Hongxia.Zhao Hongxia snapped back to reality and immediately said, "You deserved it."
Lu Guanchang didn't get angry at this either.
He nodded and said, "You're right. I deserved it.
This is my Retribution."
Hearing him say this, Zhao Hongxia fell silent.
"After I died, I was filled with resentment, and a wisp of my soul wandered the mortal world. Until, by a fateful coincidence, I met Great Master Shen.
I begged him for help, to let me meet you one more time. That's how that letter came to be, and how the two of us are meeting again…"
Hearing this, Zhao Hongxia and Sun Dacheng were astonished.
So people really do become ghosts after they die.
Then they marveled that there was such a powerful great expert in this world, who could actually make a ghost manifest directly before people.
"Do you know what reason I used back then to beg Great Master Shen to let me see you?" Lu Guanchang asked, looking at Zhao Hongxia.
"How would I know," Zhao Hongxia said, her attitude still poor.
"I told Great Master Shen that I couldn't accept it, that a lifetime of hard work had become someone else's wedding dress, and I wanted to leave everything to you…"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Hongxia's already unhappy expression turned even uglier.
"So you wanted to see me just to help you fight for your family property?"
Lu Guanchang didn't deny it, saying very frankly, "That's right.
That was my initial thought."
Hearing this, Zhao Hongxia stood up directly and walked toward the inner room.
A woman nearly fifty years old, she couldn't stop the tears from welling up in her eyes. The last shred of illusion she had about her father was completely shattered in that moment.
He only ever thought of himself, even in death, it was still the same.
Lu Guanchang wanted to call out to her, but before he could speak, Sun Dacheng asked, "So you don't think that way anymore?"
Zhao Hongxia, who was returning to the room, heard Sun Dacheng's question, reacted to it, and unconsciously slowed her steps.