Chapter 806: Chapter 256: I Come to See You One Last Time_4
Just then, a miraculous scene unfolded.
Another figure slowly began to coalesce on the black and white photograph.
A handsome young man in a suit appeared beside the girl in the floral dress.
As if he was always meant to be in the picture.
But it wasn’t until a hundred years later, now, that he appeared.
The elderly woman wasn’t surprised at all as the photograph in her eyes gradually became clearer.
She gently caressed the photograph of the man and murmured, “Back then, he really was like a glowing hero, suddenly entering my life…”
As she spoke, she seemed to imply something more, adding, “Time is truly wonderful.”
Having reached the end of her life, the long years had allowed her to touch upon some secrets of time.
She had come to understand everything.
The cloaked figure beside her listened thoughtfully.
At life’s end, the elderly woman now vividly remembered the most beautiful moments of her youth.
The scenes were as clear as if they happened just yesterday.
The elderly woman finally understood that back then, he had desperately wanted to stay, but time did not allow it.
Just like herself at the end of her life.
But she knew she was different.
“My life has been very fulfilling.”
The elderly lady looked at the young man who had appeared in the photograph, her face filled with a tender smile.
She then turned to the cloaked figure beside her and said, “If I hadn’t been so brave back then, now, at life’s end, I would have regretted it for a lifetime. Fortunately, I mustered the courage at that time and kept the most beautiful memories of my life.”
The cloaked figure listened in silence for a long time.
She seemed to be touched by the utter romance in the elderly woman’s words.
The elderly woman smiled and said, “So, Sophia, when you’re young and beautiful like you are now, and you meet someone you like, love fiercely, accept openly… Otherwise, when you look back at the end, you’ll realize life isn’t very long. Sometimes it feels as short as a dream, and suddenly you’ve reached the end. The memories of your youth are like the nails in a picture frame, nailed to the wall, supporting the memories of your whole life… With those beautiful memories, life feels meaningful.”
The cloaked figure listened intently and softly replied, “Mm.”
“I always feel like those beautiful times were just yesterday, but when I look back, I suddenly realize it was a hundred years ago.”
The elderly woman suddenly became melancholic and slowly said, “I still remember the Divination that old gentleman gave me. The phrase that has accompanied me all my life: ‘Time goes on, mountain flowers are splendid, eventually, flowers bloom and wilt; in this world of mortals, everything is regrettable, and everything is also worthwhile.’
As she spoke, a look of satisfaction and peace filled her aged face.
She looked at the photograph, her eyes showing the marks of the years: “My life has been very fulfilling. It’s just that there’s one last thing I can’t let go of. I want to see him one more time.”
Sophia Jones listened, her eyes moistening.
She could sense that the lights were about to go out.
Meanwhile, deep beneath Sinless City, in Master Merlin’s laboratory.
An old man with various tubes inserted into him was soaking in a vat of greenish liquid, seemingly part of some secret research.
Despite appearing very old, the old man was still full of vitality, shouting, “Merlin, you old coot, have you finished yet?”
In front of him, Merlin, in a white lab coat, retorted unceremoniously, “You old fool, just stay put and be quiet!”
“Ah… Merlin, I’m telling you, that’s not how you ask for a favor…”
Before he could finish his complaint, a flash of insight suddenly crossed Barre Shepherd’s mind, interrupting what he was about to gripe about.
It was as if memories buried in a grave suddenly crawled out, jolting him.
The memories once faded by time instantly became clear.
Barre Shepherd’s mind suddenly recalled every detail of the duel at Safflower Manor a hundred years ago.
A young face with flaring nostrils suddenly came to mind,
The old man’s eyes twitched, and he couldn’t help exclaiming, “Ah… so it was that kid! I knew I wanted to punch him every time I saw him…”
“Hehehe… ‘This scar, I left it’? I wondered who was so arrogant… Turns out it was that stinky brat!”
The wily old man was known for holding grudges.
He had lived so long and had not one adversary.
Apart from being powerful, the most important reason was: he held grudges!
Those he could beat, he killed on the spot.
Those he couldn’t, he remembered, trained until he was ready, and then chased them down anywhere they went, finishing them off.
As the memories grew clearer, thinking about that guy’s annoying attitude when he boasted, “This scar, I left it,” Barre Shepherd’s expression became more and more peculiar.
No wonder he could not beat him.
Turns out he had learned his own “Overlord Fist” and traveled through time to beat himself up?
But then a particular knot in his heart finally loosened, “I thought, where did all these freaks come from. One was enough, but another one comes along…”
The old man hadn’t forgotten what he said back then: I’ve taken note! No matter where you are, I will come and find you.
Since you, young man, are so damn arrogant and deserving of a wallop, then a beating you must have.
For Barre Shepherd, in his realm and age, finding amusement wasn’t easy.
But this one grudge was insurmountable.
With this thought, he somberly said, “In my life, I’ve always kept my word and fulfilled my actions. If I don’t beat you into a pulp, then I’ve truly lived in vain!”