Mountain County, after the rain, pale moonlight ripples across the pothole-filled pond.
Because of the chaotic soldiers, every household in the county had closed their doors early, making the streets appear extraordinarily quiet.
This quietness carried a hint of coolness.
This made Li Yuan think of the warm bed at home, of Lady Yan, Lady Xue, Xiaozhao, Xiao Ping’an, and the adopted daughter Niannian.
When he came, he only brought the White Sparrow, while the Pearl-necked Little Sparrow stayed home.
At this moment, his gaze turned towards that Pearl-necked Little Sparrow.
As he turned, he couldn’t help but laugh, because beside the Pearl-necked Little Sparrow stood a big crow.
The Pearl-necked Little Sparrow clutched the roof ridge with its claws, and the big crow stood in the exact same posture as "he" did, lined up neatly, appearing quite harmonious.
"When Xiaozhao grows up, I’ll have to find a chance to ask her clearly, what on earth is going on..." Li Yuan murmured.
He continued watching.
In the distance, soft light moved inside the inner house. His two wives had already fallen asleep with the children.
But on the other side came the clattering sound of work; Tang Nian was underneath a big puppet doing something, while under the eaves nearby, piles of paper were laid out, marked and drawn with numerous mind-boggling things...
Suddenly, the big puppet emitted a "dududu" sound, puffing out white smoke, followed immediately by a "bang" as it exploded, its arm breaking off and shooting out like a rocket, blasting a big hole in the wall nearby.
Tang Nian had already nimbly rolled away, dodging the attack of the iron arm.
Having dodged it, she didn’t approach to check, because the broken arm was still making a "shhhhh" sound.
Sure enough, before long, there was another "whoosh whoosh whoosh" sound, as many internal mechanisms and parts burst open once more like a rainstorm of pear blossoms.
After everything settled, Tang Nian walked away and picked up the exploded arm and parts one by one.
Under the bright moonlight, her figure seemed a bit lonely and desolate...
But quickly, a beautiful woman came rushing over; it was Lady Yan.
Lady Yan met Tang Nian’s eyes and then glanced at the hole in the wall nearby. Tang Nian lowered her head, expecting a reprimand, after all... what proper young lady would be causing destruction so late?
But Lady Yan came up, gently dusted off her clothes, grabbed her hand to check, and said, "You’re not hurt, are you?"
Tang Nian sniffled, looked down, and whispered, "The wall broke..."
Lady Yan laughed and said, "Silly girl, it doesn’t matter if the wall breaks a hundred or a thousand times, what’s important is that you’re not hurt."
An image of another woman flashed across Tang Nian’s mind, a woman focused on studying puppetry, sometimes disappearing for days on end, yet she was kind to her, and in their talks, regret was discernible; however... she never got to see the woman one last time.
Sometimes pain doesn’t erupt immediately because initially, it leaves one dumbfounded, but as time rubs it, a deeply unforgettable pain arises...
That woman was her mother, completely different from the one in front of her.
If her mother saw her so obsessed with puppetry, she would surely be delighted.
"Did you make this?" Lady Yan looked at the towering puppet standing there. Without waiting for an answer, she smiled and said, "You did a great job, I’m proud of you."
Then she softly rubbed Tang Nian’s palm, speaking in a gentle voice, "Don’t tire yourself out, go back to sleep early. In a bit, I’ll have Xiaolan bring you a bowl of iced sour plum soup. There are plenty of ice blocks stored in the manor’s ice cellar."
With that, Lady Yan yawned, swaying her hips as she left, full of feminine charm.
Once she was far away, Tang Nian whispered, "Thank you..."
Li Yuan showed a smile.
Sister Yan never disappointed him, always maintaining this household’s warmth.
And this... was exactly what he wanted to protect.
One must know that even reaching the Sixth Grade merely extends one’s life by a century, but he is immortal. As long as the world doesn’t perish, he can live on for countless thousands, millions, or even billions of years to come.
At that time, while people remain unchanged, the heart also ages.
And within that long, lonely future, aside from earthly desires and the pursuit of power, this kind of family warmth is what supports him, keeping his heart young.
Meanwhile, Xiaosheng and Niuniu were still reading books. Both had no hope in practicing martial arts and couldn’t cultivate Shadow Blood, so they gave up on cultivation and turned to reading and writing.
Originally, these two children often played with Tang Nian, but now... they’ve become much more distant.
Li Yuan watched each one, keeping an eye on the situation back home in Shanbao County.
Then...
He withdrew his gaze, for he already heard footsteps.
Cold wind blew through the narrow street, wavering the faint flicker of an oil lamp inside the house, casting his shadow wildly on the pale wall.
Footsteps gradually became clearer, coming from the end of the rainy alley, as the White Sparrow hid deep behind the black rooftops.
Li Yuan refocused his thoughts, his expression calm, as his right hand gripped the Dragon Blade Spear.
He knew very well who was coming.
And through the past few days of observation, he had a vague hypothesis about this Mass Grave Ghost Realm.
First of all, this pit was originally just a grave pit, and nothing strange had occurred there, otherwise, things would have messed up a long time ago. But some unknown change caused an aberration in the pit.
Secondly, every Ghost Realm is different, and the rule of this Mass Grave Ghost Realm is: those who die in the pit become Evil Ghosts.
No! They should be Ghost Servants.