harleyscars Chapter 31: Rootless Life!
Chapter 31: Rootless Life!
Lu Jin took out an old key from his pocket, its surface covered with mottled green rust.
He silently inserted the lock.
With a soft "click," it was as if the shackles of time, sealed for decades, had been unlocked.
He pushed open the heavy wooden door with all his might, the hinges creaking loudly.
A strong, musty smell wafted over me, a mixture of rotten wood, old dust, and a faint musty odor.
The light struggled to squeeze through the crack in the door.
It illuminated the fine dust particles dancing in the air.
Thick spider webs hung from the beams and corners, gleaming grayish-white in the dim light.
The interior was almost entirely covered in clutter and dust.
There is only one narrow passage, seemingly deliberately preserved, leading to the innermost corner.
Lu Jin remained silent.
His tall figure appeared somewhat hunched in the dim light.
He walked in with heavy steps, each step kicking up a small patch of dust.
Lu Xiaobai followed silently behind with a calm expression.
Lu Linglong and Lu Lin exchanged a glance, both seeing the worry in each other's eyes, and cautiously followed her inside.
At the end of the room,
A long, narrow wooden box lay quietly in the corner.
The box itself was covered in a thick layer of dust, making it almost impossible to see its original color. The wood at the corners was rotten and warped, and the surface was covered with cracks from the passage of time.
It lay there quietly, like a dusty coffin, silently bearing the weight of the past.
Lu Jin stopped in front of the box, her back frozen in place.
He reached out, his fingertips trembling slightly, and gently brushed away a layer of dust from the lid of the box, his movements carrying an indescribable sense of cherishing and pain.
He stared at the box for a long time, as if he could see the distant past through it.
The entire cabin fell into a deathly silence.
Only dust particles drifted silently down within the beam of light.
Lu Xiaobai didn't urge him, but stood quietly to the side, observing the old man and the box with a deep gaze.
He could clearly feel the intense, almost tangible grief and suppressed anger emanating from Lu Jin.
Looking at the old man's tall but now incredibly lonely and weathered back, Lu Linglong and Lu Lin's eyes were filled with unbearable pity and deep sorrow.
Lu Linglong's eyes were slightly red, and she bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth, trying hard not to let the tears fall.
Lu Lin frowned.
His hands, which were placed at his sides, unconsciously clenched into fists.
They knew that the box contained the deepest and most painful scar in their grandfather's heart.
It felt like an eternity before Lu Jin took a deep breath, the sound exceptionally clear in the silence.
He seemed to have made up his mind.
Without further hesitation, he used both hands to forcefully pry open the heavy box lid!
The choking dust rose again.
Inside the box, sets of pure white training clothes were neatly folded.
These clothes have a simple and rustic style, resembling a standard uniform.
however,
On that dazzling white surface, large patches of old blood, long since congealed and turned dark brown, were soaked!
Bloodstains
Some appeared as sprays, while others spread out in large patches.
It silently tells the story of the horrific tragedy that occurred back then.
"..."
Lu Jin's body trembled violently.
In an instant, countless long-forgotten images flooded into his mind.
The youthful and energetic smiles of fellow disciples, the majestic and picturesque gates of the Sanyi Sect, the kind face of the master giving earnest teachings, and the concerned gazes of many elders...
And finally, that unforgettable figure!
Rootless!
That expressionless face killed almost all of his fellow disciples!
With his back to everyone, Lu Jin clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and his teeth clenched so tightly that they made a soft "crunching" sound.
An intense, overwhelming hatred mixed with profound sorrow surged from him like a tangible chill, instantly filling the small space.
Even if you can't see his face,
Lu Xiaobai could also clearly feel the hatred and pain that almost burned his soul to ashes.
Lu Xiaobai looked at the blood-stained clothes on the ground, then at the old man who was immersed in boundless hatred, and understood.
It seems that this is someone with a similar fate to mine.
They are all burdened by a heavy past and entangled in deep-seated hatred.
However, the old man chose to live with it on his shoulders, never ending it, nor truly letting it go.
"Grandpa..."
Lu Linglong could no longer hold back and called out softly with a sob in her voice.
Looking at her grandfather's familiar yet so strange figure, consumed by immense pain, the heartache in her eyes transformed into a resolute determination that disregarded everything else.
It seemed she would do anything to alleviate even a little of her grandfather's pain.
Although Lu Lin was not as emotionally expressive as her younger sister,
But the tightly pursed lips and the emotions revealed in her eyes were exactly the same as those of Lu Linglong.
Lu Jin took another deep breath, as if using all her strength to suppress the surging emotions.
He bent down and, with almost reverent and careful movements, carried out the sets of blood-stained training clothes, as if he were holding the lives of his fellow disciples who had long since perished.
At last,
He raised his head.
His bloodshot eyes were fixed on Lu Xiaobai.
His eyes were filled with a desperate plea and a heavy, weighty entrustment:
"Please, little one!"
Lu Xiaobai didn't say anything, but simply nodded slightly.
Lu Linglong and Lu Lin silently withdrew, gently closing the dilapidated door behind them. As if guarding a final ritual, they stood solemnly at the doorway, isolating themselves from the outside world.
In the dimly lit storage room, only Lu Jin and Lu Xiaobai remained.
Lu Xiaobai silently wiped away all the dust from the dozen or so sets of blood-stained white training uniforms.
Neatly laid out on the equally spotless stone brick floor, the dark brown bloodstains appeared even more glaring and shocking in the dim light.
The only light came from a few rays of sunlight that struggled to penetrate through the cracks in the door and a few torn window paper, forming beams of light in the dusty air.
Lu Xiaobai took one last look at Lu Jin beside him.
The old man's bloodshot eyes were fixed on the clothes on the ground, his body trembling slightly as he suppressed his emotions.
He didn't delay any longer.
Deep within the stillness of his right eye, a faint, deep blue light quietly shone.
He raised his right hand, his fingertips gathering pure and faint magic, and swiftly traced several profound runes in the air:
【ᚱᚹᛚ-Rudo.Wenju.Lagus!】
[Combined Incantation: Song of Nirquan! Tracks the target in the spirit world, granting a true vision and allowing the recall of real memories!]
The familiar scene reappeared.
Clear, shimmering spring water appeared out of nowhere.
Like a mirror reflecting the starry sky, it slowly covered the blood-stained clothes.
The spring water rippled with an unusual luster, as if it were about to reflect the scenes of the past.
Lu Jin held her breath instantly and leaned forward.
Those bloodshot eyes were fixed on the surface of the spring, burning with hatred that could destroy everything and an almost insane expectation!
It seemed that as soon as that figure appeared,
He would immediately transform into a vengeful demon, tearing them apart even across space!
however--
The expected scene did not appear.
The spring water was still flowing and sparkling, but it was like the most ordinary stream, crystal clear and empty.
There were no images, no sounds, only the faint light reflected off the water's surface.
Time passed by, but the spring remained calm and unresponsive.
"..."
Lu Jin's pupils suddenly contracted.
Lu Xiaobai frowned slightly and explained softly, "The tracking was fruitless. The most likely reason for this situation is... that the target's life imprint has completely dissipated into the world."
"In other words... that person is very likely already dead."
"No--!!!"
Lu Jin suddenly let out a beast-like roar, a sound filled with unbelievable rage and despair!
The terrifying Qi energy emanating from his body erupted like an out-of-control volcano!
"This is impossible—!!!"
"Absolutely impossible—!!!"
The violent flow of Qi instantly swept through the entire cramped storage room!
Years of accumulated dust were whipped up wildly, forming a grayish-yellow whirlwind!
The piles of old items were overturned and smashed!
The already dilapidated wooden door was violently flung open with a loud crash! The hole in the window instantly widened, scattering shards of glass everywhere!
Lu Jin's eyes were bloodshot, with blood vessels bulging out menacingly. His once dignified face was twisted and deformed by extreme anger, making him look like a crazed demon!
"That Wugensheng! How could he have died so quietly?!"
"I haven't done it myself yet... I haven't done it myself..."
"Aaaaaah—!!!"
"Great-Grandpa!" Lu Linglong and Lu Lin were startled by the commotion inside the house and rushed in immediately. Seeing Lu Jin's appearance, their hearts ached.
"Great-Grandpa! Please calm down!" Lu Linglong cried out.
"Perhaps...perhaps that Wugensheng really is dead? Otherwise, how come there hasn't been a single word about him all these years?"
"Yes, Grandpa!" Lu Lin quickly stepped forward, trying to comfort him.
"Just pretend that person... pretend that he has already..."
"Shut up—!!!" Lu Jin suddenly turned his head, his bloodshot eyes like those of a wounded beast, and roared:
"This is impossible! I won't rest in peace until I see his body with my own eyes!"
"Even if... even if he were standing right here and killed me!"
"I absolutely disagree with this result! Absolutely not!!!"
Lu Jin's furious roar exhausted his strength and shattered his carefully constructed mental defenses.
His knees buckled.
With a "thud," he fell heavily to his knees.
The old man's turbid tears flowed out like a burst dam, crashing onto the cold ground.
Nearly a century of obsession, the overwhelming hatred that sustained him through life, all seemed to vanish into nothingness at this moment with this fruitless pursuit, leaving only endless emptiness and resentment.
Lu Linglong and Lu Lin rushed forward to help her up, their hearts breaking.
At this moment, Lu Xiaobai, who had been standing by the spring, seemed to have completely blocked out the storm of emotional outbursts and wailing around him.
His right eye, which gleamed with a deep blue light, shone even brighter at that moment.
Like the most sophisticated detector, it stared intently at the seemingly empty surface of the spring without blinking.
An absolute confidence in the laws of mysticism from the depths of one's soul.
His intuition, honed by countless successful tracking attempts, allowed him to keenly detect an extremely faint, almost imperceptible anomaly.
The "emptiness" of that spring water is not pure nothingness.
On a level imperceptible to ordinary people, beneath the surface of the water, there seems to be an extremely subtle, dust-like magic flowing backwards in an extremely slow and unnatural manner.
It was as if some invisible force was at play.
It's interfering with the normal backtracking trajectory, and even... erasing something?
The rage and weeping subsided slightly.
With the help of her great-grandchildren, Lu Jin staggered to her feet, looking as if she had aged several years in an instant.
He looked at Lu Xiaobai,
He opened his mouth, his face filled with pain and deep regret, about to apologize for his loss of composure.
However, the white figure, which remained as calm as still water, was gazing at the spring with unprecedented focus, as if the storm had never happened.
Lu Xiaobai slowly raised his head, his gaze meeting Lu Jin's.
His calm blue eyes held a sharp, insightful gaze, and his voice, though soft, carried an unwavering weight:
"Mr. Lu, perhaps this matter is not so simple..."