Chapter 41 Departure (Part 2)

  "The sunshine in spring is so great!"

  Zai Yi lifted his head, gazing towards the sun that had suddenly appeared at the horizon. His entire face was bathed in sunlight, and he gently closed his eyes, savoring the final moments of life as he waited for death to arrive.

  A century of years, a century of vicissitudes. Scene after scene of past events flashed before my eyes. I was once a young man, reckless and fearless. I was once a heroic warrior, galloping across the land with sword in hand. All have become fleeting clouds.

  "It's great to be alive!"

  The light in Zai Ye's eyes gradually dimmed, his breathing also grew weaker, only the aura of death at his brow grew thicker and more intense. With great effort, he opened his eyes, wanting to see everything in this world clearly.

  "Master?!" Qin Feng knelt before the old man, letting out a mournful cry as his entire body began to tremble.

  His left hand tightly grasped Zai Ye, while his right hand heavily pounded the frozen ground that was as hard as stone. Only in this way could Qin Feng dispatch the pain in his heart.

  "Bang!"

  With a faint sound, Qin Feng suddenly felt a piercing pain in his palm, which made his mind clear for a moment. Opening his right hand, he found that the jade pendant passed down from his sect was still shattered by him.

  "This... this..."

  Even though his master was on the verge of death, Qin Feng couldn't help but be stunned. He had just promised to take good care of him, yet now he was already broken. Looking at the blood all over his hands, Qin Feng felt at a loss for what to do.

  "What's going on?"

  Just as Qin Feng was about to throw away the jade pendant, a cool breath suddenly appeared on the palm of his right hand and quickly spread throughout his body. In Qin Feng's mind, it seemed like something had been added.

  "This is, this is the Ancestor's Kung Fu?!"

  Before Qin Feng had a chance to observe carefully, Zai Yi, who was half-reclining in the chair, suddenly sat up straight, with an expression of disbelief in his eyes.

  "Master, you... what's wrong with you?"

  Zai Yi suddenly became spirited and lively, which gave Qin Feng a big fright. He could clearly feel the life force disappearing from his master's body, but Zai Yi's behavior at this moment was not like that of an old man who was about to pass away.

  "I get it, haha, I understand!"

  Zai's eyes stared fixedly at the jade pendant in Qin Feng's palm, his laughter deafening. "I understand now, it turns out that what is called inheritance lies within this jade pendant. A treasure mountain is right before one's eyes yet remains unknown, how ridiculous, how ridiculous..."

  "Master, don't scare me!"

  Looking at Zai Yi's crazy-like appearance, Qin Feng was really frightened, kneeling there not knowing what to do. At this moment, Zai Yi's voice suddenly became smaller, "To hear the Way in the morning and die in the evening is okay, it's enough, it's enough..."

  "Master, what did you say?" Zai Ye's voice grew smaller and smaller. Qin Feng involuntarily leaned his ear closer, but no more sound came from the old man's mouth.

  "Xiao Qin, the old man... this is... he's gone..."

  Qin Feng was still trying to make out the words spoken by his master, when he suddenly heard an old man's voice behind him. He turned around to see that it was several old men from inside the house who had come out after hearing the commotion in the courtyard.

  "No... it's impossible! Master was fine just now, he had already recovered!"

  Qin Feng shook his head repeatedly, but when he turned back to look at Zai Yi, his whole body was like being electrocuted, and he suddenly trembled violently. The tears that his master had laughed out earlier had already frozen on his cheeks!

  "Master...... Master?!"

  Qin Fengsheng feared that the fresh blood on his right hand would pollute his master, so he stretched out his left hand to touch Zai Yi's face, and the coolness on that cheek was just like his inner heart, as if it had fallen into an ice cellar.

  "Hey kid, it's freezing outside and it's the middle of the night, where are you going?"

  "Ghost, ghost......"

  "You're right, I'm a ghost, you killed me just recently, and now I've come back for revenge..."

  Qin Feng's mind flashed back to the conversation he had with his master three years ago when they first met, and the scenes of that moment seemed to be right in front of him. He couldn't believe that the master in front of him was now forever separated from himself.

  Tears fell uncontrollably down his face, Qin Feng wanted to cry out loud but couldn't bring himself to make a sound.

  Kneeling there, Qin Feng seemed to have lost his soul. This was the first time he truly felt the pain of losing a loved one. The ones who gave birth to him were his parents, but the one who taught him was his master!

  For some reason, at this moment, Qin Feng only felt that the world was vast and he was alone, and from his master's body, he could no longer feel that kind of loving warmth.

  "He's a kind and righteous good kid, the old man didn't misjudge him!"

  A sigh came from behind, followed by a slap on Qin Feng's back. "Kid, if you want to cry, just let it out, don't choke yourself."

  With this slap, the stagnant air in Qin Feng's chest was suddenly cleared. He turned his head to look at the old man and stood up, saying: "Old Man Hu, as the saying goes, death is a big deal, and burial is peaceful. I'll have to trouble you again!"

  As he spoke, Qin Feng knelt down to the old man. As his master's legitimate disciple, it was his duty to send off his master at the funeral procession.

  "It can't be helped, but it can't be helped!"

  Qin Feng's actions startled the old man, who hastily helped Qin Feng up and said: "Qin Feng, if we're talking about seniority, I can still call you 'young master'..."

  His status was even higher than that of the last emperor, and the Hu family didn't have the qualifications to compare with him. Qin Feng's sudden kneel made several old men flustered.

  "What's wrong? Qin Feng, why are your hands all bloody?"

  Just as the courtyard was in a state of chaos, Hu Baoguo walked in carrying a skinned sheep and immediately caught sight of Qin Feng's right hand covered in fresh blood.

  "Hu Big Brother, Master...Master has gone!"

  Qin Feng's body, which had just been helped up, knelt down again. This wasn't because Qin Feng's knees were weak, but rather it was the custom in Jianghu that when sending off a loved one, upon entering and seeing someone, one must kneel and pay respects.

  "Hey, I...I've been gone for less than two hours, how...how can..."

  Hu Baoguo heard this and threw away the lamb in his hand, rushing to Zai's face in a few steps.

  Seeing the old man's remains, Hu Baoguo couldn't help but burst into tears. Although he had been beaten up many times when he was young, his feelings for the old man were also very deep. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let Qin Feng off so easily.

  "Hu Dage, attending to Master's funeral is urgent!"

  At this time, Qin Feng had become much calmer. He stretched out his left hand to close the eyes of his master, then carefully supported him as he lay down. Standing up, he said: "Uncles and elders, I am incompetent, so I will have to entrust Master's funeral arrangements to all of you!"

  "Old Master is a senior member of the Hu family, no need for you to say more."

  Hu Baoguo took a glance at the recliner under the old man and couldn't help but sigh, saying: "Old man, this is a happy funeral, what's there to fear about implicating our family?"

  Although it was New Year's Eve, the death of Zai Yi had toned down the festive atmosphere. The Hu family had many young men, and since it was Chinese New Year, everything was readily available. Within an hour or so, a mourning hall was set up at the entrance.

  In the countryside, there are many cases of elderly people passing away in winter. When hearing that an old man over 90 years old has passed away, the villagers don't think it's a big deal, and basically every household comes to offer condolences.

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  "Qin Feng, I'll stay here and keep vigil for Old Master, you go inside and have some dumplings."

  This busy work lasted until the afternoon, Hu Baoguo looked at the young man kneeling in the mourning hall, shook his head with a heartache, and had been together for several years. He originally thought Qin Feng was a person with relatively thin emotions, until now he felt his inner heart.

  "Uncle Hu, I'm not hungry, I want to discuss something with you!"

  Qin Feng shook his head, his face somewhat pale. Whoever it was, kneeling for more than half a day in this freezing cold place where the north wind howled and the temperature was below zero, would not be able to bear it.

  "What's up? You tell!"

  Hu Baoguo draped the large coat from his shoulders over Qin Feng's body and said, "Don't worry about Old Master's funeral, I'll take care of it properly. If you don't want to go back to Shaoguan Prison, Big Brother will help you with that too!"

  It's still two months before Qin Feng is released from prison, but Hu Baoguo has one more commutation quota in his hands. At worst, he can have a falling out with the instructor and use this quota on Qin Feng.

  "It's not this matter, Uncle Hu, it's almost New Year's, there are firecrackers everywhere, I'm afraid of startling the master."

  Qin Feng looked at his master lying on the cold bed and said firmly, "I want to cremate Master as soon as possible, so as not to disturb Master's soul."

  According to folklore, ghosts are most afraid of firecrackers and thunder, although these are all nonsense, Qin Feng also doesn't want Master's soul to scatter.

  Hu Baoguo thought for a moment, gritted his teeth and said: "Alright... Old man doesn't have any relatives or friends left anyway. I'll make a few phone calls and we can go to the crematorium right away!"