Chapter 42: Accommodating You All the Way

Based on Leng Ying's age, when she first met Cheng Zhifeng, he must have left his family not long after abandoning his wife and child.

This was the first time Cheng Xiangru had heard any news about his father since his departure. Stirred with emotion, he let out a cold laugh, his knuckles cracking as he clenched his fists. "So my dad ran off with a mistress."

"A mistress?" Leng Ying was momentarily stunned, then quickly realized what Cheng Xiangru meant. She shook her head repeatedly, saying, "No, no, Auntie Hong and Uncle Huang are a married couple, and they were both your father's path-protectors."

"Where did this Uncle Huang pop up from?" Cheng Xiangru blinked, his eyes filled with confusion. "And what does a path-protector even mean?"

Leng Ying waved her hand. "I honestly don't know that part. I guess your father must have shouldered some kind of mission, and Auntie Hong and the others were the people guarding him as he went to fulfill it. There were four path-protectors in total for your dad. Besides Auntie Hong and Uncle Huang, there were also Uncle Tang and Uncle廖 [Liao]. Each of them had unique skills and were extremely formidable people. But the most formidable of all was your dad."

"How formidable was my dad?" In Cheng Xiangru's memory, recollection of Cheng Zhifeng had grown very vague. He only remembered that the man had abandoned his family, left without a trace, and never returned. Hearing news about his father from Leng Ying now, he was truly starved to know more.

Leng Ying thought for a moment, as if recalling something, and her eyes lit up. "Let me tell you something. Once, Auntie Hong was captured by some bad guys. Uncle Huang and the others were all discussing how to rescue her, but your dad didn't know where he had gone. When your dad came back, he was carrying an unconscious Auntie Hong on his back, and he had many wounds on his body. Later, I heard Auntie Hong say that your dad went to rescue her all by himself that night. After running into an ambush, while Auntie Hong was still conscious, she watched as he killed and wounded over a dozen men, completely unstoppable."

Cheng Xiangru listened with rapt attention, picturing the scene of his father venturing into danger alone to save someone, and suddenly felt his blood boiling with excitement.

"Ah! You made me lose my train of thought... Uh... right, after I recovered from my illness back then, your dad finally agreed to let me stay..."

As a young girl, Leng Ying was taken in by Cheng Zhifeng and the others, beginning a life of rootless wandering.

Throughout numerous journeys, Leng Ying learned various skills from Cheng Zhifeng and the other four, faced all sorts of dangers, entered countless ancient tombs, and killed many bad guys.

As Leng Ying grew older and wiser, she became increasingly puzzled as to why so many bad guys always wanted to harm them.

Cheng Zhifeng told Leng Ying that those bad guys all wanted a certain sword, and the meaning of his existence was to guard that sword until death. His long life was actually a perilous journey. He and his path-protectors had to walk many roads, kill many people, and shoulder immense evil in order to fight against an even greater evil.

On the day of Leng Ying's eighteenth birthday, inside the main chamber of a Han dynasty ancient tomb, Cheng Zhifeng and the others celebrated her birthday.

It was also that night that Cheng Zhifeng told Leng Ying that her life was still long, and she should not stay with them to shoulder so much. She had to leave them and restart her own life.

Leng Ying cried and protested that she didn't want to leave, but Cheng Zhifeng's attitude was resolute, allowing no room for objection.

On the day they had to part ways, Cheng Zhifeng gave the Luoshu Box to Leng Ying, along with an address, telling her to go to the mass graves among the mountains near his hometown, erect a monument for him, dig a grave, and bury the Luoshu Box inside.

Cheng Zhifeng also asked Leng Ying to check on how his children were living, telling her to bring Cheng Xiangru a sum of money and a message.

"What message?" Cheng Xiangru instantly tensed up.

Leng Ying cleared her throat and, adopting the serious tone of an elder, said, "Child, you must be brave, strong, and strive to live out your own life. Forget me!"

Cheng Xiangru froze for a moment, then slammed his fist against the ground. "What kind of bullshit is that? It doesn't matter what happens to me, but what about Momo? She's still so young, she's already lost her mother, she can't lose her father too!"

"Actually, I really envy your sister; she has a good brother. But as for me..." Leng Ying looked deeply saddened, her eyes turning red in a display of genuine emotion. "Actually, it was only then that I learned your dad had a child around my age whom he hadn't seen in over a decade. I experienced too much danger with them, so I could understand that he must have kept away from you all to protect you. He must have been in so much pain."

If it were in the past, Cheng Xiangru certainly wouldn't have understood Leng Ying's words. But tonight he had witnessed too much cruelty, too many dead bodies, and even his own survival hung by a thread. Putting himself in his father's shoes, if he were the one facing endless waves of vicious enemies, what would he do?

Perhaps his choice wouldn't have been any better than his father's.

Leng Ying regulated her breathing for a moment and, feigning a relaxed tone, continued, "Actually, the night you dug up your dad's grave, I was right beside you. I had no idea how to face you at the time. You can tell that I'm a pretty introverted person who isn't very good at expressing myself..."

"Uh... are you serious?" Thinking of Leng Ying's motor-mouth tendencies, Cheng Xiangru was genuinely speechless.

You call this introverted? Do you have some kind of profound misunderstanding of the word?

Leng Ying said, "I thought about it for a very, very long time before I finally figured it out. I've decided to stay by your side from now on and be your path-protector, to repay the debt of the new life your dad gave me. Although I don't know what a path-protector means, I am willing to use everything your dad taught me to protect you. Even if it costs me my life, I am willing."

"My dad is my dad, and I am me. You really don't need to do this."

"No, this is the meaning of my existence, and it must be my destiny!"

Only now did Cheng Xiangru truly lower his guard and place his trust in Leng Ying. A thought suddenly occurred to him, and he frowned, asking, "By the way, how did you know my dad didn't know Uncle Zhou? Did he tell you that?"

Leng Ying shook her head. "I don't know, I was just guessing. When your dad and Uncle Huang were drinking, they mentioned more than once that in this life, Uncle Huang and the other three were his only friends. He said friendship, family affection, and romantic love were all luxuries to him. He also said he didn't want his children to walk his path, and he hoped that within his lifetime, he could bring everything to an end."

"He said he wanted to guard a sword. What on earth is so useful about that sword? Could it be more important than his own wife and children?" Cheng Xiangru still couldn't understand. If his father had just handed over that sword, wouldn't all these troubles have been avoided? Wouldn't he have been able to stay by his family's side like an ordinary person?

Leng Ying shook her head. "As for that... I really don't know."

Cheng Xiangru lowered his head and fell into deep thought. Leng Ying stared at him with bright eyes, not interrupting.

After a long while, Cheng Xiangru let out a long sigh, as if he had made a certain decision. He stood up and shined his flashlight toward the murals on the wall.

Leng Ying stood beside him and asked softly, "If we make it out of here alive, what are your plans for the future?"

Cheng Xiangru kept his gaze fixed on the mural on the wall, his tone resolute. "To go find a person, and to see a sword!"

Leng Ying frowned, her inner thoughts appearing conflicted as well.

A moment later, she too reached a decision, her eyes shining brightly as she declared, "I'll go with you!"