Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 235 A Fleeting Dream (10,000 words, 1010 chapters)

……

I opened my eyes to find the room filled with flickering candlelight.

This is the mourning hall. The white banners have not yet been taken down. A dozen familiar faces surround me, and every pair of eyes is filled with tears.

"Father!" The eldest son rushed forward first, the man in his thirties crying like a child.

I wanted to raise my hand to wipe away his tears, but I found my limbs heavy as if filled with lead, and I could only move my fingers slightly.

The whole room was filled with people crying, yet everyone was also laughing.

The maids and servants crowded around the perimeter, wiping away tears, while the steward, Uncle Fu, knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face.

My gaze passed over everyone's shoulders and fell upon the young immortal named Song Yan, who stood by the screen, quietly observing everything.

"The Great General is truly a divine being!"

The imperial physician placed three fingers on my wrist, then suddenly widened his eyes: "The pulse is steady and strong... this is clearly the body of a young man!"

Another cheer erupted inside the room.

I tried clearing my throat, and immediately seven or eight hands offered me warm water.

As the warm water entered my throat, a long-lost sense of sensation surged through my limbs like a spring tide, and I felt as if I had truly come back to life.

Finally, he was able to raise his hand and gently pat Xiao Heng's shoulder.

"How long have I slept?"

"Master, you have been unconscious for sixteen days."

The daughter-in-law, Liu, came over holding her grandson and said, "Yuan'er has been clamoring for his grandfather to teach him martial arts."

My five-year-old grandson, Xiao Yuan, timidly reached out his little hand and touched my beard before quickly retreating back into his mother's arms.

Everyone in the room burst into laughter.

The young man named Song Yan quietly left amidst the laughter and banquet.

In the days after I came back to life, my family and I were all very happy together, and everything that had happened before seemed like a dream.

very nice.

but……

As time went by, it seemed to have returned to the way it was before.

……

That morning, Xiao Heng rushed into the study.

His official robe collar was askew, clearly indicating that he had run all the way back.

"The Ministry of Rites says His Majesty wishes to visit you." He said, panting as he straightened my clothes. "The procession has now arrived at Yongxing Ward."

On the day of his miraculous recovery, Crown Prince Shi Ying and the Imperial Advisor had already visited, but today the King of Chu is coming to the Xiao residence in person.

I remained silent, letting him do as he pleased, my gaze fixed on the white jade dragon-shaped ornament at his waist, a gift from the Chu royal family.

"Father, at today's court assembly..."

He hesitated for a moment, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't: "The Ministry of War requested a reduction in the garrison in the north, and His Majesty... His Majesty approved it on the spot."

My eyebrows furrowed: "You don't object?"

“Son…Son will naturally argue his case based on reason.”

His voice suddenly lowered: "But the Grand Tutor said that the national treasury is now empty..."

He glanced at my face and said, "He also said that since the General has been out of office for many years, the defense of the northern border should be coordinated by the Ministry of War."

I sneered and slammed the bamboo slip in my hand heavily on the table, startling him.

Before he could say anything more, commotion could be heard outside the mansion.

From afar, the golden canopy of the royal carriage, bathed in the morning sun, resembled a burning fire.

The King of Chu was much older than I had imagined.

"My dear!"

He held my hand for a long time, looking me up and down with his eyes: "Truly, Heaven has blessed our Great Chu."

I remained kneeling, but I could feel the probing gazes of the ministers behind him.

The story of being brought back from the dead is now known to everyone in the court and among the common people.

I was still saying polite things, but I couldn't put on a smile anymore.

Looking at the King of Chu before him, along with the Grand Tutor and the Minister of War who were accompanying him, he felt a deep sense of disgust and weariness for no reason.

Fortunately, they didn't stay long before leaving.

Xiao Heng bowed and scraped before the Minister of War.

When exactly did my son, Xiao Ming's son, become like this?

That night, I heard arguing coming from the side room.

"Brother, do you know what people in the court are saying about our Xiao family these days?"

"Everyone says...everyone says that General Xiao Ming is using sorcery to prolong his life and is preparing to rebel and establish a new dynasty!"

After I was brought back to life, I was under pressure from the King of Chu.

The Xiao family's situation plummeted.

A month later, the officials in the mansion began preparing to hold a banquet.

However, just before the banquet began, Xiao Wencai strolled leisurely into the mansion with his wife and children. This adopted nephew reeked of alcohol, and it was unclear which banquet he had just attended.

"You've arrived quite early," I sneered.

"Please forgive me, Uncle."

He hastily bowed and said, "These past few days, because of my uncle's resurrection, I have suffered a lot of backlash from my colleagues in court."

I remained silent, and my daughter-in-law quickly smoothed things over, having a maid lead them to a side hall to change clothes.

As soon as they walked away, they heard Xiao Wen's wife, Wang, say in a shrill voice: "What's with the airs? Do you really think you're some kind of living god who crawled back from the gates of hell?"

During the banquet, I noticed that my grandson Xiao Yuan was always avoiding me.

"What's wrong with Yuan'er?" I stopped the little guy who was trying to run away.

The child's clear, black and white eyes looked at me with fear: "Mother said... said..."

"what?"

My expression turned cold: "What did your mother say?"

"Mother said that Grandpa was a monster who was resurrected from a dead body..."

I was silent.

Liu rushed over and took the child away.

I heard my son, Xiao Heng, leave his seat and whisper a rebuke to his wife: "Didn't I tell you not to talk nonsense in front of the children?"

Did I say something wrong?!

Suddenly, Madam Liu raised her voice: "The whole capital of Yingjing is talking about it now! The dead have come back to life, what else could it be but a ghost?!"

"He's already dead, he shouldn't have come back!"

This sentence was like a tinderbox thrown into a pot of boiling oil.

I finally lost my temper and overturned the eight-immortal table, instantly shattering bowls and plates and sending porcelain shards flying.

"What a bunch of filial sons and grandsons!" I tapped each of their noses with my finger: "I should have died in Wushan back then! Otherwise I would have to see your ugly faces now!"

"Xiao Heng! When did you change the jade pendant on your waist?"

"Xiao Wen! Who recommended you for the vacancy in the court?"

"And you, you poisonous woman, do you really not know why I died suddenly that day?"

Everyone in the room turned deathly pale.

"Father, calm down!"

Xiao Heng tried to argue, but I slapped the tassel off his hat.

"Calm down?" I burst into laughter: "I earned wealth and glory for the Xiao family, how come I've become a burden to you now?"

Xiao Wen suddenly rushed forward: "Uncle, don't take advantage of your age!"

"His Majesty is cutting the northern army's pay precisely to prevent you from using your old troops to cause trouble!"

"If you truly cared about the Xiao family, you shouldn't have allowed that sorcerer surnamed Tong to bring you back to life in the first place!"

"you……"

A mouthful of fishy sweetness surged into my throat, and my vision went black. All I could remember was the mess on the ground and the panicked cries of Xiao Heng and his wife.

What's wrong with me?
……

When I opened my eyes again, the river breeze was blowing in my face.

The old pine tree on the cliff remains, and the old man in the straw raincoat hangs his fishing rod over the river.

The young man named Song Yan sat cross-legged to one side, with two girls standing behind him.

I'm back here again.

He stared blankly at his palm, where there were no calluses from holding a sword, nor loose skin, wrinkles, or age spots.

Instead, it is a strange state of being translucent and shimmering with light.

How did it feel to go back?

The old man in the straw raincoat asked without turning his head, while the fishing line trembled slightly in the air.

I opened my mouth, but found that I couldn't make a sound.

All that anger, sadness, and disappointment choked in his throat, turning into a long sigh.

"Actually, what you just experienced was just a dream, a vision of what it's like to be resurrected after death."

"Well? If you insist on going back, I'll grant your wish now."

I remained silent, looking up at the sky above the cliff by the river. The clouds dispersed, revealing the current state of the Xiao family.

That's where the Xiao family's ancestral graves are located.

Today is the day "I" am buried.

In front of the blue stone tablet, the eldest son, Xiao Heng, was leading his entire family in burning incense and paying their respects.

"Mother, I miss Grandpa." Grandson Xiao Yuan gently touched the inscription on the stone tablet with his little hand: "I want him to teach me martial arts."

"Then you must be sensible." Madam Liu patted the child's head and said gently, "Don't disappoint your grandfather in heaven."

Amidst the incense smoke, Xiao Heng secretly wiped away his tears, Liu Shi devoutly repented, and Xiao Wen kowtowed repeatedly, tears streaming down his face.

Recalling the scenes from my dream, I was momentarily unable to distinguish which was reality.

I looked at the Xiao family members in front of the tombstone and shook my head.

"No need."

At this moment, Xiao Heng is telling his young son and daughter about my glorious achievements on the battlefield.

The two adorable grandsons and granddaughters listened with rapt attention, their eyes shining.

"This is for the best."

I heard myself say that.

"Only the deceased grandfather is the best grandfather."

The fishing line twitched, and the scenery in the sky changed rapidly.

The scene was both familiar and unfamiliar.

That is me in countless dreams.

Some died on the battlefield, while others, who never joined the army, died of old age.

Some even donned imperial robes.

Every different choice leads to a different end in life.

My body began to become transparent.

"Then let's leave."

The old man in the straw raincoat put away his fishing rod and hummed a strange fishing song.

"The sky is a lake, the clouds are boats. Woohoo~"

In the last moment before my consciousness faded, I seemed to hear the sword's cry again in Wushan Valley.

So clear and melodious, so timeless.

……

Xiao Ming's figure slowly dissipated, and the illusion in the sky suddenly transformed into a dazzling spiritual mist, which gathered in the palm of the man in the straw raincoat.

Before long, it condensed into a bead in his palm.

"Sigh, that young upstart from the Sword Sect."

He tossed the small bead in his palm far away.

Song Yan reached out and caught it.

Within this bead, a faint, pale blue aura floats slowly.

"You accompanied me to see this old friend, which can be considered as seeing him off on his journey."

The old man in the straw raincoat slowly stood up, draped the fishing rod behind him, picked up the fish basket, and walked down the cliff.

"I'll give this to you."

"Although it is not as profound as my supernatural powers, it is enough to help you build a foundation for your cultivation."

"I've lived for thousands of years and this is the first time I've seen a Sword Sect disciple with such poor cultivation. Heh heh."

"Thank you... senior." Although Song Yan did not know what the item was for, he quickly put it away and expressed his gratitude.

I wanted to ask about the Sword Sect, but I found that they had already disappeared into the horizon.

Only that strange fisherman's song still echoes along the riverbank.

"Walking in the sky, drifting among the clouds, laughter flows from the houses in the painting~"

Song Yan looked down at the pearl in his hand.

Was the incident in Yingjing really just a pipe dream?

He glanced at the Qiankun bag he had taken from Qin Yicao's corpse and pondered for a moment.

My cultivation level is too low to explain clearly.

Perhaps only this senior himself knows the answer.

(End of this chapter)