Douluo Continent: Copying Ya Li, the Carefree King of the Sun and Moon

To be precise, it's a grave that's almost completely buried by weeds.

The mound wasn't high, and half of the soil had collapsed. A few bluestone slabs were piled up crookedly, looking like they had been casually stacked.

There wasn't even a proper tombstone in front of the grave; there was only a broken wooden plank stuck in the ground, the words on it eroded by wind and rain and almost illegible.

Xu Yanli walked over, squatted down, and reached out to push aside the withered vines on the wooden board.

"The Tomb of Huo Yun'er, Mother of Huo Yuhao".

The few words were carved crookedly.

It looks like it was carved stroke by stroke with a knife. The person who carved it probably didn't have much strength, as the characters are of varying depths and some strokes are even crooked.

Xu Yanli's fingers gently traced those words, and he remained silent for a long time.

Long Xiaoyao stood behind him, his gaze fixed on the dilapidated grave, his eyes beneath the mask revealing a complex expression.

“This grave…” Yue Zhengling frowned and couldn’t help but say, “Isn’t it too shabby? The White Tiger Duke’s Mansion can’t even provide a decent burial plot?”

Xu Yanli didn't reply, her eyes still fixed on the burial mound.

He figured it out.

He glanced around again.

The grass in the wasteland grew in a mess, except for the patch in front of the grave, where the grass was shorter than the rest, as if it had been cleared.

Xu Yanli stood up, brushed the dust off his knees, and said softly, "Someone has been here."

Yue Zhengling was taken aback: "Who?"

Xu Yanli didn't answer, she just stared at the grave.

Perhaps it was Dai Luoli, or his mother, after all, they were the only ones in the entire Duke's mansion who still remembered the mother and son.

Xu Yanli withdrew his gaze and turned to Long Xiaoyao: "Elder Long, could you please keep watch for me?"

Long Xiaoyao nodded, and with a flicker, disappeared into the shadows on the wall.

Yue Zhengling also retreated to a distance, her hand on the hilt of her sword, and warily scanned her surroundings.

Xu Yanli stood in front of the grave and took a deep breath.

He closed his eyes and clasped his hands together.

"The Jade Emperor, the Queen Mother of the West, Laozi..." he murmured softly, his voice clear yet distinct in the silent wasteland. "The Earth Goddess, King Yama, the Ten Kings of Hell..."

He paused, then continued reciting: "God, Jesus, the Virgin Mary... Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva..."

Standing at a distance, Yue Zhengling was completely confused and couldn't help but glance in the direction where Long Xiaoyao was hiding.

Long Xiaoyao didn't show himself, but simply shook his head slightly in the shadows, meaning don't ask.

"I, Xu Yanli, have disturbed the spirits of the dead today; there was truly no other way." Xu Yanli's voice was even lower, as if he were discussing something with someone. "Huo Yun'er suffered in life and will not find peace in death. I want to take her away from here and find her a quiet place to rest in peace. Gods above, if there is any blame, I will bear it all."

He opened his eyes and looked at the dilapidated grave in front of him.

"Auntie, please forgive me."

He raised his hand, and the Purple Emperor Annihilation Dragon Martial Soul was quietly released.

Dark purple soul power condensed in his palm, transforming into a soft light.

This is not an attack, it is a lift.

Purple light slowly seeped into the grave mound, lifting up the layers of decaying soil and gently placing them aside.

There was no dust flying, no stones flying; the entire grave seemed to be slowly dismantled by an unseen giant hand.

Beneath the soil, a thin coffin was revealed.

It was called a coffin, but it was actually just a few thin wooden planks pieced together. Most of the wood was rotten, black in color, and gave off a damp, musty smell.

Xu Yanli looked at the thin coffin, his fingers clenching slightly.

The White Tiger Duke's Mansion, a dignified ducal mansion, wouldn't even provide a decent coffin for a dead woman.

Even if this woman gave birth to his son.

He took a deep breath and continued to channel his soul power.

Purple light enveloped the thin coffin, gradually clearing away the surrounding soil.

Xu Yanli frowned.

This coffin is too thin; it's been buried for over a decade and could fall apart at any moment.

He thought for a moment, then took out a piece of white silk from his storage soul tool, gently laid it on the coffin, and used his soul power to support the bottom of the coffin, carefully lifting the entire thin coffin out of the mud.

The moment the coffin was lifted off the ground, a crisp "crack" was heard from the bottom, and a rotten wooden plank finally gave way and split open.

Xu Yan's heart tightened, and he quickly sped up his movements, lifting the entire coffin and placing it steadily on the open ground to the side.

He crouched down, looked at the flimsy coffin that was about to fall apart, and remained silent for a long time.

"Open the coffin," he said softly.

Yue Zhengling wanted to step forward to help, but Xu Yanli stopped her by raising his hand.

"I come."

He reached out and gently lifted the coffin lid.

The coffin lid was so badly damaged that it was removed with almost no effort.

If he wasn't mistaken, Huo Yuhao must have made the coffin himself, which is why it was so irregular.

Inside was a skeleton that had long since turned to skeletal remains.

The frame is not large; in fact, one could say it is small and thin.

The clothes were long since tattered into pieces, their original color unrecognizable, with only a few fragments clinging to the bones.

There was still some hair left, dry and yellow, surrounding the skull.

It turns out that life is so insignificant; flesh and blood disappear in just a few years.

Chapter 137 The competition ends, awards ceremony

Xu Yanli looked at the remains, at the tattered pieces of clothing, and at the flimsy coffin that was worse than that of an ordinary family.

Huo Yuhao's mother, Huo Yun'er.

A maid in the White Tiger Duke's mansion, Dai Hao's woman, and Huo Yuhao's mother.

He suffered endless scorn while he was alive, was bullied by the Duchess, and ridiculed by the servants. In the end, he died of illness and injury in a dilapidated house.

Huo Yuhao, Huo Yuhao, how were you able to forgive that man in the original story?

Xu Yanli closed his eyes, took out the golden nanmu coffin from his storage soul tool, and placed it aside.

He laid white silk into the new coffin, then bent down and carefully took Huo Yun'er's remains out of the old coffin piece by piece, gently placing them into the new coffin.

First the skull, then the spine, ribs, arms, and leg bones.

He worked very slowly, handling each bone with care, as if afraid of breaking something.

Le Zhengling stood aside, watching this scene, feeling somewhat strange. She had always thought Xu Yanli was a fearless person, so why was he so... ?

He had never seen His Highness like this before, as if he were showing awe for the first time.

“Your Highness,” Yue Zhengling couldn’t help but say, “Let me do it.”

"No need," Xu Yanli said without looking up. "I'll do it."

He wasn't respecting Huo Yun'er, but rather the remains, and the death itself.

He placed the last bone into the coffin, checked it carefully again to make sure nothing was missing, and then gently closed the coffin lid.

The moment the coffin lid made of Phoebe zhennan wood closed, it made a dull thud.

Xu Yanli stood up and put the coffin into his storage soul tool.

He glanced back at the empty grave and the flimsy, crumbling coffin.

“Let’s go,” he said.

The three climbed over the wall and landed in the back alley.

Long Xiaoyao emerged from the shadows, glanced at Xu Yanli, and suddenly asked, "Who were those people you were just reciting?"

Xu Yanli paused, turning her head to look at him.

Long Xiaoyao's tone was casual, as if he were asking what he had eaten that day, but his eyes, hidden behind the mask, clearly held a look of inquiry.

Xu Yanli remained silent for a moment, then a slight smile appeared on his lips.

“Traces of another world,” he said.

Long Xiaoyao paused for a moment, then didn't ask any further questions.

Le Zhengling was completely confused. She wanted to ask but didn't dare, so she could only follow behind in silence.

The three of them walked through the narrow alley and turned onto the main street.

Steam rose from the wonton stalls on the street, and a little girl selling flowers ran past with her basket, her laughter ringing out.

Xu Yanli walked at the front, her steps lighter than when she arrived.

Looking at the bustling, lively scene before him, he suddenly thought of Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao stood at the door today, waiting for him, probably wanting to ask him to go together, but in the end he didn't dare to say it.

Xu Yanli didn't ask.

Some things you have to bear on your own.

All he could do was help him move his mother's grave, giving him a place to pay his respects.

He has to walk the rest of the road by himself.

The next morning, before dawn, Xingluo City was already bustling with activity.

The awards ceremony for the All-Continent Elite College Competition is today.

A high platform had long been erected in Xingluo Square, with a red carpet stretching from the palace gate all the way to the center of the square, and flags fluttering on both sides.