Chapter 192 - 191: I’ll Take Care of Everything
The next morning.
The Yang Residence.
In the early morning, the air in Cangwu Garden was filled with the fragrance of fresh grass and the pleasant, endless chirping of birds.
Yang Shen, sitting cross-legged on the top floor of the ancestral hall, opened his eyes.
His battle with Luo Sheng had been undeniably perilous. He wasn’t sure if it was because of his "Desperate Edge" Life Chart, but Yang Shen felt his Cultivation flowing more smoothly.
’A growth-type Life Chart is amazing, but constantly risking my life isn’t ideal...’
Yang Shen touched the wounds on his body.
Those in the Innate Realm possessed remarkable self-healing abilities. As long as his internal organs weren’t damaged, his superficial wounds had mostly healed overnight. Still, he looked a little worse for wear.
The only issue was a slight fracture in his arm bone, which would probably need some time to recover...
Fortunately, after last night, the Rebel Species in Jianghuai had been cleaned out for the time being. The only remaining threat was Luo Sheng, whose motives were unknown, but as long as Yang Shen’s identity remained a secret, things were manageable.
He would finally no longer be distracted from his Cultivation by "extracurricular activities at night."
Yang Shen stretched his body. Feeling he was in decent shape, he didn’t want to waste the morning’s Rising Sun, so he slowly assumed a stance and began practicing his fist techniques.
He was still using the Sixth Set of Initial Realm Body Refining Fist.
In principle, the "Sixth Set," as its name suggested, was designed for the three initial realms, but it wasn’t completely useless after entering the Innate Realm.
After all, Yang Shen had already deduced it to its most perfect state.
As for a more efficient Innate Realm Cultivation Technique, his proficiency with a new one would be low. In the short term, it would likely be less effective.
If he wanted to find one, he could either look for it at the university or use his one-time exchange opportunity for a "Scientific Level Martial Arts Technique."
After finishing his fist routine, Yang Shen had Long Jiu remain on standby at the Yang Residence. He then left the residence himself and hailed a cab at the entrance of Cangwu Garden.
He was heading to Chongwu District.
"Chongwu Cemetery, please," he told the driver.
The young driver nodded. After driving for a while, he asked, "Going to pay your respects? Is it some kind of holiday today?"
He probably had deceased elders in his own family but, being young, couldn’t quite remember all the special dates, so he couldn’t help but ask.
Yang Shen shook his head. "No, I’m just going to report some good news."
After that, neither of them spoke.
But the radio was broadcasting recent news.
"Today, Yanhua, the Magna United States, and the Europe Federation jointly signed a ’Memorandum of Understanding on Ocean Development and Cooperation’..."
"The memorandum states that the oceans are a shared resource of all on Cyan Blue. Based on the fundamental principle of mutually beneficial cooperation, multiple multilateral collaborations will be initiated in the future..."
Yang Shen stared out the window, silent.
According to Jiang Xingjian, the entrance to the Exotic Realm where the Tattooed Guest was... is located in the Vast Sea Center.
’This must be related.’
’That place is extremely far from any country. Even a power as strong as Yanhua wouldn’t be able to establish a stable enough supply line without joint development... So, joint development is a reasonable idea.’
’And... that so-called "Dragon" is nearby too. I wonder how powerful it is, and if the Yanhua Martial Artists have found it yet...’
’It seems like some great wave is truly building in this era. The last time a new Exotic Realm appeared was a hundred years ago.’
...
Chongwu District was located between Jinshui District and the Main City District. About forty-five minutes later, Yang Shen got out of the car at the cemetery entrance.
The place was quite remote. The long road was lined with tall trees, stretching as far as the eye could see.
His aunt, Tao Ying, and the four little ones seemed to have arrived first. They were each carrying a few things. Seeing Yang Shen, she waved. "Shen, let’s go in. We’ve brought everything."
The group walked inside at a slow, unhurried pace.
"Is everything settled over there?"
"The inspection is done. We’ll head back to Jinshui with you all in a bit, and then we’ll officially move."
Tao Ying asked, "Do you think there’s a rule for this? Should we pay our respects before we move, or after?"
Yang Shen smiled. "Who knows? But they’ll be happy we came, no matter when."
"It’s just a shame... we can’t build a gravesite in Cangwu Garden after all. Otherwise, we could have buried Uncle in our own ancestral home."
Tao Ying shook her head. "This is good enough. We shouldn’t force it."
They had longed to buy a burial plot for Uncle for so long, and now, they finally had.
They had considered arranging it directly within Cangwu Garden, but ultimately, it wasn’t appropriate.
The park was, after all, still managed by the Municipal Government. They could have taken a gamble—pulled some strings or even secretly built a grave.
But if they lost that gamble... it would have put them in a terrible position, and it would have been too humiliating.
Uncle’s grave deserved to be established openly, with firecrackers roaring, not snuck in secretly.
So, after discussing it, they decided to place it in a proper cemetery for now. If the Yang Family continued to grow and reached a new level of status and power in the future, it wouldn’t be too late to move it then.
This included Yang Shen’s biological parents.
Jinshui District didn’t have any good memorial parks, so the Yang Family chose a top-tier one in the neighboring Chongwu District. It cost 500,000, and they bought two plots at once.
The family walked deep into the cemetery and stopped before an impressive stone monument. It read: "To My Late Husband, Yang Wen."
A short distance away was another, written from Lei Lv’s perspective: "To My Late Father, Lei Yiming."
Since they were buying one anyway, they arranged one for Uncle Yiming as well. However, Uncle Yiming’s body was never recovered, so this was a cenotaph.
Tao Ying shed tears as she arranged the offerings at her husband’s grave. The four little ones were much quieter, and both Yang Mo and Yang Man had tears in their eyes.
With a flick of his finger, Yang Shen ignited the joss paper with a golden flame.
To be honest, Yang Shen had thought about this black, gold-inscribed stone monument countless times, day and night.
It was a source of restless anxiety, a lingering regret that kept him tossing and turning.
But now that they’d actually bought it, it suddenly felt... weightless.
It couldn’t compare to even a fraction of his longing.
No one feels an attachment to a piece of stone until a familiar name is carved upon it.
"Uncle, I’ve already been to Jiangti. The school is great, just a bit competitive."
"The school has amazing resources. I’ll scout it out for Mo and Man first. I’m sure they’ll go there one day too."
"The new Yang Family home is all set. We have an ancestral tablet for you there too, and we’ll burn incense for you every day... If there really is something mystical out there, maybe you’ve already seen what it looks like. You should like it."
Yang Shen felt he had so much to say, but the words felt too light for the weight of his feelings.
Finally, he took a deep breath and, before his uncle’s grave, made the greatest promise a man can make.
"Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything at home."
’Including your revenge. I will get it for you...’
After paying their respects to Yang Wen, the group moved to Lei Yiming’s grave. Yang Shen set down another set of offerings and looked at the busy Lei Lv and Xiaolei Yi.
"Uncle Yiming, we’ve fulfilled the promise Uncle made to you back then. The Yang Family keeps its word and has not let down its friends and family."
"Lei Lv and Lei Yi are doing very well. I will treat them like my own younger brothers."
Lei Lv lowered his head, saying nothing. Xiaolei Yi, on the other hand, didn’t really have many memories of Lei Yiming.
Yang Shen placed a broad hand on Lei Lv’s head, gently ruffling his short, fuzzy hair.
"Lei Lv originally told me he wanted to change his and his brother’s surname, but I don’t think it’s important. I told them to wait until they get their ID cards at sixteen. But whether they change it or not, it won’t change the fact that they are your children, nor will it change that they are part of the Yang Family."
At Lei Yiming’s grave, Tao Ying seemed much more relaxed. She smiled at the headstone and said, "You can be neighbors with our Wen. You two brothers will have endless things to talk about from now on."
Yang Shen recalled how the two of them could talk all night after having a few drinks, and he smiled as well. "What a coincidence. We brought a bottle of liquor for each of them today. They’ll probably keep the whole cemetery up all night."
Xiaolei Yi suddenly seemed to come alive, recalling fragments of his father from his memory.
"That’s right! My dad loved to drink! After he drank, he’d breathe his stinky breath all over me!"
Yang Shen looked at Lei Yi and Lei Lv, then back at Lei Yiming’s cenotaph...
Suddenly, the "Trapped Reef’s Young Dragon" Life Chart flashed through his mind...
’A Dragon... what does a Dragon actually look like...?’
When everything was done, the family walked toward the exit, carrying empty black plastic bags.
Tao Ying held Xiaolei Yi’s hand and said softly, "We just need to visit the cemetery in Jinshui District to pay our respects to my older brother and his wife, and my parents-in-law, then we’ll be completely finished."
Yang Shen nodded. "Yeah, and then we’ll be moving to Jianghuai City for good."
Some people say visiting graves is just a formality and that remembrance should be kept in the heart.
But truly intense emotions can’t be suppressed; they overflow. Keeping them in your heart isn’t enough. You always feel the need to do something.
Only by putting the past in order can you face the future.
The cemetery path was narrow, and the six of them formed a long line.
They walked forward in the same direction, their steps light.
"Shen."
"Hm?"
"Thank you for carrying this family on your shoulders."
Yang Shen shook his head. "No, we carried it together."
Tao Ying smiled. "You’re saying I helped?"
"Without you, Auntie, there would be no Yang Family..."
The family of six walked toward their new life.