Chapter 148: Goodbye
"I can fix it. I know techniques. I can..."
The old man weakly grabbed his sleeve.
"Yun Wanhe..."
His voice barely carried.
"...Don’t... let hatred... decide..."
His hand slipped.
"...who you become..."
Then...
Nothing.
Yun Wanhe remained kneeling.
Holding him.
The entire forest became silent.
"Master?"
No response.
"...Master?"
His voice cracked.
The ring remained cold around his finger.
Mo Tianxue said nothing.
For the first time...
Even the demonic spirit understood that silence was more useful.
Yun Wanhe slowly lowered the old man to the ground.
His hands trembled.
He stared.
Then...
His expression changed.
Grief.
Shock.
Denial.
Then something inside him desperately searched for somewhere else to place the blame.
His eyes darkened.
"...Shen Tian."
The name escaped his lips.
It made no sense.
Shen Tian wasn’t there.
Shen Tian hadn’t forced his hand.
But Yun Wanhe needed someone to hate more than himself.
"...If he hadn’t..."
His breathing shook.
"If he hadn’t taken everything..."
Dark Qi gathered around him again.
The ring pulsed.
Mo Tianxue finally whispered.
[Good.]
[Use it.]
Yun Wanhe stood.
Then disappeared into the forest.
Leaving his old master behind.
. . .
Several hours later...
Chi Lingxi sat in class.
Chu Luoshen discussed mathematics at the board.
She wasn’t paying much attention.
Her thoughts kept returning to the previous night.
Shen Tian.
His smile.
The prize money.
Her first kiss.
She lowered her head.
Her ears became red again.
’Why did I do that...’
She covered part of her face with one hand.
’What was I thinking?’
A classmate beside her noticed.
"You okay?"
"Fine."
"You look warm."
"I’m fine."
Then...
The classroom door opened.
Chu Luoshen stopped.
A school administrator stood outside.
His expression was serious.
"Excuse me."
He looked toward Chi Lingxi.
"Chi Lingxi?"
Her smile disappeared.
"Yes?"
"The principal would like to speak with you."
A strange feeling entered her stomach.
She slowly stood.
Students watched as she left the classroom.
The walk to the principal’s office felt longer than usual.
When she entered...
The principal stood behind his desk.
Another teacher sat nearby.
Both looked uncomfortable.
Chi Lingxi immediately became frightened.
"...Did something happen?"
The principal was quiet.
Chi Lingxi exhaled.
Then she noticed something.
Her mother was on the phone sitting on the desk.
The principal picked it up.
"Your mother asked that we tell you here."
Chi Lingxi stared.
"Tell me what?"
The principal hesitated.
He had delivered bad news before.
But it never became easier.
"Some hikers found an elderly man in the mountains this morning."
Chi Lingxi’s breathing slowed.
"..."
"He had identification connected to your family."
Her face became pale.
"No."
The principal continued carefully.
"The police contacted your mother."
"No."
"Chi Lingxi..."
"No."
Her hands began trembling.
"He..."
She shook her head.
"He was fine this morning."
The principal stood.
"I’m very sorry."
Chi Lingxi backed away.
"No."
Tears immediately formed.
"No, you’re wrong. He was eating breakfast. He was joking. He was..."
Her voice broke.
"He was laughing at me."
The teacher moved toward her.
Chi Lingxi stepped away.
"No."
Her phone came out.
Her fingers shook so badly she nearly dropped it.
She called her grandfather.
Once.
No answer.
Again.
No answer.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Each unanswered ring made the truth harder to deny.
Finally...
Her knees weakened.
The teacher caught her before she hit the floor.
Chi Lingxi sobbed.
Not quietly.
Not elegantly.
She cried like a child.
"Grandpa..."
. . .
Her mother came to the school.
Meng Lan was barely holding herself together.
They embraced inside the principal’s office.
Neither could speak properly.
The police explained what they knew.
Hikers had discovered him near an abandoned shrine.
There were signs of a violent confrontation.
No suspects.
No witnesses.
Chi Lingxi heard almost none of it.
One thought repeated.
She had spoken to him that morning.
She had been embarrassed because he teased her.
She had left without hugging him.
Without saying anything special.
She had assumed she’d see him after school.
Now...
She never would.
That realization hurt more than anything.
Eventually...
Chi Lingxi whispered,
"I want Shen Tian."
Meng Lan looked at her.
"What?"
"I want to see Shen Tian."
She didn’t know why.
Maybe because he made her feel safe.
Maybe because the previous night had changed something.
Maybe because right now...
She needed someone she believed could make impossible things feel less impossible.
Meng Lan didn’t question it.
She simply nodded.
. . .
Shen Tian arrived at the school less than thirty minutes later.
He had received Chi Lingxi’s message.
Only four words.
---------
[My grandpa is dead.]
---------
The moment he read them...
His smile had disappeared.
Shen Tian already knew.
He didn’t need the police to look into it.
Yun Wanhe had done it.
And for the first time since receiving his system...
Shen Tian didn’t feel excitement about the increased reward potential.
He felt sick.
He stood outside the principal’s office.
His hand rested against the door.
Xu Ning appeared beside him.
[Host...]
He remained silent.
[This isn’t your fault.]
Shen Tian’s eyes lowered.
"...Isn’t it?"
Xu Ning stopped.
He continued quietly.
"I knew he was growing unstable. I knew the stronger he became... The better my rewards became. I deliberately let him grow. I laughed about it."
Xu Ning looked at him.
[You didn’t make him kill his master.]
"No. But I treated everything like a game."
Shen Tian opened the door.
Inside...
Chi Lingxi sat beside her mother.
Her eyes were red.
The instant she saw Shen Tian...
Something broke again.
She stood.
Then hurried toward him.
Shen Tian barely had time to react before she wrapped both arms around him.
She cried into his chest.
"He’s gone..."
Shen Tian’s expression tightened.
His arms slowly wrapped around her.
"I know."
"He was fine this morning."
"I know."
"He was eating."
Her voice shook.
"He kept teasing me about you."
Shen Tian closed his eyes.
Chi Lingxi gripped his shirt.
"I told him to stop. I got embarrassed. I left. I didn’t even..."
Her voice broke.
"I didn’t even say goodbye."
Shen Tian held her tighter.
"You didn’t know."
"I should’ve..."
"You didn’t know."
She cried harder.
For several minutes...
No one interrupted.
Meng Lan quietly wiped her own tears.
Eventually...
Chi Lingxi’s breathing slowed.
She remained against Shen Tian.
Then whispered something.
"I want him back."
Shen Tian froze.
The words were childish.
Impossible.
The kind of thing grief made people say because reality was unbearable.
But in Shen Tian’s view.
Was it truly impossible?
Cultivation existed.
Systems existed.
Souls existed.
Ancient inheritances existed.
He had seen things that ordinary people would call fantasy.
Xu Ning appeared beside him.
Shen Tian looked toward her.
Their eyes met.
"Is revival possible?" he whispered as low as he could.
For once...
Xu Ning didn’t immediately answer.
[Host...]
"Is it possible?"
She hesitated.
[In theory...]
[Yes.]
Shen Tian’s eyes sharpened.
"Then that’s enough."
Xu Ning immediately continued.
[But you’re nowhere near powerful enough.]
[And this world may not possess the resources required.]
[I don’t know whether his soul has already dispersed.]
[There are too many variables.]
Shen Tian looked down at Chi Lingxi.
She was still crying.
He made a decision.
"Chi Lingxi."
She slowly looked up.
His voice became serious.
"I’ll bring him back."
The room became silent.
Chi Lingxi stared.
Meng Lan looked toward him.
The principal, still nearby, seemed unsure whether he’d heard correctly.
Chi Lingxi’s lips trembled.
"...What?"
Shen Tian didn’t look away.
"I’ll find a way. I’ll revive your grandfather."
Chi Lingxi stared at him.
For several seconds...
She looked almost offended.
Not because she thought Shen Tian was mocking her.
But because she desperately wanted to believe him...
And couldn’t.
"Don’t..."
Her voice cracked.
"Don’t say that."
"I’m serious."
"He’s dead."
"I know."
"You can’t..."
Tears returned.
"You can’t promise something like that."
Shen Tian gently held her shoulders.
"I’m not saying it’ll happen tomorrow. I’m not saying it’ll be easy. I’m saying... If there is a method... I’ll find it."
Chi Lingxi shook her head.
"People can’t come back from the dead."
Shen Tian became quiet.
Then...
He glanced toward Meng Lan.
"Could we have a moment?"
Meng Lan looked confused.
But after seeing his expression...
She nodded.
The principal and teacher also stepped outside.
The door closed.
Only Shen Tian...
Chi Lingxi...
And Meng Lan remained.
Shen Tian stepped away.
He raised one hand.
Chi Lingxi wiped her tears.
"What are you doing?"
"Showing you why I believe what I just said."
He opened his palm.
At first...
Nothing happened.
Then...
Golden Qi appeared.
Chi Lingxi froze.
Meng Lan’s eyes widened.
The energy swirled above Shen Tian’s hand.
Not fire.
Not light.
Something alive.
Something powerful.
The curtains began moving despite the closed windows.
Papers lifted from the principal’s desk.
Pens floated into the air.
Chi Lingxi slowly looked around.
"What..."
Shen Tian’s aura expanded slightly.
Only slightly.
Yet the entire room changed.
The air became heavier.
The walls trembled.
A glass of water lifted from the desk.
It hovered.
Then...
Without Shen Tian touching it...
The water rose from the glass.
It formed a perfect sphere in midair.
Chi Lingxi stared.
Her grief momentarily gave way to shock.
Shen Tian slowly moved his fingers.
The sphere separated into dozens of tiny droplets.
Each one floated perfectly still.
Then they returned to the glass without spilling a single drop.
Shen Tian lowered his hand.
Everything settled.
Silence.
Chi Lingxi stared at him.
"...What are you?"
Shen Tian smiled faintly.
"Still Shen Tian."
"But..."
He raised his hand again.
Golden Qi flickered around his fingers.
"The world is much bigger than you think."
Meng Lan whispered,
"Cultivation..."
Shen Tian looked toward her.
Meng Lan’s expression changed.
"My father..."
She slowly sat down.
"He mentioned things. I thought most of his stories were exaggerations."
Chi Lingxi looked toward her mother.
"You knew?"
"Not this much."
Meng Lan shook her head.
"I knew he trained. I knew he was stronger than normal. But..."
She looked at Shen Tian.
"Not this."
Shen Tian continued.
"Your grandfather was a true cultivator."
Chi Lingxi’s eyes widened.
"He was?"
"Yes."
"And cultivators..."
He paused.
"Don’t always follow normal rules."
Chi Lingxi stared at the golden energy.
Her breathing became unsteady again.
But this time...
Something else entered her eyes.
Hope.
Fragile.
Terrified hope.
"You really think..."
Her voice became small.
"...he can come back?"
Shen Tian looked directly at her.
"I don’t know how yet."
He refused to lie.
"I don’t know how long it’ll take. I don’t know what it’ll cost. But I know enough now... To know death isn’t necessarily the absolute end."
Chi Lingxi’s tears returned.
Different tears.
She stepped toward him.
"Promise?"
Shen Tian’s chest tightened.
He thought about Yun Wanhe.
About how he had intentionally allowed him to grow.
About how he’d smiled when his Fate increased.
About how he’d thought only about better rewards.
Now someone he respected was dead.
He couldn’t undo that mistake yet.
But perhaps...
One day...
He could.
Shen Tian extended his little finger.
The childish gesture surprised Chi Lingxi.
He smiled.
"I promise."
She stared at his hand.
Then...
Her own little finger wrapped around his.
Shen Tian’s expression became serious.
"I’ll bring your grandfather back. Even if I have to search every cultivation inheritance in this world. Even if I have to become strong enough to break whatever rules stand in the way. I’ll find him. And I’ll bring him home."
Chi Lingxi’s face crumpled.
She threw herself into him again.
Shen Tian held her.
This time...
He didn’t feel like a villain enjoying another protagonist’s misfortune.
He didn’t think about Fate Value.
He didn’t think about rewards.
He thought only about the promise he’d just made.
Xu Ning watched silently.
She understood something had changed.
Shen Tian had spent so long treating Yun Wanhe as a resource.
A protagonist to cultivate.
A treasure chest to fatten before opening.
But now...
The game had produced a corpse.
And Shen Tian had finally realized that allowing a Son of Destiny to spiral out of control didn’t only affect the Son of Destiny.
Other people could be hurt.
People he cared about.
People who trusted him.
His eyes slowly hardened.
"Xu Ning."
[Yes, Host?]
"No more letting Yun Wanhe grow freely."
[Understood.]
Shen Tian looked toward the window.
Somewhere outside...
Yun Wanhe was walking deeper into the Demonic Path.
And this time...
Shen Tian no longer intended to sit back and watch.
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(Author’s Note: IMPORTANT!)
SEND POWESTONES!!!
ALL SUPER GIFTS (Magic Castle, Space Ship, Golden Gachapon) = MORE ChapterS!