Even though Brother Zhan had passed away for two years, his residence in the Cao Family was still there.
Sun Lang pushed the door open and entered. Without needing to light the lamp, the Mars Sword gathered fire in the void. A ball of flame circled around Sun Lang, illuminating everything in the room.
The air here was fresh and there was no stuffy smell. There was no dust in the furnishings. Paintings and paintings hung on the walls, and the bookshelves were full of poetry collections. There were zithers, flutes, flowers, and bamboos. It was very elegant and quiet. The furnishings were quite artistic. Seeing this, Sun Lang's mouth curved into a smile.
This was like his room … An artistic youth who was not interested in martial arts and killing. The Sword Saint of Water Yao, one of the best swordsmen in the world, did not even have a sword in his room.
His martial arts had reached the peak of the world, and with the Holy Sword in hand, he could see the essence of all things. It could be said that his eyes were like lightning. With one glance, he could see that this room had not been occupied for a long time and was cleaned from time to time. It seemed that after Shui Yao's death, someone had not forgotten him and kept his room until now as a memorial.
Sun Lang turned around and looked at Old Lady Cao who was standing silently with a calm face.
He said lightly, "This reminds me of the Rongguo Mansion … A few days ago, when I returned home, everything in the courtyard was as usual. Grandma has been thinking of me and cleaning my room and courtyard by herself every day …"
Old Lady Cao's eyes moved and said slowly, "When a man goes to war in Tianyuan, it is for his country, his family, and the world. He fights to the death and gives his life for a righteous cause. It is also a grand and vigorous battle. But when he leaves behind a widow and an orphan, he has to think about them all the time and wait for them alone for decades … Old Lady Jia is a lucky person. At least she can see the return of the General."
Her son, on the other hand, would never come back.
Sun Lang stared at the old lady who had lost her son. She also looked at him silently.
Hearing Shui Yao's complaints in the past, Sun Lang had a picture of his mother in his heart. A strong and strict parent, a mother with a strong desire for control. Today at the Copper Sparrow Pavilion, it was indeed so. Old Lady Cao was very smart and capable. Her eyes were sharp and her temperament was decisive. She placed her son's death as a bargaining chip on the balance without hesitation. She wanted to fight for a Holy Sword for the Cao family. Her words were full of reminders and even sarcasm.
She had been hinting to Sun Lang that Sun Lang owed the Cao family his life.
Now that she mentioned this matter, she mentioned Old Madame Jia who saw her grandson come back, she mentioned herself who could no longer see her son. It seemed that she was bringing up the old matter again, bringing up the debt Sun Lang owed.
However, Sun Lang knew that this was not the case.
At this moment, Old Lady Cao was speaking as a mother. She kept the room as it was and cleaned from time to time. She had been missing her son all this time.
Brother Zhan had a few older brothers. When Old Madam Cao gave birth to him, she was already old. She strictly supervised this son, raised him, educated him, and watched him grow up day by day until he became a world-renowned Sword Saint. Whether it was innate maternal love or acquired painstaking effort, this was her most promising, most proud, and most beloved son … However, she was also the one who personally sent him to the battlefield.
Brother Zhan did not like martial arts. He preferred to recite poems and play the zither and the flute. He wanted to be a scholar and not a warrior. However, his mother strictly urged him to practice martial arts. His potential was fully developed. He even gained the recognition of the Holy Sword and became the Sword Master of Chen Xing. However, it was also because of this that he could no longer refuse to fight in the battlefield … The Seven Luminaries Sword Master carried the hopes of the world. How could he be a deserter?
In the end, he participated in the battle of the Great Barren Mountain as one of the Seven Luminaries Sword Masters.
Sun Lang and Old Lady Cao looked at each other in silence.
If she respected her son's thoughts and preferences, if she did not force him to study hard and cultivate him into such a talent, perhaps he would not have been chosen by the Holy Sword. He would not have met Sun Lang. He would not have entered the Great Barren Mountain. He would not have lost his life. Of course, the Cao Family would not have become a Sword Saint's family. They would not have used this opportunity to soar and prosper … Therefore, today, or every night in the past two years, when Old Lady Cao missed her son, did she ever regret it?
When she broke her son's writing brush, when she threw away her son's zither, when she swung a thick stick, when she forced her son to stand on the Martial Arts Stump, when she saw her son get first place in the imperial examination, when she saw her son enter the Star Sword Palace … Did she ever think of this day?
There was probably no answer to all of this. Even Old Lady Cao herself could not explain it clearly. For a mother, who could tell which was the right choice?
Brother Zhan was already dead. It was too late to say anything.
Now, standing in front of him was a mother who lost her son and was heartbroken because of it. She was also a strong woman who continued to work for the living and for the family after her son's death.
These two were actually not contradictory.
Now, in Brother Zhan's room, Sun Lang was facing the former. She was a mother.
He sighed and slowly bowed down. He said softly, "I'm sorry."
Old Lady Cao silently turned to the side and only accepted Sun Lang's half bow. She looked at Sun Lang with a complicated gaze. No matter what the truth of the Great Barren Mountain was, her son's death was definitely related to the person in front of her. But now, she was counting on him, counting on him to help the Cao Family. There were some things she should not have said. She should have pretended to be confused … But at the same time, she was also a mother.
In the end, she said in a trembling voice, "Brother Zhan's choice … was it worth it?"
Sun Lang was startled. Then, his eyes showed confusion.
Was it worth it?
He disregarded his own life, the future of the family, and even the lives of the entire family. He saved a great devil who had the thought of destroying the world from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. He only made a three-year promise before he died. Three years later, he would kill for you. It did not matter even if the world bled and the land of the Divine Land sank … was it worth it?
He thought of Brother Zhan's smiling face in the video just now.
He said, "I believe in you."
The three year agreement was not yet up, but along the way, the evil in Sun Lang's heart had greatly subsided. He had seen people who were persistent, he had seen people who were still waiting, he had seen people who had atoned for their sins and apologized, he had seen people who had thanked him … The crazy thought of destroying the heavens and earth and slaughtering everything had already faded.
Because he believed in him, he only made a three-year promise.
After a while, Sun Lang said slowly, "I don't know … But I think he thought it was worth it."
Old Lady Cao nodded slowly. "That's enough …"
She walked forward slowly and looked at the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting in the room. "These are his favorite things. But before he was 14 years old, these things would never be placed here grandly. If I found them, they could only be thrown away and torn apart. I told him not to lose his mind because of these things, so he stopped. I told him to focus on practicing martial arts and bring honor to the family, so he did. He was the most obedient child. But in the end, I found that he was so obedient that he had no opinions. I hoped that he could be indomitable and responsible, but he couldn't do it."
Speaking of this, Old Lady Cao turned to look at Sun Lang. "I thought so. But in the Great Barren Mountain, he had his own ideas for the first time and did such an earth-shattering thing."
Sun Lang still said, "I'm sorry."
"My son was taught by me. What my son did was the result of my supervision. Whether it was good or bad, I should take responsibility for it. General, you didn't let me down."
Old Lady Cao looked at him and said slowly, "You are a general in the army and a noble in the court. Your status is incomparably revered. I am only a woman. I shouldn't be so presumptuous in front of you, but I am Brother Zhan's mother. In terms of seniority, I can call you nephew. I won't call you that. I just want to say one thing to you as his mother … My son thought it was worth it. I hope General can also make it worth it."
Sun Lang nodded calmly. "I'll do my best."
Old Lady Cao frowned. She was not satisfied with this ambiguous promise. But looking at Sun Lang's calm face, she knew that this topic should end here.
She was a mother, but she was also the mistress of the Cao family. Besides her son who had passed away, she had many more sons and many more family members.
Old Lady Cao said, "General, what brings you here today?"
Of course, Sun Lang had come for the stone. He had originally planned to beat around the bush a few times and mention this matter in a roundabout way to prevent Old Madam Cao from realizing something and leaking the news. However, after the previous conversation, he no longer had that kind of troublesome thought … Perhaps he subconsciously felt that the other party was trustworthy.
Reaching out to take out the stone, Sun Lang said, "Old Lady, may I ask if you still have this thing?"
Over the past two years, Old Madame Zhan's belongings had been turned over and over by Old Madame Zhan many times. Only this stone could not be understood after fiddling with it left and right. She could not see anything special about it. Now that she heard Sun Lang's question, Old Madame Zhan's expression changed, "Did General discover something?"
Sun Lang hesitated for a moment. Then, with a wave of his hand, the door and windows closed. He injected earth spiritual energy. The stone floated up and bloomed. The water curtain fluttered, reflecting the voice and smiling face of the deceased.
Old Lady Cao, who was smart, capable, and rational, let out a low cry. Her eyes instantly became wet. She trembled and reached out to the curtain. Her calm mask shattered, leaving behind only a mother who was surprised and happy. After all, she loved her son.
Sun Lang said softly, "This is just a video, like a moving painting."
Old Lady Cao stared at her son in the water curtain, motionless, like a frozen sculpture. Her body trembled. She tried her best to maintain her posture so that she would not cry and faint. Sun Lang stood beside her and watched with her. Brother Zhan repeated what he had said before, complaining, nagging, and persuading like a repeater.
Until the video ended.
Sun Lang took the stone back in his hand.
Old Lady Cao looked at him with pleading eyes.
Sun Lang shook his head and said, "Only I can activate it. You can't use it … I will find a way and return it to you later, but not now. Please think about it. Do you have any more of this stone?"
He showed this stone to Old Lady Cao out of apology. She was a mother who had lost her son. In the past two years, she had been missing her son. It was reasonable for her to see her son's voice and smile.
Secondly, it was for the purpose at hand.
Only by letting her know what it was could she be motivated to recall and search for it. At this time, Sun Lang had already guessed that Brother Zhan deliberately misspoke about what happened in the past. There must be a deeper meaning behind it. There was most likely a second stone that contained the image … Just like the plot of Evocation 2, if the two image stones were combined, there might be a new surprise.
Sun Lang did not know what the content was.
Maybe it was some extraordinary information, or maybe it was a joke made by Brother Zhan on the spur of the moment. But since his old friend had left such a puzzle, he had to find it and take a look no matter what.
Old Lady Cao frowned and thought carefully, not letting go of any corner of her memory. She had seen the image stone and knew the magic of this object. If there was a second stone, it meant that her son had left some other information … Even if it was just to see her son's voice and smile, it was enough to make her work harder.
After a while, she slowly shook her head.
"Brother Zhan's relics, I have sorted through them. There is only one stone, but …"
The important thing was this "but".
Sun Lang had already guessed it.
Sure enough, anger appeared on the old lady's face. "That little … that woman was Brother Zhan's wife back then. The relics were first sent to her before they were shown to me.
That day, she left the marriage with nothing and handed over all the old things. She said it was clean, but … "
But it was obviously not clean.
Let's not talk about other things. Damn it, how did my son's holy sword end up in your hands!
Before today, the Cao Family's attitude toward Shen Yaohua was that they were ashamed, could not talk about her, and would not have any contact with her. But now, they were gnashing their teeth and were absolutely irreconcilable.
This woman insisted on leaving home and remarrying back then. No matter who tried to persuade her, she would not change her mind. The widow of the Sword Saint of Water actually wanted to remarry. Everyone in the Cao Family lost face. It was a great shame and a joke … You, Shen Yaohua, claimed to have left the marriage with nothing back then. How did you get Brother Zhan's holy sword now?
Are you the one who stole his legacy and took the Sacred Sword for yourself?
This guess was indeed very reasonable. Everyone in the Cao Family was furious. They wanted to cut Shen Yaohua into pieces — this was too much of a bully, wasn't it?
Old Lady Cao's meaning was very simple.
This woman even dared to hide the secret of the holy sword. If there was a second stone, it must be in her hands!
Sun Lang breathed a sigh of relief.
Shen Yaohua again.
That beautiful figure appeared in his mind. He did not know what to feel.
He suddenly remembered that before, he bowed and apologized to Old Lady Cao. For a moment, Shen Yaohua's sad and beautiful face appeared in his mind — he had also expressed a faint apology to Shen Yaohua before, but it was guilt and avoidance. He seemed to have never seriously apologized to this woman who had lost her husband. Now that he thought about it, it was indeed a bit bad.
But he did not know what Shen Yaohua would say to his apology.
He was not a hesitant person. He made up his mind and immediately said, "Sorry to disturb you today. I will go and find Shen Yaohua. If I find anything, I will definitely bring it to you."
Old Lady Cao said, "That woman entered the Imperial Palace. It seems that she has not come out."
Sun Lang said without hesitation, "Then I will go into the Imperial Palace to find her."
Old Lady Cao looked at the sky and said, "At this time, the Imperial Palace gate is closed. It is not early. The guards are standing guard. Outside officials are not allowed to enter …"
Sun Lang smiled and said, "It's okay. Everyone in the Imperial Palace knows me."