Wang Lin didn't seem to notice the old man's arrival. He stroked the tombstone and knelt before it. The tombstone was very cold, and the coldness entered his hand. However, it turned into warmth that warmed his mind.
Tears flowed down his cheeks and fell on the ground. They slowly wetted the soil and seemed to melt into his parents' bodies.
The coldness in his hand, the warmth in his heart, the tears in his eyes, and the wetness on the grave made Wang Lin and his parents' graves seem to fuse into one.
This fusion gave off an indescribable feeling.
The old man in the sky stared blankly at all of this. His mind rumbled as if countless bolts of lightning were exploding. His body was trembling, and he had a guess in his mind. This guess caused his eyes to shine with excitement.
The person who was qualified to kneel before this grave, the person who was qualified to shed tears before this grave, the person who was qualified to say the words "father and mother," there was only one person in the world, and that was the Lord of the Sealed Realm!
A soft light seemed to slowly spread out from Wang Lin's body and shrouded the grave. He didn't know what was happening as he knelt there and tears flowed down his face. He looked at the names of his parents on the tombstone with sadness.
However, when the old man looked over, he gasped. He didn't know if it was an illusion, but the figure of a woman had appeared to the left of Wang Lin.
This figure was very weak, as if it would dissipate with a gust of wind. She had long hair and it was impossible to see her appearance, but one could feel the same sadness from her body.
She silently stood beside Wang Lin. She looked at the grave and also knelt down.
From afar, the illusory woman and Wang Lin looked like husband and wife worshiping before their parents' graves.
In the blink of an eye, another illusory figure appeared on the right side of Wang Lin. This figure was a young man who looked about 20 years old. He looked very similar to Wang Lin.
The moment the young man appeared, a third illusory figure appeared beside him. It was a woman.
They looked at the grave with sadness in their eyes and knelt down together.
This scene was like a family of four. While it was warm, there was also an inexplicable bitterness in the old man's heart.
Just at this moment, there was a howl in the distance. The madman closed in while laughing, and the old man's three disciples chased after him.
Everyone instantly arrived above the old house.
The old man's three disciples let out angry roars and closed in. Their teacher waved his sleeve and the three of them were brought to his side. The three of them immediately stopped shouting and lowered their heads. However, the moment they lowered their heads, they saw Wang Lin kneeling before the grave.
The madman ran far away and looked back to see that no one was chasing him. He couldn't help but scratch his head and land in the courtyard next to the old house. He saw Wang Lin kneeling not far away and immediately ran up to him. He let out a soft gasp and circled around Wang Lin a few times. He could faintly see the three illusory figures beside Wang Lin.
Wang Lin turned a deaf ear to all of this. He silently knelt there and stroked the tombstone as if he was stroking his parents' old faces.
At this moment, the world became dark. As the sun gradually set, the formation around the country of Zhao flashed violently. The powerful cultivators of Suzaku that had sensed the fluctuations of the formation turned into more than 10 rays of light and charged into the formation. After they entered Zhao, they seemed to notice something and charged toward where Wang Lin was.
Rays of light flew across the dark sky. Many cultivators appeared in the sky and stared at Wang Lin kneeling before the grave.
Some of them were native cultivators of Suzaku and had met Wang Lin before. When they saw Wang Lin kneeling before the grave, they immediately recognized who Wang Lin was!
"Lord of the Sealed Realm!!!"
"Wang Lin!!"
Bursts of exclamations came from the cultivators that recognized Wang Lin, and it set off a storm. This caused all the cultivators that arrived to tremble. Their faces were filled with shock, but there was also disbelief and excitement.
The old man's three disciples were dumbfounded. They didn't expect that the person with the madman, the person they had called vulgar, would be the Lord of the Sealed Realm!
At this moment, their minds were blank. The three of them forgot to think and stood there in a daze.
The sky in the distance lit up, and a red cloud whistled over. In the blink of an eye, it neared, and a person walked out of the cloud. This person was an old man, and he wore a red robe. His face, which was covered by a head of white hair, was dignified without being angry.
From his old face, one could vaguely see what Zhou Wutai looked like in the past.
This old man was the master of Suzaku, Zhou Wutai!
He looked at the kneeling Wang Lin with melancholy and reminiscence in his eyes. He silently stood there for a long time, and as the surrounding cultivators were silent, he softly said one thing.
"You … Came back …" Wang Lin didn't raise his head. He stared at the tombstone for a long time and softly said,
"I'm back …"
Zhou Wutai was old and his body gave off an ancient aura. He arrived next to Wang Lin and bowed toward the grave.
"All of you can leave. Let me and him have some peace."
Zhou Wutai raised his head and looked at the people in the sky. Although many of the cultivators here had higher cultivation levels than him, Zhou Wutai was the lord of planet Suzaku. His status was the highest among all the cultivators here, so his words were above his cultivation level.
The surrounding cultivators silently suppressed their excitement. They bowed deeply at Wang Lin and then at the grave before respectfully leaving.
Many of them didn't belong to Suzaku. They came from other places and volunteered to protect Suzaku to show respect to the Lord of the Sealed Realm.
The old man also left with his three disciples who still couldn't believe it.
In the blink of an eye, only Wang Lin, Zhou Wutai, and the madman were left in the old house.
The madman looked at it for a while and felt a bit bored. He walked to the side and leaned against the wall. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.
"How long are you planning to stay this time?"
Zhou Wutai pondered a bit and sat down next to Wang Lin. He waved his right hand and took out two jugs of wine. He looked at the grave and softly asked.
Wang Lin raised his hand that was stroking the tombstone and silently sat down. The three illusions around him slowly dissipated.
"It won't be long …" Wang Lin picked up a jug of wine and took a sip.
"This is …" The wine inside the jug had a familiar taste. It was as if he had returned to more than 1,000 years ago.
Zhou Wutai softly said, "This is the Zeng family's wine. I left behind a lot in the past so I could get drunk with you again."
Zhou Wutai picked up the jug of wine and took a sip. He looked at the sky and slowly said, "I accepted that child from the Zeng family as a disciple … If he knows you're back, he will be very happy."
Wang Lin silently pondered. The image of Zeng Niu's child appeared before his eyes. The child with good talent.
Wang Lin looked at his parents' grave and softly said, "Thank you."
"What are you thanking me for? You gave me the title of Rosefinch back then, but I couldn't stop Suzaku from changing. After you became the Lord of the Sealed Realm, a lot of people came. They had good intentions and wanted to turn this place into a holy land. I could only keep this country of Zhao …"
Zhou Wutai bitterly smiled as he shook his head and took a big gulp.
Zhou Wutai let out a sigh. "I know you are a person who cares about the past. Perhaps this place has changed too much and you are unfamiliar with it."
Wang Lin didn't speak and drank the entire jug of wine. Then Zhou Wutai took out a few more jugs and placed them before Wang Lin.
The sky slowly darkened and the moonlight shrouded the earth. It was gentle, but there was a hint of coolness.
The two of them drank the wine from the past under the moonlight. Outside the old house, in Wang Lin's home, they slowly drank and talked about the past.
"The Tattoo Clan's Yunque Zi's lifespan ran out and he died. I buried him … Before he died, he kept saying your name …"
"The Cloud Sky Sect is now one of the nine great sects, but the people from back then have all disappeared. Not only are you unfamiliar with planet Suzaku, even I feel like it's unfamiliar … There are very few people left from back then, very few …"
As Zhou Wutai drank the wine, his expression was filled with reminiscence.
"Do you still remember the country of Hou Fen's Zhou Zihong? I only found out about your relationship later. She left with her mother, Feng Luan, many years ago. It was said that she joined a sect in the Summoned River … Zhou Zihong's cultivation partner died in a battle a few years ago …" As Wang Lin listened to Zhou Wutai's words, he silently drank one jug after another.
"Wang Lin, I actually envy you …" The moonlight became even more intense. As the moon hung high in the sky, Zhou Wutai seemed to be drunk. Perhaps it wasn't his body that was drunk, but his soul.
"You dared to walk out of Suzaku and dared to struggle between life and death … I didn't dare. I could only guard this place …" Zhou Wutai revealed a bitter expression.
"I guarded this place for more than 1,000 years … I still can't forget when you appointed me as the master of Suzaku and left by yourself. Although I envied you back then, it wasn't as strong as it is now …" "Do you still remember my disciple …" Zhou Wutai drank a large gulp of wine. His eyes were filled with sadness.
"He has already been dead for many years. He is where my domain lies … I promised him that I would accompany him until he died … I buried him on Suzaku. Every time I wanted to leave Suzaku, I would go see him and silently drink before his grave." Zhou Wutai lowered his head.
"That disciple of mine loved home. He didn't want to leave his hometown …"
Wang Lin didn't speak. He drank the Zeng family's old wine with Zhou Wutai until the moon disappeared, until the sky turned white, and until the sun rose.
"Wang Lin, Red Butterfly might not be dead!" Zhou Wutai, who was in the Soul Intoxication state, said this at the moment of dawn.