Chapter 26

Chapter 26: A Person’s Twilight

In the east of the South Phoenix Continent.

Summer had arrived. Rain was becoming more common, and the temperature was beginning to rise.

“It’s May.” Today, the sun was high in the sky when Grandmaster Bai’s lecture concluded. Xu Qing looked up at the blue sky and dazzling sun as he left the tent.

Since he had first come to the scavenger camp, two months had unknowingly passed by.

Two months ago, he had still been struggling in the ruins of the city amid the blood rain. It seemed like a long time had passed since then, but when Xu Qing recalled those times, his memories were still vivid.

However, compared with the time when he was living in the slums, he was already completely different from before.

Whether it was the increase in his cultivation base or his newfound knowledge of plants and vegetation, Xu Qing felt that he was constantly improving himself.

And during this time, Captain Thunder had fed him many sumptuous meals with a lot of meat. His originally thin and small body had become slightly tougher.

Also, because he cultivated the Sea and Mountain Art, he was full of vigor, and his whole body exuded a sharp aura.

Xu Qing’s eyes were also much brighter than others, perhaps because he had copied the blade strike from the temple. And the more he comprehended the blade strike, the brighter the light in his eyes became.

In addition, after he started listening to Grandmaster Bai’s lectures, his accumulated knowledge added a sort of scholarly temperament to him.

Although Xu Qing, who by now was used to keeping his hands clean, didn’t wash the dirt off his face, all of this added together made it impossible to conceal his beautiful features.

This was evident from the way the prostitutes in the feather tents often called out to him with seductive eyes.

But Xu Qing didn’t think about any of this. These days, he had been feeling a little sullen.

On the one hand, he still hadn’t found the Destiny Flower, and on the other, Captain Thunder’s weakness and old age were becoming more and more obvious.

Over time, Xu Qing started going to the forbidden area jungle less frequently. After Grandmaster Bai’s class finished every day, Xu Qing would return to his residence instead. Although he cultivated by himself most of the time, he could sense Captain Thunder next door and feel more at ease.

And he cherished their meals together every night even more.

Today was the same as always. Xu Qing walked silently in the camp, ignoring the scattered scavengers hanging around, and went to the general store.

When she saw his figure, the busy little girl ran behind counter and pulled out a jug of wine. She handed it over to Xu Qing without saying a word.

These days, Xu Qing came over to buy wine at this same time every day.

"Thank you." Xu Qing said softly, looking at the scar on the little girl's face.

Although she had a hideous scar, the little girl was always optimistic. She smiled at Xu Qing and opened her mouth to speak, but was called over by one of the other scavengers.

Xu Qing didn’t mind and was about to leave, but when the little girl saw his back from the corner of her eye, she hurriedly said a few words to the scavenger she was attending to and ran over to the door. She looked at Xu Qing’s departing figure and suddenly called out.

“Big Brother Kid.”

Xu Qing paused and looked back. The little girl quickly ran over.

When she got near Xu Qing, she stretched out her right hand. There was a piece of candy in her palm.

“I don’t know why you’ve been depressed recently, but every time I was unhappy, my mother would give me sweets, and I would cheer up after eating."

"This is my last piece of candy. Here."

As the little girl was speaking, she seemed to be afraid that Xu Qing would refuse. She directly put the candy in his hand and quickly ran back to the store. When she was back at the door, she turned her head to look at Xu Qing and shouted loudly.

"Big Brother Kid, be happy!"

Xu Qing stood there in a daze. Watching the figure of the little girl walk into the store, he looked down at the candy in his hand. After a long time… he carefully put it away.

On the way back, the camp was noisy, and it seemed that something was going on. Xu Qing saw from a distance that two new convoys had come to the camp.

The convoy in the front far exceeded anything Xu Qing had seen before, whether it was the pristine carriages or the strong and robust horses. In addition, aside from the guards, there were also three to five middle-aged men who exuded extremely powerful spiritual energy fluctuations.

And these powerful middle-aged men were clearly not core members of the convoy.

When the convoy arrived, a group of young men and women stepped down from inside the carriages. They were all about sixteen or seventeen years old, fair-skinned and dressed in luxurious clothes. The men were handsome and the women were beautiful.

Clearly, their status was extraordinary. They seemed to look down on the messy camp, so they gathered outside of it. Their arrogance was very obvious.

Each of them was also surrounded by followers. About a hundred people served these fifteen to sixteen young men and women.

As for the second convoy, although it wasn’t bad, it was obviously inferior when compared with the first.

And the members of this convoy were clearly aware of the identities of those young men and women. Thus, the second convoy avoided the first and entered the camp, and the people who came down from the carriages were very low-key.

Xu Qing swept his gaze across them.

New convoys would show up at the camp every once in a while. All sorts of people came with the convoys, and they would either issue missions or enter the forbidden area by themselves.

Catering to these convoys was one way the scavenger camp survived. Xu Qing was used to it.

When he returned to his residence, he saw Captain Thunder exercising in the courtyard. Despite the sunlight, Captain Thunder seemed to be in the twilight of his life, making Xu Qing feel even more depressed.

“You bought me wine again, very good.” Noticing the wine jug in Xu Qing’s hand, Captain Thunder spoke with a smile.

"Okay, you go in and clean up the kitchen. I'll go for a stroll outside and buy some ingredients." Captain Thunder said and left with his hands behind his back.

He and Xu Qing had agreed that he would buy the ingredients. Xu Qing didn’t refuse, but paid even more rent.

It seemed like that was how he and Captain Thunder got along.

Today, Captain Thunder came back earlier than usual. Xu Qing had just finished cleaning up the kitchen when Captain Thunder had returned with some meat. He smiled at Xu Qing and started cooking.

Xu Qing sat to the side and studied as always, but he felt like something wasn’t right… At this rate, their meal would be ahead of time, not in the evening like usual.

Realizing this, Xu Qing seemed to understand something. As he watched Captain Thunder bustle around the kitchen, he opened his mouth to say something but eventually fell silent.

Just like always, Captain Thunder talked while cooking.

As he talked, he finished cooking the meal before dusk had arrived. After placing it on the table, Captain Thunder looked at the silent Xu Qing and patted his head.

“Kid, I’ve already bought the residence qualification for Pinewind City. I’ll pack my luggage later and leave early tomorrow morning.” Captain Thunder picked up the wine jug Xu Qing had bought for him and took a big gulp.

Xu Qing’s movements paused, and after a long silence, he lowered his head and said softly.

"So soon?"

Captain Thunder didn't speak. After a long time, he let out a laugh.

"In fact, I bought it a long time ago, I just didn’t tell you. You don't have to be so reluctant. In this world, there is no banquet that lasts forever.” Captain Thunder said, taking another big gulp of wine.

"Come on, let’s eat."

Xu Qing looked at Captain Thunder’s face, full of the vicissitudes of life, and silently picked up his chopsticks to eat. Today’s food should have been delicious, but Xu Qing couldn’t taste anything.

Looking at Xu Qing’s face, Captain Thunder sighed softly in his heart, but outwardly he kept a smile on his face as he talked about some random matters in the camp. After about the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Xu Qing suddenly opened his mouth to speak.

“Aren’t you going to wait for Cross and Luan Ya? They should be back soon.”

“I won’t wait. If they come back, they’ll probably be like you, making me feel even worse. Besides, if you have time, you can still come see me in the future.”

Captain Thunder pulled out his pipe and took a puff. When he exhaled the smoke, it drifted in front of him, making his face look a little hazy.

Captain Thunder finished this meal very quickly.

When he left to pack his luggage, Xu Qing sat silently at the table, staring blankly at the food. He had no appetite, so after a while, he just stood up. For the first time, he did not immediately go clean the dishes, instead going over to Captain Thunder’s room.

"Are you really going?" Xu Qing asked softly.

“Don’t be so sad. I’m going to live in the city. You should be happy for me.”

Captain Thunder laughed and called Xu Qing over to help him fold his clothes.

Xu Qing first washed his hands carefully, then walked over and neatly helped fold.

With his help, Captain Thunder packed his luggage very quickly. Captain Thunder had no interest in keeping most of his belongings, just leaving them to Xu Qing.

“I’ll also give you this house.”

"I’ll pay rent." Xu Qing said seriously.

Captain Thunder smiled when he heard this, but didn’t dwell on it. He pulled Xu Qing to sit and started talking about the scavengers in the camp. He especially emphasized the camp owner

“The camp owner is not a simple person. He comes from the Vajra Sect."

“The Vajra Sect is the number one force around here. Dozens of cities and camps are under their control, and their ancestor is a Foundation Establishment Realm expert. Later, you have to remember to be careful around the camp owner.”

After Captain Thunder spoke to this point, it was already very late outside. Xu Qing noticed the exhaustion on his face and stood up silently to leave.

Watching the figure of the boy disappear, Captain Thunder sighed softly.

For the first time in a long time, Xu Qing didn’t spend the night cultivating.

Instead, he sat on the bed, blankly staring at the dark night outside until he saw the first rays of the morning sun.

"It passed so quickly." Xu Qing murmured, his heart filling with a sense of melancholy. Unlike usual, he didn’t leave his house immediately. Instead, he listened for the sound of Captain Thunder’s door opening before slowly walking out.

Rays of early morning sunlight sprinkled down, and an elder and a boy stared at each other in the courtyard.

"Kid, I'm leaving." After a long time, a smile appeared on Captain Thunder's face.

"I’ll see you off."

"No, you go to class."

"I'll see you off."

"You……"

"I'll see you off." Xu Qing looked at Captain Thunder and spoke again.

Captain Thunder looked at Xu Qing for a while before helplessly nodding.

Just like that, the two of them left the camp in the early morning while most of the other scavengers were still asleep. When they passed by Grandmaster Bai’s tent, Xu Qing ran over.

Grandmaster Bai hadn’t arrived yet, nor had Chen Feiyuan. Only Tingyu was there, poring over the medicine books.

“Sorry, please help me request a day off.” After seeing Tingyu, Xu Qing spoke quickly, bowed, and turned to leave.

Ting Yu was a little surprised. When she stepped out of the tent, she saw the figures of Xu Qing and Captain Thunder leaving in the distance.

The light of morning sun scattered over the earth, shining in front of Xu Qing and Captain Thunder and enveloping their silhouettes as they walked farther and farther.

Along the way, Xu Qing silently took the luggage from Captain Thunder and carried it on his back.

Captain Thunder had a complicated feeling in his heart as he looked at the stubborn youth. He wanted to talk about the gossip in the camp like usual, but after speaking a few words, he couldn’t continue.

In silence, the pair walked to that mountain they had come to before entering the camp and walked over to the place they had rested. At that time, it was still the two of them. Captain Thunder stood upright in front and Xu Qing followed him cautiously in the back.

Back then, Captain Thunder was like a profound sword, and Xu Qing was like a solitary wolf.

Today, Xu Qing walked in front and Captain Thunder was at the back.

Xu Qing stood tall and straight like a mountain, and Captain Thunder in his twilight years walked with a bent back.

Here, Xu Qing insisted on carrying Captain Thunder on his back, just like when they were escaping from the jungle forbidden area.

Captain Thunder sighed softly as he looked at the profile of the boy in front of him. After a short silence, he spoke quietly.

“Afterwards, you should pay more attention to those scavengers in the camp."

“I know that you are very powerful now, but you can’t underestimate them. Scavengers are desperate people. They will resort to any means..."

“At night, don’t forget to feed the dogs. Those little guys are the most trustworthy ones in the camp."

“And you have to remember to eat. Don’t eat your food cold, don’t think it’s troublesome to cook or heat it. Eat it when it’s hot… You’re still growing, so you can’t be careless."

“Otherwise, when you get older, you’ll regret it. By the way, don’t sleep on just the bed frame in the future. Don’t be afraid of getting the bedding dirty, and remember to dry it in the sun after washing it."

“And also...”

Captain Thunder spoke in a soft voice, and his words were delicate and contained deep concern.

Xu Qing nodded slightly as he carried Captain Thunder on his back, engraving the old man’s words in his heart.

Finally, Captain Thunder used up all his energy talking and fell asleep. Xu Qing’s footsteps became softer when he heard the snoring coming from behind him.

He tried to keep himself from jumping as much as possible, keeping steady even if he had to make a detour.

Just like that, he walked through the wilderness with Captain Thunder on his back. They walked past the city ruins where Xu Qing used to live, and as the sky became dark and their shadows lengthened, a city finally fell into Xu Qing’s eyes.

Captain Thunder also woke up at this moment. He looked at the city gate and spoke softly after a long time.

“We’re here.”

Xu Qing nodded in assent, feeling a tightness in his chest. At Captain Thunder’s request, he gently let the old man down from his back.

Taking his luggage from Xu Qing, Captain Thunder looked at the city gate, then at Xu Qing. After a moment of silence, he smiled and raised his hand to tousle Xu Qing’s hair.

“Kid, go back. If you miss this old man in the future, you can come over any time. I live at No. 3, Waterclear Road in the south of the city.” After saying this, Captain Thunder took his luggage and walked towards the city gate.

Xu Qing stood still, staring at Captain Thunder’s disappearing back. He had a thousand words to say in his heart but he didn’t know how to say them, so he could only stare blankly.

After reaching the city gate and submitting the residence qualification, Captain Thunder suddenly turned around.

He looked deeply at Xu Qing and waved his hand. Under the urging of the city guards, he walked through the gate and disappeared into the city.

Xu Qing had a lonely expression. He waited there for a long time… When dusk fell and the city gate closed, his heart suddenly felt empty.

"Take care..." After a while, Xu Qing murmured and turned around bitterly. Once again, he felt loneliness fill his entire body.

As the night fell, the darkness gradually covered his lonely figure.

He walked past the wilderness alone, past the city ruins alone, and past the mountain alone.

Walking further and further...

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