Wang Chang took a big gulp from his gourd and did not stop swallowing the vodka for two minutes.
“More,” he said as he slammed the bottle on the dining table, making Wang Wei’s eyes twitch. He filled it again and cast a spell on his space for the materials to keep refining themselves and teleporting to the gourd and ensure the old man never ran out.
“After the first meeting, everything proceeded rather swiftly,” said Wang Chang. “Your grandmother soon discovered I was a cultivator, but she did not care much. On the contrary, she only saw me as a way to save more patients. And for some reason, I could not stop working there.”
Wang Wei gulped his drink as he sighed. “In the process, I learned more about her as we fell in love. Your grandmother was born with an innate disease, and doctors proclaimed she would not live past 20 years old.
“However, she was brilliant and refused to accept her fate. At five years old, she began studying medicine. And by the time I met her, she was in her late 40s.
“Regrettably, her experience with her illness granted her a unique state of mind of seeing through life and death, a state of detachment to the world. With such a state of mind, she would have been an extraordinary cultivator if she practiced Taoism.”
“So, what exactly happened?” asked Wang Wei as he began drinking. He did not think his grandfather did not try to have her cultivate. And it did not look like she was killed, and he had some sort of vendetta.
“She refused to cultivate,” said Wang Chang with sadness. “Every time I tried to convince her, the answer would always be the same. She would tell me birth, disease, aging, and death were part of the cycle of life. And although her life will be short, it will also be as significant as any cultivators and their achievements.
“Her philosophy was life was worth living because of how little time everyone had; so, longevity had no meaning to her. She would not even accept my help to increase her lifespan.”
Wang Chang’s eyes were a little red, but he was smiling. “She only changed her mind after conceiving your father.”
Wang Chang suddenly laughed again. “Your grandma was a strong, independent, and tough woman. Once, while I was away, I returned to the clinic to find that bandits had stabbed her.
“I still remember that day. My wrath was uncontrollable. Simultaneously, I panicked. As a cultivator, I should have immediately helped with my origin essence. But I panicked. But she calmly sowed the wound while admonishing me for losing my calmness.
“I never saw that woman shed a tear–except for the day Little Tian was born. Do you know? I wanted to name your father Wang Wei, but she disagreed. I had to fight tooth and nail with her to name him Wang Tian.”
Wang Chang remembered that naming his son caused trouble since his mother also wanted the naming rights. In the end, everybody compromised and accepted the name Wang Tian, meaning “King of Heaven,” showing their hope for the little child.
“Afterward, she agreed to expand her lifespan but still refused to walk the cultivation path. After living for 50,000 years, she passed away with a smile and her loved one by her side.”
Wang Chang remembered that day like it happened yesterday. Wang Tian was at the peak of the Supernatural Realm and used the sect’s influence to invite all the Top 30 Heaven Chosens from the Academy’s Selection Trial that occurred not too long. He challenged all of them at once and used his overwhelming talent to suppress all of them.
That fight was the only one he did not even show a hint of mercy to Yu Yan; he was fierce, overbearing, and ruthless. Immediately afterward, he rushed to see his dying mother to show her his achievement.
He tried one last time to convince her to cultivate, or at the very least, live until she could watch him prove the Dao.
Mao Yue kissed her son’s forehead before apologizing. She told him how proud she was of him and believed he would one day become an Emperor without a doubt. She then looked at Wang Chang and also apologized. She told them to watch out for each other and protect one another in this cruel and lonely cultivation world.
“There is no need to be sad or mourn me. Death is a normal thing; it’s nothing but a new journey, a new adventure,” said Mao Yue with a smile before forever closing her eyes.
Wang Chang was devastated. He found his world crumbling and adding his already broken Dao Heart, he did not know how he would survive. However, he had to continue being strong for his son. He had to ensure he was alright.
After his mother’s death, Wang Tian swore to guard her tomb for ten thousand years and never touch a sword. And he kept her his promise. He sat cross-legged before her grave with his sword next to him, untouched for 10,000 years.
Mao Yue’s death is one of the main reasons Wang Chang was not adamant about breaking up Wang Tian and Yu Yan. He understood the desire to find love since the sect tried to pressure him regarding marrying a mortal. Secondly, his son became taciturn and more indifferent after her death. And Yu Yan was the one who opened his heart.
“Hahaha,” laughed Wang Chang. However, it was not a joyous laugh but a self-deprecating one. “I’ve spent many nights thinking why she would make such a selfish choice. Why couldn’t she have chosen her family?”
He sighed deeply.
“Now, I know I was the selfish one. She has her life, desire, ambitions, and ideals. It was selfish of me to force her to do something she did not want to.”
Wang Chang sipped his drink.
“So, there is no need to revive her. It’s not something she would want.” After so many years, he grieved and accepted her death. So, reviving her would simply be an insult to his late wife.
Wang Wei agreed with these words since he felt similar after his grandmother’s death. But after so much time had passed, he understood his desires were selfish and not respectful to his grandmother’s wishes.
‘Grandma, I wonder how you are? How is your new life after reincarnation? Are you with grandpa?’ thought Wang Wei as he also drank more; he increased the alcohol dosage of the drinks and allowed the alcohol to affect his mind.
“Come. Let’s get drunk tonight,” roared Wang Chang, and Wang Wei agreed. Meanwhile, Yu Yan could only stare at these two. The story also made her sad thinking about her mother, so she also wanted to drink. However, someone has to look after these two.
So, she could only sigh and wait until they passed out, which was about five hours later. She stood up from the table and prepared to take them to rest when someone suddenly appeared in the room.
The next day, Wang Wei opened his eyes.
“Where am I?” he looked around and recognized a few things. But his head was buzzing, and his vision was still blurry.
“Good, you’re awake.”
Wang Wei mobilized his blood energy and soul power to remove the hand-over symptoms. “Damn, how can this old man have such a high tolerance?” According to him, he should have drunk him to death.
“You drank more than him.”
“I did?” He took a moment, and that was indeed the truth. He stood up from his body and stretched his body. “Wasn’t I not talking to you?”
“You were.”
“So, why are you talking to me?”
“You’re not talking to me, not the other way around,” Wu Hong replied before handing him the tea she brewed.
“I guess you’re right,” he muttered. “Can I ask you something?”
“Do you want to know why I never revived my parents?”
“Yes,” he replied softly, fearing he would trigger her as he did his grandfather.
“My mother died giving birth to me, and when I was three years old, my father was selected to be used as a meal for some devil race. After that, the village neighbors raised me until the human noble desired my beauty.
“I have little to no memories of them,” said Wu Hong. “I once search their souls in reincarnation. But by then, they were a new life.”
Wu Hong experienced too much in her life, so her affection for her family was not strong. And by the time she saw them again, it was too late. So, all she could do was blessed them with tremendous luck to ensure their lives as mortals would be fulfilling and without disaster.