Chapter 52: Invite for a Toast

The Human World

"Get out of the way!"

Qin Sang cast a cold glance at the surrounding soldiers. Though no blood stained his clothes, in their eyes, he was no different from a bloodthirsty demon. He took a step. Before the general could give an order, all the soldiers automatically parted like a tide, clearing a path. They watched Qin Sang with awe, no one daring to block him.

Qin Sang seized a horse and, under the watchful eyes of everyone, galloped directly towards the city gate.

At the Jiangzhou Marquis's Residence, the newly replaced plaque had been pierced by a long sword, and the Prince's corpse hung from it, swaying. A dazzling pool of red blood had collected on the steps.

*Clip-clop...*

Qin Sang rode his horse along the long street, speeding towards the Imperial City gate, where he saw Wu Chuanzong guarding the gate with a detachment of soldiers. Seeing Qin Sang approach, Wu Chuanzong personally opened the city gate, shouting, "Sir, take care!"

"Marquis!"

It was Zhou Ning, known as the 'Water Monkey,' leading a fine steed. "Fast horses have been prepared at all military post stations along the way, Marquis. Please take care on your journey!"

Seeing Zhou Ning, Qin Sang couldn't help but recall their first meeting on the Wuling River. Filled with emotion, he patted the shoulder of Zhou Ning's severed arm, but didn't know what to say.

"Take care, we'll meet again!"

Qin Sang changed horses, galloped out of the city, and after riding a short distance, a sudden intuition struck him. He turned his head and looked behind.

He saw a lavish banquet table on the city wall. The Eldest Princess sat behind the table, gazing at Qin Sang, while Bai Jianglan and Elder Yue attended on either side, bowing to Qin Sang. The Eldest Princess was dressed in a city guard's armor, her eyes shining like stars under the moonlight. She raised an amber cup, toasted Qin Sang from afar, and drained it in one gulp.

She stood up and departed.

A crimson cloak vanished into the darkness.

Qin Sang traveled along the official road, the journey smooth. From the Imperial Capital, he traveled southwest to Zhenshui County. The Three Witch City remained as it was, but Qingyang Temple had lost its original essence, now occupied by refugees. Then Qin Sang turned west, crossed the Wuling River, and arrived at the banks of the Chensui River, revisiting an old place.

Traces of that great fire had been erased by time, but Qin Sang could still find some white bones. After searching for a while, he found the remains of the boy named Song and the black-robed demon beneath the grassroots and soil. The skeletons of the two were easy to identify. Qin Sang arranged the bones of the boy named Song and built a grave. He also laid the black-robed demon to rest, as the "Netherworld Scripture" had, after all, been obtained from him, and it had opened the door to the immortal path for Qin Sang.

After offering his respects, Qin Sang set off again. Now, he had no fear of wolves, tigers, or leopards. He traveled unhurriedly through the mountains and forests, and before long, arrived at the northern border of the Ning Kingdom. Further west, crossing another country, would lead to the Tianlu River.

Qin Sang hesitated for a moment. After arriving in the Ning Kingdom, he had a strange, inexplicable urge compelling him to return to Wang Family Village. He wasn't sure if it was empathy from merging with Qin Sanwa's memories, or a desire to compensate Qin Sanwa. Even a detour would only delay him by a few days, which was nothing significant compared to the long journey to the Biyun Kingdom and wouldn't jeopardize important matters. Qin Sang didn't hesitate for long and decided to visit Wang Family Village.

It was late at night when he arrived at Wang Family Village. This secluded little village hadn't changed much over the years. It perfectly aligned with Qin Sanwa's memories, giving Qin Sang a peculiar feeling of both familiarity and strangeness.

Qin Sanwa's home was in the northernmost part of Wang Family Village, backed by fields. The courtyard was quite large, with a row of five stone houses. When Qin Sanwa had his accident, only his eldest brother was married, and his second brother had just gotten engaged but hadn't yet held the wedding. The whole family lived together. His mother and sister-in-law often bickered. What used to be annoying now seemed somewhat warm and nostalgic.

A night owl hooted twice from a tree. Qin Sang suddenly realized he was smiling, almost getting lost in Qin Sanwa's world. He secretly reminded himself that he was Qin Sang, a visitor from another realm. Qin Sanwa was dead, and those memories were just like watching a long movie with unfamiliar actors.

At this moment, the Qin family courtyard appeared before him. Compared to when Qin Sanwa left, there wasn't much change. Qin Sang composed himself, activated the "Shadowless Steps," and slipped inside.

The night was deep and quiet. Everyone in the house was asleep, with an occasional cough. From the sound of their breathing, he could tell there were nine people in the courtyard. Three of the breaths were faint, clearly those of small children. His eldest and second brothers had children.

Qin Sang looked through the windows, room by room. Some faces were familiar, some unfamiliar. He suddenly paused, stopping in front of one room. Inside, where the Qin family ancestral tablets and household deities were kept, an additional memorial tablet had been placed. Since Qin Sanwa had died before reaching adulthood, his name was simply listed as Qin Sanwa.

Suddenly, there was a slight stir from the outermost room—Qin Sanwa's parents' room. "Old Qin, Old Qin..." It was Qin Mother's voice, hushed, probably so as not to disturb the children in the next room.

After a moment, Qin Father's sleepy voice replied, "What's wrong? Not sleeping in the middle of the night, what's all this nonsense... Did you dream of Sanwa again?"

"Yes, I did."

"You've dreamt of him many times before, what's the big deal..." Qin Father mumbled, then suddenly let out a soft exclamation. "Why aren't you crying this time? Before, when you dreamt of Sanwa, you'd cry all night. Huh? You're even smiling?"

"Why shouldn't I smile?" Qin Mother huffed, "I haven't dreamt of San'er for so many days, it scared me so much I couldn't eat. Today, I finally saw my child, so tell me, shouldn't I smile!"

"Sanwa's been dead for years..."

"You're the one who's dead!"

Qin Father let out a pained cry, as if Qin Mother had pinched him, and grumbled angrily, "You're just a stubborn mule! If he wasn't dead, why wouldn't Sanwa come home? Old Wang didn't return either; his shop was seized, his house occupied. If it weren't for the old clan leader of the Wang family holding things down, Old Wang's wife couldn't even hold onto those few acres of land. How pitiful their family is..."

"Oh, you're so concerned about Old Wang's wife, why don't you bring her home and take care of her!"

"What am I concerned about? Wasn't I just talking about it? You also often give them food... In the middle of the night, where are you going?"

"I'm doing it because Old Wang took care of San'er!" Qin Mother, holding an oil lamp, pushed open the door. "I dreamt again that San'er came back. I need to go out and open the door for him."

Qin Sang quickly disappeared into the shadows.

"You've had this dream at least eighty, if not a hundred, times. It's always a wasted effort, but you just won't give up! Wait for me, I'll go out too..."

"Didn't you say you didn't believe it?"

"I need to use the outhouse!"

Qin Sang remained motionless, watching Qin Father and Qin Mother return to their room with disappointed faces and extinguish the oil lamp. Once Qin Father and Qin Mother were fast asleep, Qin Sang reappeared, silently pushed the door open, picked up the wine cup in front of the memorial tablet, poured a cup of turbid wine, and gently sprinkled it on the ground.

"You are already dead." Qin Sang sighed softly, muttering to himself, unsure who he was speaking to.

Before leaving, Qin Sang visited the Wang family, leaving a pouch of fragmented silver before Manager Wang's memorial tablet, thus severing his final worldly ties.