Chapter 933: Things Changed But People Did Not

The wind was cold, and northern temperatures were very low in this season. Especially in the early morning, every breath condensed into white mist, and the trees were bare.

As the morning glow rose, Ye Fan arrived in City B. The city had become even more prosperous, with skyscrapers standing tall in the dawn light, appearing as if edged with gold.

Yet, Ye Fan felt a profound sense of unfamiliarity. He could no longer find the familiarity of the past; he had lived here for a long time, but now everything was gone.

"Where could he find them?" Ye Fan was filled with anxiety and apprehension, fearing he might never see his parents again. He had gone through immense hardships, nearly losing his life, and had barely survived to return. If everything was truly gone, he would find it unbearable.

He did not go to his old residence, which he could see from afar. The area had already been redeveloped and completely transformed.

Ye Fan was nervous and uneasy, his heart heavy, as he headed towards the distant suburbs. His parents disliked the city's fast pace and had politely declined when he had previously invited them to live with him.

"This place has changed too..." Ye Fan stood stunned as he arrived at his parents' former residence. The tranquility of the past was gone, replaced by constant streams of people. High-rise buildings towered, and the original satellite town had become integrated with City B.

He couldn't find a single trace of the past. If he hadn't trusted his instincts, he would have thought he'd come to the wrong place. Everything had changed.

People often say that after years away, one returns to find things the same but people changed. But now, even the things themselves had changed. He stood silently for a long time.

Afterwards, he went to the rooftop of a tall building and looked into the distance. The only thing that remained was the natural lake, though it had been significantly expanded, and a large park had been built along its banks.

In the past, Ye Fan's father used to enjoy fishing there to pass the time. Now, that was impossible. Some people were exercising, but he couldn't see a single familiar face, making it impossible to ask for information.

Ye Fan walked to the lakeside. He saw an old man practicing Tai Chi, stopped, and stretched his limbs. His movements were like a dragon winding around a tree, or a monkey embracing the moon.

"Oh, young man, your practice is quite accomplished!" the old man exclaimed in surprise. "You're even more skilled than an old fella like me who's practiced Tai Chi for forty years."

"Excuse me, sir," Ye Fan asked while continuing his Tai Chi practice, "how many years has this place been redeveloped, and where did the original residents go?"

"You're not from around here, are you, young man?" the old man replied. "This has been redeveloped for over ten years now. To be honest, it's not as good as it used to be. I miss the old tranquility, with fewer people, more trees, and fresh air."

The old man was very talkative. He and his wife had specifically moved here for their retirement, simply for the peace and quiet, to be closer to nature. But later, it became connected to the urban area, with high-rises everywhere, making it no different.

"Oh well, what can you do?" the old man said, not without complaint. "Even the villa area here was demolished, wasn't it? If even they couldn't do anything, what hope do we old folks have? If they tear it down, they tear it down."

"About twenty years ago, there were a few old men who particularly loved to fish here to pass the time," Ye Fan asked the old man, slowly performing his Tai Chi movements and sharing some thoughts on practicing Tai Chi. "Do you remember them?"

"Oh yes, indeed. Even though I moved here later, this lake truly is a wonderful place. Sitting by the shore on a small stool for half a day, those were truly leisurely days. Unlike now, just as my hands were itching and I put my fishing hook in the lake, four or five people immediately rushed over and told me I'd be fined five hundred yuan and couldn't fish. I told them I'd release the fish after catching them, but they said that wasn't allowed either. Having no other option, I bought a few live fish and threw them into the fountain pool in front, hoping to get my fix. But it wasn't the same feeling, and I was immediately fined a thousand yuan."

Ye Fan felt a little dizzy. This old man was certainly talkative; he had only asked a few questions, and so much had come out. It was clear the old man lived quite freely.

"Then you could go to places like fishing parks," Ye Fan said with a smile. "And don't make it difficult for the park staff; they're probably on edge too."

"With my old arms and legs, how can I endure that kind of hassle?" the old man retorted. "A round trip would take two hours. I'm looking to relax, not to suffer."

"Then have you ever seen someone who looks like this...?" Ye Fan then described his father's appearance.

"I think I might have seen someone like that," the old man replied. "But he didn't come often, only occasionally. I heard he was an experienced fisherman, but something happened to his family, and he became quite downcast. It was rare to see him even once every ten days or half a month."

Ye Fan felt a wave of sadness and suppression in his heart. All this was because he had left this world. Losing a child in old age, a white-haired parent burying a black-haired one—who could bear such a blow?

"Do you know where he went?"

"Before this place was even fully redeveloped," the old man said, "he moved away. I heard he wanted to change his environment to avoid being reminded of sad memories."

Ye Fan sighed inwardly. This would indeed be difficult to find. But fortunately, the old man told him that after the redevelopment, some people still lived in this area, so he might be able to find a few old neighbors.

"Tell me, young man," the old man asked, "is that Song Dynasty attire or Hanfu? Where did you buy it? You look quite good practicing Tai Chi in it. I might buy a set myself tomorrow."

As Ye Fan was about to leave, the old man took his hand and asked about his ancient costume. He touched it repeatedly, remarking that the material was very fine and it was genuine, high-quality silk.

"From Beidou..." Ye Fan's mind was in turmoil, and he answered instinctively.

"Beidou Mall?" the old man misunderstood. "That's quite a distance from here. With my old arms and legs, I'm a bit hesitant to go there."

"It is a bit far..." Ye Fan almost let something slip. The old man was really talkative. He quickly composed himself and bid the old man farewell.

Before he left, the old man kindly reminded him that his hair was too long. He said that even though it was an era of expressing individuality, older people were still not used to it.

Ye Fan was speechless. He touched his thick black hair. Fortunately, it was just loose and not tied with a wooden hairpin; otherwise, people would surely point and stare.

However, twenty years had passed. In this era of self-expression and open-mindedness, few people gathered to stare at him. At most, they looked at him with curiosity for a couple of extra glances.

Ye Fan visited many residential complexes, scanning them with his powerful divine sense, searching through them one by one. Yet, he still hadn't seen any old neighbors.

Half a day passed, and he had gained nothing. This made him more exhausted than a life-or-death battle. It was mental fatigue, a constant state of anxiety and apprehension, fearing it might be a tragedy.

He leaned back on a roadside bench, exhausted both physically and mentally, staring blankly at the sky. He couldn't wait any longer and considered using his divine powers to access relevant departments and retrieve records.

"Uncle, Uncle, where did you buy your ancient costume?" a four or five-year-old boy, blinking his dark eyes and not shy at all, ran up to him and asked.

"I brought it back from Spoon Star," Ye Fan said jokingly, with a straight face.

"Liar!" the little boy exclaimed, indignant, wrinkling his nose and blinking his eyes. But he was still hopeful. "Please tell me, I want my mommy to buy me one too."

"Jing Xuan, what are you doing?" a young woman walked over from not far away, called the little boy away, and led him to a car.

The little boy was stubborn and insisted, "Mommy, I like those clothes. Can we not go home yet?"

"It's so old-fashioned!" the young woman said. "Even the non-mainstream styles from twenty years ago look better than that." She picked up the boy, put him in the car, and quickly drove away.

Ye Fan was speechless. Back then, his generation was called the "lost generation" by some experts. Some people born after the nineties were called "non-mainstream." Now, thinking about it, children born after 2010, 2020, or even 2030 should all be "rising" too.

"Huh, that woman just now looked familiar. Who does she resemble?" Ye Fan was suddenly startled. He tried hard to remember, feeling she strongly resembled someone.

Suddenly, he quickly stood up, concealed his figure, used a spatial ability to cover ground rapidly, and pursued them.

On the current Earth, his cultivation was suppressed, and his power seemed to have dropped significantly, far from what it once was. But Ye Fan was, after all, close to achieving "Dao Slaying," so he was still very powerful.

Leaving the commercial street, he soon followed the car into a residential complex with a decent environment. The young woman picked up the boy, who pouted and said, "Mommy, I'm not happy. If you don't buy me that ancient costume, I won't like you anymore."

"Honey, what would you look like in those clothes? They're very ugly," the young woman said, coaxing him upstairs.

"Excuse me, are you Liu Qian, Uncle Liu's daughter?" Ye Fan asked, stepping forward.

"Wow, Uncle, you live here too?" the little boy exclaimed. "Mommy, I want that ancient costume!"

"Who... are you?" the young woman asked, very cautious. A strange man following her made her feel uneasy.

Ye Fan immediately confirmed it: this was Liu Qian, the daughter of his old neighbor, Uncle Liu. She still vaguely resembled her childhood self. When he left, this little girl was only six or seven years old. Now she was grown up and looked very much like Aunt Liu, her mother, from back then.

Back then, the old couple had a daughter late in life and doted on her immensely. When he left, the little girl was still bouncing around, incredibly lively. But now, she had become a mother herself.

Ye Fan did not press the matter further. Dressed as he was, he certainly didn't look like an "unassuming" young man, so he discreetly left.

Soon after, he cut his long hair, went to a mall, and changed into modern clothing. Finally, he seemed to blend into this world.

Accustomed to wearing Beidou's battle armor, now putting on his old clothes again, he felt a bit unaccustomed. He felt constrained and ill-suited for combat.

Returning to that residential complex, as expected, he soon saw an old man out for a stroll. It was indeed Uncle Liu. He was nearly eighty, much older than before, but his physique was still robust.

Ye Fan slightly altered his appearance—otherwise, he would be too shocking and might scare the old man. He naturally met him in the complex, and they started chatting.

"All the old neighbors have moved away," Uncle Liu said with emotion as he spoke of the past. "At this age, there aren't many left..."

Over ten years ago, Ye Fan's parents had moved away from here, but they hadn't left the city; they were just in another district.

"Do you still have contact with them?"

"No," Uncle Liu replied. "We suddenly lost contact ten years ago."

Ye Fan's heart sank, and his body trembled involuntarily. But he eventually calmed down again. He had some psychological preparation, and after all, he hadn't truly seen the final outcome yet.

"Ah, back then," Uncle Liu sighed, "I had to believe there were immortals in this world."

"What do you mean?"

"Mount Tai, of course," Uncle Liu replied. "Although the authorities kept it secret, many people witnessed it with their own eyes. Poor Old Ye's son, such a good young man, just vanished like that. But he might have become an immortal; nine dragons pulled them away."

The old man was elderly and garrulous, recounting many events from back then. Ye Fan remained silent, his heart a mix of emotions.

Finally, he left there and came to the suburbs of City B, where he found his parents' new address after they moved. It was a suburb with a very good environment, featuring mountains and water.

In the past, this place was desolate, but now, many people fled the cities, choosing such places for retirement.

Ahead, there was another cluster of old quadrangle courtyards from the last century. They were ancient but full of charm, surrounded by large wooded areas and an artificial lake.

In every way, it resembled their old residence. It seemed his parents, despite wanting a new environment, still had some nostalgia.

Ye Fan found the address, descended from the sky, landing in a courtyard, shouting, "Mom, Dad, I'm home!"

However, there was only silence. No one responded to him. Ye Fan trembled, looking at the tightly locked door. A chill ran through him.

He entered the house. It looked as though it had been uninhabited for a long time, with a layer of dust everywhere. This intensified his fear.

He searched carefully. The place lacked any signs of recent human activity, and no one had cleaned or entered it for a long time. Finally, in the bedroom, he found a notebook. He opened it casually and saw a line that pierced his heart.

"In a trance, I saw Xiao Fan again. I saw him return. But when I woke up, there was nothing there, only cold tears on my face!"

"Mom, Dad!" Ye Fan cried out, tears streaming from his eyes.