Chapter 934: Unbearable Ending

It's another rainy day, and my joints ache a little; I'm truly getting old. The house feels so desolate. Hearing the neighbor's child crying, my thoughts drifted back to Xiaofan when he was small.

The old man doesn't say a word, but I know he misses Xiaofan even more than I do. At night, he often calls his name in his sleep. Several times, when I switched on the light, I saw his face streaked with tears. We truly are getting old.

The diary had yellowed. As Ye Fan turned each page, tears streamed down his face. The entries were filled with longing and thoughts of him, embodying their love.

"Dad! Mom!" Ye Fan couldn't hold back his tears. He had never shed a single tear despite enduring countless hardships and trials in Beidou. Yet, now that he was back, he could no longer control himself, and tears streamed relentlessly down his face.

The dust-laden diary felt incredibly heavy, making his hands tremble uncontrollably. His heart ached for his elderly parents, their desolate twilight years. Even in their sleep, they called his name, only to wake up to nothing but cold tears.

"It's New Year's, and just like every year, it's only the two of us. How wonderful it would be if Xiaofan suddenly came back, if he just appeared right here beside us."

"It's the fifteenth, Lantern Festival. We should be celebrating together, but the house feels so deserted. We went to bed early, yet we were awake until dawn. Our backs and legs ache terribly; our bodies are failing us. I wonder how many more years we can wait for Xiaofan."

Ye Fan sobbed uncontrollably, kneeling on the ground, clutching the diary filled with tearstains and longing. His body trembled; every word pierced him to the core, causing him unbearable heartache.

How had his parents endured all these years? Tears blurred his vision. Each yellowed page bore an unbearable weight, heavier than mountains.

The last diary entry was from ten years ago. It contained only a few sentences: their bodies were failing, thinking of him made them disoriented, and the two elderly people struggled to speak even a few words for days, their sorrow transforming into illness.

Ye Fan's heart felt as if it were being ripped apart. He clutched his hair, agonizingly kneeling on the ground, wishing he could reverse time and return to that moment, just to bring a smile to their faces.

This was a diary from ten years ago. What remained here now? Only dust, not a shred of life. Ye Fan's mind reeled; he felt utterly soulless.

He knew some things were destined to remain unchanged, yet he refused to accept it. He roared like a wild beast, letting out a mournful howl, like a wounded animal.

"Dad! Mom!" He cried out to the sky, tears streaming down like rain. He clawed at the empty air, desperate to reclaim something, but he was powerless.

He searched frantically, scouring every corner. Yet, every item he saw only intensified his sorrow: the moldy, damp bedroom, the simple furniture, the expired instant noodles. All of it painted a clear picture of his parents' impoverished later years.

Finally, in a relatively new wardrobe, he found many stacks of neatly folded clothes, each perfectly preserved. They were... all his!

Ye Fan choked back a sob, his trembling hands caressed the clothes. He knelt there, banging his head on the floor, unwilling to rise, pounding the ground with his fist.

Though he tried desperately to control himself, cracks seemed to spread around him. This was an unbearable outcome; he wanted to scream at the top of his lungs.

He had traveled recklessly from the Beidou Star Domain, his sole purpose to reunite with his parents today, to be by their side. But it was too late.

Ye Fan wept uncontrollably, constantly wailing and calling out for his parents like a lost child. Tears streamed down his face; he felt as if he had lost his entire world.

If his enemies in the Beidou Star Domain knew, they would be utterly bewildered. How could this man, whose heart was harder than iron and whose actions were ruthless, possess such a vulnerable side?

He didn't know how much time had passed. Ye Fan's heart felt hollow; his eyes were vacant as he sat there, clutching his knees, completely motionless.

Having read the diary and observed everything in the house, he could deduce that his parents' health had begun to fail ten years ago, allowing him to surmise the ultimate outcome.

Ye Fan, like a wounded child, curled up in a corner, motionless for an entire day and night. His eyes were hollow as he stared blankly at every item in the room.

Only on the second day did he finally rise, preparing to uncover the last scar on his heart and confront the cruel, bleeding wound.

He slowly walked out, gazing up at the sky, feeling as if everything had turned gray. Even the sun seemed to have lost its brilliance; everything felt so oppressive.

Looking at the ancient siheyuan, his heart fell silent. He recalled leaving his parents a substantial amount of money back then. After his disappearance from Mount Tai, the house, car, savings, and other assets should have belonged to the elderly couple. So why had their lives not been prosperous?

Considering the living standards of that era, the assets he left behind should have been enough for ordinary people to live comfortably for several lifetimes.

Had prices soared, or was it inflation? Ten yuan in 2010 had roughly the same purchasing power as one yuan in the 1990s. But even after more than twenty years, with exorbitant prices and even greater inflation, those assets should still have been sufficient for them to live comfortably in their old age.

Ye Fan shook his head. With his parents gone, what was the point of dwelling on such questions? He was almost despairing as he prepared to confront the final outcome.

He had to find out where his parents had gone after the diary entries ceased. He needed to uncover everything about their final days.

To do this, he decided to manifest his divine abilities, entering relevant government departments and disregarding the potential for shocking the world, to access all records.

First, he unleashed his powerful divine sense, sifting through the memories of the residents in this siheyuan, searching carefully, and then erased all traces of his actions.

He hadn't expected to actually find an extremely valuable clue: someone, a woman, had taken his ailing parents away ten years ago.

These people didn't know the woman's identity, only that her surname was Xu, because just before getting into the car, his parents had called her 'Xiao Xu.'

A woman named Xu. Ye Fan's heart stirred. Among all the people he knew in his life, only she had crossed paths with him and been addressed in that manner by his parents.

Thinking of this woman, Ye Fan paused in a daze, then let out a soft sigh. More than twenty years had passed; what could be done? Time was so merciless, changing so many things.

Xu Qiong, a woman who had left a profound mark on his life. After more than twenty years apart, he wondered what it would be like to meet her again.

Leaving the suburban area, he activated his divine abilities, entering relevant government departments to check archives and other records. He found crucial information, learning where Xu Qiong lived.

After graduating from university, his relationship with Li Xiaoman also ended. A little over a year later, he met a woman named Xu Qiong, and they were acquainted for two years.

From a plain acquaintance, they became good friends over two years. And then... there was no 'then,' because before anything truly began, it all ended.

If not for that gathering, if he hadn't gone to Mount Tai, if he hadn't disappeared from this world... perhaps there would have been many more stories.

In B City, where every inch of land was precious, owning a villa was a lifelong, often unattainable, dream for many, especially here—Xishan.

Xishan was the collective name for the mountains in B City. It boasted a superior geographical location and beautiful scenery, particularly renowned for its ancient temples. Adjacent to and within a scenic area, it was known as the 'Royal Enclave.'

Ye Fan arrived near a detached villa, quietly observing. The weather was cold, and the trees had long shed their leaves. He could see that the location was exquisite, offering excellent views and an ideal living environment.

Without any complications or surprises, he smoothly located Xu Qiong's residence: the detached villa directly in front of him.

In the distance, a car slowly approached. A graceful woman stepped out, and her familiar appearance made Ye Fan's heart instantly tremble. It was Xu Qiong.

She was remarkably well-preserved. Although she was well past her youthful prime, she maintained herself beautifully, now exuding an aura of maturity and composure.

Ye Fan stared in a daze, recalling many past memories. The beautiful woman from back then, who loved to talk and laugh, had been so cheerful. Now, her demeanor was completely different.

The passage of time, the lost youth, had changed so much. If they hadn't met here, he might not have dared to recognize her.

"Mom." The other car door opened, and a lively, bouncing girl of sixteen or seventeen stepped out. She was also very beautiful and bore a striking resemblance to Xu Qiong from over twenty years ago.

In the distance, Ye Fan was stunned. So many years had passed; the girl he once knew was now a mother with such a grown daughter. This realization filled him with mixed emotions as he stood silently on the spot.

"Ah, time," he slowly uttered.

In the distance, Xu Qiong happened to look over. She saw him, and her handbag instantly dropped to the ground. Her expression froze as she stared in disbelief.

Then, her expression became incredibly agitated. She stretched out a hand, pointing at Ye Fan, murmuring, "You... you... you are..."

"Mom, what's wrong?" The girl rounded the front of the car, ran closer, and hugged her arm, shaking her worriedly. Then, she followed her mother's gaze and looked in his direction.

So many years had passed, yet Ye Fan's appearance hadn't changed; he even looked a few years younger than before. He silently walked closer, standing before her.

"Is it... really you?" Xu Qiong asked with a trembling voice.

"It's me." Ye Fan nodded.

Meeting like this, many words were difficult to utter at once. The two stood silently opposite each other, their emotions swirling.

"Let's go inside and talk," Xu Qiong said after she had calmed down a little.

"Mom, who is he?" the girl beside her whispered.

Once in the living room, Xu Qiong said, "Xu Ye, go to your room. I need to speak with this uncle."

"What uncle? He's only a few years older than me!" Xu Ye wrinkled her nose in displeasure, speaking playfully and somewhat provocatively. "Hey, little kid, who are you?" Her joking tone wasn't off-putting, making her seem very lively.

"Go to your room," Xu Qiong said, her face stern.

"Oh, alright."

The living room fell silent. Neither person spoke. For Xu Qiong, Ye Fan's appearance was simply too astounding.

A suffocating silence settled between them. After a long moment, Xu Qiong finally spoke, "All these years... where exactly have you been?"

"Very far," Ye Fan said bitterly. "So far that I struggled with all my might, surviving countless near-death experiences, only returning now."

Xu Qiong let out a soft sigh, saying, "I didn't wait for you too long. We were acquainted for two years, and I only waited two years. A person has to live, don't they?"

Ye Fan nodded. Reality was not a novel; people had to survive and live their lives. Waiting a lifetime was unrealistic, merely a beautiful story. People always had to move forward.

He didn't know how Xu Qiong had managed to bring his parents here. Something must have happened; there had to be a story.

"Xu Qiong, my parents—" Ye Fan said, his voice trembling.

"If only you had returned just three years earlier."

Ye Fan felt as if struck by lightning. He slumped powerlessly onto the sofa, his world spinning. Although he had anticipated it, hearing the answer with his own ears still felt like plunging into a bottomless abyss. His vision blurred as tears streamed uncontrollably down his face.

Xu Qiong stood up and led him into a room, telling him it was where his parents had last lived. Three years ago, one after the other, less than a month apart, they had both passed away.

Ye Fan knelt there, weeping silently, tightly clutching the bedsheets. He longed to feel their presence, to capture the lingering scent of their existence.

"They truly missed you," she continued. "Every night, they would softly hum the songs they used to sing to lull you to sleep when you were little, and caress your childhood photos..."

"Especially when their bodies failed and they could no longer move, they would tightly clutch that yellowed photo album, terrified of losing it."

"In their final days, they would caress your photos with their rough hands, staring at them blankly with their cloudy eyes..."

Ye Fan could bear it no longer. He knelt on the ground, his head pressed against the bed, sobbing aloud in overwhelming grief.

More than twenty years, all his efforts, ultimately came to nothing. He had failed to see his parents after all. His heart was twisted with pain, filled with sorrow, grief, and endless regret.

Heart-wrenching pain, tears streaming like a spring, blurred his eyes. Ye Fan's fingers were clenched so tightly they felt like they would break. He could not accept this outcome.

Xu Qiong withdrew, leaving him alone in the room. In a daze, Ye Fan sensed a warmth and a distant call.

"Xiaofan, you're back..." Ye Fan's heart was torn to shreds. He murmured, each word a bloody cry, reciting the Sutra of Salvation. He had never imagined he would recite it for his parents. Every word was etched into the void, imbued with his sorrow and grief, imprinted within the room.