Chapter 15

After traveling for several more days, the official road ahead gradually became smooth and wide, and there were more pedestrians coming and going; although most were in a hurry, their clothing and appearance were no longer that of refugees.

In the fields on both sides of the official road, the figures of farmers working also appeared.

Su Chen knew that this was the metropolitan area near the capital.

After parting ways with the refugee group, Su Chen quickened his pace.

He did not ride the wind but employed a travel technique learned from the Slanting Moon and Three Stars Cave; with one step, he covered several zhang, appearing to stroll leisurely, yet his speed was faster than a galloping horse.

The closer he got to his hometown, the more complex his feelings became.

Thirteen years had passed; were his parents well?

Half a day later, the outline of a familiar city appeared on the horizon.

This was the royal capital of the Jiang Kingdom.

But when Su Chen arrived at the place where the Su residence had been, he found that the original Su residence had become the Li residence.

Su Chen's heart paused; had something happened to the Su family?

He silently calculated the heavenly secrets in his heart, but he was not skilled in divination and could only vaguely calculate that his relatives were still alive; as for specific events, he could not calculate them.

So Su Chen knocked on the gate of the Li residence to inquire, only to learn that the Su residence had moved out of the capital a few years after he left home and had gone to Mianshui County, not far from the capital.

Having learned his family's whereabouts, Su Chen hurried to Mianshui County.

In the evening, the outline of a small county town finally appeared on the horizon.

"Mianshui County."

The city walls were not tall, and the walls were covered with traces of wind and rain erosion; compared to the majesty of the capital, this place was more like an old man who had weathered many storms.

At the city gate, several soldiers guarding the city leaned lazily against the wall, checking the people entering and leaving; rather than checking, it was more like taking the opportunity to scrape some grease.

Su Chen's aura was restrained, and he wore ordinary cloth clothes, looking no different from the villagers coming into the city to make a living. The soldiers just glanced at him casually and waved him through impatiently.

Entering the county town, there were not many pedestrians on the street, but compared to the dead silence outside the city, there was at least a bit of human life.

Relying on the information he had gathered along the way, Su Chen walked through several streets and alleys and finally stopped in front of a residence.

The lintel of the residence was far less imposing than the Su residence in the capital; it was the style of an ordinary wealthy household, and the copper rings on the vermilion wooden doors had lost their luster.

There were no stone lions in front of the door, only two half-old stone pedestals.

On the steps at the entrance, a few stubborn blades of green grass had even grown.

The Su family had truly fallen.

Su Chen stood before the door, looking at the plaque with the two characters "Sufu," his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Thirteen years ago, he was famous at a young age, the number one person in the Jiang Kingdom's martial arts world, and for the sake of immortal fate, he had resolutely left home.

He had never thought that his departure would bring such a great change to this home.

He raised his hand, wanting to knock on the door ring, but his arm felt as heavy as a thousand jun, and he could not let it fall.

Just as he was hesitating, a burst of children's laughter came from behind him.

"Giddy up! Giddy up! Run fast, big horse!"

A little boy of about four or five years old, riding on a bamboo pole, shouting slogans, ran over from the alley entrance with a "patter-patter-patter."

Behind him followed a slightly older girl, about seven or eight years old, wearing her hair in double buns, holding a string of candied haws in her hand, laughing as she chased him.

"Little brother, run slower, don't fall!"

The little boy ran too fast, his foot slipped, and he fell to the ground with a "thud," the bamboo pole rolling to the side.

He did not cry, but just pouted, climbed up from the ground by himself, and patted the dust off his hands.

The girl quickly ran up, helping him wipe the mud off his face with heartache, and handed him the candied haws in her hand: "Don't cry, don't cry, sister will give you candied haws to eat."

The little boy saw the candied haws, his eyes lit up, and he immediately smiled, grabbed the candied haws, and stuffed them into his mouth, eating until his mouth was covered in sugar stains.

Su Chen watched this scene, his eyes softening involuntarily.

He walked up, picked up the bamboo pole from the ground, and handed it to the little boy.

"Thank you, uncle." The little boy said, his mouth full of candied haws, his speech unclear.

The girl looked at Su Chen curiously. Seeing Su Chen staring at their door, she asked crisply: "Uncle, who are you looking for?"

Su Chen smiled, crouched down, and tried to make his voice sound as gentle as possible: "I am looking for Su Yuanshan, Master Su."

"You are looking for my grandfather!" The girl's eyes lit up. "My grandfather is at home, I will take you in!"

Saying this, she took Su Chen's hand and ran to the door, familiar with the way, standing on tiptoe and knocking hard on the wooden door.

"Dad! Mom! Open the door! A guest is looking for grandfather!"

Footsteps came from inside the door, and a moment later, with a "creak," the wooden door opened from the inside.

A retainer wearing coarse cloth clothes poked his head out, and seeing the two children, a smile appeared on his face: "Little Young Master, Miss, you are back."

When his gaze fell on Su Chen, he couldn't help but be stunned, his eyes full of doubt: "And this is?"

"This uncle is looking for grandfather!" The girl answered first.

The retainer looked at Su Chen, and seeing that although he was dressed plainly, his temperament was extraordinary, he did not dare to be negligent and said: "Then please wait a moment, I will go report to the Master."

"No need." A steady male voice came from the courtyard.

Su Chen's heart shook; he was too familiar with this voice.

A middle-aged man wearing a green long gown walked out of the courtyard.

His face was seventy percent similar to Su Chen's, but his temples were already stained with a bit of wind and frost.

It was Su Chen's eldest brother, Su Feng.

Su Feng saw Su Chen at the door and was stunned for a moment; then, as if he remembered something, his eyes grew wider and wider, his lips trembled slightly, and the book in his hand fell to the ground with a "clatter."

"Lit... Little Brother?"

The words "Little Brother" caused ripples in Su Chen's stable Dao heart.

"Big Brother." He spoke.

Su Feng rushed up in one stride, grabbed Su Chen's shoulders with both hands, looked him up and down, and his eye sockets instantly turned red.

"You brat! You still know how to come back!" He punched Su Chen in the chest, not hard, but carrying endless longing and resentment. "Thirteen years! A full thirteen years! Do you know how much Mom and Dad missed you!"

The two children were frightened by this sudden change and stared blankly at their father hugging a stranger and crying and laughing.

The girl tugged at Su Feng's sleeve and asked in a small voice: "Dad, who is this uncle?"

Su Feng wiped away his tears, pulled the two children over, pointed at Su Chen, his voice full of excitement: "Silly children, this is your Second Uncle! Quick, call him Second Uncle!"

"Second Uncle." The two children looked at Su Chen curiously and shouted in unison.

"Yes." Su Chen responded, looking at the cute nephew and niece in front of him, a warm current surging in his heart.

At this moment, hurried footsteps came from the courtyard again.

"A-Feng, who is here?"

An old couple walked out quickly from the inner hall.

It was Su Chen's parents, Su Yuanshan and Lady Li.

Thirteen years had passed, and the father's back was no longer straight, and the mother's head was already full of white hair.

Time had carved deep gullies on their faces.

When they saw clearly the person standing at the door, they froze completely.

Lady Li covered her mouth, and tears rolled down like beads from a broken string.

"Chen'er... is it my Chen'er who has returned?"

Su Chen could no longer hold back; he took two steps in one and fell to his knees in front of the two elders, kowtowing heavily.

"Dad, Mom, unfilial son Su Chen has returned!"

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back!" Su Yuanshan wept with old tears, stepped forward to help Su Chen up, patted his back, and said repeatedly.

Lady Li hugged Su Chen tightly in her arms and wept loudly, as if she wanted to cry out all the longing and worry of these thirteen years.

The family hugged and cried together, and even Su Feng's wife, a gentle woman, stood to the side and wiped her tears secretly.

After a long while, everyone's emotions gradually calmed down.