Chapter 144: Father and Son

Long Er walked slowly into the prison cell, looking at the father before him with a complex expression.

Although he knew this man was his father, Long Er found it very difficult to say the word "father" out loud.

Tenggenier stared at Long Er's features, and from Long Er's face, he saw a trace of someone else's shadow.

He opened his mouth and asked:

"Child, what is your name?"

Long Er replied:

"My name is Long Er!"

Tenggenier muttered:

"Long Er, Long Er!

What is your mother's name?"

Hearing his own biological father mention his mother, his eyes turned red.

With teary eyes, he said:

"My mother's name is Wu Mei!"

After hearing this, the name "Wu Mei" struck Tenggenier's heart like a thunderbolt.

"You... you, you are my son!"

Tenggenier hugged Long Er tightly and said.

Long Er pushed Tenggenier away with one hand; he truly did not want to embrace this biological father who had abandoned his wife and child.

Tenggenier looked at the son before him, thinking of his wife who was pregnant at the time, and then at the son before him who had already grown to his waist.

He asked:

"Long Er, where is your mother?"

Long Er replied with red, teary eyes:

"Mother passed away not long ago after being plotted against; it was my foster father who took me in, otherwise I would have ended up on the streets.

This is all your fault!

Why did you abandon me and Mother!"

As Long Er spoke, he began to cry and strike Tenggenier.

Long Er poured all his grievances and sorrow into his tears and fists.

Tenggenier stood rooted to the spot like he had been struck by lightning, letting Long Er's fists rain down upon him.

He muttered:

"Wu Mei is dead, Wu Mei is dead!"

Wu Mei's face kept appearing in his mind, thinking of the vows of eternal love he and Wu Mei once made.

Now, his beautiful love was gone, leaving only himself and this child, Long Er.

He had stayed far away from the mother and son, so it was only right that Long Er hated him so much.

He stroked Long Er's head and said:

"Son, Father has failed you and your mother!"

Long Er was still filled with grief and indignation, but he suddenly thought of what Duan Fengyun had said to him:

"Is there some misunderstanding between your father and mother?

When you see your father, confirm it with him first."

Long Er wiped away his tears and asked:

"Why did you abandon your wife and child back then? Why did you leave behind your pregnant wife?"

Tenggenier looked up at the ceiling, then began to tell Long Er the story.

Tenggenier's account of the events leading up to that point was the same as Wu Mei's, but the story regarding Motuo Lanruo Temple was different.

Tenggenier recounted how he had come to Motuo Lanruo Temple to spar with a successor of the Sword Sect, but during the duel, his old wounds flared up, and after suffering a Qi deviation, he was imprisoned in this Forbidden Land by the abbot.

From then on, he lost his sanity and was permanently imprisoned in this place.

Long Er stood stunned; it turned out the culprit behind all of this was the abbot of Motuo Lanruo Temple.

If it weren't for this old wretch, how could his father and mother have been torn apart?

It was all because of this old wretch; if not for him, how could his mother have died so miserably, and how could his mother be separated from him and his father by life and death?

After the truth came to light, Long Er finally let go of his resentment toward Tenggenier.

Tenggenier looked at the now-calm Long Er, knowing that there must have been some misunderstanding in the middle.

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He asked:

"Long Er, tell Father, how have you and your mother managed to survive all these years!"

Long Er said with a thousand thoughts racing through his mind:

"I remember from as far back as I can recall, Mother took me into hiding every day.

Every day there were people chasing us, and Mother would get hurt every time she tried to save me.

It wasn't until not long ago when Mother was poisoned and severely wounded that my foster father and his companions appeared to save us; otherwise, I would never have been able to see you."

Tenggenier said in a great rage:

"Shameless wretches, for hurting my wife and child, I will make sure you suffer a miserable death."

After saying this, he continued:

"Long Er, the person who just saved me must be your foster father, right!"

Long Er nodded and replied:

"Yes, he is exactly my foster father, Duan Fengyun.

Beside him are Uncle Qin Shuang, Uncle Nie Feng, and Uncle Bu Jingyun; they are all among the world's most peerless experts in the martial arts world.

My foster father even taught me martial arts and swordplay two days ago, and one day I will seek revenge on those who hurt my mother!"

"Oh, did your mother not teach you martial arts and swordplay?"

Tenggenier asked in confusion after hearing this; with Wu Mei's martial arts, it should have been more than enough to teach Long Er the basics, so why hadn't she taught him?

Long Er replied:

"Mother worried that if I learned martial arts and swordplay, I would be drawn into the conflicts of the Jianghu; she hoped I would live out my life in peace.

But my foster father said that a real man should keep the initiative in his own hands, which is why he taught me martial arts and swordplay."

Tenggenier nodded and said:

"Correct, this foster father of yours sees things very clearly.

The Jianghu will not stop coming for you just because you keep retreating; only by constantly forging ahead will no one dare to come for you.

It is clear at a glance that this foster father of yours is no ordinary person; it is a wise move for you, Long Er, to follow your foster father."

Long Er looked proud; Duan Fengyun was his idol.

He looked up at Tenggenier and, gathering his courage, finally shouted those words:

"Father, now that you have regained your sanity, what are your plans!"

Upon hearing this word "Father," Tenggenier felt as joyful as if he were ascending to heaven.

When he regained his sanity, he felt that his Meridians had long since reversed, and the Qi deviation had left his breath chaotic; he was now at the end of his rope.

Originally, he had thought that after regaining his sanity, he would find a place to leave this world quietly, never expecting that in his final moments, he would be reunited with his son.

He looked at Long Er with a smile and said:

"Father's plan is, of course, to cultivate you and pass all of Father's cultivation to you!"

Long Er did not understand Tenggenier's words and thought Tenggenier wanted to teach him martial arts personally.

He looked at Tenggenier full of joy, but in Tenggenier's eyes, he saw a look of determination—the same look he had just seen on Tieshinan, a look of one who has cast aside all fear of death.

Just as he was about to speak, he was immobilized by Tenggenier; able only to speak, he asked:

"Father, what are you doing? Let me go, quickly."

Tenggenier smiled:

"Long Er, Father is very happy to be reunited with you as father and son in Father's final moments.

Because of Qi deviation, Father's Meridians have long been in chaos, and Father is now at the end of his rope.

Since you like martial arts and swordplay, Father will pass all of Father's internal energy to you; once you have mastered Father's cultivation, you will be able to take revenge on those who hunted you and your mother."

Father has carved the Liangji Sword Technique that I learned in my life onto the stone bed; keep it firmly in your heart, and remember to destroy it so it does not fall into the hands of petty villains.

Furthermore, Father's Liangji Sword was taken by the abbot of Motuo Lanruo Temple,

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you must retrieve it from him.

The Liangji Sword Technique can only unleash its greatest power with the help of the Liangji Sword."

After Tenggenier finished arranging his affairs, he flew directly into the air.

He aligned his head with Long Er's and used the Persian secret technique—the Method of Direct Empowerment—to pass his lifelong cultivation to Long Er.

Long Er felt his dantian constantly expanding, as if his whole body had inexhaustible strength.

Unable to control the surging momentum, Long Er let out a loud roar.

After the roar, the momentum within Long Er's body stabilized, and Tenggenier fell to the ground.

Having lost his cultivation, Tenggenier's gray hair turned into the appearance of someone in their twilight years.

Long Er grabbed and lifted the fallen Tenggenier, crying out in pain:

"Father, what is wrong with you!"

Tenggenier looked at Long Er with a smile:

"Long Er, I am sorry.

Father has to abandon you again; Father cannot accompany you any further, you must live well on your own.

Father is going down to accompany your mother; Mei'er, I am coming."

After saying this, Tenggenier closed his eyes.

"Father!"

Long Er shouted; he had only just reunited with his father, and now his father had left him.

The relative he had finally found had left him once again.

Long Er lay on the ground, holding Tenggenier's corpse and weeping bitterly.

After venting the sorrow in his heart, Long Er walked to the stone bed, cleared everything off it, and finally saw the Liangji Sword Technique written by his father.

After rote memorization and self-understanding, Long Er committed the entire Liangji Sword Technique to memory.

After recalling it twice and finding he had not remembered it incorrectly, Long Er picked up a stone from the side and scraped at the stone bed.

Soon, the original Secret Manual of the Liangji Sword Technique disappeared under Long Er's scraping, leaving only countless scratches.

Having gained Tenggenier's lifelong cultivation, Long Er's Meridians had all been expanded, and his physical fitness was no longer what it once was.

He picked up Tenggenier's corpse; he could not let his father's body remain in this place that had imprisoned him for half his life and destroyed their family's happiness.

Seeing the young but fierce-looking Long Er, the people in the cells ahead dared not make a sound, fearing they would offend this little star of death.

At this moment, outside the Forbidden Land, the four people waiting for Long Er—Duan Fengyun and the others—finally saw Long Er emerge.

But in the short time of two incense sticks, they felt that Long Er had undergone a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering change.

Duan Fengyun opened his mouth and asked:

"Long Er, what is going on?

How have you changed so much all of a sudden?"

Long Er replied:

"My father told me the truth about what happened.

Just as you said, Father, there were indeed some misunderstandings between him and my mother.

And these misunderstandings were all because of that bunch of bald donkeys at Motuo Lanruo Temple; if it weren't for them, my father and mother would not have been separated by life and death, nor would they have been parted by the divide between the living and the dead."

Long Er looked at Yuantong and the others with a face full of killing intent, causing Yuantong and the others to feel a chill in their hearts; they had never seen such powerful momentum and killing intent in someone of Long Er's age.

Long Er continued:

"Because my father suffered a deviation in his cultivation and knew his time was short, after entrusting me with some matters, he transferred his entire cultivation to me through a direct infusion of power.

And after losing all his cultivation, my father went down to find my mother.

My father's final wish was for me to retrieve his relic—the Liangji Sword."

After Duan Fengyun and the others finished listening, Bu Jingyun walked directly in front of Yuantong and said to Yuantong:

"Let's go, lead the way ahead and take us to retrieve Tenggenier's relic."

(End of this chapter)

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