Where does that wicked woman get her conscience?

Chapter 367 No Regrets

Jin Chen and Guan Xun traveled together, and many years passed in the blink of an eye.

They traversed almost the entire continent.

While passing through Changlian Island, I made a detour to Yong'an Ancient Town.

Over the past few centuries, this place has undergone earth-shaking changes, and its prosperity is even more magnificent than the mansions of many famous families.

Only the doctor's clinic, bathed in winter sunlight, still stands in its old spot on the street corner.

Gray bricks and blue tiles, mottled wooden doors, and faded wooden signs hanging under the eaves, all bearing the marks of time.

Just as Guan Xun approached, a small figure suddenly rushed out from inside the door and bumped right into him.

She looked down and saw the little boy also looking up, staring at her with wide eyes.

"Sister!" the little boy called out in a clear voice, "You look just like my great-great-grandmother!"

"Your great-great-grandmother?" Guan Xun chuckled, a slight smile playing on his lips.

The little boy nodded vigorously: "Yes, yes! I've seen a portrait in my great-grandfather's room. My great-great-grandmother was just as beautiful as you!"

Guan Xun's eyebrows suddenly rose, and his heart stirred slightly.

Time has passed, and the world has changed. Could this child be a descendant of Dongyang?

Just then, a woman with a rosy complexion rushed out of the clinic, her forehead still damp with a thin layer of sweat.

She hugged the little boy tightly, her voice filled with lingering fear: "You silly child, why did you run out to play without saying a word?"

"Mother!" The little boy tugged at the woman's sleeve, looking up excitedly, "I saw my great-great-grandmother!"

The woman frowned and tapped his forehead: "You're talking nonsense again. Come back with me for dinner."

"It's true!" The little boy stamped his feet anxiously, pointing at Guan Xun, "Mom, look! This sister looks exactly like my great-great-grandmother!"

After hearing this, the woman looked up following his fingertip, and her gaze met that of Guan Xun and Jin Chen. Her heart skipped a beat.

I was so focused on finding the child that I didn't even notice the presence of these two people.

She quickly glanced at the two men and noticed that they were dressed in extraordinary clothes, clearly not ordinary people from the ancient town.

When her gaze fell on Guan Xun's face, she was startled again, her eyes flashing with obvious surprise.

This face... really does bear a striking resemblance to the portrait treasured by the child's great-grandfather, with about nine-tenths similarity.

But then I thought, my great-grandfather is already so old, how could his sister, even if she were still alive, look so young?

The woman quickly composed herself and nodded apologetically to Guan Xun: "I'm so sorry, the child is young and doesn't know any better, he has offended us greatly."

After saying that, she took the little boy's hand and turned to walk into the clinic.

Just as she turned around, a faint voice asked from behind, "Is Dongyang still there?"

Upon hearing this, the woman abruptly stopped in her tracks. She turned around abruptly, her gaze fixed on Guan Xun's face, her eyes filled with disbelief and astonishment.

Winter sun?

That's the name of the child's great-grandfather!

Ordinary people would never know that this person in front of them... could it really be someone they have a past connection with?

She composed herself, her tone slightly reserved and respectful: "Yes, but my grandfather is quite old and his health is not what it used to be. He has been resting quietly in his inner room and it is inconvenient for him to come out and receive guests."

After a slight pause, she couldn't help but ask, "May I ask who you are, young lady...?"

Guan Xun didn't answer her, but waved his hand and said, "Take me to see him."

Although the woman was full of doubts, seeing the two men's refined demeanor and their striking resemblance to the portraits, she suppressed all her confusion and stepped aside to make way for them: "Please follow me."

As soon as the group stepped into the inner courtyard of the medical clinic, the clansmen who were busy working in the corridor all cast inquiring glances their way.

Someone couldn't help but tug at the sleeve of the woman leading the way and whisper, "Who is this?"

The woman lowered her voice and mumbled, "I'm here to see the child's great-grandfather."

"What?" Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, their eyes filled with even deeper confusion.

My great-grandfather is an old man, how could he know such a young girl?

Guan Xun ignored the whispers and looked up at the woman: "Take me to see him."

While everyone was still in a daze, a furious shout suddenly broke the noise in the courtyard.

"What are you all standing there for? Blocking the way!"

Following the sound, a little girl with her hair in two buns walked over, with a bright red mark on her forehead that was particularly eye-catching.

When the clansmen saw her, they quickly bowed and stepped back, their expressions full of respect: "You've come. It's...it's someone who has come to see our great-grandfather."

The little girl, hands on her hips, turned to where everyone was pointing with a nonchalant air. As soon as her gaze settled on Guan Xun, her eyes widened in surprise.

Sensing the restrained yet powerful aura of cultivation emanating from the other party, she was so shocked that her legs went weak and she almost fell to the ground.

This level of power... I'm afraid even a single finger could crush her.

As everyone was wondering about the little girl's unusual behavior, they saw her point at Guan Xun, her voice trembling: "You, you...you're back!"

Guan Xun raised an eyebrow, momentarily failing to recognize the little girl in front of him.

"It's me!" the little girl exclaimed, stamping her feet in frustration. "The spirit beast you captured back then, almost causing its soul to be scattered!"

Guan Xun was slightly taken aback, then realized, "Oh, it's you. You're still here."

So many years have passed, she can now transform into human form.

"Of course!" The little girl patted her chest, then raised her eyebrows. "You're here to see Dongyang, right?"

Guan Xun nodded.

"Come on, I'll take you to find him!" The little girl pushed through the crowd, turned around and led the way with practiced ease. "He should be on the back mountain by now."

Just as the two reached the side gate leading to the back mountain, Jin Chen behind them stopped.

He turned and walked to the stone table in the courtyard, brushed the dust off the stone benches and sat down: "A-Xun, I'll wait for you here."

"Okay." Guan Xun nodded and followed the little girl to the back mountain.

Behind the mountain, layers of medicinal herb plots are cultivated, and where the wind blows, the bitter fragrance mixed with the fresh scent of herbs permeates the air.

The little girl led the person there and then went back.

Guan Xun's gaze swept over the lush medicinal herbs growing between the rows of trees, and finally landed on the bamboo rocking chair under the tree.

An elderly man with white hair was sitting there.

His hair had already thinned out, with only a few strands of silver hair clinging to his scalp.

Loose skin and flesh wrapped around a bony skeleton, as if it would fall apart at the slightest touch.

When the wind blew, the old man coughed violently.

Blood seeped from between the fingers of his hand covering his mouth. After coughing for a while, he leaned back wearily in the rocking chair, panting heavily.

This appearance already suggests that he is about to die.

Guan Xun stood still for a moment, then stepped onto the soft soil and walked over, stopping beside the rocking chair: "Dongyang."

Dongyang was stunned. That voice... that voice! It was his sister!

He was trembling all over, and he even forgot to breathe.

As he slowly turned his head, his cloudy, blurry eyes were filled with disbelief.

He stared intently at Guan Xun's face, his lips trembling for a long time before he finally managed to squeeze out a tearful cry: "Little Xun..."

"Don't get excited, take care of yourself," Guan Xun said softly.

Dongyang finally came to his senses and hurriedly raised his hand to wipe the wetness from the corner of his eyes, but his fingertips trembled and he couldn't wipe it clean no matter what he did.

Guan Xun turned and casually sat down on a nearby rock, his tone slightly teasing: "Long time no see, you've got a whole head of white hair."

“Yes.” Dongyang looked at her, a smile in his eyes hiding endless melancholy. “I’m so old now, but you’re still the same as before, unchanged, still the little Xun I remember…”

……

the other side.

As soon as the little girl returned inside, everyone swarmed around her, eager to know, "Who exactly is that girl?"

She raised her chin and said, "You don't recognize her, do you? She is your great-great-grandmother, your great-grandfather's sister!"

"what?!"

Everyone was so shocked that their faces turned pale.

Someone quickly recovered from the shock, and their eyes immediately welled up with tears: "So...so she really was my great-great-grandmother! My great-great-grandfather had been waiting for her all his life!"

"These past years, I've been clinging to life with elixirs. Those longevity pills are almost useless now. I never imagined that I would actually be able to see him again before I die..."

"This is probably his biggest wish."

As soon as he finished speaking, sighs filled the courtyard, and sorrow permeated the room.

Back mountain.

Dongyang and Guan Xun talked for a long time.

"I never expected you to marry the young lady of the entire household," Guan Xun said with a smile.

Dongyang sighed, "Yes... I didn't expect it either. Fate is truly amazing."

A gentle breeze carried the scent of herbs, filling the air between the two.

They didn't speak again, just stared at the sunset on the horizon, watching the golden-red glow slowly sink, turning the sky orange.

After a long while, Dongyang suddenly relaxed and leaned back in the rocking chair, her voice as light as a feather, drifting over intermittently: "Xiao Xun, I have no regrets about being able to see you one more time..."

The last note faded and was scattered by the wind.

"Squeak--squeak--"

The rocking chair was still swaying gently, but his hand, which had been resting on the armrest, slowly drooped down.

A withered yellow herb leaf drifted by and landed right on his smiling, closed-eye face.

Orange-red petals fell, casting long shadows of the two people.

Guan Xun watched as the last rays of golden-red sky were swallowed by the night, remaining silent for a long time.

The waiting and the obsession finally settled down in the afterglow of the setting sun.

After a long while, she smiled slightly, and a sigh mingled with the evening breeze and dissipated into the twilight.

"The sun is setting."

……

That night, someone glimpsed two ethereal figures, their robes intertwined, walking further and further away until they disappeared at the edge of the ancient town.

Inside the doctor's clinic, the crying continued throughout the night.

The lights stayed on all night.

……

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