Following close behind, there were more and more houses. Seeing these houses, Xiao Yifei finally breathed a sigh of relief, because he was really a bit tired from the trek; such a steep mountain, it was as if Xiao Yifei had climbed straight from the mountain's foot to its peak. Wouldn't you be tired too?

But being able to find what he was searching for, Xiao Yifei felt it was worth it. At this moment, the old man beside him spoke, "Come in and sit for a while. You must be tired." Upon hearing this, Xiao Yifei quickly nodded and followed the old man inside. Once inside, Xiao Yifei glanced around. As expected, it was the standard rural setup, but Xiao Yifei didn't mind.

After gulping down a big bowl of water, Xiao Yifei suddenly asked the old man where his wife was, because living alone could be quite lonely. However, hearing Xiao Yifei's question, the old man shook his head helplessly and said, "My wife passed away last year."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yifei immediately felt it was an inappropriate time to ask such a question and quickly told the old lady not to mind. The old lady was quite nonchalant, waved her hand to Xiao Yifei, indicating that it didn't matter. This wasn't something she ever pretended about.

"So now it's just you living here alone?" Xiao Yifei frowned. It's quite inconvenient for an elderly person. Seeing the concern on Xiao Yifei's face, the old man laughed and said, "Do I seem inconvenienced to you?" Hearing this, Xiao Yifei recalled the old man's agile movements earlier. His sympathy vanished into thin air.

"By the way, young man, what brought you to such a place?" the old man asked with a wry smile. Hearing this, Xiao Yifei awkwardly looked at the old man, unsure whether to reveal his purpose. After a moment, Xiao Yifei decided to speak out.

"I came here to find someone," Xiao Yifei said, observing the old man's expression. The old man seemed kind-hearted, which encouraged Xiao Yifei to speak. If he had been fierce-looking, who'd dare reveal anything? As expected, the elderly man simply nodded slightly and asked who Xiao Yifei was looking for, perhaps she was someone he knew.

Xiao Yifei then told the old man Muyun's mother's name. However, upon hearing Muyun's mother's name, the old man's brow furrowed deeply, as if he knew some enormous secret.

Seeing this, Xiao Yifei cautiously asked, "What's wrong?" The old man waved his hands indicating it was nothing, but then cautiously asked, "How do you know her?" Seeing the old man's reaction, Xiao Yifei's heart sank. Could it be that the old man knew about Muyun's mother?

But when the old man asked him how he knew her, Xiao Yifei could only honestly answer that he was seeking her on behalf of a friend's request. Hearing this, the old man nodded, half-believing, half-doubting. Xiao Yifei initially wanted to explain further, but seeing the old man's reaction, he stayed silent.

After a while, the old man suddenly sighed, "Fate is truly cruel."

The old man's unexpected remark made Xiao Yifei frown, as he didn't understand the old man's meaning at that moment. After a while, the old man slowly said that Muyun's mother had in fact passed away years ago due to an unusual illness, which caused Xiao Yifei's mother to also suddenly die back then.

Hearing that Muyun's mother had already passed away, Xiao Yifei wasn't entirely surprised. "Alas, it's my fault for not helping to clear her meridians when she was young," the old man said regretfully. Hearing this, Xiao Yifei felt something was off and cautiously asked, "Grandma, what do you mean?"

"You may not know this, but Muyun's mother was healthy and no different from ordinary people back then, but there was a problem with her internal meridians. Back then, anyone with health issues would come to me for help, but with Muyun's mother, I didn't offer my help.

Hearing this, Xiao Yifei wanted to question why the old man did not help. Knowing what Xiao Yifei was about to ask, the old man sighed helplessly, "It's all my fault for getting into a quarrel with the child's parents." With this deep sigh, the old man recounted the past to Xiao Yifei.

It turned out that Muyun's mother had no cultivation technique to practice back then because something inside her prevented her from practicing it. As long as the old man helped link her meridians, the girl would have been completely fine. And in this village, only the old man could do this.

There was no choice, so Muyun's grandmother brought Muyun's mother to him. But back then, whenever Muyun's mother saw the old man, she burst into tears. Muyun's grandmother claimed that the old man frightened the child and was furious in his home. The old man was quick-tempered and, upon seeing such a patient, was unyielding.

As a result, Muyun's grandmother and mother were driven away by the old man, causing Muyun's mother to never cultivate her whole life. This means that due to the old man, or a trivial act of his own, he truly might have changed someone's life.

Reflecting on the past, the old man regretted. Although he was initially angry, the senseless loss of a young life was more than he could bear. Over the years, his heart has been burdened. Xiao Yifei listened to the story, glanced at the old man, and shook his head helplessly.

So that's how it was, Xiao Yifei thought, "Indeed, fate is cruel." With a sigh, he fell silent for a while. The old man looked at Xiao Yifei and asked, "Are you his son's friend?" Xiao Yifei nodded. Yes, he was Muyun's friend.

Seeing this, the old man looked at Xiao Yifei thoughtfully and after a while said, "Alright, young man, take her belongings to her son." By saying this, the old man was attempting to somewhat reconcile the guilt of the past. Hearing this, Xiao Yifei nodded. Originally, he came this time intending to find clues, and Muyun's mother's belongings might hold something.

With this thought in mind, Xiao Yifei followed the old man to a house that clearly hadn't been inhabited for many years. The damp smell of musty wood soaked in moisture, and the absence of light made him wonder how these people ever stayed there.

Cupping his nose, Xiao Yifei walked step by step inside. After a while, the old man stopped. He saw that Xiao Yifei was now in a room. Although it was hard to discern, the room seemed alright.

He saw the old man slowly drag out a box from under the bed. The box seemed very ancient, covered in moss, clearly left there for a long time. Seeing this, Xiao Yifei knelt beside the old man, watching as the old man blew off some dust to clear it away.

After a while, Xiao Yifei gently wiped away the dust on the box. After a few coughs, he could finally see the box clearly. It wasn't large, but the craftsmanship on it was exquisite, especially the lock, which appeared very beautifully intricate.

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