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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 258: Six Years of Change
After resting for a few days above Wuguan, Sun Zhe bid farewell to Wang Ben and headed towards the territory of the Qin State.
Crossing Wuguan and entering the Qin State, Sun Zhe clearly noticed that the lives of the Qin State's people were more prosperous compared to those in Zhao and Han, which he had visited before. This was, of course, something Sun Zhe was glad to see. Observing the happy faces and warm scenes around him lightened the heavy feelings he had developed while at Wuguan.
In three days, with Sun Zhe flying at full speed, he crossed countless mountains and rivers and passed through many towns. He was getting closer to the village he had longed for, yet his mood became increasingly tense.
Northern Yue Village was just an ordinary village within the Qin State, covering only a few hundred zhang and inhabited by merely a few dozen villagers. Due to its proximity to Northern Peak and its association with Hengshan, the older villagers had named it Northern Yue Village.
This Northern Yue Village had existed since ancient times, and many famous figures supposedly hailed from there. However, this was merely idle talk among the older generation; Sun Zhe never took it seriously. When he inquired about these notable figures, the elderly villagers fell silent, unable to name even one.
On a late afternoon in autumn, with a slightly dry breeze blowing, most of the corn planted along the roadside had matured. The golden corn stood in large patches, resembling rows of soldiers standing guard awaiting inspection. The northern climate was drier than that of the south, and since the Qin State was generally located further north, it could not cultivate rice everywhere like in the south. Instead, crops like corn and wheat became the preferred choice for the northern people.
Suddenly, a whirlwind stirred up on the dirt road, raising gray dust into the air. Upon closer inspection, one could see a hint of purple light mixed within the gray. The storm came quickly and vanished just as fast; in the blink of an eye, it disappeared without a trace. As the gray dust settled, a young figure appeared on the road.
Dressed in a gray cloth robe that resembled typical attire worn by people across Jiuzhou, he appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old. His physique was robust like that of a martial artist, exuding an air of confidence with every movement. His black eyes sparkled with an unusual depth.
As he scanned the cornfields surrounding the road and felt a familiar rural atmosphere, his gaze finally fixed on a village not far away. A hint of excitement flickered in his calm eyes as he sighed softly.
"I'm home..."
This person was none other than Sun Zhe.
Without further delay, Sun Zhe stepped towards Northern Yue Village. Regardless of having wandered as lightning in the Outer Starry Sky for so many years or living under another identity in Thunder Continent for so long, he had never forgotten that he still had such a hometown.
Home, for him, was like a sanctuary for the soul. No matter where he was, there was only one true home, and its status was irreplaceable.
Without using any Martial Arts or Divine Abilities, Sun Zhe walked step by step toward the village. His footsteps left solid prints on the yellow dirt road. The distance of a hundred zhang felt both near and far. After a moment, Sun Zhe stood before the village.
After all these years, Northern Yue Village seemed to have undergone no significant changes. It remained much the same as before; even the structure of the village had not changed much, and the houses had not increased or decreased significantly. It was still just as he remembered from his time in the village. However, Sun Zhe knew that the familiar faces within the village were likely gone.
"Are you looking for someone?"
A voice suddenly rang out from beside a pond near the village. Sun Zhe looked up to see a Middle-Aged Woman washing something by the pond with a girl who appeared to be in her teens. The woman seemed somewhat confused upon seeing Sun Zhe and asked her question. Hearing her mother’s inquiry, the girl also curiously turned to look at Sun Zhe.
Looking for someone… This simple question left Sun Zhe unsure of how to respond. Was he really looking for someone? What could he find upon returning here?
"Brother Sun Zhe… it’s Brother Sun Zhe… Mother, he is Brother Sun Zhe…"
Just as Sun Zhe was lost in thought, a tender voice suddenly rang in his ears. It was the girl beside the Middle-Aged Woman, pointing at Sun Zhe with fingers as delicate as white jade, her face filled with joy as she excitedly spoke to her mother.
Upon hearing the girl’s exclamation, the Middle-Aged Woman couldn’t help but take another careful look at Sun Zhe’s face. The basket she held fell to the ground and splashed into the pond, but she seemed oblivious to it. Shock filled her expression as she exclaimed,
"You really are A-Zhe..."
Not only were this mother and daughter shocked; upon recognizing their features, Sun Zhe himself was taken aback even more. The astonishment in his eyes was several times greater than theirs as memories of two extremely familiar faces flooded back into his mind, quickly merging with those of the two people before him.
"You are Aunt Tian, and you are Yier..."
Years ago, Aunt Tian lived near Sun Zhe's home. His mother had poor health and raised two children alone. Although families in the village helped each other out, no one assisted more than Aunt Tian's family. Yier was Aunt Tian's daughter and had always liked to follow him around.
This is impossible!
Sun Zhe's eyes were filled with disbelief. Even if he didn't count the time spent away from the Nine Continents Mainland in tens of thousands of years, it had at least been several hundred years. Yet Aunt Tian clearly hadn't aged much, and Yier had only grown a few years. It was evident that only a few years had passed here, and the flow of time on both sides simply didn't match up.
"A-Zhe, where have you been for the past six years? Why didn't you return to the village? Even if you don't care about us, you should at least care about your mother and brother. They are your closest relatives..."
Aunt Tian walked up to Sun Zhe, her expression grim as she questioned him. She had watched Sun Zhe grow up, and since her daughter had always played well with him, she regarded both Sun Zhe and Sun Ping as her own children. She couldn't believe that Sun Zhe could be so unfilial.
Six years... Only six years had passed here. Sun Zhe's experiences were not something an ordinary person could compare to. Although this situation was far beyond his expectations, after a moment, he slowly suppressed the shock in his heart. The astonishment on his face was well concealed as he tried to calmly ask Aunt Tian,
"Aunt Tian, how are my mother and brother? Are they still at home?"
Six years wasn't a long time; his brother Sun Ping was just over twenty. Hope filled Sun Zhe's eyes; for him, the two most important people now were his mother and brother.
But what answered him was a heavy sigh.
"You left for Xianyang to take the exam six years ago and never returned. Your mother sent several letters but received no reply. She became ill from missing you, and since her health was already poor, less than two years after you left, she finally passed away. Your brother observed mourning for three months before leaving Northern Yue Village. As for his whereabouts, we do not know; he did leave some words for you before he left..." At this point, Aunt Tian couldn't help but show a hint of unspeakable sorrow.
"Mother, I am sorry!"
Thud...
Sun Zhe's body trembled; he bent his legs and collapsed to the ground, his knees making direct contact with the earth without reservation. His gaze turned towards the direction of the Sun Family Courtyard as two streams of cold tears slid down his cheeks, falling onto the ground below. A deep sense of remorse and hatred surged in his eyes.
"What words did Ping'er leave behind?" A voice as silent as death escaped from Sun Zhe's lips. A thick aura of Death Qi emanated from him; if one looked closely, they would see that his eyes were entirely grayish-white, resembling those of a corpse.
"He will never forgive you in this lifetime!"
Aunt Tian's eyes flashed with deep compassion, but she ultimately conveyed the original words to Sun Zhe. These were the last words left by Sun Ping to his brother Sun Zhe before leaving, filled with an indelible and piercing hatred, a hatred so profound that it overshadowed the strong bond of brotherhood.
………………
Several hours later, Sun Zhe slowly stepped into the courtyard of his former home. Looking at the dilapidated yet familiar residence before him, he walked in slowly, lost in thought. He pushed open the heavy wooden door, and a familiar scene unfolded before him: a carved wooden chair sat in the center of the hall, exactly where his mother usually sat.
"Zhe Er, you're back. Are you tired? Sit down and rest for a while..." His mother, with a kind expression, sat on the wooden chair looking at him, her smile radiating the same warmth that had remained unchanged for years.
"Brother, you're back! Ping'er missed you so much..."
The voice was filled with joy as Sun Ping rushed in from outside, running straight toward him with an excited face.
In a daze, it felt as if everything was different. A gust of Autumn Wind blew through, bringing a chilling sensation that permeated the room, filling it with a desolate autumn atmosphere. Sun Zhe's clothes fluttered in the wind, and the scene before him shifted; everything turned to nothingness. His mother was gone, his brother was gone, leaving only Sun Zhe alone.
Sun Zhe sat despondently on the threshold, his long black hair lifted by the Autumn Wind. Beneath that hair, his dark eyes revealed a deep sense of loneliness.
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