Naming Technique of the Night

"Because she is my mom," XiaoTongyun honestly said.

"When did you know that she was your mother?" the elder asked.

"Not long ago."

The elder looked at the ceiling and suddenly said, "I'm sorry, XiaoTongyun. Initially, your mother was just a servant of the Li Family. Your father fell in love with her and insisted on marrying her, but the rules of the Li Family cannot be broken. Otherwise, other servants might get ideas too, so I had no choice but to drive her out."

In the Outer World, the mother-daughter relationship is naturally the same in the Inner World.

Li Tongyun seemed to be stating the facts, but in reality, she had thought of this point. Although she was not sure what the truth was, Jiang Xue was definitely her mother in the Inner World—there was no mistake in that.

Now she knew that it was a story of love between a servant and her master, but ultimately, they couldn't break the class barrier.

This is a world where class is solidified. Qing Chen certainly found the elder amiable, but the elder was also unable to transcend the constraints of his time.

Only a Saint could achieve that, something the elder naturally couldn't do.

Perhaps this was why Uncle Li Dong was so eager to change the world.

The elder sighed, "At first, I thought there was nothing wrong with what I did, but not until your father died of depression did I realize I was wrong. This is one of my biggest regrets in life."

Logically, Jiang Xue should have known about this.

But the elder probably didn't expect that Jiang Xue had become a Time Traveler, so neither mother nor daughter knew about it—one of the two fools.

Fortunately, XiaoTongyun was smart enough not to let anything slip.

The elder mentioned some family matters, then asked XiaoTongyun to call everyone in.

Members of the second generation of the Li Family entered the room one after another and silently stood beside the bed.

The elder thought for a moment and said, "I've said what needed to be said. I hope that in the future, you siblings will continue to live in harmony as you do now. I haven't accomplished much for the Li Family in my lifetime, but the only thing worth praising is that I haven't let you siblings become enemies."

In fact, the elder was being modest.

Faced with power, everyone is tempted, but he managed to leave when everyone recognized Li Yunshou's position without any signs of rebellion.

This itself was an incredible achievement, requiring great wisdom.

Outsiders thought the transition of power in the Li Family would be chaotic, but in fact, it was exceptionally smooth, and they were already prepared for the war against the outside world.

At this moment, the elder's voice grew weaker and weaker until it finally faded, as if he had fallen asleep.

The next moment, just as many thought he had passed away, the elder suddenly opened his eyes again, weakly smiled, and said, "Got you! I just wanted to see who wasn't crying."

The crowd was stunned. After a moment of silence, Li Yunshou said, "Dad, your ECG is still fluctuating; that wasn't very convincing."

"Is that so?" the elder was also stunned, then finally with a relieved smile said, "Old age, my acting skills aren't what they used to be."

With that, he closed his eyes.

The ECG completely quieted down, without any further fluctuations.

Everyone in the room started to cry, including Li Yunshou, who was usually as calm as a lake.

People downstairs heard the crying from upstairs and began to cry as well.

Qing Chen stood amidst this cacophony, feeling everything becoming surreal.

From the depths of the night to the dawn, people in the embrace of simplicity finally dispersed.

But Qing Chen didn't leave; he continued to wait.

Once Li Yunjing and Li Yunshou saw off the last member of the Li Family and finalized the date of the funeral and burial, the house became completely serene again.

Li Yunshou looked at Qing Chen, "I'm also leaving. In one hour, the Li Family and Qing's Family will go to war with Jindai and Deer Island, and there are still many things to handle. I will leave the remaining tasks here to you."

Qing Chen silently nodded.

Li Yunshou, now middle-aged, was silent for a moment before saying, "Although I don't know why my father trusted you so much, I hope you won't disappoint him."

"I won't," Qing Chen said.

"Good," Li Yunshou nodded, "When we meet again, I, Li Yunshou, owe you a favor, and the Li Family will be your forever friend."

"You're talking as if I won't come back," Qing Chen laughed.

After speaking, Li Yunshou nodded to Li Yunjing and then turned to walk into the breaking dawn.

The sky gradually brightened.

Then the elder slowly walked out of the room, "Are they all gone?"

Qing Chen looked at the elder and laughed, "You played quite a big game this time, didn't you?"

The elder laughed, "I have never really been willful in my life, always having to manage this and that. Even if I went out to play, I could only stay out for one night, and the courtesan I liked wouldn't wait for someone like me who might easily stand her up… Ah, I've said too much."

Qing Chen thought for a moment and then said, "Why not let me teach you the Zhunti Method? It would only take a week and could extend your life by 21 years."

The elder waved his hand, "I've lived enough… Do you know why the twilight glow is so splendid?"

Qing Chen thought and answered, "Because the refraction of the atmosphere causes…"

"Stop, boring," the elder sighed, "The twilight glow, the magnificent clouds, it's because they are fleeting. If we could see such scenes every second, they wouldn't be considered beautiful. The weight of a human life comes from its limitation. It's only the wishes fulfilled in the last moments that are truly regret-free."

Qing Chen nodded, then escorted the elder, who was disguised, through the silent half-hill estate back to Autumn Leaf Courtyard.

Li Yunjing escorted the two to the courtyard, then kneeled deeply in front of the elder.

The elder patted his head, "Yunjing, you've grown up. Go out there, find your own freedom."

Li Yunjing cried silently.

The elder lingered no longer; he took one deep look at the half-hill estate behind him and then entered Autumn Leaf Courtyard.

By this time, Li Ke was already waiting inside.

The 14-year-old boy looked astonished as he saw the elder and his teacher, "Grandpa… You didn't die?"

After speaking, Li Ke then turned to Qing Chen, "Sir, what are we going to do?"

Qing Chen laughed, "We're going to Taboo Land No. 002. Your grandpa wants to take a look at the big tree and the sunrise."

This was the agreement the elder and Qing Chen had made a few days ago.

...

A 5000-word chapter, updated today with 10,000 words, an additional update for being first in the August ticket race, with another update tomorrow.

Seeking tickets, seeking tickets!