A call from home
Raizel wondered if she would ever get tired. It has been three days now and yet...
"The food is delicious, isn't it? I heard young children also like to eat Glazed Fried Dumplings."
"Work went well. I learnt a lot, most of all; I learnt the parent's sin should not be visited on the child."
"Uncle Peter, Children are precious things, aren't they? It is our job to treasure and appreciate them."
Raizel was confident in his ability to ignore her but the looks he had been getting had been growing stranger each day. Today was the limit.
Old Lin reduced his food. Since he was not certain if he was mistaken he looked over twice at every other plate and sure, his bowl of wonton in sesame sauce was the smallest.
He eyed Old Lin tentatively. Was this called ganging up on him with his granddaughter? How did things turn out this way?
As he ate, he felt that it was entirely his fault. He should have gone right back the moment he saw her or at least erased her memory or cast the second level of the Great Shrouding Art.
His desire for mundane food has caused him to lose a portion of this meal.
That is terrible! But remembering the taste of the ice cream, he doubted if he would do it anything differently.
He placed the bowl on the table with the ten spirit stones and closed his eyes to assimilate the energy. Feeling it was time, he stood up to leave.
"Raizel, wait. Don't be in a hurry to leave. Oliver has something he said he would like to say." Seeing the frown off Peter's face, He was sure that he had gotten over losing the bet to Old Ben.
He knew that Peter was a habitual drunk, but he had no idea that he was a sore loser as well. He had been so bitter to the extent that he had come to his shop to engage in a staring contest with Wren, using his aura to make sure that the boy would not cultivate in peace.
Without a doubt, Raizel had kicked him out for his childish actions. His master had done him that one should be responsible for his actions. Since he made the bed, he should have prepared to lie on it.
He turned to look at Oliver, and his eyes widened, seeing him clearly for the first time that night.
He was dressed in a light blue shirt and black trousers looking very smart and neat. His stubble was gone, and his wild hair was finely trimmed. He looked at least ten years younger.
He stood up when he noticed that all eyes were looking at him. He gave a small cough and silence reigned. By now, one could hear a pin drop, Lin Mengmeng even tried to reduce the sound of her breathing due to the serious atmosphere.
Oliver brought his hands close to his mouth and coughed again.
All hell went loose.
"Old Oliver! Are you an old woman or perhaps you can't speak?" Ben asked in a kind yet irritated voice.
"Fart! You have the mind to call him Old Oliver! Look at him, then look at yourself, Doesn't he look like your son?" Peter shot back.
It was clear that Peter had no intention of letting go of the fact that Ben won the bet and collected his precious castor bean. He had saved that material for over 30 years not letting it out of his sight.
"Ah! Old Peter calm your temper. As a cultivator, you should always remain in peace." His face was flowing with monk-like calmness and at the same time had a gloating smile on it. It was really difficult to achieve.
The calm smile seemed to set Peter off the more," Just look at your protruding stomach. Do you fancy yourself a monk?"
Ben sighed and folded his hands as if in prayer, "Amitabha."
Peter gnashed his teeth and looked at Ben as if his only desire is to swallow him whole leaving not even bones behind.
"Enough!" Simon ordered succinctly. He wanted to say more to them but decided against it. Peter would get over it. He turned to Oliver, "You have something you want to say?"
Raizel was ashamed of how much he did not want the quarrel to end. He looked around discreetly only to find Lin Mengmeng some white-yellowish foamy flakes from a bag and Old Lin and Bill drinking tea.
Raizel:.....
However, it had always intrigued Raizel how much they all listened to Simon. His bone age was the youngest among them excluding Oliver and Lin Mengmeng.
His cultivation was also the lowest among them, of course excluding Lin Mengmeng. Old Lin and Peter were in the Late Stage of Dao Flowering Realm, Ben and Bill were in the middle Stage of Dao Flowering Realm and Oliver and Simon were in the Early Stage of Dao Flowering Realm.
It also made him wonder why they all gathered in this town with low spiritual energy. After all, Dao Flowering Realm Cultivators were not so common you could see them everywhere. Well, it did not matter.
The interlude must have given Oliver enough time to gather himself together because he smiled warmly, "My name is Oliver Green. I am the third son of Albert Green of the Green family in Springfield. My family is an Alchemist family and I am a level four Alchemist. Thirteen years, I offended the Lomfrey family and I had to flee the town."
He paused for a moment seemingly lost in his memories and continued, "Yesterday, My nephew contacted me. The entire Lomfrey family was wiped out in a single night and their houses were burnt to the ground. The power structure in Springfield is changing and they need me back home."
Everybody held a deep breath, well, everybody but Raizel.
"The Lomfrey family?" Bill asked again as if he couldn't believe his ears, "All murdered? Have they found those responsible?"
"According to what my nephew said, it was a total annihilation, not even a blade of grass was left." He had been in absolute shock when he heard it. This was reality and not a movie set in the centuries past.
"Why are we just hearing this now? This should be the biggest thing to happen in the Union." Peter said, excitement on his face.
"They must be keeping it under wraps. Grandpa, don't the Lomfrey family have a Dao Tribulation Realm cultivator as the head of the family?"
Old Lin sighed, his face unnaturally serious, "And he is said to have passed two tribulations. It is only a Dao Master that can make such a move."
"A Dao Master!" Lin Mengmeng voice was a little high and almost frenzied."
"Keep it down" Simon warned her.
Old Lin nodded at once, "You better not poke nose in this matter. Springfield is not far from here. Make sure you don't get cut up in it." He knew his stubborn granddaughter and her staunch belief in justice. It was not that he did not believe in justice but justice is only possible when one is alive.
"Yes, grandpa. I promise I will mind my business." Lin Mengmeng murmured. Her eyes looked at Raizel who in her eyes had a lost look on his face. This must have totally frightened him.
"Raizel, don't lose hope in the law enforcement agencies and the Union. As a member of the police force, I promise you, the perpetrators of this action shall be brought to justice."
Raizel: …..
Old Lin: …. Didn't you just promise to mind your business? Ah! Young people, you can't control them.
"What are your plans going forward?" Simon asked him.
Oliver gave him a little bow," Thank you for all your help all through these years. I can't imagine what would happen to me without your help."
Turning to Old Lin, he smiled," Old Lin, thank you. All of you, I appreciate everything. I will leave all my merchandise behind and return home."
When Peter heard he was leaving his merchandise behind, his grin almost split his face, "We are brothers, what are you being polite for?" He began to take out bottles from his storage, "Mengmeng, Raizel, two of you stay behind for me. We are going to ascend today."
The moment Raizel heard the last words from Oliver, he froze. 'Home…. He truly doesn't have that anymore.' A wisp of dense sorrow gushed out from his heart. His breath grew heavy as he tried to suppress it.
His throat felt tight like there was a knot within. His chest constricted, he was a Dao Transcendence cultivator, he could go without air for more than a thousand years yet it felt like he needed that air. It was suffocating…...
"Raizel? Are you all right?" Her voice broke Raizel away from his thoughts.
He did not reply her but for the first time in 400 years, he grabbed a bottle and took a large gulp, numbing his senses and praying the wine takes him to a place very far away.