Chapter 435: The Return

Somewhere...

The opulent Zhou manor.

"Father, why has Grandfather always been so mad?" a young boy inquired. He held little respect for his grandfather, whose madness was notorious in the area.

"Because your grandfather was already mad when I was born."

"Then why did Grandmother choose to marry Grandfather?"

When the boy asked this question, the middle-aged man smiled, but offered no reply.

Could he tell the boy that his grandfather was handsome, while his grandmother was not, and that upon seeing such a handsome man, his grandmother couldn't resist, bringing him home, tricking him into a relationship, which ultimately led to their existence?

No one knew the grandfather's origins.

They only knew that he arrived in this place already in a state of madness.

In the courtyard...

"Who am I?"

"Who am I, really?"

A man, whose appearance remained youthful, wandered aimlessly through the garden, clutching his head, desperately trying to recall his identity, but to no avail.

The Zhou family knew nothing of his past, not even his descendants. He was a stranger, as if he had appeared out of thin air.

The servants kept their distance, fearing the sudden outbursts of the Zhou family's "Old Ancestor," their mad grandfather-in-law. They knew no one would care if he happened to kill them.

Decades later...

The "Old Ancestor" held a high position in the Zhou family. Logically, someone his age should have died of old age. Yet, to everyone's astonishment, though aged, the Old Ancestor remained vigorous, outliving several generations of his descendants.

No one knew that the mad Old Ancestor had lived for nearly two hundred years.

The Zhou family gradually declined. The descendants were unfilial and squandered the vast family fortune, driving them to bankruptcy.

One of the descendants hatched a plan regarding the Old Ancestor. They saw him as a useless, mad old man, a burden. Their plan was simple: kill him, disguise it as an accident, and no one would be the wiser.

The next day...

The mad Old Ancestor continued his usual routine, wandering the courtyard. Nothing mattered to him except discovering his true identity.

As he walked, a servant stood before him, trembling with fear, clutching an iron rod.

The servant was terrified.

The Old Ancestor glanced at him and walked around him, continuing his muttering,

"Who am I?"

The servant raised the iron rod and brought it down hard on the Old Ancestor's head, praying, Don't blame me. Blame your unworthy descendants. They want you dead. I'm just a servant. I don't want to harm you.

A dull thud echoed.

Such a blow would have shattered anyone's skull.

The Old Ancestor lay motionless on the ground. His mind was in chaos, images flashing like a slideshow, filling his consciousness.

Memories from the past resurfaced.

After a long while, the terrified servant approached to check on the Old Ancestor. Suddenly, the seemingly dead man stood up. The servant recoiled in horror, as if he had seen a ghost.

"I am the Emperor."

His memory had returned. The prolonged confusion caused an unbearable pain in his head.

It took him a while to adjust.

During his madness, everything that had transpired was now clear to him.

The Emperor's expression was calm.

But as unbearable memories flooded his mind, he clenched his fists. Not in anger, but in disbelief.

The merchant's daughter. Hideously ugly. The wedding. The wedding night. The blindfolded game. Bound hands and feet...

The Emperor was enraged. This was a humiliation. He wanted to destroy this place, but his raised hand hesitated. The ties of blood, the descendants he unknowingly sired during his madness, stayed his hand.

Damnable!

He remembered Lin Fan. It was all because of him. But now, realizing how much time had passed, he found his body ravaged by age.

His madness had ruined him. With his talent and understanding, he could have achieved great heights if he had cultivated diligently during those years, leveraging the potential of his youthful body.

But now, everything was wasted.

Purple Mountain, Lin Manor.

Time meant little to Lin Fan. He never dwelled on it. No matter how much time passed, he maintained a positive outlook.

As usual, Lin Fan finished fishing and prepared to tend his vegetable garden, a skill he had learned to ensure a supply of fresh vegetables.

As he walked towards the field, he stopped and looked towards the gate.

A group of people rushed in.

An old man was carried in a sedan chair. It was the Emperor. He toyed with iron balls in his hand, his eyes dark as he gazed at the familiar yet infuriating manor.

He was furious.

As Emperor, he should be above all. He had intended to return to his palace, only to discover that his dynasty had been overthrown and occupied.

This was a blow to him.

Of course, he felt no real loss. A dynasty could be reclaimed. He was most concerned about Lin Fan. Was he dead after all these years? If so, he would exhume Lin Fan's grave and desecrate his corpse.

"Lin Fan, I didn't expect you to still be alive."

The Emperor sneered, his voice low and menacing, like a demon's whisper.

Lin Fan asked, "Who are you?"

"Silence! You ruined my life and you dare ask who I am? Hahaha… I am the Emperor, chosen by destiny! You dared to lay your hands on me, causing the downfall of my dynasty! This is all your fault!"

He roared, coughing in his agitation. A dutiful grandson hurriedly patted the Old Ancestor's back.

"Grandfather, calm down, calm down."

This particular grandson, who knew which generation he belonged to, was a wastrel. He was stunned to find the Old Ancestor, whom they had tried to kill, not only alive but seemingly a changed man. He felt as if he had seen a ghost.

The rest was simple.

He was subdued by the Old Ancestor. Upon learning that the Old Ancestor was the former Emperor, he was utterly shocked, then overjoyed. Didn't this mean he was a prince, a potential emperor?

He pestered the Old Ancestor, asking when they would rebel, pledging his full support.

The Emperor wanted to kill this grandson, but he couldn't. Even the most troublesome blood relative was still family.

"I truly don't know who you are."

Lin Fan found the old man baffling. He considered calling Director Hao to check if the man was mentally ill. He had never met this person before, yet the man glared at him with such hostility. He had no idea how he had offended him.

The Emperor roared, "Look closely! Look at me carefully! Who am I?"

"I still don't recognize you." Lin Fan shook his head.

He genuinely didn't recognize the man. If he had, he wouldn't have lied. He longed to encounter a familiar face. It would have been a joyous occasion.

Such infuriating words.

The Emperor wanted to explode. This man was insufferable.

"You… My grandfather says he knows you, so you know him! You should admit you know my grandfather! If you dare say you don't know him again, I'll bash your head in!"

The grandson raged, then looked at the Old Ancestor ingratiatingly, as if saying, Grandfather, see how good I am to you? Surely, I deserve a share of the future throne.

"Rude." Lin Fan said.

The grandson flew into a rage, rolling up his sleeves to unleash his pathetic martial arts on Lin Fan. But the Old Ancestor raised a hand, pointing at Lin Fan.

"You're lucky. My grandfather told me not to lower myself to your level. Otherwise, I'd gouge your eyes out."

He wouldn't dare attack. The Old Ancestor was powerful. Anyone who could incur the Old Ancestor's wrath must be formidable. If not for the Old Ancestor's revival, he wouldn't dare be so brazen.

The Emperor said, "So many years… the boy has become like this. It's quite amusing. I must say, you were quite handsome in your youth. Now… you're truly old."

"Thank you for the compliment."

Lin Fan didn't expect this ill-tempered man to compliment him. He must have a kind heart beneath his harsh words, feeling bad for his earlier rudeness.

The Emperor, who was mocking Lin Fan, was stunned by his response.

He didn't understand Lin Fan's thinking.

Compliment?

Compliment my foot! Are you mad? Do I sound like I'm complimenting you?

He knew Lin Fan possessed the treasure of the previous dynasty. Obtaining it would give him the chance to restore his dynasty.

Lin Fan said, "Although I don't know what you looked like before, you're not bad now. I can tell from your features that you must have been handsome in your youth. It's just that you're old now, so it's not as easy to see."

He wasn't good with words, but he knew how to compliment others. Compliments made people happy.

"Heh heh, what a pity. I just forgot what you looked like in your youth. Perhaps you were as ugly as you are now."

The Emperor, being old, enjoyed verbal sparring. In his younger days, he wouldn't have wasted words. Perhaps his years of madness, his silence, had transformed him into a chatterbox upon regaining his sanity.

Lin Fan said, "It's alright. I can return to my youthful appearance. There's a reason I look like this. I wanted to grow old with Xiao Xiao. But Xiao Xiao is gone, and I haven't reverted back. If you want to see what I looked like in my youth, I'll show you."

With that, Lin Fan channeled his life force, his appearance instantly transforming back to his youthful prime.

"See? This is me. Can you do the same?"

A fatal question.

The aged Emperor, witnessing this scene, abruptly stood up in his sedan chair, his eyes bulging like a bull's. A tsunami raged within him, his blood boiling. It was an experience beyond description.

"Well?" Lin Fan asked with a smile.

Seeing that infuriating smile, the Emperor was overcome with rage. Pfft! Blood spurted from his mouth, a crimson spray that seemed to stain the heavens.

Then…

The Emperor collapsed backward as if lifeless, tumbling from the sedan chair and hitting the ground with a thud.

He had been literally angered to death by Lin Fan.

"Grandfather…"

The grandson cried out in alarm.

He checked for a pulse… nothing.

The grandson was silent for a moment. He looked up at Lin Fan, who was slowly approaching. Recalling the earlier events, he panicked. The Old Ancestor was so powerful, and anyone who could be hated by him must be even more terrifying.

"Retreat… Run!"

The grandson bolted.

"Young Master, what about the Old Ancestor?"

"He's dead! Leave him! Run!" The grandson couldn't care less about the Old Ancestor. Escaping was paramount.

If the Old Ancestor knew he was fleeing to preserve their lineage, he would surely forgive him.

He would even praise him with satisfaction.

My good grandson.

"Sigh…"

Lin Fan sighed…

He was about to collect the body when a voice echoed in his mind.

He looked up at the sky.

"Time to go back."