Long Sorrow Song - C86

An old man dressed in black slowly walked towards the spring with his back hunched. Every few steps he took he stopped to rest, as if he would collapse if he took a few more steps. The old man went to the spring and fumbled in the water for a long time before he slowly found a rope and pulled a bamboo basket out of the water. In the bamboo basket, besides the two three pound black fish, there were also some small fish. The old man took out the two black fish and then threw the bamboo basket into the spring.

The old man staggered toward the stone house with a fish in one hand. The two fish seemed to be able to overwhelm him. The old man walked into the stone house, looked at the young man on the stone bed, and shook his head. He did not kill the fish, but threw it into the pot, added some water, and started boiling it.

The old man sat by the side and watched the fire burn. From time to time, he would add some dried branches onto the fire. His face was wrinkled, and only a few strands of hair remained on his head. From afar, he looked just like a bald man. The old man’s hand that held the branch was chapped. It was obvious that he often did some heavy work. His head was still looking up, as if he was thinking about something. Was he thinking of his life and his experiences when he was young? The environment here was not bad, but it would be strange if he lived alone. Where was the old man’s family?

The water in the pot began to boil, and the two fishes were stewed. The white and tender black fish meat and fish scales were mixed into the soup, making one look as if they had no appetite or even as if they were going to vomit. The old man fished out two broken bowls from under the stone stove. Not afraid of the heat, he used his hands to put them into the pot and picked out two long fish thorns. Then the old man took a bowl of soup from the pot and went to the bed and helped the puffy young man up and opened his mouth and poured the fish soup directly into his stomach. The bowl of fish soup was only a small part of the young man’s stomach. The rest of the soup spilled onto his face and chest, making him look like a mess. The old man put the young man down and began to eat. Even though everything he did was trembling, when it came to eating, he would definitely not be faster than a young and strong man. It could even be said that he wasn’t eating, but rather drinking directly into his stomach. That unbearably unbearable fish meat entered his stomach without his chewing. It had to be said that this was a strange old man. When the old man had finished the fish and had regained his old age, he slowly turned his head to look at the young man on the bed, his cloudy eyes staring for a moment. Then, grumbling to himself, he walked over to the stone bed, raised his right palm, and struck the young man in the chest. After six palm strikes, the bloated young man who was lying on the ground let out a retching sound and continuously spat out a lot of black juices. The moment the juices appeared, the room was filled with a horrible stench.

That swollen young man was naturally Ye Mo Han. He was thrown down from the Wild Goose Falling Peak by Zhang Qingwu and coincidentally was thrown into a lake. However, because Wild Goose Falling Peak was too high, even if it was in the water below, a few of Ye Wen’s ribs were still broken. Ye Mo Han, who was hit by the Void Essence Powder, immediately fainted and fell into the lake. Who knew that at the bottom of the lake, there was a hidden spring. The hidden spring had an extremely strong suction force, but because it was far away from the lake, the lake’s surface was as flat as a mirror. Ye Wen was too strong to fall from the peak of the Wild Goose Falling Peak. He fell directly to the side of the hidden spring, and was sucked into the hidden spring. The other side of the dark spring was in a valley surrounded by mountains. The old man was fishing there. No one knew how the spring water was formed or whether it was created by humans.

The sheet of leaves spat for a long time until the black juice slowly turned to the color of bile. After he had vomited, the swelling on Ye Mo Han’s body immediately disappeared. When the old man saw that the sheets were so cold, he did not mind the stench in the air, and his mouth split open to reveal his sparse teeth as he smiled happily. It could be seen that this old man was very kind. Most of the old people were kind. Was it because they had already seen through the fame and benefits of the human world? After the cold vomiting of the sheet, there was no sign that he was going to wake up. The old man brought a basin of spring water and carefully wiped off the filth on Ye Mo Han’s body. Then, he washed the filth on the ground with water again and again. The old man was like a grandfather who was taking care of his drunken grandson familiarly.

After everything had been cleaned up, the old man walked back to the stone bed, stretched out his hand and felt for the ribs on his chest, shook his head, and used all his strength. After he had healed Ye Wen’s cold ribs, he did not go and fix it. Instead, he took out a small box from his chest pocket. The old man pried open Ye Mo Han’s mouth, opened the small box, took out a round black pill, and stuffed it into Ye Mo Han’s mouth. After feeding it, the old man sighed and said to himself, “This last Black Dragon Pill hopes to preserve your life.”

This valley was like a naturally formed small courtyard. There was water and fields, and a person living in seclusion here was truly an excellent place. If it was just an old man living in seclusion here, it would seem somewhat lonely. Perhaps he was like the unseasonably blooming plum blossoms, standing aloof and proud in this remote valley. Although life in the valley was very cold and lonely, it wasn’t slow either. The old man fished out some fish from the spring every day, and the remaining spring water was stewed for Ye Mo Han to eat. After seven or eight days, Ye Wen finally woke up.

After Ye Wen woke up from the cold, his body was extremely weak. He looked even weaker than the mysterious old man in the valley. With just a step, he had to hold on to something, or else he would fall over. The old man was collecting grains in the valley when he heard a sound behind him. He turned around and saw Ye Wen’s sickly face.

The old man grinned, “Looks like I, the Black Dragon Pill, have saved your life.”

Ye Mo Han’s chest was in pain as if it was on fire, as if he could feel millions of flies buzzing in his ears. Even the warm and dazzling sunlight seemed to be scorching to him. What kind of place was this? The valley was almost circular, with flowers, valleys, and water. A dying old man was busying himself in the valley. Ye Mo Han didn’t hear the old man’s words and looked around. The area of less than four miles was completely blocked by stone walls. It was tall and smooth like a mirror, reaching into the clouds.

The old man looked at Ye Wen Han who was in confusion and ignored him. He slowly stood up, slowly walked in front of Ye Mo Han, and carefully examined Ye Wen’s cold face, then extended a hand and waved it in front of his eyes. “You’re not blind either, and your life is saved. Can you hear what I have to say now?”

When Ye Wen was about to answer, he realized that even a little force on his face could affect the pain in his chest. Thus, he slowly nodded his head in agreement.

“This old man has lived alone here for 40 years. Every time someone slipped and fell, they would either die from the fall or be poisoned by the spring water. Only you, boy, can actually not die from such a disaster.” The old man chuckled.

40 years! Ye Wen felt as if he had been struck by lightning. This meant that there was no way out of this place. If there was a way out, why would this old man stay here for forty years? How many forty years could a man enjoy? And here he was, alone, living until his temples turned white and his hair was loose. If it were him, would he have lived here alone for forty years? Ye Mo Han thought in his heart. Thinking of his yearning to live in seclusion until this moment when his wish came true, a strong uneasiness and fear hit his heart.

Perhaps everyone had a dream to live in seclusion, but when there were conditions to live in seclusion, who could put down the worldly desires and worries of the world?