Chapter 78

It wasn’t until the laundry was ready to hang out that it occurred to Liu Wuyi and Zixiu that they had made things too complicated. “No one will ever wear these clothes again, so why don’t we just destroy them?”

‘How stupid I was!’ Zixiu pulled out a large pair of scissors at once and cut these gorgeous clothes to pieces!

From the way his son acted and the furious look on his face, Liu Wuyi was certain that vicious Prince Mu must have done something unforgivable, or Zixiu, a careless kid who born no grudges, wouldn’t have been so rageful. It was said that Nangong Du was notorious for his insolence, lasciviousness, and cruelty, so it was a miracle that Zixiu was still safe and sound after being tortured by him for a month!

Shaking his head slightly, Liu Wuyi remained calm though he was a little worried. Like all fathers, he loved his son dearly and didn’t want him hurt anymore. However, he knew well that if they left the mountains and entered into the world in turmoil outside, he couldn’t ensure his son’s safety. Zixiu was young and as simple as a blank sheet of paper on which nothing had been written, but Liu Wuyi would rather he was inexperienced and lived his life in peace. He hoped Zixiu would take this experience as a lesson and stop thinking about going out. If his son stayed in the mountains and learned to pick herbs from him, though he couldn’t make a fortune, he would lead a simple and happy life at least.

Making up his mind, Liu Wuyi rose to his feet and walked to the window, as if nothing was on his mind. It seemed the rain had abated a little outside.

“Zixiu, don’t forget to pick up the rags on the floor and wrap them up!”

“Huh?” Zixiu was venting his anger when he suddenly heard that. Wondering what his father meant, he looked down and saw rags all over the floor. As Liu Wuyi was facing away from him, Zixiu couldn’t see his expression. ‘How come dad is so calm? Doesn’t he feel offended that his son was… Er… Dad doesn’t seem to know what that jerk has done to me!’

“It won’t work even if you cut them into pieces. If you don’t want to be found by Nangong Du, you mustn’t leave any clue to him!” Liu Wuyi turned and took away the scissors from his son calmly. “It takes the least effort to burn them with fire!”

“You’re right, dad!” Zixiu nodded with a smile. ‘If dad had told me earlier, I wouldn’t have wasted my efforts!’ Zixiu complained inwardly. He then squatted down and picked up the bits of clothes swiftly.

Liu Wuyi placed the scissors back on the table and continued after hesitating for a while, “I have to remind you that the more you hate someone, it’s harder to forget him. It’s not worth living in agony for such a person!”

“!!” Zixiu trembled, which made the rags he had picked up slip out of his hands again.

Liu Wuyi added with a frown, “Whatever Nangong Du did to you, I don’t want you to punish yourself with the mistakes of others! So I hope you can put everything that happened there behind.”

“Nothing… He did nothing…”

“You’re still irritated, aren’t you?” Merely from the look on his son’s face, Liu Wuyi could tell that Zixiu was unwilling to let it go. However, he still interrupted him in a resolute voice. “The law of jungle is the law of nature. Given our current competence, we are no match for Nangong Du at all! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have to go through so much trouble to bring you back!”

“……” Zixiu couldn’t find a reason to retort. He agreed with his father and as it had never occurred to him to fight Nangong Du to the death, he’d better hide in the mountains before he was capable enough to take on that asshole!

“I won’t force you to give up the idea of revenge. There will be ample time, so take it easy. Clear up these rags and go with me to visit your mom this afternoon.”

“Mom?”

With the drizzle, the bleak mountain village was shrouded in a white mist.

Holding an oiled-paper umbrella, Liu Wuyi and Zixiu walked to the tomb miles away slowly.

Zixiu’s mother died lonely in the accident three years ago when her son was still in a coma. By then, her husband was still in the mountains and it wasn’t until half a month later when Liu Wuyi went down to the town that he learned this piece of grievous news. As some warm-hearted villagers had paid for the burial of his wife, and his son’s illness remained serious, Liu Wuyi couldn’t find time to carry his wife’s coffin back to the Cirrus Valley. It was half a year later when Zixiu recovered, and to avoid disturbing his wife’s soul, he gave up the idea of moving her grave.

The last time they had visited Zixiu’s mother’s tomb was on Tomb-Sweeping Day, and now, just a summer later, it was bursting with weeds again!

Liu Wuyi crouched down and started pulling up the weeds one by one in earnest. Instead of asking his son to help him with the work, he only had him to rest under the tree nearby.

Zixiu was really tired, so he didn’t protest. Hammering his lower back slightly, he felt more like a pregnant woman.