165 The Grave of Long Bing

Sure enough, Wu Zhangkong led the way into Heaven Dou Public Cemetery. Theplant life seen peeking from over the walls was actually part of the cemetery.A collection of large trees were orderly arranged between the gravestones.

Wu Zhangkong’s robes fluttered behind him as he entered, seeming to fit in asa ghostly specter.

This was Tang Wulin’s first time entering such a place, and so his gaze beganto wander. There were only a few people present in the cemetery paying theirrespects to the deceased.

As if possessed, Wu Zhangkong didn’t stop until they arrived at a gravestonejust off of the cemetery’s center.

The gravestone was tall and adorned with a few simple words: The grave of LongBing.

Long Bing? Who’s that? It sounds like a girl’s name.

“Wait here.” Turning around to speak to Tang Wulin, Wu Zhangkong’s tone hadthawed from its usual iciness to a warm tenderness.

“Okay.” Tang Wulin considerately moved to stand at the side.

Now holding a white cloth, Wu Zhangkong began to clean the gravestone. Eachmovement was filled with heartfelt gentleness as if he was caressing a mostcherished item.

The gravestone wasn’t dirty by any means; in fact, only a thin layer of dustcovered it. In no time at all, it was sparkling clean as jade. Compared to theother gravestones, it was clearly much brighter.

The tenderness in Wu Zhangkong’s expression had completely eclipsed themelancholy and sorrow he carried before.

As if in a trance, not a single word left his lips as he caringly wiped thegravestone clean.

Though Tang Wulin wished to step forward and lend a hand, something told himthat he shouldn’t disturb his teacher in such a moment. A stifled feelingpressed down on him.

After a full hour of earnest cleaning, Wu Zhangkong finally finished and stoodup to gaze upon the gravestone, his eyes filled with a level of love andkindness never seen until now. It was as if the spring winds had blown a smileonto his face, creating a cozy atmosphere around him.

“You were always fond of white, so I’m wearing white today.

“You said you liked my smile, so I will smile only for you.

“Bing’er, how are you doing in the next world?”

As he softly spoke, Wu Zhangkong’s fingers traced the grooves that made up thename ‘Long Bing.’ Not a single tear escaped, presenting only a gentle smile.

By the time they left the cemetery, it was already evening.

Wu Zhangkong had assumed his usual cold attitude, and Tang Wulin didn’t dareto ask anything. All he could do was follow behind his teacher.Long Bing shouldbe a relative of Teacher Wu, right? Or could it be one of those lovers Xie Xietalked about before?

Without bothering to explain anything, Wu Zhangkong simply led the way back toHeaven Dou City.

Crowds of people were bustling along the warmly-lit streets of Heaven DouCity. The shops had opened long ago and were engaged in fast and hard businesstransactions.

Though Wu Zhangkong had regained his composure, Tang Wulin’s image of him hadbeen irreversibly changed.

Teacher Wu isn’t really a cold person! He said his smile is only meant forthat person!

“What do you want to eat for dinner?” Wu Zhangkong peered at Tang Wulininquisitively.

“Huh? Anything is fine!” Tang Wulin was fine with anything as long as it wasfood.

Not one to overcomplicate things, Wu Zhangkong decided thus, “Let’s go fornoodles then. Some delicious noodles.”

Tang Wulin’s interest was piqued. Wu Zhangkong had actually described a foodas ‘delicious’, something out of character of him.

These noodles really are delicious! Tang Wulin thought to himself for thetenth time as he devoured his tenth bowl. The noodles were cooked just rightand were perfectly complemented by the rich soup. At first glance, it seemed tobe a simple dish with only some meatballs and vegetables as toppings, but thetaste was amazing.

Wu Zhangkong had only eaten one bowl, but he had savored each and everynoodle. The previous tenderness had resurfaced in the depths of Wu Zhangkong’seyes, astonishing Tang Wulin. Although he wasn’t smiling, that gentleness inhis eyes along with his handsome looks had the mysterious effect of melting thehearts of every single woman that entered the small noodle shop.

In fact, there were even some courageous ladies who came up to flirt with himfrom time to time.

And every time, Wu Zhangkong had a simple, sure-kill answer prepared for theseentanglements. He would simply shift his gaze to Tang Wulin and say with hisusual indifference, “This is my son.”

S-son…?

Neither of them looked similar to the other, especially when comparing theadorableness of Tang Wulin’s large and bright eyes with the chillinghandsomeness of Wu Zhangkong’s narrow and sharp eyes.

Yet, none of the pretty ladies who approached him doubted their relationshipas father and son after a brief glance at Tang Wulin.

Son? Tang Wulin didn’t refute Wu Zhangkong’s statement. Instead, heattentively watched the constant changes in Wu Zhangkong’s expression. He couldtell that the iciness of today’s Wu Zhangkong was different from the one he wasfamiliar with.

After half a year of cultivating with Wu Zhangkong, he had gradually begun tounderstand that Wu Zhangkong’s heart really wasn’t as cold as it appeared. Onthe contrary, under the cold exterior, he was a passionate person full of loveand kindness.

A seed of fear had found its way into Tang Wulin when they had visited thecemetery this morning, but the actions of Wu Zhangkong afterward had reaffirmedhis thoughts.Teacher Wu really is kind.

He must have lost someone really important to him.

Soon after, another shocking scene took place in the noodle shop. In front ofa child lay a mountain of bowls while the handsome young man sitting acrossfrom him only had a single bowl before him. He was slowly eating each noodleone by one as if they were the world’s greatest delicacy.

Such a strange combination simply demanded the attention of their surroundings.

“Let’s go.” After they finished eating and paid, Wu Zhangkong brought TangWulin back to the inn.

“Go meditate. We’re getting up early tomorrow morning.” Taking a few minutesto wash his face first, Wu Zhangkong quickly climbed onto his bed and beganmeditating cross-legged.

Taking care not to disturb Wu Zhangkong, Tang Wulin silently crept to thefront of the bed and peered out the window. It was deep into the night, butHeaven Dou City was still thriving with warm lights and rowdy people. TangWulin liked this city far more than Eastsea City. Instead of the cluster ofskyscrapers that made up the core of Eastsea City, there was history, cultureand most importantly, human warmth that permeated throughout Heaven Dou City.

At his young age, Tang Wulin wasn’t able to understand that this ambiguousfeeling originated from the culture and history of the city.

In the moments of twilight as the sky transitioned from darkness to a deepblue, Tang Wulin was stirred awake by Wu Zhangkong.

Tang Wulin could clearly feel the Mysterious Heaven Method’s greater efficacycompared to the standard methods provided by the academy. In his first session,he had entered a deep meditation and refined his body, and in this secondsession, there was a tangible increase in his soul power. His soul power andbody had blended together and were now working in complete harmony, completelydevoid of the unease his bloodline had previously brought about.

Though Tang Wulin’s body hadn’t increased in power, it had definitelyincreased in toughness.

“Let’s go.” Wu Zhangkong beckoned to Tang Wulin.

Tang Wulin hastily rushed over to Wu Zhangkong, and the moment he reached him,Wu Zhangkong grabbed hold of his arm. A sudden gale struck Tang Wulin, and thenext thing he knew, they were on the inn’s rooftop.

From behind Tang Wulin, Wu Zhangkong reached over to grasp his head. Twofingers poked into Tang Wulin’s jaw, the thumbs pressing into the temples, andthe remaining three fingers stabbed into other acupuncture points on his face.

“Feel how my soul power circulates. I’ll have you start cultivating the PurpleDemon Eyes soon after. Breathe according to the Mysterious Heaven Method andlook to the east. Every morning, there is a streak of white rising from theeast. The moment it appears, it is followed by a trace of purple qi. The TangSect’s Purple Demon Eyes is a method to absorb that purple qi and use it toimprove eyesight. When we absorb that energy, we are also cultivating ourspiritual power. Understood?”

“I understand.” It wasn’t hard for Tang Wulin to comprehend such a simple idea.

Thin threads of soul power began pouring into Tang Wulin’s facial acupuncturepoints from Wu Zhangkong’s fingers. His face immediately felt refreshed as ifhe was washing it in a crystal-clear spring. The feeling was simplyindescribable. Amidst this feeling of clarity, Tang Wulin noticed that his eyeshad grown stronger, and he was able to see faraway things even more clearly now.

In complete silence, he memorized how Wu Zhangkong’s soul power flowedthroughout his face.

“Gather your soul power and follow my guidance. Steadily breathe according tothe Mysterious Heaven Method,” reminded Wu Zhangkong.

Tang Wulin quickly did as instructed.

He was already familiar with what he needed to do and spurred on by WuZhangKong, it didn’t take long for him to begin circulating his soul power asneeded for the Purple Demon Eyes.

Right at that moment, a streak of white crept up on the horizon and for thefirst time, Tang Wulin noticed the purple of the morning dawn.

Suddenly, the purple light seemed to fill his eyes, and a comforting warmthpermeated through them. He didn’t know why, but tears began to well up. Butinstead of streaming down, they glistened and created a thin layer across hiseyes. An indescribable feeling of soothing and warmth were absorbed into hiseyes, merging into their depths and the minuscule acupuncture pointssurrounding it.