The old man thought Feng Qishi would say the same thing as him, but to his surprise, Feng Qishi’s answer was beyond his imagination, leaving the old man speechless.
Feng Qishi had merely spoken his thoughts aloud. Seeing the old man’s speechless expression, he couldn't say anything more. He looked around and asked, "By the way, you said you knew that elder. Is he really living here?"
He couldn't help but worry about Mu Anxiao's safety.
The old man: "No, he lived in the city when he was alive."
"City..." Feng Qishi uttered the word and suddenly looked surprised. "Then, there are no thatched huts nearby?"
"There are, but they are not where he lived. They belong to that monster."
"Monster."
"As I said earlier, it's the candlelight in his lantern."
"Candlelight?" Feng Qishi was astonished. He then lowered his gaze to his palm and asked, "The monster's true form isn't necessarily candlelight, is it?"
"I don't know. I only know that the candlelight can speak and will never extinguish."
"Never extinguish." Feng Qishi said, suddenly regretting letting Mu Anxiao go alone.
The old man calmly watched Feng Qishi's regretful expression and smiled faintly. "Regretting it now, young man."
Upon hearing this, Feng Qishi snapped back to reality and said, "No, I was just thinking."
"Thinking is regretting. To be honest," the old man sighed, "when I was young, I also did things I regretted. Once, I hurt a girl."
"Eh?"
"That girl was exceptionally kind. She thought of everything for me. But because of family circumstances, I had to leave that place. With no other choice, I had to part ways with her. This parting," the old man said, "lasted seventy years."
"Seventy... So, you were twenty years old that year?"
"Yes. Before that, due to my business, I never interacted with girls and wasn't good at it. Girls also wouldn't pay attention to me because I was ugly. But that girl was different. She didn't mind me and always liked talking to me. Gradually, we became friends."
"You don't look ugly, do you?" Feng Qishi asked, looking at the old man's face with confusion.
"Where I used to live, everyone was handsome. Among them, I was nothing. Look at my face." As the old man spoke, he held the lantern in front of his face.
Feng Qishi looked at the old man's face in the light and asked, "What is it?"
"Is there a scar at the corner of my eye?"
"Yes." Feng Qishi looked at the scar and frowned. "Not good, it's bleeding."
"This scar is deeply etched into my soul. It will never heal." The old man shook his head slightly.
Feng Qishi was bewildered. "What do you mean?"
"She gave it to me. She said I could leave, but she wanted to give me a scar. This scar is the pain she gave me, which will never heal."
"..." Feng Qishi was stunned by the old man's words. He then looked at the old man's blood-stained clothes and asked, "These clothes... you're not wearing them from when you were young, are you?"
"Yes. Except for my appearance, my clothes and the wound are deeply imprinted on my soul."
"You still have her in your heart?"
Although Feng Qishi had never been in love, he enjoyed studying emotions in his previous life. Hearing the old man's words and looking at his tear-filled eyes, he was certain the old man had never forgotten that girl.
The old man: "I haven't let go in my entire life."
"Then, do you have your wife in your heart?"
"Wife." The old man sighed and said, "My wife is her."
"...." Feng Qishi was petrified.
Seeing Feng Qishi suddenly speechless, the old man smiled faintly. "You're speechless, aren't you?"
"Yes." Feng Qishi nodded and thought to himself, "This is so cliché. His experiences are quite something."
"She was my only wife. I took all the children and abandoned her there," the old man frowned slightly. "I truly regret it."
"If she was your wife, why did you abandon her?"
"I don't remember." The old man shook his head.
Feng Qishi knew some things shouldn't be pried into.
So, seeing the old man's sad expression, he didn't know what to say.
"Young man, do you know why I'm telling you all this?" the old man suddenly asked.
Feng Qishi shook his head slightly.
The old man: "So you don't regret things like this. Go."
"Eh?"
"I can see you already regret letting that girl go. So, to avoid adding more regret to yourself, go. I'll wait for you here."
"...." Feng Qishi gave a wry smile.
The old man: "What's wrong?"
"That... my situation is different from yours," Feng Qishi said stubbornly. "I won't regret it. Besides, it was her own choice."
"You're too heartless, young man."
"You..."
"I've shown you my most vulnerable side, and you're still not waking up. Truly... I don't want to talk to you anymore."
Feng Qishi didn't understand why the old man suddenly became angry.
But just as the old man said, he did regret it. Yet, thinking of Mu Anxiao's resolute use of demonic arts, he told himself he couldn't be soft-hearted. He had to see his backup plan through.
The old man glared at Feng Qishi and turned to sit by the tree. "There are wolves here at night."
At that moment, Feng Qishi heard the deep concern for Mu Anxiao in the old man's tone.
So, Feng Qishi deliberately put on a serious expression and said, "Didn't you say you wanted to use her? Why are you worried about her now?"
The old man lowered his head and said faintly, "To be honest, I regret it."
"Regret?" Feng Qishi was startled.
"If that girl really dies, it won't be good for me."
"Why do you think that?"
"That young man found her for me. This means the young man handed his task over to the girl. If she dies," the old man frowned, "I'll be finished."
"...." Feng Qishi thought about the old man's words repeatedly in his mind. He suddenly recalled the conversation between Mu Anxiao and Piao, and then he thought, the young man the old man mentioned must be Piao.
"So, go quickly," the old man added.
Feng Qishi looked down at the old man's face, thinking about his backup plan. He said, "Don't worry, she'll be fine." As he spoke, he sensed the surrounding demonic energy and thought that the elder must have returned to the thatched hut.
The moment Feng Qishi said this, the old man's eyes lit up. "If she doesn't come back, you'll help me."
"I..."
"Alright, it's settled." The old man decided for himself.
Feng Qishi looked at the old man's resolute expression and was left speechless.