The Bai family's manor was far more desolate than before.
Without dedicated caretakers, within just a month, the courtyard was overgrown with weeds.
Yan Shouyi and the other two entered the courtyard, feeling as though they had returned after many years. Long Feicheng treaded cautiously through the weeds, saying, "Brother Yan, if I hadn't learned some skills, I really wouldn't dare to come here at night! This place was so luxurious before, now it looks like a haunted house."
Lin Zitong said, "With Uncle Zou here, the Bai family doesn't dare to come in, so naturally, no one takes care of it."
"Strange, Dad left Uncle Zou to oversee the West Lake project. After so many incidents, why didn't he show up?"
Yan Shouyi was precisely thinking about this matter, which was why he was determined to visit Zou Xiazi tonight.
Lin Zitong and Long Feicheng were also puzzled. They could only search for Zou Xiazi in the Bai family manor, but the manor was not small. Searching room by room, they didn't know how long it would take.
Long Feicheng scratched the back of his head, "Why isn't Uncle Zou turning on any lights? If he did, it would be easier for us to find him."
Yan Shouyi rolled his eyes at him, "Uncle Zou can't see anyway, what's the use of turning on the lights?"
"Oh, oh, that's true!" Long Feicheng chuckled sheepishly.
As the three walked further in, they suddenly heard melodious zither music.
The melody was tinged with a deep sense of longing, a tune that could only be played by someone who yearned for another to an extreme, to the point of heartbreak.
The three exchanged glances, knowing that only Zou Xiazi could be playing this music, and followed the sound.
They stopped outside a secluded small house.
The zither music was coming from this very shack. Zou Xiazi, choosing to live in this dilapidated hut instead of the luxurious rooms, filled Yan Shouyi with an indescribable sense of guilt.
They couldn't bear to interrupt Zou Xiazi's music, so they waited outside for a moment.
A few minutes later, the music abruptly stopped, startling Yan Shouyi and the others almost awake.
"Uncle Zou?"
Yan Shouyi stepped forward and knocked on the door, "It's Shouyi, I'm back."
However, there was no response from inside.
This made Yan Shouyi feel something was amiss. He called out a few more times, and finally kicked the door open.
"It's so dark, I can't see anything!"
Long Feicheng walked into the house and fumbled in the dark to turn on the lights.
As the room lit up, the three saw Zou Xiazi lying on the ground, with a large pool of black blood on the floor in front of him.
"Uncle Zou!"
Yan Shouyi hurried forward to check.
Seeing Zou Xiazi today, he was much thinner than a month ago, appearing like a patient in the last stages of illness, his eye sockets deeply sunken.
"Not good, Uncle Zou's soul is scattering!" Yan Shouyi exclaimed suddenly.
Zou Xiazi wasn't just sick; his life was in danger. If Yan Shouyi and the others hadn't come tonight, Zou Xiazi would likely have died in this neglected corner!
"Let me."
Lin Zitong quickly shook her soul-summoning bell, using the techniques of the Lüshan Sect to temporarily seal Zou Xiazi's soul within his body.
Yan Shouyi's expression was grim, and he couldn't understand why this had happened.
A moment later, Zou Xiazi recovered and slowly opened his eyes.
Long Feicheng quickly said, "I'll go get some water!"
After Long Feicheng left, Yan Shouyi asked with a frown, "Uncle Zou, what's going on?"
Zou Xiazi struggled to lift his eyelids, his vacant eyes staring into the distance. Then, he said with relief, "You've returned at just the right time. I thought this old blind man was going to die alone."
"Uncle Zou..." Lin Zitong said with distress, "You're very sick, why didn't you notify us?"
Zou Xiazi shook his head, "I know my own body... It wouldn't have done any good to tell you."
"How could it not do any good? You're my dad's good brother, he would have found a way to save you!" Yan Shouyi gritted his teeth.
"Your father has more important things to do and cannot waste his time and energy on me..."
As he spoke, Zou Xiazi coughed violently, spitting out several mouthfuls of blood.
Fortunately, Long Feicheng returned with water in time. After drinking it, Zou Xiazi's complexion improved slightly.
Yan Shouyi couldn't understand what was so important that his father would ignore his sworn brother.
He directly took out his phone and said, "I'll call my dad to come back right now!"
"No!"
Zou Xiazi grabbed Yan Shouyi's hand and shook his head with effort, "Don't let him come back... I deliberately didn't tell him about this..."
"But..."
"I don't have many days left to live. Even if you tell your dad now, he won't be able to get back in time... cough cough..."
Yan Shouyi silently put down his phone, saying with a heavy heart, "What exactly is going on?"
"This is fate, a debt I must repay."
"Don't say that!" Yan Shouyi said angrily, "You and my dad are like brothers. To me, you're like another father. No matter what difficulties we face, we can find a way!"
Perhaps the word "father" touched Zou Xiazi, as tears began to stream uncontrollably from his eyes.
This threw everyone into disarray.
It was one thing for a child to cry, but for Zou Xiazi, an elder, a master of his generation, to suddenly weep in front of three juniors, they were completely at a loss.
Lin Zitong said softly, "Perhaps... we should just let Uncle Zou cry for a while?"
Yan Shouyi hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Mm."
They silently helped Zou Xiazi onto the bed and then retreated outside.
In the darkness, outside the small house, everything was silent except for Zou Xiazi's weak, heavy sobs.
The crying was not heart-wrenching, but it evoked a feeling of utter despair, exactly the same emotion conveyed in the music Zou Xiazi had played earlier.
Long Feicheng lowered his head and said, "Brother Yan, I don't know why, but hearing Uncle Zou's music and crying made me suddenly think of my parents whom I've never met."
"I miss my mom a little too," Lin Zitong said sadly.
Yan Shouyi sighed, "Uncle Zou's zither skills are already superb. He can control people's minds through his music. His melody earlier was likely infused with true emotion, which is why we felt so deeply."
"So, Uncle Zou is missing his family?" Lin Zitong realized, "Big fool, do you know if Uncle Zou has any family?"
Yan Shouyi shook his head, "I don't know much about Uncle Zou either."
Lin Zitong sighed, "Perhaps Uncle Zou had some relatives who left him for some reason, and now that he's critically ill and nearing his end, he can't help but miss them."
The three stood outside for a long time. After Zou Xiazi's crying gradually subsided, they heard him call them inside.
With trepidation and concern, the three entered the small house. They saw Zou Xiazi lying motionless on the bed.
If it weren't for seeing him still breathing, he would have looked no different from a corpse.
Yan Shouyi seemed to understand Zou Xiazi's feelings at that moment – a feeling of despair.