In the dead of night, Luo Xian knocked on the old man's door.
"Come in, the door is unlocked."
The room was starkly empty, with only a bed, a table, and a chair.
It was devastatingly sparse.
It felt just like a cage.
The old man sat at the edge of the bed, quietly staring at the hanging scroll on the wall, but the scroll was blank, completely empty.
He seemed to be entranced by it.
"Is something the matter?"
Luo Xian placed an iron token on the table. "Older Cousin gave it to me."
The old man was silent for a moment, then asked, "Do you want to go?"
Luo Xian thought for a moment, then countered, "Would it be very troublesome if it got out of control?"
"If you want to go, then go."
The old man's gaze returned to his only daughter. "You're grown up now, and as a father, I can't stay by your side forever."
Luo Xian was startled for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she asked, "Father, do you have any instructions for me?"
"If I had to say something, I hope you can be happy." The old man contemplated for a moment, looking at her hopefully. "Will you be happy?"
"Will you, Father?" Luo Xian asked.
Luo Lao shook his head. "I don't know."
"Then I don't know either."
Luo Xian stood up, took the iron token from the table, and after a moment's thought, she said earnestly, "Maybe there aren't many things in this world that make people happy."
"Then go."
The old man leaned against the wall, seemingly tired, and closed his eyes. "There's only so much to the world; how will you know if you don't try?"
The door closed.
In the silence, a gentle breeze could be heard from the window, and the hanging scroll on the wall began to sway slightly, the blank space rippling as though it were water.
.
.
"Name?"
"Huai... Shi?"
"Age?"
"Seems like... seventeen?"
"Gender?"
"Male."
"Which number is this?"
"I can't see clearly..."
So, in a daze, Huai Shi saw the young woman in front of him nod in satisfaction, stand up, and turn to the old man behind her. "He's just concussed. He can continue."
He was cleared to continue.
Huai Shi performed a carp flip, leaping up from the ground only to fall flat on the floor with a THUD!
Huai Shi struggled to his feet. "Help me up, I can still deliver..."
"How about we call it a day?"
Luo Lao couldn't even bear to 'bully the weak' anymore, looking down at Huai Shi on the ground, who was almost like a sieve. "Are you one of those perverts who gets off on being beaten up?"
"Go to hell! You'll feel amazing too when I beat you up like this!"
"Hm, seems like you're in good spirits."
The old man nodded, waving the Wolf Fang Club in his hand, which whipped up a sound that tore through the air—a Space Break. "You can still continue. Get up, young man, Grandpa's 'Little Sunflower' class is starting."
"No, my mistake."
Huai Shi clasped his hands together, pleading, "Let me catch my breath, just five minutes, only five minutes."
"TSK, five is too long; three should do. In three minutes, you won't just catch your breath; you'll have enough time to breathe your last."
The shirtless old man hoisted the Wolf Fang Club and went back to his chair, scooping up his ice-chilled protein powder cold brew tea, the taste of which was anyone's guess...
Huai Shi was flipped over by Luo Xian, who applied a potion to him, then professionally flipped him over again and continued to apply it.
It was like seasoning a fish for marinating, salting it layer by layer... until at last, a salted fish was ready.
He struggled to prop himself up, climbing up from the ground and glaring fiercely at the old man not far away.
There was no way not to glare. Anyone would become aggressive after being beaten by an old bastard to the verge of ICU admission, especially when they couldn't fight back and could only stare daggers to vent their frustration.