《Legend of the Sword Immortal》6. Old Couple
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Mu Chen continued his way through a complex maze of alleyways and finally reached a dilapidated building. The building was two-storied, however, the second floor was completely in shambles with side walls missing and the roof was gone.
A food stall had been set up in front of the building that could qualify as ruins. An old man and woman were busy operating the stall. There were only a few customers, however, the couple was still very enthusiastic as they wholeheartedly served food. The whole atmosphere was very warm and homely.
"Grandpa Wu...Grandma Jie!" Mu Chen waved his hand as he greeted them.
"Ah...Chen'er, it's you! Come...come, have a seat. Grandma just made some rice noodles...come, have a taste." Grandma Jie who was behind the stall preparing food warmly welcomed him. Grandpa Wu who had just finished serving a customer also came over to meet Mu Chen.
"Hohoho! Boy, you are finally willing to see this old couple? And I thought you had forgotten these old bones..." Grandpa Wu said as he grabbed Mu Chen's shoulders and squeezed them, then dragged him to a pair of stools so they could sit down for a chat.
"Little Xue, that brat! How is she? You didn't bring her along?!" Grandpa Wu frowned as he sat down.
"That brat is too lazy and only knows to play around and cause trouble...so I punished her with a week of closed-door cultivation." Mu Chen said, taking his seat.
"Hahaha!! Kids need to be lively and active. If they become cranky like us old fools, wouldn't that be a shame?" Grandma Jie giggled as she came over with a bowl of noodles and chopsticks and handed it to Mu Chen. "Here...eat the noodles before they bloat…"
"Thank you...Grandma Jie!" Mu Chen wasn't modest and quickly took the bowl and chopsticks and started slurping the noddles. Aside from a few meatballs and some garnishing, there weren't any toppings. But it still tasted delicious.
Mu Chen had known Grandma Wu and Grandma Jie for over five years now. They actually got acquainted due to Ningxue.
Around five years ago, Mu Chen, Zhou Mei and Ningxue sneaked into the city to play around, without telling their parents. Ningxue was only around seven back then. It was very crowded that day and Ningxue got separated from Mu Chen and Zhou Mei. Mu Chen and Zhou Mei searched for her everywhere, only to find her at this rundown stall. Grandma Jie was consoling a sobbing Ningxue while feeding her some porridge. While Grandpa Wu had gone to report to the City Guards. When Mu Chen arrived, he got reprimanded by Grandma Jie for leaving his sister alone. When Grandpa Wu came back he also rebuked him. Later, Mu Chen also got an earful back by both his Mother and Father.
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Although Mu Chen got scolded a lot that day, it didn't stop them from becoming familiar with Grandma Wu and Grandma Jie. Since then, whenever they came to Falling Stones city, they would visit the old couple. Over the years, their relationship became no different than their real grandparents and grandchildren. Especially Ningxue, who became akin to a crown jewel in the eyes of the old couple. Incidentally, it was Grandma Jie who taught Ningxue how to cook.
For a while, Mu Chen and the old couple just talked about some trivial topics. The stall was temporarily closed. The last customer finished eating and left the premises.
"Boy, I heard you were seriously injured?" Grandpa Wu asked with concern. Grandma Jie also fell silent.
Since his injury, this was actually the first time Mu Chen came to the city and met the old couple. Although they didn't see Mu Chen, rumours about his fall had already reached their ears.
"Un." Mu Chen sighed.
"Is it bad?" Grandma Jie asked in a soft voice.
"Very bad. I can't cultivate any more." Mu Chen didn't hide the truth. He had already come on terms with his fate.
"That bad, huh?! There is no cure?" Grandpa Wu was more practical.
"There is...but it needs a heaven-grade dan. The Mu Family cannot afford it. Even if they can, they won't." Mu Chen sighed.
The exorbitant price of such a dan all but guaranteed that Mu Family would have to pull out all of its reserves. Although Mu Chen was a genius, the Mu Family wouldn't sacrifice so many resources for him. They would rather spend that much money to train dozens of members instead of just Mu Chen.
Grandpa Wu and Grandma Jie both felt sad and disappointed on hearing this. In their opinion, the Mu Family was blind. A cultivation genius like Mu Chen was one in millions. Not only was his natural talent outstanding, but his comprehension was also extraordinary.
Both of them could only console Mu Chen and urge him not to lose hope. Mu Chen, on other hand, had no such unrealistic expectations. Instead of relying on some illusory hope, Mu Chen was doing everything he could to further his swordsmanship.
"Grandpa Wu, Grandma Jie...I didn't come here just to chat…"
"Oh! What is it? Are you going to get kicked out of the Family? If you don't have a place to stay, you can come here...although your Grandparents house is broken, it's still spacious enough…" Grandpa Wu quipped.
If a person's talent was deemed unworthy of nurturing by the Family, they would be forced to leave. A cultivator family wouldn't waste its resources on them. They could choose to settle down in some mortal city under their family's banner and manage some tasks for the family. Their status would be higher than most other mortals and they could live a comfortable life. But in reality, they were just someone who had been abandoned by their families. The family actually won't care if they live or die. A mortal's worth in the eyes of cultivators was just that, like an ant.
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It could be said Mu Chen's situation was rather unique. It wasn't as if there wasn't any treatment, but the Mu Family wouldn't break its background just to cure him. Part of the reason why the Elders hadn't forced him to abdicate was out of their own embarrassment. They couldn't protect their genius, nor could they afford to get him treated. So they just let Mu Chen maintain his status, as long as he could. In a way, this was their compensation for him.
"I won't let them get rid of me that easily...Actually, I came here for another reason. Grandpa Wu, Grandma Jie...I want you to come and live with us in the Mu Family residence…." Mu Chen finally let the cat out of the bag.
Both Grandpa Wu and Grandma Jie immediately fell silent. Grandpa Wu sighed and he avoided eye contact, as if he was in deep thoughts.
Seeing there was no reply for a long time, Mu Chen gestured Grandma Jie with his eyes. Grandma Jie looked at Grandpa Wu.
Mu Chen understood that Grandma Jie didn't have any objection, however the one to make the decision would be Grandpa Wu.
"Grandpa Wu...aren't you willing?" Mu Chen stared at Grandpa Wu.
"Boy...your...this request…" Grandpa Wu looked at Mu Chen. He hesitated and didn't finish his statement. Grandpa Wu was implicitly denying him.
"Grandpa Wu...your house is too old. It can't even be repaired...who knows when it will fall down...if it fell down on you while you were sleeping…you don't want Grandma Jie to live the life of a widow at this age, would you? How about staying with us instead?" Mu Chen grabbed Grandpa Wu's hand and persuaded.
Grandpa Wu's face twitched while Grandma Jie chuckled looking at her husband's expression.
"Although, you will have the identity of housekeepers in the eyes of other Mu Family member...you know we wouldn't treat you as such. You just need to take care of meals…"
"Brat…that's not the issue…"
The old couple was used to running a food stall. So taking care of meals and a few daily chores could hardly be considered arduous.
"Besides, Xue'er misses you both. Our parents are away, Mei'er and I are mostly focused on our training...She gets very lonely. She can't come here every time. If you come and stay with us, you can accompany her." Mu Chen decided to use his trump card.
"Boy...you even dare to use Xue'er...you really want to stir up the muddy waters?" Grandpa Wu urged.
"What muddy waters? I just want to invite our Grandpa and Grandma to live together with us..." Mu Chen blinked and pretended to be ignorant.
"Are you really sure about this?" Grandpa Wu asked seriously.
Mu Chen's eyes brightened. He knew he had almost convinced Grandpa Wu.
"Aside from our parents and Mei'er, I can only trust Grandpa Wu and Grandma Jie to take care of Xue'er." Mu Chen confessed in a very sincere tone.
"Alright, for the sake of that child...I can only comply." Grandpa Wu sighed.
Mu Chen also relaxed. He grinned as he quickly emptied his bowl. With Grandpa Wu and Grandma Jie, he wouldn't have to be worried about Ningxue. With them around, she would have another layer of protection. After all, what he was going to attempt, bore a certain risk.
"Xue'er will be very happy to see you…" Mu Chen began.
"Brat...you don't need to keep bringing her up...Since I already complied, I won't go back on my words." Grandpa Wu interjected.
"You don't need to worry...we also want to see how Little Xue is doing." Grandma Jie said.
Mu Chen was a bit embarrassed and smiled sheepishly.
"Then you should start packing and take care of other stuff...I will come back to take you on the day after tomorrow."
It would be the weekend on the day after tomorrow. The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion receptionist said the materials will arrive by weekend. So he could bring Grandpa Wu and Grandma Jie with him after he collected his materials.
After chatting with the old couple for some more time, Mu Chen finally bid them goodbye.
After navigating through the alleyways, Mu Chen once again came to the main streets. He didn't really have anything else to do, so he was about to head back.
"Maybe...I should get some sweets before I go back…" Mu Chen thought.
Ningxue had a sweet tooth and a penchant for cakes and pastries. Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to taste her favourite treats for several months now. Their parents were busy with Family's duties, Mu Chen had isolated himself from the rest of the world while Zhou Mei was always running off to train in the forest. After what happened with Mu Chen, their parents had strictly prohibited her from travelling alone. As such, Ningxue had been very depressed since she couldn't get her daily dose of treats.
"Hmm...maybe I should get some of those strawberry tarts." Imagining his little sister's face full of joy, Mu Chen had a warm smile on his face as he made his way towards a certain store.
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