Chapter 26: The Eve of the Great Battle

“It? My birthmark?” I asked Uncle Chen.

“Yes, because Master also has a similar birthmark in the same place. Master never said anything about his fate, but he did mention that he was destined to be lonely, that his closest blood relatives could not serve him, that his beloved woman could not be with him, and that instead, his disciples and friends who were not related by blood could often be by his side. Chengyi, do you understand what I’m saying?” Uncle Chen said to me.

How can I not understand? I asked with a slight frown, “Uncle, are you saying that the Grand Master is very similar to my fate? All the techniques I use in the middle of the grass resonate most deeply with him, so I was able to invite the Grand Master.”

“That’s what I meant,” said Uncle Chen calmly.

“But what does bloodline have to do with a beloved woman?” Thinking of Ruoxue, my heart ached a little. Master didn’t mention it, but does Grandmaster also have a beloved woman, but can’t be together?

“Why not? You have a woman you love. Don’t you want to get married and have children? People with lonely fates are unable to find true love. There are many kinds of love in the world, but people with lonely fates always lack the most important kinds. You and Master are both from my school, and you are also considered close relatives. I dare not look deeply into your fates, but loneliness is too obvious in my eyes. Even if I don’t look, I know.” It was Master Wang who spoke next.

I smiled wryly, and I had long since lost any strong feelings. After all these years, I had long since gotten used to it.

There was still one day to go before the day of the operation. The people in this small town also sensed a hint of something unusual. After all, this was the only small town leading to the Black Rock Miao Village. Although it was remote and poor, it was still a town.

People living in the town have some knowledge of the world. The arrival of strangers one after another, and even the presence of the military, makes people think of many things.

Some things need to be eliminated, but of course that’s not my concern. The country holds many military exercises and competitions every year, so that’s a good excuse.

I leaned against the door and watched the people who were in charge of these things work hard to create this illusion. Suddenly, I felt a sense of melancholy. How many people can see through the true intentions of this world? But those who see through it don’t necessarily see any benefit. If I were just an ordinary person, I would still eat and sleep the day after tomorrow, unaware of any abnormalities, and the crisis that may be related to myself would pass.

This is how people are. Ordinary people always expect to be different, to be the special one, to discover more things. But the special group of people often envy the happiness of ordinary people. The satisfaction of each person’s life is a luxury.

Perhaps it will take a long time for humans to reincarnate and experience many lives before the world will change.

I was thinking about these things while smoking, and I was a little distracted, but then a voice interrupted me: “San Ge, what are you thinking about?”

I turned around and saw her. It was the first time she had spoken to me since we had met again. But there were some things that I couldn’t talk about, so I just pretended to be stupid. I smiled and said to her, “I was just thinking about how amazing these people are who can eliminate the impact. They don’t need to say anything, they just need to make a few small details, and people won’t have any suspicions.”

“Haha.” Ru Yue smiled and then stood next to me, leaning against the door frame next to me, and said, “We’re going to move tomorrow. You’re still thinking about this. Aren’t you nervous?”

This operation is divided into several parts, with several departments each responsible for their own duties. My master, I, and some other people from the Daoist sect will be facing the heaviest people, the old monsters, but I really am not nervous.

Once, weren’t there only three of us? I thought of the scene when Ru Xue carried me out of the cave, and I was a little dazed.

“Third brother…?” Ruoyue saw me in a daze and couldn’t help but call out to me gently.

I snapped back to reality, looked at Ru Yue, smiled a little embarrassedly, and changed the subject: “Are you used to Beijing? Has Qin Huai treated you well?”

“I’m quite used to it. It’s a completely different life from our village. Qin Huai is also very good. I was just thinking that if I have nothing to do in the village, I’ll take some time off to see more places and see more of the world. It’s good to see the mountains, the water, and the world for a lifetime.” Ru Yue smiled lightly and said.

I didn’t respond, and I didn’t know how to respond. Instead, Ru Yue said cheerfully, “Of course, the premise is that we will be able to return alive from this operation.”

“We will come back alive. Don’t worry. We have survived so many things, haven’t we?” I said softly to Yue.

After saying this, the two of them were silent for a while and couldn’t find anything to say. Ru Yue found a reason to tell me and then turned and left.

At this point, I remembered that I hadn’t spoken to Su Rou or Qin Huai in a long time, so I went to the command office and borrowed a phone. I couldn’t get in touch with Su Rou because he hadn’t gotten himself a cell phone like Qin Huai had done a long time ago, but I could always get in touch with Qin Huai to find out some news about Su Rou.

I called Qin Huai’s phone, and the kid picked up the phone quickly.

“Who is this?”

“Chen Chengyi.”

There was a moment of silence, then a torrent of abuse: “You’re not dead out there, are you? You still have the guts to contact me? I thought you’d forgotten about me. No, maybe you’ve already forgotten. What’s my name? What’s my relationship to you? Tell me.”

I took the phone and gave a wry smile, saying, “Yang Qinhuai, my brother. Are you satisfied?”

“No!”

“Okay, it’s my fault. I haven’t contacted you for six months. Are you okay? How’s Su Rou? I’m still alive, but I’m about to face a life-and-death battle.”

The voice on the other end became nervous: “How serious is the situation? Is it worse than the village chief? I’m fine, and so is Su Rou, but after this is over, he’s going to Guangzhou to do business. Don’t mention us, just tell me about the situation over there.”

“I can’t go into detail, but it’s always more trouble than the village chief. Don’t worry about me, I just missed you guys and wanted to call you. Tell Su Rou I’ll be back to drink with you.”

There was a moment of silence, and then suddenly she asked me, “Is Ruoyue with you this time? Is she… is she okay?”

Qin Huai’s tone was slightly nervous. Holding the phone, I could feel the difference in this emotion, but what is emotion? Emotion is a strange circle! I said, “It’s good, she’s very cheerful.”

It was as if Yueyue was a sensitive topic between me and Qinhuai. We didn’t say much more, but instead talked about other topics. Then I hung up the phone. The battle was imminent, and I regretted not hearing Su Rou’s voice.

As for whether I should call my family, I hadn’t thought about it. After so many years, I had long since gotten used to not telling them no matter what the situation was. What I was more used to was that during the occasional gatherings, I could casually tell them some magical things, and it was a kind of happiness to see them listen to me attentively.

As I walked out the door, I thought about my lonely fate again, and I smiled lightly. From the initial reluctance and doubt to the later crying and sadness, and then from the latter to the present light laughter, it took many years to finally reach this point of peace of mind.

But is it really true that a smile is more carefree than tears?

I looked up and saw my master standing not far away watching me. I quickly walked over and stood next to him. At this time, the entire town was already bathed in the setting sun.

The master nodded slightly and then turned and walked out of town. He wanted to take a walk, so I quickly followed him.

“Sanwa, are you nervous?”

“I’ve been with you for so many years, what’s there to be nervous about?”

“This town is no good. There aren’t many good-looking women here.”

“Master, you’re not squatting somewhere again, looking at women, are you?”

“Without a man to admire them, what is the point of a woman being beautiful? I am doing them a favor. Their beauty is meant to be appreciated.”

“I can’t argue with you…”