Lu Mingfei, become the King of Elden!

Chapter 124 Life and Death Have Their Own Principles
Lu Mingfei stood silently in the center of the Gui'erlong Tomb, looking back at the cursed land stained with crimson decay. The enormous white dragon's remains resembled a gray-white mountain, devoid of any life.

ended.

He exhaled silently.

Subaru Natsuki had already rushed off ahead of everyone else. He'd managed to snag quite a few runes during the hunt, and his deadpan face was etched with eagerness. He was probably in a rush to get back and do some serious shopping, or find a secluded spot to convert those golden power fragments into real improvements for himself.

Lu Mingfei gently stroked Torret's mane, then flipped himself onto the horse's back.

“Let’s go, old Tor, let’s go back to Blessing first, then to the Dragon’s Feast Church.”

With a neigh, Torret and his horse instantly transformed into gray phantoms, galloping wildly across the red earth.

It wasn't until he arrived on this land filled with crimson decay that he truly understood the meaning of Subaru Natsuki's words, "Do you know how big Gerido is?"

Galid is really big and desolate.

The place was a scene of devastation, with only crimson colors visible, and the air was thick with the stench of decay and the burning smell of the fire walls.

Finally, when the familiar blessed point, radiating warm and soft golden light, appeared at the edge of his vision, Lu Mingfei understood why Subaru was always the last to arrive when starting a team fight.

That's way too damn far.

Upon arrival, Lu Mingfei skillfully extended his hand, placing it in the golden light of blessing, and silently recited "Dragon Offering Church" in his heart.

The transformation of space happens in an instant.

The next second, a cool sea breeze carrying the ceaseless sound of waves instantly replaced Galid's deathly silence, filling his ears.

Lu Mingfei opened his eyes.

The dilapidated church still stands silently in the center of the island, like a weathered guardian, watching over this forgotten corner of the island.

He walked straight to the entrance of the ancient church, his metal boots clicking crisply and rhythmically on the stone slabs.

Click, click.

"Old man?"

Lu Mingfei's voice echoed in the empty church.

The collapsed stone walls, the headless dragon statues, the ruins remain as they always have been.

His gaze habitually searched for the silent, rock-solid figure near the altar where the dragon's power gathered.

However, this time, the old man was not there.

He quickly scanned every familiar corner inside the church: Was a dozing figure lurking behind the massive, toppled stone pillars? Were there any traces of someone leaning against the broken base of the dragon statue?
No. None at all.

That familiar figure vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.

Lu Mingfei was getting a little anxious.

The old man had not left the Dragon Offering Church for a long time. In his own words, he had retired from the military and returned to his hometown. This isolated island overseas would be his only home in this life. He would peacefully wait here for death to come, until he turned to dust.

Where will he go?

Lu Mingfei began searching for him.

The inexplicable anxiety in his heart grew stronger and stronger.

Lu Mingfei jumped around in the ruins, but found nothing.

In the end, he decided to try his luck at the top—the highest point of the entire ruins, which may have once been the base of a clock tower or watchtower, now surrounded by broken walls and facing the sea.

He used both his hands and feet to climb up the sloping, moss-covered rocks.

When he finally stepped onto the last remaining platform overlooking the surging waves, his steps abruptly halted.

there.

Right in the center of the platform, with his back to him and facing the endless, vast sea, a figure sat quietly cross-legged.

It's him.

Lu Mingfei's back view, which he would never mistake, no matter what.

The last guardian of the Storm King's will, his stern and stubborn master, sat there motionless.

He was wearing that coarse linen robe, and his usually straight back was now hunched over, the sea breeze blowing through his gray, messy hair and beard.

He closed his eyes, his head was slightly lowered, and his hands were naturally placed on his knees, as if he was just resting with his eyes closed.

"Hey, old man!"

Silence.

Lu Mingfei's heart sank suddenly, and the unease that had been vaguely present since he entered the church reached its peak.

"master!"

His voice rose a few decibels.

The old man still did not respond.

A tremendous sense of fear instantly gripped Lu Mingfei's heart. It was a terrible feeling, even more so than the fear he had felt when facing any powerful enemy in the past.

“Don’t scare me…”

Lu Mingfei murmured unconsciously, all traces of composure vanishing from his body. He rushed over helplessly, reaching the old knight in just a few steps.

He suddenly knelt down, his dragon eyes instantly blurred with tears. Lu Mingfei hurriedly took off his gauntlets and forcefully reached down to check the old man's breath under his wrinkled face.

It's so minute that you can barely feel it.

There was no rise or fall of breathing.

Not a trace of life could be dispelled.
Tears streamed down Lu Mingfei's face, rolling down his dusty cheeks and wetting the ground.

Overwhelmed by immense grief and helplessness.

"Waaah... old man... you... how could you..."

He choked up, unable to speak coherently; the immense grief rendered him almost incapable of thinking.

Just as the atmosphere of sorrow reached its peak, and Lu Mingfei felt his heart was completely shattered.

A withered yet powerful hand shot out like lightning and slammed it hard onto the back of Lu Mingfei's head.

Snapped!
The sound was crisp and clear, standing out particularly well on the silent sea cliff.

"Ow—"

Caught off guard, Lu Mingfei let out a bloodcurdling scream and nearly collapsed to the ground. The immense grief was shattered by the sudden pain and shock, and even his tears were stuck in mid-air.

Immediately afterwards, a loud, hoarse voice, full of anger and disdain, rang out above his head:
"What are you howling about! I'm not dead yet! You brat, are you trying to send me off early by crying such a horrible wailing?"

Lu Mingfei clutched the back of his head, looked up, and his tear-streaked face froze completely, his mouth agape as if he could fit an egg in it. The old knight, who had just been "lifeless," was now glaring at him fiercely with his sharp, storm-hawk-like eyes, his beard twitching with rage.

"Master...Master? You...you're not dead?!"

Lu Mingfei's tone changed, trembling with joy, sounding both comical and pitiful.

"Die, die my ass!"

The old man raised his hand again in annoyance, as if to hit him, which frightened Lu Mingfei so much that he shrank his neck.

The old man snorted heavily, withdrew his hand, and stiffly rubbed his lower back, muttering curses under his breath.
"Damn it, I was just enjoying the sea breeze, taking a nap, and meditating! I was just getting into a state of harmony with nature when you, you little brat, woke me up with your wailing. Ugh, what a damn bad luck!"

He grumbled indignantly as he tried to straighten his back, which had become hunched from sitting for so long. But the movement was too forceful, and his face suddenly twitched in pain, as if a muscle had pulled in a place it shouldn't have. His expression worsened, almost as if he were about to spit fire.

"Look at you! Look at you! It's all because of you, you little brat, that you made me hurt my back! Crying and wailing like a woman, what kind of behavior is that!"
You've completely disgraced the Storm Knight!

Lu Mingfei stared blankly at the loud, energetic old man, then looked at his own still-warm tears that had just fallen on the ground.
A sense of absurdity and injustice welled up in his heart, overshadowing his sadness, leaving Lu Mingfei momentarily at a loss for words.

"I thought."

"What did you think? That I was dead?"

He waved his hand impatiently, as if shooing away flies:
"Get out of my way! Don't block my view of the sea! You've ruined my good mood for meditation!"

Lu Mingfei knelt on the spot, looking at the old man who had "come back to life" and was cursing. He was overwhelmed with emotions and felt that the world was truly absurd.

He sniffed and silently wiped away his tears.

The old man closed his eyes, seemingly trying to regain his previous state, but his tightly furrowed brows and slightly twitching wrinkles betrayed his extreme displeasure.

After a long while, he finally opened his eyes slowly and said to Lu Mingfei in an annoyed tone:

"Tell me, you brat, what kind of mess is this time?"

Lu Mingfei scratched his head awkwardly, then casually opened his personal space and took out the spoils he had obtained from hunting "Gui'er".

He unfolded five bright red, rock-streaked, living dragon hearts in a cloth bag, revealing them one by one to the old knight.

The old man looked at the dragon hearts lined up on the ground, then looked up at Lu Mingfei, and then looked at the dragon hearts again.

He remained silent for a full ten seconds, with only the sea breeze whistling between them.

The old man slowly raised his hand, pointed a thin, withered finger at the ground, and asked hesitantly:
"Dragon Heart?"

Lu Mingfei nodded:
"Dragon Heart".

The old man continued to ask:

"Genuine?"

"what?"

Lu Mingfei was bewildered by the old man's sudden question. He looked at the old knight with a puzzled expression, then looked down to check the five hearts from the white dragon Guior that he had carefully wrapped, which still exuded a strong dragon's might.

“Really?” he answered somewhat nervously, “in the tomb of Gelidron, the largest white dragon, ‘Guiool’.”

"Guier?"

The old man's voice suddenly rose, as if he had heard something extraordinary, filled with disbelief:
"The legendary grandmother of dragons, an existence as imposing as a mountain, the ancient dragon 'Guiool?!'"

"Uh...yes, that's it."

Lu Mingfei scratched his head. Seeing the old knight's shocked expression, the embarrassment in his heart subsided a little, replaced by a small sense of pride, although this pride was quickly suppressed by his master's murderous gaze.

"How...how did you get that?!"

The old knight suddenly turned his head.

Lu Mingfei began to slowly recount his hunting process with Gui'er, from entering Galid, meeting Gui'er, hunting the little dragon, and the final outcome.

After Lu Mingfei finished speaking, he looked at the old knight somewhat nervously, but the old knight fell silent again.

The old man's gaze lingered on the five dragon hearts, a mixture of realization, astonishment, and a deep sense of pity.

In the end, all the emotions turned into a long and heavy sigh, like a wind blowing from ancient times, scattering the dust of history.

"I haven't been back to that place since the Second Shattered War, when 'Michaela's Blade, Malenia, unleashed the Crimson Blossom of Corruption in Galid."

He said slowly:

"After all, I'm not like you, who can be resurrected after death. Once I'm infected with corruption, there's no cure."

"I never imagined that the legendary and renowned Grandmother of Dragons would fall to such a state."

"Boy..."

The old knight's lips twitched slightly, his tone full of emotion:
"You fucking... you really found an 'unprecedented' path to slaying dragons. How come I could never have such incredible luck in eight lifetimes?"

Lu Mingfei listened to his master's evaluation, which was half amazed and half teasing, and his emotions were complicated.

He looked at the old man's deeply lined face, and in his eyes, which seemed to have seen the vicissitudes of life, there still seemed to be a lingering pity for Gui'er's fate.

This compassion quietly overlapped with his brief hesitation and reluctance before killing Gui'er.

After much hesitation, Lu Mingfei took a deep breath and decided to tell his strict yet all-knowing master everything he had been thinking before killing Gui'er.

The old man sat there quietly, the sea breeze ruffling his white hair, his expression blank, simply listening in silence.

Lu Mingfei's heart was in his throat. He hesitated for a long time before finally managing to stammer out his thoughts about his reluctance and hesitation.

Just as he finished speaking the last word, he caught a glimpse of the old man's broad, calloused hand rising up without warning!
Finished!

Lu Mingfei thought to himself, but his body reacted even faster than his mind. He shrugged, his neck instinctively shrank, and his whole body tensed up, bracing himself for that fiery "education of love."

Unexpectedly, this time, the calloused, rough, and large hand that had given him countless "profound lessons" was now gently placed on his head with a warm touch.

Lu Mingfei froze, his hunched neck forgetting to relax, his tense body forgetting to relax, only his eyes widening in disbelief.

The old man gently stroked Lu Mingfei's head, as if it were an ordinary master-disciple relationship.

His voice was flat, seemingly devoid of emotion, yet it also seemed to convey something:
"You've grown up."

“Your thinking is not wrong. Knights are not emotionless killing machines; what is wrong with wielding a sword with compassion in one’s heart?”

"I have never asked you to become a certain way or achieve a certain level of success. I only wish that you...be yourself."

“Mingfei,” the old man’s gaze seemed to deepen, “even a hero must be his own hero.”

“You’ve started thinking about ‘why you should swing your sword’ and ‘whether you should swing your sword,’ which is…good.”

"When you feel a strong, personal desire burning within you one day... that is the starting point of your path to becoming king."

(End of this chapter)