One person: Senior brother Zhang Zhiwei, the Celestial Master begged me to descend the mountain.

The wind in the valley seemed to have softened a bit.

Zhang Taichu, who had already taken a step, stopped in front of the pile of rubble and ruins.

"Grandmaster Uncle?"

Zhang Chulan was about to follow when he saw this and was taken aback, turning back to look with some confusion:

"Is there anything else?"

Zhang Taichu did not answer.

He turned around, stepping on the rubble, and returned to the ruins of the stone wall that he had shattered with a single finger.

The stone wall, which was originally smooth as a mirror and engraved with the three large characters "What is a Human Being?", has now become a pile of lifeless, chaotic stones.

Zhang Taichu lowered his head, his gaze sweeping across the rubble before finally settling on an inconspicuous crevice in the rock.

Splash!

He stretched out his foot and gently kicked away the rock covering it.

As the stones rolled down, a rusty iron box was revealed.

It was buried very deep, and if the rock wall hadn't collapsed, it probably would never have seen the light of day again.

Zhang Taichu bent down and picked up the iron box.

The surface of the tin box was covered with reddish-brown rust, it felt heavy in the hand, and it had a musty, earthy smell.

But he didn't rush to open it.

"That guy."

Zhang Taichu turned his head and waved to Feng Baobao, who was standing not far away in a daze:

"come over."

Feng Baobao was carrying a shovel, staring blankly at the sky. When she heard the call, she paused for a moment, then slowly walked over.

"What are you doing?"

Feng Baobao blinked her big eyes, looking curiously at the dirty iron lump in Zhang Taichu's hand.

Zhang Taichu didn't say anything, but simply handed the iron box in his hand to her.

"Open it and take a look."

Feng Baobao hesitated for a moment before reaching out and taking the tin box.

Her fingers fiddled with the rusty clasp a couple of times.

Click.

With a dull metallic scraping sound, the lid of the iron box was opened.

There was no earth-shattering light, nor any peerless secret manual.

The not-so-large box was empty, except for a photograph lying quietly inside.

A black and white photograph that has yellowed and has some curled edges.

Zhang Chulan also came over at this moment, craning his neck to peek inside.

"This is……"

With just one glance, Zhang Chulan's pupils contracted slightly.

The photo shows a little girl.

She was about five or six years old, with two pigtails sticking straight up, wearing a small floral cotton-padded jacket typical of that era, and smiling brightly at the camera.

That smile was pure and innocent, radiating a warmth that could melt anyone's heart.

Although he is still young, and although the image quality is blurry.

But the charm in his eyes and the contours of his features...

Zhang Chulan suddenly raised his head and looked at Feng Baobao, who was expressionless and had empty eyes.

so similar.

No, it's actually the same person.

"Sister Bao'er..."

Zhang Chulan's voice was somewhat hoarse.

Feng Baobao stared blankly at the photo.

Her hands began to tremble uncontrollably, and the photos in the tin box swayed gently with her movements.

She held up two fingers and carefully picked up the photo.

The moment her fingertips touched the yellowed photograph paper, a sudden, intense ripple appeared in her eyes, which seemed to never have any emotion.

"This is……"

Feng Baobao's lips moved, and the sounds she made were as soft as a breeze.

She felt that the face was familiar.

It was so familiar that she felt as if something was gripping her heart tightly, causing her severe pain.

Just then.

Zhang Taichu reached out his hand again.

This time, he had something extra in his hand.

It was a worn-out rattle drum.

The drumheads were already somewhat blackened, and the projectiles on both sides had lost their paint. These were the very things that had been found among Ma Xianhong's spoils of war on the Golden Cloud Boat.

"Take it."

Zhang Taichu's voice was soft, yet it carried an undeniable power.

Feng Baobao subconsciously released one hand and took the rattle drum.

thump.

Her fingers accidentally touched the drum handle, and her wrist trembled slightly.

The two bullets struck the drumhead.

It produced a dull yet crisp sound.

dong dong.

The soft sound was exceptionally clear in the silent valley.

And at that very moment.

The loud thud was like a heavy hammer, shattering the dam that had blocked Feng Baobao's mind for countless years.

boom!!

Countless fragmented and blurry images, like a flood bursting its banks, instantly overwhelmed her consciousness.

……

"Awu, look here! Smile!"

"Knock knock! Knock knock!"

"My Ah Wu is so handsome, he'll definitely grow up to be a great beauty..."

"Come on, let's ride the big horse..."

……

The images were not clear; even the face of the man speaking was a blurry mess.

But that feeling...

That feeling of being lifted above one's head by rough, large hands.

The feeling of burying your face in an embrace filled with the smell of sweat and tobacco.

That feeling of being cherished and treated gently by the whole world.

That's so true.

It was so real that it made her feel a deep-seated sense of injustice...

"Well……"

The tin box in Feng Baobao's hand clattered to the ground.

She clung tightly to the photograph and the rattle drum, as if they were the last straw in the world.

Her body trembled violently, her knees buckled, and she slowly squatted down.

"Um...uh..."

A strange sound squeezed out from deep in her throat.

It sounded like the whimper of a wounded animal on its deathbed, or the cry of a lost child unable to find home in the darkness.

Two lines of clear tears welled up in her big eyes without warning.

Clear tear tracks ran down her dirty cheeks, finally falling onto the pebbles on the ground.

"Sister Bao'er..."

Zhang Chulan's eyes instantly reddened when he saw Feng Baobao huddled on the ground.

We've known each other for so long.

Even if I'm beaten half to death, even if everyone misunderstands me, even if I'm seriously injured.

He had never seen Feng Baobao cry.

He didn't even frown.

She was like a robot without pain or emotion, who could only hold a shovel and expressionlessly level all obstacles.

But now.

She cried like a child abandoned by the whole world.

The sadness was so intense that it made the surrounding air feel heavy.

Even Granny Jin Feng, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but cover her mouth and turn her head away, unable to bear to look any longer, when she saw the figure crying while holding the rattle drum.

"Ugh... Waaah..."

Feng Baobao buried her head in her knees, her shoulders heaving violently.

She didn't know why she was crying.

She couldn't even remember the man's face, or the specific details of those images.

But the huge emptiness in her heart was magnified infinitely at this moment, and the cold wind rushed in, making her feel cold all over and so painful that she could hardly breathe.

I want to go home...

I want to find it...

But I can't find my way...

A hand gently landed on her messy head.

That hand was large and warm.

It didn't say anything comforting; it just sat there quietly, carrying a steady strength, and gently rubbed it.

Feng Baobao's crying paused slightly.

She didn't look up, but her trembling shoulders gradually calmed down under the caress of that hand.

Zhang Taichu squatted down in front of Feng Baobao.

He looked at the silly girl crying her eyes out, and a rare hint of tenderness flashed in his usually indifferent eyes.

"Don't cry."

Zhang Taichu's voice was not loud, and it was flat, without much emotional fluctuation.

"It sounds awful."

Feng Baobao sniffed and looked up.

That usually expressionless face was now covered in tears and snot, looking extremely disheveled, yet revealing a heartbreaking truth.

She looked at Zhang Taichu, her eyes filled with confusion and helplessness, her hand still tightly gripping the rattle drum, her knuckles white from the force.

"I...I don't know..."

Feng Baobao sobbed, speaking haltingly:

"I feel...sad..."

"It seems like I've lost something... something very, very important..."

"But I can't find it..."

"I know."

Zhang Taichu pulled out a pack of tissues from his pocket, took one out, and roughly wiped away the snot and tears from her face:

"If it's lost, find it."

"It's no big deal."

He stuffed a tissue into Feng Baobao's hand, then pointed to the photo and rattle drum in her hand:

"So we've retrieved two items, haven't we?"

Feng Baobao stared blankly at the thing in her hand, then looked at Zhang Taichu.

"The remaining puzzle pieces are scattered somewhere."

Zhang Taichu stood up, put his hands back in his pockets, and that arrogant and domineering aura returned to him:

"But it's okay."

"Now that I've come down from the mountain, I'll accompany you to search for the land piece by piece."

"Whether it's buried in the ground or hidden in a safe."

"Whether it's the Tang Clan or the Yaoxing Society."

Zhang Taichu narrowed his eyes, a cold killing intent flashing deep within them:

"What belongs to you, no one is allowed to take it."

I chopped off his hand.

"Anyone who dares to hide it from us..."

"I demolished his house."

After speaking, he lowered his head, looked at Feng Baobao's red eyes, and a slight smile appeared on his lips:

"Did you understand?"

Feng Baobao stared at him blankly.

The figure standing against the light spoke in a fierce tone and had a cold expression.

But at this moment.

Surprisingly, it subtly overlapped with the blurry, tall figure in my mind.

That reassuring feeling seemed to have patched up the gaping hole in her heart.

Feng Baobao sniffed and wiped her eyes hard with the back of her hand.

then.

She nodded emphatically.

"Um."

"I understand."

Although her voice still carried a hint of sobbing, the confusion in her eyes had largely dissipated, replaced by an unprecedented determination.

She carefully placed the photo back into the tin box, closed the lid, and tucked it close to her body.

She had clipped the rattle drum to her waist, hanging it side by side with the sharp shovel.

It seemed somewhat incongruous, yet strangely harmonious.

"Alright."

Zhang Taichu turned away, no longer looking at this sentimental scene.

He waved to Zhang Chulan and the others who were already waiting on the side:

"Pack up, let's go."

"This place is so gloomy and creepy, you're likely to get rheumatism if you stay here too long."

Zhang Chulan took a deep breath, suppressing the bitterness in his heart.

He glanced at Bao'er, who had regained her composure and was quietly tidying her clothes, and then at his master uncle, who stood tall with his back to everyone.

A bitter smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.

Chop off your hands? Demolish your house?

This guy's words are truly unwavering.

It seems the upcoming trip to the Tang Sect...

It seems like things are really going to get really chaotic.

"Here it comes!"

Zhang Chulan responded loudly, quickly ran over, and helped Feng Baobao brush the dust off her clothes:

"Sister Bao'er, let's go!"

"Let's go to Sichuan and have hot pot!"

Feng Baobao tilted her head, thought for a moment, and a glint of light flashed in her red and swollen eyes:

"Okay."

"I want the spiciest one."

The silhouettes of the group stretched long in the afternoon sunlight.