Slaying demons and eliminating evil, a martial saint among mortals.

After a long while, the old lady slowly reached out and picked up the piece of metal on the table.

Her hand began to tremble slightly as soon as her fingers touched the character "Li" in the middle.

Although the movement was small, Qin Lie, who was sitting opposite him, could still see it very clearly.

The old lady didn't ask where the piece of iron came from, nor did she ask who gave it to Qin Lie.

She simply kept her head down, rubbing the words on the metal sheet with her thumb over and over again.

Li Hu also realized something was wrong at this point.

He quickly put down the wine bowl in his hand and hurried over to the old lady's side.

"Grandmother, what's wrong?"

"Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"

As he spoke, he reached out and supported the old lady's arm.

The old lady waved her hand.

"fine."

But when she lowered her head, Qin Lie could see that her eyes were obviously red.

The old lady paused for a moment.

He then raised his sleeve and wiped his eyes twice.

When she looked up again, the emotions on her face had subsided considerably.

"Tiger, go to the backyard and dig out that jar of wine you mentioned earlier."

Li Hu was stunned when he heard this.

He turned and glanced at the backyard, then looked at the old lady.

"Ancestor."

"Didn't you just say that you'd break the legs of anyone who dared to touch that jar of wine?"

"How much time has passed? Why do you want me to dig again?"

As he said this, he took a half step back, his face showing a hint of wariness.

"You can't be thinking of breaking my legs but are too lazy to actually do it, so you're just making up an excuse first, right?"

The old woman gripped the piece of metal in her hand, looked up, and chuckled as she scolded him.

"Stop talking nonsense. If I tell you to go, then go."

"If I really wanted to break your legs, would I need to find a reason beforehand?"

After listening, Li Hu felt that what he said made sense.

However, he remained standing still because the situation had changed too suddenly.

Just now, no one was allowed to touch that jar of wine.

Now that you see a piece of metal, you should immediately dig out the wine.

Li Hu's doubts grew.

When the old lady saw that he was still standing, she looked up and glared at him again.

"There's nothing we can do. That deadbeat has been gone for so many years and still owes people favors."

Upon hearing this, Li Hu's expression showed even greater confusion.

He glanced down at the piece of iron in the old woman's hand, then turned to look at Qin Lie.

He wanted to ask something, but before he could speak, the old lady urged him again.

"If I tell you to go, then go now."

"If you keep dawdling here, I'll really break your legs."

"Why."

Li Hu dared not ask any more questions.

He could only respond with a sound of agreement and turned to walk towards the backyard.

Not long after, the sound of shovels digging through the soil came from the backyard.

The old lady pulled out a chair and sat down to Qin Lie's right.

She held that piece of metal in her hand the whole time, and never put it down after picking it up.

Qin Lie did not speak.

Seeing the old lady's reaction just now, he had a vague idea of ​​what was going on.

At this point, it's inappropriate to say anything.

We still need to let the old lady calm down on her own.

The liquor store fell silent at that moment.

The two elderly people outside the door probably sensed that something was wrong, and they remained silent while holding their wine bowls.

After a while, Li Hu came in carrying a wine jar covered in mud.

The wine jar was a size larger than the previous one.

The outer layer of clay paper was tattered, but the seal clay on the mouth of the jar was well preserved.

Li Hu placed the wine jar on the table and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Ancestor, we've dug out the wine for you! Just how many years has this jar of wine been stored?"

The old lady did not answer Li Hu's question. She reached out and carefully peeled off the outer oil paper, and then scraped off the mud seal with a knife.

The moment the seal was opened, a strong aroma of wine wafted out.

Li Hu subconsciously took a breath.

"This is truly fine wine; it feels even better than what our ancestors brewed."

The old lady glanced at him, and Li Hu immediately changed his tune.

"It only smelled like that at first, but now it's just so-so, not as good as the brewing of our ancestors."

The old lady withdrew her gaze.

"You were only able to have a bite today because of the guests."

Li Hu did not refute, and quickly brought over two more clean wine bowls.

This is fine wine; we can't use the same bowl that held other wine to hold it again.

At this moment, the old lady got up and took another wine bowl from the side.

Upon seeing this, Li Hu's face showed a hint of confusion.

"Grandpa, didn't you not drink alcohol?"

"Why are you taking another empty bowl?"

The old lady turned her head and glanced at him.

"From this moment on, you must not utter another word."

"Say one more word and I'll slap you."

Li Hu opened his mouth.

Seeing the old lady's expression, he swallowed his words and reluctantly sat back down in his seat.

The old lady ignored him.

She reached out and picked up the wine jar, filling all three wine bowls on the table.

First, they brought a bowl to Li Hu, and then they brought a bowl to Qin Lie.

She carried the last bowl with both hands and solemnly placed it on the empty seat opposite Qin Lie.

The old lady stared at that spot, chuckling as she said, "Haven't had it in so many years, have you?"

"Come back and try it."

"This is wine you brewed yourself."

A smile still lingered on her lips, but tears were already streaming down her face.

The old lady didn't raise her hand to wipe it; she just sat there quietly, looking at the empty seat opposite her.

Upon seeing this, Qin Lie had already answered his suspicions.

The old lady in front of us must be Li Tiezhu's wife.

She waited for Li Tiezhu for over a hundred years.

From a full head of black hair to now having white hair.

But the man who said he would come back after the war never stepped into the wine shop.

Just then, the metal plate on the table suddenly vibrated.

The movement was very slight, but Qin Lie could see it clearly.

Immediately afterwards, the Zhenguan Seal in his arms also felt warm.

Before Qin Lie could figure out what was happening, a very faint aura drifted out from the metal plate.

Qin Lie's heart skipped a beat.

He subconsciously looked up at the empty chair opposite him.

Before anyone knew it, another figure had appeared on the chair.

The man looked to be only about thirty years old.

He was tall with broad shoulders. His black hair was casually tied back.

There were no scars on his face from the Broken Wind Pass, and both arms were intact.

He was wearing a faded blue cotton short jacket with an ordinary cloth belt around his waist, and he was very clean.

However, Qin Lie recognized him at a glance.

Li Tiezhu.

The person sitting in the chair is Li Tiezhu in his youth.

Li Tiezhu didn't say anything, he just sat there and quietly looked at the old lady with her full head of white hair.

When he first appeared, he had a smile on his face.

But after looking at the old lady for a while, the smile on his lips slowly disappeared.

He raised his hand, wanting to touch the old lady's face.

As the hand approached, it passed right past the old woman's face.

I didn't encounter anything.

Li Tiezhu stopped moving.

He looked down at his transparent palm.

He paused for a moment, then started laughing again.

The old lady seemed to sense something, and her body trembled slightly.

She slowly raised her head and looked at the empty chair opposite her.

Even though she couldn't see anything, she still laughed and cursed.

"So you finally decided to come back?"

"I thought you had long forgotten about this family."

After saying that, the old lady could no longer control herself.

Tears fell one after another.

Li Tiezhu looked at her, his lips moved a few times, but no sound came out.

But Qin Lie understood.

He said, "I'm back."

Li Tiezhu looked down at the wine bowl in front of him and reached out to pick it up.

As before, my hand slipped across the rim of the bowl, but the wine inside swayed slightly.

The old lady next to her noticed this and raised her sleeve to wipe away the tears on her face.

"Still the same old self, the moment he gets back he's in a rush to drink."

After saying that, he picked up the bowl of wine and raised it towards the empty seat.

"Drink up, this jar of wine has been sitting for a hundred years, I'm starting to suspect it's going to spoil soon if we don't drink it now."

Li Tiezhu grinned, revealing the same smile Qin Lie was familiar with.

However, he has not lost an arm, nor is he covered in blood.

He was still the same young man who had just left Lijia Town.

Li Tiezhu looked down at the bowl of wine, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

He then smacked his lips, a familiar smug look on his face.

Then she turned to look at Qin Lie, her lips moving slightly.

"How's it going? I wasn't lying to you, was I? Is this liquor strong enough?"

Upon seeing this, Qin Lie felt a slight tingling in his nose, picked up his wine bowl, and nodded at him.

"It's potent; it's definitely good wine."

After hearing this, Li Tiezhu wore a smug smile.

He glanced at the old woman, then turned to look at the wine shop.

The tables and chairs are still the same, and the wine flag at the entrance is still the same.

Someone was hawking vegetables on the street, and several children ran past the doorway, their laughter carrying far and wide.

As Li Tiezhu watched all this, the smile on his face grew wider and wider.

Then, he turned to look at Qin Lie.

"Brother, I used to not understand why we had to go to war."

"Only now do I understand that what we are protecting is not just the city, but also the people behind it who can live peacefully."

"At home, someone lights the lamps, someone cooks, and someone waits for the people who have gone out to come back."

At this point, Li Tiezhu's gaze fell on the old lady again.

"As long as these things are still here, my life won't have been in vain."

Qin Lie listened to Li Tiezhu's words and slowly clenched his fist.

He thought of Duanfeng Pass, Pei Jinghan, and the three thousand soldiers of Duanfeng Camp who had not returned.

What they fought so hard to defend was never the empty Duanfeng Pass.

What they defended was Dongxuan City and Lijia Town.

What they are protecting are the children running in the streets, the food on the stove, and the life that every ordinary person wants to live peacefully.

Previously, Qin Lie only wanted to protect the Zhang family's courtyard and himself.

Now he understands that there are many Zhang Family Courtyards in this world, and many people standing in front of Zhang Family Courtyards.

Li Tiezhu grinned at Qin Lie, then raised his hand and gently patted his shoulder.

Even though the hand passed through Qin Lie's body, Qin Lie still nodded seriously.

"Brother Li, don't worry. What you risked your lives to protect, I will also risk my life to protect in the future."

Li Tiezhu turned his head and looked at the old lady at the table.

More than a hundred years have passed.

Her hair had turned completely white, and her face was covered with many clear wrinkles.

The girl who stood at the entrance of the wine shop to see him off back then has grown old.

In Li Tiezhu's memory, she is still the same as she was more than a hundred years ago.

She stood at the entrance of the wine shop, dressed in clean clothes, watching him.

He patted his chest and promised her that he would come back as soon as the battle was over.

As a result, this departure lasted for more than a hundred years.

Li Tiezhu opened his mouth.

This time, he couldn't maintain his smile any longer.

"I have lived a life worthy of the brothers of the Broken Wind Camp."

"I have done right by the people behind me, but I have let her down."

As he spoke, his gaze remained fixed on the old woman.

"I protected so many people's homes."

"But he left his entire home to her to guard alone."

Upon hearing this, Qin Lie's nose suddenly felt a little sore.

Li Tiezhu slowly walked to the old lady's side.

He raised his hand, wanting to touch her already gray hair.

He stretched out his hand halfway, then remembered what had just happened, and finally slowly withdrew it.

He looked at the old woman, and his lips moved slightly.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so many years."

The old lady's body suddenly trembled slightly.

She turned her head and looked at where Li Tiezhu was.

Even though there was nothing there, she still stared at it for a long time.

Tears fell one after another, but a smile slowly appeared on her lips.

"You damn fool, you promised to come back after the battle was over."

"As a result, this departure lasted for more than a hundred years."

I waited for you when I was young, and I'm still waiting for you now that my hair is white.

As the old woman spoke, she raised her sleeve to wipe away her tears.

"Sometimes I've thought that when you come back, I'm going to grab a stick and give you a good beating."

"Let me ask you again, do you even know where this home is?"

She paused here, and her voice softened considerably.

"But now that you're really back, I can't bear to hit you anymore."

Upon hearing this, Li Tiezhu completely lost control of his expression.

This man, who had never shed a tear despite suffering severe injuries at Duanfeng Pass, now had red eyes.

Soon, two lines of tears streamed down her cheeks.

The old lady continued to stare at the empty seat in front of her.

"You don't need to feel like you owe me anything."

"You've protected so many people's homes, so I'll protect our home in this one."

As she spoke, she pointed to the wine shop.

"Take a look."

"Our wine shop is still here, and the Li family's lineage has not been broken."

"The younger generation in the family have all grown up safely and peacefully."

"I haven't lost any of the things you were worried about before you left."

Li Tiezhu lowered his head, his lips trembling slightly uncontrollably.

He wanted to say something, but at this point, he couldn't utter a single word.

The old lady picked up the wine bowl in front of her and raised it towards where Li Tiezhu was.

So…

"Let bygones be bygones, I don't blame you."

"If we meet again in the next life, remember to come back sooner, don't make me wait so many years again."

Li Tiezhu looked at her and nodded vigorously.

"In my next life, I won't join the army either. I'll stay home and help you sell alcohol."

"I'll brew you baijiu for the rest of your life."

After hearing this, the old lady laughed and scolded.

"With your limited skills, the wine you brew will only taste good to you."

After hearing this, Li Tiezhu grinned.

It was the same straightforward manner Qin Lie had when they first met.

This time, however, the smile on his face showed no regret.

His figure became increasingly transparent until it completely disappeared.

Only a faint ray of light remained, slowly falling beside the old woman.

The old lady seemed to sense something.

She slowly closed her eyes, tears continuing to stream down her cheeks, yet she maintained a smile on her face.

"It's good that you're back."

"It's good to see you back~"

The metal sheet on the table fell silent again.

The wine in the bowl opposite the empty seat suddenly swayed slightly.

Qin Lie didn't speak, but turned to look outside the wine shop.

People were coming and going on the street.

These people are still able to live peaceful lives because some of them once left their homes and went to the battlefield.

They stood in front of the people.

Even if I can never come back, I want to ensure that the people behind me live on in peace.

At this moment, Qin Lie truly understood what it meant to sacrifice behind the words "protecting one's home and country".

Li Tiezhu protected many people's homes, and the woman who waited for him for over a hundred years also protected his home.

This time, Li Tiezhu finally didn't have to walk anymore.

He went home.