Light Fortress
Chapter 487 - 109: Hope is the Most Precious Gift_2

Chapter 487: Chapter 109: Hope is the Most Precious Gift_2

"East Continent..."

The Storm God’s Throne slowly raised his eyes, looking toward the other shore of the sea.

There was a person he least wanted to contact.

It was also the place he found most inscrutable.

...

...

Huaiyin was a small city in Jiangbei, very quiet, different from other cities in the area. Although it was also in the north, it was often bathed in sunlight.

Compared to Jiangnan, Jiangbei’s economic development lagged by a few years.

In some remote small towns, "green-skinned trains" were still used for transport, even in an era when Deep Sea had comprehensive links... not every city was racing forward.

The green-skinned train stopped at Huaiyin Station.

Several men in suits and leather shoes were standing stiffly outside the station, way too conspicuous compared to the rest of the crowd... In a small city like Huaiyin, "businessmen" like them were a rare sight.

These men in suits appeared anxious, looking around as they held greeting signs in their arms.

This seemed like an ostentatious display meant to welcome a noble young master.

And indeed, the greeting sign had the words "young master" on it.

"Bai Xiu, young master..."

Many people disembarked from the green-skinned train.

One of them, a fair-faced young man, saw the sign being held high above the crowd from afar. He sighed silently, muttered the embarrassing greeting to himself, and quickly lowered his hat brim, moving forward swiftly.

He was traveling alone precisely because he did not want to meet anyone from the Bai Family.

Bai Xiu was looking for Yu Shu’s family.

He had high enough authority.

Knowing the name "Qu Long," the subsequent investigation was not difficult, as Deep Sea had found Yu Shu’s records for him.

Born in Huaiyin City, with both parents alive and a younger sister.

Before he erased his own name, he seemed to have a rather nice family...

After looking at the records, Bai Xiu didn’t quite understand why Yu Shu chose to become a "Sacrificial."

It took him an hour to find in the Deep Sea database the current address where Yu Shu’s parents lived... The small town didn’t have many high-rise buildings, but there were plenty of adjacent courtyards.

Yu Shu’s parents lived in an old courtyard; it had been ten years but did not appear worn, a few potted plants rested on the wall, perhaps because they were maintained all year round; even from outside the gate, one could feel the vigorous vitality within.

Before knocking, Bai Xiu hesitated.

He straightened his clothes, adjusted his emotions, then knocked on the door.

Light footsteps sounded from the courtyard.

The one coming to open the door was Yu Shu’s sister.

"...It’s brother! Brother is back!"

A girl with braided pigtails ran over, not having opened the door yet, she spoke in a childish voice brimming with surprise.

After the door opened, the girl saw a stranger’s face.

She looked bewildered.

"I am... a friend of Yu Shu," Bai Xiu said softly, slightly lowering his gaze. He hesitated for a moment, then crouched down and spoke gently, "Where are your parents?"

The little girl blinked, half hiding behind the door, but not shy.

Perhaps because Bai Xiu was quite handsome.

She turned her head to look inside the house...

After a long thought, the girl twisted her hands together and articulated very seriously word by word, "Mom... Dad... is inside the house... Mom is taking care of Dad."

Bai Xiu smiled gently and asked again, "May I come in?"

A woman came out of the house, looking rather haggard. Her hands, stained with kitchen grease, were wiping on her apron. Seeing Bai Xiu, she was somewhat uneasy, fidgeting with the corner of her apron, and spoke softly, "If you don’t mind... please come inside and have a cup of tea."

Bai Xiu entered the courtyard.

It was indeed a vibrant courtyard.

A green awning was set up for shade, with big graffiti on the wall. He glanced at the corner of the wall with the graffiti, where there was a chalk calendar filled with X’s, scrubbed and written over many times... As soon as the little girl let go of the doorknob, she scampered to the corner of the wall, picked up a worn-down piece of chalk, and very lightly drew an X on the latest date of the wall calendar.

The contrast was stark once inside.

The room was sparsely furnished, with an ordinary bed, complex equipment, and a man looking as withered as dried wood.

Bai Xiu silently surveyed the place.

Beyond that, the home was barren.

He could not understand... how had a man who’d dedicated everything to the Bai Family ended up in such a state?

During the years Yu Shu served as a Sacrificial, his family should have been treated with the highest regard.

Bai Xiu’s spiritual power spread silently as he looked at the man lying on the bed, Yu Shu’s father, who seemed as frail as a sheet of paper. The man’s open chest barely conveyed a strong heartbeat, even the nearby EKG machine showed only faint fluctuations...

Bai Xiu wanted to know what the illness was, whether it was truly incurable.

Upon the touch of spiritual power,

He realized it was not as simple as he had imagined.

The man lying in bed had no consciousness, his spirit completely shattered... the fact that he was maintaining basic vital signs was already a miracle.

For a normal case of "unconsciousness," or "loss of consciousness," he had methods.

But in this situation,

Let alone him, even if the Divine Throne arrived, they would be helpless; no one could save a soulless shell.