Chapter 240

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Chapter 240: Crouching Tiger

Bai Wei crossed through the woods and saw this scene, his steps halted. "Master…"

"Call me Uncle Liu." Uncle Liu laughed and cursed, "Don’t cry, I don’t have such disciples."

Bai Wei shook his head.

"Hmm, don’t cry," Uncle Liu said. "There’s no need to cry. I have wanted to die for a long time, but I just couldn’t let go."

Bai Wei fell silent.

"Say what you want to say while I can still hear," Uncle Liu said.

"Many people have died in the village."

"I know, so it’s up to you now," Uncle Liu took out a blood-stained waist token from his pocket. "I had originally planned to give this to you when you left the village, but now it seems too late…"

Bai Wei took the waist token, which was a tiger-headed one.

"The waist token of the Pacification Officer of the Monster-slaying Bureau. From today, you are my successor, one of the Crouching Tigers of this generation," Uncle Liu grinned. "I forgot to tell you, your master is actually pretty formidable."

Bai Wei said seriously, "I’ve always known that Uncle Liu is formidable."

"But I am also a waste," Uncle Liu self-deprecatingly said, "I wanted to defend my country, but I couldn’t go into battle and kill enemies. I wanted to make a name for myself, but it ended halfway. Even when I wanted to go back home and retire, I could only watch my hometown burn in flames… The people I loved were killed by me; my friends became enemies and perished together… My whole life has been a series of failures."

He tightly grasped Bai Wei’s wrist and said, "So, don’t follow my path, definitely, definitely don’t be like me…"

"The demons are dangerous. There are more than just a few that came to the village this time. The rest fled in fear. If you want revenge and bear hatred, you must not be impatient. Understand? Don’t go and sacrifice yourself unnecessarily."

"Crouching Tiger mostly meets with unfortunate endings, encountering regrets throughout life. I don’t know whether it’s right or wrong to leave it to you, but the world still needs Crouching Tigers."

Uncle Liu’s voice started to fade. "I just hope that the heavens will treat you better. I’ve already endured the hardships that one should bear. I hope they won’t make you, foolish boy, suffer any further."

Bai Wei said, "Man proposes, God disposes."

"Hahaha, like in my younger days." Uncle Liu laughed twice, his blood staining the earth beneath him. "Foolish boy, take care of yourself and take care of Xiaowan. The people around you are more important. In the grand scheme of things, a person’s place in life is nothing more than a mere inch. What does it matter, whether it’s grand or minuscule? It’s fine to live in a muddled state. Even if you turn around and throw away the Crouching Tiger medallion, Uncle Liu would still laugh and praise you for being clever."

"When I die, there’s no need to erect a tombstone for me. Just let me decay away slowly here."

"Those bastards over there are the same. They don’t deserve a proper burial. We’re all people who should die without closure."

"It seems I won’t have the chance to taste the Daughter’s Red wine buried by my own hands. It’s always like this, always leaving regrets, always longing for the unattainable…"

"Speaking of which, I hadn’t figured out what gift to give you both for your wedding. I hope Xiaowan won’t blame me."

"In my room, there’s a letter, not meant for you, but for the Liu family… Now, only Xiaowan remains? Ha… Parents, your son has been unfilial. Elder brother, sister-in-law… Forget it, I’ll apologize to you later when I go down. Take your time on the way, wait for me."

His voice became softer, his gaze increasingly unfocused, almost turning into murmurs as his consciousness gradually faded into nothingness.

Before departing, what he saw in his eyes was another distant figure, fair and beautiful with a graceful smile leading the way.

Uncle Liu raised his hand, and tears flowed from this steadfast man’s eyes, murmuring a name.

"I’m coming to see you."

His arm hung down, his breath ceased.

Bai Wei knelt for a while, but in the end, he followed the arrangement and did not clean up the corpse. He walked to the side of the demon’s body and drew out the Crouching Tiger Sword.

Turned around and left.

Chao Lu returned to the courtyard where the old woman was, holding the Crouching Tiger Sword. This place had quietly transformed into another scene.

She walked through an alley and finally found the old woman in a familiar place.

"Do you regret it?" the old woman asked. "What do you think about the sequel to this story?"

"A little bit, but the regret remedy has never worked," Chao Lu put down the Crouching Tiger Sword and smiled bitterly. "I had imagined that Uncle Liu’s story would be complicated, but I never expected it to be like this…"

"Is his act wrong when life is shorter than the days?"

"I am a demon," Chao Lu said. "I am by no means heartless and unprincipled."

"When they talk about humans and demons, they are actually referring to humanity and bestiality. Demons have a strong bestial nature, and they envy and covet what humans possess, but they cannot obtain it themselves. They can only resort to plunder. It has always been difficult for these two to coexist."

"Listen, it’s like the calamity caused by the grassland Huns… So, in order to avenge the country and family, one has to kill their loved ones?" Chao Lu sighed. "Why make things so bitter?"

"The era’s circumstances are like this, and neither of us had a choice. In the end, he chose the mortal realm."

"That’s why he ended up in such a tragic fate."

"Not only him."

"Crouching Tiger?" Chao Lu asked. "Are all generations of Crouching Tigers like this?"

The old woman nodded.

"And what about him?" Chao Lu asked. "How is Mu Tou?" She suddenly remembered what she had seen before. "Mu Tou killed Liu’s father and mother, who had turned into walking dead, right in front of Liu Xiaowan … Liu Er is a sensible child. She shouldn’t…"

The old woman pointed to a crease on Chao Lu’s clothes. "Even if she doesn’t hate him, and even if she figures it out later, it would be difficult for her to marry him with peace of mind. This matter has already left a scar in their hearts."

Chao Lu raised her hand to smooth out the crease, but as her movements changed, the crease reappeared easily.

She said in silence, "We can only leave it to time, hoping that they will figure it out in the future."

The old woman nodded and said, "Indeed, we can only leave it to time."

Chao Lu asked, "What happened later?"

The old woman said, "Later…"

…

The town suffered such a catastrophe. Originally a town with a population of several thousand, less than eight hundred people survived.

The flames burned half of the town, causing significant damage and loss of property. The funeral lasted for more than twenty days, and many people’s bodies could not be found.

The Liu and Bai families were almost wiped out.

Many of the survivors were teenagers or young children, with less than a hundred adults. Several elderly people also passed away from excessive grief.

Losing so many people at once, the town also lost its former vitality.

Bai Wei and Liu Xiaowan silently buried their loved ones and each made their own decisions.

They were still childhood sweethearts, but it felt like there was an extra barrier between them.

The boy and girl grew up overnight, looking at each other.

The sixteen-year-old girl showed a determined look. "I want to stay here."

The foundation of the Liu family has been half destroyed, and the direct line is almost extinct. She cannot abandon the Liu family, nor can she leave the other people in the town behind. She has been well-read since childhood, influenced by Bai Wei , and has gained a deep understanding of knowledge and theories beyond her time, as well as considerable practical experience.

Bai Wei once took half a day to demonstrate a simple economic model, while she took a week to put the model into practical use. After running through three towns, she earned ten taels of silver with just ten wen.

She made up her mind to stay and rebuild her hometown, using her abilities to help her fellow villagers overcome their hardships. She knew that if she didn’t stay, this group of people would find it difficult to return to their previous prosperous life, even if they wouldn’t starve.

Bai Wei changed into clothes, but it wasn’t the wedding attire prepared by his family. Instead, he put on a traveling robe and straw hat. He decided to go out alone, carrying the Crouching Tiger waist token, and head to the faraway Monster-slaying Bureau, to take over the responsibilities of the Pacification Officer.

It’s not that he doesn’t care about here, but the long-standing preparations and the reality he has personally witnessed have completely worn out his patience. He cannot stay here; he wants to seek revenge, to slay monsters.

The Bai family suffered even more tragic losses than the Liu family. Apart from him, everyone else has died. He alone buried his loved ones.

If one were to say there was no hatred, it would be false. It’s just that he concealed it well, suppressing the hysteria, anger, and grief.

Choosing to leave perhaps also included a hint of an escape mentality. He wanted to avoid Liu Xiaowan and the gaze of the fellow villagers.

In their eyes, he is still a detested target. Having a specific object to hate would give them some relief.

Bai Wei doesn’t mind carrying a bit of hatred, but he cannot stay here. Otherwise, he would be restless. It’s better to carry the hate of these people with him on a distant journey, fulfilling his role as a Crouching Tiger, slaying monsters, and venting his inner resentment.

So he also has to leave.

Liu Xiaowan is no longer as close to him as before. She is consciously avoiding him, and there is always a sense of resistance in her heart, like a nightmare haunting the two of them. In the end, only time can heal this scar.

Bai Wei said, "I will come back to see you within two years…Don’t worry, I will also send money back."

In front of the town, Bai Wei rode off into the distance, and it wasn’t just Liu Er who bid him farewell. Most people were watching from afar, their expressions complex.

After that, time flew by, and four years passed.