"Then I'll trouble Senior Yuanen."
Hearing this, Tang Luochuan didn't refuse. He smiled gently, his attitude quite friendly.
After all, the person before him was a top-tier Ultimate Douluo of the current era and Ye Hui's grandfather. No matter what, he deserved this level of respect.
"Given your relationship with Ye Hui, why be so formal? Tianshang, you handle the accommodation arrangements. And Ye Hui, you take young friend Luo Chuan to... no problem, right?"
Yuanen Zhentian laughed heartily and shook his head. As he spoke, his kind eyes turned toward his granddaughter. This child of his who had been sensible and well-behaved since childhood...
Had truly grown into a graceful young woman!
"Of course, no problem at all."
Hearing this, Yuanen Yehui immediately nodded with a smile and agreed without hesitation. Taking Luo Chuan around the city where she once lived was exactly what she had been looking forward to for so long.
But soon, her originally excited expression instantly turned somber.
"Grandpa, my father..."
"How is he now..."
The next moment, she took a deep breath and spoke with indescribable emotion.
Father.
Ever since the day she left the family, the scene of her mother collapsing in a pool of blood and her father kneeling beside her had remained etched in her heart, impossible to shake off...
She also knew that later, her father had his cultivation destroyed by her grandfather. His original Super Douluo cultivation could never be restored, making him no different from a cripple...
But he was still grandpa's son, the former young master of the family. Surely father would be alright...
"..."
Upon hearing this, the smile on Yuanen Zhentian's face instantly vanished. His originally kind face clouded with gloom, ultimately transforming into a heavy sigh.
His eldest son Yuanen Tiandang was originally a genius with talent surpassing even his own, but now...
"About your father..."
"I'll take you to see him. Luo Chuan, come along too. As for these two honored ones..."
Slowly, Yuanen Zhentian composed himself and looked toward the two people beside Tang Luochuan.
Young friend Luo Chuan was fine - since Ye Hui had brought him home, and as her boyfriend and the one who brought Ye Hui back, he would be family in the future. But these two honored ones...
He still didn't really want others to know about his son's condition, even if these two were Luo Chuan's people.
"Di Tian, Jin Chi, please wait here for a while. I'll accompany Senior Yuanen to visit uncle."
Seeing Yuanen Zhentian's concerns, Tang Luochuan smiled slightly and spoke slowly to the two.
"Yes."
Di Tian and Sima Jinchi immediately responded respectfully.
"Tianshang, quickly arrange tea for these two."
"Young friend Luo Chuan, Ye Hui..."
"Let's go."
Seeing this, Yuanen Zhentian breathed a sigh of relief, then turned around and gestured for the two to follow him.
"Father, I'll come too."
Yuanen Tianshang first acknowledged the instruction, then called for other clan members to make the arrangements. Taking a deep breath, he spoke with complex emotions in his eyes.
"It's been a long time since I've seen elder brother..."
After all, they were biological brothers. Despite the accident many years ago, how could he not want to see his long-unseen elder brother again, especially...
This time, the grown-up Ye Hui had returned.
She even brought along a future son-in-law whose destiny remained unknown. With the appearance of these two, perhaps her eldest brother's unimproved physical and mental state could finally be healed.
"..."
Hearing this, the previously dazed Yuanen Zhentian froze momentarily before nodding, his eyes reddening.
They walked out of the Yuanen family's residence on the mountainside and continued upward. Soon, at the mountain peak, a small house enveloped by powerful Soul Power came into view.
As Tang Luochuan and Yuanen Yehui approached and opened the door, a disheveled middle-aged man with vacant eyes suddenly appeared before them.
His hands and feet were confined there, with not a trace of Soul Power emanating from his entire being - the perfect image of a broken man.
"..."
Witnessing this scene, Tang Luochuan took a deep breath. This desolate and defeated man before him was once the brightest star of the Yuanen family, and also Ye Hui's father...
The former Super Douluo, Yuanen Tiandang!
A Titled Douluo in his thirties, reaching Super Douluo status by forty - becoming an Ultimate Douluo had been virtually guaranteed. What a pity...
"..."
The moment they entered, Yuanen Zhentian released the restraints on his son.
Though sensing movement at the doorway, Yuanen Tiandang showed no reaction, his heart filled only with thoughts of death - until the next moment...
"Father..."
Seeing the state of the person before her, Yuanen Yehui could no longer contain her emotions. Tears burst from her eyes as she rushed forward, sobbing the words.
This was her father, one of the people who loved her most in this world. The once majestic and heroic Titan Douluo now...
Reduced to such a state.
Her own father... already resolved to die?
"You are..."
Looking at the girl before him, especially upon hearing her call him father, Yuanen Tiandang visibly stiffened, speaking with disbelief in his voice.
Gazing into those tear-filled eyes, his emotions stirred slightly. How she resembled the little girl from his fondest memories, the one who always clung to him and his beloved wife, acting spoiled.
If little Ye Hui had remained with the family, she would probably be about this age by now...
"Father, I'm Ye Hui!"
Staring at this father who didn't even recognize her, Yuanen Yehui cried out.
"Ye Hui..."
Hearing this name, Yuanen Tiandang's pupils contracted violently, his previously vacant eyes instantly clearing.
"Ye... Ye Hui?"
His voice carried a broken tremor as he staggered half a step forward. Looking at the young woman who so resembled his memories, finally, she merged with the adorable little girl who used to stay by him and his wife.
She had returned...
His daughter had returned.
"Father..."
"I'm back."
Unable to hold back her tears, Yuanen Yehui nodded vigorously before stepping forward to embrace him. Father and daughter held each other, weeping together.
"..."
Witnessing this scene, Tang Luochuan momentarily lost himself before quietly turning around and exiting the house, sighing inwardly.
This moment had been too long in coming for both of them. For Yuanen Tiandang, his daughter represented his last hope in this world, the only key to dissolving his death wish.
And for Ye Hui, returning to this place and reuniting with family marked nothing less than the first major step forward since she had left the family.
"..."
"Luo Chuan, you must be wondering why I would imprison Ye Hui's father, my eldest son, like a prisoner here..."
Beside them, Yuanen Zhentian also stepped forward, wiping away tears as his gaze fell upon the equally dazed Tang Luochuan, speaking slowly.
"This junior does not know, but I can see that Uncle carries an unresolved burden in his heart. Senior likely did this for Uncle's own good."
Tang Luochuan shook his head and replied slowly.
"You know about Ye Hui's mother, don't you? Ever since that day when she unleashed her Demon Summoning Ability, killed countless relatives, and even Tian Shang's wife before taking her own life, your Uncle Yuanen..."
"Has never had a single day of hope in his life. I claimed to have crippled his cultivation, but in truth, I only sealed his abilities..."
"His heart holds only the desire for death."
(End of Chapter)