Chapter Fifty-Two: Alas, That Was Not Love (Second Update)

Five days later, it was time for Du Gu Ling to leave Cold Moon City and head to the Divine Hidden Pavilion.

At this moment, Du Gu Ling stood at the city gate with Ouyang Chi and an elderly man dressed in white robes. Du Gu Ling wore a fitted black outfit, soft leather trousers, and boots of steel toes and silver thread, tightly bound at the ankles with ox sinew. Slung across his back was a long spear, Bloodbane, taller than a man, and a shining black iron war hammer. His head of silver-white hair danced in the wind. He was truly a figure of heroic bearing.

Ouyang Chi, too, was dressed in white today. He sat inside the carriage, pulling aside the curtain and urging Du Gu Ling, “Du Gu Ling, it’s time for us to go.”

A crowd had gathered at the city gate to see them off: some were officials and nobles of Cold Moon City, some were Ouyang Chi’s friends, but most were the workers from Iron Ox Smithy.

Du Gu Ling looked at these masters who had come to bid him farewell. His days at Iron Ox had been short—barely a year. He still remembered arriving as a clueless boy. Yet Elder Yuan Longba, the smithy’s patriarch, had not turned him away, accepting him as his foster son. Yuan Tianci, the elder brother, claimed him as a sworn sibling, and the smiths treated him with warmth and care.

Thinking of this—and of Yuan Tianci’s death—a sharp pain stabbed at Du Gu Ling’s heart. He remembered the happy times, the meals shared with his foster father Yuan Longba, elder brother Yuan Tianci, and little Yuan Shanshan. Though not bound by blood, the affection they gave surpassed any kinship, and Du Gu Ling’s nose began to sting.

He remembered clearly the laughter at the dinner table, the joy on their faces as they strolled through the streets, the playful contests at the anvil with his elder brother. All those treasured memories replayed vividly before his eyes.

Du Gu Ling was a child of sorrow, a boy without a past, without even a true name—his current name had been given by the village chief of Du Gu Village. Even so, he was fortunate. Though orphaned, he had twice experienced the feeling of family, understood what home meant, and the warmth it held.

He touched his aching nose gently. If Yuan Tianci had lived, he would surely have been among those seeing him off. With this thought, Du Gu Ling looked towards Sunset City, silently vowing to gain entrance to the Divine Hidden Pavilion, master its arts, and avenge his brother.

A breeze swept through his silver hair, sunlight fell on his bronzed skin, reflecting a face aged well beyond its twenty years. He had lived much and suffered more.

At that moment, a large hand rested on Du Gu Ling’s shoulder. It was his foster father, Yuan Longba. “Child, don’t think too much. Your life is yours to walk. Do what you wish, and always believe in yourself. Remember, the power to change fate comes from believing in your own strength,” Yuan Longba said, his words heavy with meaning, as if he understood Du Gu Ling’s thoughts.

Du Gu Ling’s eyes burned. Tears threatened to spill, but he held them back; men shed blood, not tears—this was not a moment for crying. He listened closely to the elder’s words, as if his own father were guiding him. ‘Believe in your strength; it will change your destiny.’ He etched that phrase into his heart; spoken by Yuan Longba, it felt infused with magic, filling Du Gu Ling with resolve.

Ah, the heart of a parent is ever sorrowful. When children set out into the world, parents cannot help but repeat their advice—the simplest, purest expression of love. Du Gu Ling nodded fiercely, “Yes, I understand,” he replied softly.

He looked up at the crowd, scanning each face, searching for someone. His expectation turned to disappointment. “She still won’t forgive me?” he asked, his voice heavy with loss.

Yuan Longba understood whom he meant. He sighed. Since Yuan Tianci’s death, Yuan Shanshan had blamed everything on Du Gu Ling, believing he was the cause of her father’s demise. The vows once made, the ten-year promise, now proved fragile, shattered with a single touch.

“Child, don’t worry about it. Shanshan just hasn’t found her way out of grief yet…” Yuan Longba tried to explain.

Du Gu Ling interrupted him. “Enough, foster father, there’s no need to say more. I understand everything.”

A bitter smile tugged at Du Gu Ling’s lips. What a pity—we were too young then; perhaps it was never love. He realized that he and Yuan Shanshan were perhaps only a fleeting part of each other’s lives, and he was merely a trial in hers. Trials pass and end.

Perhaps this feeling was merely the curiosity of youth—a sweetness to recall in later years, when the persistence of that time remains. Not everything needs an outcome; having experienced it is enough.

Du Gu Ling took a jade box from his bundle and handed it to Yuan Longba. “What’s this?” Yuan Longba asked, surprised.

Du Gu Ling pressed it into his hand quietly. “Open it when you’re home, foster father. What’s inside is important—please be careful.”

Inside the box was a rare herb, a treasure Du Gu Ling had gathered from a hidden cliff sanctuary. He knew he owed Yuan Longba much, and this was his way of repaying a fraction of that debt.

“Du Gu Ling, it’s time to go,” Ouyang Chi called again.

“Coming,” Du Gu Ling replied.

“Go, child,” Yuan Longba said, his voice full of paternal affection.

Du Gu Ling nodded heavily. “Take care, foster father.” Without looking back, he walked away—afraid that if he turned, the tears so carefully held in check would finally fall.

He climbed into the carriage. Ouyang Chi asked, “Is everything in order? We should leave.”

“Yes, everything’s arranged,” Du Gu Ling replied. He looked out the window at those who had come to see him off, and at the land where he had spent the past year. Quietly, he said his goodbyes.

The carriage rolled forward. The days of Cold Moon City were over, but the world belonging to this young man was just beginning. The road ahead was fraught with destiny—everything was only starting.

Ps: The main character finally sets off for cultivation. The next chapter, “Divine Hidden Pavilion,” will begin the long-awaited journey. What are you waiting for? Cast your votes, send flowers, recommend, and add to your favorites. Let Qiemao update even faster.