Heretic Doctor Zihou - Chapter 59

Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

 The Woods Outside the City.

 “Qi Mengde, previously, if it weren’t for you, would my Xue-er have suffered so much?” Wei Guoting dealt a blow with unlimited energy as he questioned coldly.

 “Wei Guoting, you still dare to blame me? Didn’t you cause your daughter to end up in her current state yourself?” Qi Mengde sneered in despise as he retorted.

 “Hahaha. Previously, it was because you disallowed them to be together that caused today’s situation! Qi Mengde, it’s your retribution that your son has never returned to your estate for more than twenty years!” Wei Guoting looked up and laughed out loud, gritting his teeth as he spoke.

 Hearing this, Qi Mengde’s body stiffened as his face darkened immediately. Instantly, he gritted his teeth as he countered with a snigger. “Wei Guoting, it’s also your retribution that your daughter has been stuck alone in the palace and afflicted by harem politics for so many years!”

 “Qi Mengde, you old foggy!”

 “Wei Guoting, you should have died long ago!”

 The two of them shouted at the same time. After that, the two of them clashed again, beginning another round of attacks…

 Momentarily, storms raged.

 Upon reaching the woods, Zihou heard the exchanges between the two of them as she stood there, stunned, with a hazy and unsettling glow in her eyes.

 She finally understood the origin of the Forgotten Love Room in the First Impressions Restaurant. She finally understood why was the First Impressions Restaurant named as such. She finally understood…

 Everything regarding Qi Hao and Wei Qinxue flashed past her head. Everything that had happened, after the explanation today, seemed to make sense. So, everything had already started from twenty-odd years ago and caused the situation now, twenty-odd years later…

 Indeed, everything had been decided by fate!

 At this moment, she didn’t know what she should do, because everything today was due to the previous generation’s unsettled disputes and it wasn’t clear who was in the right and who was in the wrong after all the drama.

 “Stop it, the two of you!” An extremely loud and clear yell, with extremely hazy energy, came on suddenly like thunder, gathering Zihou’s thoughts back…

 Looking to the source of the voice, a green and tall figure came on rapidly from the distance like at the speed of light…

 The end of the hazy yell violently repelled Wei Guoting and Qi Mengde who were embroiled in an intense duel. This energy was so strong that it actually made the two black aura Level 4 cultivators step back uncontrollably in a fluster…

 Wei Guoting and Qi Mengde stepped back with shocked expressions. They simply couldn’t believe that there was someone who was actually so powerful that even before appearing, he could pressurize them and make them unable to retaliate!

 “You guys, it’s been so many years—haven’t you had enough?” When that figure got clearer, he stopped not far away from the two people, his face dark and hazy, his tone clear and harsh.

 The wind made his green robe dance loudly. His looks were manly and handsome and within his melancholic and experienced eyes, ripples flowed gently…

 “The lad from the Qi Family… it’s you!” Wei Guoting pointed at the tall man in a green robe with a jade-like face—besides being stunned, his face was also filled with complicated feelings.

 At this moment, he couldn’t help but bemoan that time flew. So many years had passed—counting now, he hadn’t seen Qi Hao in more than ten years. Unexpectedly, after so many years, the lad had already transformed and grew to such an extent. His aura and capability were in stark contrast to before!

 “Hao-er…” Qi Mengde sat on the floor weakly, looking all haggard, as he looked at the person before him without blinking, his aged face a mix of excitement, joy, nostalgia, regret, helplessness, heartache, and all sorts of feelings…

 The person before him was the son that he loved the most and also the one that he had let down the most. Throughout the years, he had been thinking incessantly that if previously, he wasn’t so determined and selfish, would everything have ended up differently?

 However, that was the charm and cruelty of the world—there… wasn’t any ifs!

 When Qi Mengde looked at Qi Hao, Qi Hao’s gaze also stayed on Qi Mengde. This was the father that he had looked up to the most, yet also the person who ruined his happiness with his own hands.

 He had hated, resented, thought, and suffered for more than twenty years—so many years had passed. Till now, happiness, sadness, separations, reunions, pain, and heartaches were all that he had been through. Thinking back, everything didn’t seem so important anymore…

 That was the case for hatred and also for other feelings!

 Qi Hao sized up Qi Mengde—from the initial complication, gradually turning into mildness, and finally became still as if he were looking at a stranger.

 Due to Qi Hao’s unfeeling gaze, Qi Mengde’s body gradually turned cold. It had been so many years—he had pined, waited, begged, and regretted for more than twenty years—unexpectedly, when the time finally came, it ended up as such a scene!

 They were already as good as strangers!

 “What happened previously is already in the past! Both of you don’t have to blame each other because of that. I won’t blame the two of you, and I think Xue-er wouldn’t either! Let’s just pretend that nothing has happened!” Qi Hao’s deep eyes glanced at Wei Guoting before shifting away instantly, landing on emptiness, his cold and toneless voice carrying a tinge of distance and heartlessness.

 Hearing this, Wei Guoting’s initial murderous and raging aged face gradually lost its radiance. Momentarily, he sat weakly on the ground with his head hung…

 Qi Mengde’s cloudy eyes were already red and moist. It was like his soul was sucked out of him. How could he not know what his own son meant? To pretend that nothing had happened meant to take it as he had never had this son! From now on, their father and son relationship would be severed and they wouldn’t contact each other as they age and die!

 “Hao-er…” Qi Mengde shook his head lightly as he looked intently at Qi Hao, begging with his eyes!

 However, Qi Hao’s heart seemed to have hardened as he glanced at Qi Mengde before turning back, leaving him a silhouette and destroying all of his hope…

 “Girl, how about having some drinks with your uncle?” Qi Hao turned back and looked at Zihou as a tinge of a smile appeared on his expressionless and quiet face.

 “My pleasure!” Zihou agreed as she returned a mild smile.

 She took a good look at Wei Guoting—he seemed to be so badly hit that he wouldn’t be able to get up. However, he was still in a slightly better state than Qi Mengde who seemed to have suffered an earth-shattering blow, so much so that his pale face seemed to have aged twenty years in an instant.

 She could imagine—the two of them who were once in high and mighty spirits were now lonely and dilapidated in the wind, reminiscing the past—how regretful they were!

 She couldn’t help but sigh—if they had known that it would come to this, why did they still act that way?

 Atop the First Impressions Restaurant.

 “Girl, excuse me for what happened today.” Qi Hao passed a pot of top-grade peach wine to Zihou with a tinge of a smile on his handsome face. His voice was slightly hoarse, and he was obviously laughing at himself.

 “Oh, this First Impressions Restaurant must be where aunt first met Uncle Hao?” Zihou received the wine passed by Qi Hao, opened its cover, leaned back, and took a gulp. She looked sideways at Qi Hao beside her, didn’t continue the conversation, and instead chose to change the topic.

 Hearing this, Qi Hao’s smile stiffened. He looked slightly upwards at the bright moon in the sky, his eyes seeming as dark as the night sky. He seemed to be reminiscing the past judging from his lonely eyes…

 “Indeed, previously, I’d first met her here!” After a long while, Qi Hao nodded and admitted. Both of them knew that she only belonged in the painting…

 He could never forget the bluestone road and the sunny day that year, and all the more couldn’t forget that peerlessly beautiful smile as she looked back…

 And from that day, that person became the inexorable doom in his life. In the days that followed, gentleness, tenderness, resentment, sadness, joy, separations, and reunions intertwined into a beautiful dream. He was unwilling to awake from it and was even willing to die for it!

 However, this world was eventually heartless. After all, fireworks came to the world but as a dream. Too many practical matters finally pressurized them to submit to fate and go their separate ways…

 All these years, he had questioned himself over and over again—if they had stayed together boldly then, would things have ended differently?

 If only time stopped at the moment of their first meeting—how could love be thrown around, useless as fans in winter?

 “Then, Uncle Hao, do you still love my aunt?” Zihou’s words stunned Qi Hao once again.

 “Girl, why didn’t you ask about our past?” After the initial shock, Qi Hao smiled mildly and asked, puzzled.

 “The past is already over and there’s no point in talking about it. Although we can’t change the past, we can change the present and the future.” Zihou raised her brow slightly as she replied mildly. There was no need for her to know about everything that happened between Qi Hao and Wei Qinxue in the past. At this point, if she were to make Qi Hao recount it, it would undoubtedly remind him of the pain—what for?

 The past was already over…

 Qi Hao’s gaze deepened and his heart sank—he actually felt enlightened. Over the years, he had held on stubbornly and was even obsessed about the past. He had thought that his experiences and realizations over the years had given him huge insights, yet he never thought that till now, he had still been subjective and confused!

 “I do—naturally, I still love her!” Qi Hao suddenly got up, kept his arms behind him, and looked up into the distance with the moonlight shining on his determined face.

 Zihou looked in the direction of Qi Hao’s gaze—in the moonlight, through the roofs, and when she finally saw the target, a glow flashed past her eyes.

 At the end of those buildings was the Western Chu palace!

 Only then did Zihou realize that at their current location, the tiles on the roof were already chaffed—a sign that it was frequented by someone. She couldn’t help but think that in these twenty-odd years, this person must have been standing at the top of this building every night and looking into the distance in solitude—regardless of the brightness of the moon and stars and whether it was windy, rainy, or snowy.

 “Then, Uncle Hao, in these twenty-odd years, have you ever regretted?” Zihou couldn’t help but feel shocked. Just how deep was the love which waited consistently for more than twenty years?

 Qi Hao’s reply to Zihou was a silent shake of his head. He had not regretted twenty-odd years ago and still didn’t regret it the least bit twenty-odd years later. Even if other twenty-odd years passed, he wouldn’t regret it either!

 Perhaps, there was still a glimmer of hope in him that they could reunite!

 “Put it this way—Uncle Hao, I don’t know what exactly happened between you and my aunt, but in my opinion, if you like her, you’ll have to go for it. If you don’t even fight for it, it’ll only leave regret in your heart.”

 “At this stage, how can I fight for it?” Qi Hao laughed at himself and shook his head. If he could, he would have fought for it more than twenty years ago. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had to wait for so many painful years.

 “Why not?” Zihou’s brows lifted slightly as she asked.

 “She’s already a concubine with her own children. What else can I do?” Qi Hao muttered, his face filled with desolation. It was a fact that the woman that he loved was already someone else’s wife. Even after more than twenty years, he still had a hard time accepting it.

 “So what if she’s a concubine? So what if she’s someone else’s wife? Or does Uncle Hao mind the Wei Qinxue now?” Zihou asked him back coldly, her words and voice harsh.

 “No, I’ve never minded her! As long as it’s her, no matter what happens, I won’t mind her!” Qi Hao said loudly, his voice filled with determination.

 “In that case, what is Uncle Hao still troubled over?”

 “So many years have passed, I don’t know if Xue-er…” He didn’t know if Xue-er still loved him or if she still hated him. He didn’t dare to face it—he was afraid that she still hated him. He was even more afraid that if he went to look for her, she would eventually still reject him…

 “You’re afraid that she doesn’t love you anymore? Uncle Hao, for some things, you’ll never know until you ask. Let me tell you—I went to the palace today and saw aunt. I thought that perhaps she still… loves you!” If she didn’t care, why would Wei Qinxue mind her own looks? If she didn’t care, why did she fill the entire courtyard with hybrid tea roses? If she didn’t care, why didn’t she mention that part of her past?

 She thought that there must be someone in her heart, someone that she was pinning for!

 With these words, Qi Hao’s aura which had been silent for many years felt vaguely hit. Extreme disbelief filled his eyes and his face looked stunned.

 “Girl, what did you say? Say it again!” Qi Hao held tightly onto Zihou’s shoulders in agitation as he spoke in a pressing tone.

 “I said that for some things, you’ve gotta go ask yourself to get an answer! Also, Uncle Hao, I’m being crushed by you!” Zihou rolled her eyes and said helplessly. Qi Hao was already a tall and strong man—being squashed by him like this made her appear even more frail and weak…

 “Girl, I’m sorry…” Hearing this, Qi Hao immediately released Zihou, his face filled with apology.

 “You don’t have to be too worked up either. A long time has already passed since the matters between the two of you, it’s about time for a conclusion!” Zihou touched her shoulders which had been pressed by Qi Hao and said mildly.

 This matter could either be seen as a complicated or simple thing, depending on one’s point of view. It seemed like without external forces, things between Qi Hao and Wei Qinxue would simply pass in a blur for the whole of their lives. Now, she was that external force, and the rest was up to them!

 Qi Hao slammed down on the floor, motionless, his expression in a trace that had never been seen before. Zihou’s words were like a ray of sunshine shining into his dark life of more than twenty years. He had thought that he could only spend the rest of his life reminiscing their memories. However, unexpectedly, after more than twenty years, he could still actually see hope!

 Once again, he felt that his frozen heart was beating steadily as if he had returned to the moment when they first met…

 Only after drinking with Qi Hao atop the First Impressions Restaurant, enjoying a night’s cold breeze, and seeing the sun rise from the east did Zihou shockingly realize that she had been busy running around for the two of them for the entire day and night.

 She felt slightly speechless in her heart, all the more feeling that she was fated to a life of hard work. Otherwise, why did those old things of the past and even dramatic love stories needed her touch?

 “I think it’s time for me to go!” Zihou pointed to the twilight at the edge of the sky, shrugged, and said.

 Looking toward the direction of Zihou’s finger, Qi Hao looked slightly embarrassed as he said apologetically, “Girl, so sorry to hold you back for the whole night.”

 “Oh, no worries. Take it as I’m returning the favor for the rosewood token previously!” Zihou waved her hand and said indifferently.

 The two of them got down from the restaurant, Qi Hao sent Zihou to the door, and he suddenly remembered something. “Oh, yes—in a few days, there’ll be a grand auction in the auction house under my name. You can come and have a look—perhaps there’ll be some unexpected treasures!”

 Auction?

 Zihou’s eyes glowed with interest. It dawned on her that it had been a long time since she arrived in the Vast Lands and she had still yet to see how auctions here looked like. However, it should be very interesting! Zihou’s lips curled up slightly as a glimmer of slyness flashed in her eyes…

 Back at the Wei Estate, Zihou made up for her lost sleep. After she woke up, Ya-er immediately dashed in with extreme excitement, as though she was on drugs.

 “Young Mistress, grand news!” Ya-er shouted her lungs out excitedly before simply getting lost in herself without continuing.

 “What happened?” Zihou glanced at the silly Ya-er and asked helplessly.

 “He’s here, he’s here…” Ya-er became even more worked up.

 “Who’s here?” Zihou frowned deeply as she felt like slapping Ya-er to death.

 “Cloud King from the Lingguo Estate! He’s here at our Wei Estate!” Ya-er gritted her teeth and kept her eyes shut while she finished the sentence in one breath. However, she passed out from excitement…

 Lingguo Estate, Mo Yunhuang?

 Once she heard the news, Zihou was slightly stunned. What was Mo Yunhuang’s motive for coming to the Wei Estate? Based on her knowledge, Mo Yunhuang had never visited anyone else—could it be…

 Zihou glanced at Ya-er who had passed out on the floor and her lips twitched. Then, she strode over Ya-er’s body and ran towards the grand hall…