Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 68: Missing

"As for my little sister, I bet she’s down at the river catching fish this early!"

Lu Haozi said.

Lu Chang’sheng thought to himself, five years passed and that little kid was now eight or nine. Of course she’d be down by the river, so he said, "I’ll go have a look!"

He took a path that circled the village and came to the riverside. Right away, he spotted a bunch of kids splashing about in the water, and stood on the riverbank watching, his heart full of nostalgia for those old days.

Soon enough, he spotted a small, skinny figure popping out of the river.

But what made Lu Chang’sheng feel uneasy was that Heitu seemed to be left out, fishing all alone by herself.

"Heitu!"

He called out.

Lu Heitu was sitting on the riverbank, catching her breath, soaking wet all over. When she saw someone else catching a fish, her eyes carried a hint of envy.

"If only Second Brother were home—he’s so good at fishing!" Lu Heitu swung her legs in the water.

Then, she heard someone call her. She turned and froze, stunned.

"Second Brother?"

When Lu Chang’sheng nodded, she let out a squeal, jumped up, and dashed towards him, flinging herself into his arms like a baby koala, clinging to him tightly.

······

One after another, the Lu kids, Wang kids, Li Family girls, Niu Family sons, and even Zhao Hu—who’d been off in Black Mountain Prefecture for years—came home. Half the village was buzzing with excitement.

Everyone thought it was that little sister, the one who married into a rich household as a concubine in Prefecture City, coming back. Zhao Deshui even led his family out to welcome her. It wasn’t long before the news got out.

He just stood there, stunned, then took off running towards the Lu Family’s house. When he saw the carriage by the roadside, his heart skipped a beat and a flicker of panic rose inside him.

All those shady things he’d done in the past rushed into his mind again.

If these folks hadn’t made something of themselves, he could’ve kept them under his thumb. But now... it looked like they were doing pretty well for themselves.

"Better hope Zhao Hu keeps his mouth shut!"

He worried to himself.

Lu Chang’sheng carried Lu Heitu home. The girl was so scrawny it was no trouble at all, so he didn’t put her down.

As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he saw someone coming—Mr. Lu, who’d left the house that morning.

He saw how Lu Chang’sheng was dressed and got nervous, stepping aside quickly. But then he spotted Lu Heitu in his arms.

"Heitu!" Mr. Lu cried in utter shock, thinking this well-dressed young man from a wealthy family must be up to no good. He clenched his fists, ready to charge at him—when that "young master" just smiled and called out, "Father." Suddenly, Mr. Lu was totally confused.

He looked closer—well, I’ll be! How come he looks so much like our Er Dan?

"You’re—Er Dan?"

When Lu Chang’sheng nodded, Mr. Lu was jolted awake, rushing over and grabbing Lu Chang’sheng’s hand.

"Good, good, good! Just glad you made it back alive!"

As he spoke, his eyes were already getting misty.

They went back inside. The once quiet and still courtyard instantly became lively as a marketplace.

Zhao Hu got up to greet Mr. Lu. The two were of the same generation and chatted with each other about the old days. Meanwhile, Lu Chang’sheng helped his family with this and that.

Soon, Wang Heihou, Li Nangua, and Niu Dazhuang showed up with their families too.

They’d all talked to their folks about what happened in Black Mountain Prefecture, and everyone knew that it was Lu Chang’sheng who had led them all along the way. One after another, they came to thank him personally.

Mr. and Mrs. Lu insisted that everyone stay for dinner.

The next few days, the Lu Family’s house was packed. Anyone in the village who had any sort of connection with them came visiting.

Mr. Lu had never seen anything like this. He was visibly nervous, but that big grin on his face just wouldn’t go away.

He knew his second son had made something of himself, even became an official in Black Mountain Prefecture, way better off than Zhao Deshui’s sister who’d married rich. At last, he could let his heart settle down.

But new worries showed up.

"Zhao Gouzi came to me, said he’d let his daughter marry in if we agreed!"

That night, as everyone ate dinner together, Mr. Lu brought up the matter.

"And over at Li Xiaogou’s place too!"

Mrs. Lu added.

The family’s situation had improved. Marrying a daughter in now was a golden opportunity, and no one wanted to be left behind.

"Big Brother, what are your thoughts?"

Lu Chang’sheng turned to Lu Haozi.

Deep down, he still held on to his outlook from his previous life, so he didn’t want to meddle in his big brother’s marriage. As long as Big Brother was happy, he’d just help however he could.

The only reason their parents brought this up was because they were worried about Ma Xiaocao’s health.

"I can’t let Xiaocao down!" Lu Haozi said, lowering his head, but his voice was steady and firm.

Lu Chang’sheng glanced at the hesitance on his parents’ faces and asked, "What’s Xiaocao’s character like?"

Mr. Lu sighed, "Her character’s not bad. She always thinks about others. It’s just her health—she’s so frail, when it comes to having children..."

Lu Chang’sheng shook his head. "If her character’s good, that’s what matters. Weak health can be nursed back slowly, and if it doesn’t get better, well, Big Brother can always take a few more concubines later!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Lu Haozi panicked and almost fumbled his chopsticks, wishing he could just disappear.

Lu Heitu blinked her big eyes and ladled a big chunk of meat into everyone’s bowl.

This was the kind of life she’d dreamed about, and now it had finally come true.

It was wonderful!

"Alright then!"

Mr. and Mrs. Lu both nodded.

Ever since Lu Chang’sheng returned home, the family had somehow shifted into a house where his word carried the most weight.

"By the way, there’s something else—I think we should all move to the city, to Prefecture City. What do you two think?"

Lu Chang’sheng spoke up about his idea.

"Well... we’re used to life here. Why don’t you go on ahead?" Mr. Lu hesitated.

Lu Chang’sheng knew his father was uneasy about moving somewhere unfamiliar, so he smiled and said, "No worries. It’s not just our family, Black Monkey’s and Dazhuang’s families, they’ll all come too!"

"The world’s just not safe these days. Who knows if war might reach our village? I won’t feel safe if you two stay here."

"Alright, alright..." Seeing that, Mr. Lu ran out of reasons to say no.

The next day, everyone started getting ready for Big Brother Lu Haozi’s wedding. Lu Chang’sheng went to the open patch of land where he’d practiced archery as a kid and started training on the Flood Stake.

He’d been working on Flood Stake training for a while and didn’t want to give it up just yet. Still, once back in the city, he’d have to find Lin Xiaowen and get the recipe for the medicinal soups again.

Every Martial Arts pile skill had its own special tonic soup recipe. Other recipes worked, but the results just weren’t as good.

After training for a while, he felt his whole body flush with heat, his Essence, Qi, and Spirit surging. Then, he moved on to blade practice.

Before long, his blade grew faster and faster, and soon it seemed as if four blades were spinning through the air at once.

"The Four-Sided Blade Technique—reached Great Success!"

Peeking at the Light Curtain Panel, Lu Chang’sheng was thrilled.

The Four-Sided Blade Technique might have been a beginner’s blade skill, nothing special, but reaching Great Success with it was no small feat. In the city’s underworld, with a blade skill like this and some caution, a man could hack himself out a name to be reckoned with.

"And look at that, my lifespan’s finally gone up a year!"

Originally, his lifespan was capped at 55. Now, it showed 56.

It wasn’t that his blade skill boosted his lifespan directly—it was that those years of training and recovering from the wear and tear of life had restored him a bit, so his lifespan recovered along with it.

"Gotta keep training Martial Arts, that’s for sure!"

Lu Haozi’s wedding went off without a hitch. Ma Xiaocao’s family was so poor—her father died during the big drought, leaving only her old mother to scrape by, barely keeping things together.

In those circumstances, it seemed like just a matter of time before the family fell apart. Ma Xiaocao could’ve sold herself into a wealthy household as a servant, but she wouldn’t abandon her old mother. She chose to stay in the village, and that’s how she met Lu Haozi.

A lot of folks said that the marriage would only make things worse for both families, but no one expected everything to change once Lu Chang’sheng came home.

Under the bright sun, the thin Ma Xiaocao put on a brand-new red dress and, with her old mother’s support, walked step by step towards the street, staring in amazement at the carriage parked in front of the house.

She told herself, once she was married, she’d work hard to be a good wife and keep both families afloat. Hard work was fine. She never expected that in the blink of an eye, Lu Haozi’s whole life would change.

He even brought a horse carriage to fetch his bride.

In that moment, she could feel all the envy and jealousy from the folks around her.

Lu Chang’sheng personally drove the carriage for his big brother, then helped him out, watching as Big Brother took Ma Xiaocao onto the carriage. He smiled to himself, flicked the reins, and headed home.

Since finances were tight, the wedding banquet was humble and simple. The very next day, the families started packing up, getting ready to move to Black Mountain Prefecture.

"Didn’t see Nangua at all today," Lu Chang’sheng said, after practicing Flood Stake for a while. He asked Wang Heihou and Niu Dazhuang.

"No idea. But these last couple days, Nangua hasn’t seemed too happy," Wang Heihou said.

Lu Chang’sheng fell silent for a moment.

"Guess Nangua’s feelings for her family are more hate than love," Wang Heihou sighed.

Back before going to Black Mountain Prefecture, Li Nangua’s family had tried to sell her off in town. It didn’t work out, so in the end they sent her off to Black Mountain.

Even the little bit of copper coins she had was only because her mother took pity on her and snuck the money into her hands behind everyone else’s back.

"Her mother fell ill this time around too."

"Why didn’t you say so sooner?" Lu Chang’sheng glared at him.

Wang Heihou gave a wry grin. "I just heard from my mom. Nangua never told me."

The three of them headed for the Li Family’s house, but as soon as they reached the courtyard, a commotion started up from inside.

"What’s happened?"

Lu Chang’sheng stopped a young man. When the guy saw how sturdy the three of them looked, his eyes lit up. "You gotta help me, my little sister’s gone missing in the mountains!"

What!

The three of them were stunned.

Li Nangua was missing!