Quinn’s teleportation only sent Grandpa Blind a short distance—less than a li from Mizu Pass, with the Great Ruins looming behind him.
For Grandpa Blind, disrupting Quinn’s teleportation was no challenge; Quinn could only manage to send him this far.
Silently, Grandpa Blind returned to Mizu Pass, found Quinn, and—without a word—unsealed the divine treasury seals on Lynn Ling and Serena Yunxiang. Then, leaning on his bamboo cane, he tapped his way out alone.
Quinn froze in place. "Grandpa Blind..."
"You’ve grown up. You’ve really grown up..."
Cloudy tears slipped from Grandpa Blind’s empty eye sockets. The faster he walked, the more they fell. The child he raised had finally grown up, but a sudden ache of loss swept over him. Quinn would likely never follow him back to Oldridge Village again, never be that small boy who once carried him on his back to practice punches.
This foundling had his own ideas now, and the ability to protect himself. His heart had grown wild; after seeing the outside world, he would never want to stay in Oldridge Village—a place with nothing but a handful of old men and women.
Grandpa Blind walked swiftly away. Quinn rushed to the fortress wall at Mizu Pass, only to glimpse his figure receding along the riverbank—lonely and forlorn.
The boy felt a pang of melancholy. He lifted his hand, but said nothing. Grandpa Blind, walking away with his back turned, seemed to sense it—he raised his own hand in answer, never looking back.
Quinn saw Grandpa Blind lower his hand, as if wiping his eyes—like he was brushing away tears.
Grandpa Blind hurried along the riverbank. After a long while, he finally reached Oldridge Village.
The village was deserted—now it belonged entirely to the Brood-Hen Dragons. Many hens had nested here, filling the homes of Village Chief, Grandpa Blind, and the others. Spotting Grandpa Blind’s return, a proud young Brood-Hen Dragon charged at him, intent on driving the old man out of its territory.
Moments later, Grandpa Blind’s bamboo cane was roasting a plucked Brood-Hen Dragon over the campfire. The rest of the dragons huddled in corners, shivering as they watched him in terror.
Grandpa Blind wandered into Butcher’s room, dug out a few jars of wine from under the bed, and sat down to feast—roast Brood-Hen Dragon with liquor.
When he was full, he tossed the chicken bones aside, stood up, and reached for his bamboo cane—only to find it had burned to ash in the fire.
Grandpa Blind paused, clapped the ash from his hands, and strode out of the village toward the Yong River.
"How many years has it been..."
As he walked, he muttered to himself, "Old friend, how many years have you stood by me? Back when I was defeated, I carried you here. Village Chief said my Dao-heart was broken, that I was no longer worthy of you, and told me to let you fall silent—buried in the Yong River. He said, here in Oldridge Village, I’d never need you again."
On the Yong, the river’s surface began to heave, ripples spreading in ordered circles as faint tremors rose from the depths.
Grandpa Blind stepped onto the water, his tattered clothes whipping in the wind.
"When I abandoned you back then, my heart was dead—no hope, no vitality. You followed me once because of my strength, my invincibility, my defiance of everything!"
Standing atop the river, his small frame suddenly erupted with terrifying battle intent. The force shot skyward, twisting the clouds into the shape of a colossal Black Tortoise—dragon-headed, turtle-bodied, entwined with a flying Teng Snake and a thousand wings unfurled!
Suddenly, whispers rose from the riverbed—a strange sound, half dragon-song, half dead men’s murmurs, mixing dragon speech with voices from alien worlds.
It felt as if a long, soft body was rising slowly from the river, coiling around Grandpa Blind’s slight frame.
"Sato, Moba Sato, Xi Qu Mi Tuo—You are defeated, blind, unworthy of me..."
"I was defeated."
Grandpa Blind stood straight and tall. Though short—even shorter than anyone in the village but Village Chief and the old Butcher—he seemed impossibly imposing, towering, unyielding!
His face shadowed, Grandpa Blind murmured, "My god-eyes were gouged out, my Dao-heart shattered. I was never worthy of you. Truth is, I didn’t abandon you—you abandoned me. Back then, I was utterly defeated, unfit to wield you."
The river surged, water swirling into a massive vortex. From its heart, that uncanny voice thundered with dread authority: "Xi Qu Mi Tuo, Yi He Su Po Sa!—Unworthy of me, why have you come?"
"I’ve reclaimed my Dao-heart!"
Grandpa Blind’s brows and hair whipped in the wind, his clothes billowing outward. His voice thundered to the clouds, battle intent sharp and overwhelming—a god reborn on earth: "Once, I chased after the limits of god-eyes, seeing through all things but never understanding the human heart! Now, I have someone to protect. For this child, I’ve found my fighting spirit again—my faith and my Dao-heart!"
He reached out a hand to the river, voice booming: "My Dragon Reaver—I once abandoned you. Will you still follow me now? Do you still remember the glory days, the battles we fought drenched in blood? If you wish it, if you dare, then so be it! I’ll give you wars fiercer than ever before—one man, one spear, slaying gods and devils alike!"
Boom—
The river exploded as dragon-song roared. From the vortex, a pitch-black dragon of bone rose from the depths, swimming out—its countless joints rattling and swirling around Grandpa Blind’s slight frame.
Its jet-black bones vibrated, clattering louder and louder. Blood-red light burst from its joints, its aura terrifying and savage, filling the air with overwhelming slaughter.
Grandpa Blind gripped his palm tight—the bone dragon contracted, joints crashing together in a shower of sparks, transforming into a single black dragon spear that landed in his hand!
"Dragon Reaver, you’ve finally awakened! And so have I!"
He slung the black dragon spear on his back, heart overflowing with joy, and strode away from Oldridge Village without looking back: "This village—I won’t return! Come with me to relive the blood-soaked years!"
At Mizu Pass, Quinn sensed a terrifying aura erupting from the Great Ruins. He glanced up for a moment, then looked away. Strange phenomena were common in the Great Ruins—outbursts like this happened all the time.
"I’m heading to the Sunwell. You all really want to come with me?"