Chapter Twenty-Four: Silence
In the quiet mansion, there were only Yeru, George, Rein, and a dozen or so maids, plus several dozen guards. These people were here mostly for Lin Lei's sake.
Under the grape arbor, Yeru, George, and Rein sat around the stone table.
"Boss Yeru, tell me, what exactly is wrong with Third Brother?" Rein's face was full of confusion and helplessness.
Yeru shook his head. "I don't know either. Third Brother's been here for ten whole days now. In those ten days, he's completely lost the passion he used to have. He doesn't train anymore, doesn't joke around or liven things up with us. He just stays by himself all the time."
George nodded too. "No matter what happened in the past, Third Brother never stopped training. But now, it's like he's become a completely different person."
"Can someone tell me what's wrong with Third Brother?" Rein gritted his teeth in frustration.
"If I knew, that would be great," Yeru sighed helplessly.
What troubled the three brothers the most was that they had no idea why Lin Lei had become like this—no longer training, no longer hanging out with them. He just stayed alone by himself, as if he'd lost his soul.
He'd changed like this for no apparent reason.
As Lin Lei's close brothers, how could they not be anxious?
"Third Brother must have taken a huge blow," Yeru murmured. George and Rein fell silent, involuntarily recalling the scene they'd witnessed ten days ago—
Tens of thousands of spectators had watched, and in the central clearing spanning several hundred meters, everything was ruins. In the midst of the wreckage lay six horrifying craters and a meteorite.
Lin Lei, fully transformed into a dragon, had ruthlessly slaughtered the six purple-robed supreme stewards before collapsing to the ground and crying. He cried just like a child.
"I've never seen Third Brother so heartbroken, so vulnerable," Yeru said softly.
George nodded. "Third Brother is strong. Even when he broke up with Alice, after completing the stone sculpture 'Awakening from a Dream,' he went straight into the Magic Beast Mountain Range to continue training."
"Right. Even when his father died, Third Brother made it through. But this time..." Rein was filled with bewilderment.
They were all certain.
Their brother was deeply fragile right now, but they couldn't find the cause.
By the gurgling stream in the backyard of the quiet mansion, Lin Lei sat on a smooth decorative stone, staring at the flowing water without moving.
Bei Bei also stood on the smooth stone, leaning against Lin Lei.
All was silent save for the sound of flowing water.
Although Lin Lei's eyes watched the water, his mind was replaying scene after scene from the past with Grandpa Derinkoort.
Childhood memories of playing around with Grandpa Derinkoort.
His youth, with Grandpa Derinkoort's strict supervision.
In the Magic Beast Mountain Range, Grandpa Derinkoort's tireless reminders, over and over again.
Every scene he recalled brought a wave of peace to Lin Lei's heart.
"Father died, and I thought I was so lonely, but I didn't realize—I was actually happy all along. No matter how bad things got, Grandpa Derinkoort was always behind me, supporting me, comforting me, encouraging me, reminding me..."
"But why did I never realize any of this before? Why didn't I cherish the days with Grandpa Derinkoort?" Lin Lei's heart ached unbearably.
Grandpa Derinkoort had never asked anything excessive of him. And yet he had never once considered Grandpa Derinkoort's feelings, never cherished the time spent together. Perhaps deep down he had assumed that Grandpa Derinkoort would always stay inside the Coiling Dragon Ring.
"The Coiling Dragon Ring? Grandpa Derinkoort was always alone in there. Being stuck in one place all by himself—that must have been agonizing. Grandpa Derinkoort probably wished I'd talk with him more often." Only now did Lin Lei realize this.
And yet...
In the past, Lin Lei only ever consulted Grandpa Derinkoort when he ran into problems. He rarely struck up a conversation on his own.
He only knew how to take, never how to give.
"Why is it that we only learn to cherish after we've lost something?" Lin Lei's body trembled slightly. How desperately he wished Grandpa Derinkoort could come back, could be with him once more.
But...
That was impossible now.
Grandpa Derinkoort was dead. Dead forever.
Lin Lei felt his heart seizing in waves, as if it were cramping, his entire body racked with spasms of pain. Yet on his face, there was no trace of suffering.
Deep down, a thought even crossed his mind—
If he could just die from this pain, at least there would be relief and peace.
"Boss." Bei Bei's voice echoed in Lin Lei's mind. Lin Lei turned to look at Bei Bei beside him. Bei Bei's dark, round eyes gazed back at him, filled with worry.
"Are you—are you thinking about that Grandpa Derinkoort?" Bei Bei had only learned after Derinkoort's death that there had been a Holy Domain Grand Mage's soul by Lin Lei's side all along.
Lin Lei nodded.
Bei Bei transmitted through their soul link: "Boss, can you—can you tell me about you and that Grandpa Derinkoort?"
Looking at Bei Bei, Lin Lei gave a slight nod, then pulled the little creature into his arms. Like recounting a dream, he began telling Bei Bei about Grandpa Derinkoort. "That year, I was only eight. Two Saint-level powerhouses appeared in our Wushan Town..."
Yeru, George, and Rein appeared at the backyard gate, quietly watching Lin Lei in the distance, sitting on the smooth stone with Bei Bei in his arms.
"Seeing Third Brother like this, it hurts me too," Rein murmured with a sigh.
Yeru and George remained silent.
"We have to find a way," George said, his gaze suddenly sharp. "No matter what, we can't just let Third Brother sink into silence like this."
Yeru and Rein both nodded.