Tuoba Yan's smile vanished from his face. He strode forward and pulled Ah Jiu into a tight embrace.
Her tears were like knives, stabbing into his heart.
"Sister Jiu'er, Grandmother definitely wouldn't want you to be sad, just like me."
Beyond these words, Tuoba Yan couldn't grasp the human concept of life and death and could only offer such a bland remark to comfort Jiu'er.
Ah Jiu's body, held so tightly by Tuoba Yan's strong arms, was enveloped by a long-lost sense of security. She could finally cry without restraint.
"I... I originally, I originally wanted our family to never be separated," Ah Jiu sobbed intermittently, her body shaking with her cries.
This was Meng Jiu'er's dream in this life.
"I know, be good, don't cry," Tuoba Yan's eyes also reddened.
For some reason, Jiu'er's every smile and frown could draw him into an inescapable state.
On Ma Peng's side, as soon as they heard that Meng Hua City had been captured under Tuoba Yan's command, all the men and women, young and old, began to talk.
"Can we go home now?"
But Ma Peng and the others didn't think so. They immediately conferred with their brothers about the military situation:
Even the granary of Meng Hua City had been seized this time, but King Qi Ming would surely counterattack, so Meng Hua City was temporarily unsuitable for habitation.
Only after the foundation was stabilized could these weak civilians be transferred there.
The cave.
Ah Jiu finally spoke her heart's truth: "Little Yan, I cursed my grandmother to death."
Tuoba Yan immediately smiled, cupped her small face, and gently wiped away the tears from the corner of her nose with his thumb.
"Silly girl, if one could really curse people to death, wouldn't you curse King Qi Ming and King Chu Jiang to death right now, bringing peace to the world?"
As soon as he said this, Ah Jiu stared blankly at Tuoba Yan.
His words made sense.
But why did her grandmother's death coincide so closely with her curse, struck by lightning a few days later?
"That was just a coincidence. And I once knew a friend, he was also a cultivator. He said that if a person transcends the cycle of reincarnation, they can shed their physical body and ascend to immortality." Tuoba Yan had met Xue Zhen, and they had chatted quite a bit:
"If you don't believe me, when you follow me to Meng Hua City, I'll have him brought here so you can ask him yourself."
This arose because Xue Zhen couldn't ascertain Tuoba Yan's origin. He didn't possess any of the five elements, and Tuoba Yan's every word and deed was utterly inhuman.
Therefore, Xue Zhen was very curious about Tuoba Yan and had tentatively inquired, thinking he was a fellow cultivator, just one with a higher cultivation than himself.
Ah Jiu suddenly stopped sobbing: "Really? Which friend said that? Do I know him?"
Seeing that she was no longer weeping, Tuoba Yan felt relieved. "You haven't met him. I knew him when I was following King Qi Ming."
The light in Ah Jiu's eyes dimmed. If she knew him, she would have loved to consult this cultivator properly. If she could be sure that her grandmother had merely shed her physical form to ascend, she wouldn't be so heartbroken.
Ah Jiu suddenly looked up: "Do you mean what you say? If I go with you to Meng Hua City, you must bring him to me to ask him in person."
A light flickered in Tuoba Yan's eyes. Sister Jiu'er finally stopped crying. "Yes, I'll definitely bring him. If he doesn't come, I'll break his dog legs."
... Three days passed quickly.
As soon as Meng Shaode heard that Meng Hua City had been recaptured, his first request was to go home. He wanted to move his mother's grave back to the ancestral home.
Cai Lihua, standing nearby, did not object.
"Great Chieftain, Meng Hua City has already been recaptured, why can't we go back?" she said, supporting her husband.
Ma Peng scratched his ear, bewildered. "It's not that I disagree with going back, but the war has just begun, and it's uncertain if there will be any other unexpected incidents. Moreover, the attack on the city this time was commanded by Tuoba Yan, so I can't make the decision."
Upon hearing this, the couple looked at each other.
Suddenly, they turned and ran back to the cave in unison.
Pushing aside the grass curtain, they saw Tuoba Yan holding their daughter.
Cai Lihua suppressed all her previous thoughts. Fortunately, Meng Shaode, being rational, grabbed her arm, signaling her not to act impulsively.
This brat had actually taken Meng Hua City.