Chapter 7 Grandfather, I'm Late

• Thick smoke filled the cemetery as Huo Tianqi stood on the side, covering his nose and mouth with a silk handkerchief, watching the Taoist priest perform the ritual.
• "Mr. Huo," a bodyguard spotted Huo Miao not far away and whispered to Huo Tianqi, "Huo Miao is here."
• Huo Tianqi turned his head and glanced, but the smoke was too thick and it choked him, causing him to cough a few times. "Acknowledge him."
• Huo Miao and Ye Manxi's path was blocked by the bodyguards. Several strong men approached and broke the blind cane in Huo Miao's hand, throwing it aside, which hit a large stone and broke into several pieces.
• "Huo Miao, this is not where you belong. Go back!"
• Suddenly, the rain poured heavily, and the wind was so strong that Ye Manxi couldn't hold onto her umbrella. The wind blew the umbrella fabric away, leaving her with only the handle.
• Everyone burst into laughter at the sight. "Huo Miao, are you here to make a fool of yourself?"
• The fine raindrops quickly soaked their clothes, and Huo Miao's hand felt cold in Ye Manxi's palm.
• She looked up at Huo Miao's face. Rainwater flowed down his hair, dripping onto his eyelashes and sliding down to his thin cheeks.
• He remained silent, and the bodyguards gradually stopped laughing, looking at each other in astonishment.
• Even though he was now blind, they still had lingering fears about this former king.
• Huo Tianqi pressed down his hat and walked up to Huo Miao. He looked at him and smiled softly, "What are you afraid of? A blind leopard is no longer a leopard, just a little house cat."
• "I've come to send Grandfather on his final journey," Huo Miao said calmly.
• Huo Tianqi squinted through the rain and mist, looking at him. At this moment, one of his henchmen behind him pointed at his crotch and shouted loudly, "Crawl through my legs, and then you can pay respects to the old man!"
• Ye Manxi couldn't help but clench her fist, while Huo Tianqi reprimanded slowly, "Tsk, no matter what, he is still my cousin, Grandfather's own grandson. Even though he is blind now and has been expelled from the Huo family, others may not recognize him, but I do."
• Huo Tianqi placed his hand on Huo Miao's shoulder and patted it lightly, neither too light nor too heavy.
• "Huo Miao, it's not impossible. Brothers can talk about anything. You know what I want, give it to me, and then you can pay respects to Grandfather."
• "Huo Tianqi, are you worthy?" Huo Miao grabbed the hand that Huo Tianqi placed on his shoulder and twisted it forcefully, causing Huo Tianqi's entire face to wrinkle up.
• "Huo Miao!" Huo Tianqi forcefully pulled back his hand, which had been twisted painfully by Huo Miao, and angrily shouted at the people behind him, "Why aren't you going to catch him?"
• Huo Tianqi retreated to a safe area and waved his hand. The thugs behind him immediately pounced on Huo Miao.
• Ye Manxi panicked and wanted to protect Huo Miao, but she was forcefully pushed away and fell to the hard ground.
• Huo Miao was knocked down.
• He couldn't see, and the sound of rain was dripping in his ears. He couldn't distinguish whose chaotic footsteps they belonged to.
• A heavy punch landed on his cheek, followed by a blow to the back of his head.
• Then someone viciously swung an iron shovel on Huo Miao's back.
• He fell down, like a solid wall being pushed over.
• Huo Tianqi stood under the umbrella, leisurely watching this scene. His fingers, which had been pinched by Huo Miao earlier, still tingled with pain.
• He rubbed his fingers and looked at Huo Miao, who was repeatedly knocked down and getting up, sneering mockingly, "Don't be so stubborn, Huo Miao. Tell me where my grandfather's seal is, and I promise to take care of you for the rest of your life, providing you with good food and drink."
• Huo Miao's brow bone was broken, blood seeping out. Rainwater mixed with blood flowed down his face.
• Ye Manxi got up from the ground and ran over to protect Huo Miao. One of the thugs hesitated when he saw that Ye Manxi was a woman, holding the iron shovel high in the air, and instinctively looked at Huo Tianqi.
• He sighed, "I can't stand seeing women being hit."
• Then he turned around and waved his hand at the thugs.
• The heavy iron shovel mercilessly struck Ye Manxi's back, and she let out a muffled groan.
• "Lu He!" Before Huo Miao could push her away, Ye Manxi was injured.
• She slid softly down from his back, and Huo Miao held her, gently brushing her cheek with his blood-stained hand.
• Her eyes were tightly closed, and she fainted.
• The wind and rain grew stronger, but Huo Tianqi didn't stop. The thugs continued their assault, and Huo Miao held Ye Manxi, protecting her, trying to lift his head amidst the punches and kicks, looking at Huo Tianqi not far away.
• Huo Tianqi's voice fragmented in the increasingly heavy rain and fog, "Huo Miao, how heartbroken do you think it would be for my grandfather to see his once beloved grandson like this?"
• No matter what he said, Huo Miao remained silent.
• Huo Tianqi grew tired of watching and walked past Huo Miao, stepping on the water-filled potholes.
• Dirty water splashed all over Huo Miao's face.
• Huo Tianqi's men followed him, and the Taoist priests also closed their temple. The area in front of his grandfather's grave was in a mess.
• Ye Manxi was still lying in Huo Miao's arms when the cold raindrops hit her face and she woke up.
• As she opened her eyes, she saw Huo Miao anxiously caressing her cheek and softly calling out, "Luhe, Luhe."
• She quickly held onto Huo Miao's fingers, and he exclaimed with joy, "Are you awake?"
• Ye Manxi nodded repeatedly and sat up from Huo Miao's embrace.
• "Are you okay?"
• Ye Manxi shook her head again, supported herself with his help, and stopped in front of Grandfather's tomb.
• She held Huo Miao's hand and placed it on the tombstone. Huo Miao's pale fingers, wet from the rain, trembled as they moved down and touched Grandfather's photo.
• He knelt straight in front of Grandfather's grave and said, "Grandfather, I'm sorry I'm late..."
• Ye Manxi discovered an umbrella on the ground and opened it, protecting Huo Miao's head from the rain.
• In reality, Huo Miao had been drenched for a while, and it was difficult to distinguish whether the water on his face was rain or tears.
• His gaze, a mixture of sadness and determination, pierced through the pouring rain.
• No matter how fierce the wind and rain became, Ye Manxi firmly clung to the umbrella. In her heart, she silently vowed to heal Huo Miao and bring brightness back into his life.
• Jiang Jiye waited until Huo Tianqi and the others had departed before rushing over anxiously. Huo Miao didn't want him to appear, but Jiang Jiye had spotted him hiding in the shadows earlier and couldn't restrain himself any longer.
• "Mr. Huo," Jiang Jiye exclaimed, "Huo Tianqi is truly heartless. He treated you so cruelly, and Madam is also injured."
• "Is my wife seriously injured?" Huo Miao asked in a hoarse voice.
• Ye Manxi immediately shook her head at Jiang Jiye. In reality, her injuries were quite severe. Her back must be bruised, and she had scraped her forehead when she fell to the ground earlier.
• Jiang Jiye could only hold back his tears and replied, "She's alright."
• "Jiang Jiye."
• "Yes."
• "Take my wife back to the car. I'll stay with Grandfather for a while."
• "Yes." Jiang Jiye supported Ye Manxi as they walked towards the cemetery exit.
• When they reached the gate, Ye Manxi turned back for a glance.
• Huo Miao was still kneeling upright in the same spot, like an unbreakable pine tree in the face of any storm.