Saying Goodbye

Yun saw only Darkness before him until he could feel someone take his hand. He turned in that direction and sees a familiar face when he hears, "It isn't your time yet."

"What if I wanted to stay?" asks Yun with a smirk on his face which the woman returned to him.

"I would expell you from here and never allow you to return since I didn't marry a man that sought out comfort but to protect what he loves most his family," says Diao Chan as behind her appeared more people looking at Yun.

There was Xian, Fang, his soldiers, and his mother when he suddenly feels Diao Chan push him away while saying, "We will be waiting for you. Until then live your life to the fullest and don't regret anything."

They disappeared from Yun's sight as he returned to Darkness before he felt like he was drowning when he woke up and took big breaths trying to recover from this experience when he saw Zhen Luo sitting on a chair while sleeping watching over him.

Rin and Yang were there as well while Ai and Min were sleeping with Mi Shi until Yun recovers from whatever happened in the courtyard.

Yun leans himself upward finding his family around him still sleeping when he still feels a lingering touch on his right hand making the dream feel real.

He sees Yang and Rin sleeping and pets their heads before grabbing Zhen Luo and laying her beside him before falling asleep again. This time he would have a normal dream.

The next day he awaken with Zhen Luo by his side when he asks, "How long was I out?"

"Three days, we were worried you wouldn't wake up anymore after Lu Bu telling us that you sacrificed fifteen years of your life for your granddaughter," says Zhen Luo in a relieved tone since Yun was with her again.

"I might die but not so soon. She can have me when the time is right but not for now," says Yun seriously as he embraces her making her feel his skin and hear his beating heart which was beating slow but strong.

"I see, I won't need to worry about you dying this early," says Zhen Luo relieved as she hides her face into Yun's chest staying like that for a while when Ai and Min rushed in with Mi Shi.

Ai jumps without any worry upon the bed while Min was more timid about it since she has almost no recollection of who Yun is except for him being her father after seeing the reaction of the others.

"It seems we have a maelstrom in our family," says Yun with warmth in his tone talking about Ai when he notices Min being timid.

He looks at Min and stretches his hands out toward her. He picks her up and places her on the bed and says, "I am sorry that I was never there for almost the last year, Min. It might change once we are back at home."

"Home?" asks Min confused which made Yun give her a sad smile.

"Yes, home but only temporary since our real home lays in Zhending," says Yun in a sad tone seeing that his youngest doesn't remember Xiapi any longer.

"When you see the Gates of the Zhao Manor you will know that you are at home the moment your eyes land on it," says Yun rembering the gate with a plate hanging from it with Zhao engraved on it.

Min just looked at Yun with curious eyes imagining the Gates of the Zhao Manor in her head as a giant gate that would welcome her making Yun hold his smile back from seeing how cute his youngest looked at the moment.

"I will need to show my face to the others so they don't worry about me," says Yun as he stands up and kisses the forehead of his girls while kissing his wife.

He leaves the room while thanking Mi Shi for taking care of the kids and walks down the hall trying to find Hua or Lu Bu only to find Lu Kang first.

He was playing with now a active Lin and Fang in a room when Yun entered it and says, "I see that she is now alright."

This scared Kang a bit since he thought that Yun was still asleep as he turns to him and says, "Uncle Yun, are you alright?"

"I am," says Yun as he sees Lin crawling toward him.

"What is her name?" asks Yun as he picks her up.

"Zhao Lin," says Kang surprised to see Lin so happy to see Yun.

Yun was also surprised by Lin's reaction but he credited it to him sharing his Life Essence with her making her feel connected to him more than his own children.

"Lin, you will be quite a beauty if you inherit your mother's or your granduncle's beauty," says Yun teasing his brother who wasn't present at the moment but he got a laugh from Kang while Lin was only giggling not understanding anything.

Fang was trying to climb his leg when Yun grabbed him with his free hand by the neck and pulled him up before holding him properly just like Lin and looks at the boy.

"And he is?" asks Yun curiously seeing the boy trying to climb his leg so viciously.

Kang was a bit taken aback by Yun's question not knowing how to answer that question since it could open a scarred wound when he takes a deep breath and with confidence he says, "That is Fang named after his father."

This took Yun by surprise as he looked at Kang in disbelieve before looking at Fang and he says, "It seems I get a new chance in protecting you even though you aren't the same person."

He kisses both of the babies on their forehead before placing them down again letting them play with Kang when he says to Kang, "I will be going to the courtyard to see my mother and son. If someone is looking for me send them there. I will be talking to them after I come out of there."

"I understand," says Kang understanding Yun as he left the room.

Yun went to the courtyard finding the place he passed out the last time when he went through the door and finds his mother and son laying in caskets.

Yun didn't need to open the lit to look inside since the smell coming from them were horrible showing that they were decomposing at the moment.

"I'm sorry that I am so late to see you, mother," says Yun kneeling before the casket with his mother inside of it.

"I was busy with helping my son-in-law then keeping my son alive. I am sorry about that too. I shouldn't have played around and dealt with the situation seriously maybe Fang would have returned and Huixiu wouldn't be a widow this young," says Yun talking to himself knowing that his mother's soul was already resting beside his father.

"I hope you are having fun with father while I am left to suffer in this harsh world. At least I saved your great-granddaughter Lin," says Yun trying to find one positive thing in all this mess.

"But that was mostly Diao Chan's bloodline that saved her with me only sacrificing some of my years," says Yun before touching the casket and he says, "I will miss you, mother."

Then he turns to his son's casket and he touches it and says, "I am sorry, son. It was my fault that you have died. If I would have been more consequent in that moment you might have lived and would have seen your children. You would have played with them and seen them grow old before your eyes."

Yun began to cry thinking about what I robbed Fang and his children from and he says, "I will make sure that they will grow healthy and strong. Your son will be the next head of the household once I am dead. I hope that it will happen when he is old enough since I still have a long way to go before I can taste the endless rest and join you all. A really long way *sighs*."

Yun remembered Lucius again which meant that he would have a long way before him before he is able to meat Fang and the others again.

He turned away from the caskets and says, "I will miss you both and I will take your ashes back to Zhending to join the ancestral tomb."

Yun cleans his face and then leaves the room and find Lu Bu and Hua waiting for him there for him.

"Have you already said goodbye to mother?" asks Yun to Hua who only nods at him.

"Good, because from now on my hands will be drained in blood with so much blood that the people I killed before will look like a small puddle compared to the people we will kill in the future," says Yun seriously as he looks at Lu Bu.

"Are your men ready to march?" asks Yun to Lu Bu who also only nod seeing the determination behind Yun's eyes.

"Aren't we waiting for the other?" asks Hua worried thinking Yun hadn't recovered completely yet.

"No, we have no time to waste. We are taking Xiapi back and get Zang Ba's head for daring to fall over my people while I was away," says Yun seriously back to Hua before looking at Lu Bu while asking, "When can we mobilize your army?"

"In three to five days at max," says Lu Bu seriously bit slightly worried thinking that Yun was overworking himself after what he went through for their granddaughter.

"Good, the earlier we get Xiapi back the faster we can build a strong foothold in the North for Sun Quan against Cao Cao," says Yun as he looked at both when he turns to Hua and says, "Hua, you will be my second since Dian Wei isn't here. Lu Bu, you will be completely in charge of this battle. I will be at the front trying to get that bastard."